7 Amazing Cocktails These Bartenders are Making for Themselves at Home
While we've been whipping up a lot of delicious recipes while quarantined home, we can't help but admit that along with our fancy meals, we've also been mixing up a few cocktails to go with it. And while we do love a good bottle of red or a pitcher of sangria, we can't help but drool looking at some of the drinks bartenders are sharing over on Instagram. So we decided to tap their wisdom and see what quarantinis they've been sipping on.
We spoke with Taylor Arnold, a bartender at La Palapa Cocina Mexicana in New York City, and genius content creator behind the Instagram account Don't Forget The Garnish. Along with Arnold, we spoke with Eric Ribeiro, a Don Julio Mixologist, who even shared a few pointers on how you can mix up your cocktails with one of your favorite drinks—kombucha!
Why you should add a garnish to your quarantinis
"There are actually many recipes that call for no garnish or call for one to express the fruit over the cocktail and then discard it," says Arnold. "However, in the restaurants I've worked at, I have become known for my garnishes. Not that they are extravagant, but just that they are well placed and beautiful. Even in the middle of a mad rush dinner service, I never forget the garnish. The garnish is so important! The garnish and presentation of the cocktail make such a huge difference in the taste of the cocktail. If a drink looks amazing, it's going to taste better. Even if the cocktail is poorly executed or off-balance, making it look as beautiful and sexy as possible goes a long way in hiding flaws inside the drink. Lastly, garnishes allow the customer to customize the flavor of their drink."
Here are a few of their cocktail recipes that you can make, and as Arnold says, don't forget the garnish!
Pimm's Cup
"There are so many ways to create a Pimm's Cup. I must say that the best version is from the bar Employees Only in the West Village of New York City," says Arnold. "I tried a few different recipes, and theirs is fantastic. It tastes so fresh and light. I added strawberries to their version because I had some in the fridge I needed to use, and it worked quite well!"
Ingredients:
8-10 mint leaves
3 cucumber slices
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz Cointreau
2 oz Pimm's No. 1
Ginger Ale
*optional half a strawberry (sliced)
How to Make It:
Put all ingredients, except ginger ale, in a shaker. Gently and briefly muddle. Shake with ice. Double strain into a glass with large ice cubes. Top with ginger ale (should be about an ounce). Garnish with a cucumber slice and mint sprig.
Clover Club
"This is made honoring the original ingredient—raspberry syrup. It makes such a huge difference. You have to try this one at home! I have instructions on how to make raspberry syrup on my saved Instagram stories for those interested. The trick to this cocktail is that you need to be vigorous in your dry shake. I would dry shake for at least 30 seconds. The reason you want to do that is to get as much air into that egg white to create a beautiful and frothy foam. Oh and also: So many people skip the vermouth. Don't do that. Just make sure your vermouth is fresh."
Ingredients:
1 egg white
3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz raspberry syrup
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1 1/2 oz London dry gin
How to Make It:
Dry shake all ingredients for 30 seconds (dry shake means to shake without ice). We want to whip that egg and make a beautiful airy froth. Then add ice and shake again to chill. Double-strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with lemon zest and a dehydrated lemon slice if you have it.
Moscow Mule
"This was one of my first drinks I would consecutively order at bars after my initial whiskey sour phase," says Arnold. "It has continued to grow in popularity with the hipster crowd (myself included) thanks to the iconic copper mug. It just looks cool! But the taste is equally stellar and there are so many variations! Try adding 1/2 oz of peach schnapps to you next mule, or muddle in some strawberries. Both go so well ginger."
Ingredients:
2 oz vodka
2 lime wedges
ginger beer
How to Make It:
Fill a copper mug halfway full of crushed ice. Add the vodka and a few dashes of the ginger beer. Squeeze and drop the two lime wedges in. Fill the mug completely full of crushed ice and top off with ginger beer. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.
The 77 St. Mark
"I created this cocktail as a homage to all my coworkers at the restaurant I worked at before all this went down," says Arnold. "The address for La Palapa Cocina Mexicana is 77 St. Marks Place. Since it's a Mexican Restaurant, the base spirit had to be tequila, but I had fun experimenting with flavors that aren't normally found in margaritas—like Green Chartreuse. My roommates and I were quite happy with the way this one turned out. This cocktail is best enjoyed with a bowl of fresh guacamole. Cheers to all my work family at La Palapa!"
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Aperol
3/4 oz lime juice
1 Tsp Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
How to Make It:
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.
Lucien Gaudin
"An absolute classic gin cocktail," says Arnold. "If someone says they don't like gin, serve them a Lucien Gaudin. If someone says they don't like Negronis, serve them a Lucien Gaudin."
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz London dry gin
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Cointreau
How to Make It:
Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Then strain into your preferred glassware (I used a coupe glass). Don't forget that garnish of a lemon twist!
Berry Spicy Kombucha Cocktail
Looking for a cocktail that involves a little kombucha and tequila? Riberio provides a few drinks that do just that! To make this fruit drink, you need a great combination of strawberries and kiwis with spicy jalapeño.
Ingredients:
2 oz. Health-Ade Jalapeño Cucumber & Kiwi
1.5 oz. Don Julio Reposado
3 diced strawberries
0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
0.25 oz. agave nectar
Garnish Strawberry and Kiwi
How to Make It:
Muddle strawberries with the agave nectar and lime in a shaker. Add ice and Don Julio Reposado to the shaker and mix. Serve in a Collins glass over ice and top off with Health-Ade Jalapeño Cucumber & Kiwi.
Jalapeño en Jalisco
"In order to make the best cocktail, you need to use the best ingredients, so when starting with tequila, I reach for one of Mexico's top premium tequilas, Tequila Don Julio," says Riberio. "For [my] cocktails I've used Tequila Don Julio Reposado, which has been aged in American white oak barrels for 8 months, resulting in a delicate yet complex flavor profile perfect for a refreshing cocktail."
Ingredients:
2 oz. Health-Ade Jalapeño Cucumber & Kiwi
1 oz. Don Julio Blanco
0.5 oz. Union Mezcal
0.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
0.25 oz. Agave Nectar
Garnish: Cucumber
How to Make It:
In a cocktail shaker with ice, mix Don Julio Blanco, Union Mezcal, lime juice, and agave nectar. Serve in a Collins glass over ice and top off with Health-Ade Jalapeño Cucumber & Kiwi. Garnish with cucumber.
