cocktail recipes

How to Make Garnish for a Cocktail (video)

So how do bartenders manage to make perfect, spiral
lemon garnish for a cocktail? If you are How to make garnish for cocktails

planning on hosting a cocktail party anytime soon, be sure to watch this video from Jamie Boudreau, host of "Raising the Bar" at the Small Screen Network, and learn how to do it like the pros. Be sure to have a lemon, a zester and a swivel stick handy and follow his simple steps.

Be sure to check out the Luxist Awards' list of the best wine bars, best brew pubs and best cocktail lounges, according to our readers.

Tags: awards-main, cocktail garnish, cocktail recipes, cocktails, garnish, how to make a cocktil garnish, how to make a garnish, Jamie Boudreau, Luxist-Awards, Snamm Screen Network, spiral zest garnish, video

AGWA de Bolivia Coca Leaf Liqueur

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Looking for something interesting to serve or drink at a cocktail party? Look no further than AGWA de Bolivia, which is considered to be the world's first and only spirit derived from coca leaf. The translucent green liqueur is delicious and needs little else but some fresh lime juice and a couple of ice cubes, if you prefer it chilled (see the gallery below for cocktail recipes featuring AGWA de Bolivia).

AGWA contains guarana, an extract from the seeds of Paullina Cupana (which contains caffeine); ginseng (a stimulant); and approximately 40 grams of coca leaf in every bottle. The effect of drinking AGWA is different than that of other types of alcohol due to the coca leaf. The coca leaf alkaloids work by speeding up the rate of absorption of oxygen into the body's capillary system. It is a natural 'rush' that improves stamina and is similar to the "oxygen buzz" one gets when chewing coca leaves or drinking coca leaf tea at high altitudes in the Andes (as anyone who has visited Machu Picchu or Cusco, Peru can attest). Biting a lime after drinking AGWA activates the alkaloids in the coca.

Gallery: AGWA de Boliva Coca Leaf Liqueur Cocktails

Tags: Agwa, Agwa de Bolivia, Coca leaf, coca leaf liquor, cocktail, cocktail recipes, cocktails

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Tips for Throwing a Perfect Holiday Cocktail Party

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Tips for throwing a perfect cocktail party.

Kara Newman, author of Spice & Ice: 60 tongue-tingling cocktails (Chronicle Books, 2009) and Spirits Reviewer for Wine Enthusiast Magazine has offered us some of her best tips for throwing the perfect holiday cocktail party.

First and foremost, it is important to prepare in advance, says Newman, whose articles have also appeared in The New York Times, Imbibe, The San Francisco Chronicle, Gourmet, and Saveur, and many other publications.

Here's what Kara suggests:

The pros pull together their mise-en-place before an event, and so should you. Before guests arrive, make sure you have everything you need to make drinks close at hand. That means glassware, spirits, garnishes, etc. Cut fruit into wedges; wash and dry herbs; squeeze fresh juice and decant into squeeze bottles.
If space permits, put glasses in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before guests arrive. Pull them out as you're making drinks, and they'll be perfectly chilled and have a professional-looking frosty sheen.
Alternatively, set out a "do it yourself" station with a theme, such as a Bloody Mary station with various spirits, mixers, and garnishes. Print up a basic recipe or two, and stand it in a picture frame. Guests can use the recipe as a guideline, or create their own drink riffs.
If you're serving alcohol, always be sure that you're serving food, too.
Good rule of thumb: You can never have too much ice!
If you don't want to tend bar, consider making a party punch and serving in a show stopping, decorative bowl.

Check out our related story on holiday-themed cocktails along with recipes including one created by Kara, herself.

Tags: awards-main, cocktail recipes, cocktails, food-pedia, Kara Newman, luxist-awards, main-pedia, recipes, spirits

A Touch of Dickens: Tanqueray Finest Gin Punch

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Charles Dickens wrote in 'David Copperfield' in 1850, "Punch, my dear Copperfield, like time and tide, waits for no man ... His recent despondency, not to say despair, was gone in a moment. I never saw a man so thoroughly enjoy himself amid the fragrance of lemon-peel and sugar, the odour of burning spirit, and the steam of boiling water, as Mr Micawber did that afternoon. It was wonderful to see his face shining at us out of a thin cloud of these delicate fumes, as he stirred, and mixed, and tasted, and looked as if he were making, instead of a punch, a fortune for his family down to the latest posterity."

And, in Dickens' "Scrooge," the miser's assistant, Bob Cratchit, is heard to compliment his dear wife's gin punch as the finest in London.

For a Christmas party, a proper Dickensian Gin Punch sets a festive mood.

So, how does one make a gin punch, and should you use just any gin? The answer to the second, for me, is, No. Don't just use any gin unless pressed by budget or circumstances (i.e. you are snowed in, and can't get out of the driveway).

Tags: Bob Cratchit, Charles Dickens, cocktail recipes, gin, gin punch, holiday cocktail, holiday cocktails, Scrooge, Tanqueray

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The Hurricane Club's Innovative Cocktail Menu

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

The Hurricane Club, New York's recently opened Polynesian-inspired supper club, offers one of the most inventive, festive cocktail menus to be found anywhere. In fact New York hasn't seen anything like it since Trader Vic's was shuttered more than twenty years ago.

The cavernous, yet sophisticated and beautifully decorated 13,000-square foot space is complete with fresh-cut palm fronds, orchids and an assortment of island flora. In the center of the main room, aptly called The Hurricane Room, is an enormous 40-seat tiki bar perched under a resplendent crystal chandelier, enveloped by a multi-tiered, cascading, gold-chained fixture.

Luxist had the opportunity to discuss the extensive cocktail menu with its creator, Richard Leach, The Hurricane Club's executive pastry chef. Leach, who won the James Beard Foundation Award for Pastry Chef of the Year (1997), also serves as the director of the restaurant's cocktail department.

The celebrated pastry chef's first foray into the cocktail world resulted in an impressive menu. He created 35 tiki-inspired cocktails, each with its own element of surprise, from how the libations are served to the interesting array of ingredients that are used to create them. Numbered and categorized rather than named, the drinks are large, frozen and occasionally afire. The restaurant makes many of its own ingredients including the bitters, which aged for at least a week. Hurricane Club cocktails are extremely visual and served in interesting and often edible vessels, from a hollowed out melon to a red bell pepper and a coconut.

Gallery: The Hurricane Club's Innovative Cocktails

#450 on The Hurricane Club cocktail menu

#77 on The Hurricane Club's cocktail menu

A shared tiki-style cocktail at The Hurricane Club serves 5 to 8 people

Richard Leach, pastry chef at The Hurricane Club

Tags: awards-main, cocktail recipes, cocktails, luxist-awards, Richard Leach, The Hurricane Club, trader vics

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Vodka Cocktail Makes Use of Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Ever though of using your leftover sweet potatoes in a cocktail? Grey Goose Master Mixologist Nick Mautone has. He created the Grey Goose L'Orange Sweet Indulgence cocktail. At only one tablespoon of sweet potato per cocktail it will take you a while to work through your mound of orange leftovers but hey, it's a start.

Grey Goose L'Orange Sweet Indulgence
1 ½ parts Grey Goose L'Orange Flavored Vodka
½ part Vanilla Brandy or Liqueur
1 part lime juice
¼ part maple or simple syrup
¼ part molasses
1 tbsp roasted or mashed sweet potato

In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, place the syrup, molasses and sweet potato. Muddle gently. Add the ice and the remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously. Double-strain into a glass and garnish.

Tags: cocktail recipes, grey goose, thanksgiving cocktails, vodka

Van Gogh BLUE Vodka's Cocktails and Confessions Facebook Contest

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Van Gogh Blue Vodka's Cocktails & Confessions Contest

Van Gogh BLUE Vodka, the first ultra-premium vodka made from three international wheat sources, has launched a contest on Facebook giving readers the chance to win the ultimate "ladies night in" gift package hosted by celebrity chef Jon Ashton.

Ashton, the food correspondent for the nationally syndicated Morning Show "The Daily Buzz" along with a sous chef, will cook dinner for the winner of Van Gogh BLUE's Cocktails & Confessions Contest and 25 of his or her friends and family. The winner will also receive an American Express gift card with a $500 credit.

To participate in the contest, visit and "like" Van Gogh BLUE's Facebook page. Next, click on the "contest" tab to enter. Fill in a "gab lib" cocktail confession story about you and your friends. The 'story' will be judged on originality, humor and creativity.

Adults (21 years of age and older), can register to win the ultimate girls' night in Van Gogh BLUE's Cocktails & Confessions Contest. Van Gogh BLUE's Cocktails & Confessions contest runs from now through December 3, 2010.

Van Gogh Vodka is triple distilled in the Royal Dirkzwager distillery in Schiedam, Holland by Master Distiller, Tim Vos for an exceptionally polished taste with a smooth, neutral flavor full of subtle nuances from the three European grains. A Gold Medal winner at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Van Gogh BLUE is 80 proof and retails for $29 (750ml). For a festive cocktail featuring Van Gogh BLUE Vodka, see the slideshow below.

Tags: cocktail recipes, contest, Jon Ashton, Van Gogh Blue, van gogh vodka, vodka

Classic Cocktail Recipes from the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (with video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits

Classic cocktail recpioes from the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has reinterpreted authentic cocktail culture for a new generation with a new Classic Cocktail Menu highlighting time-honored libations that are perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

For over 100 years, bartenders in many of the heritage brand's bars and lounges, from The Plaza hotel's Oak Bar (winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers Choice Award for Best Hotel Bar) to The Savoy in London, have helped invent, design, refine and serve drinks that can only be described as classic.

This fall's new menu will be whipped up by the best mixologists in the business, who have been extensively trained in the art of the cocktail. Taking inspiration from many classic cocktail eras, Fairmont's most famous recipes for delicious cocktails across the brand are available online. Expert bartenders have posted photos, tips and tricks for making lip-smacking libations that date from colonial times right up to the present. See the slideshow below for recipes for making your own classic cocktails at home and be sure to check out the video below in which Orlando Rivera, head bartender at The Plaza's Oak Bar talks to Luxist about how classic cocktails have made a comeback.

Gallery: Classic Cocktail Recipes from the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Tags: awards-main, classic cocktails, cocktail recipes, cocktails, entertainment-pedia, luxist-awards, main-pedia, Manhattan, Orlando Rivera, Plaza Hotel, recipes, sidecar, The Savoy

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Knob Creek Warms Up for the Holidays

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

Knob Creek, the super premium small batch bourbon that's aged for nine years in charred American white oak barrels and bottled at a robust 100 proof, is gearing up for the cooler weather with some recipes for giving both food and drink a Kentucky-style kick in the pants this holiday season. Knob Creek, with its smooth, sweet and rich flavor and signature maple sugar aroma, makes a great accompaniment to many festivities on its own but also works well as an ingredient in everything from hors d'oeuvres to Thanksgiving turkey. Read on for some key recipes:

Knob Creek Bourbon Egg Nog

½ cup Knob Creek Bourbon
6 large egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Beat egg yolks and sugar in medium saucepan. Slowly beat in 2 cups of milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring
frequently, until thermometer registers 150°F or mixture coats the back of the metal spoon. Remove from heat.
Strain into pitcher. Stir in remaining milk, Knob Creek Bourbon, vanilla and nutmeg. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.
Sprinkle with additional nutmeg.
Makes 6-8 servings.

Knob Creek Holiday Punch

3 parts Knob Creek Bourbon
3 parts cranberry juice
4 parts lemon-lime soda
1 part fresh lemon or lime juice
dash bitters
6 parts champagne
ice block
orange and lemon slices

Pre-chill ingredients. Pour into a punch bowl over a large piece of ice, adding champagne last.
Decorate with slices of lemon and orange. [continued]

Tags: bourbon, cocktail recipes, cocktails, holiday 2010, holidays, Kentucky, Knob Creek, mixology, spirits, Thanksgiving, whiskey, whisky

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Julie Reiner of the Flatiron Lounge Launches New Basil Hayden's Cocktails

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Expert mixologist and owner of Manhattan's iconic Flatiron Lounge Julie Reiner wants you to drink bourbon all summer long.

Reiner has created two new cocktails using Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a spirit she has loved since the age of 18 (scandal!). "I started working in a restaurant in Waikiki when I was 18, and I wanted to know what I was serving. I've always thought Basil Hayden's was very mixable. It's spicy, and that flavor comes through in the cocktail."

Basil Hayden's is indeed spicy, and has twice the rye of regular bourbons. Most notably, the body and flavor are significantly lighter than other bourbons or whiskeys, with a kindly alcohol quantity of just 80 proof. Bourbon and whiskey can sound a bit heavy for summertime imbibing, but after trying it for the first time myself on Wednesday, I'd say Basil Hayden's is remarkably refreshing, and I can see why Reiner chose it for Flatiron Lounge's summer menu.

Tags: Basil Hayden, Basil Haydens Bourbon, bourbon, cocktail recipe, cocktail recipes, cocktails, Flatiron Lounge, Julie Reiner, mixologist, mixology

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World Cup 2010 Cocktails

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The 19th Soccer World Cup is upon us, taking place in South Africa. There is no better way to kick-off this event than by toasting your favorite team with a delicious cocktail perfect for summer merriment. Here are a few cocktail recipes that include such spirits as VeeV, the World's First Açai Spirit, Bombay Sapphire, Xante and Lucid's absinthe.

Take a look at the following slideshow for a few recipes to experiment with--there are recipes for fans of Brazil (above), England, France, England, Mexico and more.

Gallery: World Cup Cocktails

Tags: Acai, bombay sapphire, cocktail recipes, cocktails, Lucid, VeeV, World Cup, World Cup 2010, Xante

The Perfect Margarita for Cinco de Mayo

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The perfect tequila is neither too sweet nor too salty. It's made from all natural, high-quality ingredients. And, it has just the right amount of kick to accompany your guacamole. This year, celebrate Mexican heritage right on Cinco de Mayo with CORZO's Evolutionary Margarita, designed by Mixologist Jonathan Pogash.

Gone are the days of mixing margaritas with sugary Triple Sec or additive-laden tequilas. "The use of savory ingredients in this drink is one of my favorite trends that we're currently seeing a lot of at the bar," says Pogash. The Evolutionary Margarita is the prime example of fine tequila cocktails today, made from delicious fresh peppers and lightly sweet blue agave nectar. The combination perfectly complements the naturally sweet CORZO Reposado, which is made with twice the agave plants of normal tequilla as well as a triple distillation process to achieve the uniquely smooth CORZO taste. And with a green lime and red pepper garnish, colors from the Mexican flag, it's a perfect cocktail for the fifth of May.

Tags: cinco de mayo, cocktail recipes, corzo, corzo reposado, margarita, margarita recipe, tequila

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5 Top Tequila Cocktails for Summer

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Despite the common misnomer, margaritas aren't really consumed much in Mexico, except for by tourists and by locals at beach resorts. Although it remains one of my favorite cocktails, on a recent visit to the Cazadores Distillery bar in Arandes, I was fortunate enough to receive a few bar lessons from the master herself, Cazadores Brand Ambassador Tania Osequera, who revealed some delicious alternatives to the standard lime drink. Gear up for summer and practice these five easy recipes in preparation for the hot months ahead. And for all you margarita enthusiasts, find one authentic recipe below.

Mayahuel
When in Arandas, it's a must to drink the local specialty, the Mayahuel, named after the goddess of agave herself. Arandes is known for its fresh-squeezed pink grapefruit juice, naturally sweet beyond anything you'd find in the States. The Mayahuel cocktail is enjoyed by jimadores after the harvest of the piñas, or agave plant cores. Oddly enough, New York's own club for tequila devotees, Mayahuel, fails to include the namesake cocktail on their menu.

To make a similar version:
Pour 4 oz. Pink grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed is ideal)
1.5 oz. Silver Cazadores over ice.
Sweeten to taste with organic agave nectar and stir.

Infused Tequila
For a large dinner party, nothing beats a pitcher of distilled spirits. For an alternative on the tired vodka blends, try this infused tequila recipe. It's just the thing for a hot summer night.
Pour a 750ml bottle of Cazadores silver into a glass pitcher, and fill with strips of cucumber and seedless watermelon. Store in the refrigerator overnight. Before serving, mix in a shaker with ice and a few drops of agave nectar. Serve over ice and garnish with mint.

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Barking Mad for BULLDOG Gin

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Among the innovative new spirits we're finally finding time to catch up with is BULLDOG Gin, an ultra-premium gin handcrafted in London housed in a broad-shouldered charcoal gray bottle with deep purple hues and an iconic spiked collar.

BULLDOG is quadruple distilled, triple filtered, and infused with the taste and aromas of its twelve distinctive botanicals, including poppy, lavender, and dragon eye - a cousin of the lychee fruit often heralded as an ancient Chinese aphrodisiac.

Made from traditional copper pot stills and a painstaking distillation process, BULLDOG exudes a smooth and harmonious texture with a distinctive flavor, with notes of fruit and citrus lending a refreshingly crisp character and balanced finish.

BULLDOG has enlisted renowned mixologists Somer Perez, John Freeman, and Michael Waterhouse to create some signature cocktails using the bold spirit:

"Plumdog Millionaire" – created by John Freeman

2 oz. BULLDOG Gin
1 oz. Japanese Plum Wine
1 oz. Lavender Soda
Black Plum Half Wheel Garnish
Lavender Sugar Rim

Directions: Stir over ice, strain. Serve in a martini glass with lavender sugared rim and garnish. (Cont'd after the jump)

Tags: bulldog gin, BulldogGin, cocktail recipes, CocktailRecipes, cocktails, gin, spirits

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The History of Girly Drinks at Raffles Hotels

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits

Plenty of hotels serve up unusual cocktails, but Raffles hotels have a unique claim on cocktail history: sometime in the 1900s, in its Singapore Hotel, bartender Ngiam Tong Boon created a gin-based cocktail named Singapore Sling, in a hue of proper pink designed to appeal to the hotel's female British clientele.

Or so the story goes, there's debate about whether it was originally called a "Singapore Sling" -- in browsing around today, I found reference to a "Straits Sling" and also a "Gin Sling", neither of which have the same ring. There's also question about whether the original recipe is the one in use today -- for more on this, check out "Dr. Cocktail" Ted Haigh's treatise on the subject in Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail, which goes into depth on the subject. Either way, the Singapore Sling served by thousands at Raffles Singapore today is worth trying at home, see the recipe below.

Also in the East, at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the signature drink is a "Femme Fatale". This drink is named after Jacqueline Kennedy, who apparently left a lipstick- stained cocktail glass at the Elephant Bar during her 1967 visit, which was only discovered during the hotel's restoration. (Questions arise: how did they know that it was her glass? And of all the descriptions of Jackie O, is "femme fatale" the first that leaps to mind?) Either way, this is another drink designed to appeal to the ladies.

Raffles "Femme Fatale"
7.5 ml Crème de Fraise
Dash of cognac
Top with Champagne

Serve in a champagne flute with a garnish of rose.

Raffles Singapore Sling

30 ml Gin
15 ml Heering Cherry Brandy
120 ml Pineapple Juice
15 ml Lime Juice
7.5 ml Cointreau
7.5 ml Dom Benedictine
10 ml Grenadine
A Dash of Angostura Bitters
Garnish with a slice of Pineapple and Cherry

Tags: cambodia, cocktail recipes, CocktailRecipes, cocktails, raffles, singapore