Category: Original Cocktails

Rounding out our Sanderson Sister cocktails is the leader, Winnifred Sanderson.  Inspired by her slightly bitter nature, wild red hair, and complex potions and spells, her cocktail is an intricate mix of bittersweet, herbal, and bright flavors.  With a little extra magic from the glow cubes, her cocktail is made to put a spell on both you and your guests!

Hocus Pocus Cocktails: Winnifred Sanderson

Winnifred Sanderson

2 oz

Old Tom Gin

½ oz

Campari

¾ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Simple Syrup

2 Dashes

Regan’s Orange Bitters

2 Dashes

Angostura Bitters

2 ½ oz

Club Soda

In a shaking tin, combine all ingredients except for the club soda. Add ice and shake. If using, place 1-2 glow cubes set to red into your Collins glass. Fill the glass to 2/3rds full with ice. Separate the shake tin, and strain over the fresh ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a hand swizzle and serve with a straw.

Winnifred Sanderson’s drink is effervescent, complex, citrusy, and slightly bitter (sweet).  The slight sweetness of the gin layers it’s herbal notes across the slight bitter herbs and underlying spice of the Campari.  The bitters ties the citrus of the orange and lemon around the layers and brighten up the whole thing.  The bubbles of the club stretch out the concoction giving the flavors room to stretch their wings.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Winnifred Sanderson’s cocktail is a riff off a highball based on the idea of Winnifred being something of a classic.  For those reasons, the drink combines Campari with an older style of gin (Old Tom), to create something that’s got a bit of classic flare, but with room to be enjoyed.  The slight bitterness is a nod to Winnifred’s tendency to be a little bitter at those around her in Salem.  It offers a contrast to both Mary and Sarah.

• Old Tom Gin – We used Hayman’s here for both it’s not to Thackery Binx (the cat) but also for the subtle sweetness and lighter juniper notes it offers.  While there are other brands of Old Tom Gin, this would be our recommendation.  If you absolutely needed to, you could use London Dry Gin, but this will create more brash flavors.
• Campari –  With Campari’s unique flavor profile, it’s really the recommended starting point for this drink.  If you can’t for some reason find Campari, consider another aperitivo, like Gran Classico, Cappelletti, or Aperol.
• Regan’s Orange Bitters – Regan’s* adds a lot here with some delicious additional notes of cardamom and spice.  You could also use Fee Bros Orange* or Angostura orange bitters if your options are limited.
• Angostura Bitters – These are the classic aromatic bitters, and we recommend keeping a bottle around your bar. You can buy them from Amazon*, though your local grocer will probably carry them cheaper.
• Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Simple Syrup – A 1:1 ratio of water and sugar is our homemade simple.  You can do this by coming in a pan and heating until just dissolved.
• Club Soda – No need to get fancy, use your local grocery’s most economical bottle.  Once open, use within 2 days for best results.
• Swizzles – We also recommend these fun Skeleton Hand Swizzle for fun (although they’re not necessary), which are really well made for both stirring and adding a little bit of spookiness to your drink. You can find them at Amazon*.
• Glow Cubes – While you don’t need them for this drink, we find it adds a pizazz to the drink (and unlocks a deeper red color). We used Windy City Novelties glow cubes*.  These are the same glow cubes as used by Disney, and we highly recommend them as you can set the color of the cube making it useful for other drinks.

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale.  In 2022 we made $13.34 from affiliate links and made $23.46 so far in 2023, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting.  Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Sanderson Sister trio!

Following up Mary Sanderson’s Cocktail, we’re featuring Sarah Sanderson from Disney’s Hocus Pocus*.  Sarah Sanderson is the youngest Sanderson Sister, and the most bubbly and sweet of the three.  That is when she’s not busy running amuck (amuck, amuck, amuck!).  From being Billy’s Butcherson’s lover to flirting with Satan and the Bus Driver, the bright, lively personality served as the inspiration for this cocktail, where classic fall flavors meet Sarah’s fun, energetic character.

Hocus Pocus Cocktails: Sarah Sanderson

Sarah Sanderson

1 oz

Pear Riesling Syrup

5 oz

Chilled Dry Sparkling Wine

1 Dash

Bitterman’s Tiki Bitters

Black Sugar

For Rim (Optional)

Honey

For Rim (Optional)

If rimming your glass, drizzle honey and spread sugar on separate plates. Gently rotate the rim of the wine flute around the honey to coat the rim. After coating, use the honey coated edge to dab the lip rim into the sugar. Once rimmed, combine the pear Riesling syrup, bitters, and 1 oz of wine in the glass. Give a stir to combine, before topping with the remaining wine. No garnish.

Sarah Sanderson’s cocktail is sweet, bubbly, spiced, layered, and ease to enjoy. Beautiful notes of poached pear, cinnamon, bright lemon, and caramelized sugars all come together harmoniously.  The subtle spices from the bitters bounce off the pear and Riesling undertones to meld into a beautiful fall set of flavors. The spicing throughout the drink is very dessert like and delicate in character, but the sparkling helps to keep the drink bright and bubbly

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Sarah Sanderon’s cocktail is all upfront work, meaning you’ll have an easier time making this for your guests.  The biggest factors to keep in mind are chilling your wine before hand, and making the syrup.   Everything else is optional (such as the sugar rim) or simple (like building this drink write in the glass).

• Pear Riesling Syrup –   This may be one of the most involved syrups we’ve created. The recipe is below (and results in dessert), but if you absolutely have to, you could probably substitute Pear Liqueur here.  It won’t have the complexity, but could work in a pinch.
• Dry Sparkling Wine –  We used a prosecco here, but any dry sparkling wine should work.  You can go as expensive as champagne, or as economical as Cava.  Feel free to also go spirit-free with alcohol free sparkling wine to make this a mocktail.  I do not recommend sparkling grape juice as that will make this too sweet (ditto for Moscato d’Asti or other sweet sparkling wines).
• Bitterman’s ‘Elemakule Tiki Bitters – These tiki bitters add a wonderful aromatic element to the combination that elevates both the pear and the wine.  They’re readily available at Amazon*.  We tested several aromatic bitters during our process and found these worked best (and are great for Tiki drinks).  We found that Regan’s offered good success (Amazon – Regan’s*), and Boker’s (Amazon*) could work for those that like a more cardamom forward note.

Pear Riesling Syrup

This syrup is significantly more work that most syrups we normally create.  That said, I promise you this is an amazing and complex syrup that you can enjoy not only in this drink, but also for the dessert it creates.  The pears you have at the end are delicious with ice cream.

• 4 medium – large pears (1.5 – 2 lbs), peeled (Bosc / Red Anjou)
• 750ml Riesling
• 250ml Water
• 200g Honey
• 1 Cinnamon Stick (approximately 3-4″)
• 16 oz Sugar

How To Make Pear Riesling Syrup:

1. In a sauce pan, combine wine, water, honey, and cinnamon.  Bring to a boil.
2. While bringing to a boil, peel, core, and cut the pears in half.
3. Gently lower the pears into the poaching liquid.  Turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-25 minute or until the pears can be easily pierced with a paring knife.
4. Turn off the heat, and remove the pears and cinnamon stick from the poaching liquid (the pears maybe eaten with ice cream, the cinnamon stick should be discarded).
5. Filter the poaching liquid through a fine mesh strainer and filter (or nut milk bag).
6. Combine 16 oz of the filtered poaching liquid and 16 oz in a sauce pan.  Any remaining liquid should stored with the poached pears.
7. Bring to a boil on high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil / simmer for 5 minutes.  Reduce or turn off heat if the syrup begins to foam toward the top of the pan. The goal is to caramelize some of the sugars in this 5 minute period.
8. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.  Yields approximately 27 oz.  Add ½ oz of overproof grain spirit for added preservation if desired.  Refrigerate.

Glassware and Sugar

Any standard sized wine flute will due for this task, but if you want to be really fancy and drink like the Sanderson Sisters, why not use these amazing Skeleton Stemmed Champagne Glasses* (like the one in the photo).  These flutes are thick, heavy, and feel almost handmade.  The detail is quite impressive, and they feel solid and weighty like they’re truly premium.  They’ll make great spooky decor even if you’re not using them for drinks.

The sugar we used to create the rim can be found at Amazon*, but you should be able to use any local honey you have.

Preparation for Parties:

To prep for a party:

• Chill wine in advance, keep in the fridge or an ice bath.
• Place stirrers and wine flutes near the wine and syrup (while slightly on the shorter end, the skeleton hand swizzles from Mary’s drink will work for this task. You can find them at Amazon*).
• Set up directions for how to pour your own (instead of 5 oz, tell guests to fill the glass or to taste).
• To limit the amount of syrup, consider getting 1 oz pour spouts (such as these).

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale.  We’ve had an amazing October 2023 thanks to you the readers, with over $10 in earnings this month.  That said in 2022 we made $13.34 from affiliate links and made $20.40 so far in 2023, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting.  Please continue to help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and use our links if you plan on making purchases from Amazon!

Welcome to our kick off for 2023’s Halloween Cocktail Season!  This year we’re upping our game and using some new techniques that will impress all the ghosts and ghouls at your parties.  And it isn’t just a bunch of Hocus Pocus, because this year is all about the Sanderson Sisters from Disney’s Hocus Pocus*.  Leading things off, is Mary Sanderson.  While she may not have enjoyed a Clark bar, we thought her liking of chocolate might be improved by a bit of coffee and some cold vanilla ice cream.

Hocus Pocus Cocktails: Mary Sanderson

Mary Sanderson

1 oz

Old Tub Bourbon

1 ¼ oz

Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur

1 ¼ oz

DeKuyper Creme de Cacao

1 Dashes

Angostura Chocolate Bitters

3 oz

Vanilla Ice Cream

Combine all ingredients except ice cream in the short side of a shaker set. In the large side, add hot water 1/2 to 2/3s of the volume of the vessel. Float the short tin in the long tin and stir to heat. In a medium to large sized glass (enough space for 3.5 oz of liquid and 3 oz of ice cream), pour the warmed cocktail over 3 oz of freshly scooped vanilla ice cream. Pour the warmed cocktail over the ice cream. Add a swizzle, no garnish.

Mary Sanderson’s cocktail is nutty, chocolatey, boozy, creamy, and coffee laden. It’s basically a chocolatey dessert in a glass. The warmth of booze at the start is nutty with plenty of sweet coffee notes coming through. The chocolate emerges in the middle before the creaminess of the ice cream gets involved. The creaminess takes over it starts to cool, becoming something of a sweet, creamy coffee with a nice nutty mocha character.  And just like Mary, this cocktail can look like a bit of a mess.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Mary Sanderson’s cocktail is more powerful than it initially suggest.  Done in the style of an affogato, the hot cocktail elements are poured over the ice cream, unlocking both the creaminess of the ice cream and some of the aromatic elements of the spirits.  With that in mind, let’s have a quick refresher on the impact of warmer temperatures on alcohol.

First, warm alcohol will seem stronger. This is why liquor from the freezer seems smoother.  If you find the alcohol notes too strong when you first pour this (I happen to like them), then feel free to give it a stir with the swizzle to better incorporate and moderate the alcohol notes.  Secondly, while chilling the glass can help improve the temperature aspects of this drink, we encourage you to inspect any glass you’re going to use closely before doing that.  Any small imperfections or cracks can become stress points when you pour the hot liquid in.   This difference in temperature can cause fractures or cracks to appear in your glassware which present a potentially safety risk for you and your guests.

To achieve the higher temperatures, we’ll talk more about the Bartender’s Bain Marie below, but before that lets cover the ingredients first:

• Old Tub Bourbon –   We picked Old Tub Bourbon for Jim’s wonderfully peanuty profile.  This was to emphasize some of the interior of the Clark bar* that Mary bites into.  Regular Jim Beam White Label or  even Jim Beam Bonded will work well here as well.
• Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur –  We used Mr. Black here, and recommend it.  If you can’t find it, consider Caffe Borghetti first, a local coffee liquor, or Kahlua if you must (you may want to consider adjusting down on the amount of this due to sweetness if you go this route – it will also add a bit of rum flavor).
• DeKuyper Creme de Cacao – We wanted this to carry chocolate flavors like the outside of the Clark bar and reflect Mary’s like of dark chocolate.  Feel free to use your favorite chocolate liqueur here.
• Angostura Cacao Bitters – The bittersweet, slightly funky chocolate flavor these impart works as a nice foil to all the sweetness here, while adding a bit more chocolate.  You can find them at Amazon*, but you might be able to find them in your local area cheaper.
• Vanilla Ice Cream – I recommend a super premium like Haagen Daz here to emphasize the creaminess, but you can use anything you like.  We used Kirkland’s for our testing.

Bartender’s Bain Marie

For most drinks, ice is added to exchange heat with the liquid (while also changing some of the strength through dilution).  This is the easiest way to chill liquid through contact.  To add heat, you can’t add ice, but would instead need to add hot water to the drink (again this is the most efficient exchange of heat) or find another way to apply heat to the mixture.  Obviously, hot water and ice cream are obviously a bad mix, so how to get around it?  Enter the Bartender’s Bain Marie (or water bath if you want to be less fancy sounding).

Created by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, the technique works as follows:

1. Combine ingredients in the smaller side of your shaking tins.
2. Fill the larger side of the tins using hot water to 1/2 to 2/3s full (an electric kettle can be effective here).
3. Float the smaller side of the tin in the larger tin.
4. Stir to warm the liquid (anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes as desired)
5. Remove the smaller tin, and pour into the desired receptacle.

By using this technique, it allows you to add heat to the drink without adding dilution. Finally, I want to cover why we want to use this method, as opposed to directly heating the drink in a pan. The reason is that water baths are easy to make and provide a gentler, less direct heat than your stove. Sure your stove can work, but that’s an extra step.

Glassware and Swizzles

While we’ve used a stemless, large Martini glass for Mary Sanderson’s cocktail, you could easily use a double rocks, oversized coupe, or snifter.  This glass choice is more dependent on the ability to hold about 3 oz of ice cream and 3.5 oz of booze than any particular shape. So don’t worry too much, and use whatever you have or enjoy.

We also recommend these fun Skeleton Hand Swizzle, which are really well made for both stirring and adding a little bit of spookiness to your drink. You can find them at Amazon*.

Preparation for Parties:

To keep this one ready for a party, you can use a small crock pot set to low, or use a sous vide* to heat a bottle to the low 120s.  Heat proof gloves can give you an added layer of protection if you’re feeling uncomfortable.  Simply pour 3.5 oz of the mixture over the ice cream in glasses to serve.

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale.  In 2022 we made $13.34 from affiliate links and made $10.56 so far in 2023, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting.  Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!

Sometimes drinks are inspired by a beautiful piece of art or a pop culture reference.  Other times they come from classics, providing the template to an amazing cocktail.  All drinks start somewhere, and in the case of the Thaijito, it finds it foundation in the fact that I just had way too much Thai Basil.  The result, is a delicious and refreshing gin based riff on a Mojito.

Thaijito

Thaijito

2 oz

Bombay Sapphire Gin

1 oz

Simple Syrup

¾ oz

Lime Juice

6-8

Thai Basil Leaves

2 oz

Club soda

In a shaker tin, muddle Thai Basil leaves in simple syrup. Add Gin and Lime. Shake with ice. Double strain into Collins glass over fresh ice. Add Club Soda. Garnish with additional Thai Basil Leaves.

The Thaijito is a botanically direct and refreshing summery riff on a Mojito. The anise notes of the Thai basil add a perfumed elegance to the herbal notes of the juniper and gin botanicals. The pops of fresh lime compliment the complex and layered herbal notes, and the club gives a slight minerality that drive the elevation of the drink to the next level. It’s a lovely, simple sipper for a late summer evening.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

While you could probably make this drink with light rum, I chose gin to emphasize the botanical notes of the Thai basil.  I’d recommend sticking with Thai basil, which has a different flavor than Genovese  (the one you see in Italian cuisine) basil, although you could use it in a pinch.  If you do, it might work better with lemon.

• Gin – Bombay Sapphire was the choice here for the London Gin profile, and to slightly emphasize the connection to more Asian botanicals.  If you can find their Far East gin, that might double down on this flavor profile to compliment the Thai basil, but any London Gin will do (Beefeater, Tanqueray, etc) .
• Simple Syrup –  We used a 1:1 water to sugar ratio simple syrup here.
• Lime Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Club Soda –   You can buy something expensive, but I still feel that the local generic brand works well.  Look for the smallest, cost effective size you can find to avoid not being able to finish the bottle in 1 – 2 days.
• Thai Basil –  I’ve had the most success buying Thai basil from local Asian markets, but that’s far from the only place you can find it.  In our case, we have an AeroGarden* which has resulted in plenty of Thai Basil (it’s a bush at this point) and other herbs.  It’s a great way to augment your cooking and cocktails, but feel free to buy the basil as you need it.

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale.  In 2022 we made $13.34 from affiliate links and made $6.93 so far in 2023, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting.  Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!

For this year’s original St. Patrick’s Day cocktail, I’ve chosen the name Mo Chara.  Meaning “My Friend” in Gaelic, this drink’s name is a nod to the way in which this cocktail was created.  Starting with an Old Pal (or Boulevardier if you think of bourbon whiskey first), it then took a twist through a white Negroni.  The result was this beautiful cocktail, whose name is a tip of the hat to the Old Pal it was generated from.

Mo Chara

Mo Chara

1 ½ oz

Knappogue Castle 12 Irish Whiskey

1 oz

Aperitivo Cocchi Americano

½ oz

Dolin Genepy le Chamois

1 Dash

Regans’ Orange Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Strain into a double rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.

The Mo Chara is complex, refreshing, and smooth. The start is filled with a pop of citrus and the brightness of the Cocchi, which gives way to a slightly sweet orange, apple, and herbal flavor. The layering continues with notes of butterscotch, vanilla, nuts, and a hint of cereal. The texture becoming richly lanolin, before breaking into an interesting mix of orange peel candies, spices, herbs, and a nutty butterscotch on the ending.  It lingers with herbs and spices over a citrus backdrop pleasantly.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

This drink is modeled after an Old Pal / Boulevardier and run through a white Negroni filter.  As such, the ingredients chosen here are more from being on hand, than for specific depth of flavors in most cases.  I’ll try to provide some substitutes in describing each.

• Knappogue Castle 12 Irish Whiskey – I honestly used this because it was the best available Irish Whiskey in the house.  Had I had a bottle, I would have easily used Redbreast 12 here.  I recommend something more refined, and leaving the Buskers and Jameson on the sideline here.
• Aperitivo Cocchi Americano –  Used in place of Kina Lillet, this was picked for the good balance of sweetness and brightness in the wine.  The honeyed sweetness really compliments the mix of citrus that focuses on orange, but pulls in mixes of kumquats, tangerines, and other wonderful grape notes.   Lillet Blanc could serve as a substitute here.
• Dolin Genepy le Chamois – Dolin Genepy le Chamois has a wonderfully aromatic and herbal character, similar to a softer Green Chartreuse or Absinthe.  It has almost this sage and spiced gumdrop character with that sage rabbit’s ear softness. Slight mint, slight floral notes add in.  Yellow Chartreuse may work as a substitute.
• Regans’ Orange Bitters –  These bitters have a wonderful spice note to them with their moderately complex orange character.  You can find them on Amazon* if your local doesn’t have them, and they’re generally worth using as your house orange bitters.

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale.  In 2022 we made $13.34 from affiliate links and made $1.76 so far in 2023, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting.  Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!

One of my favorite parts of crafting new cocktails is the process, and how inspiration can be found seemingly anywhere.  The original cocktail I had been planning for Valentine’s Day was based on Elvis’ Song, Burning Love, but while attempting to refine it, my wife had a brilliant idea that pushed the original cocktail into the background [don’t worry, it’ll likely show up for 2024].  What if we took the song L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole, and instead repurposed the letters to be drink ingredients?

We scoured our bar thinking of what ingredients would work, and make something palatable.  After some deliberation, and with the idea that cocktails should taste good, we expanded the idea to be ingredients or brands.  While this helps, some letters are still harder than others, we ended up with the following items:

• Lemon Juice
• Orgeat
• Violette [Creme de]
• Empress Gin

L-O-V-E

L-O-V-E

2 oz

Empress Gin

¼ oz

Creme de Violette

½ oz

Small Hand Food’s Orgeat

½ oz

Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a flower.

L-O-V-E is bright, floral, balanced, and perfumed. The floral notes never get overwhelming, with the herbal notes of the gin providing a solid canvas for the violette to stretch it’s legs. The Orgeat adds just the right amount of sweetness and a subtle nutty note, while the lemon tightens up any rough edges, and allows everything in the drink to show itself with elegance. It’s a delicate drink that has a more bark from it’s nose than actual bite. The fact that it’s a visual knockout just makes you want to drink it.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

This drink is one of those subtle exercises in balance which means you’re going to want to be careful about substitutions. Empress for example, is going to be critical to maintain the color and provide some of the earthy notes. Small Hand Foods is specifically called out here, because it isn’t cherry candy sweet like fake orgeat. If you swap either of these two ingredients, this drink can end up somewhere else entirely.

Finally, the floral garnish is really any floral garnish you have on hand. We have these tiny dried roses we’ve used in other drinks that can be found at our local Asian market for tea. If you don’t have these, consider edible orchids that can be found in your local grocery store, or hibiscus flowers.

• Lemon Juice – As always, use fresh squeezed for the best results.
• Small Hand Foods Orgeat – We’ve specifically called out the very natural Small Hand Foods Orgeat here because of the subtle nutty influence and controlled sweetness it adds.  You can use something like Monin or Ferrara here, but be aware that they’re going to change the flavor with a cherry lean, and that you’ll want to reduce volume to ¼ to control for this.
• Creme de Violette – If you make an occasional Aviation, you’re probably assuming that this bottle will last forever.  If you want to get through it a bit faster, this is a great option.  We used Giffard Creme de Violette here, but use whatever you have on hand.
• Empress Gin – We used it because it starts with E, has a purple color, and is a little earthier than many gins.  We recommend you use it for color, but you can substitute a different gin.  Be aware, this may cause a substantial increase in gin notes, and a change in color.  If you do this, consider a modern gin first, like Bluecoat or Aviation.

In Home Alone Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin McCallister, resorts to turning on all of the lights and moving mannequins around the rooms using ropes to throw off the Wet Bandits.  Perhaps no song so wonderfully encapsulates the moment of the “party” that Kevin was throwing as Brenda Lee’s Rocking Around The Christmas Tree.  Lively and fun, we wanted to make a drink that would capture this feeling while playfully incorporating some elements in the song title.   Enter, Rocking Around The Christmas Tree, a gin based drink, served on a rock.

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree

¾ oz

Tanqueray London Dry Gin

¾ oz

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

¾ oz

Drambuie

¾ oz

Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into double rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree is sweet, herbal, and bright. The lemon notes provide an underpinning for the sweetness from the Drambuie and maraschino. The cherry notes, almond elements, and floral elements all come together to add complexity over the top of the herbal notes from the gin. The rosemary brightens up the nose, and keeps it welcoming you back.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

Molded after a Last Word, this drink contains a large portion of two modifiers, maraschino liqueur and Drambuie.  As a result, you should be aware that this drink is sweet, especially at the start.  If you find it too sweet, swap out the large cube for crushed ice or pellet ice.  A tweak of orange bitters also fits quite well here, while giving an extra citrus note (and cardamom if you used Regan’s).

• Tanqueray London Dry Gin – We went Tanqueray here for the heavier juniper notes.  In reflection of the Christmas tree, we’re trying to emphasize that flavor while also giving some herbal notes to play against the sweetness of the maraschino and Drambuie.  While we recommend a London dry gin (Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire), you can also use any gin you like.
• Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur – Adding cherry notes, almond, and a hint of spice, this modify is critical in classics like the Last Word, Aviation, and Martinez.  We recommend Luxardo, but feel free to use what you can find.
• Drambuie – We chose this scotch based liqueur for it’s honeyed and floral characteristics.  If you have to pick another, consider Benedictine.
• Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Garnish (Rosemary) – This must be fresh.  For the best results, smack the rosemary around the lip of the glass before inserting to release the oils against the glass for extra fragrance.

Our counterpart cocktail to our Something Blue is our Something Borrowed.  Where as my wife’s cocktail emphasized her love of Tiki drinks, my cocktail reflects my love of whiskey, and making layered, complexly flavored cocktails.  We wanted to do this in a way that would help ensure our guest wouldn’t over indulge, and thus the drink is made in the template of a tuned up highball, but all about the Wild Turkey and the Amaro.

Something Borrowed

Something Borrowed

1 oz

Pecan Infused Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

1 oz

Vanilla Bean Infused Amaro Nonino

¼ oz

Orange Oleo-Saccharum Syrup

4 oz

Club Soda

Combine all ingredients except club soda in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Add club soda and strain over a large fresh cube.

Our Something Borrowed is nutty, spicy, creamy, and complex.  The floralness of the vanilla bean balances delicately against the nutty notes of the pecans.  The underlying spice of the bourbon and herbal notes add a beautiful weight to the drink that’s counterbalanced by the lifting influence of the club.  The pop of the orange opens up the flavors of all the elements with just the right hint of sweetness.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

This drink was designed for batch and prep, and therefore all the elements require prep beforehand.  One one of the key elements to make this drink sing was getting the orange oils in without needing the bartenders to express all of the orange oils for every drink at wedding reception.  Unlike our normal bullet points, we’ve broken everything down into sections below.  For the club soda (which won’t have a section), use your favorite brand.

As a warning, this recipe is built to be made using a sous vide.  Results outside of the methods listed below may result in significant variation.

Pecan Infused Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

• 30g Pecans (Whole)
• 200g Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

Preheat sous vide water to 145℉. Combine Pecans and Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon in a small mason jar or sous vide bag.  Seal (and remove air from the bag if using).  Place into a water bath and heat for 2 hours.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Bottle and store in a cool dark place.

Vanilla Bean Infused Amaro Nonino

• 1/3 Vanilla Bean Split and Scrapped
• 240g Amaro Nonino

Preheat sous vide water to 175℉.  Place vanilla bean and scraped vanilla bean seeds into a mason jar or sous vide bag.  Add Amaro Nonino.  Seal (and remove air from the bag if using).  Place into a water bath and heat for 2 hours.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Bottle and store in a cool dark place.

Orange Oleo Saccharum Syrup

• 8 oz  White Sugar
• 4 oz Water
• 2 Medium Oranges

Place the white sugar in a bottle with a lid.  Zest both oranges into the bowl.  Muddle the zest with the sugar until evenly distributed.  Cover with an airtight lid and allow to stand for 3 hours.  Remove lid, you should see some coloration from the orange zest (and potentially oils). Stir to combine, and dump into a sauce pan.  Add 4 oz water and heat until sugar is no longer visible. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Strain with a chinois and bottle.  Refrigerate.  Dispose of if any clouding or mold develops.  Due to the high sugar content, this should resist growth longer.

The Emperor’s New Groove* is one of our favorite movies, While thematically it isn’t really a Halloween movie, the villainess, Yzma, is “scary beyond all reason”.  The plot follows the self centered ruler, Kuzco, who soon into the film, decides to let Yzma go.  Instead of taking this news in stride, Yzma plans to take over the Kingdom by poisoning Kuzco.  Only, Kuzco’s Poison doesn’t quite end up being poison, but rather Extract of Llama.  The film follows the adventures of the ruler following their little mix-up.

In the spirit of the holiday, we’ve chosen to recreate this potion, only less poison / transformation based, and more entertaining your guests focused.

Kuzco’s Poison

Kuzco’s Poison

½ oz

Macchu Pisco

¼ oz

Lime Juice

¼ oz

Passoa Passion Fruit Liqueur

¼ oz

Raspberry Syrup

⅛ oz

Campari

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a vials (or shot glasses). Add labels indicating Extract of Llama or poison.

Kuzco’s Poison is fruity, sweet, bright, and ever so slightly bitter. The passionfruit pops out in a starring role with plenty of raspberry supporting. The lime gives levity and the pisco – Campari mix gives an herbal, grape brandy like underpinning. As a shot, it’s entertaining and perfect for turning your guests into llamas!

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The first thing to note is that this doesn’t fluorescently glow. We used glow cubes to help add more color, but you can see the original color in the photo above. What it lacks in exact color match, it makes up in being delicious and easy going as a shot that won’t overwhelm your guests with booze. The recipe will make anywhere from a minimum of 2 to up to 3 vials (depending on your dilution). The design is for “two shots”.

• Macchu Pisco – Pisco here is adding some fermented / distilled grape flavors to the drink while also giving a bit of a heavy underpinning.  While Macchu has some bite, and it’s the best out there, it’s widely available, and plays it’s role of backdrop well here.
• Lime Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Passoa Passion Fruit Liqueur – Passionfruit liqueur are few and far between, and Passoa has been hanging around our bar for a while.  We used it here for color and to give a mysterious flavor to the shot.  If you can’t find Passoa, our backup bottle is Pinaq Tropical liqueur.  Feel free to find what’s available in your local area though.  Use the leftovers to try a Yeah Baby, our riff on a Porn Star Martini.
• Campari – While there are no direct substitutes for Campari, you can play around with another amaro – such as Aperol or something else that features a strong red color.  The intention is to add a bit of depth of color and bitterness.
• Raspberry Syrup – The recipe is listed below, but for this recipe we strongly suggest you muddle the raspberries to add color.  You can also use this to make a Clover Club if you’re looking for another application.
• Glassware – We used vials we found on Amazon* which cost about $9 for 12 of them.  If you don’t want to pay for the vials, feel free to serve this drink in a standard shot glass.
• Glow Cubes – If you’re looking to use glow cubes to adjust the color, we used Windy City Novelties glow cubes*.  These are the same glow cubes as used by Disney, and we highly recommend them!

Raspberry Syrup

• 120 g sugar
• 120 g water
• 40 g raspberries

Combine water, sugar, and raspberries in a small mason jar or sous vide bag.  If using a mason jar, you may gently muddle the raspberries with the sugar for added color and flavor.  Seal, and heat for 2 hours @ 135.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer and coffee filter.  If desired, add a neutral grain spirit at 5-10% of the finished weight as a preservative.   Refrigerate.  Dispose of if any clouding or mold develops.

Looking for more Halloween Cocktail ideas?  Check out our past year’s cocktails!

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A chill has settled in the air and candy is lining the shelves in every store.  That can only mean that it’s almost time to don our costumes and prepare to roam the streets for free candy!  If you need something to help you get through the chill, endless miles of candy trekking, or that costume party, why not give our Witch’s Brew a try?   Made with a red wine base, this one will keep you refreshed and feeling devilish all night long!

Witch’s Brew

Witch’s Brew

4 oz

Old Vine Zinfandel

½ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

½ oz

Vanilla Syrup

¼ oz

Creme de Cassis

⅛ oz

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

1 Dash

Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a flash blender or shaker tin. Add crushed or pellet ice. Shake or flash blend. Open pour into a goblet. No garnish.

The Witch’s Brew is dark, fruity, spicy, and refreshing. The allspice notes and clove elements from the bitters bring a mulled character to the deep red fruits of the wine. Bright citrus layers complexity, and the berry notes pop throughout. The sweetness balances with the tannins, and the finish gives a preserved berry and red vine linger.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

A riff on a Sherry Cobbler and a Sangria, the Witch’s Brew is made to be both quaffable and refreshing. The slow dilution from the ice and flash blending help with texture and ease some of the cloying liqueurs. With the dryness of the wine, this should also pair well with food.

• Old Vine Zinfandel – You don’t have to spend a fortune to make a great drink, we used a go to bottle of Kirkland Signature Old Vine Zinfandel for ours.  For good values, look for bottles from Lodi, California.
• Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
• Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao – Dry Curacao is going to offer more complexity, thanks to both offering a different base liqueur (brandy) and finishing with some spicing to the mix.  If you can’t find Dry Curacao, use a regular, like our go to Cointreau.
• Vanilla Simple Syrup –  Vanilla here is going to add a richness and tie the flavors together between the oak and spices.
  • To make:  Bring 8 oz of sugar and 8 oz of water to a boil with a whole vanilla bean split lengthwise.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Once cool – add 1/4 oz of Everclear (or vodka) if desired to help stabilize and preserve shelf life.   Bottle, cap, and refrigerate.  Dispose of if the syrup develops any clouding or mold.
• Creme de Cassis – Is added for depth here, to embolden the berry flavors.  We used Marie Brizard’s Cassis de Dijon, but feel free to use whichever one you have lying around.
• St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram –  St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram adds allspice notes, giving a beautiful fall spicing to the drink.  You can substitute pimento dram if you have it on hand.
• Angostura Bitters –  Builds more complexity onto the allspice notes, and helps carry the fall spicing through.   Feel free to experience with different aromatic bitters here to add complexity.
• Ice – We recommend using ice from a small to moderate sized pellet ice here for best results (similar to cobbler).  You can also use crushed ice, though the experience will be less consistent.  Chick-Fil-A and Sonic are good sources of pellet ice for a few dollars if you don’t have a pellet ice freezer or good way to crush ice.

Looking for more Halloween Cocktail ideas?  Check out our past year’s cocktails!

Unsurprisingly, for our wedding we wanted to share our passion for cocktails with our family.  While I love bourbon and rye, my wife has a penchant for tequilas, rum, and Tiki inspired drinks (even after the wedding, we went to Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto).  As such, we wanted something with a bit of tropical feel, that would scratch that Tiki itch, while also giving us a nod toward the wedding day.  What emerged, was a crowd favorite, our Something Blue.

Something Blue

Something Blue

1 oz

Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila

¾ oz

Malibu Coconut Rum

¾ oz

Lime Juice

¾ oz

Giffard Curacao Bleu

½ oz

Small Hand Foods Orgeat

¼ oz

John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum

2 ¼ oz

Club Soda

Combine all ingredients except club in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Separate and add the club. Open pour (dirty dump) into a double rocks glass or Jupiter glass. Garnish with Tiki swizzles.

Our Something Blue is smooth, bright, and laced with vanilla, citrus, spice, and coconut notes.   While the combination of Siete Leguas Blanco and Malibu Coconut might seem strange, the coconut works as a modifier giving an underlying base for the Siete’s vanilla like notes to play off of.  The brightness of the lime pops these flavors, and combined with the spice and nuttiness of the orgeat and falernum opens the drink up to a complex symphony of easy going flavors.  The club helps elongate the drink to not only help guests enjoy it longer, but to settle some of the intensity.  Overall, the drink is as beautiful as my bride.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

There are a lot of ingredients in this cocktail, and while we urge you to use the original ingredients, we recognize it’s hard to match one for one.  We’ll give you recommendations where we can, and note a small change for when trying to batch this drink for large events (which is the inclusion of super juice!).

• Tequila – We like a vanilla forward Blanco here, which is why we chose Siete Leguas.  If you can’t find it, Casamigos can make a good substitute, and our house Olmeca Altos Plata won’t hurt either.
• Coconut Rum – We honestly use Malibu in place of Kalani Coconut Liqueur.  The flavors are reasonably close, and Malibu sells for a fraction of the price of Kalani.  If somehow you can’t find Malibu, we recommend using Kalani here.
• Lime Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.  For batching, consider using super juice to avoid oxidation, as detailed below.
• Blue Curacao – while there are plenty of brands, our go to for all drinks is Giffard Curacao Bleu.  This brand has a slight vanillin note in our experience, which gives a nice lift to certain drinks.
• Orgeat – In this application we recommend something natural like Small Hand Foods Orgeat*, as it adds nuttiness, but not unneeded candied flavors.  From what we’ve heard from fellow enthusiasts, Liber + Co might also work as a substitute.  If you can’t find it, or don’t want to pay the premium, feel free to reach for something more candy almond like Ferrara Orzata Almond Syrup* (which will change the character of this drink).  As such, we may recommend you even cut the amount in half to a bar spoon. Monin may also work in this reduced amount.
• Falernum – We use John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, which adds a tropical spice note and sweetness.  Feel free to use your favorite, and adjust upward if you find you’re lacking sweetness after the switch.
• Club Soda – Your local grocery store generic will work just fine here.  Club soda will contain minerality notes, where seltzer will not.

Lime Super Juice

So what should you do if you need to prep this drink later, and you can’t be bothered to squeeze limes the day of?  The best answer we’ve found is to use super juice.  This acid stabilized juice contains the same acids as a lime, but with less lime juice (which oxidizes after squeezing).  The result is a juice that can remain fresh and unoxidized in your fridge for up to a month, and reduces waste of fruit.   Be aware, due to the strength of the juice, and the acid correction, we recommend using ½ oz of Lime super juice (compared to ¾ oz fresh squeezed)

To calculate the exact amount you will need, we recommend using Kevin Kos’ Super Juice calculator, and follow his recipe as shown below:

One of Ann Marie’s favorite cocktails is a Margarita, but we wanted to give it a bit of a twist for the Cinco de Mayo.   What better way than to give it a fresh and sweet spin with strawberries.   They’re easy to find, the syrup is quick to make and useful in other cocktails we make, and give a delightful pop of color.   You can even make a Strawberry Margarita with one less ingredient, as we’re forgoing Cointreau in this variation.

Strawberry Margarita

Margarita

2 oz

Blanco Tequila

1 oz

Strawberry Simple

1 oz

Lime Juice

Sugar

for Rim (optional)

Sprinkle sugar on a plate. Using the lime to rim a rocks glass, roll the edge of the glass through the salt. In a shaker, combine all ingredients. Shake with ice. Add fresh ice to the rocks glass that you have rimmed with sugar, and double strain into the rocks glass. Garnish with a fresh strawberry

Our Strawberry Margarita subtly whispers fresh strawberries while equally keeping it’s nature as a margarita.  The balance between the juicy limes and fresh, juicy strawberries keeps it refreshing.  The tequila balances it in terms of sweetness, adding an herbaceous and agave rich note. The nature is refreshing and bright while remaining balanced.

Drink Notes and Recommendations

We’ve spent a lot of time playing with Margarita’s and as a result we’re learned a few things.  While the template is infinitely riffable, there are somethings that work out better than others.

• Tequila – We’ve found 100% agave, blanco tequilas are your best bet.  Don’t bother with Mixto, they are imbalanced at best.  Blancos with some sweeter notes compliment well, such as Siete Legaus or Casamigos Blanco.
• Strawberry Simple – This will work best when you make it with the best quality available ripe strawberries.  For the full recipe, see below.
• Lime Juice – Always use fresh squeezed for the best possible result.
• Sugar – We recommend sugar here to pair with the fresh, vibrant strawberry flavors.   If you find it overly sweet, or prefer to not enjoy sugar with every sip, skip the sugar or rim half the glass.
• Ice – Unlike most situations, a bit of ongoing dilution isn’t the end of the world for a well made margarita.  If you have decently sized ice cubes, feel free to use those or try a large rock.  That said, on the rocks is the appropriate way to enjoy a Margarita.

Strawberry Simple Syrup:

Shared with our Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hot Chocolate mocktail and Chocolate Covered Strawberry, this syrup is both deliciously fresh and unadulterated.  It’s easy to make and ends up thick, fast, and fragrant.  It’s uses aren’t limited to cocktails, feel free to try it on pancakes.

• 250 g Strawberries, cleaned and hulled
• 250 g White Sugar

In a blender, combine equal weights cleaned and hulled strawberries with white sugar.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a sealed container, refrigerate, and use within 1 – 2 weeks.