Quarantine Cocktails for Your Next Virtual Happy Hour
While I’ve been baking dozens of cookies, bread, and anything else I can whip together, Kevin has taken up a new hobby, as well. He has become my on-call mixologist.
Over the past few months or so, we’ve started to get into craft cocktails. Learning about the spirits, understanding how to properly balance a drink, and of course, determining our taste preferences. I typically prefer a floral or fresh element in my drinks, whereas Kevin prefers more spirit-forward concoctions.
We’ve decided to work our way through (many of) the classics. We bought bar tools, started squeezing our own fresh juices, and just like that we’ve already found some of our new favorite drinks!
If you’re looking to switch up your go-to’s or totally impress your friends during your next virtual happy hour, these are my 3 favorite cocktails—all with 5 ingredients or less!
What you’ll need:
Bar Essentials
Juicer (optional, but nice to have if you’re juicing large amounts of citrus)
Rocks glass (optional)
Coupe glass (optional)
Ice (lots!) - You’ll need ice for shaking your cocktail, plus some for each glass.
Spirits
Gin - Some of my favorite small-batch producers include Forthave Spirits (Blue) Trail Distilling (Trillium Gin) and Surf City Still Works (California Gin). If you’re looking for something at the liquor store, I really like The Botanist, and Aviation Gin is a solid everyday pick.
White Rum
Maraschino Liquor - We use Luxardo.
Modifiers
Simple syrup - Easy to make at home! Equal parts sugar and water, bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, remove from the heat and let cool completely.
Lemons (2 or 3)
Limes (4 or 5)
Grapefruit
Granadine - This is the brand we use. It’s not as sweet as others and you still get the beautiful red, pink-ish color.
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Sugar Plum
2 oz gin
1 oz grapefruit juice
½ oz grenadine syrup
Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake vigorously until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe.
Cherry Pop
3 cherries
2 oz gin
1 oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
½ oz maraschino liquor
Muddle 2 cherries with the simple syrup. Add the lemon juice, followed by the gin. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cherry.
Floridita
2 oz white rum
¾ oz fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar or simple syrup (or less, to taste)
1 teaspoon maraschino liqueur
Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Cheers!
