We had our second Cocktail Making workshop and learned how to make some delicious cocktails. We've included the recipes and some other tips below!
Drugstore Handicap
1 ½ oz Peychaud’s Apertivo
¾ oz Lemon
¾ oz Rosé Syrup
¾ oz Lillet blanc
Float of soda water
Dash of Bittermen’s Burlesque Bitters
-Combine all ingredients but soda in a shaker tin and shake down. Strain into a glass full of ice. Top with soda water
Barton’s Best Punch
10 parts 1792 Bourbon
6 Parts Chai Tea
7 Parts Lemon-Orange Sherbet
Nutmeg for garnish
-Combine ingredients in a large serving vessel such as a punch bowl. Fill bowl with ice and top with fresh grated nutmeg.
Jalisco Handshake
2 oz Tequila
1 ½ oz Ruby Grapefruit Juice
¾ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Pink Peppercorn Agave Syrup
Pinch of Salt
-Combine ingredients in a shaker tin with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a salt rimmed glass packed with ice.
Want to and make frozen margaritas ahead of time for a party? Combine the cocktail ingredients as prescribed (try this marg recipe!) and add 4 oz of water or if using a different recipe, double the amount of tequila as water. Then, pour the entire cocktail into a ziplock bag and leave in the freezer for at least 12 hours. Just squish the bag in your hands, open, and pour into a glass. This will give you blender free frozen margaritas!
Rose Syrup
16 fl oz Rose wine
12 oz Granulated Sugar
The zest from one ruby grapefruit
One sprig of rosemary
Two sprigs of thyme
-Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat to a dull simmer for five minutes while constantly stirring. Take off heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Strain the peels and herbs through a fine mesh strainer and decant the syrup.
Pink Peppercorn Agave Syrup
16 fl oz Light Agave Nectar
3 Tbsp Crushed Pink Peppercorns.
4 oz hot water.
-Heat Agave and fresh ground peppercorns in saucepan. Simmer 10 minutes, stir constantly. Take off the heat and cool for 15 minutes. Strain through fine mesh strainer. Pour hot water into saucepan, swirl around and strain into agave syrup. Stir strained liquids together until cohesive. Decant.
Lemon Orange Oleo Sherbet
12 lemons
4 oranges
1 cup turbinado sugar.
-Remove peels from citrus fruits. Slice peels into fine pieces and toss with turbinado sugar. Stir thoroughly. Store at room temp in a sealed box for at least 12 hours. Strain liquid that has formed on top of the peels, or use this oleo saccharum to make a sherbet. To make a sherbet, juice all of the citrus you peeled to make an oleo saccharum. Combine the juice from the fruit with oleo saccharum and stir vigorously. Then, strain off any pulp or remaining peels and decant.
Cocktail Math & Original Cocktails
When trying to create a signature cocktail for a party or holiday, there are a few common ratios of ingredients that will always make a decent cocktail.
Most cocktails conform to “The Golden Ratio”: 2 parts Spirit, 1 part Sour, and 1 part Sweet. You can split your alcohol base up over multiple spirits or your sour over multiple tart elements as long as total they meet the ratio of your drink. Add bitters, herbs and spices for added layers.
Another technique for making new and interesting cocktails on the fly is to use the substitution method. Substitute your base alcohol in a preexisting cocktail recipe. You really like Cosmopolitan cocktails, but it’s Cinco de Mayo. Follow the regular recipe, but swap in Tequila for Vodka and you've got a new original cocktail without having to work from scratch!