How The Competition Works
Bartenders will be introduced to ten (10) participating brands including:
Each week judges will choose ten (10) semi-finalists who will win $500 instantly (payable via VENMO). Bartenders can submit for all 10 brands on a weekly basis but can only win once for the entirety of the program.
Each week, for four weeks, Chilled media will announce the semi-finalists. Of the forty (40) total semi-finalists, four will be chosen virtually to win additional prizes.
Weekly Winners
The top ten (10) semi-finalists from each week will win $500 instantly, paid via venmo. Of the forty (40) total semi-finalists one (1) will be chosen each week to compete in the Virtual Finals.
Virtual Finals
The top four (4) finalists will be chosen by creativity, presentation, and inspiration. The competition and winners will be presented via virtual live stream judged by Jonathan Pogash for the final prizes including:
1st Prize: $4000
2nd Prize: $3000
3rd Prize: $2000
4th Prize: $1000
Join judge Jonathan Pogash as he virtually recreates the top four (4) finalists cocktails and judges them on taste, aroma, and ease of execution.
Deadlines for entries are as follows:
- Week 1: deadline for entries 4/12
- Week 2: deadline for entries 4/19
- Week 3: deadline for entries 4/26
- Week 4: deadline for entries 5/3
Registration
Registration is now closed, no new entries are being accepted!
Winners
The Staycation
Recipe by Katie Renshaw
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Paul John Edited Whisky
- 0.5 oz coconut syrup (recipe below)*
- 0.5 oz lemon juice
- 90 g diced mango (around 1/2 cup diced mango if you don’t have a scale)
- 25 g greek yogurt (around 1 tablespoon if you don’t have a scale)
- *Coconut Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 0.5 cup unsweetened shredded coconut / coconut flakes
- Pinch of salt
- Combine all ingredients in a pot on the stove. Bring to a simmer, stir, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool, then fine strain to remove coconut flakes.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients, plus a half oz water and 5-6 refrigerator ice cubes (a small handful) to blender or blender cup. Blend on high until texture is smooth. Pour into a small rocks glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg, sliced mango, and a mint sprig spritzed with Paul John Bold Whisky.
Garnish:
Mint sprig spritzed with Paul John Bold Whisky, freshly grated nutmeg, and sliced mango
Glassware:
Small rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Video: https://vimeo.com/409025733
During these times spent at home, I’ve had many moments of fantasizing about a time in the future when I’m actually able to get on a plane again and travel to new places.
When I learned about Paul John whisky, I started dreaming about its home by the tropical shores of Goa, India. Paul John is a single malt whisky, made very similarly to all of the scotch whisky I know and love, but it is produced and aged in a tropical climate - Scotland is rainy and cool most of the year while it’s hot and humid all year round in Goa. Aging a spirit in a hotter climate leads to quicker aging, which can bring a different complexity to a younger whisky.
One of the ways we’ve been able to experience other cultures without leaving our apartment is through the food we’re eating. Our favorite place to support during these times of restaurant closures has become our local Indian spot down the street. Thinking of the home of Paul John Whisky, and the Indian cuisine I love so much, I wanted to create a cocktail inspired by a traditional Indian drink, the mango lassi. The mango season in Goa actually started this month in April, and I love those tropical flavors with a peated whisky, like the Paul John Edited I chose to use. With the Paul John acting as the spice element in the lassi, I added the classic lassi ingredients of mango and yogurt, and balanced those with some lemon juice and a coconut syrup, coconut being another one of the most popular ingredients in Goan cuisine.
Being cooped up at home, we’ve had to create our own moments of joy whether it’s eating a delicious meal, daydreaming about our next vacation, or throwing our own personal dance party around the apartment; I wanted to call this cocktail the Staycation, to celebrate all of those small creative moments of joy we're having at home.
Shades of Tjader
Recipe by Manami York
Ingredients:
- 2 oz JP Wiser's Rye Whiskey
- 1 bar spoon Soho Lychee
- 3/4 oz mango ginger tea syrup
- 1/2 oz lemon
- 1 bar spoon matcha powder
- 1 oz aquafaba
- pinch of gunpowder green tea leaves (for garnish)
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into shaker tin. Dry shake until frothy, then add ice and chill shake mixture. Strain ingredients into coupe glass. Sprinkle the gunpowder green tea leaves.
Garnish:
Gunpowder Green Tea Leaves
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by Cal Tjader’s 1963 album, “Several Shades of Jade,” this cocktail features a refreshing, juicy spin on a traditional whiskey sour. Like the tracks that comprise the album, the cocktail shares the similarity of integrating Asian influences into a Western concept. Visually, there are several shades of jade reflected in the layers - the cocktail, the aquafaba foam, and the garnish. Being very fortunate to work in a jazz club environment like Con Alma, it’s very easy to draw inspiration from album covers and names, with this cocktail being the perfect example.
Mornings in Pai’a
Recipe by Adrian Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Van Gogh Mango Vodka
- .5 oz Passion fruit liqueur
- .75 oz lemon juice
- .25 oz simple syrup
- 1/8 slice of avocado
Preparation:
Lightly muddle the avocado in a cocktail tin, and then add the rest of your ingredients. Top with ice, and shake vigorously for 20 seconds to break down the avocado, and create a creamy texture. Fine strain into a stemmed cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon wheel, and a flower.
Garnish:
Lemon wheel and flower
Glassware:
Stemmed glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
As I sit here in my home, I reflect back to five years ago when everything I owned fit in a backpack, and my nights were spent sleeping outside in my hammock. I was what some would call “a beach bum”. I lived on the coast of Maui, and I spent my mornings foraging for fruits. Everyday was an adventure filled with uncertainty. Although at the time, my days seemed difficult and full of uncertainty, as I reflect back, I realized that they were some of the most fulfilling days of my life. The reason I reflect back today is because once again uncertainty and doubt has loomed over us, but just like my days living under the stars, I hope that one day we’ll look back at this and realize how much stronger we are because of it.
Wellington-Harrington
Recipe by Naomi Levy
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Novo Fogo Silver Caçhaca
- .5 oz Campari
- .75 oz Beet Syrup
- .75 oz Lime Juice
- 1 Sprig Parsley
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients and shake. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a parsley leaf.
To make Beet Syrup:
Combine in a blender:
1/2 cup roasted beets (I buy them pre-roasted from love beets or you can roast your own)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 oz water
Blend ingredients until smooth. Strain through mesh strainer (optional, but recommended).
Garnish:
Parsley Leaf
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by my neighborhood (Wellington-Harrington) in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I have now lived for over a decade. It is a melting pot of Brazilian, Polish and Italian heritage with bakeries serving pao de queijo a few doors down from ones slinging cannolis. It is a neighborhood where private clubs still abound and the restaurant owners grew up down the street. It is my community that I love and this cocktail exemplifies how something so wonderful can come from disparate cultures and ingredients melding together.
This Week's Entries
Spiced Summertime Sippin'
Recipe by Darian Everding
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Becherovka
- 05oz Domaine de Canton
- 2 ds Rhubarb Bitters
- Topo Chico, to top
Preparation:
Combine Becherovka, Domaine de Canton, and bitters in mixing glass. Stir for 10 seconds, strain over fresh ice in collins or lowball glass. Top with Topo Chico. Express lemon peel over the glass and drop in.
Garnish:
Collins or lowball
Glassware:
Collins or lowball
Cocktail Inspiration:
In an industry consumed by frequent alcohol consumption, low-ABV options are a great choice for bartender and customer alike. Bitters and soda is a frequent choice, but leaves much to be desired. Becherovka is a great base for such a cocktail, and a kick of ginger sweetness plus the complementary rhubarb herbaceousness brings this cocktail right into summer party season!
His girl Friday
Recipe by Dylon Tubb
Ingredients:
- 1 oz becherovka
- 1 oz navy strength gin
- Dash of Campari
- 1/2 oz Blanc vermouth
- 3-4 slices green apple
Preparation:
Muddle green apple in bottom of mixing glass
Add all other ingredients
Add ice
Stir and double strain
Garnish:
Green apple slices
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This drink is an homage to another time in cinema and American culture of the 40s and 50s. My grandmother was always a huge fan of Cary grant films and I remember having them on the television when I would visit her and she would bake apple pie for my brother and I. This martini riff keeps the simplicity of the classic cocktail but adds apple which plays off the spiced notes of the becherovka and to me is reminiscent of that fresh out of the oven smell of grandmas green apple pie.
The Perfect Wave
Recipe by Cole Herring
Ingredients:
- 2oz Novo Fogo Tanager
- 1oz Lime Juice
- .5oz Simple Syrup
- .5oz Coconut Water
- .25oz Del Maguey de Mezcal
- 1 muddled strawberry and half of a kiwi
- about 1.5oz Ace Pineapple Cider
Preparation:
Muddle 1 strawberry and half of a skinned kiwi with the simple syrup and lime juice
add Novo Fogo Tanager, Coconut Water, and Crema de Mezcal
Shake and double strain over rocks
top with Ace Pineapple Cider
Garnish:
Skewered Strawberry and Kiwi Slice
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
While browsing the Novo Fogo website for some inspiration, the Blushing Yakima caught my attention. I started thinking that I love "beer-tail's", but I have never made one so I decided to challenge myself and create my first one. My fiance loves Ace Pineapple Cider and so then she became my biggest inspiration for this cocktail. We both have an addiction for tropical fruits so it only makes sense that I go as tropical as possible with the addition of fresh fruit flavors and the use of Novo Fogo Tanager as the base spirit. The Crema de Mezcal gives a smoky bite to the mostly sweet profile of this cocktail. The name came one afternoon after of few too many of these and my fiance said that the buzz kept her on a "perfect wave".
Amazon Warrior
Recipe by Leanne Favre
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaca
- .75 oz Pineapple Shrub (½ cup pineapple juice, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tsp champagne vinegar)
- .75 oz Fino Sherry
- .25 oz Dolin Blanc
- 2 dash Saline Solution (20%)
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a stirring vessel, stir until chilled and diluted.
*Pineapple Shrub
½ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp champagne vinegar
Combine in a blender until sugar is dissolved.
Garnish:
Garnish with pineapple frond & lemon twist.
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail celebrates the terrior of the Cachaca which brings bright acidity with notes of tropical fruit and saline.
I wanted to highlight all of these elements and create a stirred cocktail, which acts as a vehicle to explore this fucky unique spirit. The Fino offers a dry platform with hints of grapes, almonds, yeast and saline. Dolin Blanc adds a beautiful bark spice on the nose with white wine acidity and subtle flavors of citrus peel, herbs and flowers. The Pineapple Vinegar Shrub adds bright tropic fruit and viscosity, with a tangy finish!
A Sincere Toast
Recipe by Riamond Lomeli
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Scapegrace Dry Gin
- .5 oz Marie Brizard Caramel Liqueur
- .75 oz lemon juice
- .5 apple cinnamon syrup
- 2 dashes Bar Keep Apple Bitters
- 1.5 oz Brut champagne
- 2 Apples
Preparation:
Add .5 oz Marie Brizard Caramel Liquer, .5 oz apple cinnamon syrup, .75 lemon juice and 3 slice of the apple into a tin. Muddle the apple and then add the 2 dashes of apple bitters and the 1.5 oz of Scapegrace Dry Gin. Add ice and shake for 25 seconds. Fine strain into a fancy coupe and top with brut champagne.
(apple cinnamon syrup)
3 cups water, 3 cups granulated sugar, cut up one apple into slices, 3 dashes of cinnamon . add all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil until all sugar has dissolved. Let syrup sit in low heat for 1 hour. Fine strain into container!
Garnish:
Dehydrated apple slice & a Thank You keepsake.
Glassware:
Light bulb coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
YOU. All of you. All of you who are making it possible to allow us bartenders to continue to do what we love, in the safety of our own homes, and make some extra income to top it all off! Theres no doubt about it that a bunch of our futures are unclear and our spirits are low.. but it is the idea of these competitions that keeps our hopes alive! This cocktail is "A Sincere Toast".. a heart felt THANK YOU to those who take care of their own.
The tart of the apple and lemon, sweetness of the Marie Brizard Caramel liquor, spice of the cinnamon, and the clean smoothness of the Scapegrace Gin compliment each other so well that the drink becomes more refreshing with each sip. Now the champagne at the end is just to add a little spark for the perfect cheers.
Times are tough but we will pull through this and once this is all over hopefully we can all create every single one of these cocktails and have a toast to some of the real MVPS of the cocktail world. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
A State of Grace
Recipe by Edward Harper
Ingredients:
- 1.50 oz Scapegrace Gin
- 1.00 oz Greenbar Grand Poppy
- 0.50 oz Strawberry Infused Rum (Don Q Gold)
- 1.00 oz Fresh Squeezed Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
- pinch of salt (Maldon if possible)
Preparation:
for the strawberry rum (per 750 ml)...
to 1 pound of quartered strawberries add 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Seal with plastic wrap and let sit overnight. The next day combine the strawberries and "syrup" to rum (I used Don Q Gold) using a vessel that has a leak-proof cap (64 oz mason jar)
for the cocktail...
Combine ingredients in shaker with ice.
Shake hard for a bit.
Double strain
Garnish:
Dehydrated Strawberry Slice
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
The inspiration for this cocktail recipe comes from a place of necessity. They say necessity is the mother of invention and I believe adversity is the father. As a bar director I am always striving to make use of my resources in the most delicious and efficient way. I created an infusion out of macerated strawberries given to me by a friend, and rum that had been sitting on our shelf. We always seem to have too much grapefruit juice that I fear will go to waste. I love Grand Poppy and have never found a home for it in a cocktail. Fortunately they all came together to create this cocktail. To me it is a breath of fresh air inside of this strenuous and new situation we are thrust into.
Seafoam Bikini
Recipe by Brandon Sontag
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Scapegrace gin
- 1oz of Becherovka
- 1oz cucumber shrub
- .75 oz lime chili syrup
- Top with Schweppes Tonic water
Preparation:
Build all ingredients in collins glass. Top with tonic water and add ice. Add cucumber strip with a barspoon
Cucumber shrub*
Add one large cucmber choped into into medium pieces into a blender along with 1 cup sugar and one cup water and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Blend on high until mixture reaches a s.oot consistency. Strain through fine stainer.
Lime chili syrup*
Halve 3 limes and juice them in to sauce pan and throw in lime shells. Add 5 toasted arbol chilies broken in half along with one cup sugar and one cup water. Bring mixture to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and bring mixture to room temp. Once at room temp, strain through fine strainer
Garnish:
one long thin slice of cucmber
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My inspiration for this cocktaI comes from the desire to batch this cocktail up in the summer and be able to serve it to my friends whenever this is all over. My inspiration for the recipe is all about refreshing flavor combinations from refreshing that were lying around my house and doing things as simple as possible. Cheers!
Rubber Ducky You're The One
Recipe by Ramon Pinon
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Paul John
- .75 oz Velvet Valernium
- 1 oz lime juice
- .75 Praline Orgeat
- 3 drops of saline solution (2:1)
Preparation:
1)A all ingredients into a mixing tin or a blender and top with crushed ice.
2) blend or whip shake
3) pour the drink into a tall tiki mug
4) garnish with. Burn cinnamon stick and a Rubber Ducky
Praline Orgeat recipe:
2 cups of chopped raw pecans
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1tspn vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups of water
1) on a high heat toast the raw pecans in a pot until brown
2) bring the temperature down and add in the water, brown sugar and vanilla extract
3) stir untill the brown sugar has dissolved
4) strain through a fine mesh strainer
5) chill and enjoy
*Also*
The remaining pecans can be thrown in a dehydrator or an oven to make pecan crisps
Saline solution:
2 oz water
1oz salt
Garnish:
Burnt cinnamon stick and a Rubber Duckie
Glassware:
Tiki mug
Cocktail Inspiration:
I've been taking a lot of showers during this quarantine, and I'll often look at my shower rack and think about how awesome it would be to have a bar in there. So I did just that. Nothing's better than enjoying a cold drink in a hot shower.
Cheers
Beck's Brunch Cup
Recipe by Priscilla Farina
Ingredients:
- *2oz becherovka
- *.5 oz Lemon juice
- *.5 oz Hibiscus Syrup
- *2 table spoons garden salsa
- (Muddled or blended- Zucchini,Cucumber, plum and ginger)
- * Topped with Topo Chico
Preparation:
*Hibiscus syrup is a brewed 16 oz of water to boiling 2 tsp tea, steep 4 minutes add 16 oz of sugar.
Garden Salsa-
in a blender:
1 Zucchini, 1 Cucumber, 2 plums and 1 knob of ginger
Add all ingredients into a Highball glass with crushed ice and top with Topo chico or soda water.
Garnish:
Cucumber zucchini and plum round slice
Glassware:
Highball
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was created to compliment the herbaceous flair of Becherovka, I myself have been craving being able to go outside and enjoy a cocktail with my friends at brunch. This is a riff on one of my favorites to make. The plum and ginger compliment with spice and zest of Becherovka, while the zucchini and cucumber bring a green garden vegetal note that balances the sweet and tart from the hibiscus and lemon.
I for one wanted to challenge myself to make a cocktail with little prep work and utilizing fresh ingredients in my kitchen while I still can!
Czech Yo Self Before You Wreck yo Self
Recipe by Manuel Nieves
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz becherovka
- .5oz rye
- 1oz Coconut creme
- .75oz lime
- 1.5oz fresh pineapple juice
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a tin with ice.
Shake well and dump into big Collins or tiki mug
Garnish with mint bouquet and orange slice
Garnish:
Mint bouquet , orange slice
Glassware:
Large Collins/tiki mug
Cocktail Inspiration:
I’ve always been a huge fan of tropical cocktails specifically piña coladas.
This herbaceous twist let’s the tropical flavors pop.
While giving it a crazy cool and different finish (from the becherovka)
It’s a tiki drink for the tiki drinker but also for someone who wants complexity
Rio
Recipe by Alex Artishenko Jr
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça
- .5oz Montelobos Mezcal
- .75oz kiwi-cane syrup
- .75oz fresh lime juice
- 3 drops of Dr. Elmigirab's Spanish Bitters
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients into a mixing tin. Then shake for approximately 10-12 seconds to hit the proper dilution and temperature for this drink. Pour into a chilled Collins glass with fresh ice and garnish. Cheers!
***Kiwi-Cane Syrup : Make a 'simple syrup' with fine brown cane sugar instead of superfine sugar. Dice up 1 kiwi with a ratio of 1 kiwi :1 cup water : 1 cups can sugar
Garnish:
Pineapple Frond + Lime Wheel
Glassware:
Collins Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was created at my bar for a guest back in 2016. He's a gentleman from Brazil and enjoyed Cachaça. At this time the Olympics were underway in Rio de Janeiro and he wanted me make him something off menu and this Caipirinha variation was the result. I was messing around with this super delicious kiwi syrup that I made and couldn't exactly figure it out until my inspiration came from this man. I haven't dropped making this drink yet!
Cheers!
A Gift Horse
Recipe by David Roth
Ingredients:
- 2 oz San Matias Tahona Blanco Tequila
- .75 oz lemon Juice
- .75 oz lemongrass tea syrup - chamomile is ok, too
- 1 oz blueberries
- 1 barspoon prepared horseradish- Golds is great.
- Lemongrass Tea Syrup
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 lemongrass tea bags
- Make a strong tea with the hot water and teabags by steeping for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and stir in the sugar to make a syrup. Let cool before use. Chamomile tea can be substituted.
Preparation:
In a mixing tin, muddle blueberries and horseradish together. Next add the San Matias Blanco, lemon juice and tea syrup. Fill the shaker with ice, cover and shake for 15 seconds. Double strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice. Express lemon peel over the drink and place on top of the drink.
Garnish:
Lemon peel
Glassware:
Double old fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
I got the idea to build a drink around the unusual flavor pairing of blueberries and horseradish from the book, The Flavor Matrix by James Briscione. The green notes of the Blanco tequila work perfect with the other flavors and this delicious and unusual sour was born.
Czech-mate!
Recipe by David Roth
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Becherovka
- .50 oz lemon juice
- .25 heavy vanilla syrup
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 small egg white
- Heavy Vanilla syrup
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- I/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
- Combine Sugar and water. Stir to dissolve. Add vanilla extract. Stir again and taste. Adjust vanilla as necessary.
Preparation:
In a mixing tin, add the egg white, Becherovka, lemon juice, vanilla syrup and bitters. Add ice, cover and shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Double strain into a chilled nick and Nora glass. Add 3 drops of Angostura bitters on top and draw a cocktail pick through the bitters on the froth to make heart shapes.
Garnish:
Angostura Bitters on froth
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
I like using Amaro in frothy after dinner drinks that are well balanced and interesting. Becherovka is perfect for this since the cinnamon, vanilla and lemon all pair perfectly with each other.
遠くから
Recipe by Adam Beňo
Ingredients:
- Becherovka infused with pear - 45ml
- Saké infused with ginger - 30ml
- Kwai Feh Lychee Liqueur - 25ml
- Homemade citrus biters - 3 dashes
- Saline solution - 4 drops
Preparation:
Put all ingredients into a mixing glass, fill with ice, stir and serve on the rocks.
Infused Becherovka:
200ml of becherovka, 100 grams of chopped pear. Leave it in manson jar for 72 hours in fridge, then strain through paper coffee filter
Infused saké:
200ml of saké, 50 grams of thinly sliced ginger root. Leave it in manson jar for 24 hours in fridge, then strain through paper coffee filter
Homemade citrus bitters:
100ml of overproof white rum infused with citrus zests, gentian root, salt and other spices.
Garnish:
Dried elderberry flower, cylindrical ice cube
Glassware:
Double rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Digging in your cellar can discover some long forgotten treasures. For me it was a bottle of saké. The first idea was using it as a replacement for vermouth, later crystallized itself into mixing the traditional with something forein and new. Turned out perfect. The sweetness of lychee is being balanced by rather dry saké, as well as saline used to balance the bitterness of becherovka. Only bummer in this beautiful mix of herbs and fruit is the ice, which, because of the new form I am trying, is nowhere being perfectly clear. On the other hand, it has its own beauty.
Cruise Control
Recipe by Melina Meza
Ingredients:
- .75 oz Van Gogh Vodka
- .75 oz Van Gogh Vodka Vanilla
- .5 oz Strawberry Macadamia Orgeat
- .5 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 bar spoon of Coconut Greek Yogurt
- Top with Champagne
Preparation:
Strawberry Orgeat:
*In a blender combine 6 large strawberries, 1 cup Macadamia nuts, and 32 oz of water.
*Pulse on medium for 10 seconds.
*Empty contents into a pot and cook until boil.
*Stir in 32 oz of sugar until dissolved.
*Strain, label and refrigerate.
Garnish:
Garnish with a fruit rollup wrapped around the rim
Glassware:
Flute
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by the different snacks I would bring on hikes with my nieces. Before quarantine I used to take my two nieces hiking all over different amazing trails here in SoCal. I would always prepare something small to treat ourselves for making it to the top of the mountain. They were always in a rush to see who could make it to the top first but I would encourage them that, 'slow and steady wins the race' hence the cocktail name Cruise Control.
The Van Gogh Vanilla Vodka pairs wonderfully with the fresh strawberry and nutty orgeat while the coconut yogurt adds a complex mouthfeel. All of the flavors come together in harmony with the help of a splash of champagne to bring that refreshing effervescence to life!
Swag Police
Recipe by Melina Meza
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Novo Fogo Cachaca
- .5 oz Cocchi Americano
- .75 oz Carrot Juice
- .75 oz Vanilla Bean Cordial
- .75 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 drop Rosewater
- Vanilla Bean Cordial Recipe:
- *Blend 2 vanilla beans with 32 oz of water on high for 10 seconds.
- *Empty contents into a pot and cook until boil.
- *Mix in 32 oz of sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- *Strain, label and date.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a shaker tin and shake vigorously.
Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a baby carrot or carrot top.
Enjoy!
Garnish:
Garnish with a baby carrot or carrot top
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by the carrot cake I insist my mom make me for my birthday every year. I have tried to recreate her recipe but baking has never been my forte. Knowing I will be under quarantine for my bday this year- the least I could do is try and turn that slice of heaven into a cocktail instead. The vanilla is reminiscent of her vanilla cream cheese frosting and that tiny drop of rosewater gives it a floral note that makes the Novo Fogo Cachaca shine.
I am calling this one Swag Police because to this day my mom goes against my wishes and tries to buy and me clothes she knows I will never wear. As long as I can enjoy a slice of her delicious carrot cake every year then I dont mind her attempts to change my style, haha!
POOLSIDE CRUSHER
Recipe by Melina Meza
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Marie Brizard Lychee
- 1 oz Lillet Blanc
- .5 oz Chamomile Honey
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 2 dashes Lavender Bitters
- Chamomile Honey Recipe:
- *Steep 1 bag of chamomile tea for 7 minutes in 16 oz of boiling water
- *Mix in 16 oz of sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- *Strain, label and date.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a shaker tin and shake vigorously.
Strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish with a lychee on a pick.
Enjoy!
Garnish:
Lychee on a pick
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by my favorite pastime... enjoying a cocktail out by the pool. My go to libation for drinking poolside on a hot day is always low abv cocktails because we all know the sun + alcohol can cause dehydration so its best to pace yourself. Shoutout to the last rooftop bar I worked at which taught me the best way to get your guests to drink low abv is to make a cocktail so delicious they can't help but order it. Theres no arguing that Los Angeles loves lychee so this Poolside Crusher leads with Marie Blizzard Lychee combined with other popular complimentary flavors like lavender, chamomile and Lillet. What more could you ask for?
Not your mamas milk
Recipe by Michael Demahy
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Saint James rum
- 2 lemons zest and juice
- 1 orange zest and juice.
- 1/2 pineapple
- 3 allspice
- 10 coriander
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup green tea
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 cups whole milk
Preparation:
Mix and muddle all ingredients besides the whole milk. Strain and add mixture to the whole milk. Let sit for 30 min. Strain through a coffee filter.
Garnish:
Lemon zest
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
Now that we all have a little bit more time on our hands this is the perfect cocktail to make at home. What better way to spend your time then making this beautiful silky cocktail. Easy to make and will make you feel like a top class mixologist. Cheers!
Swag Police
Recipe by Melina Meza
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Novo Fogo Cachaca
- .5 oz Cocchi Americano
- .75 oz Carrot Juice
- .75 oz Vanilla Bean Cordial
- .75 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 drop Rosewater
- Vanilla Bean Cordial Recipe:
- *Blend 2 vanilla beans with 32 oz of water on high for 10 seconds.
- *Empty contents into a pot and cook until boil.
- *Mix in 32 oz of sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- *Strain, label and date.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a shaker tin and shake vigorously.
Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a baby carrot or carrot top.
Enjoy!
Garnish:
Garnish with a baby carrot or carrot top
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by the carrot cake I insist my mom make me for my birthday every year. I have tried to recreate her recipe but baking has never been my forte. Knowing I will be under quarantine for my bday this year- the least I could do is try and turn that slice of heaven into a cocktail instead. The vanilla is reminiscent of her vanilla cream cheese frosting and that tiny drop of rosewater gives it a floral note that makes the Novo Fogo Cachaca shine.
I am calling this one Swag Police because to this day my mom goes against my wishes and tries to buy and me clothes she knows I will never wear. As long as I can enjoy a slice of her delicious carrot cake every year then I dont mind her attempts to change my style, haha!
POOLSIDE CRUSHER
Recipe by Melina Meza
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Marie Brizard Lychee
- 1 oz Lillet Blanc
- .5 oz Chamomile Honey
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 2 dashes Lavender Bitters
- Chamomile Honey Recipe:
- *Steep 1 bag of chamomile tea for 7 minutes in 16 oz of boiling water
- *Mix in 16 oz of sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- *Strain, label and date.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a shaker tin and shake vigorously.
Strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish with a lychee on a pick.
Enjoy!
Garnish:
Lychee on a pick
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by my favorite pastime... enjoying a cocktail out by the pool. My go to libation for drinking poolside on a hot day is always low abv cocktails because we all know the sun + alcohol can cause dehydration so its best to pace yourself. Shoutout to the last rooftop bar I worked at which taught me the best way to get your guests to drink low abv is to make a cocktail so delicious they can't help but order it. Theres no arguing that Los Angeles loves lychee so this Poolside Crusher leads with Marie Blizzard Lychee combined with other popular complimentary flavors like lavender, chamomile and Lillet. What more could you ask for?
Don't Flip Out, Ron
Recipe by Kiernan Garrett
Ingredients:
- 1.50 St James Reserve Rum
- 0.50 Zwack
- 0.50 Disaronno
- 0.50 oz Ceylon Cinnamon Syrup
- 0.50 Coco Lopez
- 0.50 Coconut MIlk
- 1 medium Organic Free range eggs
- Nutmeg for garnish
Preparation:
Combine all liquid ingredients into Shaker tin. Dry shake without ice vigorously. Add Ice, Shake again, vigorously. Double strain into Parfait glass without ice and garnish with nutmeg.
Garnish:
Ground nutmeg, fresh.
Glassware:
Parfait or dessert glass.
Cocktail Inspiration:
Making breakfast for my dairy free friend Ron, I needed something to keep him tided over until I could finish actual food as he was being a mild terror to the rest of our group on vacation while Hangry (Hungry/angry). Using rum (Ron) and eggs at hand, made him a filling boozy cocktail to tide him over and named it after his great Hanger.
ROLL CALL
Recipe by Melina Meza
Ingredients:
- 1.75 oz Cutty Sark Scotch
- .25 oz Velvet Falernum
- 1 oz Granny Smith Apple Juice
- .75 oz Allspice & Shiso Cordial
- .75 oz Lime Juice
- Top with 2 dashes Angostura
- Allspice and Shiso Cordial Recipe:
- *Blend 5 pieces of shiso with 32 oz of water on high for 10 seconds.
- *Empty contents into a pot along with 15 allspice berries.
- *Cook on medium until boil.
- *Mix in 32 oz of sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- *Strain, label and date.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a shaker tin and shake vigorously.
Strain into a collins glass filled with fresh ice.
Top with 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters.
Garnish with a shiso leaf and a apple ball on a pick.
Enjoy!
Garnish:
Garnish with a shiso leaf and apple ball on a pick.
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is dedicated to my roommate who only drinks apple flavored whisky at home unless I make her a cocktail which is typically a riff on a Lions Tail. Instead of using Allspice Dram I decided to push up the tiki vibes a bit and subbed it with Velvet Falernum. Cutty Sark is an easy to drink blended scotch that balances beautifully with the crispness of the granny smith apple juice, the bright herbal flavor of shiso (Japanese mint), and of course the Caribbean notes of allspice. This variation hits all the spots and I can't get enough!
THIRST TRAP
Recipe by Melina Meza
Ingredients:
- 1.75 oz Casa San Matias Tequila
- .25 oz Floc de Gascogne
- .75 oz Oro Blanco Grapefruit Juice
- .5 oz Thai Basil Agave
- .75 oz Lime Juice
- Garnished with black lava salt and a thai basil sprig
- Recipe:
- *Blend 4 sprigs of thai basil with 32 oz of water on high for 10 seconds.
- *Empty contents into a pot and cook until boil.
- *Mix in 32 oz of agave and stir until agave is completely dissolved.
- *Strain, label and date.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a shaker tin and shake vigorously.
Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a thai basil sprig and half rim of hawaiian black lava salt.
Enjoy!
Garnish:
Garnish with a sprig of thai basil
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Close your eyes and imagine a paloma and a thai basil margarita met and had a baby. Okay now open them back up and feast your eyes on this delicious Thirst Trap. A simple sour at heart, the Margarita is one of the most riffable cocktails in the classic canon. This variation is the best of both worlds featuring the refreshing flavor of oro blanco otherwise known as white grapefruit and thai basil infused agave. Just a touch of floc de gascogne fortified wine, adds complexity that pairs along with Casa San Matias tequila to stand out and shine amongst these flavors. A garnish of thai basil and a half rim of hawaiian black lava salt completes it all to perfection. Salud!
Blood & Black Sand in Hand
Recipe by Shawn Lim
Ingredients:
- 1oz Cutty Sark Prohibition Blended Scotch Whisky
- .75oz Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth
- .25oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
- .25oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
- .5oz Orange Juice
- .25oz Lime Juice
- Garnish: Orange Peel
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients w/ice, then strain into a Nick & Nora. Garnish w/orange peel
Garnish:
Orange Peel
Glassware:
Nick & Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
I enjoy the classic Blood and Sand cocktail from the 1920s but not everyone enjoys it as much as me. I wanted to mix it up a little swiping Cherry Herring w/sherry and adding a hint of lime juice. Enjoy!
Drink Your Fruits and Veggies!
Recipe by Gabriela Ospina
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Novo Fogo Cachaça
- 1 oz Tangerine Oleo Saccrum
- 1.5 oz Parsley Ginger Shrub
- Tangerine Oleo: Add 5 oz tangerine peel to 5 oz sugar, let sit overnight. Then add 5 oz tangerine juice and mix well.
- Parsley Ginger Shrub: Add together 1 bunch fresh parsley, 1/2 a lemon's worth of juice, 1/2 c wht sugar, 1/2 c apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 c water and blend well. Strain through cheesecloth.
Preparation:
Add Novo Fogo and Oleo to tin, shake and strain into rocks glass. Add crushed ice and pour shrub on top.
Drink as quickly as you dare!
Garnish:
N/a
Glassware:
Rocks glass.
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love very sharp sour flavors in food and drink and was inspired by those immunity booster shooters you see every nowadays. I think alcohol is as much a booster now as anything else, if only for your mood. So in honor of that and the bright fruity flavors typically paired with cachaça, I put together an adult version of an immunity booster that treats your mind as much as your body.
Vampire Repellent
Recipe by Kiernan Garrett
Ingredients:
- 1.50 oz Novo Fogo Cachaca Barrel Aged
- 0.50 oz Amaro Nonino
- 0.50 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1.00 oz Fermented Honey Garlic
- Fill with Home made Blood Orange Ginger Beer
Preparation:
For cocktail:
HIGHBALL GLASS
BUILT
- fill glass with ice
- Add Cachaca, Amaro Nonino and Garlic honey
- Fill with home made Ginger beer
- Garnish
FOR FERMENTED HONEY GARLIC
3 heads garlic
1 pint honey
- Clean and sanitize mason jar
- Fill with raw garlic stripped and peeled
- Fill with local raw honey
- burp jar daily and stir
- repeat for a month
- good until needed
FOR BLOOD ORANGE GINGER BEER
9 Cups warm water
10 oz Ginger juice (Approx 1 lb fresh ginger juiced)
12 oz Fresh lemon juice
6 oz Blood orange juice
4 oz Grapefruit Juice
24 oz 1:1 Simple syrup
1 Packet Champagne yeast
11 12 oz beer bottles
11 bottle caps
- activate yeast in small amount of warm water
- mix all other ingredients in large container
- add yeast slurry to mixture
- stir and cover container, let rest one day in warm area until visible fermentation occurs
- Bottle in 12 oz bottles and cap
- Let ferment in bottle for 36 -48 more hours in warm area
- Place in fridge and store until used.
Garnish:
Lime, Lemon, and Blood Orange wheel, piece of fermented garlic drizzle of Honey garlic
Glassware:
Highball Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
During the quarantine I have been looking up immune boosting ideas, ginger, garlic and honey all being amazing options, alongside the ever powerful fermentation, also wonderful for the immune system. I decided to incorporate all these healthful concepts into one ultimate cocktail, using one of the most eco friendly and natural brands in this competition. Novo Fogo brand is perfect for this cocktail, just as perfect as the flavor of their barrel aged cachaca is with the rest of these healthful ingredients.
Mocha Espressona
Recipe by Shauna Cole
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Van Gogh Double Espresso vodka
- 1.5 oz Irish Creme
- 4 drops of Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters
- Dalgona hot-cocoa-coffee mixture to top - 1/2 oz hot water:1/2 oz sugar:1/4 oz instant coffee:1/4 oz instant hot cocoa
- Chocolate shavings garnish
Preparation:
Whip dalgona coffee using hot water, sugar, instant coffee, and instant hot cocoa until you have a thick topping (peanut butter consistency). Combine espresso vodka, Irish creme, and bitters in a rocks glass with ice. Stir before topping with dalgona. Garnish with chocolate shavings.
Garnish:
Chocolate shavings
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love the new dalgona trend but decided to make it my own by splitting the coffee with hot cocoa. Then I thought, what drink would go perfectly with this topping and came up this recipe.
Go Van Gogh, Go!
Recipe by Bridger Dale
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Van Gogh Vanilla
- 1 oz Van gogh Dutch Chocolate
- 1.5 oz Espresso
- .5 oz Honey Nut Cherio Heavy Whipping Cream
Preparation:
Dry shake all your ingredients vigorously for 8 seconds then shake with ice for 8 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish.
For Honey Nut Cherio Heavy Whipping Cream simple soak equal parts by volume Honey Nut Cherios and heavy whipping cream for 30 minutes in the fridge then strain.
Garnish:
3 full coffee beans
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This drink came to mind late one evening during quarantine. I wanted to make an espresso martini and add a little pep to my step so I decided to use vanilla and Dutch chocolate Van Gogh vodkas. These vodkas paired well with espresso and I wanted a little cream and a foamy layer. The honey nut cherios sweetened up the cream and added just enough subtle honey and nutty notes to round this drink out well.
Salud!
Van Gogh's Starry Night
Recipe by Bridger Dale
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz van Gogh vodka
- .5 oz Marie Brizard Yuzu liquer
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz simple Syrup
- 5 blackberries
- 5 blueberries
- Splash soda water
Preparation:
Muddle your blackberries and blueberries in a shaker with lemon juice. Add all other ingredients besides soda water then shake and strain into a collins glass over ice. Top with soda water
Garnish:
Blood orange (or orange) wheel and Lemon wheel
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night. I used the berries to create a dark night sky color and I used the lemon wheel to eclipse the blood orange wheel to represent the crescent moon. Marie Brizard's yuzu liquor brightened it up and complemented the berries and lemon juice well.
What Day Is It
Recipe by Jonathan Stanyard
Ingredients:
- 3 oz Cereal Milk*
- 1.5 oz J.P. Wiser Rye Whisky
- 0.5 oz Spice-Honey-Maple Syrup**
- 4 dashes Chocolate Bitters
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake well for 8 seconds. Double strain into a chilled collins glass with an ice spear, or ice cubes.
*Cereal Milk - fill a bowl with cereal and plenty of milk. let it sit for 20-30 mins and then strain off the cereal milk. You can use any cereal, I used a cinnamon based flavor option.
**Spiced-Honey-Maple Syrup - gently heat a 1/2 cup maple syrup and then whisk in an equal part of honey. Grate fresh cinnamon and allspice, just enough to create plenty of spice aroma. Cool and keep at room temperature.
Garnish:
Freshly Grated Nutmeg
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
There has been a bit more cereal consumption around the house, and I figured a perfect time to use the leftover milk. The cereal milk is a little sweet with notes of corn and barley, similar to flavors in the J.P. Wiser Rye whisky. The toffee and oak in the whisky are tamed by the spiced-honey-maple syrup and balanced with the chocolate bitters. These sweet but straightforward ingredients combine to create a full-bodied, balanced, and to be quite honest, a fun cocktail in an uncertain time.
Aren’t you glad I didn’t say Banana
Recipe by Amy Duffin
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Monkey Shoulder
- 1.0 oz MARIE BRIZARD Orange Curaçao
- .50 oz Nonino Amaro
Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a mixing glass/ beaker with ice. Stir for about 1 minute. Strain into Martini glass. Garnish with Orange Peel.
Garnish:
Orange Peel.
Glassware:
Martini Glass.
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to elevate the Orange Curaçao. Monkey Shoulder has a lot to give and the addition of the Nonino Amaro brought out all the flavors and packed a punch.
Czech 75
Recipe by Adam Beňo
Ingredients:
- Becherovka - 35 ml
- Lime juice - 25 ml
- Rosehip syrup - 20ml
- Homemade citrus bitters - 3 dashes
- Prosecco - 100ml
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients exept prosecco into a shaker, shake, double strain into your flute and top with prosecco.
Homemade bitters:
100ml of overproof white rum infused with citrus zests, gentian root, salt and other spices
Garnish:
Rosehip twig, prosecco cork with a muselet, candle vax infused with vanillia
Glassware:
Flute
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was created on a day before christmas, when my friend came to visit me to an otherwise empty bar. Before him, my grandma popped in for a quick coffee, bringing me her homemade rosehip syrup she was saving since autumn. What originated as a twist on French 75 quickly became a stable beverage for those special moments with friends and family.
Lakshmi's Treasure
Recipe by Rachael Green
Ingredients:
- 2.5 oz of Golden Milk (Recipe Below)
- 1.5 oz of Paul John Nirvana Single Malt Whiskey
- 1 dash of cardamom bitters
- dash of Powdered Cinnamon for garnish
- Golden Milk for ~ 3 cocktails: I prefer to do it in larger batches for consistency
- 1 cup of coconut cream
- 1 tsp of ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp of cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp of fresh grated / powdered ginger
- 1/4 tsp of allspice dram (or a few berries of allspice and pinch of clove)
- 1/8 tsp of vanilla extract
- Rachael's Coconut Cream:
- 1 can of full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
Preparation:
Golden Milk:
1. Add all ingredients into a saucepan
2. Melt together on medium-low until the mixture is homogeneous
3. Strain Golden Milk through a cheese cloth and set to the side to cool
Building Chilled Lakshmi's Treasure:
1. Add Paul John Nirvana Single Malt Whiskey, golden milk and bitters into a shaker tin
2. Add larger Ice to Shaker tin and also to a double rocks glass
3. Hard shake the cocktail until tin is frosty cold.
***When you pop open the shaker it should be frothy
4. Pour cocktail over fresh ice and sprinkle powdered cinnamon over top as a garnish
5. Drink up!
Drink it as a latte!
1. Add Nirvana & Bitters into a Blender
2. Add warm Golden Milk to the Mug
3. Add an additional 2 oz of hot water for perfect balance
4. Blend until frothy, then pour into mug of choice!
5. Sprinkle Cinnamon
6. Enjoy on bearskin rug, next to a fireplace.
Garnish:
Dash of Cinnamon
Glassware:
Chilled: Double Rocks Glass; Warm: Mug of Choice
Cocktail Inspiration:
This gorgeous Golden Milk Variation pairs beautifully with Paul John Nirvana Indian Single Malt Whiskey. The warm vanilla and cinnamon notes of the Nirvana shine through the complexity of this milky beverage. Because Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity, this drink features a rich texture and equally delectable gold color. Enjoying this as your nightcap will encourage relaxation. You may begin to bask in the light that will guide you to the fortune that will soon come.
Mate Corde Terrae (Latin for Mother Earth's Heart)
Recipe by christian balogh
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz NoVo Fogo cachaca
- .5 oz scapegrace dry gin
- 1 oz home-made ginger syrup
- 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 muddled strawberries
Preparation:
Grab boston shaker or (any container with tight sealed lid for shaking if at home)
add 1 full strawberry (2 or 3 if you want the strawberry to pop more)
add 3 or 4 mint leaves
muddle strawberries and mint (preferred to use a wooden spoon but anything works)
add 1.5 oz NoVo Fogo Cachaca (or to the tip of the average shot glass)
add .5 oz Scapegrace Dry Gin (about 1/4 of the way of the shot glass)
add 1 oz of home-made ginger syrup
(peel the ginger and while you're peeling set a cup of water to boil. Throw in about a cup worth of PEELED ginger into boiling water, reduce the temperature to medium heat, let ginger sit in hot water set on medium heat for about 10 to 15 min, depending on how strong you want the ginger taste to pop, then throw in the same amount of sugar that you did of water, then you stir until all sugar is dissolved. strain liquid and peeled ginger pieces in a container. once all the ginger has been taken out, you let the hot liquid cool in the cooler or fridge.) - a process but worth it!
cut an average size lemon in half on its equator
grab hand juicer and squeeze the fresh juice out in to the container that has the ingredients for the drink.
add ice
and shake fast and hard for about 10 seconds, (depends if you have a good conducting container. metal and glass works best, but tupperware containers work too you might just have to shake a bit more to get the proper dilution of ice to drink)
strain, double strain for no pulp whatsoever (if you want the pulp then dont strain and just pour ingredients into you cup), into preferred cup.
Garnish:
3 strawberry slices topped with candied ginger as well as a mint sprig, and lemon twirl
Glassware:
rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
So I was staring out of my window, bored out of my mind, thinking about this whole pandemic. And it dawned on me that maybe this whole thing happened due to the fact that we were harming our planet earth. So I started down a spiral daydream, imagining mother nature (earth)
fighting off the human race the way white blood cells destroy pathogens in our immune system. And I keep picturing humans getting up after being beat, after drinking this weird mix of liquid in their undescribed containers. Mind you at this point I feel like I, Myself was apart of the fight. So I asked them what are y'all drinking after getting beat up that keeps y'all going? to which one of the imaginative characters in this ever so real daydream responds, "Mate Corde Terrae!". I took one sip of it and felt like my body and energy was restored and just like that I was back in the imaginary battle with mother nature, it reminded me a lot of how a person who is sick starts taking antibiotics, but as soon as they feel better they stop taking them and then the virus or infection they have comes back ten times worse and with some resistance to the antibiotics...? Well yeah I'm the virus and this concoction made me better. That's when it hit me like a freight train... Antioxidants from the strawberry, Anti-inflammatory by the ginger, from the Novo Fogo cachaca for the earthy (mother earth) flavor, the mint for the aromatics, and lemon for its vitamin c. The combination of the 5 ingredients creates an insurance of bountiful, delicious flavor and adds the healing qualities of fruit and roots to a more than salivating drink.
Coração de Clara
Recipe by Rachael Green
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz of Novo Fogo Cachaca
- .75 oz of Cantaloupe Juice
- .5 oz of Oleo Saccharum enhanced lemon juice
- .5 oz of Thyme infused Honey Syrup
- 1 tart Strawberry
- Oleo Saccharum enhanced citrus:
- 3 lemons
- 3 limes
- 1 quart ziploc bag
- 2 cups of sugar
Preparation:
Oleo Saccharum enhanced citrus cordial:
1. Juice all 6 fruits and set juice aside in sealed container in the fridge
2. Place lemon and lime shells and sugar in ziploc bag
3. set to rest on the counter until you go to bed
4. put in fridge overnight
5. eye ball until sugar has completely dissolved into a syrup
6. strain the syrup from the citrus shells
7. combine juice and syrup
Coração de Clara Recipe:
1. Add all ingredients into shaker tin
2. Muddle strawberry into the mixture
3. Add ice to shaker and hard shake until frosty cold
4. Double Strain cocktail into chilled coupe
5. Poke a sprig of thyme through a slice of strawberry and place strawberry on the rim of the coupe
6. Enjoy on your balcony in the sunshine or while binge-ing your favorite Netflix series
Garnish:
Slice of strawberry and sprig of thyme
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Though Cachaca is notable for its incredible complexity and intense earthy but bright characteristics, it is also the Spirit of Brazil Brazil is also the homeland of the beautiful style of music called Samba of which I have been in love with for some time now. Clara Nunes is the Queen of Samba, and though I don't speak Portuguese, her songs such as Ê Baiana and Canto Das Três Raças take me someplace else, perhaps on the vacation I wish I was experiencing right now. Though I did name the cocktail for Clara's passion and flavors chosen for the bright and sweet sound of Samba, I chose to incorporate thyme for poor Clara's untimely passing at 40 due to heart failure. This cocktail is a tribute to Clara Nunes and her art that will inspire generations beyond her time.
It Takes Two to Mango
Recipe by Zev Glesta
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Mango- Lime Cordial*
- 1.5 oz Paul John Brilliance
- Top Soda Water
- 2 dash Angostura Bitters
Preparation:
Mango-Lime cordial:
200 grams white sugar
150 grams ripe mango
2 limes - Zested and juiced
Method:
-Place zest, sugar in a bowl:mix and let sit for 10 minutes
-Juice limes and mix in with Zest/Sugar mixture
-Place mixture in a a blender with mango
-Strain mixture with cheese cloth and fine strainer
-READY TO USE-
To make Cocktail:
-Pour Mango-Lime Cordial and Paul john into the Highball
-Pour a splash of soda water and mix with spoon
-Place your ice cubes in glass and top with soda water and bitters
-Garnish with mango
Garnish:
A slice of Mango
Glassware:
High Ball
Cocktail Inspiration:
My inspiration for this cocktail was from the location of where John Paul is produced, Goa.
Goa is known for its beautiful beaches, palm trees, tropical fruit and vibrant culture. Currently i am quarantined in Florida with my in-laws, who have a similar climate. We are surrounded by tropical fruit and palm trees, so i had to do something with the fruit!
Mangos were what i thought would be the best complimentary flavor of John Paul Brilliance.
Mangos are rich, fatty and sweet in flavor/texture while John Paul has beautiful Spice, vanilla and lousy honey.
Our time down here has been shared with family and lots of mangos, we have been eating them fresh from the tree with a squirt of lime. I took the simple way we eat mangos and remixed it into a cordial, added the complimentary Paul John and lifted the drink with Soda water and some bitters. An easy drinking summer high ball, enjoyed anywhere there is sun!
NightTea Night
Recipe by Zev Glesta
Ingredients:
- 3/4 oz Lemon
- 3/4 oz Chamomile Syrup*
- 1 egg white
- 2 oz Cutty Sark
- 2 dash angostura bitters
Preparation:
Chamomile Syrup*
Ingredients:
-8 Grams of chamomile flower(Tea)
-8 oz Simple syrup (1:1)
Method:
-Bring simple syrup boil and add the chamomile.
-Take off heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
-Cool and use.
To make cocktail:
Combine all ingredients.
Dry shake
Wet shake
Double strain over a large piece of block ice
Garnish with chamomile flowers
Garnish:
Chamomile flowers
Glassware:
Etched rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
When Creating this cocktail, my focus was on an end of a night treat or a night cap.
Most night caps are usually a nice whisky for me but sometimes I’m not in a drinking mood and ill have a great cup of tea. Chamomile is my go to before heading in for the night. The wonderful lightly spiced notes and floral elements of Cutty Sark blend incredibly well with the delicate sweetness of chamomile. A sleepy sour that brings all of the elements of traditional sour, but with great ingredients that you can find easily around your home and your liquor store.
Spicy Hawaiian
Recipe by Amanda Barr
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Cutty Sark
- 2 oz Fresh pineapple juice (1oz if prepackaged)
- .5 jalapeño simple syrup
- .25 fresh lime juice
- 3-4 dashes orange bitters
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in shaker. Shake hard for at least 5 seconds, this is key so that the reaction with the pineapple juice, lime juice and simple syrup makes a nice foam on top of the cocktail. Pour over ice. While the foam settles to a head, roll a fresh rectangle of pineapple in sugar and torch until carmelized. Place on top w/pineapple leaf!
To make jalapeño simple:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Bring water to boil and add sugar. Once sugar is dissolved add 3-4 jalapeños sliced in half lengthwise(remove stems). Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and let cool.
To achieve similar results you can also muddle 1-2 slices of jalapeño (depending on heat level) to .5 simple inside of empty shaker and then add ice and remaining ingredients. Double strain to eliminate seeds.
Garnish:
Carmelized pineapple and pineapple leaf
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to make a tiki inspired whiskey drink that was strong and used fresh juices while being refreshing in the Florida heat!
Beijo
Recipe by Alex Valencia
Ingredients:
- 2oz Novo Fogo Cachaca
- .50oz Pomegranate syrup
- .50oz Lime juice
- .50oz Aquafaba
Preparation:
Add the ingredients into a shaker, shake and strain,
serve up.
*Pomegranate syrup
Get equal parts of POM 100% pomegranate and Cane Sugar,
Put on a low heat and stir make a syrup.
Garnish:
Nutmeg on top.
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
My inspiration was the Mexican Firing Squad Cocktail, a classic.
Then I just figure out the best version with Novo Fogo Cachaca and I like the finish result.??
Flamango
Recipe by Zev Glesta
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Casa San Matias Tequila Blanco
- 3/4 oz Mango/Lime Syrup*
- 3/4 oz Lime juice
- 1/2 oz Casa San Matias Tequila Blanco Infused with Chipotle*
- 1/4 oz Orange liqueur (40% ABV)
Preparation:
Syrup and infusion prep:
Casa San Maria Blanco infused with chipotle*
-Place 2 dried chipotle placed in a ziploc bag with 8 oz of Tequila.
-Let sit for 4-12 hours (whenever color starts to leach out from the chili)
-Strain and use!
Mango/lime cordial*
-Place 150 grams white sugar in a bowl.
-Zest 2 whole limes into the sugar bowl.
-Mix very well and let sit for 30 minutes.
-Juice the 2 zested limes into the bowl and mix until fully incorporated.
-Pour mixture into a blender with the flesh of one mango (very ripe).
-Blend until completely smooth.
-Strain liquid with a chinois and cheesecloth.
-Ready to use!
Method:
Casa San Matias Tequila Blanco
Casa San Matias Tequila Blanco infused with chipotle*
Orange liqueur
Mango/Lime syrup*
Lime
-Place all ingredients into a shaker and give it your best pool-side shake
-Double Strain into a fun colorful rocks/highball glass filled with large lump ice
-Garnish with a fan of sliced green mango, dehydrated orange slice and a heavy sprinkling of Chili/lime/salt (Tajin)
Garnish:
Fanned out green mango, dehydrated orange a heavy dash of Chili/Lime salt
Glassware:
Colorful rocks or highball glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The cocktail I have created was derived from a fiery, sweet treat that a lot of us are familiar with: mango with a chili and lime salt (a treat I have eaten many times both in Mexico and also from our friendly neighbor NYC subway street vendors). The Flamango cocktail is a fiery mango cocktail that emphasizes the vegetal and green notes of Casa San Matias Tequila Blanco. The cocktail uses the spirit twice, straight in, and also with an infusion of Chipotle. The tequilas combined create a beautiful smokey, green, fresh liquid which goes perfectly well with the sweet mango and lime accent. As taco Tuesday rolls around (or essentially any day this week), please consider this fun variation of a margarita and pay tribute to this fully dressed mango snack.
Dirty with a Twist
Recipe by Zev Glesta
Ingredients:
- 3 oz Van Gogh Vodka. Infused with olive leaf*
- 1/2 oz olive oil washed dry vermouth*
- Small bar spoon of Saline solution*
Preparation:
In a mixing glass stir all ingredients until cold
Strain into a chilled martini glass
Finish with an expressed twist and a big sip!
Van Gogh Vodka infused with olive leaf*
-Place 15 dried out olive leaf into a container with 8 oz Van Gogh vodka
-Let sit for 24 hours
-Strain
-Ready to use!
Olive oil fat washed dry vermouth*
-1 oz of cold extracted EVOO
-8 oz Dry vermouth
####METHOD#####
-Combine and let sit over night in a fridge.
-Remove from fridge and strain through a coffee filter.
-Ready to use!
Saline solution
-Mix 1g of salt with 10g of water.
Ready to use!
Garnish:
Lemon Twist
Glassware:
Martini glass of liking
Cocktail Inspiration:
My girlfriend has always been a dirty vodka martini drinker (I’m talkin’ filthy!). I myself am more of a martini with a twist kind of guy. I wanted to make a drink that met us both in the middle. I took the rich, creamy texture of Van Gogh vodka and added some herbal notes through infusing with olive leaf—my slight nod to a dirty martini. I then went with a full on “wave” at the dirty martini by fat washing vermouth in olive oil, adding a complimentary rich texture to its vodka counterpart. The drink is finished with a little saline and (to my girlfriends surprise) a twist... Scandalous, I know! This cocktail meets both of our preferred martini variations right in the center. Have a martini...or two, since we can’t leave the house anyways!
Bohemian Rhapsody
Recipe by Zev Glesta
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Becherovka
- 1/2 oz Mulberry-Chicha Morada
- 1/2 oz Lime juice
- Soda Water
Preparation:
Building the Drink:
-Place all ingredients in a highball glass, splash with soda Water and incorporate with bar -spoon.
-Place in ice and top with soda water.
-Give one last mix with bar spoon.
-Serve with mandarin or citrus garnish.
Mulberry-Chicha Morada:
-1/4 lb blue corn
-1/2 of an apple
-1/2 of an orange
-1 cup of mulberries
-Skin and trimmings of 1/2 pineapple
-1 cinnamon stick
-2 clove
-1/2 a star anise pod
-1 lime
2 Tblsp of white sugar
1.5 liter water
Method
-Bring everything to a boil except the Sugar and citrus.
-Reduce on Medium-low heat for an hour.
-Add in sugar and citrus.
-Strain and cool.
-Ready to use!
Garnish:
Halved Mandarin and a mandarin wheel on the lip of the glass.
Glassware:
Highball
Cocktail Inspiration:
What i love about this competition is that you try spirits that previously were not on your radar.
Becherovka was an outlier spirit for me, I had never used it although I have seen it around the block a couple of times. When I dove into the spirit a little more, I found that the Czech’s (particularly in Bohemia) love to enjoy Becherovka with Currant Juice, soda water and a slice of Orange.
Naturally the gingery, cinnamon-floral bitterness craves some sweet juice and a lift from effervescence. The rhapsody of ideas happened when reading all of this information while my nephew was crushing through some mulberries we picked earlier that day. A lightbulb moment! incorporating mulberries with Becherovka, but how? Chicha Morada. A traditional Peruvian sweet corn drink, made with fruit, blue corn and cinnamon.
The “Bohemian Rhapsody” ties together a Bohemian treat with a sem-sweet counter part from South America and then heightened with citrus and soda water to really make this highball sing!
Wray of Sunshine
Recipe by Zev Glesta
Ingredients:
- - 1/4 oz pineapple syrup*
- - 1/2 oz Marie Brizard Apry
- - 3/4 oz Lime Juice
- - 3/4 oz Wray and Nephew
- - 1 oz J. Wray
Preparation:
To make cocktail:
- Combine ingredients in a shaker.
- Hard shake.
- Double strain over large ice cube in desired “goblet glass”
- Garnish with lemon “sun” and pineapple fronds.
Pineapple syrup*
- After juicing one whole pineapple strain and reserve the strained off pineapple solids (pineapple solids roughly weigh out to 150 grams)
- Add 100 grams of sugar to a pot with the “recycled Pina”
- Add 100 ml of pineapple juice
- Bring to a boil, strain and cool.
- Ready to use!
Garnish:
Pineapple “sun” and fronds
Glassware:
Goblet glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The “Wray of Sunshine” cocktail is based off of a classic Hotel Nacional—a nice boozy punch with a fresh zesty tropical vibe. I have used two types of “Wray” in this cocktail for a big burst of Jamaican sunshine. We then island hop over to Martinique for some sun protection in the way of Apry which helps to soften the overall cocktail. The beautiful almond and apricot notes of Apry lend itself to the fresh and fruity element of pineapple and lime. This cocktail is meant for the beach: a nice boozy sipper to be had in relaxed clothing, sand on your toes and a big ol’ beach umbrella over your head.
Sultry Salvation
Recipe by Zev Glesta
Ingredients:
- 1/4 oz Maraschino
- 1/4 oz Tropic Thunder*
- 1/2 oz pineapple juice
- 3/4 oz lime juice
- 2 oz Novo Fogo Silver
Preparation:
Place all ingredients into a blender and flash blend with a 1/2 cup of ice.
Serve in a highball/fun tropical mug.
Garnish with pineapple frond core, mint, lemon twist, reusable bamboo straw
Tropic Thunder:
A mix of tropical juices with addition of palm sugar.
(I am currently staying with my partners family in Florida, they have tons of fruit trees all around them. It’s been amazing to pick tropical fruit daily!
Method:
2 mango flesh diced
1 papaya, peeled, pitted and diced
1 pineapple, peeled and diced.
Blend with 1/2 a cup of water.
***Strain and reserve all solids left over.
Reserve the fruit juice for breakfast!
With “Salvaged solids” of the fruit add 1 cup of sugar.
Let fruit and sugar sit over night and strain.
The syrup will hold for 3–5 days.
Garnish:
Pineapple core “flower”, mint, lemon twist and a bamboo straw
Glassware:
Highball or tropical mug
Cocktail Inspiration:
Novo Fogo prides itself on sustainability and working with their environment in the forests of Brazil. I focused on a close-to-no waste cocktail, utilizing as much from the fruits around me as possible. I have created a tropical syrup/juice combination over the weeks and have named it “Tropic Thunder”. For the T.T: I juiced mango, pineapple and papaya and using the left over solids (or “salvaged solids”) I created a syrup. With the pineapple skins I made Chicha Morada, with the papaya seeds I threw them into salad dressings, and for the mango...we just eat them down to the pit.
Novo Fogo silver has a beautifully rich and sultry sugar cane flavor in addition to an impressive and distinct cherry finish on the palate because of its terroir. The cocktail was built around the cherry finish, and paired off with common tropical fruits of Brazil. Maraschino was the only additional alcohol in this cocktail which helps emphasize the cherry attributes from the Cachaca. This frozen cocktail will give you salvation through its sultry, tropic vibes.
Saint James Passion
Recipe by Santiago Vasquez Cuberos
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Saint James Rhum
- 1oz Chinola Passion Fruit liqueur
- .75 La Copa Extra Seco vermouth
- 1.5 Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- .5oz Simple Syrup
Preparation:
Put all the ingredients in a mixing glass, fill with ice, shake and strain over new ice.
Garnish:
Tajin rim and Grapefruit half wheel
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
I like the tropical and tiki style and the agricole rhum is very different for his aromas and particular flavor, also the passion fruit really brings your mind to an island and with the summer coming I want something fresh and easy to reproduce, to avoid the use of the lemon or lime always for the citrus balance I choose the grapefruit instead, the vermouth balance the aromas and sweetness and the tajin give a nice spice touch.
“off-white negroni”
Recipe by Wes Meyn
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 scapegrace gin
- 1/2 mancino sakura vermouth
- 1/2 dolin blanc vermouth
- 1/2 salers aperitif
- 1-2 dashes regan’s orange bitters
Preparation:
pour all ingredients in a mixing glass adding the bitters last. add ice and stir, then strain over a large rock. garnish with an expressed orange zest. enjoy!
Garnish:
orange zest
Glassware:
rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love Negronis (and who doesn’t) and have been enjoying white Negronis for the last few weeks in quarantine. I wanted to think outside the box without having to leave the house. I searched through vermouths I’ve collected and notes of ideas I’ve tried in the past and this came about! I wanted to create something approachable and familiar while still being ‘new’ and exciting.
Kaffir Lime in the Coconut
Recipe by Angela Galecki
Ingredients:
- 2oz Van Gogh vodka
- 1.5oz sweetened coconut water with kaffir lime
- .5 oz fresh lime juice
- Spritz of orange bitters(reserve for finished cocktail)
Preparation:
Shake ingredients and double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a kaffir lime leaf and spritz with orange bitters for an aromatic treat.
Sweetened coconut water with kaffir lime:
Prepare a classic one to one ratio simple syrup with one cup water and one cup sugar. Heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and steep five kaffir lime leaves for 20 minutes, then remove leaves. Once mixture reaches room temperature add four cups of coconut water.
Garnish:
Kaffir lime leaf
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Living in Florida, most of the year is spent beating the heat. My motivation for this cocktail was to create something refreshing and thirst quenching. Why not have your cocktail work for you? By that I mean a cocktail that not only quenches your need for a beverage after a long day, but also hydrates you and replenishes electrolytes. This is one of the many benefits of coconut water. Of course I didn't want to skip out on the deliciousness factor. So using a clean tasting vodka like Van Gogh, and the bright and fragrant flavors of kaffir lime, this cocktail brings dynamic flavors while keeping the ingredients simple and natural. I would describe the flavor as bright, citrusy, and uniquely floral.
Van Gogh’s Raspberry Mule
Recipe by Shawn Lim
Ingredients:
- 2oz Van Gogh Vodka
- .75oz Lime Juice
- .75oz Homemade Ginger Syrup
- Muddled Raspberries
- Top w/Topo Chico
- Garnish lime wheel/raspberries
Preparation:
Muddle 3 raspberries
Add all ingredients
Shake all ingredients w/ice (except Topo Chico)
Double strain into s mule glass
Add ice
Top with Topo Chico
Add lime/raspberry garnish
Garnish:
Lime Wheel/Raspberries
Glassware:
Mule Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
What would it look like if Van Gogh was drinking a Moscow Mule?
Tragedy's Appealing
Recipe by Timothy Garso
Ingredients:
- 2oz J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye
- .5oz Cynar 70
- .5oz star anise infused maple syrup*
- 3 dashes Wormwood bitters
- Strain over pebble ice.
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients into a mixing tin and stir until extremely chilled.
*Star anise infused maple syrup: combine 10oz pure maple syrup with 5 star anise pods. Simmer over very low heat for 1t minutes or until desired flavor and aroma is reached.
Garnish:
Mint sprig dusted with powdered sugar
Glassware:
Rocks glass (although, I used the empty maple syrup bottle)
Cocktail Inspiration:
A beefed up and spice forward riff on the Toronto, this cocktail was named in homage of one of my favorite bands from the early 00's emo revival: the babes from Brampton, Moneen. As the lyrics to this song note 14 years before this pandemic, "there's safety in this distance".
"Monkey Island"
Recipe by Mimi Burnham
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Saint James Rhum Paille Agricole
- 1.5 oz freshly pureed over ripe banana
- 2 oz pureed freshly cut pineapple
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- .50 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
- .50 oz rich simple syrup (2:1)
- .25 oz Amaro Cio Ciaro (or any quality Amaro)
- 2 dashes Dale DeGroff's Pimento Bitters (or Angostura)
- .25 oz Havana Club 7 Year old Rum* (topper)
Preparation:
With an immersion blender, puree an overly ripe banana. Clean and use the immersion blender to puree the freshly cut and cubed pineapple.
In a shaker tin add all ingredients except for the Havana Club 7 Year Old Rum. Add ice to larger shaker tin and hard shake for approximately 1 minute.
Double strain into the cocktail glass, using a bar spoon to push the solids of the purees thru the double strainer.There will be residue, please omit/discard the solids.
Gently float .25 ounce of Havana Club 7 Year old- or any quality dark rum- on top of the finished cocktail.
Add a pineapple wedge garnish (with an optional lime flower twist), and two Mermaids- or whatever cocktail accessory you wish to add; I suggest you have fun with it!
Garnish:
Pineapple wedge with a lime twist rose/flower and two plastic Mermaids
Glassware:
Long stemmed Champagne Saucer
Cocktail Inspiration:
I had overly ripe bananas, and chose not to make Banana Bread, as I am a better Bartender than a Baker!
During these dire times- I am not wanting to waste a single food item during our mandated Quarantine Safe at Home time in NYC.
I thought the bananas would work great in a cocktail- specifically a Banana style Daiquiri made with St James Rhum Paille, but with a twist.
I added the Amaro Cia Ciaro (and dark rum) to add some earthy notes to the saline finish of the Rhum Agricole, and also as a nod of Unity & Respect to All, including Italy & France (Martinique) from Us: Unemployed Bartenders and Fellow Human Beings.
We will get thru this, and a delicious & balanced cocktail made with beautiful agricole Rhum certainly helps!
Thank you for your consideration, and please Stay Safe.
Cheers to You!
Herbarium
Recipe by Adam Beňo
Ingredients:
- Becherovka - 50 ml
- Honey - 1 bar spoon
- Lemon juice - 20 ml
- Wild berries syrup - 10 ml
- Nettle tea - 15 ml
- Sage tea - 25 ml
- Breeckland thyme tea- 25 ml
- Ginger tea - 15 ml
- Mint and Linden tea - 30 ml
Preparation:
Brew each tea with 100ml to 1 table spoon ratio. Freeze them idividually in the same ice form, creating a layered tea ice cube.
Rinse your teacup with hot water to warm it up. Put your tea ice cube in, and pour warm Becherovka over it. Stirr, until you can feel the outside of the cup getting cold.
Garnish:
Breeckland thyme twig
Glassware:
Tea cup
Cocktail Inspiration:
If you ever find yourself at my grandmother's house, desperately craving some painkillers, you can try looking in the pantry. You won't find any, that's for sure, but you will find numerous jars full of different dried herbs, tinctures or seeds instead. Hey, if it does cure something, it's for sure somewhere up there. From time to time, we would make really concentrated tea that we would later freeze and put it into our water during hot summer days.
What I enjoy in particular, is that when drinking regular herbal tea I can always say that "Yes, this indeed is a water infused with a twig of some sort", because I can always identify that unpleasant pollen/chlorophyll flavour, but with this "ice cube" variation, I am not getting any off flavours at all. Thats why I decided to use this method when trying to pair herbal tea with my favourite liqueur
Mexican Fare
Recipe by Julio Xoxocotla
Ingredients:
- 1.50 oz San Matias Tahona Reposado
- .75 oz Pineapple Juice
- .75 oz Watermelon Juice
- .50 oz Lime juice
- .50 oz Elderflower liqueur
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a shake. Shake vigorously. Serve in a chilled coupe with a pinch of salt on top. Garnish with a watermelon slice. ¡Salud!
Garnish:
Watermelon wedge or slice
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Mexican Fare is about celebration! I decided to combine watermelon and pineapple juice to give it a fruit forward flavor without been too sweet. Pairing well with the mellow notes of oak, vanilla and cooked palate from Casa San Matias Reposado. To finish off with just the perfect amount of honeyed elderflower. Cheers!
Patio Spritz
Recipe by Julio Xoxocotla
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Marie Brizard Elderflower liqueur
- 1 oz vodka
- 1 oz pineapple juice
- .50 oz cucumber juice
- .25 oz Lemon Juice
- 3 oz Sparkling Wine
Preparation:
You can build in the wine glass. Add ice. Then add the juice, elder flower liqueur and vodka. Stir a couple of times. Lastly add sparkling wine. Carefully stir a couple more times. Enjoy!
Garnish:
Grapefruit & cucumber slice with a sprig of mint.
Glassware:
Wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Patio Spritz could be describe in three words: light, easy to make and refreshing.
I wanted simplicity overall without compromising the beautiful fresh, clean notes of Marie Brizard Elderflower liqueur. Cheers!
Swan Lake
Recipe by Riamond Lomeli
Ingredients:
- Main Ingredient - 1.5 oz Van Gogh Vodka
- .75 Marie Brizard Bergamot
- .5 Lillet Blanc
- 1 dash Rhubarb bitters
- .75 butterfly pea flower syrup
- Garnish with Nasturtium Flower & leaves ( all edible!) & orgiami swan.
- ( i also have very easy instructions on how to make the origami swan in about 8 simple steps.)
- **butter fly pea flower syrup
- 2 cup water, 2 cup sugar, 1 tbsp of butterfly pea flowers
- add all to pot and bring to boil. Let flowers soak for about 30-45 minutes until desired color. Fine strain into container. Keep refrigerated.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients except rhubarb bitters into a mixing jar and stir with ice for 30 rotations. Strain into an iced coupe and add 1 large format ice cube. Add one dash of rhubarb bitters.
Garnish:
Garnish with floating Nasturtium Flower and Leaves to make it look like lily pads and flowers in a pond. Decorate with origami swan! Voila!
Glassware:
Chilled Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
My inspiration for this cocktail comes from all the hobbies I have acquired due to the self distancing and quarantining. My mother happens to live with my husband and I and she is a wonderful gardener and before her I was cursed with the black thumb. Now that I have more time on my hands I am able to appreciate gardening much more and learn about the different flowers, plants, and vegetables she has growing in our own backyard! Another hobby I've recently enjoyed is Origami! I grew up in Sasebo, Japan & one the things I use to love to do as a kid was make anything and everything out of origami. Now thanks to this quarantine, I have started to learn once again!
I compare gardening and origami to creating cocktails as it takes precision, patience, and talent to do each! They are all forms of art, and through them I'd like the world to see how they can all come together to create something unique & beautiful!
Czech breakfast
Recipe by Julio Xoxocotla
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Becherovka
- 1 oz Bourbon
- 3 oz Horchata mix
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake for about 15 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Cheers!
(Dairy free) Horchata mix.
10 oz Coconut milk (can)
12 oz oat milk
4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
.5 oz Vanilla extract
Just mix all ingredients. It yields about a quart for 5-6 drinks.
Garnish:
Smashed clove head (you can do it with your fingers)
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Czech breakfast is silky, spiced, light and refreshing. I was inspired by the beautiful aromas of Becherovka. Hints of cinnamon and ginger, plus the beautiful notes of dark honey, cloves, licorice and citrus peels. Enhanced by the smooth and nutty mix of Horchata and bourbon. A perfect pair for a traditional Czech breakfast. Cheers!
Vodka Prince
Recipe by Julio Xoxocotla
Ingredients:
- 1.50 oz Van Gogh Vodka
- .50 oz Lemongrass Syrup
- .50 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 oz Prosseco
- Top with Butterfly Pea Flower tea
Preparation:
Add vodka, lemon juice and lemongrass syrup to a shaker. Shake vigorously for about 10 secs. Strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice. Add Prosseco. Top with butterfly pea flower tea. Enjoy!
Butterfly Pea Flower tea
400 ml of hot water steep about 10 pea flowers. Let it sit for about 10 mins. Strain out flowers and let it cool.
Garnish:
Edible flower
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
A tribute to Prince, his legacy and the wonderful song Purple Rain. Cheers!
Light, bright and refreshing!
Pause Café
Recipe by Julio Xoxocotla
Ingredients:
- 1.50 oz Saint James 15 yrs
- .50 oz Coffee Liqueur (I used Mr Black)
- .50 oz Averna
- 2 dashes Peychuds Bitters
- 2 dashes Chocolate Bitters
Preparation:
In a shaker, add all the ingredients, shake vigorously, then pour into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
Garnish:
Cinnamon dust
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Pause Café is tribute to those tough days when we just need to spiked our coffees. The coffee notes are subtle and soft blending perfectly with the fresh grassy, ripe fruits aromas of Saint James. Slightly bitter, woody and spiced.
Anytime time of the day is perfect for a Pause Café (Coffee Break). Santé!
Gin for the Win
Recipe by Shawn Lim
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Scapegrace Dry Gin
- .5 oz Koval Cranberry Gin
- .25 Lillet
- .75 Lime Juice
- .5 Simple Syrup
- Garnish w/Dehydrated Lime Wheel
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients w/ice, double strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish:
Dehydrated Lime Wheel
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Scapegrace Dry Gin, cranberry flavor added from Koval and aromas from the Lillet make an excellent gin gimlet riff.
Flour and Salt Flip
Recipe by Amber Dobos
Ingredients:
- 1.0 oz Cutty Sark
- .75 oz Pineapple juice
- .75 oz Cocchi Torino
- .75 oz barberry cordial
- 1 Whole egg
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients, double strain into chilled Nick and Nora.
Barberry cordial: 1/2 cup dried barberries (I used Tavazo) cooked with 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar, squishing berries as they plump. Strained.
Garnish:
All the Angostura Bitters
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
A tribute to one of my favorite cocktails, a Blood and Sand, this rendition is rich and creamy with milkshake vibes. Cutty sark is a perfect blended scotch up in the front of this bevvy because it does not fall flat into the array of fruit it carries.
It is the perfect appetizer to pizza delivered to the comfort of your home.
Macha-ismo
Recipe by Joshua Saute
Ingredients:
- 1.25 oz Cutty Sark
- .5 oz aquafaba
- .5 oz Madeira
- .75 oz lemon
- .5oz cinnamon honey syrup
- Half barspoon matcha
- Reverse dry shake into coupe
- Top with angostura bitters
Preparation:
Only Prep required is watering down syrup to a 1/1 ratio and adding cinnamon. Stir until fully dissolved.
Garnish:
Angostura bitters
Glassware:
Stemmed coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This matchaismo is for all those bar guest who aren’t looking for that frilly cocktail. With this cocktail scotch goes down like morning tea while adding an immense amount of depth to the cocktail itself. With some cocktails, it’s easy to replace the base spirit with little change. However this cocktail loves the scotch and the scotch loves this cocktail.
Blériot
Recipe by Adam Beňo
Ingredients:
- Becherovka - 45 ml
- Lavender Liqueur - 25 ml
- Maraschino Liqueur - 15 ml
- Lime juice - 10 ml
- Saline solution - 2 drops
Preparation:
Put all ingredients into a shaker, shake, then double strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish:
Lavender twig
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I have never been a fan of crème de violette in my aviation. For me, it was lacking any other contribution to the cocktail, exept for the lovely color. Also, crème de violette is not exactly one of those ingredients you can buy at every liquor store. Nowadays, it is next to impossible to even see one. Other benefit of a lavender liqueur is that besides its distinctive aroma, it is also carrying a beautiful, somewhat fruity flavour. Blériot is a name of a first airplane bought by Jan Kašpar, Czech aviation pioneer and a legend.
Hayseed Punch
Recipe by Ross Katzenberg
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz whole milk
- 1.5oz Paul John edited
- .25oz pineau des charentes
- .25 fenugreek tea honey
Preparation:
For drink:
Add all ingredients together and allow milk to naturally curdle. Strain through paper towel lined basket strainer until clear.
For fenugreek tea honey:
500ml hot water
500ml honey
100g medhi toasted
30g loose leaf darjeeling
Steep medhi and tea in water for 5 minutes
Blend everything thoroughly with honey
Strain through chinois
Garnish:
The drink is the garnish.
Glassware:
riesling glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The idea was to create an immensely quaffable showcase of this nutty and hay noted malt blend. The whey protien creates a texture and roundness to soften the alcohol and great natural acidity of the whiskey while tea and subtle coumarin of the fenugreek mirror the elements of the malt.
House of Three Woodlarks
Recipe by Ross Katzenberg
Ingredients:
- 1oz becherovka
- 1oz St. George nola liqueur
- 1oz cold brew coffee
- .25 oz honey syrup (1:1)
- 4 dash reagans orange bitters
Preparation:
build ingredients in serving glassware, add rocks, give a quick stir and sip on all morning.
Garnish:
Mandarin chunks
Glassware:
vintage porcelain teacup
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was working an early shift at an unnamed bar when a gues returned our 'house' coffee cocktail. They didn't like it. So, I looked around, saw the often ignored bottle of Becherovka, and threw together what is now my unofficial official coffee drink. The name is a reference to Joseph Vitus Becher's goods shop and I like to imagine him sipping on one of these all day behind the counter.
Short Notice
Recipe by Chandler Tomayko
Ingredients:
- 1oz Marie Brizard Apry
- 1oz red wine (preferably Cabernet)
- .5oz fresh lemon juice
- .5oz allspice infused simple syrup (sugar, water, allspice berries)
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 egg yolk
Preparation:
Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Dry shake (without ice) for about 15 seconds. Open the cocktail shaker, fill it half way with ice. Shake the cocktail for an additional 15 seconds. Fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
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Allspice Infused Simple Syrup
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1 Tablespoon of allspice berries, lightly crushed
Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over a low flame, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Strain and bottle. Refrigerate until needed.
Garnish:
Orange peel
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This is a cocktail I usually have the ingredients for at home. I usually whip it up when friends come over on a whim. Given the fact that I found out about this competition at almost the last minute I thought it was well suited for the occasion.
B 2 V
Recipe by Dominik Celuch
Ingredients:
- 35 ml Becherovka
- 15 ml Becherovka lemond
- 30 ml cilantro cordial
- 3x drop of cilantro oil
Preparation:
Cilantro cordial - put a 100g of cilantro in 500 ml water, pinch of salt and pepper, 200g sugar and 15g of acid. Keep rest for 2 hours, then strain it with double strain.
Put a 35 ml of Becherovka into a mixing glass, continue with 15 ml of Becherovka lemond and 30 ml cilantro cordial. Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir it for 15 seconds. Strain it in to a glass and put 3 drops of cilantro oil on the top.
Garnish:
Cilantro oil
Glassware:
Cilantro oil
Cocktail Inspiration:
In Czech republic weve got a huge Vietnamese community. In these hard days people of Czech republic and Vietnamese community are sticking together and helping each other and iam really thankfull and glad that this people are part of our country (not just because of their amazing kitchen, haha!). So my inspiration comes from this bond. I took a typical ingredient for Vietnam (cilantro) and typical ingredient for Czech republic (Becherovka).
Daisy De Janeiro
Recipe by Timothy Everhardt
Ingredients:
- 2.0 oz Grilled Pineapple-Infused Novo Fogo Cachaca
- 0.75 oz Coconut Turbinado Syrup
- 0.75 Lime Juice
- 0.5 oz Yellow Chartruse
- Pinch of Salt
- Egg White
- Combine all ingredients in shaker tin. Add ice. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain and dry shake. Pour into coupe. Garnish with pineapple frond.
Preparation:
Grilled Pineapple-Infused Novo Fogo
Peel, decore and cut 1 whole pineapple into 2 inch wide strips. In a pan, sear pineapple until there is a light char. Flip over and repeat until all sides are lightly charred. Cut into chunks and put into container. Add 750 mL of Novo Fogo Cachaca to container and seal. Give container a light shake to incorporate the pineapple and the liquor. Store in fridge for 24 hours. Strain Cachaca and transfer into bottle.
Coconut Turbinado Syrup
Add 225 grams of water and 100 grams of shredded coconut into saucepan. Bring to boil. remove from heat and stir in 225 grams of turbinado sugar. Let cool and strain into a container.
Garnish:
Pineapple Frond
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is a take on a classic Daisy De Santiago substituting white rum with the grilled pineapple-infused cachaça and regular simple syrup with something with a lot more character and also gives a nod to one of the biggest cash crops in Brazil: the coconut. The Yellow Chartreuse adds a nice herbaceous, floral component to this cocktail. The egg white adds a nice bit of texture to this complex cocktail and a pinch of salt is used to help all the flavors meld further.
Bitter Things to Come
Recipe by Jeff Terry
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Barrel aged Novo Fogo
- .75 oz fresh lemon juice
- .5oz Combier pamplemousse
- .5 oz simple syrup 1:1
- .25 oz green chartreuse
- 3 dash regans orange bitters
- 2 oz Q grapefruit soda
- .5 oz Campari float
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except for the Campari and Q GF soda into a shaker tin. Do a nice hard shake for 10 sec and strain into a Collins glass. Add the 2oz of Q gf soda and add ice, crushed preferred but leave a 1/4 inch from the top to add the Campari float. Garnish and serve.
Garnish:
Long orange peel, about 5-6 inches so it can hug around the ice
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
It’s leading into summer time and I wanted to come up with a fun and playful drink to be enjoyed on a patio or at a bbq. With a little tiki twist the bitter and sweet flavors come together that’s like a warming hug, like the ones we look forward to when it’s socially appropriate.
Blueberry Ruffles
Recipe by Christopher Barragan
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Cutty Sark
- 3/4 oz Marie Brizard Liqueur de Violette
- 3/4 oz Blueberry Syrup
- 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
- 2 Dashes Scrappy's Lavender Bitters
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a mixing tin and shake until a proper dilution. Double strain into a Chilled Coupe Glass and zest then discard a lemon and garnish with 3 skewered Blueberries.
Blueberry Syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 small basket of blueberries
zest of Lemon
Bring water to boil and dissolve sugar. Gently press blueberries and add to simple syrup, then zest a lemon and simmer on low/medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Fine strain and keep cool.
Garnish:
Zest and discard a Lemon Peel and garnish with 3 skewered Blueberries
Glassware:
Cocktail Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Scotch is the quintessential "Water of Life" and I wanted ingredients known to have healing qualities, so this cocktail is not only good, but good for you. Blueberries are well known for their anti-oxidant properties, while Lemon adds Vitamin C, Violets are anti-inflammatory and Lavender is a natural antiseptic. We all need a little TLC these days and as for the garnish, these represent the true nature of this cocktail...Health, happiness and prosperity!
MereCumbe
Recipe by Santiago Vasquez Cuberos
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Cumbe Colombian Aguardiente
- 1oz Becherovka
- 1oz Orgeat
- 1oz orange juice
- .5oz pineapple juice
- .25 lemon juice
- .5 simple syrup
Preparation:
Pour all the ingredients in a mixing glass, fill with ice and shake hard, transfer to a highball or specialty long glass.
The orgeat can be buy it or home made, the easy way to make it at home is with one part of almond paste, half part sugar and half water, 2 drops of vanilla essence mix well and keep it cold in a close container.
Garnish:
Lemon wheel and mint spring.
Glassware:
Tiki, highball, specialty or collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
Merecumbe is a type of dance from my original country Colombia, very tropical, I love Tiki style but I never was good to make cocktails with aguardiente, but I found that a great combination to bring balance was the Becherovka, I try the Becherovka long time ago with an old friend from Czech Republic when we was in a world competition in Finland and now I found the best way to mix this very different two cultures in one drink.
Collins Ave.
Recipe by Gabriela Ospina
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz ScapeGrace Dry Gin
- .5 oz Marie Brizzard Grapefruit
- 1.5 oz Soursop Puree
- 1 oz Hibiscus Demarara Syrup
- .25 oz Lemon Juice
- Grapefruit Sparkling Water, to taste
- Hibiscus Demerara Syrup:
- 1 c Dried Hibiscus Petals
- 1 c Demarara Sugar
- 1 c plus 2 TB Water
- Bring petals and water to boil, take off heat and strain out petals. Add sugar to water and stir well until sugar is fully incorporated.
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients save sparkling water in mixing tin, add ice and shake. Double strain into collins glass over fresh ice and add sparkling water to taste. For a punchier grapefruit aroma, garnish with expressed grapefruit peel and discard.
Garnish:
Optional: Grapefruit Peel
Glassware:
Collins glass.
Cocktail Inspiration:
During this time, Ive spent so much more of my day wandering around Miami Beach and enjoying the lush plant life. Here in Florida, tropical fruits abound and there are big hibiscus bushes at every turn. It seemed only natural to incorporate a few of my favorite native ingredients together in this variation of a classic Tom Collins, incorporating the fruit directly in the cocktail. Soursop and hibiscus petals have a wonderful natural acidity to them which works well with the dryness of the Scapegrace gin and the sweetness of the Marie Brizzard.
Brewmade
Recipe by Adam Beňo
Ingredients:
- Becherovka - 35 ml
- Saint James Vieux XO - 20 ml
- Vana Tallinn - 15 ml
- Date syrup - 1 barspoon
- Lactic acid - 1 drop
- Kenya Kirinyaga Kii coffee - 90 ml
- Orange bitters - 1 dash
- Gingerbread spice - 1 barspoon
Preparation:
Light the gingerbread spice on fire and place inverted double rocks glass over it. Put all ingredients into shaker, shake and double strain into the smoked double rocks glass.
To brew coffee:
Grind(coarse grind) 28,5 grams of Kenya Kirinyaga Kii(or any othe herbal/fruity, preferably African coffee will do) and brew for 8 minutes with 400 grams of water. In case you are using french press like me, I advise you to fine strain your coffee after brewing.
Garnish:
Flamed gingerbread spice, coffee beans
Glassware:
Double rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Despite being addicted to the lovely aromas of coffee, I never really hit it off with coffee based cocktails. Never really saw the beauty in combining completely knocked out espresso with low grade coffee liquor and a neutral spirit(looking at you, every place that does not clean their espresso machine properly). I was standing behind this mindset until I saw an interview with Martin Hudák(yes, he is from the same country as I am, yes, it took me this long to find out about him) that has completely changed an idea of a coffee cocktail for me. It did not take long before I started experimenting with coffee as an ingredient. In this one my main focus was to pair the beautiful fruity and herbal flavours of the coffee with spices found in Becherovka as the main liqueur.
Backyard Fling
Recipe by Amy Victor
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Cutty Sark
- 1/2 oz green chartreuse
- 1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- splash of club soda
- 3 strawberries
- 3 basil leaves
Preparation:
Muddle 2 strawberries and 2 basil leaves in the bottom of mixing glass. Add Cutty Sark, green chartreuse, lime and simple. Fill with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain over fresh ice in an old fashioned glass. Add splash of soda water. Garnish with cut strawberry and basil leaf.
Garnish:
Skewered strawberry and basil leaf
Glassware:
Old Fashioned glass or vintage Cutty Sark ceramic
Cocktail Inspiration:
I found this Cutty Sark ceramic at an estate sale and was inspired to make something fun and spring themed with Cutty Sark. The strawberries and lime juice bring out the citrus notes of Cutty Sark and the green chartreuse and basil add the herbaceous and vegetal component to really bring you a perfect taste of Spring! Cheers!
Agitated
Recipe by David Mor
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça
- .75oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
- .5oz Honey Syrup [3:1]
- .5oz Lemon Juice
- 6 Blueberries
- 4 Basil Leaves
- 1oz Topo Chico
Preparation:
Honey Syrup: Combine 3 parts honey and 1 part hot water [by weight]. Stir mixture until entire syrup is consistent in viscosity.
Agitated: In a shaker tin, combine blueberries, basil, and honey syrup; using a muddler, gently agitate the leaves and blueberries. Do not over-muddle. Add the rest of the ingredients to the shaker tin [sans Topo Chico]. Shake vigorously for 5-7 seconds and strain into a rocks glass. Top off with Topo Chico and fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a fresh basil crown.
Garnish:
Basil Crown
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
The weather has been quite inconsistent in Chicago this past..oh I don't know..hundreds of years. And on the afternoon of making this drink, the sun was shining, and although our door to the patio was closed, the sun beams were warming our living room. I was in the total mood for a refreshing and effervescent sipper that was still bold in flavor. Typically, I overthink; I create complex syrups and tinctures, and look for an obscure liqueur to provide depth. Instead, I checked what I had in my fridge and cabinets, and whipped this together, creating a still quite complex yet refreshing and balanced cocktail. "Agitated" is a reference to the commonly-used term bartenders give the modern process of muddling. "Just agitate the leaves." And so I did...until I shook it all vigorously. This cocktail is delightful regardless of season and accessible for anyone to make, regardless of their bartending experience.
Sark Swizzle
Recipe by David Mor
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Cutty Sark Blended Scotch
- .5oz Rhine Hall Pear Brandy
- .5oz Amaro Nonino
- .75oz Lime Juice
- .25oz Simple Syrup [1:1]
- .125oz Peach Preserves
- 3 dashes Scrappy's Celery Bitters
Preparation:
Simple Syrup: Combine equal parts white sugar and hot water [by weight]. Stir mixture until all sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.
Sark Swizzle: Combine all ingredients in a collins glass; fill the glass halfway with crushed ice. Using a swizzle stick or bar spoon, swizzle the cocktail until all ingredients are well-integrated and chilled; the outside of the glass should also be frosting quite a bit. Fill the rest of the glass with more crushed ice. Insert a rosemary sprig and straw.
Garnish:
Rosemary
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
Generally, when it comes to cocktail creation, I'm inspired by combining flavors on opposite ends of the spectrum. In this case, it was about combining notes of smoke, savory greens, and stone fruit. Oddly enough, it all goes delightfully well together. This swizzle is simple and elegant while pushing out some bold qualities. Peach and celery has this really cool element of creating a fruity and fresh flavor profile, and feeling dry yet round. When you're sipping this drink through a straw, the ice-cold cocktail feels totally refreshing and bold. Using peach preserves out of the Smucker's jar, I was able to sweeten this cocktail to balance, adding mouthfeel, and a very concentrated flavor of peach.
Flipping Out
Recipe by David Mor
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Cutty Sark Blended Scotch
- .75oz St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur
- .5oz Cynar
- .5oz Giffard Créme de Banane
- .75oz Cold Brew Coffee
- .25oz Demerara Syrup [2:1]
- .125oz Butter
- 1 Whole Egg
Preparation:
Demerara Syrup: Combine 2 parts demerara sugar with 1 part hot water [by weight] in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Stir contents of the mixture until all sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.
Cold Brew Coffee: Best if using a cold brew concentrate. Pre-diluted cold brew works fine, too.
Flipping Out: Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin with cubed ice. Shake vigorously for 10-12 seconds. Double-strain cocktail into a coupe glass. Garnish with grated coffee bean. [No need to dry and wet shake cocktail].
Garnish:
Grated Coffee Bean
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Flipping Out was honestly inspired by my morning routine. I wake up, make a cup of coffee, have some toast with a sunny side up egg, and a banana. It's easy; it's my ritual; it gives me everything I need to be ready for the rest of the day. This cocktail pretty much utilizes all those components and turns it into a creamy and delish flip [cocktail utilizing a whole egg]. Using Cutty Sark's Blended Scotch as a base provides length, boldness, subtle smoke, and complexity. The remaining ingredients add body, complexity, texture, and sweetness. Using actual coffee in the creation also adds the right amount of bitterness to keep this cocktail fully-balanced and accessible. The butter is integrated via a bar spoon of room temperature butter. Although it doesn't dissolve through the whole cocktail, it feels like the butter rinses the drink and adds a velvety texture. It's sexy, to be quite frank.
CV+T
Recipe by David Mor
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka
- .5oz Campari
- .75oz Pineapple Juice
- .75oz Cold Brew Coffee
- .75oz Honey Syrup [3:1]
- 2oz Topo Chico
Preparation:
Honey Syrup: Combine 3 parts honey with 1 part hot water [by weight]. Stir contents until the syrup has the same viscosity throughout.
CV+T: Combine all ingredients [sans Topo Chico] in a shaker tin with cubed ice. Shake vigorously for 5-7 seconds; double-strain drink into a collins glass. Top with Topo Chico and fill the glass with cubed ice. Garnish with an expression of orange oils, and manicured peel.
Garnish:
Manicured Orange Peel
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
As coffee culture continues to develop and grow, so do coffee drinks and cocktails. The lengthening of coffee and espresso with soda water and/or tonic is not a new concept, but achieving total balance and deliciousness is a continuous effort. This Vodka Highball [Coffee, Vodka + Topo] utilizes the rich characteristics of Van Gogh's Double Espresso Vodka, creating an already revitalizing flavor profile and experience. Using actual cold brew coffee and pineapple juice is what adds this great layer of texture and foam atop the drink. Campari balances it all, but also provides this light layer of citric expression [mirroring the actual citrus expression on top]. The final drink is super fresh, revitalizing, complex, and re-creatable at home!
Paloma en Paradise
Recipe by Danny Natali
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. San Matias Reposado
- 1 oz. Grapefruit Juice
- 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz. Pamplemousse Liquor
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 - 2 oz. Mexican Squirt to top
- Chammy/Tajin for Rim
Preparation:
Rim a collins glass with Chamoy then Tajin and set aside. Shake all ingredients except for Mexican Squirt in a shaker tin (10-15 seconds), top with 1 1/2-2 oz. of Mexican squirt and strain over the rocks in your prepared collins glass. Garnish with grapefruit slice and enjoy!
Garnish:
Grapefruit Slice and Chamoy/Tajin Rim
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
Ive always loved the simplicity and deliciousness of the Paloma. All the flavors bring to life my absolute favorite spirit, Tequila! I spruced up the classic Paloma by entering in a little more citrus, pamplemousse liquor and of course the beautiful and tasty combination of Chamoy and Tajin. I wanted to make something that is easily replicated but doesn't fall short on flavor. Make sure to use Mexican Squirt (it makes worlds of difference).
Bella Ciao
Recipe by Rachael Green
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Novo Fogo cachaca
- 1 oz Becherovka
- .75 fresh white muscadine grape juice
- .5 oz oleo saccharum enhanced citrus
- .5 oz fresh red beet juice
- .25 oz fresh ginger juice
- Oleo Saccharum enhanced citrus cordial:
- 3 lemons
- 3 limes
- 1 quart ziploc bag
- 2 cups of sugar
Preparation:
Cocktail Recipe:
1. Add all measured ingredients into a shaker tin
2. Add ice to shaker tin and rocks glass
3. Shake hard until tin is frosty cold
4. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass
5. Garnish with a small piece of crystallized ginger
Oleo Saccharum enhanced citrus cordial:
1. Juice all 6 fruits and set juice aside in sealed container in the fridge
2. Place lemon and lime shells and sugar in ziploc bag
3. set to rest on the counter until you go to bed
4. put in fridge overnight
5. eye ball until sugar has completely dissolved into a syrup
6. strain the syrup from the citrus shells
7. combine juice and syrup
Garnish:
Crystalized ginger
Glassware:
Double Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Since living in quarantine, I have watched and finished the series “Money Heist”. In the story, the main characters were all represented by different major cities like Tokyo, Helsinki, Rio, and Berlin. I fell in love with the diversity of the characters, their stories and the reason why they were completing a heist. The reason was first about money, but as the plot develops (and the song “Bella Ciao” is repeated) you come to realize it’s about resistance, awareness of social injustice, and passion. Red is depicted vibrantly throughout the series. The present earthy quality of the cocktail represents the team digging their way out to freedom, a floral grape juice for the celebration, and ginger for the gold they are fighting for. The fresh spiciness of Becherovka pairs beautifully with the beets and the ginger. The Czech culture has an incredible history of resistance from Nazi control (WW2) to Soviet control (1968). Rio is one of the main characters in the show and my use of Novo Fogo is to highlight the unique and free spirit of Cachaca, the spirit of Brazil.
Saudade
Recipe by Danny Natali
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Novo Fogo Silver
- 1/2 oz Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged
- 1 oz Raspberry/Satsuma Oleo
- 3/4 oz Lemon
- 1-2 Dash Angostura
- Mint Sprig
- Re-purposed Raspberry fruit roll (optional)
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in shaker tin and shake until properly diluted (15-20 seconds). Strain over crushed ice and garnish with mint sprig and repurposed raspberry fruit roll**
.
*Raspberry/Satsuma oleo- combine 6 oz. of raspberries and 6 oz. of sugar cane in a bowl. Add the zest of 1 satsuma orange (or other orange is okay too). Mix until combined. Macerate overnight or up to 3 days, stirring occasionally. When all the sugar has liquified, strain into a deli cup (or any sealable container), and be sure to save the raspberry seeds/preserves. Refrigerate until ready for use. .
**repurposed raspberry fruit roll (last picture). Save the raspberry seeds/preserves from the oleo. As thin as you can spread out flat on a silpat (or sheet tray with parchment paper) and dehydrate for 6 hours or up to 24. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can cook on lowest temp in your oven for 5-6 hours (checking constantly).
Garnish:
Mint Sprig and (optional) repurposed raspberry fruit roll
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
“Saudade” is a Brazilian term of endearment that captures the pain and agony of being away from a loved one. I thought it the perfect name for my riff on the classic caipirinha. How I have been longing for the camaraderie of bars and restaurants, seeing my family members, and hanging out with friends. Until then, I will be dreaming of better days and sipping on “saudade”, salute!
.
.
.
I’ve always loved the idea of going green, and the repurposed raspberry fruit roll is me exercising the idea of a Zero Waste bar program.
Rose Petal to the Metal
Recipe by Sander Raav
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Novo Fogo Silver
- 0.75 oz Lime Juice
- 0.75 oz Strawberry Puree
- 0.5 oz Meletti
- 1 oz Cremant Rose
- 3 drops of Rose Water
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients (except cremant and ride water), pour into a rocks glass over one big ol' ice cube.
Incorporate cremant.
Add the rose water on top.
.
Garnish:
Garnish with rose petals, the organic ones!
Glassware:
Rocks/old fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
Gardening (inside or out) is the same thing to do during quarantine. And who doesn't love strawberries?
I sure do.
In my attempt to grow strawberries inside my apartment I couldn't really wait so I went to the store to pre-emptively start to experiment what will I make with mine when they are ready in a month or two.
And there it is! Iz a beauty!
The Counts Grace
Recipe by Danny Natali
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 oz Scapegrace Gin
- 1 oz Luxardo Bitter Bianco
- 3/4 oz. cocchi americano
- 1 dash lavender bitters (I used Scrappys)
- 1 dash grapefruit bitters (Scrappys again)
Preparation:
Stir all ingredients in a beaker glass until properly diluted (10-15 seconds). Strain over a big cube and garnish with a grapefruit slice. Extract and discard a grapefruit zest over the top. Then drink and make another ;) cheers!
Garnish:
Grapefruit Slice
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
My twist on a white Negroni is an homage the OG himself, Count Negroni. This rendition of the classic can be enjoyed at any point during the day and as we all know there are no rules during quarantine! Hope you all enjoy, cheers!
Cu-cumba
Recipe by Evan Lipson
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Ginger Beer, preferably Fever Tree
- 1.5 oz. Van Gogh Pineapple Vodka
- .5 oz. Chareau Aloe Liqueur
- 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- .75 oz. Passion Fruit Syrup, preferably Small Hand Foods
- 1 dash (roughly 12 drops) Absinthe, preferably St. George or Leopold Bros.
- 5 drops Saline Solution**
- 1 Whole Fresh Unpeeled Chilled Cucumber*
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker EXCEPT ginger beer. Fill shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously until chilled. Add ginger beer and gently stir to incorporate. Double-strain into prepped chilled cucumber. Garnish with a paper parasol. Double-strain remaining liquid into 4.125 oz. or similar sized small glass carafe or decanter and serve as a sidecar with the cocktail.
*CUCUMBER
To prepare the cucumber, slice off the top inch of a medium to large sized chilled (but not frozen) whole fresh cucumber. Peel the skin around the exposed edge with a standard vegetable peeler/corer. Use the opposing end of the tool to then core the cucumber as deeply as possible (without breaking through the bottom). Situate the prepped cucumber on a small circular metal, ceramic, or wooden base such as a hard-boiled egg stand holder (it's advisable to place the entire thing in a Double Old-Fashioned glass while building the cocktail in order to reduce the chance of spillage).
**SALINE SOLUTION:
20 grams salt, preferably Maldon
80 grams water
Combine and agitate until salt is completely dissolved.
Garnish:
paper parasol
Glassware:
chilled cucumber
Cocktail Inspiration:
In the Fall of 2012, I migrated to Chattanooga Tennessee. A few months later, my co-conspirator Rick Weaver followed suit. During the first three wintry months Rick resided in Chattanooga, the house he occupied had a rat problem, broken central heating, and a roof gradually caving in over the kitchen sink. It was here that Rick and I would spend evenings in this collapsing tomb-like kitchen, working our way in chilly conditions through the many classic tropical cocktail recipes listed in Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's seminal "Remixed" and "Sippin' Safari" cocktail books. After shaking and straining and "flash-blending", and taking the first sip of the “nectar of the gods,” our gloomy disposition would lift, and the environment would suddenly transform.
One drink in particular that stood out in my memory from that period was Joe Scialom's Cou-Cou-Comber. Here was this unusual Vodka-based tropical cocktail served in a hollowed out cucumber being held together by duct tape after a somewhat botched coring attempt. It amused us to no end how this rather comical and ostentatious drink seemed to perfectly compliment the comically precarious state of the setting. The Cu-cumba (deriving its name from the Jamaican pronunciation of the word "cucumber") is my turbo-charged homage to that time, that drink, and to my dear friend Rick.
Strange Paradise
Recipe by Evan Lipson
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça
- 1 oz. Oloroso Sherry, preferably Lustau Oloroso Del Puerto
- .5 oz. Tempus Fugit Creme de Banana
- .5 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
- .5 oz. Coconut Milk
- .25 oz. Velvet Falernum
- .25 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin. Add ice cubes. Shake and strain over crushed ice into a Collins glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Garnish:
freshly grated nutmeg
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Strange Paradise takes its name from the late 1960s Canadian occult-supernatural soap opera. The cocktail aims to take classic elements typically found in tropical/exotic drinks (e.g. rum, tropical fruits, citrus, and baking spices), and merge them with flavors & ingredients less commonly associated with the genre.
Waiting For Costeau
Recipe by Evan Lipson
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Saint James Royal Ambré Rum
- .5 oz. Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
- .75 oz. Pineapple Syrup, Liber & Co preferred
- 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 tsp. Giffard Blue Curaçao
- 1 dash Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters
- 1 oz. Ginger Beer
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker EXCEPT ginger beer. Fill shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously until chilled. Add ginger beer and gently stir to incorporate. Double-strain into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Add crushed ice to fill and garnish.
Garnish:
lime wheel, pineapple frond, paper parasol
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Featuring French liqueurs and French Caribbean rhum, this cocktail is my homage to the legendary French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author, and researcher Jacques Cousteau.
Death & Victory
Recipe by Evan Lipson
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whiskey
- .25 oz. Laphroaig 10YR Scotch Whiskey
- .5 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
- .25 oz. Tempus Fugit Creme de Banane
- 1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
- .75 oz. Orgeat, preferably Liber & Co or Small Hand Foods
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and shake with ice cubes. Strain into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Add crushed ice to fill. Express an orange peel on top of the drink and serve.
Garnish:
expressed orange peel
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
My attempt at a Scotch Mai Tai.
Smaug’s Requiescence
Recipe by Henry Barker
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Casa San Matias Blanco Tequila
- 1/2 oz. Pierre Fernando Dry Curaçao
- 1/2 oz. Fresh lime juice
- 1/4 oz. Simple syrup
- 1/8 Smoked Orange
- Muddle Smoked Orange in shaker. Combine the rest of the ingredients and shake vigorously with ice. Strain over ice and enjoy!
Preparation:
Simple Syrup: one cup sugar and one cup hot water. Mix sugar into water and stir until dissolved.
Smoked Orange:
Soak applewood chips in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use.
Pre-heat electric smoker to 275 degrees. While heating, cut a large, seedless orange in half. If desired, remove peel from one or both halves. Peel can be cut and used for garnish. Once smoker is ready, place oranges halves directly on center rack. Place peel in open foil boat and place on center rack. Add wood chips and set timer for 60 minutes. Add wood chips every 15 to 20 minutes (total of two to three times). After one hour, remove from smoker.
Garnish:
Fresh lime or orange wedge
Glassware:
Tumbler rimmed with salt
Cocktail Inspiration:
Guarding whatever gold you have left can be exhausting; so when you find yourself needing to relax, be like Smaug and enjoy something bright, refreshing, and just a little bit smoky. This smoked margarita was inspired by our desire to create an exciting derivation on a classic cocktail. This drink was made to be enjoyed in the precious sunshine, without a care in the world! It’s easy to make a glass but even easier to make a pitcher and share amongst friends and family.
Blue of Noon
Recipe by Evan Lipson
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Scapegrace Dry Gin
- .25 oz. Aquavit, preferably Krogstad
- .75 oz. Licor 43
- .5 oz. Giffard Blue Curaçao
- 1.5 oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice
- .75 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
- .25 oz. Velvet Falernum
- 1 tsp. Cream or Half & Half
Preparation:
Add all the ingredients to a drink mixer tin. Fill with 12 oz (1.5 cups) of pellet ice or crushed ice. Flash blend and open pour with a gated finish into an oversized snifter glass. Garnish.
Garnish:
pineapple fronds, pineapple chunk, cocktail cherry
Glassware:
oversized snifter
Cocktail Inspiration:
Blue of Noon takes its name from the title of Georges Bataille's 1935 novel. The drink draws inspiration from Valerio “Bobby” Batugo 1970s award-winning cocktail, The Best Year.
Poolewe
Recipe by Evan Lipson
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Paul John Edited Scotch Whiskey
- .5 oz. Hamilton 151 Demerara Rum
- .25 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 1.5 oz. Fresh Cold-Pressed Pineapple Juice
- 1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
- .75 oz. Orgeat, Liber & Co. or Small Hand Foods preferred
Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a mixing tin. Add 8 oz. (1 cup) crushed ice and flash blend in a top down mixer for 3-4 seconds. Strain into a tall Collins glass. Add fresh crushed ice to fill. Garnish.
Garnish:
pineapple frond, cocktail cherry skewered to a lemon peel.
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
Poolewe takes its name from a small village in Wester Ross in the North West Highlands of Scotland. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the village maintains a relatively warm (almost sub-tropical) climate for its latitude. It is home to the Inverewe Garden, renowned for its subtropical plants. Inspired by this unique Scottish village, I decided to create a scotch-based tropical style cocktail featuring John Paul Edited Scotch. The subtle spice & tropical flavors of the scotch provided the perfect foil for classic "tiki" ingredients including aged overproof Guyanese rum, orgeat, fresh citrus, and pineapple juice.
CHOCOLATE BAR, AND THERE YOU ARE
Recipe by Evan Lipson
Ingredients:
- 3-4 dashes Bittermen’s Xocolatl Mole Bitters [float]
- 1 oz. Marie Brizard White Creme de Cacao
- 1 oz. Coconut Oil-Washed Cognac, preferably Pierre Ferrand 1840**
- 1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
- .5 oz. Almond Orgeat, preferably Liber & Co. or Small Hand Foods (.25 oz Hershey's Syrup?)
- 5 drops Saline Solution*
Preparation:
Flash blend the first five ingredients in a drink mixer with 1 cup of crushed ice on “high” for 4 seconds. Open pour with a gated finish into a Double Old Fashioned glass. Add crushed ice to fill. Top with 3 or 4 dashes of bitters. Garnish.
*SALINE SOLUTION:
20 grams salt, preferably Maldon
80 grams water
Combine and agitate until salt is completely dissolved.
**COCONUT OIL-WASHED COGNAC:
7 oz. Organic Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil
1 750ml bottle of Cognac
Temper the coconut oil with indirect heat then combine with the cognac. Sous vide the mixture for 6 to 8 hours at 105 degrees Fahrenheit or cover and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours. Freeze for 4 hours and then strain through a nut milk bag or a coffee filter. Bottle and store at room temperature until ready to use.
Garnish:
shaved chocolate, freshly grated nutmeg
Glassware:
Double Old Fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
The title is derived from a Partridge Family lyric featured in the song "One Night Stand". In this drink I was inspired to create a tropical drink that embodied flavors one might more commonly associate with a chocolate bar (specifically, an Almond Joy).
Main In Mexico
Recipe by Evan Lipson
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. San Matias Tahona Blanco Tequila
- .75 oz. Pineapple Syrup, preferably Liber & Co.
- .75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- .75 oz. Ginger Beer, preferably Fever Tree
- .25 oz. Chareau Liqueur
- .25 oz. Tamarind Juice, preferably Foco
- 4 Cucumber Wheels
- 6-8 Mint Leaves (reserve 1 spring for garnish)
- 1 dash Bittermens Hellfire Bitters
Preparation:
Add bitters, cucumber, mint, and pineapple syrup to a mixing glass and muddle. Add everything else EXCEPT ginger beer. Add ice and shake until chilled. Add ginger beer and stir to incorporate. Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled with ice. Add ice to fill and garnish.
Garnish:
inverted spent lime half, mint sprig
Glassware:
Collins or specialty glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was inspired to create a fully bonafide tropical drink using flavors that are native to and most commonly associated with Mexico.
Speak into my good ear
Recipe by Danny Natali
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Van Gogh Vodka
- 1 oz. cucumber/jalapeño syrup*
- 3/4 oz. lemon juice
- Top with bitter lemon tonic water (I used fever tree)
- Tajin for rim
Preparation:
Rim Collins glass with tajin and set aside. Combine everything except for tonic water in a shaker tin and shake for 10-12 seconds. Top with 1 1/2 - 2 oz. tonic water. Strain over rocks into your prepared Collins glass. Garnish with edible flower and enjoy!
Garnish:
Edible flower and tajin for rim
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to make something that was simple, refreshing and with a little kick. This recipe is easily replicated at home with ingredients commonly found at the grocery store.
James the Great
Recipe by Danny Natali
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Saint James Royal Blanc Agricole
- 3/4 oz Lime Juice
- 3/4 oz Hibiscus infused Agave*
- Korean Chili Flake rim
Preparation:
Rim rocks glass with chili flake and set aside. Shake all ingredients together and strain into prepared rocks glass. Garnish with edible flower and enjoy!
*Hibiscus infused agave- mix agave:water 2:1. For every 100 grams of liquid infuse with 7 hibiscus flowers. Bring to a boil then let steep for 30 minutes. Strain liquid and store in refrigerator until ready for use.
Garnish:
Marigold flower and Korean chili flake rim
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
Named after one of the 12 apostles, Saint James or James the Great is easily made at home. I wanted to keep this simple with ingredients commonly found around my household. Cheers!
Bittersweet Symphony
Recipe by Jonathan Stanyard
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Scapegrace Gin
- 1 oz. Campari infused with Strawberries
- 1 oz. Blanco Vermouth infused with Spirulina
- 1 bar-spoon Fino Sherry
- 1 bar-spoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Preparation:
Add ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice and stir 30 rotations for proper chilling and dilution. Strain into garnish prepped chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish:
Cucumber Peel & Strawberry Blossom
Glassware:
Nick & Nora / Cocktail Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was inspired to create this cocktail, Bittersweet Symphony while gardening on a relatively sunny afternoon. I saw the strawberry blossoms coming to life, and I wanted to make a cocktail that was fruity but encapsulated many other current feelings. This cocktail must resemble some bitter and bright, but also keep its balance. Now is the time for a perfectly balanced cocktail, and the Scapegrace Dry Gin fell right into place with the strawberry and spirulina. Fresh cucumber brings a lovely nose to this light but deep-hearted riff of the classic negroni.
I Will Survive
Recipe by Jonathan Stanyard
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Saint James Royal Ambre
- .5 oz. Coffee Syrup*
- .5 oz. Amontillado Sherry infused with Shitake Mushrooms**
- 3 drops Bitterman's Xocolatl Mole Bitters
- 1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, stir for 30 revolutions for proper dilution and chilling. Strain into a old fashioned glass with a large cube or sphere. Finish by using a match to ignite the orange oils from a peel across the cocktail. Leave in glass.
*Coffee Syrup - In a small sauce pan, simmer 10 oz. cold brew coffee until reduced to 4 oz. Add .25 oz vanilla extract and 1/2 cup sugar, stir to dissolve. Keep refrigerated.
**Shitake infused Sherry - Add 4 dried shitake mushrooms to 10 oz of amontillado sherry. let sit at room temperature for 36 hours. Strain and keep refrigerated.
Garnish:
Flamed Orange Peel
Glassware:
Old Fashioned / Dbl Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was inspired while reading the history of Saint James Rhum. What caught my attention was the survival of the eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902. Somehow, only part of the distillery happened to be destroyed, allowing them to survive, recover, and expand soon after. I created an old fashioned riff using a homemade coffee syrup with vanilla, sherry with shitake mushroom, and some bitters with a bit of chocolate and spice. I chose sweet flavors of vanilla coffee syrup to pair well with the Saint James Ambre, which is full of oak and vanilla. The cocktail entirely balanced by the earthy mushroom-infused dry sherry and spice-filled bitters. To all of us out there hanging in there, remember to tell yourself, I Will Survive.
Devil's Playground
Recipe by Jonathan Stanyard
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz San Matias Blanco
- .5 oz Lime Juice
- .5 oz Salted-Lemongrass Syrup*
- .5 oz Cynar
- .5 oz Mezcal
- 1 dash Scrappy's Firewater Tincture
- 1 bar-spoon yogurt
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well for 12 seconds and double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with a citrus wheel, fresh or dehydrated.
*Salted-Lemongrass Syrup - Bring 200 grams of water and 150 grams chopped lemongrass to a boil, then lower to simmer (covered) for 30 mins. Strain out the solids and add equal parts cane sugar by weighting the infused water. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher slat and blend the infused water and sugar for 1 min in a high speed blender. Keep refrigerated.
Garnish:
Citrus Wheel
Glassware:
Cocktail Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Times like these are when we must push ourselves outside our comfort zones. This cocktail is a combination of all flavors our palate will taste; sweet, sour, spicy, bitter and salty. This cocktail highlights the sweet agave of the San Matias Blanco and features a touch of smoke from the mezcal. The yogurt helps tame the habanero tincture and adds lovely mouthfeel. Cynar supplies bitterness while the salted-lemongrass gives a fresh aromatic nose. This cocktail is complex and intriguing, dangerous and smooth, and at the same time, very playful. I immediately felt this one had an evil side to it, so I called it the Devil's Playground.
Remember Now
Recipe by Zachary Takasawa
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Novo Fogo Cachaca
- .75 oz Noilly Prat Rouge Vermouth
- .75 oz Grapefruit Juice
- .75 oz Clementine Juice
- Soda Water
- Dash Angostura bitters
Preparation:
Measure Cachaca, Vermouth, and juices into a tin. Brief shake with ice to mix ingredients. Pour into vessel (double rocks or collins). Add Fresh ice. Top with soda water. Add dash of Angostura bitters.
Garnish:
Fresh Lemon Verbena Mint
Glassware:
Globe Double Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
I really wanted to make a wonderfully easy drinking collins/spritz cocktail that amplified the terroir of the Silver Cachaca while playing on a classic Americano. Mixing the Noilly Prat amped up the savory flavors of the cachaca, while the fresh juices show of the tropical facets of the of spirit. Mixing together to make a light and complex cocktail, effervescent.
Named "Remembering Now" after a song by Italian band Soviet Soviet, a band I saw on my last trip to Italy, and the idea that we should remember now, but also remember the now every time we get a cocktail that makes us pause and enjoy the moment.
Pachuca Sunrise
Recipe by Zachary Takasawa
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Novo Fogo Chameleon Cachaça
- .75 oz Pueblo Viejo Blanco Tequila
- .25 Select Apertivo
- Grapefruit Juice
Preparation:
Build in Rocks Glass:
Add measures of cachaça and tequila, add rocks, top with grapefruit juice, add the .25 oz of Select Apertivo and let diffuse. Sprinkle with edible flowers.
Garnish:
Edible Flowers
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
An inspired mashup of a paloma and tequila sunrise style cocktails, but made more complex, and showing off the sugarcane funk and lively citrus. Keeping it dry and interesting with the Select Apertivo and the tart semisweet grapefruit.
I really wanted to have an enjoyable drink that has layers and complexity but still being crushable.
The name "Pachuca Sunrise" comes from one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands Minus the Bear. This song has encapsulate the feeling of travel and wanderlust, but wanting to set it to song to send it to a loved on. So this is the feeling of traveling somewhere far off and new and wanting to put that feeling in a cocktail.
Jade Rush
Recipe by Zachary Takasawa
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Cutty Sark
- .5 oz Becherovka
- .75 Lemon Juice
- Bar Spoon Agave Nectar
- Dash Herbsaint
- 3-5 Fresh Basil Leaves
Preparation:
Lightly muddle basil leaves in a mixing tin, add all the liquid ingredients, add rocks and shake, double strain into couple or chosen stemware. Garnish with basil leaf.
Garnish:
Expressed Basil Leaf
Glassware:
Coupe or fitting stemware
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by Cutty Sark Whisky itself, founded as a whisky to mix with and the style of a Gold Rush cocktail. I wanted something citric and herbaceous, with a hint of sweetness, but maintaining the vibrancy, smoothness, and subtle baking spice flavors of Cutty Sark.
Like the spirit of Cutty Sark, light in color and flavor but heavy on the fun.
Rye and Shine
Recipe by Joel Bauman
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Bacon Fat Washed J.P. Wiser's Deluxe Canadian Rye Whisky
- 1.25 oz Dark Roast Coffee
- .5 oz Homemade Maple Simple Syrup
- 2 drops Vanilla Extract
- Bacon fat washed rye batching:
- 1 oz bacon fat
- 12 oz rye
- Shake, freeze, remove solid fat from the surface and strain out additional fat
- Simple Syrup batch recipe:
- 5oz water
- 4oz maple syrup
- 2 pinches of brown sugar
- put together in a small pot on stove on low heat until ingredients fully mix
Preparation:
1. Add vanilla extract and maple simple syrup to mason jar.
2. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add bacon fat washed rye, that lukewarm black coffee, and gently stir with your cereal spoon (pulled from the dirty bowl in the sink) to combine flavors.
3. Grab some scraps from your cooking pans and assemble a mini bacon egg and cheese garnish on pieces of leftover eggo waffle (that's probably coated in a little of that sweet sweet maple syrup)
4. Enjoy you WFH warrior. Make us proud.
Garnish:
Mini Bacon egg and cheese: Eggo waffle, bacon, scrambled egg, american cheese
Glassware:
Medium sized mason jar
Cocktail Inspiration:
Let's set the scene: You just finish breakfast and are settling in for another day of that WFH quarantine grind. Within minutes s*** hits the fan as once again your colleague Karen can't figure out how to use her computer and no one is around to help her. You can bet the rest of your day is going to be a complete headache. It's time for a drink...but what could you possibly drink at 10:15am?
The inspiration for this cocktail comes from using the scraps from breakfast time to make a dope day drinking cocktail. We've got bacon, maple syrup, COFFEE, and of course...that all important brown water (rye whisky if you wanna be fancy with your terminology). Reducing waste while having a cocktail that masquerades as an iced coffee for those zoom meetings? Sounds like a winner to me.
Intergalactic Planetary
Recipe by Adrian Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz San Matias Blanco Tequila
- .75 oz Chinola Passion fruit liqueur
- .25 oz Aperol
- ,5 oz Orgeat
- .75 oz fresh lime juice
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin, top with ice, and shake for 10 seconds. Strain drink into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon wheel.
Garnish:
Lemon wheel and flower
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Spring is my favorite time of year– with the beautiful weather, and the blossoming flowers; I think spring is simply perfect. To honor that, I decided to create a drink that would embody that feeling. With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, I decided to use a premium tequila like San Matias Blanco to create a rendition of one of my favorite tiki classics, the Saturn. The tequila, passion fruit, and orgeat blend perfectly to create a harmony of flavors ideal for relaxing on a sunny afternoon.
Smoke on the Water
Recipe by Christopher Barragan
Ingredients:
- 2oz Casa San Matias Reposado Tequila
- 1 oz Watermelon Juice
- 1/2 oz Lime Juice
- 1/2 oz Jalapeno and Cilantro infused Agave Syrup
- Spritz of Mezcal
- Tajin dusted Watermelon Garnish and a half crusted Tajin rim
Preparation:
Half crust the rim of the Coupe Glass with Tajin and chill it. Add all liquid ingredients into a shaking tin, except the Mezcal. Shake till a proper dilution. Spritz the empty chilled coupe glass with Mezcal. Double strain into the spritzed glass and add the Tajin dusted Watermelon garnish.
Jalapeno and Cilantro infused Agave Syrup:
Heat 1/2 cup of Agave on low/medium heat. Add half a sliced jalapeno and 30 cilantro leaves. Stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes until desired scoville heat (should be a moderate amount of spice)
Garnish:
Half crusted Tajin rim on chilled coupe glass with a Tajin dusted Watermelon triangle
Glassware:
Coupe glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love seasonal cocktails and here in California, the watermelon is juicy and ripe! I love play on play when it comes to naming cocktails so I wanted a little smoke and spice in this refreshing Summer cocktail; the Jalapeno, cilantro, Tajin and Mezcal provide all that while the watermelon provides the cool and refreshing aspect. The tequila provides the relaxation and umami for this quintessential Summer refresher.
La Negra
Recipe by Christopher Barragan
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Casa San Matias Reposado Tequila
- 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz Blackberry Syrup
- 8 Fresh Mint Leaves
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Preparation:
In a mixing tin, lightly muddle mint leaves then add all liquid ingredients. Shake till a proper dilution and double strain over a large cube in an Old Fashioned Glass. Garnish with 2 skewered Blackberries, a mint sprig and one grind of a Black Pepper Mill.
Blackberry Syrup:
1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup cane sugar, 1 small basket of blackberries and zest of 1 lemon. Boil water and dissolve sugar. Add gently pressed blackberries and lemon zest and reduce to low/medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Fine strain and keep cool.
Garnish:
Garnish with 2 skewered Blackberries, a mint sprig and one grind of a Black Pepper Mill.
Glassware:
Old Fashioned Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
"Son de la Negra" is a classic Mariachi song and was the song my grandfather always requested for my grandmother. As an ode to their eternal love, I wanted a cocktail that would also stand the test of time. The umami that this cocktail delivers will have you singing as well!
Apple’s Delight
Recipe by chase boone
Ingredients:
- San Matias Telquila
- Lime juice
- Lemon juice
- Orange juice
- Triple sec
Preparation:
Add 1.5oz San Matias Telquila and .75oz of triple decker to mixing tin.
Add Lime juice 1oz; add Lemon juice .25oz; add .25oz orange juice.
Full tin with ice and shake for 20 seconds.
Pour into stemless wine glass that has rim has been salted and lightly dust with cinnamon.
Add 1/4 oz of red wine float
Garnish:
Garnish with half apple moon slice that has been dusted with cinnamon
Glassware:
Stemless wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Cinco De Mayo is just around the corner. We always enjoy Mexican beer and margaritas year round but I just new that we were not going to be going out this year for a nice margarita so I decided to make one that I can enjoy on my patio with the ingredients that are always close by and on hand.
Thai me Up
Recipe by Christopher Barragan
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Scapegrace Gin
- 1/2 oz Marie Brizard Elderflower Liqueur
- 3/4 oz Ginger-Lemongrass Syrup
- 3/4 oz Lime Juice
- 3 Persian Cucumber coin sized slices
- 8 mint leaves
- 4 Thai Basil leaves
- Soda water
Preparation:
In a mixing tin, gently muddle Persian Cucumbers, mint leaves and Thai basil leaves. Add all liquid ingredients except the soda water, shake until a proper dilution. Double strain into a tall highball glass and top with soda. Garnish with a mint and Thai basil sprigs.
Ginger-Lemongrass Syrup:
1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of cane sugar, 2 inch knuckle of cleaned and sliced ginger, 2 cracked Lemongrass stalks, and zest of 1 medium lime.
Boil the water and dissolve the sugar. Lower heat to low/medium and add ginger, lemongrass and lime zest. Stir often for 20 minutes and then fine strain and keep cool.
Garnish:
Thai basil and Mint sprigs
Glassware:
Tall Highball
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love the flavors of Thai cooking and this is such a great cocktail to pair with. It has just enough heat and spice, yet is surprisingly refreshing. It is also the perfect Summer sit by the poolside sipper.
Dawn to Dusk
Recipe by Zach Shore
Ingredients:
- .5oz Simple Syrup
- 1.5oz Fresh Squeezed and Fine Strained Lemon juice
- .5oz Peach Liqueur
- 1.5oz Casa San Matías Tequila
- 2 Drops Bittermans Burlesque Bitters
- Dry Sparkling Wine
- Strawberry Ice Cubes
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine and strawberry ice cubes into shaker. Shake with regular ice for 12-15 seconds. Fine strain into wine glass. Add 5-6 strawberry ice cubes to wine glass. Top with sparkling wine.
Strawberry ice cubes recipe: 4 cups water. 1 cup fine granulated sugar. 18 strawberries. Dissolve the sugar in the water on a medium heat. Cool. Blend the 4:1 simple syrup with the strawberries on high until fully integrated. Pour into ice tray/mold and let freeze.
Garnish:
Strawberry ice cubes
Glassware:
Wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I work at a rooftop bar and it gets HOT in the summer. Drinks can get diluted fast with ice melting rapidly. I wanted to create a drink that was a crusher on its own, but also as the heat melted the ice wouldn’t necessarily dilute the drink but evolve the flavor. I really enjoy the combination of peach and strawberry especially with the bridge of burlesque bitters to bring a tang to the two sweeter fruits. I named it “Dusk to Dawn” for the way the color evolves from a yellow to red with a gradual blend as the ice melts. Much like a sunrise or sunset.
Elevated Brilliance
Recipe by Meghann Allred
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Paul John Brilliance
- .5oz Cardamom Honey Syrup
- .25oz Lemon Juice
- .25oz Toasted Cocoa Nib/Espresso Brew
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin. Shake and fine strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with chocolate coated espresso beans.
Cardamom Honey: (Small Batch)
2T Wildflower Honey (or what you have available)
1T Water
1/8 tsp. ground Cardamom
Heat/simmer to loosen and incorperate Honey.
Cool Mix before fine straining and bottling.
Cocoa/Espresso Brew: (Overnight prep)
Grind 2 tsp cocoa nibs into small pieces (almost powder)
Toast in a skillet over med/low heat untill they 'sweat'/you can smell them. (If they pop you've gone too fat)
Add this immediately to,
150 ml tepid water and,
2T espresso (I used Bustello)
Stir or whisk to incorperate. Cover and let set at least 4hours/overnight. Super fine strain liquid off and bottle.
* The remaining solids go great in banana bread*
Garnish:
Dark Chocolate coated Espresso Beans (60% cocoa. 3 beans)
Glassware:
Chilled coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was originally unsure of the Paul John when it showed up at my bar. I smelled it, tasted it and was curious but not convinced. Then I added a few drops of water and everything changed! This spirit opened up and told a story of flavor, aroma, and exotic places. Now, I could smell (and taste) the exotic spices of cardamom, coffee, cocoa. Also now, I will talk to anyone willing to listen about this unique Whisky made in the way of scotch but with all the alluring character of Indian cuisine. I am hooked! Making a cocktail with it was a challenge because now you know how I like to enjoy the Paul John so I figured, why mess with anything but what I love about it? Why not enhance those flavors and aromas and maybe just add some body?
So I present to you my enhanced version of a brilliant product: Elevated Brilliance.
El Flamenco
Recipe by Ryan Puckett
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Casa San Matias Blanco
- 1 oz Grapefruit Juice
- 1/2 oz Lime Juice
- 3/4 oz salted jam agave
- Any citrusy IPA to top
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients, except for IPA, into a shaker tin, and shake vigorously until chilled and diluted. Strain over ice, or dirty dump, into a glass of your choice. Top with IPA, stir, garnish with a strawberry, and enjoy!
Salted jam agave - combine 10 oz of store-bought agave nectar, 4 oz of strawberry jam, and 6 oz of water in a pot. Sprinkle a solid pinch of salt in the mixture and bring to a boil so the jam breaks down, allow to cool and strain out any solids in the jam. Lasts a week.
Garnish:
Strawberry
Glassware:
Tall glass of any kind (mason jar, Collins, pint. Whatever you have available in your kitchen.)
Cocktail Inspiration:
My cocktail was inspired two of my favorite drinks; the Paloma and the Radler. I think the two make perfect sense as a hybrid. Casa San Matias is my base (it also makes a fantastic classic Paloma), fresh grapefruit and lime add acidity, with the fattiness of the jam agave rounding out the body of the drink, as well as adding a slight salinity. The jam also adds undertones of ripe berry. Grapefruit and IPA beer are a delicious combination. It is the perfect addition to both lift the cocktail with carbonation, and also add a bitterness from the hops. The end result is a crushable, refreshing quarantine-patio cocktail. Cheers!
Ghost Town
Recipe by Sasha Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Kaffir Lime infused Scapegrace Gin
- 1 oz egg white (or aquafaba)
- 1/2 oz butterfly pea infused simple syrup
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- Dehydrated lime wheel (or very thin fresh lime wheel)
Preparation:
Infuse gin with dried kaffir lime leaves for 48 hours.
Build ingredients into a shaker, dry shake, add ice, shake and pour up in a chilled glass, add wheel.
*for butterfly pea syrup: steep butterfly pea flowers in hot water, mix in with equal parts granulated sugar
*kaffir lime and butterfly pea available on amazon for less than $12 ! ?
Garnish:
If possible dehydrate lime wheel, or cut lime wheel very thin for garnish.
Glassware:
Nick & Nora Glass (coupe or martini is great, too!)
Cocktail Inspiration:
Years ago, Gin was not a spirit that I used first choice in creating or drinking in cocktails and now it’s such a multidimensional liquor and flat out, just so damn good. I love to use butterfly pea to add that awesome, uplifting color to a cocktail and I do love egg white for that texture.
I’m born and raised in NYC. I’ve sat on many fire escapes, sipping on whatever was in my fridge and listening to music blast from my neighbors windows. Times have certainly changed, and with that, there has been a loss of presence from the neighborhood bars shaking and stirring in front of familiar faces while new friends ask questions about what we’re cooking up. I wanted to create something short, sweet, sassy and something a tough New Yorker on a fire escape can be impressed with and be extra excited to move forward and go back to their local. And it just so happens Rolling Stones ‘Livin in a Ghost Town’ was playing in the background during this alignment. Happy Sippin’ everyone!
Black Sails
Recipe by Christopher Barragan
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Saint James Rhum Paille Agricole
- 1/2 oz Marie Brizard Liqueur de Violette
- 1/2 oz Margerum Amaro
- 1/2 oz Mata Hari Absinthe
- 1 oz Blackberry Syrup
- 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Preparation:
Add all liquid ingredients into a mixing tin and shake till a proper dilution. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Zest and discard the lemon and place a skewered Blackberry on top.
Garnish:
Lemon zest on rim then discarded and a skewered Blackberry is placed on top
Glassware:
Cocktail Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Covid has left us all with plenty of time to catch up on some amazing shows, Starz' epic pirate series "Black Sails" is one not to be missed. I wanted a cocktail that would be as sleek and delicious as the series. The Rhum Agricole sets the tone, while all the other flavors build layer upon layer for the ultimate umami experience.
PawPaw's Celebration
Recipe by Steven Huddleston
Ingredients:
- • Novo Fogo Aged Cachaca - 1.5oz
- • Aperol - .5oz
- • Papaya Puree (Perfect Puree) - 2oz
- • Spiced Syrup (50/50 Monin Vanilla Syrup & Allspice Dram) - .5oz
- • Fresh Lime Juice - .5oz
Preparation:
Start by adding ice to the cocktail glass you will be presenting in. Combine all ingredients into a shaker tin. Shake until all ingredients are properly combined. Double strain using a fine mesh strainer into a double old fashioned or tall Collins glass. If you have a fancy glass this is a fun cocktail to use it for.
Garnish:
Dehydrated Papaya Skeweded & Large Mint Bushel
Glassware:
Tall Collins or Specialty
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was inspired by my actual PawPaw's dream of sailing the Caribbean Islands. My grandfather grew up in the middle of Alabama in a far town very poor. His entire life people always gave him grief as he always sought out the most tropical cocktails in the most rural settings. He was always too poor to fulfill his dream so cocktails transported him to magical places.
Merciful Darkness
Recipe by Cate Hollows
Ingredients:
- 2 oz JP Wisers Lot No. 40 Pot Still Rye Whisky
- .5 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth de Chambery
- .25 Balsamic Syrup
- 3 Strawberries
- Prosecco Top
Preparation:
Muddle strawberries in shaker. Add all other ingredients besides Prosecco. Shake, double strain into goblet. top with prosecco and add garnish.
Garnish:
Lemon Peel Rosette
Glassware:
Goblet
Cocktail Inspiration:
This is inspired by feeling like the ground wont settle under my feet. The feeling of walking outside in the darkness, with the grass underfoot, and trusting yourself through instinct alone to find the right path. This time of quarantine has perpetuated that sense of stepping into the unknown blind but full of inner belief.
Spring Break Forever
Recipe by Jeff Lowe
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Scapegrace Classic Gin
- 1.5 oz Rhubarb Infused Dolin Dry Vermouth
- .5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- .5 oz Rhubarb Simple Syrup
- 1 Egg White
- 5 drops Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters
Preparation:
Rhubarb Infused Dolin Dry Vermouth: 1/2 cup vermouth, 1 oz sliced rhubarb infuse overnight, strain, refrigerate. Dolin brand is important here, as vermouths vary widely.
Rhubarb Simple Syrup: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 4 oz sliced rhubarb, bring to simmer, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes, strain, refrigerate.
Drink: Combine all ingredients except bitters, dry shake for 15 seconds to emulsify the egg white, add ice and shake again to chill. Double strain through mesh strainer to keep ice pieces out of your beautiful frothy eggs foam. A large coupe or other fancy stemmed glass is best here. Drop bitters on top of the foam for lovely aromatics.
Garnish:
no additional, foam and bitters are garnish
Glassware:
large coupe or other fancy stemmed wide mouth glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
It is rhubarb season here in the produce rich Yakima Valley. Playing off the tart zing of fresh rhubarb I used Scapegrace Gin and Dolin Dry Vermouth for all the delightful botanicals and some balancing citrus and simple, egg foam to add an airy mouthfeel and rhubarb bitters for aromatics. This is light and oh so springy, and the palest pastel fluffy pink color.
As my pandemic 'Spring Break' spans into seeming eternity, my people and patrons of the bar may have to wait till next year to enjoy this one!
Wanderlust (The Opposite of Homesick)
Recipe by Jeff Lowe
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Van Gogh vodka
- .5 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 3 oz Cucumber Basil Lemonade
- 1 dash Scrappy's Celery Bitters(optional)
Preparation:
Cucumber Basil Lemonade:
8 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
8 oz 1:1 Simple Syrup
16 oz water
4 oz English Cucumber(peeled) or about half if you have no scale
.25 oz Basil Leaves (or about 12 leaves if no scale)
Combine ingredients in blender and blend on high speed. Strain through fine mesh strainer, refrigerate.
Drink: Combine all ingredients in shaker and shake with ice. Strain over fresh ice in a lowball glass.
Garnish:
Cucumber wheel
Glassware:
Lowball
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was chatting with my niece who was in quarantine and she said she felt the opposite of homesick, whatever that feeling was. Google informed me that it was Wanderlust.. makes sense. Anyway everyone should have an easy drinking vodka drink in their repertoire. And this foots the bill! Refreshing, balanced, and just down right delicious. The celery bitters add a subtle complexity that I love, but the drink is really good with or without. At first I was muddling cucumber and basil, but who wants to muddle? So I decided to work smarter not harder and mix up the cucumber and basil lemonade ahead of time. This lemonade makes for a refreshing quick and easy mocktail too!
Sark Attack!
Recipe by Ash Miyasaki
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky
- .75oz Homemade Brown Sugar Oat-geat*
- .5oz Cointreau
- .25oz Orange Juice
- .25oz Lemon Juice
Preparation:
Combine all liquid ingredients with a few ice cubes in a shaker. Short shake & double strain into a tall glass over crushed ice. Garnish with orange slice, fresh mint bouquet & grated cinnamon.
*To Make Brown Sugar Oat-geat
Put 1/4 cup of rolled oats & 1 cup of water in a blender. Blend for 20 seconds, let settle & fine strain. Measure the strained liquid & combine with an equal amount of brown sugar in a jar or other sealable container. Shake until sugar dissolves completely.
Garnish:
Orange slice, fresh mint & grated cinnamon
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
One of my favorite things to do is to take a spirit & turn it on its head by using it in a way it isn’t used traditionally. In that vein, combining scotch & a tiki/tropical vibe seemed like a no-brainer. The cereal grain notes made me think of orgeat’s nuttiness, but I wanted to stick closer to what I tasted in the whisky so my next thought was oats. I made a super quick & simple oat milk brown sugar syrup or “oat-geat”. Then I wanted to build on the spirit’s citrus notes with orange juice, lemon juice & Cointreau for sweetness & a little acidity. Bitters helped to tie all the elements together while crushed ice, a slice of orange, a bouquet of mint & some cinnamon rounded out the frostiness & freshness of it all. Basically, I ended up with sort of a warped Mai-Tai. If a Scottish Mai-Tai wasn’t a thing before, I’m pretty sure it should be now!
Fields of Gold
Recipe by Xania Woodman
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Van Gogh Vodka
- .5 oz. Tozai "Blossom of Peace" Plum Sake
- .5 oz. Dolin Dry Vermouth
- .25 oz. Marie Brizard Creme de Cassis de Dijon
Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, stir, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a flurry of dried osmanthus flowers.
Garnish:
Dried Golden Osmanthus Flowers
Glassware:
Chilled cocktail glass—coupe or martini-style.
Cocktail Inspiration:
When I visited Beijing three years ago, some new friends threw a little dinner party to welcome me to China. The host greeted us with chilled plum juice garnished with dainty golden osmanthus blossoms drifting along the surface. It took a good 20 minutes and a lot of Googling to translate "osmanthus" but we got there! The view from the host's high-rise apartment was stunning at sunset. And the food was like nothing I'd ever had before (peach tree resin jelly, anyone?). It was one of those nights you carry with you and memories like this are what has carried me through the last two months.
In addition to all the traveling I plan to do when it's safe, I've been thinking about vodka and all the opportunities it presents as a canvas. I wanted to re-create what I could of that convivial sunset welcome beverage. Plum juice can be heavy, so I chose an off-dry plum sake and dried it out further with dry vermouth. Creme de Cassis de Dijon provides all the luscious fruit of that moment as well as a distinctly earthy note. The osmanthus flowers still drift daintily along the surface and smell a bit like hay drying in the sun. The name of the drink comes from a Sting song, "Fields of Gold," a comforting favorite.
Hearthberry
Recipe by Cate Hollows
Ingredients:
- 2oz Paul John Nirvana Single Malt Whisky
- .75oz pureed Blackberries
- .5oz sage infused honey syrup
- 3 dashes Angostura Orange bitters
- Prosecco Float
Preparation:
Sage infused Honey Syrup (Makes about 1 cup, good for about 16 cocktails):
Over medium high heat, place 1/2 cup Wildflower Honey into small sauce pan on stove. Add 4 to 5 Sage sprigs and 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. (I used 1/2 cup water because my honey was very thick, so adjust for consistency.) Bring just to boiling point, then remove from heat and cover. Allow syrup to steep for 30 minutes. Strain out sage and allow honey syrup to cool to room temp before refrigerating.
Blackberry Puree (1 pint makes about 8 cocktails depending on size and juiciness of berries):
Add 1 package (1 pint) to blender. Starting on low setting, blend blackberries until smooth, adding 1 oz fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Continue blending until desired consistency is reached. Slowly pour puree over mesh strainer into deli pint container to remove seeds. Refrigerate until needed.
Hearthberry:
Add all ingredients besides Prosecco to shaker. Add ice and shake hard for 10 seconds. Double strain over large cube into old fashioned/rocks glass. Slowly pour Prosecco over top of cube to fill glass, allowing some mixing with cocktail. Sage sprig to garnish.
Garnish:
Sage sprig
Glassware:
Old Fashioned/Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This is all about finding peace in this moment, while remembering what was and being open to what may be. This is for my mother-in-law Elaine, who is currently watching her eldest child battle cancer and is unable to do anything to change it. This is the greatest display of Mama Bear rage at the unfair universe and also of sheer utter faith I have ever seen. I feel the two warring sides within her, and yet complete and delicate balance simultaneously.
All my love,
Cate
Love in the Time of…
Recipe by Fatima Butler
Ingredients:
- .25 oz Strawberry Syrup (recipe below)
- .75 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 oz Marie Brizard Parfait Amour
- 1.5 oz Scapegrace Gin
- Egg white (vegan sub ~ 1 oz Aquafaba)
Preparation:
Place all ingredients in shaker. Dry shake with no ice. Add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into coupe glass. Garnish with a few drops if Angostura bitters.
Strawberry syrup recipe:
1 part sugar
1 part water
1 part sliced strawberry
Put it on the stove over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Then leave it on a simmer for 15 minutes.
Garnish:
A few drops of Angostura bitters
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was inspired by love and necessity. I used ingredients that can be easily found either at home or at a grocery store so that the cocktail could be replicated by home bartenders. The Parfait Amour adds orange and vanilla flavors to the botanicals of the Scapegrace gin and gives it a beautiful purple hue. The egg white adds a creaminess and silky mouthfeel.
I love gin, strawberries and vanilla. Melding all of these ingredients creates a delicious cocktail that is pleasing to the eyes and easy to drink.
Not So Old Sour
Recipe by Adam Beňo
Ingredients:
- Becherovka - 40ml
- Mead - 30 ml
- Lavender liqueur - 20 ml
- Lemon Juice - 15 ml
- Ground pepper - 1/2 barspoon
- Grated ginger - 1 barspoon
- Wasabi - 1 barspoon
- 1 Eggwhite
Preparation:
Put all ingredients into a shaker, reverse dry shake, then double strain into your glass
Garnish:
Lavender twig, ground pepper, ginger slices, candle wax
Glassware:
Small wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Down here(Slovakia/Czech Republic), Becherovka was until few years ago considered "old peoples drink." Same goes for mead(exept, mead still is considered something strictly for old people, sadly). This beautiful beverage that has been in our history for longer than independence somehow got pushed from store shelves to some very shady looking fair stands. With that in mind, I wanted to create something unconventional. This is what I came up with. Served in a glass that we originally wanted to throw out, because it is just too old and ugly.
Viaggio "The Journey"
Recipe by valentino longo
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Casa MArtin Tequila
- 0.5 oz Sweet Vermouth infused vanilla
- 0.5 oz ginger liquor
- bar spoon mint syrup
- Mix all ingredients in a mixing glass and strain into an old fashioned glass over big block of ice
Preparation:
Sweet vermouth infused vanilla :
Cut in half two vanilla pod and let it infuse in the sweet vermouth for 3 hrs . After Strain and Keep in fridge
Mint Syrup :
cook 150 gr fresh mint with 100 gr water and 100 gr caster sugar for 25 min in low temperature.
let it cool in the same pot and then botle it . Keep in fridge.
Garnish:
orange twist and mint leave
Glassware:
old fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
This Cocktail want to take you on a Journey from Mexico to ITaly (where I was Born ), a Journey of flavors using and incorporating ingredients that will help the Tequila notes raise through the rest of the ingredients, In Fact i use products that having the same flavor profile of the tequila ( spicy , herbacius , fresh ) without hiding it .
But why a VIaggio ( Journey) ? There is nothing that I miss more now that traveling . Traveling brings inspirations, happiness and relationship. I Really wish and Hope this diffuclt times will pass very soon and we all be back to normality . back traveling and dreaming !
into the wild
Recipe by valentino longo
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Becherovka infused mushroom
- 1 oz Saint James Rum
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 0.5 honey liquor
- 0.5 maple syrup
- 2 oz Egg white
- Dry shake and then wet Shaker . double strain into a cocktail glass
Preparation:
Becherovka infused mushroom
take 500 ml liquor and infuse with 100 ml of mushrooms (baby bella) let it infuse for 3 hr then strain and bottles it .
Garnish:
dry mushroom
Glassware:
couplet
Cocktail Inspiration:
Becherovka is a product that talk about the country, the history , the soul and the flavors of Check Republic. a Beautiful story that goes agains the war and then happen to arrive in America.
I want to pay homage to this product by creating a drink that will smell and taste like the wood, the forest. When you visit this country youre captured by the woods, the mountains and this beautiful country.
I`m dreaming to go there right now , in meantime I should all take you with a drink.
Over the Moon
Recipe by Cate Hollows
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Casa San Matías Pueblo Viejo Blanco Tequila
- .75 oz Baby Beet Puree
- .5 oz fresh lemon juice
- .25 oz simple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Preparation:
Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio, I made 1 pint):
Add 1/2 cup each of granulated white sugar and water to small sauce pan on stove top. Over high heat, bring mixture to boil, stirring occasionally to make sure no sugar sticks to bottom of pan. Remove from heat and pour into heatproof container. Allow to cool to room temp before refrigerating.
Baby Beet Puree (makes 8 oz):
Add 1 8oz package pre-roasted and peeled baby beets to blender. Starting on low setting blend beets. As needed, add water 1 teaspoon at a time to achieve smooth consistency. Should a viscous but not jam-like thickness. Pour into storage container but do not strain.
Over the Moon:
Add all ingredients to shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Double strain mixture into tea cup.
Garnish:
Chives Stalks
Glassware:
Tea cup
Cocktail Inspiration:
This is inspired by the forced creativity of quarantine. Shelves are intermittently stocked, and normal items are often unavailable. So we turn to other things. Cooking has become an adventure, and so has cocktail workshopping. We are all stepping outside our usual habits and comfort zones, and that is amazing. Now is the time to shrug and say "Why not?" And try the weird thing. Or the new hobby. Or not feel guilty about cocooning all day in bed and binge watching whatever new show Netflix spits out. This time is perfect for getting out of our own heads and trying new and strange things. So I'm having fun pulling everything out of the fridge and putting together flavors I never normally would. I'm laughing until I cry because every now and then I get ahead of myself or get too wacky, and it backfires fantastically. But surprisingly often, something clicks and the light bulb flashes on and I destroy the kitchen. And have a tasty libation to sip on while I clean it up.
PASIÓN GAROTA
Recipe by MAURICIO ANGEL-MORENO
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Cachaça Novo Fogo
- 1 oz. Passion Fruit purée
- 1 oz. Cucumber juice
- .5 oz. Lime juice
- .5 oz. Simple (2x1) if you use a sweet-free puree
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
Preparation:
First Dry Shake all ingredients, add ice and shake again for 5 seconds then pour into a glass
Garnish:
Fresh cucumber slice in the glass, Edible flower top
Glassware:
High ball glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The truth is that I am long distance dating this Brazilian girl. So I hope soon can make this cocktail for her ?
Take me up
Recipe by valentino longo
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Van Gogh Vodka
- 1 oz Coffe Liquor
- 0.5 amaro
- 0.5 almond syrup
- 2 oz Cold Brew Coffe
- Cochoclate Bitter 3 dash
- Shake all ingredients together and strain into a cocktail glass .
Preparation:
n/a
Garnish:
coffe beans covered with chocolate
Glassware:
couplet
Cocktail Inspiration:
When I used to live in London I was lucky enough to have meet Mr Dick Brassel the creator of the Espresso Martini.
You`ll see Dick everynight behind the bar, always giving his 100% and giving the best hospitality ever, that was a place for industry.
Now even more than before we should believe in our industry , we should fight and be united! hoping everything will get back soon to normality !
The Master Cleanse
Recipe by Elise Murphy
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Paul John “Edited” Whisky
- 1 oz. Elixer Honey*
- 3 Lemon Wedges (1/2 lemon)
- 1 tsp. Freshly Grated Ginger
Preparation:
Elixer Honey:
In a saucepan add 2/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup water, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, and 1/4 tsp ground cayenne. Bring to a boil then take elixir honey off of the burner to cool.
1. Add lemon wedges, grated ginger, and Elixir Honey to a shaker and muddle.
2. Add Paul John “Edited” Whisky and ice.
3. Shake rigorously and double strain over a large cube.
4. Garnish with a lemon twist and enjoy!
Garnish:
Lemon Twist
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was making this cocktail without the whisky for a while as an antiviral shot, when I realized that it would be delicious with whisky. I added my favorite John Paul Whisky, “Edited” which is lightly peated and it was absolutey delicious! Now I have the best excuse to have my nightly wellness drink.
Nossa Mãe Verde
Recipe by Eric Meyer
Ingredients:
- 2oz Novo Fogo Cachaca
- .75 oz Green Chartreuse
- .5 oz Simple Syrup
- 1 inch cube grapefruit
- 1 inch cube orange (1/8 orange)
- Half a lime
- Half a lemon
Preparation:
Add fruit, simple, and Cachaca to mixing tin.
Muddle, then add ice and shake.
Serve dirty, no straining!!
Place cocktail in a collins, pogo, or wine glass... whichever glass is large enough or close enough!
Fill glass with extra ice, now to top it with green chartreuse.
Add a straw, and serve some magic in a glass.
Garnish:
grapefruit peel
Glassware:
Pogo
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was inspired by Brazilian and French history, specifically around the time of 1822, when "Fico" was declared.
So by using the history, I have chosen Green Chartreuse and Cachaca as my spirits to represent the harmony of the two cultures around that Era.
Caprese Daiquiri
Recipe by Patrick Smith
Ingredients:
- 1/4oz balsamic vinegar
- 1/4oz rich simple syrup
- 1/2oz fresh lemon juice
- 1/2oz Ming River Baijiu
- 1 1/2oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaca
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to ice-filled shaker and shake hard. Strain and serve.
Garnish:
Fire-roasted cherry tomato
Glassware:
Chilled coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to highlight the delicious savory character of Novo Fogo silver alongside its characteristic grassy freshness. To that effect I modeled this cocktail after the classic savory/fresh Caprese Salad, employing balsamic vinegar and tomato.
Pop the cherry
Recipe by Ovidiu Baia
Ingredients:
- Glass: sling, filled with crushed ice
- Garnish: ice garnish filled with fresh fruit
- Method: swizzle
- Ingredients:
- fresh mint
- 40 ml Novo Fogo Silver Cachaca
- 20 ml Cointreau Blood Orange
- 10 ml Monin Pink Grapefruit Syrup
- 45 ml Cherry Juice
Preparation:
Add all the ingredients to the glassware, add ice, take a swizzle and stir gently and then vigorously untill all the mix is well blended. Top it of with more ice, add the garnish and you are ready!
To make the ice basket, take some crushed ice, put it into a mexican elbow and squeze gently. You are done!
Garnish:
Ice basket filled with fresh fruits
Glassware:
Sling
Cocktail Inspiration:
This recipe is from my own personal vault! :)
Grace Under Fire
Recipe by Luke Nevin-Gattle
Ingredients:
- •2.5 oz Scapegrace Dry Gin
- •1 oz Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth
- •1/2 tsp Lemon Oleo Saccharum
- •1/8 tsp Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe
- •.75 oz Filtered Water
Preparation:
Chill a martini glass. Pour all ingredients (except garnish) into a screw cap bottle. Chill in freezer. When ready to serve, simply pour chilled cocktail into chilled glass and garnish. Enjoy!
Garnish:
Spanish Green Olive & Manchego Cheese Cube
Glassware:
Martini Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
One of my all time favorite cocktails is a classic dry gin martini. The trick to mine is to pre-batch and pre-dilute ahead of time while letting it chill in the freezer. This eliminates the need for any ice and yields a fantastically rich mouthfeel with a delightfully chilled experience. Scapegrace Dry Gin is the ideal choice for a dry martini with its light-to-medium body and fresh aromas of juicy citrus. Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth compliments Scapegrace Dry Gin with its fruit-forward profile and its dryness balances perfectly with Scapegrace’s lush & creamy body. To further bring out Scapegrace’s citrus notes, a lemon oleo saccharum adds just enough of its fresh oils while creating a rounder mouthfeel. A touch of Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe adds a fresh & briny note with its herbal undertones while providing a perfect backbone for a martini with its grape-base. The amount of filtered water serves as dilution added after initially stirring the drink in the R&D process. No martini is complete without a snack, so mine is garnished with a Spanish green olive and manchego cheese cube. So bottle up one (or two) Scapegrace martinis, put in the freezer with a chilled martini glass, and pour whenever you’re ready for your next happy hour!
Nana's Birthday
Recipe by James Harbaugh
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Van Gogh Vodka
- 0.75 oz Grand Marnier
- 0.5 oz Coconut Water
- 0.5 oz Hibiscus Syrup
- 0.5 oz Lime Juice
- 0.25 oz Simple Syrup
Preparation:
To make the Hibiscus Syrup, steep 4 oz of hibiscus tea for 10 minutes, add an equal amount of sugar to resulting tea.
In a cocktail shaker combine all ingredients and ice
Shake
Double strain into a coupe
Serve up
Garnish:
Lemon twist
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
My grandmother loved to drink hibiscus tea. I remember many afternoons of coming to her house after school and sitting with her at the kitchen table while she sipped her favorite hibiscus tea. Her birthday just passed and I wanted to create a drink inspired by one of the most amazing women I ever knew.
Sensory
Recipe by Sean Isassi
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz ScapeGrace gin
- .5oz mesquite honey syrup
- .5oz lemon juice
- 2 oz fresh pressed celery juice
- 1oz pineapple juice (fresh pressed)
- 3 rose hip petals
- Cilantro infused sugar
Preparation:
Chill coup glass
Place celery in juice and allow to settle to remove sediment via fine strainer.
Place pineapple chunks in blender and strain juice.
Place all ingredients in shaker and shake for 15 seconds. Discard ice in coupe and place sugar on rim. Fine strain into coupe and place Chireta bark into a lemon wheel. Light chireta to allow for sensory experience, smell, taste, and visual.
Garnish:
Chireta bark in lemon wheel.
Glassware:
Coupe 7oz
Cocktail Inspiration:
I created this cocktail for a unique summer cocktail. I challenged myself to do something with celery and this beautiful cocktail was made for my friends to enjoy.
Go Green
Recipe by Sean Isassi
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4oz St James white rum
- 1/8th of an avocado
- Home made hellfire bitters
- 3/4 oz Lime juice
- 1/4oz Cointreau
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- Salt and chile rim
Preparation:
Make bitters, smoke chipotle peppers and add them with jalapenos, serrano peppers, and guajillo peppers to GNS for 1 week. Cut ripe avocado and add to shaker. Chille coupe glass. Add all ingredients and shake vigorously until avocado becomes viscous. Discard ice and rim glass. Strain into glass and dash bitters on top. Decorate as you will with a bat spoon.
Garnish:
Rim and hell fire bitters vein
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I asked my chef buddies to name the first ingredient that popped in their heads and it was avocado. I played the rum sweetness into what I was thinking and built it with like flavors. It became interesting and surprisingly drinkable.
Suave Men
Recipe by Fabio Steven Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Scapegrace Gin
- 0.5 oz Becherovka
- 0.5 oz Manzanilla Sherry
Preparation:
Jigger all ingredients into a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until desired dilution has been reached (12 - 15 seconds). Strain liquid into a chilled coupe, and garnish with 3 drops of citrus oil.
To make citrus oil: Start by adding lemon and orange peels into a small sealable container until its 3/4 full, press them with a muddler. Add olive oil to the top of the container. Keep in a warm place for 2 days while shaking it every 12 hours. Strain through cheesecloth into a clean sealable container.
Garnish:
Citrus infused olive oil
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
During the quarantine I have found myself with a lot of time on my hands to binge-watch some shows I have always wanted to watch. Mad Men was on the top of my list, and once I started watching it, I could not help to imagine myself bartending to the main character and offering him my variation of a Martini, The Suave Men cocktail, a simple but bold libation that would make you feel like a million dollars.
Prolific Duo
Recipe by Lisita Cosmin
Ingredients:
- 45 ml Scapegrace Silver Gin
- 10 ml Mancino Sakura
- 5 ml Chartreuse Jaune
Preparation:
Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice and stir untill all mixed together. Express the oils from a lemon on top of the drink, discard and add one olive! Cheers
Garnish:
Lemon peel oils and olive
Glassware:
cocktail, pre-chilled
Cocktail Inspiration:
James Bond was my go-to when coming to Martinis, but I like this one. Less dry, more flavorul. Enjoy!
Pura Vida
Recipe by Ashley Monterusso
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2oz Casa San Matias Reposado
- 1/2 oz Amaro (I used Averna)
- 1/2 oz coffee syrup*
- 1/2 oz Orange-oil whipped cream*
- ---
- *1 cup coffee: 1 cup sugar
- *2 ounces of heavy whipping cream two orange swaths
Preparation:
Stir tequila, amaro, and coffee syrup over ice for about 30-40 seconds. Strain over large cube in a coupe.
*Brew a cup of hot coffee. Combine with a cup of sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let chill. Refrigerate and save to use for future cocktails.
*Add a two ounces of heavy whipping cream and two zested and expressed orange peels to a cocktail shaker, then take the spring off of your cocktail strainer and add it to the shaker as well. Pop the top of your shaker on, and give it a good shake for about 30 seconds or so. Slowly pour over the cube to create a whipped cream float.
Garnish:
Whipped Cream Float
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I’ve found comfort and joy in the simple routine of making coffee during these strange and unpredictable times. Life’s small pleasures are the inspiration behind this cocktail. I wanted to make something simple yet decadent. I love the way agave and coffee complement each other in a drink. And the bittersweetness of amaro plays off of the pineapple and cinnamon notes in Casa San Matias reposado. I finished with orange-oil whipped cream*. It adds a layer of richness and citrus aroma to the cocktail. Isn’t there just something so satisfying about home-made whipped cream from the shaker? Another nod to small pleasures. Enjoy with breakfast or as an after dinner treat.
3 Saints
Recipe by Adrian Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Saint James según Paille 80 proof
- .5 oz Saint James Reserve Rum
- .5 oz Saint James Rhum Blanc 110 proof
- .5 oz Falernum
- .75 oz Lime
- .25 oz simple
- Bar spoon of chartreuse
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin, top with ice, and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain drink into coupe a glass, and garnish with a lime wheel.
Garnish:
Line wheel
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
My cocktail is inspired by my favorite drink, the daiquiri, but influenced by the French Agricole rhums of Martinique. I take the simple build of 2 parts spirit, 1 part sweet, 1 part sour, but enhance it by combining the vegetal and herbaceous flavors of Saint James Paille Agricole, with the intense fruit notes of Saint James Reserve, and then kick it up a notch with a funky Saint James overproof rhum. The lime is a must, but the sweet components come from a marriage of falernum and chartreuse, creating a complex flavor profile that stimulates the palate.
Sao Paulo Porch Sling
Recipe by Stephen Andrews
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Novo Fogo Tanager
- 1 oz Mango Syrup*
- 1 oz lime juice
- Chili-salt mix*** (or Tajin)
Preparation:
Apply chili-salt mix to rim of an old fashioned glass.
Combine cachaca, mango syrup and lime juice in a shaker with ice and give quick shake. Dump into prepared old fashioned glass without straining.
*For Mango syrup, puree equal weight skinned and cubed mangoes and water, heat to a boil and incorporate white sugar (at equal weight of mango).
**Tajin may be used in in place of the chili-salt mix, but to kick the recipe up a knotch it can easily be made at home. Combine chili powder(s), salt, pepper and lime zest and allow to dry in a warm, lit place or on a very low oven setting for five minute.
Garnish:
Chili-salt rim/Tajin
Glassware:
Old fashioned glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The cocktail has two inspirations drawn from Latin America cuisines.
The caipirinha cocktail is the direct inspiration for pairing Novo Fogo cachaca with lime, a timeless mix that's hard to miss with.
To compliment the tropical and spice notes of the Tanager expression, a mango syrup was made, and from that the inspiration to emulate the Mexican tradition of fruit with tajin seasoning. The salt, zest and spice of the rim paired with the mango and the cachaca comes together as a bright, easy but surprisingly complex porch sipper.
The Anonimus Ondre
Recipe by Fabio Steven Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Becherovka
- 0.5 oz Wiser's Small Batch
- 0.75 oz Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed)
- 0.75 oz Hibiscus Tea Syrup (homemade)
- 1 oz Pilsner Beer
Preparation:
Jigger all ingredients into a shaker except beer, add ice and shake until the desired dilution has been reached (close to 10 seconds). Jigger the beer into stemless wine glass, double strain liquid from the shaker into the glass, add fresh ice, and garnish with a fresh lemon wheel and a dehydrated flower.
To make hibiscus syrup: Put 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Add 1 hibiscus tea bag to the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir with a whisk until dissolved. Immediately remove from the heat. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 4 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth into a sealable container and keep refrigerated.
Garnish:
Fresh lemon wheel and dehydrated flower
Glassware:
Stemless wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The inspiration for this cocktail came from my last visit to Prague. While in this magnificent city, my wife and I frequented a bar where we would take shots of Becherovka, sip Bourbon, and drink Czech Pilsner. We also became good friends with the bartender and I still have many fond memories of our conversations with him and this was the foundation I utilized to create this cocktail.
I wanted to incorporate those three ingredients (Becherovka, Bourbon, and Pilsner) into my drink, especially since Bourbon and Pilsner perfectly highlight the intense aromas of cinnamon and ginger, and the flavors of dark honey, cloves, licorice and citrus peels found in Becherovka.
Blue Ribbon
Recipe by Abigayle Kermode
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Cutty Sark Whisky
- .5 oz St. Germain elderflower liquor
- .5 oz blueberry thyme shrub*
- .75 oz fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a cocktail tin and shake until chilled. Double strain into a bucket glass. Add a large cube and some thyme florets on top.
*Blueberry Tyhme Shrub
1 cup blueberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons thyme sprigs
Add sugar, vinegar, and blueberries into sauce pan. Smash blueberries slightly with spoon. Simmer for ten minutes until mixture becomes consitancy of a syrup. Turn off heat and add in tyhme spigs. Let infuse for at least ten minutes then strain.
Garnish:
Bundle of thyme florets
Glassware:
Bucket Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to make a cocktail inspired by all things summer in Orange County. Cutty sark whisky has a slight smokiness that reminds me of bon fires at the beach. The tyhme is a nod to all the wild herbs that you can smell while hiking in the local hills. The whisky also has a nice vanilla aroma that mixes with the jammy blueberry shrub that will taste like the blue ribbon pie at the county fair. I hope that we will all be lucky enough to have these experiences soon again.
"Mom's garden smash"
Recipe by Vitezslav Cirok
Ingredients:
- 30 ml Becherovka Original
- 20 ml Lillet Blanc
- 30 ml Rasberry + blueberry Cordial
- 8pcs Minth leaves
Preparation:
We dose all the ingredients into a shaker and shake well. Pour into a special ceramic cup and garnish with fresh mint and wild berries.
Raspberry & blueberry cordial:We need 700 ml of water, 300 grams of sugar, 150 g of raspberries and 150 g of blueberries. Cook in a thermomix at 55 for 20 minutes. Let cool. Strain through a sieve and then through a canvas. Add 15 g of malic acid and 5 grams of citric acid.
Garnish:
Fresh berries, fresh minth
Glassware:
Ceramic Becherovka cup
Cocktail Inspiration:
At a time when we cannot go out at all and move freely, we must use the resources that grow in our garden or nearby. As my inspiration, I found things that have accompanied us since childhood and take us back to our childhood, when we explored the gardens of our parents and grandmothers and tasted local treasures. Sometimes we don't have to go that far, but everything important is around us ...
Drink "Mom's garden smash" is a refreshing combination of raspberries and blueberries with traditional liqueur Becherovka from the Czech Republic, which everyone has in their home bar, fresh mint and light fruitiness of aperitif wine Lillet. Cheers !
Quarantine Glory Fizz
Recipe by Adam Fournier
Ingredients:
- 1 Egg White
- 5-6 Fresh Raspberries
- Tsp Absinthe
- .75 oz Cane Syrup (1:1)
- .75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 oz Scapegrace Dry Gin
- 1 oz Cutty Sark Prohibition Whisky
- Soda Water
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except soda in a cocktail shaker.
Shake with out ice until eg white and raspberries are fully incorporated.
Add ice and shake with ice.
Double strain into a collins glass that has been misted with Islay Scotch.
Top with soda water.
Garnish with three raspberries.
Cane Syrup (1:1) Recipe:
1 cup cane sugar
1 cup hot water
Mix until the cane sugar is fully dissolved. Strain into a clean glass container and store under refrigeration for up to one (1) month
Garnish:
An Islay Scotch mist and three (3) raspberries on skewer
Glassware:
Collins Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The Quarantine Glory Fizz is a riff on the classic Morning Glory Fizz. As time continues to blend together during the Stay at Home procedures brunch is often indistinguishable from dinner so I wanted a drink that was easy, refreshing and appropriate for any time or occasion.
The bright botanicals of the Scapegrace gin pair wonderfully with the raspberries from a lighter day time feel while the raspberries meld with the absinthe to provide a throughline to the traditionally darker flavors of the Cutty Sark Prohibition. The Egg White adds texture and depth while the soda keeps it light and refreshing.
The Fortune Teller
Recipe by Elise Murphy
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Scapegrace Premium Dry Gin
- .75 Lemon Juice
- .75 Cinnamon Honey*
- 1 Muddled Kumquat
Preparation:
Cinnamon Honey*
- in a saucepan combine 2/3 cup honey with 1/3 cup water and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Bring to a boil and then remove from stovetop to cool.
Step 1. Muddle one kumquat with your cinnamon honey and lemon juice in a shaker.
Step 2. Add Scapegrace Premium Dry Gin and ice and shake until nice and cold.
Step 3. Drink up!
Garnish:
Cinnamon Stick with Powder Sugar Dusted Mint Sprig
Glassware:
Coupe or Martini Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This will sound odd, but I am absolutely obsessed with kumquats. They’ve always been my favorite fruit, and to me they have every flavor profile needed for a great cocktail: bitter, sweet, and sour! I made a cinnamon kumquat jam in the past so I knew that flavor profile went really well together. I knew from the start that gin was going to be my spirit of choice for this one and when I added the lemon and honey it all came together beautifully.
Copacabana Cooler
Recipe by Brian Lombardo
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Novo Fogo Cachaca
- 1 oz Apricot purer
- .5 oz honey syrup
- .5 lime juice
- 2 dashes habanero bitters
- Bar spoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 chunks fresh mango
- 2 mint leaves
- Half jalapeño
- Club soda
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients (except for soda) into a shaker with ice
Shake vigorously and dump into glass(do not strain).
Top with club soda and mint sprig.
Garnish:
Mint sprig
Glassware:
Stemless wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
You want to talk about the perfect marriage? This marriage made in heaven weds the fruity and herbaceous notes of Novo Fogo Cachaca with the tangy bite of apple cider vinegar. This was my core! Around this core, I added the tropical maids of honor fresh mango and apricot. And the groomsmen? Jalapeño and habanero to spice things up! Finally I finished the reception with a healthy splash of club soda! This marriage is gonna last!
Óleo Di Van Gohg
Recipe by Ivan Silva
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. VAN GOGH Vodka 1/2 oz. Giffard Pamplemousse liqueur. 1/2 Aperol Aperitivo Liqueur. 2 oz. fresh citrus & Herbs mix. 1 oz. Honey Syrup. 3 dashes o Angostura Orange Bitters. Top with Rose Prosecco.
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients ( except the Prosecco) in a cocktail shaker with big ice cube, double strain ( combination with fine strainer) in to a chilled glass and top with Rose Prosecco. I used a fancy cube glass, can use a Coupe Glass or Champagne Tulip. For the Citrus fresh made infusion combine 4 oz of Ruby Grapefruit fresh juice 2 oz. Lemon fresh juice 2 stems each of Fresh Rosemary and Sage and leave over night in a glass jar in refrigerator.
Garnish:
Mini Pineapple, Lemon & Ruby Grapefruit skin flowers.
Glassware:
Cube Fancy glass.
Cocktail Inspiration:
Mi inspiration is art, and art is what us all Bartenders are every day looking for the best ingredients to combine and create that unique piece of liquid art to inspire the senses or our guest. The story of Vincent Van Gogh is sad and Óleo Di Van Gogh in my inspiration to honored one of the greatest paint artist. Keep making people happy with our liquid art and be safe every one!
Water-meloncholy Cooler
Recipe by Manuel Nieves
Ingredients:
- 1.75 oz Novo Fogo cachaca
- .75 oz fresh lime juice
- .75 oz 3:1 honey syrup
- 1.5oz fresh watermelon juice or appx 1/2 a cup of very ripe water melon
- 8-10 mint leaves
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
Shake well and fine strain over fresh ice into a tajin rimmed double old fashioned glass
Honey syrup is
3 parts clover honey
1 part boiling hot water, stir well then refrigerate before use
Garnish:
Watermelon slice, mint bouquet
Glassware:
Double old fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
As the heat turns up, we keep wanting something with refreshing summertime flavors.
The sweetness of the watermelon plays deliciously with the vegetal banana notes of the cachaca. I see this as a caipirinha with a fruity upgrade!!!
My 4year old daughter loves watermelon. So I’m buying 4 mini watermelons a week.
This last weekend she wasn’t here and we had some super ripe watermelon that wouldn’t make it to the next day. So me and my girlfriend cut it up and made a perfect refresher to have on our patio and keep us AT HOME.
“Vibrant Awakening”
Recipe by Jorge Vallejo
Ingredients:
- 2oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça
- 1oz Fresh pineapple juice
- .5oz Fresh lime juice
- .5oz Rich orange-anise syrup*
- 4 Fresh mint leaves (hand-clapped)
- 3 dashes of Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate bitters
Preparation:
Method: In a shaker tin, add fresh mint once you have hand-clapped it, releasing the oils. Add the rest of the ingredients in the shaker, add fresh ice, shake, and fine strain into your glass. Garnish with one star anise pod on top of the cocktail and serve. Cheers!
*Rich orange-anise syrup:
Ingredients:
1 cup of Sugar in the Raw turbinado cane sugar
1/2 cup of water
Peels of a whole orange
2 star anise pods (slightly muddled to release flavor)
Method: In a small saucepan on simmer, add sugar and water. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved, then add orange peels and star anise, steep for 5 minutes. Let cool and then fine strain to separate solids.
Garnish:
Star Anise Pod
Glassware:
Vintage wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Sugar cane spirits have been part of my life from a young age. With Novo Fogo I wanted to create a drink that will credit their commitment towards the Atlantic rainforest, which is where their cachaça is produced. During these uncertain times, I want to maintain positivity while recognizing that life could be like a rainbow, sometimes you need both the rain and the sun to make all of its colors appear.
Inspired by classic rum cocktails such as the Old Cuban and the Daiquiri, I decided to use tropical flavors that are commonly found in a rainforest to complement Novo Fogo’s Silver cachaça notes. A Tropical hint of fresh pineapple juice, citrus flavors from lime juice and orange peels, cacao aromas from the chocolate bitters, turbinado cane sugar, the freshness breeze of mint and a note of spice from the star anise. This cocktail achieves this vision. Cheers to your health and ours.
Kanhoji Sour
Recipe by Manuel Nieves
Ingredients:
- 1.75 oz Paul John Nirvana
- .75oz fresh lemon juice
- .75oz cynar
- .75oz grapefruit syrup
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in shaker
Shake strain into fresh ice in a bucket glass.
Express and garnish with a grapefruit peel
Grapefruit syrup
1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice
1 cup granulated white sugar
.5 oz of lime juice
Bring all 3 ingredients to a boil stir well, bottle and refrigerate before use
Garnish:
Expressed Grapefruit Peel
Glassware:
Bucket Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Paul John Nirvana has a nice fruity smell with lots of vanilla and oak.
The palate has a lot of citrus jam notes. Its sweet.
And has short spicy finish.
This works great in a “skeleton” we created at seven grand called “Old Faithful” all variations are named after ships or famous pirates
The formula is (bright citrusy whiskey), citrus, bitter, fruit syrup.
So this one is named for Kanhoji Angria (or Conajee Angria) was an Maratha Indian whose operations off the west coast of India developed into what was probably the most successful piracy endeavor of the 17th or 18th century.
The drink is delicious and one I will add to my repertoire since creating this
Mountie Smash
Recipe by Manuel Nieves
Ingredients:
- 2oz -Jp Wisers Rye
- .75oz lemon juice
- 1 oz fresh pineapple juice
- .5oz 3:1 maple syrup
- .5oz falernum
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in shaker,
Whip shake with one cube, dump into a double old fashioned glass. Top with crushed ice and swizzle lightly. Top with more crushed ice.
Garnish with 2 dashes angostura bitters, a lemon wheel and a mint bouquet
Maple syrup is
3 parts grade b maple syrup
1 part boiling water
Stir well untill a uniform consistency.
Bottle and refrigerate before use
Garnish:
Garnish with 2 dashes angostura bitters, a lemon wheel and a mint bouquet
Glassware:
Double old fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
This is a Canadian twist on a new classic “the iron ranger”
The rye and maple work amazingly combination reminds one of grilled pineapple and a awesome tropical refresher.
Canadian mounted police are called “Mounties” so it is in fact at Canadian “ranger”
Kisser-Punch
Recipe by Amber Dobos
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Paul John Brilliance
- 1.0 oz Amaro Nonino
- 0.25 oz Aperol
- 1 full pipette saffron rose water
- +2 dashes Peychaud’s
Preparation:
Stir all ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled Nick and Nora.
Saffron Rose water: steep pinch of saffron and pinch of rose petals with a shake of salt in 1/4 cup boiling water for 10 minutes, strain.
Garnish:
Rose Petals
Glassware:
Nock and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
This is a spirit-forward, floral punch to your kisser that is the smoothest you’ll ever receive.. or give yourself, for that matter.
The light touches of Nonino, Aperol, and Peychaud’s perfectly complement the sweeter notes of the Brilliance and make for a perfect afternoon of lofty imbibing.
Three Saints
Recipe by Adrian Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Saint James Rhum Paille 80 proof
- .5 oz Saint James Reserve Rum
- .5 oz Saint James Rhum Blanc 110 proof
- .5 oz Velvet Falernum
- .75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- .25 oz simple syrup*
- Bar spoon of chartreuse
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin, top with ice, and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain drink into coupe a glass, and garnish with a lime wheel.
Garnish:
Lime Wheel
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
My cocktail is inspired by my favorite drink, the daiquiri, but influenced by the French Agricole rhums of Martinique. I take the simple build of 2 parts spirit, 1 part sweet, 1 part sour, but enhance it by combining the vegetal and herbaceous flavors of Saint James Paille Agricole, with the intense fruit notes of Saint James Reserve, and then kick it up a notch with a funky Saint James overproof rhum. The lime is a must, but the sweet components come from a marriage of falernum and chartreuse, creating a complex flavor profile that stimulates the palate.
East Meets West
Recipe by Kay Mohamed
Ingredients:
- 1.5 San Matias Reposado
- 1/4 Avocado
- 1 oz. Yuzu Syrup
- 1/2 oz. Lime Juice
- 1/2 oz. Thai coconut milk
- 2 dashes Sichuan Essence
Preparation:
Mash 1/4 Avocado in shaker tin. Add remaining ingredients, add ice and shake thoroughly until chill forms. Double strain over crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheel & pineapple fronds
Garnish:
Lime wheel & pineapple fronds
Glassware:
Cocktail glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to make something that felt like a memory of my visit in Mexico & SE Asia. For a second to feel like a getaway and away from this mess. I wanted to incorporate mexico & Asia. The reposado has a caramel vanilla profile and the avocado has a smooth texture but it's something so unique about Sichuan pepper I couldnt resist and so hard to replicate. Its unlike any other and so delicious with its lemony essence. I created this recipe with all ingredients in mind, Plus its vegan.
Mornings in Pai’a
Recipe by Adrian Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Van Gogh Mango Vodka
- .5 oz Passion fruit liqueur
- .75 oz lemon juice
- .25 oz simple syrup
- 1/8 slice of avocado
Preparation:
Lightly muddle the avocado in a cocktail tin, and then add the rest of your ingredients. Top with ice, and shake vigorously for 20 seconds to break down the avocado, and create a creamy texture. Fine strain into a stemmed cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon wheel, and a flower.
Garnish:
Lemon wheel and flower
Glassware:
Stemmed glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
As I sit here in my home, I reflect back to five years ago when everything I owned fit in a backpack, and my nights were spent sleeping outside in my hammock. I was what some would call “a beach bum”. I lived on the coast of Maui, and I spent my mornings foraging for fruits. Everyday was an adventure filled with uncertainty. Although at the time, my days seemed difficult and full of uncertainty, as I reflect back, I realized that they were some of the most fulfilling days of my life. The reason I reflect back today is because once again uncertainty and doubt has loomed over us, but just like my days living under the stars, I hope that one day we’ll look back at this and realize how much stronger we are because of it.
Czeched-Out Video Tape
Recipe by Amber Dobos
Ingredients:
- 1.0 oz Becherovka
- .75 oz pineapple juice
- .75 oz fresh lime juice
- .75 oz Ancho Verde
- .75 oz Green Chartreuse
- Atomized/rinsed Absinthe or Pastis glass
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients, double strain into chilled rocks glass.
Garnish:
Blackberry
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was inspired to create a spring-time sipper that transported you somewhere else upon imbibing. This herbal and citric remedy is sure to do so, with nots of vacation layered throughout.
Café con Quinametzin
Recipe by Xania Woodman
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Casa San Matias Pueblo Viejo Reposado Tequila
- 1 oz. fresh espresso coffee
- .5 oz. Amaro Nonino
- .25 oz. Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco Liqueur
- .5 oz. coffee-infused cane sugar syrup (1:1 strong coffee to cane sugar)
Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a shaker, add ice, cover and shake well. Double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Drop coffee beans into the foam in the style of footsteps.
Garnish:
Coffee beans
Glassware:
Chilled cocktail coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I've been fostering a beautiful border collie/black lab named Luna, and we've been taking some incredible hikes and walks in the woods. Sometimes, she seems to see and hear things that I just can't. With people being scarce here in the mountains of Northern Utah, I keep wondering if it's a bear waking up from hibernation. Or maybe Bigfoot.
The other night, I was enjoying a sort of pseudo-Old Fashioned of reposado tequila on the rocks with Amaro Nonino and Sangue Morlacco while going down an internet rabbit hole about Bigfoot, which led me to the Quinametzin, "hairy giants that lived in the region of what would become Mexico since long before the first human settlers arrived" (Fernando Alva Ixtlilxochitl). I thought the foam of an Espresso Martini would be the perfect place for bean "footsteps" and so transformed the drink in my hand into a tequila-based Espresso Martini.
Czech-Mate
Recipe by Kay Mohamed
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Becherovka
- 3/4 oz. Beet Root-Cinnamon syrup
- 3/4 oz. Lime juice
- 3 macerated Strawberries
- 2 dashes Peychauds Bitters
- 2 dash orange bitters
Preparation:
Muddle Strawberries with beet root syrup in shaker tin. Add remaining ingredients & ice. Short Shake. Double strain over Artisan ice. Garnish with Rhubarb Rose.
Beet Root Syrup 2:1
2 (2 cups) parts beet juice : 1 (1 cup) part sugar + 1 cinnamon stick.
Bring to boil then cool.
Garnish:
Rhubarb spiral Rose+lime Peel leaves
Glassware:
Old Fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was 100% inspired by the unique flavor of becherovka. I didn't want anything to off put it but merely enhance the distinct anise flavor and increase spice. Peychauds has a anise profile as well and the beet-cinnamon combo kept the flavor earthy. I decided on macerated strawberries bc it's in season and so good with beets & cinnamon.
Big Sky
Recipe by Lauren Fitzgerald
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz popcorn-infused* Novo Fogo barrel-aged cachaça
- 0.75 oz Alessio bianco vermouth
- 0.25 oz Tempus Fugit creme de cacao
- 0.125 oz Ferrand dry Curaçao
Preparation:
Stir all ingredients with ice until well chilled.
Strain over a queen cube in a rocks glass.
I highly recommend mixing 2 of these at a time. Doubling the recipe makes it much easier to get small measurements exactly right - 0.125 oz is tricky, but 0.25 oz is easy - and you’re going to want more than one of these, whether you’re sharing or not!
*Popcorn-infused cachaça:
Use an air popper to pop some popcorn - Do not add any oil/butter to the popcorn!
In a glass jar, mix:
1/4 cup popcorn,
3 oz Novo Fogo barrel-aged cachaça,
and a tiny pinch of good salt (I used 3 grains of Hawaiian red salt.)
Cover and let rest for 24 hours.
Strain out the popcorn and your infusion is ready to go!
Garnish:
Dehydrated Orange Wheel
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This afternoon delight of a cocktail was inspired by Kate Bush’s song “The Big Sky”. Sitting in the sunny backyard, listening to Kate sing about remembering childhood pleasures while I contemplated cachaça, I leaned back and watched the clouds change shapes. I watched a fluffy parade of popcorn clouds drift past, and suddenly I realized that popcorn was the key I had been looking for! It filled me with a giddy child-like pleasure to think about the flavors of the Novo Fogo barrel-aged cachaça paired with the nostalgia-inducing taste of popcorn, and ooh maybe some chocolate? Bianco vermouth and dry curaçao for bittersweet brightness! I love the way this cocktail came together - she’s intriguing and powerful but also surprisingly delicate, bright and fun....and totally delicious with a bowl of popcorn!
Truth or Dare
Recipe by Giacomo Ciminello
Ingredients:
- .5 oz plum syrup.
- 2 oz sesame-inf. scapegrace gin
- 2 dash grapefruit bitters
Preparation:
Plum Port Syrup
• 4 red plums, pitted and thinly sliced
• 1 cup port wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon stick
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
Put the plums, port, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the plums are soft but still hold their shape, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the plums to a bowl with a slotted spoon, remove the spices, and cover to keep warm. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the remaining liquid until thick and syrupy, 3 to 4 minutes.
sesame infused gin
add a tablespoon of heated sesame oil to you bottle of scapegrace. Shake, then place into the freezer for an hour, Skim frozen sesame oil from the gin. Strain.
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, stir and pour over ice. Garnish with a fortune cookie.
Garnish:
Fortune cookie
Glassware:
rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by games we play, Truth or Dare challenges the most inspired drinkers. A combination palette blaster and gin old fashioned, this drink leaves you wanting more with a savory finish to a truly velvety gin drink. Pairs amazingly with some take out. Which we all need right now.
Hocus Pocus
Recipe by Elise Murphy
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. J.P. Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye
- .25 oz. Pure Maple Syrup
- 2 Dashes Spiced Apple Bitters
- 2 Dashes Black Walnut Bitters
Preparation:
I make my own candied walnuts for garnishing by adding whole shelled walnuts, butter, and sugar to a frying pan and allowing to get candied.
Step 1. Add ingredients to a mixing glass and stir for about 20 seconds.
Step 2. Pour in a rocks glass over a large cube and garnish with a whole candied walnut.
Step 3. Drank
Garnish:
Candied Walnut
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My favorite season by far is autumn. For most people, that would mean going to get a pumpkin spiced latte or apple cider, but for me I wanted to make a whisky cocktail that made me get in the mood for the season. I combined some of my favorite autumnal flavors: apple, spices, walnut, whisky, and maple and the “Hocus Pocus” was born. It is a super easy drink to make at home and to me is a play on an old fashion that makes my halloween heart happy.
Novo FOMO
Recipe by Peter Miller
Ingredients:
- 1.5 Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça
- .5 Hopped Apple Shrub*
- .5 Lemon
- .5 Simple Syrup
- 2d Scrappy’s Grapefruit Bitters
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients until well chilled. Strain into coupe. Garnish with lemon twist and edible flower (if you...or your guest, are feeling fancy).
*Hopped Apple Shrub
200g Granny Smith Apple
5g Mosaic Hops (fresh)
1c Champagne Vinegar
1c Sugar
1c Water
Sous vide or heat on stove all ingredients except vinegar at ~135 degrees for 2 hrs. Remove from hot water. Dunk in Ice bath.
Add vinegar and stir.
Press mixture through fine mesh strainer.
Bottle in sanitized container.
Garnish:
Lemon twist. And an edible flower if you...or your guest, are feeling fancy.
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
During this time of isolation, I needed a staycation in a coupe. A little bit of sunshine and funk from South America paired with Washington's finest crops gave me the getaway I was missing out on…if only for just a brief moment.
William Wallace
Recipe by Giacomo Ciminello
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Cutty sark blended scotch whiskey
- 1 oz cocchi Torino sweet vermouth
- .5 oz angioletto hazelnut
- 1 oz heavy cream
- 2 scoop vanilla ice cream
- 4 ice cubes
- pinch salt
Preparation:
add all ingredients to a blender. blend like hell
Garnish:
broken cones or chocolate biscuit
Glassware:
Milkshake glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I like my scotch drinks a little nuts. Also with ice cream. So who better to represent a nutty scotch drink than a William Wallace. Thick and creamy finish with plenty of punch.
Pineapple Express
Recipe by Kay Mohamed
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Saint James reserve rum
- 0.5 oz. Ancho Reyes
- 0.5 oz. Campari
- 1 oz. Pineapple syrup
- 3/4 oz. Lime juice
- 1/2 oz. Thai Coconut milk
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to shaker with ice. Shake until chilled & coconut milk is frothy. Pour over crushed ice.
Garnish:
Pineapple top & Chilis
Glassware:
Cocktail glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My inspiration of this came from 1) repurposing ingredients from previous recipes i made and 2) a tiki drink that's not overtly sweet. I decided to first make pineapple syrup from the pineapple pieces I didnt use when coring out the pineapple. And the top for a garnish, blame it on spongebob. The thai coconut milk was also used bc of its viscosity and not overly sweet flavor and to cool off the ancho reyes. Altogether I think spongebob would approve.
Copita Sour
Recipe by Lucero Galvan
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz San Matias Tahona Reposado
- 1 oz Sour Orange Juice*
- .75 oz Midori
- .75 oz Coconut Cream
- .50 oz Ancho Reyes
Preparation:
*Sour Orange Juice: 2 parts orange juice, 1 part lime juice
* Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin
* Add ice and shake for 8-10 seconds
* Strain into a chilled martini glass
Garnish:
none
Glassware:
Cocktail Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
As a kid I spent several summers in Mexico. Due to the warm climate, street vendors would sell fruit cups and coconuts. I remember one time I got three fruit cups in one day! My mouth still waters thinking back to those summers when I would drink coconut water straight from the shell.
This drink is inspired by those relaxing vacations. Melon (midori) and orange are ingredients you would find in a fruit cup and Ancho Reyes represents the Chili Powder that they would sprinkle on top. Coconut cream adds a bit of sweetness and, together with lime, makes a very refreshing drink. All this added to Tequila makes the perfect Mexican Summer Drink. The name Copita Sour comes from the Mexican word for "little cup", Copita, and sour because it falls into that category of drink.
Boba (Tea) Fett
Recipe by Christiana Hettich
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Marie Brizard Lychee liqueur
- 1.5 oz Nigori Sake (I used Hakutsuru Sayuri Junmai)
- 2 oz oolong tea*
- 1.5 oz coconut milk
- 3 muddled strawberries
Preparation:
Muddle 3 strawberries in a mixing tin and combine all ingredients, saving the popping boba for garnish. Shake well and double strain over an iced Collins glass. Garnish with a large milkshake straw and about 2 tablespoons of strawberry-flavored popping boba (or however much your heart desires).
*Oolong tea:
Boil one cup of water and steep 2 bags of oolong tea for 4 minutes. Chill tea before use in cocktail.
Garnish:
Strawberry-flavored popping boba, milkshake straw
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
As Boba shops are abundant in Seattle and Washington state, I was inspired to make an adult version of this popular and fun beverage. For this cocktail, I combined the two flavors I rotate between whenever I order bubble tea--lychee and strawberry--as well as opted for the use of oolong tea as I find the flavors to be mild and easy to blend. The coconut milk adds a guilt-free texture that combines perfectly with the Nigori (cloudy) sake. Lastly, I have a strong distaste for tapioca pearls so I chose to add the popping boba instead. Enjoy!
Muracuja y Pimenta
Recipe by Kay Mohamed
Ingredients:
- 2 oz JP wisers Rye Whisky
- 0.5 oz. Marie Brizard Passionfruit Liqueur
- 3/4 oz. Peppercorn-infused Vanilla Syrup
- 1/2 oz. Lemon juice
- 1/4 oz. Lime juice
Preparation:
Pour ingredients over ice in mixing glass. Stir until all incorporated. Strain over Artisan ice. Garnish with peppercorn vanilla sugar rim
Peppercorn-infused Vanilla bean Syrup 1:1
Add 2 tbsp of cracked black peppercorns & half vanilla bean to equal parts water (2 cups) & sugar (2 cups). Boil then simmer. Cool set aside.
Garnish:
Black peppercorn & vanilla sugar rim
Glassware:
Old fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was making whiskey sours with Jp Wisers Rye & vanilla bean syrup and wanted an extra punch of flavor. I decided to use the addition of fresh cracked peppercorns essence and add a little extra of passionfruit Liqueur. This made the whiskey sour quite nice but I think the slight addition of line juice made the tartness up just a smidge.
Record Low
Recipe by Peter Miller
Ingredients:
- 1oz Becherovka
- 1oz Rye
- 1oz Coffee Liqueur
- .25oz Golden Falernum
- 1d. Regan’s No. 6 Orange Bitters
Preparation:
Stir all ingredients together in mixing glass. Strain into a chilled rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
Garnish:
Orange Twist
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
These are normally flavor profiles I’d use in the winter, but with times as they are and summer still afar, having something warming is just the pick-me-up we all need.
Cutty Goes to Brunch
Recipe by Kat Haney
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Cherry Wood Smoked Bacon Fat Washed Cutty Sarc
- 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier infused Maple Syrup (sous-vide 1 part GM to 3 part MS at 138 degrees)
- Two dashes Angostura Bitters
Preparation:
Place ingredients in mixing glass add ice and stir. Fine strain into old-fashioned glass over large ice cube.
Garnish with Luxardo Cherry Candied Bacon (bacon in oven at 350 degrees, flipping bacon every five min. With each flip, coat bacon in Luxardo cherry syrup)
+ Orange Zested French Toast (coat thick white bread in egg batter containing orange zest for night kick - and fry in butter in cast iron skillet)
+ Place 6 min egg (boil egg for six minutes. Place in ice water. Peak, and cut) on top.
+ Serve with small side of the infused syrup to be poured over cocktail before consuming.
Garnish:
Description Above
Glassware:
@LoveAndAesthetics Old Fashioned Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My wife broke her foot riding her long board. I thought it’d be super cool to make her brunch in bed with some extra kick. No better way than Cutty Sarc in Bacon Fat.
Her foot and stomach felt better after drinking this awesomeness.
Murder in the Darl
Recipe by Giacomo Ciminello
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. J.P. Wisers Tripple Barel Rye
- 1.5 oz Creme de cacao
- .5 oz demerara
- 2 scoops vanilla
- 5 oz coca-cola
- dash cinnamon
- 2 dashes angostura
Preparation:
add cinnamon, angostura, Wisers, cacao, Demerara into a mixing glass with ice and stir for 30 seconds.
add scoops of vanilla to your milkshake glass, add cocke while straining your mix into the glass. Garnish with shredded Gjetost cheese.
Garnish:
shredded gjetost
Glassware:
milkshake
Cocktail Inspiration:
I really love pushing the bounds of milkshakes, and trying to make a "coney" flavored one has always been a bit of a challenge. The real trick? No, no the chili part. The cheese. When I finally stubbled upon the nordic Gjetost goat cheese, the secret was unlocked. Part fudge, part cheese, this little gem simply MAKES the drink.
El Mariachi
Recipe by Marino Perez
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz tequila san matias tahona
- 1/2 oz mezcal espadin
- 1/2 oz ancho reyes verde
- 1 oz lime juice
- 3/4 oz agave syrup infused with green bell and serrano peppers *
- Pinch of citrus salt*
Preparation:
Agave syrup infused with green bell pepper and serrano pepper
1 part agave 1 part green bell pepper juice 1 serrano pepper cut into a pieces simmer, while simmering stir until they combine toguether. Let it rest at room temperature for 20 min and strain the serraro peppers out of syrup and refrigerated.
Citrus salt
Maldon salt muddle with lime grapefruit orange and lemon peels
Garnish:
Half ring of citrus salt with a slice of green bell pepper
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by the Battle of Puebla which will be celebrated on May 5th better known as Cinco de Mayo.
El Mariachi pays homage to Mexico by casing traditional ing and incorporating them such as Ancho Reyes originating in Puebla, MX. Happy Cinco de Mayo Salud
Cutty Appleseed
Recipe by EDGAR ALCALA
Ingredients:
- 2 Dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
- 2 Dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
- 1 Barspoon DOM Benedectine Liqueur
- 1 Barspoon Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- .25oz Torres 15yr Brandy
- .50oz Suze
- 1.5oz Cutty Sark Blended Whisky
- Orange Expression
- Green Tea - Red Apple Infused Ice Sphere
Preparation:
Ice Sphere:
Cut 1 Red Apple into pieces and remove seeds
Bring 2 cups water to a boil and put Apple pieces in.
Simmer for 10 minutes then add 2 green tea bags and let sit for 5 minutes.
Remove tea bags and apples and let cool down.
Put into sphere ice mold and let freeze.
Cocktail instructions:
-Put all ingredients into a mixing glass.
-Chill and dilute
-Strain over infused ice sphere.
-Express orange peel and discard.
-Garnish.
Garnish:
Red Apple Fan
Glassware:
Double Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. It's the moment where the intense, relentless heat of summer begins to wane, but it is not too cold to enjoy a refreshing, light cocktail that pleases the entire palette.
It includes complex flavors that braces you for the incoming chilly weather, but still let's you grasp on to those beautiful sunsets as we progress through the year. The result is a beverage that doesn't assault your tastes buds and changes over time with the release of apple notes and green tea freshness, much like a beautiful fall breeze.
Boiúna
Recipe by EDGAR ALCALA
Ingredients:
- .50oz Lime Juice
- .50oz Fresh Granny Smith Green Apple Juice
- .50oz Dragonfruit Puree
- .50 Cinnamon Demerara Syrup
- 5 drops Ube Extract
- .50oz Marie Brizzard Yuzu Liqueur
- 1.5oz Novo Fogo Cachaça
- Spritz of Rum Fire
Preparation:
Cinnamon Demerara Syrup:
250g Demerara
250g water
2 cinnamon sticks
Bring the water to a boil with the cinnamon sticks in it. Add the demerara sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Simmer for about 10mins and discard cinnamon sticks afterwards.
Creating the drink:
Add all ingredients into shaker tin.
Add one kold draft ice piece OR two regular freezer pieces and whip shake until chilled.
Strain over crushed ice and garnish with a slice of dragonfruit and a mint bush.
Spray with Rumfure Atomizer
Garnish:
Mint Bush and Dragonfruit slice
Glassware:
Diablo Glass (Rocks)
Cocktail Inspiration:
I'm a real fan of mythology of all civilizations and how it tends to translate around the world. It reflects how even though we come from different parts of the world, we all know of cultural stories passed down through generations and how they sometimes manifest themselves in different cultures.
I chose to use Novo Fogo Cachaça and Marie Brizzard Yuzu in order to portray the specific flavors that lend to each other in order to create something unique that can be translated across borders. The name Boiúna translates into Black Serpent and is found in Brazilian mythology. This serpent resides in the Amazonian rainforest navigating through its rivers changing its form in order to ward away invading fishermen or trap its prey.
Because of that, Novo Fogo provides the earthiness that the serpant inhabits, while then yuzu, dragon fruit, and apple represents the forest itself. Lastly, the ube provides the opacity of the waters which protects the Boiúna, allowing it to rule its realm.
Banana Bread
Recipe by Douglas Edwards
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Saint James Royal Amber Agricole Rhum
- 1 oz Salted Demerara
- 1 oz Sweetened Almond Milk
- 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
- Half Ripe Banana - Muddled
Preparation:
- Muddle a half a banana (ripe)
- add other ingredients and ice
- Shake vigorously
- Dbl Strain with fine mesh strainer into chilled coupe glass.
No Garnish.
**Salted Demerara**
1 cup Turbinado
1 cup Water
1/2 Tablespoon Nutmeg
1 Cinnamon Stick
1/2 Tablespoon Sea Salt
Bring to Boil - Simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain with Mesh strainer - Chill
Garnish:
n/a
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted a desert cocktail that I could enjoy and whilst preparing my own banana bread recently I came up with the idea to do a banana and banana bread inspired cocktail.
Smoked Lilikoi Caipirinha
Recipe by Kay Mohamed
Ingredients:
- Smoked Lilikoi Caipirinha
- 2 oz. @novofogo Cachaca
- 1 oz. Smoked Lilikoi/passionfruit puree (dbl blended & strained)
- 2 lime quarters
- 2 barspoons Cane Sugar
Preparation:
Smoke Lilikoi puree with oak wood in decanter, set aside or have pre-made. Muddle lime quarters with cane sugar. Add cachaca & smoked puree. Shake well pour over crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheel and added smoke (optional)
Garnish:
Lime wheel, added smoke optional (for photo)
Glassware:
Cocktail Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I tend to but alot of Lilikoi/passionfruit when it's in season bc it's so rare to find fresh here in michigan. And that fresh passionfruit is just out of this world. I blend it very fine and wanted to step it up. I decided to throw the puree in a decanter and use my smoker instead of smoking the entire cocktail. I do not regret it. The flavor of the Lilikoi after was delightful and the aroma freshness of the muddled limes & cane sugar being made made the entire room smell great. I thoroughly enjoyed making this cocktail and it was very simple to make.
Cutty and Compari Flip
Recipe by Andrew Ball
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 Cutty Sark
- 1 oz. Compari
- 1/2 oz Honey
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 Orange
Preparation:
Build Compari in Glass
Remaining Ingredients into Shaker
Muddle, Dry Shake, Shake, Double Strain.
Garnish:
N/A
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
Days are getting warmer and brunch is the norm for everyday of the week. This riff on a classic is a break from the usually and goes great with coffee and toast.
Twilight in Tahiti
Recipe by Sierra Kirk
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Novo Fogo Cachaca (pref. Tanager)
- 4 dash Cardamom Bitters
- 3/4 oz Giffard Banane Du Bresil
- 3/4 oz Fino Sherry ( Lustau or similar)
- 1/4 oz rich simple syrup
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients over ice in mixing glass/stir/ fine strain into chilled glass
Garnish:
Edible flower if available/ orange peel rose if not
Glassware:
Coupe/martini/Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
I’ve been doing a lot of baking recently, as we all have. But I’m an amateur so I’ve been doing mostly quick breads. I wanted to create a cocktail that captured the flavors and aromas of fresh baked banana bread. It’s such a comfort food, so I thought it would be perfect in cocktail form. The nuttiness the the Sherry really works well with the bold notes the Novo Fogo Cachaca brings to the table.
Strawberry Manilow
Recipe by Peter Miller
Ingredients:
- 1oz Scapegrace Classic Gin
- 1.5oz Pimms No. 1
- 1oz Strawberry-Basil Simple Syrup*
- .75oz Fresh Lime Juice
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients until well chilled. Strain over fresh ice into Collins glass. Garnish with basil leaf and strawberry.
*Strawberry-Basil Simple Syrup:
227g (.5lb) Fresh strawberries
57g Basil, finely chopped
3c Water
3c Sugar
Garnish:
Basil Leaf + Strawberry
Glassware:
Collins Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
With notes of melted strawberry popsicle transporting you back to the summers of your youth, one sip and you might find yourself humming ‘Can’t Smile Without You’... to your drink.
The Fire Escape
Recipe by Elise Murphy
Ingredients:
- 2 oz San Matias Tahona Reposado Tequila
- .5 oz Aperol
- .75 oz Lemon Juice
- .5 oz Ginger Juice
- .5 oz Agave
- 2 dashes Palo Santo Bitters
Preparation:
Add ingredients to a shaker and shake vigorously. If you do not have a juicer, you may rather grate fresh ginger into the shaker. Serve up and garnish with a lit stick of palo santo.
Garnish:
Palosanto
Glassware:
Coupe or Martini Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My girlfriend always uses palo santo around the apartment and I love the smell of it now! Since smell is a big component of a cocktail, I decided to try adding palo santo as my garnish. I was then in a cocktail shop and found palo santo bitters and played around with it in some cocktails. The name “Fire Escape” made sense for me living in New York City. I hope you enjoy!
Pie in the sky
Recipe by Rachael Dennis
Ingredients:
- egg white
- .5 oz lime
- .5 oz lemon
- .75 lavender simple
- 1 oz VanGough Vodka (lavender infused)
- .75 Pisco
- 3-4 Drops of Ango bitters (garnish)
- Crush Graham Crackers (rim)
- Homemade Swiss Meringue (torched garnish)
Preparation:
dry shake all ingredients
Wet shake
Double strain over big rock
Garnish:
rim glass in graham crackers, Garnish with 3-4 drop of bitters, Line the glass with Swiss Meringue (usually easier with an icing pipette), torch meringue
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to make a key lime pie cocktail because I'm from Florida, and I just had a key lime pie for my Birthday.
Banana Pancakes
Recipe by Adrian Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Cutty Sark
- 1 oz Marie Brizard Chocolate Royal
- 1 oz Coconut syrup
- 1 Scoop pancake batter ice cream
- 1/2 banana
- 6 coffee beans
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high. Serve in a stemmed glass.
*To make coconut syrup, heat a cup of unsweetened coconut cream with equal parts sugar. Stir till sugar completely dissolves. Let it cool down before using.
Garnish:
Coffee beans
Glassware:
Stemmed glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by my favorite Jack Johnson song, this banana pancake cocktail covers all the breakfast requirements, including the coffee. It’s also about a song that encourages staying in, and what better message to promote right now. Perfect for pretending it’s the weekend, no need to go outside.
The Ginger Van Gogh
Recipe by Edgardo Zayas
Ingredients:
- 2oz of regular Van Gogh Vodka
- 1.5 Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 1/2 spoon of honey
- Fresh Ginger
- 1 Egg / Only the egg white!
- 2 springs of mint
- 4 drops of angostura bitters
Preparation:
Peel and cut the fresh ginger to like five circular little pieces and muddle good.
Take the leafs of the mint spring and slap in shaker
Squeeze a fresh lemon to make the 1.5
Add the honey preferably a squeeze bottle, eye it to one and a half spoon so it doesn’t get stuck in the spoon, if so just stir for a few seconds until it delutes in the shaker!
Pour 2 oz of the Van Gogh Regular vodka
Crack the egg and pour the egg white and dry shake!
Add ice on shaker and shake again!
Pour on a rock glass over ice and add the 4 drops over the egg white foam!
Garnish:
Lemon peel and a mint spring
Glassware:
Rock
Cocktail Inspiration:
The inspiration behind this cocktail has totally been the fact that I am buying fresh produce from the local market and was the first time cooking with fresh ginger! I made a ginger, lemon, mint tea and thinking about this contest thought it would complement with the Van Gogh Vodka did it with the tea but decided to put a twist on it and added the egg white and ango!
& voula!!!!!
Gin-Tilly Boulevardie
Recipe by Augustine Pham
Ingredients:
- 1.0oz Scapegrace gin
- 1.0oz Bulleit Bourbon
- .75oz La Quintinye Royale Rouge Sweet Vermouth
- .50oz Campari
Preparation:
Cut extra long orange swath and express oils into bowl of glass then cut a slit into the rind to slip one end through the other to wrap around and extra large ice sphere. Trim the ends of the orange swath for presentation and place into the bowl of a stemmed coupe glass. Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass and stir for a few seconds to chill. Pour contents in the mixing glass over the garnished sphere into glassware and serve.
Garnish:
Trimmed long orange rind swath looped through itself wrapping an ice sphere
Glassware:
Stemmed 8.5oz bowl coupe glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The ‘Gin-Tilly Boulevardie’ has been a wonderful creation for me inspired by a drive a down a deserted Gentilly Boulevard headed towards New Orleans, the Birthplace of Bourbon’s namesake. The history and relationship of the Plantations placement with the settlement and growth of the Vieux Carré helped remind me of how communities coming together can do and in so, created the birth of the American cocktail. It was an immigrant not born of this great nation that sparked mixology into what is was and once again has become. I have always liked the combination of whiskey and gin. What better way to integrate the two spirits as I envision reintegration of our communities, than in this classic interpretation.
Pumpkin Patch
Recipe by Jeffrey Allen
Ingredients:
- 2 Oz. J.P. Wisers rye (brown butter infused)
- 1/4 Oz. St. Elizabeth allspice dram
- 1/2 Oz. Fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 Oz. Vanilla syrup
- 1 TBSP Organic pumpkin purée
Preparation:
Shake all indeients over ice and double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg or cinnamon if desired.
*Brown butter washed whiskey - melt 1/4 cup of unsalted butter and simmer until it gives off a nutty aroma and turns a nice light brown. Add butter to 1 cup of whiskey (J.P.Wisers Rye) in a glass jar and let cool to room temp. Cover jar and freeze over night. Remove the fat from the top and strain through a cheesecloth lined strainer.
*Vanilla syrup - Add to a sauce pan 1 cup of water, 1 cup of superfine sugar, and 1 Tahitian vanilla bean split the long way. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand overnight. Then strain through a cheesecloth lined strained.
Garnish:
Grated cinnamon or nutmeg
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to be super unique with this one so I decided to go a savory route. I started by brown butter washing the whiskey to add another layer of complexity to an already great spirit. Then I saw a can of pumpkin purée in my cabinet and it spoke to me. The Carmel and spice notes of the whisky blended perfectly. I added allspice dram to tie it together. Finally I balanced it with some citrus and sweetener. The result, a drink unlike any I’ve had.
In the nib of time
Recipe by Cesar Valdivia
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz San Matias Tahona Reposado Tequila
- 0.5 Scapegrace Gin
- 0.25 Dark chocolate infused Campari
- 0.75 Sweet vermouth
- 3 Dashes Aztec chocolate Bitters
Preparation:
1. Combine all the ingredients over ice and stir well for ten seconds
2. Add a large ice cube to a tulip or brandy glass
3. Pour the cocktail into the glass
4. Cut an orange peel and express over the glass, drop it in.
Dark Chocolate Campari
1. Add 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate nibs to 16oz of Campari
2. Let it sit for an hour at room temperature
3. Strain into a glass container and refrigerate
Garnish:
Orange peel
Glassware:
Tulip or Brandy Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
"You can rest when you are dead" someone once said. The name of the cocktail takes inspiration from how hectic life can be. Now with the Covid-19 pandemic given us time to slow down and reflect on what really matters. A unique Negroni twist. San Matias honeyed and hazelnuts notes pair well with the chocolate infused Campari, while Scapegrace Gin nutmeg and lemon notes play along with the flavor profile. The light pepperiness add a nice complexity to the cocktail.
With Love
Recipe by Sarah Christianson
Ingredients:
- 2OZ cherry infused Scapegrace gin
- .75 oz Rose, pink peppercorn & honey simple syrup
- .75 oz Lemon juice
- Topped with sparkling rose
Preparation:
Combine gin, syrup& lemon juice in a tin & Shake. Top with sparkling rose wine.
Garnish:
Dehydrated Rose petals
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
In this industry it’s no secret that we rely on our guests to help us make a living. Weekly we see the same faces showing up and showing us so much love. The flower petals used in this cocktail were from a bouquet of flowers bought by a guest. Someone who just wanted to say thank you and that they love what we do and the creations we make. Your love doesn’t go unnoticed, and with that the cocktail “With Love” was created. Cherry infused gin compliments the Rose, pink peppercorn & honey hints In a sparkling cocktail that’s made specifically with love for all of you.
Let’s go saline?
Recipe by Katy Dimick
Ingredients:
- 45ml Cutty Sark
- 25ml dry sherry (I used Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa)
- 10ml fermented lime stock
- 5ml Cointreau
- 75ml soda water
- Fermented lime stock: fill a glass jar with the hulls from juiced limes. Pack with 1:1 sugar and salt mixture until all limes hulls are covered. Seal jar and leave to macerate until only limes and liquid remain. Top off jar with 1:3 simple syrup and loosely cover. Let ferment until desired taste is reached, about 1 week.
Preparation:
Add first 4 ingredients to Collins glass, add ice and top with soda. Stir and enjoy!
Garnish:
Like wheel and sail boat swizzle stick
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
I’m constantly looking for ways to reduce waste in my bar program. Hola has an agave and sugarcane focus and we go through a LOT of lime juice. I created this fermented preserved lime stock as a way to use the waste from that. I frequently see salt added to cocktails to help make other ingredients pop, but rarely is it the star. This play on an Up To Date cocktail seemed like the perfect place to do that. The viscosity extracted from the lime peels adds a silky element to balance the dryness of the other ingredients.
JaeZee
Recipe by Amber Dobos
Ingredients:
- 2.0 oz Casa San Matiás Tahona
- 0.25 oz Benedictine
- 0.25 oz Amer Picon
- 0.5 oz Ancho Reyes
- + one dash Angostura bitters
- + one dash orange bitters
Preparation:
Stir all ingredients with ice, strain into chilled Nick and Nora.
Garnish:
Dried hot Pepper (I used Bird Pepper)
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
I made this drink in honor of two dear friends of mine that are getting married next year (invite pictured!). Their names are Jae and Zac, and since I live in Brooklyn this is an amalgamation of us three; a homage to the classic Brooklyn cocktail, and a spirit forward tequila cocktail as they requested.
Good Idea
Recipe by Joan Villanueva
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz Cutty Sark Blended Scotch
- 1 oz Lustau Lor Arcos Amontillado Sherry
- ¾ oz Pineapple Tarragon Oleo
- ¼ oz Giffard Passion Fruit
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 Egg White
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation:
1. Add all ingredients to shaker tin and dry shake for about 30 seconds,
2. Add ice and shake,
3. Double strain into chilled lightbulb glass,
4. Garnish with angostura bitters and tarragon sprig
Pineapple Tarragon Oleo
1. Peel one pineapple and place the skins on a sealable container,
2. Add one quarter cup of sugar and a sprig of tarragon,
3. Let container sit over night,
4. Strain contents and place liquid in refrigerator when not is use
Garnish:
Tarragon Sprig
Glassware:
Chilled Lightbulb Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Over the last month my partner and I have been enjoying cocktails on Sunday nights on our porch.
It has become a small tradition that makes us smile a bit and brings joy over the current situation.
Tonight we looked back over the last month and realized that cocktails on Sunday nights are a Good Idea.
Rum, Chicken, Run
Recipe by Xania Woodman
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Saint James Rhum Ambré Agricole Rum
- .5 oz. Alpine Distilling Preserve Liqueur
- 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
- .5 oz. fresh mandarin juice
- 1 barspoon apricot preserves
- ⅛ oz. Mike's Hot Honey
- ⅛ oz. cane sugar syrup
Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a shaker, add ice, cover, shake well and double-strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.
Garnish:
Orange icing
Glassware:
Chilled cocktail coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
A friend of mine recently told me that when she was done with quarantine, what she wanted more than anything in the world was Nashville-style hot chicken. I've been using Mike's Hot Honey to make spicy margaritas for a while now, and I love the gentle, sweet heat that it adds to cocktails. I've also made sure that I've had a heaping bowl of "Cuties" mandarins in my kitchen so that I can keep my vitamin C levels up. Recently, I've started using the juice in my sours. This combination of lemon juice, mandarin juice, and hot honey is something I've been playing with almost daily during lockdown. But of all the spirits I've tried thus far, rum is a clear winner for preparing the base for this trilogy.
Mellow Bender
Recipe by Amber Dobos
Ingredients:
- 1.0 oz Novo Fogo Barrel Aged
- 0.75 oz Carpano Dry
- 0.75 oz Cocchi Torino
- 0.75 oz Casoni
- + 2 dash walnut bitters
Preparation:
Stir all ingredients with ice, strain into rocks glass, down.
Garnish:
Hunk dark chocolate
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
Everyone wants something they can sip slowly that will act fast. This has been my go-to for late weeknights because of the velvety, dessert-quality mouthfeel. The barrel aged cachaca plays perfectly as the base in this sipper to lighten up and string together the other players. Nibbles of dark chocolate help the EtOH go down too.
In Bloom
Recipe by Lauren Pellecchia
Ingredients:
- 2.5 oz Scapegrace Gin
- .25 oz Martini & Rossi Bianco Vermouth
- .25 oz Lavender-Rosehip Honey Syrup
- .25 Lemon Juice
- 3-4 drops Orange Bitters
Preparation:
In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients. Add ice and stir to combine and chill. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with lemon and orange peel.
*Lavender-Rosehip Honey Syrup – In a heat safe glass add 1 bar spoon each of dried Lavender and Rosehips. Add 4 ounce of local honey and 4 ounces of very hot, but not boiling water. Stir to combine, until honey has been fully emulsified. Allow to steep about ten minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and refrigerate until ready to use.
Garnish:
Orange and Lemon Peel
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Spring has fully sprung! Every day more and more flowers are blossoming. Tulips, daffodils, cherry trees, peonies, and more. The colors and fragrances draw me in, and I can’t help but to sit in the sunshine with a good book and soak it all in. This cocktail, full of beautiful floral notes, is my sippable interpretation of those spring flowers that are bursting forth and adding some beauty, hope, and color to my days.
Open Borders
Recipe by Augustine Pham
Ingredients:
- 2.0oz Novo Fogo Cachaça
- 1.0oz Joto Yuzu liqueur
- .75oz Campari
- .75oz fresh Ruby red grapefruit juice
- 1.25oz sparkling soda water
- 5-6 dashes of Angustora aromatic bitters
- Fresh Mint
Preparation:
Combine Cachaça, Yuzu, Camapri & grapefruit juice and 5 leaves of expressed mint into Boston shaker and do a quick shake then double strain into a fluted Collins glass. Place bottom end of lemon zest and fill the glass with pebble/broken ice. Layer soda over contents then layer 5-6 dashes of Peychauds bitters to make a covered layer on top of the cocktail. Take the top end of the lemon zest and pull though the center of a lemon wheel. Finish with a mint sprig through the lemon wheel as well and serve.
Garnish:
Extra long channel knife cut lemon peel, lemon wheel and mint sprig
Glassware:
Stemmed Collins flute
Cocktail Inspiration:
Sadly I read an article about issues surrounding the border between Venezuela and Brazil. In a time of where I feel that coming together as a people across all nations as paramount, it saddened me to see the state of affairs this pandemic has shaped our consciousness. I wanted to bring two iconic products within our cocktail world from these two nations. The presentation of the cocktail represents the separation of the two countries and once combining the the components as you drink the beverage, the final happiness on your palette I hope will embody what will happen once we all come together with the best of what we have to offer. Ironically Angustora translates into ‘narrrowing’ which is what we need now after ‘distancing’.
Lucky #17
Recipe by Adrian Gonzalez
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Scapegrace Gin
- .5 oz Germain-Robin Pear de Pear
- 1 oz Cass Juice**
- .75 oz lemon
- 2 dashes Grapefruit Bitters
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin, top with ice, and shake for 10-15 seconds. Double strain the cocktail into a coupe glass and garnish with a flower.
**In order to make the case juice you will have to peel and chop the cass fruit into chunks, and blend with equal parts water, adding a 1/2 cup of sugar per 1 cup of fruit.
Garnish:
Flower
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
The inspiration for my cocktail comes from the garden. Being stuck at home has forced us to think of more creative ways to create cocktails using the ingredients at our disposal. Luckily, being from Miami provides access to a larger array of fruits, one of those being Cass, also referred to as sour guava. But don't let the name fool you, the fruit doesn't taste anything like guava, and it actually more resembles the bittersweet flavors of a grapefruit. Once blended with water and sugar, this small yellow fruit takes on the characteristics of a pear, making it sweet yet a little tart. Together, blended with the spice and citrus notes of Scapegrace Gin, along with some subtle pear liqueur, the end result is a cocktail with a deliciously rich flavor.
Sweet Cinnamon Koffie
Recipe by Lauren Pellecchia
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Van Gogh Double Espresso
- ¼ cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch
- .5 oz Frangelico
- .5 oz Heavy Cream
- 3 drops Smoked Cinnamon Bitters.
- Cinnamon-Sugar, for rimming the glass
Preparation:
In a mixing glass combine Van Gogh Double Espresso and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, stir to mix and allow to sit. Rim an Irish Coffee mug with cinnamon-sugar. In a shaker tin, add Frangelico, Heavy Cream, and Smoked Cinnamon Bitters. Strain the cereal infused Double Espresso into the shaker tin. Add ice and shake, approximately 12 seconds. Strain into the mug, over ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Garnish:
Cinnamon-Sugar Rim and a Cinnamon Stick
Glassware:
Irish Coffee Mug
Cocktail Inspiration:
Cereal might be the most perfect food. Breakfast. Late night snack. And everything in between. Most of the time I even have a baggie of dry cereal in my car, it’s a quick and easy snack. Cinnamon Toast Crunch has always been a favorite, probably because I love cinnamon. I add it to so many things, I even put a pinch into my morning coffee. That flavor combination, coffee (or in this case, espresso) and cinnamon go hand in hand for me. So, I reached for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and stirred (and shook) up this cocktail.
A Shot in the Dark
Recipe by Christina Mercado
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Paul John Edited
- 0.25 oz Peanut Syrup*
- 2 dashes aztec chocolate bitters
- 2 dashes coffee bitters
- 3 oz Coffee Stout
- *peanut syrup
- 3 oz salted peanuts
- 1 oz dark brown sugar
- 2.75 oz white sugar
- 5 oz water
Preparation:
- Build in glass by pouring Paul John Edited, peanut syrup, bitters and stout into a collins glass over ice.
- Give three quick stirs
*syrup instructions
- Bring all ingredients to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min.
- Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before straining
Garnish:
n/a!
Glassware:
collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
this cocktail was inspired by the peanut syrup! I made the peanut syrup a couple of weeks ago and I have been looking for different applications for it. It started with the coffee and the peanut together, for which I thought Paul John Edited would be a great match with its natural cocoa and coffee notes. The bitters balance the cocktail and enhance the aromatics. The result is a cocktail that's great for either brunch or dessert!
Lavender Love
Recipe by Zofia Kazan
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Paul John Brilliance
- 3/4 Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
- Hand Full of BlueBerries
- 1 table spoon of Dry Lavender Buds
Preparation:
Muddle the Blue Berries and the Lavender Buds in a Cocktail Shaker. Then add the Lemon Juice, Simple syrup, and Paul John Brilliance and Ice. Hard Shake and double Strain in to a champagne flute.
Garnish:
Lemon Zest and 2 Lavender Sprigs.
Glassware:
Champagne Flute
Cocktail Inspiration:
Just last week, the Wisterias that grew all over my building, from a homemade Garden I made 12 years ago, on the sidewalk outside my Brooklyn Apartment, started to bloom! The Lavender Purple colors of the Wisterias are just absolutely stunning! This brought me much delight during these hard times. Therefore I was inspired by the Lavender Purple of the Wisterias to make a Lavender Based Cocktail. Enjoy!
Paradise Punch
Recipe by John Solewski
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Van Gogh Peach vodka
- 1 oz. Van Gogh Coconut vodka
- 1 1/2 oz. lychee purée
- Chambord raspberry jam smear
Preparation:
Lychees should be puréed an.d then pushed through a cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer to remove excess pulp.
Chambord raspberry jam: cook down raspberries and chambord in small pot, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer to reduce the liquid
Garnish:
Edible orchid and chambord raspberry amear
Glassware:
Martini glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Being in an Asian fusion restaurant people love lychees and lychee martinis. I decided to take our basic lychee martini and add some exotic flavors to it and since it was just a cloudy white cocktail it needed some color so the raspberry smear adds a pop and a subtle wild berry flavor to it.
The Picture Show
Recipe by Kimberly Riordan
Ingredients:
- 1oz Marie Brizard Creme de Cacao
- 2oz bourbon (preferably a sweeter option, such as Buffalo trace)
- 1oz Homemade Kettlecorn Syrup
- 0.5oz fresh lemon juice
- 2 dash Angostura bitters
Preparation:
Homemade kettlecorn syrup:
2 cups kettelcorn, crushed in blender
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix water and sugar until dissolved. Add kettelcorn, stir and cover for 1 hour. Add salt and stir. Strain with mesh strainer to get all pieces removed, leaving only syrup.
For drink:
Add all ingredients (except bitters) to shaker tin with ice. Shake well and double strain into coupe. Top with bitters and garnish.
Garnish:
3 pieces kettlecorn on pick.
Glassware:
coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Wanted to bring the feel of those late night drive in movies to a glass. After mixing together countless liqueurs, attempting to get a kettlecorn/popcorn type flavor, I though - why not simple make a syrup WITH delicious kettlecorn?? The result was a salty, sweet, yet surprising light bourbon and cacao concoction that i just fell in love with.
Fronds Without Benefits
Recipe by Katy Dimick
Ingredients:
- 50ml Novo Fogo Tanager
- 20ml pineapple juice
- 3 drops sesame oil
- 1/2 lime cut into wedges
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Preparation:
Muddle lime wedges with brown sugar in a shaker tin. Add remaining ingredients to tin and shake with ice. Pour into a glass and garnish with pineapple fronds
Garnish:
Pineapple fronds
Glassware:
Low ball
Cocktail Inspiration:
More meals are being made in my kitchen than ever before, and to keep things interesting, new flavor combinations are constantly being tried. This morning my boyfriend dusted cut up pineapple with sesame seeds. It was delicious! I don’t think that a better drink exists for cachaça than a caipirinha. The flavors of pineapple and sesame pair perfectly with the round earthiness of the Tanager expression.
Encore!
Recipe by Amber Dobos
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Saint James Rhum Ambré Agricole
- 1.0 oz Manhattan Special Coffee Soda
- 1.0 oz Angostura bitters
- 0.5 oz Grand Marnier
- + whole pipette Bittermens Xocolatl Mole
- + 1 drop sesame oil
Preparation:
Stir all ingredients with ice in rocks glass. Express lemon peel over and drop in.
Garnish:
Lemon peel
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to make a bitters-heavy rum cocktail and the sweeter vanilla notes of the Ambré perfectly compliment the Angostura bite. Instead of going citric, this is more of a digestif concoction, in which I used a local coffee soda as a New York tribute. It adds a little pizzaz and fizz, and the chocolate mole bitters with the sesame will have you ready for another round.
Papineau (pap-in-oh)
Recipe by Matt Allinson
Ingredients:
- 2oz JP Wisers apple whiskey
- 3 dashes cardamom bitters
- 0.25oz salted lime syrup
Preparation:
combine ingredients and stir
pour over ice in a rocks glass half rimmed with cinnamon sugar
garnish dehydrated apple core
SALTED LIME SYRUP
in a saucepan dissolve 1 cup of sugar and 0.5 g of kosher salt into warm water
slice 1 lime and add to syrup
simmer on low for 5-8 minutes
Garnish:
cinnamon sugar rim & a dehydrated apple core/slice
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
My inspiration for this cocktail is the lake that I currently live on in Bancroft, Ontario, and trying to stick to the trend of zero waste during covid-19. I tried to mainly use ingredients that remind me of northern Ontario and cottage country. In my every day to day life I try to waste as little as possible, whether that be at work or at home. I used byproduct to create the garnish and the bitters. I really wanted to accent the complex flavours that pair so well with JP Wisers apple whiskey, hence the cinnamon, cardamom and salt. I wanted to add an essence of citrus to pair with the cinnamon but I didn't want the cocktail to be sour. This is why I decided to make a syrup instead! Hope you enjoy!
Tropical Daydreams
Recipe by Lauren Pellecchia
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Cutty Sark
- .5 oz Mango Nectar
- .5 oz Pineapple Juice
- .25 oz Passionfruit Puree
- .25 oz Triple Sec
Preparation:
In a shaker tin, add all ingredients. Shake with ice, 8-10 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Garnish with a fresh mango slice and a chunk of toasted pineapple.
Garnish:
Mango and toasted Pineapple
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
In the large amounts of downtime we have all been faced with I have been planning dream vacations to places near and far. I have been lucky to travel a great deal, but I haven’t spent much time somewhere tropical. I was inspired by resort brochures and pictures white sand beaches to create a tropical cocktail that I could imagine myself sipping while under a palm tree. Cutty Sark, with its hints of vanilla and citrus, provides a lovely base for this cocktail.
Return to Spring
Recipe by Christina Mercado
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Van Gogh Citroen
- 0.5 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
- 0.5 oz vanilla syrup
- 0.75 oz lemon juice
- 0.25 oz lemon simple
- 2 oz soda water
Preparation:
- build all ingredients in a red wine glass over ice
- give three quick stirs to combine.
Garnish:
2 slices of lemon and 5 raspberries
Glassware:
red wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted a light spritzer to sit outside on my grass with. This cocktail is bright, and light... the perfect drink to pass an afternoon with outside while reading. I began with Van Gogh's bright citroen base, and added the gin liqueur for its diverse aromatics... with the syrup and soda at the end, the final result is an elegant riff on a collins.
Canadian Derby Showdown
Recipe by Eva Fleming
Ingredients:
- 1 oz J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye Canadian Whisky
- 1 oz Bonded apple brandy
- 1 oz Manzanilla sherry
- 3/4 oz Spiced apple syrup*
- 3/4 oz lemon juice
- Angostura bitters
- *to make syrup just dice up a couple apples (Fuji is good) and combine with 3 spoonfuls of sugar and a couple pinches of salt. Add some ground spices such as cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg etc and some lemon zest. Mix semi occasionally and let it macerate and produce a lovely liquid. Take that liquid and add equal parts simple syrup. Use the leftover strained apples as filling for a galette, hand pies, or traditional pie. Do not throw!
Preparation:
Add all ingredients except the bitters to a shaker tin and shake very shortly with one or two cubes. Strain on top of crushed ice. Float a couple dashes of Angostura bitters.
Garnish:
Garnish with a cinnamon stick, lemon peel and some peppermint from the garden.
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
In these times comfort food is our go to and lately a lot of us have been cooking at home. A slice of apple pie anytime is that safe inner hug we all could use. I was making a pie and thought about all that precious flavor I could extract without losing anything. I wanted a cocktail that was as boozy as it is refreshing. This cocktail really hits that mark without being overly sweet, spiced or tart. The mint shows us spring is really here.
Dolce Menina
Recipe by Aspen Bingham
Ingredients:
- 1.75 oz silver Novo Fogo cachaca
- 0.25 oz Cointreau
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 0.25 oz mango purée (real or perfect purée)
- 0.75 oz rich raspberry simple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla Greek yogurt (any brand)
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients into a shaker, add ice and shake and double strain into a coupe add 2 raspberries and mint on a pick for garnish.
For rich raspberry syrup
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup = 6 oz shell fresh raspberries
Add the sugar and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Once it is boiling, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
When cool, add in raspberries.
Allow the syrup and raspberries to steep for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, shake to break up the berries and then muddle berries to fully release the juices.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
Garnish:
2 raspberries in between a mint crown on a skewer
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This drink is inspired by a traditional non alcohol drink from India called a mango lassi, I wanted to turn this traditional NA beverage into a cocktail that pairs unique but approachable flavor combinations that compliment the flavor profile of the Novo Fogo cachaca. The vanilla yogurt pairs perfectly with the cachaca and the raspberry and mango brighten the cocktail. The mandala in the background brings in the influence from India
Brazilian Coff-fizz
Recipe by Katsumi Manabe
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Novo Fogo Barrel Aged Cachaca
- .75 oz lemon juice
- .75 oz simple syrup
- .5 oz heavy cream
- .75 oz egg white
- Top with chilled carbonated espresso made with a robust Brazilian Coffee
- Garnish with a chocolate covered espresso bean
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a tin and shake vigorously. Strain out the ice and perform an extended dry shake with the spring from a Hawthorne strainer. Pour into Irish Coffee glass and allow to set. Punch a hole through the head with the teardrop end of a barspoon and use the shaft to pour the carbonated espresso to the bottom of the glass. Garnish with a chocolate covered espresso bean over the hole from the spoon.
If unable to carbonate espresso, adding soda water to chilled espresso can work as well.
Garnish:
Chocolate covered espresso bean
Glassware:
Irish Coffee Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
What grows together goes together and Brazil is famous for it's coffee!
Ooh-Bae
Recipe by Chris Toribio
Ingredients:
- 1.25oz Novo Fogo Cachaca
- .75oz Rum Fire Overproof
- .75oz Latitude 29 Orgeat
- .5oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- .5oz Passion Fruit Syrup
- 1oz Lime
- 4 drops Ube Extract
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with 2 Koldraft Ice cubes and whip shake.
Pour into a double rocks glass and fill with crushed ice.
Garnish with 3 pineapple fronds and flower, add straw and enjoy!
Garnish:
Pineapple Fronds and Flower
Glassware:
Double Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to do a Filipino twist on the classic Mai-Tai, which happens to be my favorite cocktail. Working in a Filipino tiki bar here in New York, I felt inspired to contribute to a growing cuisine that has the most unique flavors. One of the staple flavors in The Philippines is the ube, a purple yam that is used in many desserts like ice cream and rice cakes.
A Little Respect
Recipe by Paula Lukas
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Van Gogh Wild Appel Vodka
- 1 oz Marie Brizard Pear William
- .75 oz PassionFruit Juice
- . 5 oz Grapefruit Juice
- .5 oz Peppadew Pepper Juice
- 1 Sprig of Tarragon - Garnish
- 1 Edible Flower - Garnish
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin with ice
Shake and strain into a coupe
Garnish with a slapped sprig of tarragon and edible flower
Garnish:
Tarragon and Edible Flower
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
These are tough times right now. We need to respect each other more whether you are quarantied with someone or reaching out and responding on social media. It's also important to respect yourself and do what makes you happy if possible. One thing that makes me happy is drinking a cocktail that is refreshing ,uses fresh herbs and also has a bit of a kick. I believe this fits the bill! Music also makes me happy and I name alot of my cocktails after songs." A Little Respect" is a song by one of my favorite 80's bands Erasure. So remember to have " A Little Respect" for everyone. Stay safe and healthy.
Cactus Cooler
Recipe by Amber Dobos
Ingredients:
- 1.0 oz Marie Brizard Apry
- 0.75 oz orange juice
- 0.75 oz lime juice
- 0.25 oz maple syrup
- + 1 blackberry
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients with ice, single strain into flute over clean ice.
Garnish:
Waffle Triangle
Glassware:
Flute
Cocktail Inspiration:
Since brunch has no set time or place now (did it ever?) this is the stedfast aperitivo that will never leave your side. Making coffee? Cactus Cooler. Having dinner? Cactus Cooler. Swerving on Scurvy? Cactus Cooler. Marie brings a stone-fruityness to the tart bushel, and having a few berry seeds to chew makes it all the more satisfying. Finally, the adult juice that we have been waiting for.
Sweet Heat
Recipe by John Solewski
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. J.P. Wiser’s 15 year Canadian Whiskey
- 1/2 oz. Nocello walnut liquer
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- Muddled pineapple and jalapeño
- Brown sugar and smoked sea salt rim
Preparation:
In a metal shaker muddle jalapeños and pineapple with dashes of bitters. Add whiskey and nocello. Stir Well.
With a rocks glass, dip the edge in a heavy simple syrup to rim the glass with the brown sugar and smoked salt mix. Add large cubes of ice and then pour drink over the top.
Garnish:
Jalapeño wheels and wedge of pineapple
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The old fashioned trend is going strong and the combination of sweet, spicy and salty all play well with the J.P, Wiser’s 15 since it has notes of caramel, toffee and maple sugar. The heat is sweet but the drink is better!
The Blessed Hour
Recipe by Jordan Gulick
Ingredients:
- 2oz Paul John “Brilliance” Indian Single Malt Whisky
- 1oz Spiced Pineapple Gomme Syrup*
- .75oz Mizu Green Tea Shochu
- .25oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 4 dashes Hella Cocktail Co. Eucalyptus Bitters
- Absinthe Rinse
- Cannabis Terpene oils (terpenoids)
- * To make Gomme syrup combine 2 Cups of Pineapple juice with 3 cinnamon sticks, 1/4 cup Cardamom seeds, 1/4 cup Allspice berries, 1/4 cup Pink Peppercorns, and 4 Star Anise pods. Steep ingredients for 20min and then strain. Return Pineapple juice to pot and add 2.5 cups of sugar and 4Tbsp of Gum Arabic and stir until incorporated. Let cool before using. *
Preparation:
Combine 2oz of Paul John “Brilliance” Indian Single Malt Whisky, 1oz Spiced Pineapple Gomme Syrup, .75oz Mizu Green Tea Shochu, and 4 dashes of Hella Cocktail Co. Eucalyptus bitters to a tin with ice and shake. In an iced rocks glass, rinse with Absinthe and then pour the cocktail into the rinsed glass over the ice. Add 3-4 drops of Cannabis Terpenoids. Garnish with two Pineapple Fronds.
Garnish:
Cannabis essential oils (terpenoids) and Pineapple Fronds
Glassware:
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
When creating new drinks, I always try to blend different cultures and flavors. So I pulled flavors from the Southeast China sea /Philippines (eucalyptus, green tea, star anise, cinnamon, and pineapple) and marry that with and the flavors of India (cannabis, cardamom) and a great Indian Single Malt Whisky! The result is complex, vibrant, and a completely new sensory experience.
Ten Penny
Recipe by Ryan Haile
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Paul John Indian Whiskey “Bold”
- 1 oz. Bimini Gin
- 1 oz. Drambuie
- .25 oz. Esprit Edouard Absinthe Superieure
- 2 dashes Bittercube Corazon Bitters
- (Garnish) Lemon Peel (Discarded)
- (Garnish) Mint Sprig
Preparation:
Wash a double old fashioned glass with absinthe and discard excess absinthe. Place all liquid ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir till well chilled about 40 rotations. Strain over large rock in absinthe washed double old fashioned glass. Express oils from lemon peel over cocktail and discard peel. Slap mint sprig on the back of the hand to open aromatics and garnish cocktail with the mint.
Garnish:
Lemon peel (discarded) and Mint Sprig
Glassware:
Double Old Fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
Inspired by the rusty nail cocktail. I have always had a love hate relationship with this cocktail as it can always border or fully commit to being too rich and imbalanced. But when executed well with the right ratio and whiskey it transfers easily out of Winter into Soring. The smokiness of the Paul John Bold is robust enough to push through the other bold notes. Bimini Gin already has a fennel like property to it which accentuates the absinthe and the bitters play well with the herbs and honey from the drambuie as well as pull out the chocolate notes in the whiskey.
It's a Jungle Out There
Recipe by Christina Mercado
Ingredients:
- 1.25 Saint James Vieux Rhum
- 0.5 oz Cinnamon simple
- 0.5 oz Lime
- 0.25 oz Luxardo Aperitivo
- 0.5 oz Bitter Bianco
- 0.75 oz Pineapple Juice
- *Cinnamon Simple
- brown sugar, water, cinnamon
Preparation:
- Shake all ingredients with ice
- pour over fresh ice into a rocks glass
- garnish
*Cinnamon Simple
1 part sugar, 1 part water - bring to a boil
per 1 pint of syrup add 2 cinnamon sticks when boiling.
simmer for 2 minutes and remove from heat
Garnish:
pineapple leaves, lime slices and orange zest
Glassware:
rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
My fiance requested a drink that screamed summer. The sun is getting brighter each day, but we still have to stay indoors for the most part due to social distancing - so this cocktail is a way to celebrate the warmer days to come and the sunshine we see from our windows! inspired by the classic jungle bird, this cocktail accentuates the sweet and spice notes of the rum in the beginning, then translates to bright acidity from the lime and pineapple mid palate, and finishes with the soft bitter notes of the two bitter liqueurs.
Don't Spare the Rye
Recipe by Lauren Pellecchia
Ingredients:
- 2 oz J.P. Wiser’s Rye Whisky
- .75 oz Tart Cherry-Maple Syrup
- .25 Triple Sec
- .25 Lemon Juice
- 2-3 Drops Orange Bitters
Preparation:
In a shaker tin, combine all ingredients. Add ice and shake. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with Orange peel.
*Tart Cherry-Maple Syrup – In a heavy pot combine equal parts Amber Maple Syrup and Maple Syrup. Over medium heat, stir frequently until the syrup has been completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Garnish:
Orange Peel
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
As my favorite musician, Corb Lund, sings “’Rye Whisky. Rye Whisky. Rye Whisky’, I cried. ‘If I don’t get Rye Whisky, I think I might die.’” Inspired by this song, and my own love of J.P. Wiser’s Rye Whisky, I wanted to feature my other favorite Canadian export- Maple Syrup. The tart cherry enhances the subtly notes of pear found in the Rye. And the spice of the rye is supported by the sweetness of the maple syrup.
Cherry Blossom
Recipe by Zofia Kazan
Ingredients:
- 2 oz J.P. Wiser Triple Barrel Rye
- 3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3/4 oz Lemongrass syrup
- 1/4 oz Vanilla syrup
- 1oz fresh Cherry Juice
- 3 Hibiscus Tea filled Large Format Ice Cubes.
- Lemongrass Syrup:
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1 cup of Water
- 2 Lemongrass stalks, core only and sliced
- Additional Lemongrass stalks
- Vanilla Syrup:
- 1 Cup of Sugar
- 1 Cup of Water
- 2 Vanilla Beans
- Hibiscus Tea IceCubes:
- Hibiscus Tea and Water
Preparation:
*Lemongrass Syrup
Combine sugar, water, and sliced lemongrass core in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and cool. Fill a jar with a few lemongrass stalks. Strain syrup into jar. Cover and keep in the refrigerator.
*Vanilla Syrup
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan.
Slice open the vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Spread open the vanilla bean pods and use your knife to scrape out the vanilla bean seeds. Add the seeds and the vanilla bean pods to the saucepan and stir.
Bring to a boil and stir for 1-2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool. Pour into a glass jar. Allow the vanilla bean syrup to cool completely, cover, and store in the fridge.
*Hibiscus Tea Ice Cubes
Brew Hibiscus Tea until it’s nice and red. Let it cool and Fill up a Large Format Ice Tray
*Cherry Blossom Cocktail
Mix all the above cocktail Ingredients in to a Cocktails Shaker. Hard Shake and Strain over Hibiscus Tea filled Ice in to a Snifter.
Garnish:
Orange Twist and a cherry
Glassware:
Snifter
Cocktail Inspiration:
Sitting in Central Park yesterday and looking at all the CherryBlossoms in full bloom, a dreamy and magical time of year, I was inspired to create this cocktail the “Cherry Blossom”. These Cherry Blossoms in Central Park were given as a gift from #Japan in 1912 to symbolize friendship. I would like to thank Chilled Magazine for showing their friendship to the Bar & Restaurant Community and aiding all the #unemployed Bartenders who lost their jobs due to Covid19 with this Cocktail Competition.
The CherryBlossom symbolizes the arrival of Spring, an emblem for new beginnings, a time for renewal, love,and affection, as well as a metaphor of the fleeting nature of mortality, as their season and Lives are short-lived, reflecting the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Life is beautiful,but short! There is even more meaning to this, during these hard times, and these cherry blossoms have given me such an enlightened view of what is happening during this pandemic, in my home, in my city, in the epicenter of the world.Time for renewal, love, affection and appreciation for the limited time we have on this planet.
There are many different species of Cherry Blossoms, over 600 different varieties. Regardless of their shape of petal, color, blooming period etc., they are still Cherry Blossoms.Much like the diversity of the people in the world, we are all Humans,no matter what,and we are all fragile (much like the Cherry Blossoms) and susceptable to this virus.We are all interconnected and need each other. We must all come together on a collaboration to fight the spread. New renewals means we will adapt to survive and there will be new beginnings once this is over. We must show love and affection for each other, as connection is so important to humanity, and help one another who are in need and affected by Covid19.
Spiced Chocolat Coffee
Recipe by LaShan Arceneaux
Ingredients:
- 1.5 ounces Saint James Rum
- 2 ounces cold brew coffee
- . 5 ounce garam masala simple syrup
- 2 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon Marie Brizard Chocolat Royal
- 1 tablespoon garam masala sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
Preparation:
Add ice, rum, coffee, and simple to shaker tin and shake
Strain into a coupe
Combine garam masala sugar and instant coffee in a bowl
Whip half of the sugar and coffee mixture with the heavy cream.
Top cocktail with whipped mixture
Dust with remaining sugar and coffee mixture
Garnish:
See above
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Everyone is into coffee cocktails right now. So I wanted to add a twist to it.
I love introducing people to flavor profiles from other parts of the world. This is my own garam masala blend that took over a year to perfect. Ginger, cloves, and cinnamon are at the forefront with black pepper and other spices bringing up the rear.
Gin Q
Recipe by Erica Mongeon
Ingredients:
- 1.5 OZ Van Gogh Gin
- .5 Mescal
- .5 Lime
- .25 Demerara
- 2.5 Cucumber juice
Preparation:
Shake and strain over ice.
Garnish:
Cucumber ribbon
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
A Summer Slammer. Low calorie and high alchohol
A Collective Paradise
Recipe by Aaron Joseph
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Cutty shark
- 1 oz J.P. wiser whisky
- .25 oz Bechorovka
- .5 oz fresh lemon Juice
- .25 oz fresh lime juice
- .75 oz Guava Orgeat Syrup
- 3 dashes of housemade Coffee-Hibiscus bitters.
- Garnish: Mint Sprig and graded toasted brazillian nutmeg
Preparation:
Place all liquid ingredients into cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake cocktail vigoursly for 25 seconds. Strain into Ice filled highball/stemless wine glass. Garnish with Mint Sprig and Graded Nutmeg.
Garnish:
Mint Sprig, Graded Toasted Nutmeg
Glassware:
Highball/Stemless wine glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This Cocktail is Named a Collective Paradise, inspired by the times I have spent in the Carribean, Hawaii, Mexico, and The South Pacific. Also I used my favorite tropical/tiki drink, The Mai Tai, as another form of Inspiration. The use of Cutty Shark and J.P. Wiser whiskies provide a lovely baking spice flavor that I can attribute to my time spent sitting around camp fires on the beach. The citrus component provides a bright refreshing note that reminds me of fun beach vibes and epic adventures in the sun. Adding Becharovka to this cocktail provides interesting herbal element that I feel every tropical environment has when your immersed. Guava orgeat adds a tropical, soothing, finish that every day in paradise should have that feeling.
La Benedición (The Blessing)
Recipe by Leonardo Urbina
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Casa San Matias Tahona Reposado
- .75 Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça
- .75 Lime juice
- 2 table spoon La Yogurt Probiotic Piña Colada Yogurt
- 2 dash ground cinnamon
- Barspoon white sugar
- 2 Holy Basil Leaves
Preparation:
Muddle basil in shaker with sugar and cinnamon.
Add yogurt and spirits (tequila and Cachaça listed in ingredients list)
Add lime juice.
Shake vigorously with ice.
Double strain into chilled coupe
Garnish:
Speared garnish of Basil and two fresh or canned pineapple cubes Glassware
Glassware:
Coupe (Chilled)
Cocktail Inspiration:
I started with thinking about something as a blessing for these tough times. I wanted something calming so I thought of the holy basil which is a natural anxiety relaxer. I've seen it used in my recent travels and wanted to incorporate it.
The reposado tequila has notes of ripe fruits, vanilla, and a lactic nose (think butter). This brought me to thinking about yogurt I had on hand.
The Novo Fogo Silver cachaça binds it with a touch of salinity and also adding funk and a savory quality. In combination it's a mouth watering sipper.
The citrus lifts it for that summer touch.
Finally the cinnamon spice and sugar rounds it all out.
It's a blessing to speak well of. Enjoy this in these tough times.
(Second copy due to first omitted citrus)
For Marie
Recipe by Janet Limet-Reda
Ingredients:
- 1.25 oz Marie Brizard Pear William
- 0.50 oz Kentucky Straight Bourbon (used Michters)
- 0.50 oz Grand Marnier
- 2.0 oz unsweetened almond milk
- Small scoop of dulce de Leche ice cream
- Small pinch of grated fresh ginger
- Pinch of salt
- 3dashes orange bitters
Preparation:
Add Marie Brizard Pear William, bourbon , Grand marnier in a cocktail tin or mixing glass. Grate a little fresh ginger, add a pinch of salt & orange bitters. Add the almond milk & softened Dulce De Leche ice cream. Add ice, shake well, strain into a martini glass. Garnish w/ grated nutmeg & orange zest.
Garnish:
Grated nutmeg & orange zest
Glassware:
Martini glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Made this for my friend ( she happens to be named) Marie, who loves creamy dessert cocktails but she’s not into anything w/ coffee or chocolate. All the ingredients pair well w/ Pear. It’s spirit forward, creamy & delicious. It’s a dessert & a cocktail , all in one .
The Happy Buddha
Recipe by John Solewski
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Scapegrace Dry Gin
- 1/2 oz. Aperol
- 1 oz blood orange purée
- 1/2 oz. simple syrup
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and strain into a martini glass
Garnish:
Orange wedge
Glassware:
Martini glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The gin and aperol work in balance with each other and the blood orange is more on the bitter side which lends itself to the aperol. The drink does need a little simple syrup to ease all the bitter and dry notes.
Mai Coffee Obsession
Recipe by Cole Herring
Ingredients:
- 1oz Novo Fogo Barrel-aged Cachaca
- 1oz Appleton Estate Reserve Blend Jamaican Rum
- .5oz Homemade Orgeat Syrup*
- 1oz Vanilla infused Cold Brew Coffee*
- .5oz Kahlua
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to shaker, shake and double strain into Coupe
Garnish with orange zest
*Homemade Orgeat:
2 cups blanched almonds
1.5 oz sugar
1.5 oz water
1 tbs. orange blossom water
1 oz vodka
*Vanilla infused Cold Brew Coffee
2 tbs. ground coffee of choice
10 oz water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
All in air tight container and leave in fridge for at least 12 hours
strain through coffee filter
Garnish:
Orange Zest
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
The inspiration is in the name. I have an obsession with coffee, but after my probably unhealthy amount of cups per day I like to switch over to a Tiki cocktail to finish the day. Why not make them one in the same and what says Tiki more than a Mai Tai? So I made them one in the same. The Novo Fogo Barrel-aged Cachaca has just enough subtle funk that mixes perfectly with a Jamaican Rum and of course there has to be Orgeat syrup to even consider it a Mai Tai variation. The vanilla infused coffee gives it just a little more depth while also keeping the bitter, coffee flavor. With there being no direct citrus in this cocktail, I had the idea to play the orange notes that reside in the base liquors by rounding it all out with the orange zest garish and it plays beautifully on the nose.
Corazón Sagrado
Recipe by Mark Tubridy
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Casa San Matias Tequila
- 0.5 oz Dry Vermouth
- 0.5 oz Aperol
- 0.75 oz Hibiscus Cordial*
- 2 Dashes Spiced Chocolate Bitters (The Bitter Truth)
- * Hibiscus Cordial
- Ingredients:
- Dried Hibiscus: 35g
- Agave Nectar: 300g
- Water: 100g
- Citric Acid: 1 tsp
- Tartaric Acid: 1/2 tsp
- Preparation:
- Combine agave nectar and water in a small saucepan over low-medium heat, stirring to achieve uniform consistency. Once the mixture just barely reaches a boil, remove it from heat and whisk in acids until they dissolve. While cordial is still hot, add hibiscus, stir to mix and then cover and let steep for 2 - 4 hours. Strain cordial and refrigerate.
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass; add ice and stir well to chill. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube and insert one thin piece of Mexican cinnamon bark into the glass.
Garnish:
Mexican Cinnamon Bark
Glassware:
Rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
El Sagrado Corazón, or the Sacred Heart, is an important symbol throughout the world, representing unconditional love and protection even during tumultuous and painful times. Regardless of your religious beliefs, I think we can all find some comfort in the idea that in the midst of this great challenge facing humanity, love remains eternal, and there are many selfless hearts making sacrifices to keep us safe. I’m reminded of this selflessness each day as New York City residents, and others around the world, take a moment to show their appreciation for the healthcare workers who are risking their lives to help save ours.
Corazón Sagrado is a loose adaptation on a tequila Negroni, inspired by the wealth of wonderful Mexican flavors introduced to me by my wife Jazmin, who was born in Puebla. With Casa San Matias laying a strong foundation, the cocktail develops herbal and bitter notes with dry vermouth and Aperol, a pop of brightness with a tart hibiscus cordial, and a layer of depth with spiced chocolate bitters. Bold, balanced and passionate, Corazón Sagrado reminds me of the strength we need to endure this turmoil, but more importantly, the faith that we’ll rise above it.
Italian Cream
Recipe by Erica Mongeon
Ingredients:
- 1.5 Van Gogh Vodka
- 1 Strawberry Syrup
- .25 Lemon Juice
- .25 Condensed Milk
- Fill Soda
Preparation:
Shake and Dump
Add Ice
Fill soda water
Garnish:
Strawberry & Mint
Glassware:
WIne Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Patio sipper. Similar to an Italian soda
Banana Passion
Recipe by Christina Mercado
Ingredients:
- 1.25 oz Novo Fogo Barrel Aged Cachaca
- 0.5 oz banana liqueur
- 0.25 oz passionfruit puree
- 0.5 oz orange liqueur
- 0.25 oz cinnamon syrup
- 2 oz ginger beer
Preparation:
- shake all ingredients except for ginger beer with ice and pour over fresh ice into collins glass
- top with ginger beer and stir twice quickly to combine
- garnish
Garnish:
2 dashes vanilla bitters, caramelized banana slices and a lime slice
Glassware:
collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
all you need to do is start with one summer cocktail and you're led down a long path of bright, easy sipping cocktails! This cocktail began with the idea of passionfruit. It is a very powerful ingredient that can easily over power. But I wanted the fruit and spice notes of the cachaca so shine so i decided to make the passionfruit a supporting note, and to bring the banana forward. Together, this cocktail is smooth and spicy, with just enough acidity to make it very refreshing.
Jamaica Flower
Recipe by Belonni Jean Pierre
Ingredients:
- 2.00oz Van Gogh Vodka
- 0.50oz Orange Liquor
- 0.50oz lemon Juice
- 1.00oz pineapple juice
- 0.75oz Hibiscus surup
Preparation:
Add all ingredients in the shaker. Shake for 10 seconds and pour in a Martini Glass
Garnish:
Orange peel and Hibiscus gelatin flower
Glassware:
Martini glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Bringing to life the Caribbean Flavor. Working on making drinks for the last round I decided to go more Caribbean Vibe. Hibiscus is one of the flavor from the Caribbean and Miami being so close to it I decided to show you something more like me!!!! Cheers
Cantaloupe Dream
Recipe by Anita Pedroza
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Novo Fogo Barrel Aged Cachaça
- 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 3 oz Sweetened coconut milk
- 3-4 frozen Cantaloupe chunks
Preparation:
For frozen melon, Scoop or chop of the cantaloupe and freeze on a sheet tray.
Add all cocktail ingredients into blender with 1 to 2 pieces of ice. Blend until smooth and pour into your favorite collins glass.
Garnish:
Citrus wheel and cocktail umbrella
Glassware:
Collins or Tiki glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was yearning for the warmth and peacefulness of a beach. What could be better than a frozen coconut refresher to pretend I'm there?
The flavors of cinnamon and coffee from the cachaça go delightfully well with coconut, cantaloupe and lime. All we're missing is the cool ocean breeze.
Tub Time
Recipe by Amber Dobos
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Scapegrace Dry Gin
- 0.5 oz lemon juice
- 0.5 oz pineapple juice
- 0.25 oz butterfly pea flower syrup
- Barspoon cherry jam
- Two drops sesame oil
- Pineapple jelly *
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients except the last with ice. Double strain into chilled Nick and Nora. Pour in 0.5 oz pineapple jelly and let it sink to bottom.
Pineapple jelly: cook one half cup pineapple juice with one tablespoon cornstarch, stirring constantly until thickens enough to cover back of spoon. Refrigerate 3 hours.
Butterfly pea syrup: 1:1 simple syrup ratio with 1:4 cup butterfly pea flowers brought to boil and strained.
Garnish:
Butterfly Pea Flower
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Cocktail Inspiration:
Always looking for a bathtub beverage to have on hand, this is a fun and fruity cup that has a treat at the bottom. Using the Scapegrace Dry gives an earthy feel to this layered-nut-jelly beverage that comes at you in waves of flavor.
Carrot Cachaca
Recipe by Erica Mongeon
Ingredients:
- 2 Cachaca
- 3 Carrot Juice
- .25 Condensed Milk
- Bitters
- Nutmeg
Preparation:
Shake and strain over ice
Bitters crown
Nutmeg sprinkle
Garnish:
Nutmeg
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
Fall and Autumn. (Jamaican and Brazilian) inspired.
Sweet and balanced festive sipper
Smoke Break Julep
Recipe by Priscilla Farina
Ingredients:
- 2 oz cutty sark
- .5 oz Smoked honey sage syrup
- 1 drop rose water
- 5 muddled Muddled mintl eaves
Preparation:
Smoked honey sage is made with 2 parts honey, 1 part steeped sage water.
Put into a deli with sage and applewood added to the smoke gun and sealed for 1 hour repeating smoking process 3 times.
Build into Julep cup everything except rose water and finished with 1 drop of rose water on top of the crushed ice and mint to garnish.
Garnish:
Mint and 1 drop rose water
Glassware:
Julep Cup
Cocktail Inspiration:
I created this recipe because it's that time of year where juleps are everywhere. I wanted something to compliment and bring out the savory and vegetal notes i love about Cutty Sark. Sage and applewood bring a beautiful balance to the drink and the rose water ads a pop of aromatics that is the "invisible garnish"
T
Recipe by Andrew Ball
Ingredients:
- 3 oz. Soda Water
- 1 1/2 oz. Van Gogh Vodka
- 1 1/2 oz. Tribuno
- 1/2 oz. St. Germain
- 3 dsh. Angostura Bitters
Preparation:
Stir and Strain.
Garnish:
Mint
Glassware:
Flute
Cocktail Inspiration:
Vodka is the spirit of texture, wonderfully expressed Van Gogh Vodka. This riff on a spritz s to show that elegance while playing seasonal to the upcoming summer season..
Exploda Paloma
Recipe by Zofia Kazan
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz San Matias Blanco Jalapeño Infused Tequila
- 1 oz Marie Brizard Ederflower
- 1/2 oz Marie Blizzard Orange Curaçao
- 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 oz Grapefruit Juice
- 2 oz Ginger Beer
Preparation:
*San Matias Blanco Jalapeño Infused Tequila
Slice 3 Jalapeños in to thin slices and drop in them in to the Tequila bottle and let the bottle sit for a minimum of 3 days to infuse the Tequila with the Jalapeño flavor and spice.
*Exploda Paloma
Combine all the cocktail ingredients above in a Cocktail Shaker, except for the Ginger Beer. Hard Shake and pour over cracked ice in a Pilsner and top with the Ginger Beer.
Garnish:
Dried Pineapple Ring and Dried Mango Slice (Or whatever Dry Fruit you have in your Pantry)
Glassware:
Pilsner
Cocktail Inspiration:
A favorite Cocktail of mine! I just want to Exploda with this Paloma during this Quarantine!!!
Don't Be Sour
Recipe by Christina Mercado
Ingredients:
- 1.25 oz Cutty Sark
- 0.75 oz banana liqueur
- 0.75 oz lime juice
- 0.5 oz drambuie
- 0.25 oz all spice dram
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
Preparation:
- Shake all ingredients with ice and pour over fresh ice into a rocks glass
- garnish!
Garnish:
2 caramelized banana spears with a toasted cinnamon stick
Glassware:
rocks
Cocktail Inspiration:
I personally love whisky cocktails all year long, but especially in the summer! A great whiskey sour can go a long way when your relaxing by the water! So for this cocktail I knew I wanted to create a summer whiskey cocktail with Cutty Sark to accentuate its natural vanilla and citrus notes. The banana and spices add depth and sweetness to balance the tart, yet remain just subtle enough to let the whiskey shine in this cocktail. It was a trial and error process to get the balance just right, but the final result is a smooth and uplifting libation!
Tea Clippings
Recipe by Railli Kowall
Ingredients:
- 1.75oz Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whiskey
- .75 Gran Classico
- .75oz Lemon juice
- .75 oz Thyme and mustard seed honey simple
Preparation:
For simple syrup boil one cup water with fresh thyme, a tbsp of mustard seeds, with the peel of one lemon let sit for an hour. Strain and add a cup of honey. Combine all ingredients in shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into glass with large ice cube and garnish with fresh thyme.
Garnish:
Fresh thyme
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by the first garden I've ever had. it is currently blooming with fresh herbs and so much inspiration. the name Tea Clippings is a nod to the Cutty Sark tea clipper and the garden clipping that create so many great flavors
Sea of Clouds
Recipe by Kevin Rhodes
Ingredients:
- Drink:
- 1.5 oz Cutty Sark
- 1.5 oz coconut milk
- 1.5 oz oat milk
- 0.75 oz taro boba tea syrup
- Foam:
- 1 egg white
- 1 oz makrut lime syrup
- 0.25 oz matcha powder
Preparation:
First, make makrut lime syrup by simmering makrut lime peel in equal parts white sugar and water.
Next, make the foam by vigorously whipping the makrut lime syrup with the egg and matcha powder until it is firm.
Place all drink ingredients in a shaker tin, whip shake briefly, then pour onto pebble ice in a Collins glass. Gently spoon foam on top. Garnish with matcha powder and mint sprig.
Garnish:
Matcha powder and mint
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Sea of Clouds was inspired by a phenomenon in northern Japan where the clouds appear to cascade down Mount Tomamu like a waterfall. Cutty Sark is my go-to whisky for this drink because it is fairly delicate and the barley plays nicely with the earthy elements of mountain yam, taro, and matcha. The nautical theme also helps.
I also like this drink because the base is so easy to make at home with just Cutty Sark, coconut milk, oat milk, and taro boba tea powder.
Transfusion Reaction
Recipe by Danielle Marone
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Van Gogh vodka
- 1/2 oz. Pavan liquer
- 2 oz. white grape juice
- 1/2 oz. ginger beer
- Prosecco float
- Basil and sliced grapes
Preparation:
In wide tulip glass add ice, sliced grapes and shredded basil leaves. Pour in the rest of the ingredients except the prosecco. Float prosecco on top.
Garnish:
Sliced grapes and basil
Glassware:
Wide tulip glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
Taking a classic transfusion cocktail and changing it up a bit with the freshness of basil, the light prosecco float to take away a bit of sweetness and the white grape juice allows one to see the beautiful grapes and basil in the drink.
Wander in Wonder
Recipe by Lauren Pellecchia
Ingredients:
- 2 oz San Matias Tahona Reposado
- .5 oz Pomegranate Molasses
- .25 oz Lemon Juice
- .25 oz Triple Sec
Preparation:
In a shaker tin, add all ingredients. Shake with ice, about 10 seconds to combine. Strain into a Collins glass, rimmed with black salt, over fresh ice.
Garnish:
Black Salt to rim the glass
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
In the not-so-distant-past, when trips to the grocery store did not require masks, I used to spend way too much time browsing. Even if I had a grocery list, I would leisurely wander the aisles. I would always bring home at least one new, interesting item. On one of the last relaxed grocery shops I did, Pomegranate Molasses and wondered what I could do with it. It is this beautiful, sweet/tart/tangy syrup that I fell in love with. It’s a big bold flavor, so it needed a spirit that wouldn’t get lost or overpowered. I reached for the San Matias Tahona Reposado, with its slight nuttiness and notes of honey, carried through the Pomegranate Molasses.
The Shores of Montreal
Recipe by Jackson Wolph
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz JP Wisers Triple rye
- .5 oz Grahams six grapes port
- 1 oz of brown sugar vanilla syrup
- 1 oz of lemon juice
- 3 drops of salted Bittermans Xocolatl Mole bitters
- 6 smoked and carbonated sweetened black berries
- 3 atomizer sprays of St elizabeths all spice dram.
Preparation:
In an isi whipper add 8 oz of black berries. Then cover with your brown sugar vanilla syrup, 6 dashes of Bittermans Xocolats Mole Bitters and 2 oz JP Wisers Triple Rye fill the isi whipper with pecan wood smoke making sure to let the initial ignition smoke escape into the air and seal. Carbonate with to CO2 chargers and gently shake. Let sit for 4 hours in the fridge then rapidly discharge. Maintain the seal until they are ready for use.
Combine all the ingredients except for 3 of the black berries into a shaker, muddle the black berries and shake with 2 ice cubes (1×1) until they are fully dissolved and pour over fresh ice in a double rocks garnish with 3 remaining black berries and a generous sprig of chocolate mint.
Garnish:
3 smoked, sweetened and carbonated black berries and a generous sprig of chocolate mint.
Glassware:
Double rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I really wanted to imagine what it would be like to take one of canadas most populated areas and tiki-fy it. This is my take on that transformation. I added some fresh tropical vibes to my canadian whisky base with fresh fruit and elevated it by adding beautiful layers of smoke and spice to the cocktail, the bubbling fragrant black berries fill your direct space with the smell of a minty, woodsy, smoke remniscent of a campfire on the beach, in the evergreen forests of Canada.
Becher and Tomato
Recipe by Andrew Ball
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Becherovka
- 1 1/2 oz. Tomato Water\
- 2 tsp. Sugar
- 2 drps. Vanilla Extract
Preparation:
Shake and Double Strain.
Garnish:
Basil
Glassware:
Stemless Sherry
Cocktail Inspiration:
In Hanover County, Virginia, tomatoes are strictly business, inevitably as they made there way to our sandwiches, they also invade our spirits.
Ahoj Krásko ( Hello Beautiful )
Recipe by Pauline Sauer
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Becherovka
- .5 oz Dark Rum
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
- .5 oz Coconut Cold Brew Coffee *
- .5 oz Lemon Juice
- .5 oz Rich Demerara 2:1
- .5 Tbsp Dried Coconut
- Garnish
- .75 oz Coconut Cold Brew
- Pineapple Leaves
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into shaker
Shake with Ice
Double strain in to old fashion glass
Add Ice cubes
Topped with .75 oz Coconut cold brew
Garnish with Pineapple leaves
*Coconut Cold Brew
4 parts Coconut Water
1 Part Coarsely Ground Coffee
Garnish:
.75 oz Coconut Cold Brew/ Pineapple Leaves
Glassware:
Old Fashion
Cocktail Inspiration:
When I taste Becherovka it makes me think of a different time and place. Becherovka has a distinctive taste of spices- cinnamon, cloves and ginger balanced with notes of dark sugar, licorice and menthol . It reminds me of the holidays, spiced cookies, and tropical vacations. It allows me to escape my home, which has become all too familiar. It made sense to use it in a classic rum cocktail, the Bahama Mama. Becherovka is swapped out as the base spirit as it adds a bouquet of complex spices. A small about of aged rum and a rich demerara sugar backs it up to give a deeper flavor. Fresh pineapple, dried coconut, citrus, and cold brewed coffee balance it out to give it a refreshing tropical flavor. The cold brew, which is made using coconut water, adds flavor and body, and it tops the cocktail, enhancing the aroma.
Banana Breaderovka
Recipe by Railli Kowall
Ingredients:
- half a small Banana
- 2oz Becherovka
- .75oz Lairds Applejack
- .25oz Rothman and winter orchard Apricot
- .25oz Liquor 43
- pinch of saffron
Preparation:
Muddle banana well add all ingredients to your cocktail shaker and shake vigorously with ice. Double strain into coupe and garnish with saffron
Garnish:
saffron
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was inspired by a zoom meeting we had for work where we tasted 4 different banana breads our amazing pastry chef made. We all voted for our favorite and this cocktail is a liquid version of our unanimous favorite pick
Tropical Blood
Recipe by Priscilla Farina
Ingredients:
- 2 oz st James Rum
- 4 oz Frozen Spiced Coconut Banana
- 1oz Blood Orange Lime Juice
Preparation:
*Spices Frozen Coconut and banana:
2 frozen Bananas, 1/4 cup coco lopez, 4 oz 5 spice tea (1 oz herbs to 8 oz water Cinnamon,clove, fennel,anise,ginger,nutmeg, allspice)
Blend in blender.
Blood orange lime juice:
2 blood oranges to 1 squeezed lime. blend in blender fine strain pulp.
Pour Rum into the glass, Fill with Coconut Banana mixture, top with blood orange and lime.
Garnish:
Mint
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
I wanted to create a multi-national feeling tropical drink. The spice and fruit trade brought many different herbs, fruits and spices to islands all over the world and there is many crossovers in spice in Asian spices , Mediterranean blood oranges and Caribbean spices and flavors to create a marriage of cultures inspite this drink!.
Battle of the Pacific Theatre
Recipe by Chris Toribio
Ingredients:
- 1oz Saint James Rhum Blanc Agricole
- .5oz Pandan Syrup*
- .5oz Passionfruit Syrup
- .5oz Pineapple Juice
- .5oz Lime Juice
- .5oz Latitude 29 Orgeat
- Absinthe for aroma
Preparation:
Add all ingredients in a shaker and add 2 Koldraft Ice Cubes and whip shake.
Pour into a double rocks glass and add crushed ice.
Add garnishes and spray with absinthe
*Pandan Syrup*
Steep 10 pandan leaves in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes.
Process in a food processor and fine strain in a container.
Add equal parts sugar and let cool.
*Ube Lace Tuile*
100g water
13g flour
36g canola oil
4 drops Butterfly Use Extract
Mix everything using a whisk until fully incorporated.
In low heat using a nonstick pan, carefully pour the mixture little by little to get wanted size.
carefully use a spatula to take the tuile when cooked.
Garnish:
Pineapple Fronds and Uber Lace Tuile
Glassware:
Double Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
During World War II, The Pacific Theatre happened around The Philippines. American soldiers would later leave Jeeps behind which The country would turn into their main transportation called the jeepney. Jeepney is also a tiki bar that I run in NYC that embraces everything Filipino. Don The Beachcomber would also hire 4 Filipinos to work at the first tiki bar exclusively during this time and called them The Lost Boys. I think the ingredients I used like pandan and ube encompasses the history of tiki and it's origins.
Paul John Sherwani
Recipe by Mayur Bhatia
Ingredients:
- Paul John Bold
- luxardo maraschino
- Extra dry vermouth (dolins)
Preparation:
Pour the following in a stirring glass full of ice:
1.5oz Paul John Bold
3/4 oz luxardo maraschino
3/4 oz Dolins extra dry vermouth
Stir gently
Pour in a rocks glass with a large ice cube and garnish with a fresh mint leaf
Garnish:
Mint leaf
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
The Sherwani is a traditional Indian dress. Honoring the Paul John bold and being bold, the Sherwani is a take on the classic Tuxedo, but with the great Indian single malt, Paul John Whisky.
FOLSKY
Recipe by Carlos Enrique Cuarta
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ oz. Paul John EDITED Indian Single Malt
- 1 oz. Coffee Liquor
- ¾ oz Coconut Liquor
- ½ oz Lemon Juice
- ¼ Honey Syrup
- 2 Dashes Orange Bitters
- 2 Dashes Aromatic Bitters
Preparation:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, ice the tin and shake. Strains into a coupe filled with crushed ice.
Garnish with thyme sprig, orange wheel and ground fresh nutmeg on top of the cocktail.
Garnish:
Orange Wheel – Thyme Sprig – Fresh Ground Nutmeg
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
The inspiration for this cocktail was the whisky itself, all the flavors and aromas of the JP Edited Expression. The fruitiness, the sweet spices, the woody notes and of course, the peat notes on it, that mingle really well to obtain great flavor and body.
Whiskey Faba
Recipe by Erica Mongeon
Ingredients:
- 2 JP Whiskey
- 1 Ginger Syrup
- .75 Lemon Juice
- .75 Aqua Faba
- 2 Dashes of Orange Bitters
Preparation:
Dry shake and wet shake and then Strain.
Garnish:
Orange Zest
Glassware:
Coup
Cocktail Inspiration:
California vegan whiskey sour with a ginger bite. Refreshing and filling
Here are all my cocktails in one detailed video.
PLEASE WATCH
https://vimeo.com/414638661
Password- rikki
Pepo Shake
Recipe by Railli Kowall
Ingredients:
- 2oz Novo Fogo Silver
- .75oz acid adjusted Passionfruit simple
- .5oz Lairds Applejack
- .5oz Coconut Cream
- 2 dash orange bitters
Preparation:
for passion fruit simple take 5 passion fruits and boil with 3 tbsp water. Add more water if needed. reduce to one cup and add one cup sugar. Let cool and add a tsp of citric acid. Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. strain into glass with large rock
Garnish:
no garnish
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by The Great Australian bake off. after watching all of the Great British bake off I moved to the Great American bake off and am now currently binging Australia. This continent loves passionfruit!!! Like loooovves it! Anyone who uses it in a bake always gets hight marks. It made me want to try a cocktail with it.
A Summers Chill
Recipe by Giovanni Fioramonte
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged
- .5 oz 1:1 Honey Syrup
- .5 oz Lemon Juice
- 1/8 tsp Ginger Powder
- 3 Dash Allspice Dram
- Shake with a 2x2 Apple Juice Ice Cube* and 2 regular ice cubes
- Dump over new ice
Preparation:
Fill a 2x2 silicone ice mold with apple juice and freeze 6 hours or overnight
Garnish:
Apple Wheel and Candied Dehydrated Orange Stick
Glassware:
Cinnamon, Ginger, Sugar Rimmed Wine Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I alwayts think of apples when I drink barrel-aged cachaca. After that thought I just added ingredients that I tihought would kill it with apples and the nice oakey funk of the cachaca.
No Rules
Recipe by Katy Dimick
Ingredients:
- 60ml fat washed Paul John Bold Whisky
- 20ml lemon juice
- 20ml turmeric ginger tea syrup
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
- Fat washed whisky:
- Cook bacon or pancetta in a frying pan. Pour excess fat into a jar and fill the jar with whisky. Shake and let infuse overnight. Put jar in the freezer. Once the fat has solidified, strain the liquid through a mesh strainer.
- Tea syrup:
- Brew tea. While still hot, mix with equal parts sugar.
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a tin with ice. Shake. Double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with fresh dill.
Garnish:
Fresh dill
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
Creating both food and drinks with minimal waste has always been something I have strived for. Now more than ever it feels important to use as much of each ingredient as possible. Indulgence also feels newly important, be it baked goods or bacon. Why not put bacon in everything? I’ve been told there are no rules in Covid. The peat from the whisky felt like the perfect partner for bacon. I chose turmeric and ginger to pay homage to John Paul’s Indian origins.
Under the Plum Tree
Recipe by Kelly Chi
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Paul John Brilliance
- 0.75 oz Honey syrup*
- 0.5 oz Lemon juice
- 0.25 oz Choya Umeshu
- 4-5 sprigs fresh lavender
- Barley tea large ice cube *
Preparation:
*** Honey Syrup 2:1
200 g honey
100 g water
Combine in saucepan on medium to high heat.Stir until dissolved.
*** Barley tea ice cube
10 g barley tea (found at Asian grocery stores and some natural grocery stores)
400 g boiling hot water
Steep for 5 mins
Pour into large ice cube mold and freeze
Prep:
Combine Paul John Brilliance, honey syrup, lemon juice, umeshu and lavender in a shaker tin. Muddle fresh lavender. Shake vigorously for 7-10 seconds. Double strain into a rocks glass on top of large barley tea ice cube.
Garnish:
Flowering lavender sprig
Glassware:
Rocks glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This drink was inspired by my outdoor garden and the new green growth in my backyard as we move through spring. Despite the difficult and challenging times we are in, one of the silver linings for me was the newfound time to work on and appreciate my garden and outdoor space. This time of year lavender is abundant in my garden and I was happy to get a chance to use it in a cocktail. It had a mildly floral and unique herbaceousness that complimented the sweet fragrance and mild spices found in Paul John Brilliance.
I also happen to have a lovely plum tree in my backyard which I make homemade umeshu with the plums. At this time of year, it is too early to make my own umeshu but I was inspired to still incorporate it somehow. The readily commercially available Choya umeshu adds a little bitterness to balance the sweetness of the whisky and honey, while also adding a slightly tart but flavorful fruit quality.
With the barley tea ice cube, the drink continues to evolve as it waters down. The hint of toastiness from the barley tea ice cube, combined with the fresh lavender brings an experience reminiscent of refreshing ice tea in the summertime.
*Photo shows the lavender in my garden used in the drink
Huge & Sting Crazy
Recipe by Giovanni Fioramonte
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Blanco Tequila
- .5 oz Van Gogh Citroen Vodka
- 1 oz lemon
- .5 oz elderflower
- .5 oz 1;1 honey syrup*
- 2 oz dash bittercube Jamaican No.2 bitters
- Shake, dump
- .5 tingala float
Preparation:
Heat equal parts by weight honey:water in a pot until combined.
Chill
Garnish:
Flowers & candied orange spear
Glassware:
Double Rocks Glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I laugh every time at the "they're huge and sting crazy" line on "Tommy Boy" and I wanted to make a cocktail that reminded me of that happiness. I love margaritas and I thought a "bee" influenced (floral) type of marg would be perfect.
TBrizard's Thin Mint Granita
Recipe by Priscilla Farina
Ingredients:
- 2oz Marie Brizard No 42 White Cocoa
- 12 Mint tea Ice cubes
- Powdered grape fruit zest
Preparation:
Mint tea Ice cubes-
12 oz water to 1 cup fresh mint leaves chopped
Steep 4 minutes- put into Ice Cube tray till Frozen
Grape fruit zested and dehydrated until dry muddled into a powder
*can sub fresh grapefruit zest*
Blend 2 oz of Marie Brizards white coco with all 12 ice cubes and put into a cup, garnish with
Grapefruit powder and Mint + basil bouquet
Garnish:
Grape fruit powder, mint and basil bouquet
Glassware:
Parfait glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
I absolutely love the flavor of white chocolate and the first thing I thought of when I has this is I wanted frozen thin mint cookies. So I made it happen! Its delicious by itself with no added sweeteners and it's garnished with a light dusting of dried grapefruit powder to give a hint of citrus to compliment the white chocolate and mint flavors.
Grapefruit adds a touch of bitterness and citrus oil and basil in the mint bouquet ads a complexity to the delicate well matched flavors of chocolate and mint. I had a really fun time making and drinking this creation.
Wanderlust
Recipe by Giovanni Fioramonte
Ingredients:
- muddle kiwi 1/4 and 6 - 8 flat parsley leaves
- .5 aquafaba*
- .5 lemon
- .25 lime
- .75 simple
- 1 dash ango
- 2 Van Gogh Citroen
- Shake, Double Strain
Preparation:
Pop open a can of garbanzo beans and separate the water from the beans.
Refrigerate the bean water (acua-faba) until needed, for up to a week.
Garnish:
Kiwi quarter, parsley and angostura drops
Glassware:
Coupe or Martini
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was messing around with vodka drinks and really wanted to use kiwi because they're one of my favorite fruits. I love kiwi and parsley together and it was obvious to me that they would shine with vodka as a sort of daiquiri.
Nothing Is Real
Recipe by Giovanni Fioramonte
Ingredients:
- Muddle strawberry half
- .5 acquafaba
- 2 Saint James Fleur de Canne
- .75 lemon
- .25 Combier Banana Liqueur
- .75 simple 1:1*
- 1 dash ango
- Shake, single strain
Preparation:
Measure equal parts white sugar and water, by weight, and cook in a pot until combined.
Bottle and chill until needed.
Garnish:
Toasted Coconut Flakes
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was trying to create something tropical with strawberries and the Beatles came on and I immediately thought about 'Strawberry Fields Forever" and remembered the "nothing is real line" and it just stuck. Banana, strawberry and rum work so well together.
View of Arles
Recipe by Railli Kowall
Ingredients:
- 2oz Quince Blossom infused Van gogh
- 1oz Acid adjusted Rhubarb juice
- .5oz Aperol
- .25 Liquor 43
- Tbsp Coconut Cream
Preparation:
add 1/2 cup quince blossoms to four cups Van Gogh vodka, leave over night and strain. for rhubard juice, juice rhubarb until you have two cups fresh juice and add 1tsp citric acid. combine all ingredients in shaker with ice. Double strain into coupe
Garnish:
no garnish
Glassware:
coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired from blooming quince trees. the flowers are a beautiful pink and are often left to fall off the tree unlike the fruit that will grow in a few month. The neglected flowers have an amazing amaretto flavor that is beautifully released when seeped in Vodka.
TropiScotch
Recipe by Giovanni Fioramonte
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Cutty Sark Prohibition
- .75 oz Coconut Orgeat*
- .25 Combier Banana Liqueur
- 1 dash Angostura
- Stir
- Pour over a coconut water ice cube **
Preparation:
*Coconut Orgeat
8 oz unsweetened coconut milk
3.5 oz organic cane sugar
.5 oz coconut sugar for a darker, richer flavor
½ tsp orange flower water
¼ tsp coconut extract
Heat coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Add orange flower water and coconut extract.
Put in a sealable container, cover and refrigerate.
**Fill a 2x2 silicone ice mold with unsweetened coconut water and freeze 6 hours or overnight.
Garnish:
Torched orange wheel
Glassware:
Tumbler
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love scotch and coconut soda together so I thought about Mai Tais and how those sort of flavors would be nice with scotch. I love DIY'ing and I HAD to make an almond-free coconut orgeat specifically for this drink. Super easy and fun.
Gotham
Recipe by Giovanni Fioramonte
Ingredients:
- 2 Paul John Bold Indian Single Malt Whisky
- .5 Lucano Anniversario amaro
- .25 Stolen Smoked rum
- .25 Borghetti Caffe
- 1 dash angostura
- 1 dash Bittercube Jamaican #2
- Stir, single strain over a 2x2 ice cube
Preparation:
No extra prep needed
Garnish:
Dehydrated Pineapple Slice
Glassware:
Tumbler
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love bitter and dark when I'm drinking whiskey. I was also craving coffee when I made this up. Immediately thought about Gotham and Batman after I started sipping it, haha.
Morning in Macau
Recipe by Priscilla Farina
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Van Gogh Vodka
- 5 Oz Spiced Chai Banana Milk
- 2 oz Spice Whipped Honeycomb Dalgona Espresso
Preparation:
add Van gogh vodka to a collins glass, fill with spiced Banana Milk, Top of Whipped espresso garnish with nutmeg.
Banana Milk:
add 2 Frozen Bananas, with 1.5 cups of Chai tea, 1/2 cup sugar in blender until smooth
Whipped honeycomb Spiced dalgona espresso:
add 2oz sugar, 2oz +1 tsp hot water, 2oz Bustelo instant espresso 1 tsp honey comb powder ,1/4 table spoon nutmeg, 1/4 table spoon allspice in bowl and whip until very think and golden in color. (10 minutes with a whisk)
*Can subsitute the honeycomb powder for powdered malt.*
Garnish:
Nutmeg and allspice sprinkles
Glassware:
Collins
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love white russian cocktails so and time I can play around with a fun vodka and elevate the drink with playfull riffs I am game for it. The "dalgona coffee" trend is a whipped instant coffee drink originating from India. I wanted to enhance the flavor by adding some spices to the whipped coffee as well as the malt like sweetness from honeycomb powder it takes the coffee topping to another level.
I wanted to accompany more native flavors to the coffee style by combining banana and chai to make this Van gogh cocktail feel like a mini vacation hiding in your pantry with instant coffee, bananas and my pal vodka.
La Mocuana
Recipe by Giovanni Fioramonte
Ingredients:
- Build In Glass
- 2 dash combier banana
- 3 dash borghetti caffe
- 2 dash corazon bitters
- .25 John d. Taylor Velvet falernum
- 1.5 J.P. Wiser's Deluxe Canadian Whisy
- .5 Saint James Rhum Paille Agricole
- Stir
Preparation:
No extra prep
Garnish:
Dehydrated pineapple slice
Glassware:
Tumbler
Cocktail Inspiration:
I was tasked with creating a special cocktail for a hurricane relief dinner and this is what I did
Czech tha Rhime
Recipe by Manuel Nieves
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Becherovka
- .5 oz Rhum Agricole
- 5-6 Raspberries
- .75 oz oroblanco grapefruit juice
- .75 oz lime cordial
Preparation:
Muddle raspberries In shaker tin
Combine the rest of ingredients in tin
Shake hard, fine strain into a Collins glass and fill with pebble ice
Lime cordial
Combine 1 cup of lime juice with 1 cup of granulated white sugar by volume.
Add 1 oz of vodka
Stir until consistent
Bottle and refrigerate before usage
Garnish:
Mint sprig
Glassware:
Collins glass
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail is inspired by tribe called quests check the rhime. It incorporates the colors of the album cover
Rhum Agricole and Becherovka in any sour type cocktail are amazing the ethanol gives the herbal notes an extra PUNCH that doesn’t hide any of the complexity of the Becherovka, it makes it shine!
Sub Zero Slammer
Recipe by Giovanni Fioramonte
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Scapegrace Dry Gin
- 1.5 oz Coconut Orgeat*
- .5 oz lime juice
- .25 Grade A Amber Maple Syrup
- .25 Absinthe (I used Mata Hari)
- Shake and pour over a cocnut water ice cube**
Preparation:
*Coconut Orgeat
8 oz unsweetened coconut milk
3.5 oz organic cane sugar
.5 oz coconut sugar for a darker, richer flavor
½ tsp orange flower water
¼ tsp coconut extract
Heat coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Add orange flower water and coconut extract.
Put in a sealable container, cover and refrigerate.
** fill a 2x2 silicone ice mold with unsweetened coconut water and freeze at least 6 hours or over night
Garnish:
Dehydrated pineapple slice with grated nutmeg and cinnamon
Glassware:
Tumbler
Cocktail Inspiration:
I love tropical drinks and I really like Missionary Downfalls and gin in general. I wanted to show that gin can be used in other fun ways where you would expect rum instead.
Wise and Shine
Recipe by Railli Kowall
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz JP Wiser Rye
- 1oz Coffee infused Gran Classico
- 1oz Carpano Antica
- .25oz China China
- Orange bitters
Preparation:
infuse Gran Classico with light roast coffee beans for 24 hours. Combine all ingredients and stir with ice. Strain and pour into Coupe
Garnish:
Orange Twist
Glassware:
Coupe
Cocktail Inspiration:
This cocktail was inspired a local Coffee shop that has had to pivot a lot due to Covid-19. They started roasting their own beans and selling them in order to stay afloat and I has happy to support them and their new venture
Queen Anne’s Revenge
Recipe by Manuel Nieves
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz cutty sark prohibition
- .5 oz rye whiskey (high proof)
- .75 oz lemon juice
- .75 oz vanilla orgeat
- .25 oz Marie Brizard orange liqueur
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in shaker tin. Whip shake with a small amount of pebble ice.
Dump into double old fashioned glass
Top with more crushed ice.
Vanilla orgeat
1 cup almond milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 oz almond extract
1/4oz vanilla extract
1/8oz orange flower water
Combine ingredients and stir well over high heat
Bottle and refrigerate before using
Garnish:
Mint sprig +orange slice
Glassware:
Double old fashioned
Cocktail Inspiration:
Queen Anne’s revenge was Blackbeard the pirates famous ship.
This brings that “gunpowder punch” of whiskey with the prohibition and rye.
This is a riff on a traditional trader Vic’s mai tai.
The vanilla orgeat is tasty ,simple and makes a fantastic mai tai.
But a scotch mai tai is out of this world!
Catherine’s Cosmo
Recipe by Brian Mulligan
Ingredients:
- Van Gogh Vodka
- Mari Brizzard Parfet Amore
- Triple Sec
- Lime Juice
- Cranberry Juice
- Lemon
Preparation:
Combine 1.5 oz Van Gogh Vodka with 1.0 oz Mari Brizzard Partfet Amore, 0.25 oz triple sec, 0.5 oz lime juice, 0.25 oz cranberry juice, all in a mixing glass. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a pink sugared rum and a lemon twist.
Garnish:
Pink sugared rim, lemon twist.
Glassware:
Martini glass chilled.
Cocktail Inspiration:
My mother’s fight with cancer inspired this cocktail. It’s color, beauty, strength, and elegance come together in an incredible way that wows my customers and creates an experience they won’t forget!!
Tropical Hideaway
Recipe by Maritza Rocha-Alvarez
Ingredients:
- 1.50 oz Saint James Rhum Blanc
- 1 oz Novo Fogo Colibri
- 1oz Coco Milk
- .75 oz Greapefruit juice
- .75 pineapple juice
- .75 passionfruit syrup
- .50 St. Elizabeth All Spice liqueur
Preparation:
Put all ingredients in tin
Add ice with crush
Shake or mix in a Hamilton blender.
Dump in Pearl diver glass
Garnish:
Garnish with a dehydrated grapefruit slice,mint,pineapple chunks with lihi moi powder and pink salt. Or any tropical garnish game.
Glassware:
Pearl diver
Cocktail Inspiration:
With whats going on with the world today, not being able to enjoy the out doors with friends and family ?. I'm sure a lot of us would rather escape from this nightmare but unfortunately we can't. So with that in mind I'd like for you to join me with this bright and refreshing cocktail and experience. A tropical paradise in a glass. Hopefully this cocktail brightens every one's day and helps you escape, even for just a moment.
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