Got plans for the Labor Day weekend? Whether you’re hosting a barbecue or just chilling with your SO, these flavor-filled cocktails are the ideal way to celebrate.
Hurricane Cocktail
Necessity is the mother of invention: In the 1940s, New Orleans tavern owner Pat O’Brien needed a new drink to help him get rid of all of the less-popular rum that local distributors forced him to buy before he could get a few cases of more popular liquors such as scotch and other whiskeys. He poured the concoction into hurricane lamp–shaped glasses and gave it away to sailors. The drink caught on, and it has been a mainstay in the French Quarter ever since. This apple juice version adds a few tasty twists to the original.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 oz vodka
¼ oz grenadine syrup
1 oz gin
1 oz white rum
½ oz dark rum
1 oz amaretto
1 oz orange liqueur
1 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz apple juice
WHAT YOU DO:
Pour all but the juices, in order listed, into a hurricane glass three-quarters filled with ice. Fill with equal parts of grapefruit and pineapple juice, and serve.
Earl Grey Cocktail
Turn high tea into happy hour with this Earl Grey infused concoction guaranteed to tickle your taste buds.
WHAT YOU NEED:
2 oz. of Earl Grey-infused gin
1 oz. simple syrup
Lemon
Sweet & sour mix
Soda water
WHAT YOU DO:
To make the infused gin, place an Earl Grey teabag in 2 cups of gin and let it sit for 2 hours. To make the cocktail, pour 2 oz. of the infused gin and the simple syrup into a glass filled with ice. Fill two-thirds of the glass with sweet and sour mix and top with soda water. Stir and serve with a twist of lemon for garnish.
The Rosemary Greyhound
A spinoff of the classic midcentury favorite Greyhound, this refreshing cocktail adds a touch of aromatic herbal taste with an infusion of rosemary. Try the original Greyhound, made with just vodka and grapefruit juice, and add a salted rim to the glass for a Salty Dog.
WHAT YOU NEED:
2 oz. vodka
5 oz. grapefruit juice (ruby red is preferred)
½ oz. rosemary syrup
Sprig of rosemary
WHAT YOU DO:
Fill a highball glass with ice, pour in vodka and grapefruit juice. Add the rosemary syrup and stir well. Garnish with the sprig of rosemary.
Absolut Pear Appeal
It’s hard to go wrong mixing Absolut with your favorite fruit juice and soda. The addition of a fruit slice or sprig of herb adds another dimension to a beverage that’s as easy as it is refreshing.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 part Absolut Vodka
1 part pear juice
Soda water
1 twist orange
WHAT YOU DO:
Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes. Add Absolut Vodka and pear juice. Top up with soda water. Garnish with a twist of orange or an aromatic herb sprig.
Blackberry Lemon Iced Tea
When you want a refreshing, yet slightly alcoholic afternoon beverage, whip up a pitcher of these tangy iced tea cocktails.
WHAT YOU NEED:
4 cups of fresh brewed black tea
1/3 cup of simple syrup
1 cup of rum
Juice from 1 fresh squeezed lemon
Handful of blackberries
Mint
WHAT YOU DO:
Muddle the blackberries and mint, then combine all of the ingredients into a pitcher or covered jar. Stir or shake and strain into glasses over ice. Garnish with blackberries and mint sprigs.
Mint Julep
The mint julep originated in the southern United States, probably during the eighteenth century. Traditionally, mint juleps were served in silver or pewter cups, and held only by the bottom and top edges of the cup. This allows frost to form on the outside of the cup.
As both the silver cup and a supply of ice were signs of wealth prior to mass refrigeration, offering a julep to guests singled one out as a member of the elite.
Mint juleps have been associated with the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs since 1938, where each year almost 120,000 of the cocktails are served.
WHAT YOU NEED:
2 ½ oz. bourbon
½ oz. simple syrup
12 mint leaves
WHAT YOU DO:
Add mint leaves to mint julep cup or double rocks glass and muddle. Fill glass with crushed ice and pour in remaining ingredients. Mix and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Moscow Mule
The cocktail was invented in 1941 by John G. Martin of G.F. Heublein Brothers, Inc., an American East Coast spirits and food distributor, and “Jack” Morgan, President of Cock ‘n’ Bull Products (which produced ginger beer) and proprietor of the The Cock and Bull restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
The Moscow mule is almost always served in a copper mug. The popularity of this drinking vessel is attributable to Martin, who traveled the country to sell Smirnoff vodka and popularize the cocktail outside of its west coast origins.
WHAT YOU NEED:
4 oz. ginger beer
1 ½ oz. vodka
½ oz. lime juice
WHAT YOU DO:
Combine beer and vodka in a copper mug filled with ice. Add lime juice, stir gently, and garnish with a lime slice.
CranApple Cocktail
You can’t get any simpler than this rich fall-flavored cocktail made with only two ingredients (as are several of the following drinks—less time mixing, more time enjoying, right?). Keep this libation on hand for crisp autumn evenings on the porch.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 part Crown Royal Regal Apple Whisky
2 parts cranberry juice
Apple slices for garnish (toss slices with a squirt of lemon juice to prevent browning)
WHAT YOU DO:
Pour whisky into a glass over ice. Top with cranberry juice and garnish with a slice of apple.
Whiskey Ginger
This classic ginger ale cocktail is a simple favorite with a delicious pairing of spicy notes.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 ½ oz. rye whiskey
Ginger ale
WHAT YOU DO:
Fill a highball glass with ice and add the rye. Top off the glass with ginger ale.
Boozy Raspberry Lemonade
This easy tipple is a tasty twist on the London Lemonade cocktail. The tart lemonade is a worthy partner to aromatic gin.
WHAT YOU NEED:
2 oz. gin
Raspberry Lemonade
WHAT YOU DO:
Pour gin into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with raspberry lemonade and garnish with fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint.
The Garibaldi
This sweet and bitter mixture is also known as a Campari-Orange for obvious reasons. The ratio of Campari to orange juice is a matter of taste, so feel free to experiment with this one!
WHAT YOU NEED:
Campari
Orange juice (or try a Mango-orange juice blend to add extra flavor)
WHAT YOU DO:
Fill a tumbler with ice, add one part Campari. Top it with three parts orange juice and stir.
White Chocolate Martini
If you love creamy white chocolate, then you’ll want to dive into this smooth and decadent dessert cocktail.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 oz. Godiva white chocolate liqueur
1 oz. Caramel flavored vodka
1 oz. Bailey’s Irish Creme
WHAT YOU DO:
Pour all three ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. The yummiest milk moustache you’ll ever have!
Pimm’s No. 1
Party hearty with this crowd-size recipe that was marketed in the 1950s and 60s as an elegant society drink. The fruit infusion makes it a remarkably refreshing libation. If you’re feeling a bit bubblier, replace the lemonade with champagne for a Pimm’s Royale.
WHAT YOU NEED:
Chopped cucumber
Chopped strawberries
Sliced oranges
1 750 ml bottle Pimms
1 1.75L bottle lemonade
WHAT YOU DO:
Place chopped cucumber, strawberries, and orange slices in a beverage dispenser or punch bowl. Add lemonade and ice. Gradually pour in Pimms to taste (we generally use the whole bottle!). Set aside additional ice and fruit to garnish drinks as they’re served.
Bloody Mary
Now that it’s getting cooler in the mornings (apologies to our long-suffering friends in the South), how about something spicy for your weekend brunch? This restorative cocktail debuted at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in 1921 and was introduced to U.S. sippers after the repeal of Prohibition. Whip up a pitcher full for a gathering or just a glass to sip on out on the deck.
WHAT YOU NEED:
2 parts vodka
4 parts tomato or V8 juice
1 part lemon juice
¼ part Worcester sauce
¼ part Tabasco sauce
Pinch of fleur de sel
Pinch of black pepper
Garnishes
WHAT YOU DO:
Assemble ingredients in a pitcher and mix with ice. Roll the mixture between pitchers to blend. To serve, fill a tumbler with ice and pour cocktail into the glass. Top with fresh ground peppercorns. Garnish cocktails with a leafy stalk of celery, cocktail onions, olives, or a crispy strip of bacon. Want to spice things up even more? Toss a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a dash of horseradish into the mixture before serving.
© Caruth Studio