Cocktails, the libationary art!

I'm currently trying to find a good mixed drink that works well batched. I like drinking outside on summer evenings and getting up several times to make a new cocktail from scratch doesn't really fit with the "sit outside and relax" thing for me. The difficulty for me is that I often just don't like drinking more than one of a particular cocktail, either because it's too intense in some way or because I get bored of it. And some cocktails just don't batch well or are a little too involved for what I'm going for (e.g. hard-require shaking or elaborate garnishes).

I'm going to try a batch of Jungle Bird today - it's better shaken, but it's still good just poured on ice with a little sparkling water for dilution. Remains to be seen whether I'll want a second and third one.

Sometimes I also enjoy a mix of whisky, Lillet blanc and a little still water (1 part whisky to 3 parts Lillet), it's easy-drinking but doesn't get too boring. The spirit + fortified wine thing seems like a great option, but I haven't found a mix that I'm really into right now.

And go Tampa!

My list of things to try grows longer.

Reads too sweet to me but replace the orange soda with the Crodino, or grenadine with unsweetened cranberry and I'm in. I like the idea of doing it with a fermented soda instead of store bought too.

Nice article from Punch.

My wife just kind of whipped this up, no name, quite tasty 😁

Here is an interesting one from Death & Co. that combines tiki flavors with the complex bitterness of beer, of all things. It’s not much beer by volume, so it’s not nearly the predominant flavor. It’s a little weird seeing, but it really works!

• 2 oz Tanqueray No. 10 Gin
• ¾ oz John. D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum liqueur
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• ½ oz lemon juice
• Green Flash West Coast IPA
• Mint sprig

Shake the liquid ingredients (except the IPA) with ice, strain into a Collins glass with ice, and top with the beer. Garnish with the mint sprig (or remember right at this stage that you forgot to buy mint, like me!).

I've been getting into tiki cocktails lately and came across this one on a German-language spirit review blog (https://schlimmerdurst.net/2019/04/09/saarwhisky-absinthe/). It's a weird concoction with absinthe as the base liquor and I love it! I'll have to upgrade my 0.2l bottle of absinthe to a full-size one.

original recipe:
1 oz absinthe,
⅓ oz Campari
1⅔ oz pineapple juice
¾ oz lime juice
⅔ oz orgeat
shaken
served up
garnished with mint

my recipe:
15ml La Fee absinthe,
5ml Aperol,
5ml Cynar,
25ml pineapple juice,
11ml lime juice,
10ml orgeat,
shaken,
dirty dump on cracked ice

I did it this way because my Campari was all the way to the back of my cupboard, but I dug it out later for a Jungle Bird and after trying the original version I prefer my version with Aperol and Cynar; Jungle Bird is pretty much the only drink (that I tried) where I actually like Campari. Part of it might be that my bottle of Campari is pretty old, though - it's still very bitter, but the secondary aromas were too muted to stand up against the other ingredients. I also made it half size, because that's how I roll.

I also tried it with Ricard pastis (increased the amount to account for the lower ABV), this brought in some licorice notes that I'd rather do without. Looks like I'm not getting around buying that full-size bottle of absinthe!

And one of these days, I'll stop being too lazy to make a proper garnish.

Update: I tried batching this. Even just 2 hours later, the anise and Cynar bitterness have considerably mellowed (I blame the pineapple enzymes). Don't batch it unless you want to be bored.

We got to visit a friend with a boat, so I blended up a quick batch of Jeffrey Morganthaler’s Piña Colada for the ride. It’s easy and unreasonably delicious for a hot day on the water!

• 1 ½ oz Coco Lopez
• 1 ½ oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz Puerto Rican rum
• 1 oz Jamaican blended aged rum

Blend with 6-8oz ice until completely smooth, and garnish with an orange slice.

1 oz Pathfinder non alcoholic liqueur

1.5 oz lemon juice (one lemon)

1 small bottle (4oz) Crodino

I started here, but it is was tart and not quite good. A little yellow Chartreuse, about 3/4oz, fixed it. Stirred with ice (since it had soda) and strained over new ice.

I got this recipe from a now-shuttered bar on NYC’s lower east side called Pouring Ribbons. It’s an interesting mix of tart, smoky, and sweet!

• 1 ½ oz Del Maguey Vida mezcal
• ¾ oz Lustau Palo Cortado Peninsula sherry
• ¾ oz orgeat
• ½ oz lemon juice
• ½ oz pineapple juice
• 1 pinch cocoa powder

Shake the liquid ingredients with ice, pour over ice in a rocks glass, and garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder.

I know this is a bit controversial, I've done a tiny bit of research on it. But honestly, until last night, I didn't realize people used anything but 1:1.

From what I've read, most older recipes are 2:1? And most modern recipes are 1:1? What do you use?

Edit: thanks all!

The hottest day of the year here in Sweden (so far), so time for a refreshing drink on the balcony!

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 oz crème de cassis (I think it is supposed to be blackberry instead of blackcurrant, but I only had this at home!)

Shake everything with ice except the crème de cassis, serve over crushed ice, and pour the cassis on top.

It was really nice for a hot day, but the simple syrup was unneeded in my opinion, it ended up being quite dessert-like.

2 oz bourbon, 1oz of everything else, shaken with lots of ice.

I was looking for something with these ingredients, gave up and just mixed them together. It's good.

I am all in favor of this. There are beer flights at so many restaurants but tiny strong & delicious cocktails with small foods would be such a great starter to a meal. Something bitter but not enough to get drunk and not be able to enjoy the food.

When I am working up a recipe, often I will invite people over and make 4 different versions but then split each drink into 4 little dixie cups so that each of us have only one drink's worth of alcohol. That doesn't fix the drink getting too warm problem but does let us test them clear headed.

Cue up your ad blocker, a short and easy to implement list from J Morgenthaler - make sure your recipe doesn't suck, use stronger ingredients, and ice ice baby, keep cold drinks really cold.

North Sea Oil is an excellent drink. Didn’t have exact ingredients but was my first time with aquavit. Really liking the taste.

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup
• egg white

Dry shake everything to get it frothy, then a second shake with ice. Strain and voila, a foamy sweet treat.

Wanted something not boozy for today. Have some really nice white wine open but didn't want that straight either, so this is a sort of sangria, sort of spritz.

3 oz mixed citrus, mostly grapefruit, some orange some lemon.

2oz Aperol

4 oz Chateau Guiraud 2022 Bordeaux (mostly Sauvignon Blanc, it's really good)

3 oz Topo Chico sparkling mineral water

Poured over frozen cantaloupe and a little ice.

It's good and just what I wanted. I'd never actually had an Aperol Spritz before, was at a bar this weekend and there were ladies demoing it (not the canned one) and I'd never tasted Aperol as bitter - in mixed drinks I can't tell, it's just sweet & citrus, but in the wine it did shine and was bitter. And this drink is just right in the same way, but lighter.

2 oz rye (Emerald Giant)

3/4 oz Aperol chile infused (I used the habanero tincture)

3/4 oz Cocci Barolo Chinotto (did not have, sub with Crodino and a splash of Campari)

3/4 oz lemon juice

Shake & strain.

Kimchi says hi!

It’s finally warm where I live, and that’s cause for celebration with a nice, tart, summery, fun, and pretty drink! This one is from the PDT book.

• 2 oz reposado tequila
• 2 oz ruby red grapefruit juice
• 1 oz Aperol

Shake with ice. Simple and effective!

I am having a Pas de Loup for this Friday the 13th. Mezcal and Cynar have such an affinity.

I fucking love the zero waste ideas, kvass, tepache, the orgeat from avocado pits. Funny that the drink doesn't seem to use the strawberry syrup that gave her the idea in the first place, and I don't think you would need to throw out the tops for kvass, they can go in.

Definitely gonna set this up for July.

I fucking love the zero waste ideas, kvass, tepache, the orgeat from avocado pits. Funny that the drink doesn't seem to use the strawberry syrup that gave her the idea in the first place, and I don't think you would need to throw out the tops for kvass, they can go in.

Definitely gonna set this up for July.

Also I have no idea how this got cross posted to the same community it's in, or how to undo that, I only see one instance of it when I look at the community but there are two comment threads! My apologies!

The Blue Blazer I've never heard of, but 11 cocktails that are still pretty popular, with a little history in there.

I invite you to join me in having the most popular cocktail of the year 2000, a Cosmopolitan.

2 oz vodka

2 oz sweetened cranberry juice

1 oz lime

1 oz orange liqueur