10 New Bourbon Cocktails to Drink

Bourbon has a way of making itself known. And these 10 innovative cocktails--from stirred spirit-forward drinks braced with smoky or bitter touches to lighter, fruity libations--conjure the warming essence of the last few months of a year.

1. #37¾


Head bartender Jeffrey Moll will create a new iteration of this drink each season for this upcoming spot. Each drink will also feature a different fraction (37¼, 37½, etc.). The three-quarter features bourbon, Big O ginger liqueur (a local Missouri spirit), plus house-made crème de rhubarbe liqueur and house-made BBQ bitters. The finishing touch? A canopy filled with applewood smoke.

2. 8½


The entire cocktail list is inspired by Italian cinema, including this drink named for the Fellini classic. Tall and creamy, it's made with Elijah Craig 10-year-old bourbon, Clement Creole Shrub, Branca Menta and coconut milk then garnished with an orange "flag."

3. Buffalo Soldier


Head bartender Dan Rook crafted this breakfast-inspired flip for the restaurant's brunch menu. Its ingredients: Buffalo Trace bourbon, a whole egg, maple syrup, crumbled bacon, Peychaud's bitters and powdered sugar. Worth it for the crisp bacon strip garnish alone.

4. Dixie Bramble


Beverage manager Eduardo Guzman makes this pretty pink drink with Buffalo Trace bourbon, Bitter Truth Elderflower Liqueur, lemon and blackberry grenadine.

5. Game of Thrones


Named for the notoriously dark TV show, this appropriately dark and bitter drink mixes Bulleit bourbon, Demerara, Angostura bitters and Regan's No. 6 orange bitters, plus cedar smoke.

6. Get a Job You Lazy Plum


The name may draw a giggle, but the drink is serious stuff. Drawing on the restaurant's Pan-Asian concept, head bartender Jeff Spear combines Japanese plum wine with Bulleit bourbon and Angostura bitters for a subtly sweet-spiced profile.

7. Good Ol' Boy


This particularly complex cocktail, created by Mike Di Tota, starts with brown-butter bourbon and house-made spiced burnt-orange syrup. It's then mixed with Luxardo Amaro Abano, pear nectar, lemon and Angostura bitters and topped with a pear slice speared on a bamboo pick.

8. John Shenk's Redemption


Creamy and delicious, this drink mixes Michter's bourbon with Luxardo amaretto, lemon, raspberry, egg white and black walnut bitters for the ultimate mash-up of Flip and Amaretto Sour.

9. Smashing Leaves


Here, bourbon takes on Asia-inspired flavors, rounded out with kumquats, lemon and shiso leaves.

10. Southern Belle


Bearing a passing resemblance to a stone fruit-inflected Julep, this highball showcases Woodford Reserve bourbon, apricot preserves, lemon and mint.

Cocktails for Your Labor Day Celebration

Labor Day looms. Do you know what you’ll be drinking as summer heads toward its end?

If you’re down to the wire and party guests are on the way, you don’t have time for crafting infusions and syrups. Enter these last-minute cocktails that require only three or four ingredients. Refreshing, bubbly and ready in seconds, there’s an option for every Labor Day party plan.

1. OUT TO SEA: THE PERFECT STORM

Charting a course for warmer waters with your friends? Consider this glass your trusty first mate. Spiced rum, lime juice and bitters make waves when topped with ginger beer and will keep your crew cheerful no matter the weather.

2. GARDEN PARTY: BULLEIT MINT JULEP
Here’s an excuse to throw one last backyard bash while your herb garden’s still got legs. You already have the mint. Now muddle it into an edgy Julep made with spicy rye whiskey (instead of bourbon) and a slip of simple syrup.

3. PICNIC IN THE PARK: FRENCH 65

When French 75s are a bit too strong for your shindig, swap them for this carefree younger cousin. The French 65 treats Cointreau and Angostura bitters to a round of Champagne, creating an ultra-quaffable picnic drink.

This Coffee Cocktail Is A Naka Knock-Out

Hey Pete Licata, there’s a cocktail in Seattle with your name on it.

Here now, Nik Virrey—who alongside friend Brandon Paul Weaver makes up half of Seattle’s best known professional coffee-slash-booze duo—shares a new coffee cocktail dubbed thePeat Licata.

The name, a nod to the 2013 American World Barista Championship winner and whiskey from the peat-forward Scottish island of Islay, is now being shaken and served at Naka on Capitol Hill. The kaiseki restaurant from chef/owner Shota Nakajima opened its doors last June to positive early reviews, with Virrey helming the bar.


Mixed drinks (or as Virrey calls them “plated cocktails”) match the beautifully presented multi-courses coming out of the kitchen at Naka and arrive with plenty of eye candy: one drink is served in a glass resting on crushed ice that’s strewn with fresh greens and berries, another is served shot-style inside of a carved out cucumber that looks like a flower. Plated, indeed.

This sort of elevated drinking might not work for everyone on every night, but if you want to try something for a special occasion, you’d be smart to start with Naka’s just-sweet-enough Peat Licata, served on a wood tray alongside an origami crane resting on moss, fragrant burning cedar chips, and coffee displayed in whole bean, ground, and brewed states.


Weaver created the concept, named the drink, and roasted the coffee; Virrey executed it. Naka serves the cocktail —an infusion of amaro to celebrate bitterness, Scotch whiskey for smoke, homemade nutty syrup, more bitters, and exceptionally strong brewed ice coffee—starting at 5 p.m. every day except Tuesday, when the space rests.

Check out the recipe below (origami is optional but recommended):

Peat Licata

-Meletti, 1.25 ounces

-Ardbeg, .5 ounces

-Smoked Pecan Syrup, to taste

-Scrappy’s Aromatic Bitters, to taste

-Kenya Kirinyaga Kiangoi AA (1:6 coffee to water ratio; hot-brewed ice coffee)
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake like mad, strain, and serve up.

Make the delicious cocktail

The bottles: Owl’s Brew mixers, $10 for 8-ounce bottle, or $17 for 32-ounce bottle

The back story: We love our tea. And we love our booze. So, why not combine the two in a cocktail?

That’s the premise behind Owl’s Brew, a two-year-old line of tea-based mixers that can be combined with a wide variety of spirits (vodka, whiskey, tequila, etc.). It’s a concept that has found a strong market in relatively little time. Sales of the mixers are projected to hit $1.7 million this year — more than four times the total in 2014, according to the company — and the product is showing up everywhere from the shelves of Whole Foods to the bars in Loews Hotels. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that tea itself is so popular (wholesale tea sales climbed 10.7% to $10.84 billion over the last two years, according to Statista.)

The mixer line is the brainchild of Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield, marketing pros with a passion for (what else?) tea. The team admits their idea wasn’t a slam-dunk when they first floated it. “Historically, mixologists have been working with tea for a long time, but the person at home didn’t think tea could stand up to spirits,” says Ripps. Then again, Ripps and Littlefield weren’t looking to craft plain-Jane mixers—tea is the key ingredient, but it’s hardly the only one in the four varieties Owl’s Brew has released to date. They range from “The Classic” (English Breakfast tea with lemon and lime) to the newly launched “White and Vine” (white tea with pomegranate, lemon peel and watermelon). Tea is versatile enough to invite such combinations, Ripps adds, and that’s even before booze is added to the equation.

As for the brand’s name, it’s intended to promote the idea that tea is “wise” drinking, especially because of the high concentration of antioxidants in the beverage. Plus, the brand says that it uses only organic ingredients. Says Ripps: “Even if you’re drinking cocktails, you should know what you’re putting in your body.”

What we think about them: It’s hard to believe that it’s taken someone so long to come up with the concept of tea-based mixers, because it’s a pure winner. The mixers play up tea’s naturally refreshing quality, but they take that refreshment in different directions — whether it’s the lemon-y appeal of “The Classic” or the more exotic, tropical qualities of “Coco-Lada” (black tea with coconut, chai spices and pineapple). Moreover, the resulting cocktails change a great deal depending on the spirit that’s added to the mixer — and part of the “fun” of Owl’s Brew is seeing these differences in the combinations.

How to enjoy them: As mixers go, Owl’s Brew has what might be called an “open platform” approach — that is, you’re really not confined to any category of spirit. For that matter, you’re not even confined to spirits: The brand says you can combine the mixers with wine or beer in some instances (for example, “White and Vine” blends well with wheat beer, Ripps says). Or, if you prefer to go the non-alcoholic route, just add some seltzer. Cheers!


Super-easy, super-tasty and summer-tastic. Per serving:

2 lemon wedges

50ml gin

15ml elderflower cordial

Limonata (a proper one, like San Pellegrino)

1 lemon slice and 1 mint sprig, to garnish


Squeeze the lemon wedges into a highball glass, then discard the spent wedges. Add a decent handful of ice cubes, pour in the gin and cordial, and top with limonata. Garnish and serve.

Cocktail Infusions

Chef Matt's Cocktail Infusions

Florida Peach Julep Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. Wild buck whiskey
½ oz. simple syrup
1 Tbs. Diced Peach
5 mint leaves
½ oz. water
Directions:
In a glass, muddle mint, simple syrup and diced peaches lightly. Next, add whiskey to mixture with ice, cover. Shake vigorously. Pour into a rocks glass and finish with water.
Garnish with a sliced candied peach
The Passion Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. House infused Watermelon lemongrass vodka
½ oz. Simple syrup
Directions:
Place both ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a watermelon ball.
Infusion Ingredients:
1/2 seedless watermelon cut into cubes
1 whole lemongrass stalk ends removed
1 whole peal of lemon
3 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1 Tbs. Brown Sugar
Directions:

Place all ingredients into a large mason jar and fill with your favorite vodka. Allow to rest for 3-4 days in a cool dry place. Once time has passed, strain and enjoy!

6 Delicious Montreal Cocktails This Summer

Montreal summer, how we love thee, let us count the ways. There’s just so much awesomeness going on at any given moment all over the city, but if there is one thing that really makes the warmer months extra special, it’s the pure indulgence of sipping a refreshing cocktail on a comfy terrasse while enjoying good company and friendly weather. The perfect combination of quality ingredients and premium alcohol makes for a delicious party in your glass, and we’ve found 6 you owe it to yourself to try this summer.

1. Watermelon Mojito
Made with Havana Club 3 Year Old rum, fresh lemon and lime juice, muddled mint, watermelon and sugar. This watermelon mojito has the perfect ingredients for a night out.

2. Mai Tai
A lot of ingredients go into crafting the perfect date night. This new Mai Tai made with Sailor Jerry spiced rum, Amaretto, Triple Sec, fresh orange, pineapple and lime juice has all of them.

3. Strawberry Basil Lemonade
Part sweet, part refreshing, this Strawberry Basil Lemonade includes Beefeater 24 gin, fresh lemon juice, muddled strawberry and basil. Great for birthday toasts.

4. Basil Julep
This Basil Julep made with Jameson Irish Whiskey, fresh lemon and lime juice and basil leaves has just the right ingredients to help you celebrate that special occasion.

5. Bourbon Cherry Smash
Celebrate the good times with this Bourbon Cherry Smash made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, Averna Amaro, and cherry brandy liqueurs.

6. Lime Rickey
Nothing pairs better with patio season than this cool and refreshing Lime Rickey made with Absolut vodka, Limoncello, lime juice and soda.
Thirsty yet? Because we are. But we would not just leave you hanging after teasing you with these tantalizing cocktails which is why we’ll tell you where you can get ’em. Best known for their tender aged steaks, delicious Prime Rib, and a variety of seafood favourites that have made them famous for well over 40 years, The Keg Steakhouse + Bar is actually so much more.
Their wine menu is extensive and their latest bar menu features a great selection of signature cocktails, including all 6 listed above! Not only is each cocktail imagined and custom-made in-house, but they are also ridiculously affordable, with a double (“Keg Size”) costing you no more than $10.50!
The Keg has 4 gorgeous terrasses in the greater Montreal area (including two rooftops) and ashareable menu jam-packed with delectable items like fresh Ahi Tuna Tacos, shaved Prime Rib Sliders, and Crispy Shrimp. And, just in time for summer, The Keg’s Lobster Summer menu features delicious new shareable items like Crispy Lobster Tacos and Lobster Gratinee, plus returning favourites like the Sirloin and Half Lobster, and Whole Atlantic Lobster. These lobster features are only available until August 30th, so come and get them before they’re gone and make The Keg your new summer dining destination.
Check out The Keg’s Facebook Page and website for full menu and locations.

Bar-locating app DrinkAdvisor now compatible with iWatch

DrinkAdvisor is now available for the Apple iWatch, allowing users to discover local bars and browse cocktails from their wrist.
Featuring 210 cities across the globe, the “hyperlocal” app enables travellers and locals to find nearby venues according to various categories. The user’s ‘Favourite Spots’ can be bookmarked for later viewing on any Apple device – featuring images, ratings, a description and the venues signature cocktails, allowing the user to ‘follow’ the bars upcoming events schedule and deals.
The app also provides up to date information about the most recommended bars, pubs and clubs near the user, via Apple Watch’s GPS function, and provides directions to each one using Apple Maps.
A statement from DrinkAdvisor read: “No more waving around your phone in a new town or unknown district. You can find the way to the next bar or a nightclub with your iPhone stowed away while on the go or sitting at the bar.”
In addition, a cocktail guide features a selection of recipes categorised A-Z, complete with pictures, equipment, ingredients and history.
Earlier this year, DrinkAdvisor launched a new marketing tool for venues in an effort to make them “more visible on the party radar of smartphone owners”.

The good mixer: the vermouth hour cocktail recipe

Spring has sprung, plus it’s Easter: high time for a refreshing sip to banish the last of winter. Use any sweet vermouth you like, be it Antica Formula, Punt e Mes or, dare I say it, The Ethicurean’s own version, The Collector. Serves one.
50ml sweet vermouth
25ml gin (I’d use Sipsmith’s London Dry)
50ml Fentimans’ Victorian lemonade
1 strip orange peel (no pith) and matches, to finish
Fill a tumbler with ice, add the gin, vermouth and lemonade, and stir. Light a match, wait for the sulphur to burn off, then gently warm the orange skin. Light another match, hold over the glass and pinch the peel directly above the flame to release the oils. These will spray on the flame and ignite, before falling into the glass.

Cocktails: five recipes to quench your thirst

The Melbourne food and wine festival will be hosting cocktail-makers from across Australia for the next three weeks, as part of the programme at the Immersery, the festival’s kitchen, bar and rain garden. From Thursdays to Sundays, top Melbourne bars will be collaborating with their interstate peers. Here five of the bars involved give us their favourite water-themed cocktails. Make the recipes at home, or get one specially made at the festival between 28 February and 16 March.

Mechanics Institute, Perth: Aqua Spolias

“This cocktail is fragrant summer deliciousness featuring fresh ingredients from your local grocers’ – or even your back garden.”

Ingredients

45 ml gin
Juice of a plum (45ml approx.)
Five basil leaves
10ml lemon juice
15ml simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water)
15ml egg white

Method

Shake without ice in any sealable container, then shake again with ice.

Strain through a tea strainer into your favourite glass, garnish with a basil leaf and consume with carefree abandon.

Water Cooler moment: Bulletin Place’s cocktail. Photograph: Melbourne Food and Drink Festival

Bulletin Place, Sydney: Water Cooler

30ml Don Julio Blanco Tequila
30ml Aperol
30ml fresh watermelon juice
15ml lime juice
One teaspoon castor sugar
One tablespoon seawater (filtered through a tea towel)

Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and serve over a big piece of ice in a tumbler. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Alfred and Constance's Blue Hawaii. Photograph: Tracey Gray

Alfred and Constance, Valley Fringe: Blue Hawaii

“Made popular by Elvis Presley, Harry Yee created this drink in 1957 while he was head bartender of the Hilton Hawiian village in Waikiki, Hawaii. Vibrantly colourful, refreshing and delicate, fun and easy drinking with tropical fruit characters. A true tiki classic.”

Ingredients

30ml fresh pineapple juice
22ml vodka
22ml white rum
15ml demerara sugar syrup (see note)
15ml fresh lemon juice
7ml Blue Curaçao
To garnish: thinly sliced orange and umbrellas

Method

Combine ingredients, except sliced orange, in a cocktail shaker, half-fill with ice and shake hard.

Taste for balance, adjusting with more citrus, syrup and booze as necessary.

Strain into a glass over ice cubes and garnish with thinly sliced orange and an umbrella and serve.

Note: To make demerara sugar syrup, gently heat two parts demerara to one part water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to combine, then set aside to cool.

Heavy ... the Black Metal. Photograph: PR

Mona’s Void Bar, Hobart: Black Metal

“This drink was designed for Mona’s MoMa (Mona Market) River Derwent Heavy Metals Project: an ongoing art-science collaboration bent on tackling the problem of pollution in the River Derwent.”

Ingredients

50ml wet Summer Saaz hop-infused Reposado Ilegal Mezcal (or any good Mezcal uninfused will do)
10ml Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
10ml Agave Nectar (15ml if you like it sweeter)
15ml freshly squeezed lime juice
15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Two drops black walnut bitters
1/4 bar spoon of squid ink

Method

Combine all ingredients in a Boston shaker. Add ice and shake.

Double strain into a black salt-rimmed martini glass or champagne coupe.

The Melbourne food and win festival runs 28 February until 16 March. Details here.

Class in a glass ... the Black Pearl.

Black Pearl, Melboune: Empire of Dreams

“The Empire of Dreams is a fresh, tropical cocktail with an earthy kick from fresh espresso beans to reflect the cafe culture of Melbourne. The cocktail, the Black Pearl and Melbourne are all defined by cultural collusion, each finding its way to the banks of the Yarra.”

Ingredients

50ml Bacardi Superior rum
30ml fresh pineapple juice
10ml fresh lime juice
10ml apricot brandy
5ml orgeat (almond syrup)
15ml whole espresso beans (we use fair trade, organic Nicaraguan beans)

Method

Shake hard and strain finely.

Serve straight-up in vintage glassware with a big twist of lime peel.

Choose The Best Cocktail For Party

Since Tomato juice contains all of the water from the tomato, you are getting every ounce of vitamin C the tomato has to offer. What better way to enjoy it than with the spicy concoction that is the Bloody Mary drink. You will even find you will consume less sugar and sodium than you will if you were to drink a soft drink of the same volume. Even the addition of the spice is a great way to increase metabolism and awaken the senses. You can find this in horseradish or in hot sauce. Both of these are common ingredients. Use fresh lime juice in the cocktail and the health benefits will go through the roof.

This does not mean you have to miss out on all of the health benefits which are available to you through a properly prepared beverage. You can enjoy a Bloody Mary drink and your body will thank you for it. The best part is, this is a cocktail you can share with the entire family even if they like to drink alcohol.

There are muddlers made from wood, which is the common and classic type, and for those who love a more modern design, there are muddlers made from plastic with tiny teeth on the bottom or even made from stainless steel. You can do t all, from crushing the fruits or vegetables to mixing all the ingredients. This is indeed a handy tool for all those who like cocktails and mixing their own drinks including natural fruits and herbs or making delicious mojitos, mint, or even strawberry basil mojitos.

One of the best wood muddlers are those created from hard and durable like beechwood, maple or cherry. To choose a better muddler keep in mind that many are those that are lightweight when you carry them. Traditional muddlers that made from woods are still popular today. Create delicious cocktails from these high quality muddlers. Best of all they are safe to use and very easy to clean.

Choose the best cocktail muddler that suits your needs or what you like whether it's made from stainless steel, wood or plastic. You can also add any type of alcohol that you wish. The machine then freezes the mixture, and dispenses cold, perfectly blended cocktails for your guests. When you hire the machine, you will get to choose the flavors of drinks that you want to serve. Some cocktail machines can serve two or three different flavors, but you can also hire multiple machines if necessary.