To serve, pour cocktail into ice-filled rocks or punch glasses and garnish each glass with an apple slice, lemon twist, or orange wheel.
USE IT UP
Always refrigerate leftover sherry, and if you’re not trying the Bound by Venus (this page), Perfect Circle (this page), or Double Down (this page), use the last few ounces of your fino to make Austin bartender Steven Robbins’s savory Inigo Montoya: Pour 2 ounces fino (or manzanilla) sherry and ½ ounce Cynar into an ice-filled collins glass, top with chilled tonic water, and garnish with an orange wedge.
Del Rio Punch
MAKES ABOUT 12 SERVINGS IN A 2-QUART PITCHER
Part of the fun of serving this many-layered punch, created by Teylor Smirl of Forrest Point in Brooklyn, is having your guests guess what’s in it. Aromatic basil leaves, steeped in fresh strawberry syrup, accentuate the fruit’s fragrant side, while Aperol adds a bittersweet orangy accent. The savory, floral character of tequila is echoed with a little chamomile tea, which you need to brew in advance and pop in the fridge until cool. For a less fruity drink, fill the glasses half-and-half with sparkling wine and pitcher mix.
3 chamomile tea bags
2¼ cups boiling water
1½ cups chilled blanco tequila
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled strawberry-basil syrup (recipe follows)
¾ cup Aperol
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
TO SERVE
2 (750 ml) bottles chilled dry sparkling rosé wine
12 fresh basil leaves
At least 3 hours and up to 1 day before serving, steep tea bags in boiling water in a heat-safe resealable glass container for 3 minutes, then discard tea bags and let tea cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until fully chilled.
Meanwhile, make the batch. Pour chilled tequila, chilled strawberry-basil syrup, and Aperol into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate until chilled or up to overnight.
Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare lemon juice and add to pitcher mix along with chilled tea. Stir well. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
To serve, fill tumblers or highball glasses with ice, then carefully fill glasses about one-third to halfway with chilled sparkling rosé. Top with pitcher mix, stir gently, and garnish each glass with a basil leaf.
STRAWBERRY-BASIL SYRUP • MAKES 1 CUP PLUS 3 TABLESPOONS
¾ cup water
½ pound strawberries, hulled
¾ cup sugar
16 large fresh basil leaves
Combine water and strawberries in a blender and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed, about 45 seconds. Pour puree into a small saucepan, add sugar and basil leaves, and warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let basil infuse for 45 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a resealable container. Refrigerate until chilled or for up to 5 days.
One-Star Yelp Review
MAKES ABOUT 12 SERVINGS IN A 2-QUART PITCHER
Pink grapefruit, lemon, and vodka provide a clean, fresh base for this sunny concoction created by Chaim Dauermann for the Up and Up in New York‘s Greenwich Village. But its sneaky star is a bit of cachaça, a rumlike elixir that’s distilled from fermented sugarcane juice in Brazil. The cachaça adds a warming and slightly funky caramelized-banana flavor that happily embraces rich demerara sugar and saffron-and-citrus-tinged Amaro Montenegro. It’ll enliven a brunch of French toast and sausages, but it’s also great for calming the heat of a Thai takeout spread. I’d give it six stars if I could.
2¼ cups vodka
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Amaro Montenegro
6 tablespoons silver cachaça (such as Novo Fogo)
6 tablespoons chilled 2:1 demerara syrup (this page)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh pink grapefruit juice
½ cup fresh lemon juice
TO SERVE
12 grapefruit wheels (optional)
Up to 1 week before serving, make the batch. Pour vodka, Amaro Montenegro, cachaça, and chilled demerara syrup into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. If not serving immediately, seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare grapefruit and lemon juices and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
To serve, stir mixture well, then fill pitcher with ice. Stir gently again until outside of pitcher is cool, then pour into ice-filled rocks glasses and garnish with a grapefruit wheel as desired.
USE IT UP
Jack Cholin of Devil’s Acre in San Francisco shakes a 50-50 mix of Amaro Montenegro and fresh lime juice with ice; it’s a bracing delight (you may want to add a few drops of simple syrup to round off the edges). Do also make a batch of the Principessa di Sole (this page) and L’Aventura Punch (this page)
Porch Swing at Sundown
MAKES ABOUT 12 SERVINGS IN A 2-QUART PITCHER
Upon first taste, you might wager that there’s ripe apricot and orange zest in this drink. But that’s just the magic of the liqueurs and spirits that Chicago bartender Julia Momose weaves together here in seamless harmony. The fruity core comes from citrusy Aperol, which finds its ideal match in a floral, herbal trio: maraschino liqueur, Chartreuse, and tequila. An ample squeeze of fresh lime helps the whole thing pop. Grab a glass before dusk falls.
1½ cups blanco tequila
1½ cups yellow Chartreuse
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Aperol
6 tablespoons maraschino liqueur
¾ cup water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
TO SERVE
12 cilantro sprigs
At least 2 hours and up to 2 days before serving, make the batch. Pour tequila, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, maraschino liqueur, and water into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare lime juice and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
To serve, stir well, or introduce some froth by pouring mixture back and forth between two pitchers (or shaking, if pitcher has a tight-sealing lid). Pour into ice-filled rocks glasses and garnish each glass with a cilantro sprig.
SPICY
RILED AND WRANGLED
TENOCHTITLAN
THE POOLSIDE
THE SUNDANCE SPARKLER
FRIENDLY FIRES PUNCH
TIPSY DAISY
BASIL EXPEDITION
FYA BALL
Riled and Wrangled
MAKES ABOUT 16 SERVINGS IN A 2-QUART PITCHER
This spicy shandy from Laura Wagner of the Monarch Bar in Kansas City beats the pants off your standard beer-and-lemonade combo. Serrano-spiked honey and herb-inflected green Chartreuse enhance the peppery notes of whiskey and crisp kölsch or pilsner. Individual peppers can pack a varying amount of heat; if you’re nervous, use just a single chile.
2 cups rye (such as Rittenhouse)
1 cup green Chartreuse
1½ cups chilled serrano honey syrup (recipe follows)
1½ cups fresh lemon juice
TO SERVE
6 bottles or cans chilled kölsch or pilsner
16 celery ribbons (shaved using a sharp vegetable peeler)
Up to 3 days before serving, make the batch. Pour rye, green Chartreuse, and chilled serrano honey syrup into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. If not serving immediately, seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare lemon juice and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
To serve, stir mixture well. Fill pitcher with ice and stir gently until outside of pitcher is cool. Fill rocks glasses with ice, then careful
ly pour in kölsch to fill glass about halfway (letting foam settle). Top with pitcher mix and give each glass a quick stir. Adjust with additional beer or pitcher mix to taste, if desired. Garnish each glass with a ribbon of celery.
SERRANO HONEY SYRUP • MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS
1 to 1½ serrano chiles, depending on heat desired
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
Slice chiles thinly, discarding stems and seeds. Place in small saucepan and gently crush with a muddler (you don’t need to make a puree). Add water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. When you spot the first bubble, turn heat to low and keep warm for 6 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a resealable container. Stir in honey until fully incorporated, then let cool and refrigerate until chilled or for up to 1 week.
Tenochtitlan
MAKES ABOUT 8 SERVINGS IN A 1-LITER SWING-TOP BOTTLE
This spirit-forward cocktail is a bit hard to pin down, and that’s what I like about it. The pure orange scent melts into the toasty, grassy flavors of reposado tequila, and it all tastes as if it were wrapped in a puff of cocoa powder. The drink’s heat feels, at first, like it’s just from the tequila, but each sip winds up burning brighter, thanks to a smooth pour of Ancho Reyes chile liqueur. If you drink Manhattans but you like agave spirits, or if you ever dreamed of filling one of those chocolate candy oranges with booze, this drink, from Bay Area bartender Pilar Vree, is for you.
2 cups reposado tequila
½ cup Ancho Reyes chile liqueur
½ cup sweet vermouth
3½ teaspoons orange bitters
3½ teaspoons chocolate bitters
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
TO SERVE
8 orange twists
About 2 hours before serving, make the batch. Use a small funnel to pour tequila, Ancho Reyes, vermouth, orange and chocolate bitters, and water into a 1-liter swing-top bottle. Seal, turn gently end over end to mix, and chill in freezer. (If you’d prefer to batch further in advance, refrigerate filled bottle, then place in freezer an hour or two before serving.)
To serve, turn bottle gently to mix, then pour cocktail into chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glasses. Express oils from an orange twist over each cocktail and use twist as a garnish.
USE IT UP
Like it hot? Josh Harris of the Bon Vivants and Trick Dog in San Francisco shakes 2 parts Ancho Reyes with 1 part fresh lime juice and ½ part 2:1 simple syrup (this page) for an earthy, spicy spin on the daiquiri. (Also, if a little Ancho Reyes splashes into my hot cocoa, I’m not sorry.)
The Poolside
MAKES ABOUT 8 SERVINGS IN A 2-QUART PITCHER
This citrusy, invigorating drink from Sam Willy of Locanda Verde in New York City couldn’t be simpler to make, but it does come with a warning. The more jalapeño you use and the longer it sits in the pitcher, the hotter this guy gets. And while some individual chiles are pretty mild, others will sear your lips off. Start cautiously, and don’t forget to have chips and guacamole at the ready. If you’re using Fever-Tree tonic, you’ll need about six of the small bottles or three of the large ones. This one’s so simple, you can whip it up just before serving.
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled Grand Marnier
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
36 fresh mint leaves
TO SERVE
4½ cups chilled tonic water (such as Fever-Tree)
8 to 12 thin slices jalapeño chile, seeded, depending on heat desired
8 mint sprigs (optional)
Up to 1 hour before serving, make the batch. Combine chilled Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and mint leaves in a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. If not serving immediately, seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
To serve, add about 20 ice cubes to pitcher mix and stir until outside of pitcher is cool. Add tonic water and 8 jalapeño slices. Gently stir again, then taste for heat. Stir in remaining jalapeño slices, if desired, then serve immediately in ice-filled rocks glasses and garnish each glass with a mint sprig, if desired.
The Sundance Sparkler
MAKES ABOUT 12 SERVINGS IN A 2-QUART PITCHER
Mimosa and Bellini lovers, here’s the pitcher cocktail for you. Daniel Paez of Hopscotch in Oakland, California, was inspired by childhood memories of spicy mango candies when he created this brunch drink. Sweet yellow Ataúlfo, or Champagne, mangos work best for this. I like to throw the rum in my freezer the night before I make this; you really do want the mix to be properly chilled, since there’s no ice in the glass. If you don’t have time for all that, just serve in ice-filled collins glasses instead of flutes. The recipe doesn’t call for a bacon garnish. But it doesn’t forbid it either.
3 cups chilled spicy mango puree (recipe follows)
1½ cups chilled white rum
1½ cups water
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
TO SERVE
1 to 2 (750 ml) bottles chilled dry sparkling wine
Cayenne pepper (optional)
At least 2 hours and up to 24 hours before serving, make the batch. Pour chilled spicy mango puree, chilled rum, and water into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix well. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare lime juice and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
To serve, fill each Champagne flute about one-third full with chilled sparkling wine, then top with pitcher mix. (Alternatively, serve in ice-filled collins glasses.) Garnish with a sprinkle of cayenne, if desired.
SPICY MANGO PUREE • MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS
1¼ cups warm water
1¼ cups sugar
3 cups cubed ripe mango (from 6 to 8 Ataúlfo mangos)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine water, sugar, mango, and cayenne in a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into a resealable container and refrigerate until chilled or for up to 24 hours.
USE IT UP
For non-tipplers, combine the remaining cup of mango puree with 1 cup each of fresh lime juice and chilled club soda, and serve over ice.
Friendly Fires Punch
MAKES ABOUT 8 SERVINGS IN A 2-QUART PITCHER
Some drinks capture a moment in the glass. This one, from Shannon Tebay Sidle of Death and Co., is that barbecue you dream about all winter long. The coals whisper their smoke and the sun on your shoulders feels so good (even though you know you’re gonna burn). There are chips and salsa and a tray of watermelon slices. It’s all here in this fruity, savory drink. St. George chile vodka has a mellow, well-rounded chile flavor since it’s made from a variety of different peppers. Or infuse your own booze—the instructions follow the punch recipe. To make watermelon juice without a juicer, blend about 2¼ cups cubed seedless watermelon until smooth and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. (Evolution Fresh also makes a refrigerated watermelon juice that works fine here.)
1½ cups chilled mezcal (such as Del Maguey Vida)
½ cup St. George chile vodka or homemade chile vodka (recipe follows)
¼ cup green Chartreuse
½ cup 1:1 simple syrup (this page)
1½ cups fresh watermelon juice
¾ cup fresh lime juice
TO SERVE
8 lime wheels
Up to 1 week before serving, make the batch. Pour chilled mezcal, chile vodka, green Chartreuse, and simple syrup into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. If not serving immediately, seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare watermelon and lime juices and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
To serve, stir mixture well. Add lime wheels and fill pitcher with ice, then stir gently again until outside of pitcher is cool. Pour into ice-
filled rocks glasses.
CHILE VODKA • MAKES ABOUT ⅔ CUP
6 thin slices jalapeño chile, including seeds and membranes
⅔ cup vodka
Place jalapeño slices in a mason jar and cover with vodka. Let sit for 4 minutes, then taste for flavor. Let sit for an additional minute or several, if desired, tasting as you go—the heat will vary depending on your chiles. When you’ve reached your preferred spice level, strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Seal and store in a cool, dark place for several months.
Tipsy Daisy
MAKES ABOUT 8 SERVINGS IN A 2-QUART PITCHER
Sometimes, in a really good drink, a fruit can become a better version of itself. In this joyous punch from Brian Means of Pacific Cocktail Haven in San Francisco, strawberries get juicier and their subtle floral flavors are escalated when paired with chamomile and basil. Serrano chiles add a low buzzing heat that builds to a hot finish—if you’re sensitive, use just two slices. This recipe uses about half a bottle of bubbles, leaving you extra to serve undoctored if you buy a full 750 milliliters. If you prefer to get through the bottle, double the batch and serve it in a gallon-size pitcher.
2 cups chilled vodka
1⅓ cups chilled brewed chamomile tea
1 cup chilled spicy strawberry syrup (recipe follows)
½ cup water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
TO SERVE
8 orange wheels
8 strawberry slices
1⅓ cups chilled dry sparkling wine
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