No excuse is needed when it comes to drinking a cocktail, but it doesn’t hurt to have one either. Marking the end of World Cocktail Week, World Cocktail Day on May 13 is the celebration of the first time the cocktail's definition was printed — all the way back in 1806. The first official record of the cocktail appeared in “The Balance and Columbian Repository.” Although drinks are evolving and cocktalians are experimenting with more nuanced ingredients, one thing remains the same — the cocktail still remains “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.” There is no better way pay homage to the always delicious and one-of-kind libations by offering up those very unique cocktails that keep your establishment afloat.
Frost Lemonade
Courtesy of Molinari Sambuca Extra.
1½ oz. Molinari Sambuca Extra
1 oz. Monin Agave Nectar
1 basil leaf
1½ oz. fresh lemon juice
Club soda
Lemon, for garnish
Muddle first two ingredients in mixing glass. Add scoop of crushed ice, Sambuca and lemon juice. Cap and shake. Strain over crushed ice and splash with club soda. Garnish with a lemon.
Mai Tai
Created by Julie Reiner, proprietor and beverage director of Lani Kai and Clover Club in New York.
1 oz. Plantation Rum Grande Reserve 5 Year Old (Barbados)
1 oz. Plantation Rum Jamaica Vintage 2000
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
½ oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
¼ oz. simple syrup
¼ oz. orgeat syrup
Orchid, for garnish
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mint, lime wheel and an orchid (if you have one).
Nuts & Berries
Created by Jonathan Pogash, The Cocktail Guru.
1½ oz. Van Gogh PB&J Vodka
¾ oz. berry liqueur
¾ oz. milk or cream
Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass.
Raspberry Burst
Courtesy of Sobieski Vodka.
1½ oz. Sobieski Vodka
2 oz. Cascal Bright Citrus Soda
3 fresh raspberries
5 leaves fresh mint
Squeeze of lemon
Fresh raspberries, for granish
In the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle raspberries mint and lemon juice. Add vodka and ice and shake hard. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Pour in the Cascal, stir gently. Garnish with fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint.
Cherrykran Fusion
Created by ABSOLUT’s Mixologist Matt Pomeroy.
1 part ABSOLUT CHERRYKRAN
1½ parts orange juice
1½ parts pomegranate juice
Top with lemon lime soda
1 whole maraschino cherry
Fill a chilled rocks glass with ice cubes. Add all ingredients. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Dickel Southern Belle
Courtesy of Dickel Cascade.
1 oz. George Dickel Cascade Hollow Batch Recipe
½ oz. triple sec
2 oz. pineapple juice
1 splash grenadine
2 oz. orange juice
Add George Dickel Cascade Hollow Batch Recipe, triple sec, pineapple juice, grenadine and orange juice in rocks ice filled glass. Top with grenadine and stir once.
The Golden Gate 75 Cocktail
Created by Martin Cate of San Francisco's Smuggler's Cove.
½ oz. fresh lemon juice
¼ oz. Torani Vanilla Syrup
1 oz. Encanto Pisco
2 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
3 oz. Brut California sparking wine
Orange twist, for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir over ice cubes to chill. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute, top with sparking wine and garnish with an orange twist.