My bartending class at JWU taught me how to prepare classic cocktails. Some you’ve heard of (Tequila Sunrise, White Russian, etc.) and some you haven’t (Rusty Nail – who drinks Drambuie these days, anyway?). When I first started experimenting with mixology, one of my favorite things to do was take the classic cocktails I learned in class and substitute certain ingredients to make them my own. Here are some new takes on well known drinks.
The Woo Girl
A Woo Woo is a mixed drink that combines vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice – basically a Sex on the Beach without the OJ. My version is named after an episode of How I Met Your Mother and uses a blueberry/peach flavor combination. A vinaigrette at Mill’s Tavern introduced me to this pairing.
1 ½ oz Stoli Blueberry Vodka
¾ oz DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps
1 ¾ oz White Cranberry Juice
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh blueberries on a cocktail skewer.
Country Club Kamikaze
A Kamikaze uses vodka, triple sec and lime juice. My version is a little smoother, a little more flavorful, and a little more expensive.
1 ½ oz Grey Goose La Poire
¾ oz Triple Sec
½ oz Rose’s Lime Juice
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lime.
Cherry Pom Collins
A Tom Collins is typically gin, lemon juice, and club soda. Vodka Collins have also gained in popularity. Mine uses vodka and pomegranate liqueur. Because of the added pomegranate flavoring, I’ve eliminated the sugar that’s sometimes used.
1 ½ oz Skyy Cherry vodka
¾ oz PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
3 oz lemon juice
Club soda to fill
Shake vodka, pomegranate liqueur, and lemon juice with ice. Strain into a Collins glass and add fresh ice. Top off with club soda and garnish with a cherry and an orange on a cocktail skewer.
Early Morning Orgasm
An Orgasm can be a cocktail or a shooter and has many variations. The one I chose uses vodka, amaretto, coffee liqueur, and milk/cream. The use of Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso makes it more of a brunch cocktail. (This is the first time I’ve successfully utilized any brand of espresso flavored vodka, so I’m pretty excited about this recipe.)
1 ½ oz Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso
½ oz Amaretto
½ oz Kahlua
4 oz Milk
Build ingredients in a highball glass over ice. Speed shake and serve.
Gillyflower Gimlet
A gimlet traditionally contains gin or vodka, lime juice, and sometimes simple syrup. Mine uses a gillyflower infused simple syrup. (When I say “gillyflower” I mean carnation. I call it a “Gillyflower Gimlet” for a couple of reasons: 1) A carnation is a member of the gillyflower family and is also edible. 2) When Shakespeare mentioned gillyflowers in his plays, he meant carnations. 3) If I called it a “Carnation Gimlet” you might think I was making it with some type of Good Start powdered milk product, and, finally, 4) I love alliteration, obviously.)
1 ½ oz Grey Goose Le Citron Flavored Vodka
¾ oz lime juice
¾ oz Gillyflower infused simply syrup*
Build ingredients in a rocks glass over ice. Speed shake, add a swizzle straw, and use a fresh carnation (preferably deep pink) for garnish.
*To make the simple syrup, combine water and sugar in a one to one ratio. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat till sugar is dissolved. Add gillyflowers, remove from heat, and allow mixture to cool. Transfer mixture into a covered container and refrigerate at least three days, then strain before use.
This is my first attempt with edible flowers. You should only use flowers that have not been exposed to pesticides, so don’t buy carnations from your local florist if you’re planning on making this cocktail.
Hawaiian Blueberry
Hawaiian Blueberry isn’t a combination you normally hear about. But, recently, there have been recipes for pancakes, pies, and muffins that combine blueberries with coconut, macadamia nuts, and sometimes pineapple. Today I was served a blueberry pineapple cobbler that was extremely delicious. And The University of Hawaii has even attempted to grow their own blueberry crops on the island.
A Blue Hawaiian is a tropical drink made with rum, blue curacao, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice. I thought it would be fun to try a new take on the Blue Hawaiian, using fresh wild blueberries instead of the curacao. (Wild blueberries combat cancer and help prevent heart disease, so why not?)
I know I’ve been using blueberries in my cocktail recipes a lot lately, mostly because it’s summer, and they’re in season. I promise this obsession is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
1 ½ oz Cruzan White Rum
2 oz Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
3 oz Pineapple Juice
½ cup frozen wild blueberries
Dash of grated ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup ice
Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a Collins glass and sprinkle some shredded coconut on top for garnish.
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