It’s cocktail hour again or still
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Where is that clock? The one that says it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. We spend a lot of time talking about beer, wine, and other drinks here. usually, it’s about a specific type of booze like tequila or rum. But, today is your lucky day. No need to buy a specific brand. It’s national cocktail day. So, no matter what time it is, It’s cocktail hour again, or still, if you didn’t stop drinking. So, starting now, we are going to delve into mixology. Don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just mix 2 or more ingredients and you have a cocktail. You can make it as fancy or simple as you like.
Whether it’s a Mimosa (Champagne and Orange Juice) or a Long Island Iced tea (incorporating 5 liquors with sour mix and cola), you can start mixing anytime now. It’s time to muddle, shake, and stir. If you have the time, ingredients, and tolerance, we can mix our way around the world. We’ll give some guidance and seed a couple ideas. But, we encourage you to experiment. And, if you are out of alcohol, firts: shame on you. Second, get yourself to a liquor store or bar immediately.
Table of Contents
When it’s time to drink, It’s cocktail hour again or still
Isn’t cocktail a curious name? And, it’s origin is actually still unknown. But, according to sources, the name first appeared in The Farmers Cabinet, 1803 in the United States. Originally, a cocktail was “spirits, bitters, and sweetener. But, it evolved since then to encompass pretty much any alcoholic beverage. Of course, there are also molotov cocktails, mocktails (without alcohol), and cocktails of drugs used to treat patients with severe illnesses. But, it usually refers to alcohol. The origin of the word itself appears to stem from the french term coquetier, meaning egg cup. Supposedly, Antoine A. Peychaud, creator of Peychaud’s Bitters made a drink of cognac with a dash of bitters in said egg cups.
Whether this is the origin or not, cocktail is still a fun word to say; it can even sound a little dirty. But, we owe the use of the term cocktail party to a certain Mrs. Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St Louis AKA The Unsinkable Clara Bell Walsh in 1917. She was a member of high society at the time. And, even though the term cocktail had been around for some time, her parties were so legndary, that people give her credit for the phrase. Since that time, there have been many people who threw legendary cocktail parties. But, tonight, it’s not about being legendary. It’s just about the cocktails. So, enough of this histroy lesson. Let’s start (or continue) drinking.
A couple recipes to get you started
While we encourage you to experiment and play around, there are a few basics to keep in mind. Just like you wouldn’t mix steak and ice cream without some serious alterations, you want to keep in mind what ingredients work together. If you want to do something like a bloody Mary, you should stay with savory ingredients. Conversely, If you want a daiquiri, you’ll focus on sweeter ingredients. You can get into some exotic flavors. But, the place to start with is your liquor.
There are six major spirits to start with.Most of the others are just flavor variations on a theme:Vodka, Gin, Whiskey, brandy, Rum, and Tequila. Then you have flavored liquors like Galliano, triple sec, and Schnapps. Basically, they all start with a neutral alcohol base and add sweeteners and flavoring such as orange, anise, coffee (as in Kahlua), or others. While the original cocktail contained bitters (probably due to Peychaud making them), We are now free to use whatever we want to make a “cocktail”. So, a martini, old fashioned, or even a Moscow Mule are all fair game today.
Just remember, if you start with whiskey, brandy, or gin, you will need mixers that can blend well with a strong flavor base. Vodka and rum are a little more forgiving, since they are more neutral. And, tequila works best with at least some citrus. So, without further ado, here are today’s recipes:
Lemon Basil Vodka Martini
Ingredients
- 8 Oz Good Quality Vodka
- 2 Oz Limoncello
- 2 Oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 Oz Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves, plus extra for garnish
- 4 Each Lemon Wheels For garnish
- Ice
Instructions
- Muddle the Basil and Sugar in a Large Pitcher to Extract the flavor, Stir in the lemon juice and mix will. Add the ice, Limoncello and vodka and stir well. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with basil leaves and lemon wheels. Drink, and repeat.
Vanilla Cherry Chambord margarita
Ingredients
- 8 Oz tequila (Blanco, preferably)
- 4 Oz Triple Sec or Orange Liqueur
- 4 Oz Chambord Liqueur
- 1 Small Vanilla bean
- 1 Pint Fresh Cherries, Pits and Stems removed
- 4 oz Agave Syrup
- 8 Oz Lime Juice
- Plenty of ice
- Limes and Cherries to garnish
Instructions
- Seed and stem the cherries and cut them up. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Put the pod in sugar to give it a vanilla flavor or use it some other way. Place the vanilla seeds and cherries in a large pitcher. Muddle them with agave. Then add the rest of the ingredients and fill with ice. Mix well.
- Dip glasses in water. Then salt the rims with a mixture of sea salt and large grain sugar. Fill each glass and garnish with limes and cherries.
Grand Marnier, Mango, and Mandarin Mimosas
Ingredients
- 1 Bottle Champagne, Prosecco, or other sparkling wine
- 4 ounces Grand Marnier
- 1 cup Juice from mandarin oranges
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup Mango juice
- Mango and mandarin orange for garnish
- Large grain sugar to rim the glasses
Instructions
- Slice Mango into lone pieces. Notch to hang on glass. Slice Madarin oranges, and notch as well.
- Make sure all ingredients are chilled. Mix all liquid ingredients in a pitcher. Stir, but not vigorously. You don't want to lose the bubbles.
- Get the edge of the glasses wet and dip into sugar to make a rim. Pour in the mimosas. garnish with mango and mandarin orange.