alcohol

The Best Cocktails To Feel Warm And Sunny

Published

6 hours ago

January 24, 2025

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January is the darkest month and there has been some crazy weather. Escape it all with these sunny, refreshing drinks!

January tends to second darkest month of the year. December makes up for being the darkness with the holiday season. But no, it is back to work, crazy snow in the Deep South, bone chilling temperature and short days. If you are looking for a mental escape, here are the best cocktails to feel warm and sunny. Hey, it is happy hour somewhere.

Iced Tea Lemon Vodka Cocktail

Nothing says hot weather like cool ice tea, a squeeze of lemony sun and an extra kick and you have a sip on summer in a glass. This easy cocktail can be made at home or made at a bar. Perfect for a wet, cold, dark day!

Ingredients

12 ounces sweet iced tea
2 ounces Citrus Vodka
1 Teaspoon of lemon juice
Lemon slice

Create

Put ice in a tall glass
Pour tea, vodka and juice into glass and stir well
Garnish with lemon slice

Skinny Margarita

What better way to feel like summer than imbibing in some tequila while watching your weight for bathing suit season.

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces silver tequila
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon light agave nectar (2 if you prefer it sweeter)
Kosher salt & lime wedge, to rim the glass

Create

Pour a thin layer of salt onto a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the top edge of your glass to moisten it, then dip the glass into the salt so that it sticks, tapping all the way around.
Fill the glass with ice and set aside.
Fill a small cocktail shaker with additional ice.
Add tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and agave
Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds
Strain into the rimmed glass over the ice

Gold Rush Cocktail

The Gold Rush is like a whiskey sour but without the fuss of the egg. This bourbon cocktail is a great way to escape the chill. Delicious, light and refreshing – it makes you feel like you are sitting on the deck of a boat enjoying a sunset.

Ingredients

2 ounces bourbon
3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 ounce simple syrup
Lemon twist for garnish

Create

Add the bourbon, honey syrup, and lemon juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled
Strain into a chilled rocks glass over one large ice cube
Garnish with a lemon twist

RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

Painkiller

Back to work and in the office? Enduring some long meaningless meetings? Why not enjoy a painkiller and think of a tropical location? While in the meeting, think about being a tiki hut with a creamy drink and hearing the sound of the beach. This refreshing mixture originated in the 1970s at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands.

Ingredients

4 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces dark rum
1 ounce cream of coconut
1 ounce orange juice
ice
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Create

Combine pineapple juice, rum, cream of coconut, and orange juice in shaker
Add ice, shake for 20 seconds
Pour over ice in a tall glass
Sprinkle nutmeg on top and serve

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The Best Cocktails For This Winter 3 Day Weekend

Published

1 week ago

January 17, 2025

admin

The first 3-day weekend of the year is a reason to kick back or have an adventure – and here are cocktails to accompany the ride!

The year has started with a bang and now we are rolling into the first 3 Day weekend – ending in the presidential inauguration. Skiing, hiking, travel, chilling or politics…what better way to compliment the activity than with something tasty. Here are the best cocktails for this winter 3 day weekend.

Original Sin

What better way to start a 3 Day weekend and Inauguration weekend then with a little indulgence in with the original sin. The drink has multiple recipes – including one iwth absinthe, but this one should be easy, tasty and a perfect way to kick off the weekend.

Ingredients

2 ounces chilled champagne
1 ounce brandy
Splash of triple sec
Splash of grenadine
Orange twist for garnish

Create

Combine ingredients in a brand snifter
Stir and add ice cube to chill to taste
Garnish with orange twist

The Americana Cocktail

Wha better way to celebrate Martin Luther King Day with an all American drink and a vision of a better tomorrow. This drink is tasty and potent.

Ingredients

1 sugar cube (we prefer a demerara sugar cube)
4 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 ounce bourbon
2 ounces Brut Champagne
Orange slice for garnish

Create

Coat the sugar cube well with the Angostura bitters – approximately 4 dashes
Drop the sugar cube into a chilled flute
Pour the bourbon over the sugar
Top up with the Champagne.
Garnish with an orange slice

Whiskey Smash

Why not try something different. You might not want to get smashed this weekend, but this cocktail can trace its origin back to the late 1800s. Tasty, refreshing and easy to make. Great way to delight your taste buds.

2 oz. Bourbon
¼ Lemon, cut into chunks
½ oz. simple syrup
8-10 Mint leaves
Garnish: Mint sprig

Create

Muddle the lemon in a shaker
Add simple syrup, mint leaves, and bourbon
Shake with ice for 20 seconds
Strain into ice filled highball glass
Garnish with a mint sprig

RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

Frostbite

Weather skiing, hiking, road tripping or hanging out in DC – chances are the weather is going to be nippy. Why not lean into it and have this spicy frostbite to feel cozy and warm on the inside?

Ingredients

1 ounce tequila
1 ounce heavy cream
1 ounce white crème de cacao
1/2 ounce white crème de menthe
Cocoa powder for garnish

Create

Combine ingredients into a shake
Add ice and shake vigorously
Strain into highball or martini glass
Garnish with a sprinkle of cocoa powder

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2025

The Best Cocktails To Get You Through The Week

Published

2 weeks ago

January 10, 2025

admin

The new year is starting with a bang – here are some cocktails to take off the edge.

The new year is coming in hot – back to work policies, the LA fires, snowstorms and just having to work is killing the 2025 start buzz. Now drinking your problems away isn’t a good or healthy solution, but sometimes a nip of something does help. January is already known as a bit of depressing month due to the post-holiday blues, cold weather, shorter daylight hours, and the potential for increased financial stress after the holiday spree. Here are the best cocktails to get you through the week.

Paloma

What better way to start the year with a semi healthy drink. The Paloma with tequila and juice is somewhat healthy. Good tequila is low calorie, low body impact coupled with a big dose of vitamin C helps make the dark days a little brighter.

Ingredients

2 ounces tequila
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
4 ounces Grapefruit soda, chilled, to top
Pinch of salt
Garnish: lime wheel

Create

Add the tequila, lime juice, and pinch of salt to the glass, and fill with ice.
Top with grapefruit soda, and stir briefly and gently to combine.
Garnish with a lime wheel.

The Spaghett

While beer drinking is down as people switch to California sober, it is still highly popular. Why now merge it with a favorite (Aperol Spritz and beer) for a refreshing and low alcohol treat? Try it, you will like it.

Ingredients

12 ounces light beer, such as Miller High Life
1 ounce Campari

Create

Take a big sip of chilled beer, about 1 ounce
Pour campari into beer bottle
Enjoy

Cucumber Cleanse

While friends talk about Dry January, Damp January, winter arc, and more – you can brag you are doing a cleanse. The lemon and cayenne juice cleanse is popular, you are just adding a lpersonal twist so it fits into happy hour or a tailgate. For the ginger syrup add 4 oz peeled while making simply syrup ginger and let it steep for 30 minutes. Strain and use.

2 ounces Absolut vodka
3/4 ounce fresh cucumber juice
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce ginger syrup
1/4 ounce honey
1 egg white
Dash of ground cayenne

Create

Add all ingredients into a shaker and dry-shake (without ice) until frothy
Add ice and shake again until well-chilled
Strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cayenne

RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

Dirty Shirley

Like the actress, the Shirley Temple cocktail was sweet, wholesome and popular. But why not have the adult version of the beverage to start the year out breaking the norms?

Ingredients

2 ozs gin
1/2 oz orange juice
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
Orange slice

Create

Combine all ingredients in a shake with ice
Shake vigorously
Strain into martini glass
Garnish orange slice

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Sherry Is Becoming A Thing Again

Published

3 weeks ago

January 6, 2025

admin

Once seen only in black and white movies, sherry has now become a star in the craft cocktail scene.

Once seen only in black and white movies, sherry is becoming a thing again. From the fortified wine from Spain’s Jerez region, it is experiencing a renaissance in North America, particularly among younger consumers and wine enthusiasts. This resurgence is reshaping the perception of sherry and driving growth in the market.

The traditional image of sherry as a drink for older generations is rapidly changing. Young people in the US are increasingly embracing sherry, with consumption on the rise. This shift is particularly evident in the on-trade sector, where sherry’s popularity is growing in tandem with the increasing number of tapas bars and improved knowledge among sommeliers and restaurateurs.

The sherry wine market is showing promising signs of growth. Projections indicate a growth rate of 10.2% from 2025 to 2030. This growth is attributed to various factors, including the increasing popularity of sherry as an accompaniment to meals and its perceived health benefits.

While sweet sherries have long dominated the US market, there’s a growing interest in dry styles among younger consumers. This trend is part of a broader shift in consumption patterns, with drinkers becoming more adventurous and seeking out diverse flavor profiles. The movement towards dry sherries is seen as a positive development for the category’s long-term prospects.

Sherry’s versatility in food pairing is attracting attention from sommeliers and food enthusiasts. Plus, with the continued raise of craft beverage, sherry has been a rising star in cocktail scene, introducing it to a new audience of mixology enthusiasts.

The perceived health benefits of sherry is also buzzing as Gen Z and younger Millennials are switching to less harmful products. This gave rise to the California Sober movement. Sherry contains antioxidants called polyphenols that may help control cholesterol levels. Polyphenols may prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is associated with heart disease. Sherry may also increase the body’s production of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is associated with longevity and a decreased risk of coronary artery disease.

If you want to try sherry, here are some tips. The correct way depends on the type: dry sherries like Fino and Manzanilla should be served chilled in a small glass, while sweeter sherries like Pedro Ximénez can be enjoyed at room temperature or slightly warmed;generally, a white wine glass is preferred to fully appreciate the flavors, and it’s best to serve sherry with food, particularly tapas for drier styles and richer dishes for sweeter options.

Chef Justin Khanna has worked in some of the top restaurants in the world and keeps his fingers are trends shared “Enjoying a well-made Sherry with food feels like spending time with most interesting person at a party. The versatility too makes it a stand-out as an ingredient in a cocktail, featured as part of a wine pairing in a tasting menu, or simply sipped over ice at the start of a meal. It’s high time that Sherry gets a rise in popularity, especially without the hefty price tag of other spirits.”

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