Credit: Brad Thomas Parsons, Amaro
1 1/2 oz Amaro CioCiaro
1 1/2 oz cold brew coffee concentrate
Build in a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
The cold brew is perfect with the CioCiaro. It was in the low 90s today, so sipping on this at the end of a long day is such a reward!
Credit: Jeffrey Morgenthaler
8 oz coffee, coarse grind
32 oz cold water
Add 16 oz cold water to the coffee grounds in a large container, stir to moisten the grounds, and let sit for 30 minutes. Add the remaining 16 oz water, stir again, cover, and let sit for 24 hours. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then run the resulting liquid through a coffee filter.
Running it through the coffee filter is key. I ended up with between 20-24 oz concentrate.
Version 1
Credit: Leandro DiMonriva, The Educated Barfly
3 cups 1:1 simple syrup
zest of 6 limes
1 oz lime juice
1/2 tsp citric acid
Blend simple syrup and lime zest, then strain. Add the lime juice and citric acid.
Version 2
Credit: Jeffrey Morgenthaler
250 g sugar
8 oz hot water
1 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
3 tbsp lime zest
2 tbsp citric acid
Combine ingredients in a blender and blend on medium speed for 30 seconds. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate.
Fantastic for adding multi-dimensional, balanced lime flavor.
So, I found Morgenthaler’s version way too tart. When I mixed it with an equal amount of the Educated Barfly’s version, it was perfect. So, until I combine the recipe into one, for now, I’ll just recommend blending these versions together.
Credit: Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Educated Barfly
1 1/2 oz Lazzaroni Amaretto
3/4 oz bourbon
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz 2:1 demerara syrup
1 egg white
Dry shake all ingredients, then add a large ice cube and shake again until it’s chilled. Strain and pour into a coupe glass. You can also serve it in a rocks glass over a large cube of ice.
This is delightful! And dangerously easy to drink. Confession: I made one for me and my husband, so doubled the recipe, which might have reduced the foam. Also, I didn’t have quite enough lemon juice, so had to sub in a bit of lime juice! Even so, it all worked. Lazzaroni is infused with those same cookies in the red tin. An adult echo of a childhood memory. :-)
This drink works just fine over a large ice cube—better in fact, as it stays cold longer!
Credit: Campari
1 oz Campari
3 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
orange peel garnish (or slice of orange)
Build in a glass: first add ice, then Campari, then orange juice. Sir and garnish.
After the butterocalypse of last night’s Cold Buttered Rum, I wanted something light and refreshing—and this nails it! And such a stunning red-orange. I’ve seen all Campari ratios for this: 1:3, 1.5:4, 2:4, so I went with the lightest one, which happens to also be Campari’s version. This would also make a great brunch drink.
This cocktail was originally called a Garibaldi after Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian general who helped unite Northern and Southern Italy. The Campari represents north; the orange, south.
This drink is stunning with blood orange juice as well!
Origin: The Soggy Dollar
2 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Rum
4 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz Coco López
grated nutmeg on top
orange and Luxardo cherry garnish
Shake and strain over crushed or pebble ice.
Ok, I see why this is called a Painkiller—even after splitting one with my husband! Coco López is key here. It has the essential flavor and texture for this cocktail. The Smith & Cross rum is perfect, and necessary to shine through the Coco López.
Credit: Leandro DiMonriva, The Educated Barfly, citing Lauren McLaughlin, Milk & Honey
1 1/2 oz Patron Silver Tequila
1/4 oz St. George Absinthe
1 oz Trader Joe’s Cold Pressed Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1/2 oz lime juice
2 cucumber slices
cucumber slice garnish
Muddle cucumber slices, lime juice, syrup, and pineapple juice together. Add the absinthe and tequila, shake, with ice, and double-strain into a large chilled martini or coupe glass, Garnish with a slice of cucumber on the rim.
WOW. First off, the cucumber is magical in this drink. Absolutely so refreshing with the pineapple. I don’t gravitate toward tequila drinks but this worked great. The absinthe is quite anise-forward, which I love. The cucumber garnish also adds a perfect aroma. This is why I like home bartending. Most drinks I blog here are quite good. Then you get something like this—totally surprising and unlike anything else. This is a dangerous one! I loved watching my husband’s reaction after he tried it…YES!
Credit: Barfaith
1 oz Montelobos Espadín Mezcal Joven
1 oz Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro
1 oz cold brew concentrate
orange peel and Luxardo cherry garnish
Shake and strain over a large rock of ice. Express the orange peel and garnish with the spent peel and cherry.
So, this was unexpectedly awesome. I say unexpected because I don’t much care for mezcal. However, the Montelobos is a good starter mezcal, and the smokiness of Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro pairs so well…and I do love my amari! We drank this the night before going on our first cruise (Dice Tower 2020!!) and all we had on hand was instant espresso but it still worked! Now we have some cold brew coffee concentrate from Trader Joe’s.
This is best with Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s cold brew coffee concentrate.
Credit: The Educated Barfly, citing Ryan Wainright and Kara Newman, Nightcap
1 1/2 oz Amaro Lucano
1/2 oz Flor de Cana 12 Year Rum
1/2 oz Mr Black Coffee Liqueur
1/2 oz heavy cream
2 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
chocolate garnish
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Grate chocolate over the top.
This is a perfect nightcap. Even with no sugar syrup and using a much less sweet coffee liqueur, the drink is plenty sweet from the amaro, and has a bitter, spicy, intriguing flavor. I’d like to get white chocolate next time for a bit more creaminess—I used a dark chocolate almond orange bar, which was still fantastic. And Fee’s Aztec Chocolate bitters have so much flavor!
★ Original Cocktail ★
4 oz Pineapple Bubbly
1 oz passion fruit syrup
Build in a glass with a rock of ice.
Nailed it! So refreshing—it has the feel of a virgin mimosa but the passion fruit makes it more interesting. My husband was making breakfast tacos for us on a late Saturday morning, and I thought it warranted a festive drink. I was building on the momentum of a fresh bottle of passion fruit syrup and just guessed on the ratio. And in the latest news: pineapple Bubly is officially my favorite fizzy water.
Credit: Martin Cate, Smuggler’s Cove
1 1/2 cups Goya passion fruit pulp
1 1/2 cups 2:1 clear syrup
1/2 oz vodka
Mix ingredients together and bottle.
Utterly fantastic. You can’t beat Goya’s passion fruit pulp, available in the frozen section in Chavez market. I used to make this with 2:1 demerara syrup, but using a granulated sugar syrup lets the passion fruit flavor come through more cleanly. Also, after losing yet another bottle of orgeat, I’ve decided to start adding a small amount of alcohol to my syrups to extend their shelf life.
Drillaud Crème de Banane (25% ABV)
Giffard Banane du Bresil (25% ABV)
Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane (26% ABV)
Drillaud Creme de Banane: Smells exactly like a banana Now and Later. I’d use this in a pinch where banana liqueur is a small fraction of the cocktail.
Giffard Banane du Bresil: This is pure banana, with a rich, syrupy quality. I’d put this in everything from a Dirty Banana to a banana daiquiri and more.
Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane: Wow. Many people have described the aroma as that of banana bread, and I can see why—it’s banana with a brown sugar and spice dimension. A bit boozier, too.
Giffard Banane du Bresil and Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane are both great to have on hand. I’d use the Giffard in a tiki drink with multiple ingredients, and I’d use the Tempus Fugit when I want to highlight banana liqueur.
Credit: Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, citing Dick Bradsell
2 oz St. George Botanivore Gin
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz 2:1 demerara syrup
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Mûre
lemon and blackberry garnish
Shake gin, lemon juice, and syrup with ice and strain over a rocks glass with crushed ice. Drizzle the crème de mûre on top and garnish with lemon peel and blackberry.
This drink is summer in a glass, and it works just fine on a 70-degree day in February. My version was a bit sweeter, as I used Meyer lemons and 2:1 syrup. I wasn’t willing to spend money for out-of-season fruit (and the lemon twist was just fine), but in a few months I’ll have a good excuse to load up on blackberries.
Watch Dick Bradsell make his original cocktail, the Bramble,
Credit: Shannon Mustipher, Tiki
2 oz Bulleit Rye Whiskey
1/2 Giffard Banana Liqueur
1 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz cinnamon syrup
4 dashes Angostura Bitters
6 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
orange twist, pineapple leaf garnish
Shake and strain over crushed ice.
An interesting take on tiki with the rye! Not as sweet, but the banana comes through.
Credit: Brad Thomas Parsons, Amaro, citing Garret Richard
1 oz Gran Centenario Añejo Tequila
20 ml bottle Underberg herbal liqueur
1 oz orgeat
3/4 oz lemon juice
1 cup ice
Blend all ingredients and garnish with the empty Underberg bottle upside-down.
This is like a Christmas margarita. Clove-forward. Also note to self, have orgeat at the ready before cocktail hour, since I was out and had to make it from scratch and woke up my 7-year-old running the blender for 45 seconds making almond milk!
Credit: Difford’s Guide
1 oz Ketel One Vodka
1 oz Cointreau
1 1/2 oz Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz lime juice
dash orange bitters
Luxardo cherry garnish
Shake and strain into a chilled glass.
Made this for a guest. Orange zest is the original recipe but I liked the cherry. It’s a beautiful pink, but a bit too ethanol-forward for me.
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp sugar
1/16 tsp Penzey’s Vietnamese Cinnamon
a few drops saline solution
1-2 ice cubes
Blend and serve.
This tastes like a lighter banana milkshake. Easy to drink and great for the kiddo’s breakfast.
Credit: Napa Rose Lounge, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland Resort Area
Bulleit Rye Whiskey
Campari
Fernet Branca
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum
Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
orange peel garnish
Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with orange peel after expressing the oils.
I made this at the request of a guest at our New Year’s Eve party. I thought it would be bitter and strong as heck with the Campari and Fernet, but it was magical!
Credit: How to Drink
2 oz brown butter-washed banana rum
4 oz hot water
1/4 oz cinnamon syrup
star anise and cinnamon stick garnish
Stir ingredients in a warmed glass mug. Garnish with star anise and a cinnamon stick.
This is unbelievable. It tastes like hot liquid banana bread. Sip slowly—it goes down easy!
St. George Pear Brandy
Serve in a small snifter.
A great nightcap. Strong. Pure pear. Looking forward to using it more as a cocktail ingredient, too!
