Most cocktails don’t take a great deal of effort to make if you’ve got the supplies, a well-stocked bar and the know-how to mix them. At any popular Las Vegas lounge, you’re likely to find bartenders and drink slingers serving up some complex and extravagant cocktails made with exotic ingredients that you may not have heard of, the names of which, you may not be able to pronounce.
While these drinks may be the au courant of cocktail culture at any given time, drink fads come and go. However, some cocktails will stand the test of time and become standards among connoisseurs of fine spirits. Keep reading to learn about some simple, and elegant cocktails that are sure to please the guests at your next soiree.
A More Perfect Union
This floral, fruit infused cocktail is a breeze to mix and is fairly low in alcohol content. It is the perfect weeknight cocktail, simple to make and a relaxing change of pace on a warm summer evening. It’s also a great drink to enjoy before dinner on date night.
What You Will Need:
- 1¼ oz. Lillet Blanc
- ¾ oz. vodka
- ¼ oz. apricot liqueur
- Tools: mixing glass, bar spoon, strainer
- Glass: coupe
- Garnish: grapefruit peel
To prepare this fragrant cocktail, combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a coupe and garnish with the grapefruit peel.
The Panic Button
This bold cocktail from the Living Room Bar at Charleston, South Carolina’s Dewberry Hotel is a tantalizing mix of sweet and sour with subtle notes of bitter and tangy flavors. The Panic Button is a crisp and refreshing cocktail, and quite potent as well. Do not be deceived by its pleasant fruity notes, as it packs one heck of a punch.
What You Will Need
- 1½ oz. bourbon
- ¾ oz. Averna
- ½ oz. Campari
- ½ oz. Heering cherry liqueur
- ¼ oz. fresh lemon juice
- Tools: shaker, strainer
- Glass: cocktail
- Garnish: large ball or cube of ice
To mix this cocktail, shake all the ingredients with ice in a mixer to chill, then strain into a glass holding a single large ball or cube of ice.
The Dickensian Villain
This spiced cocktail is the perfect warm up on a cold winter evening, but is equally as good any other time of year. According to Allan Katz, bartender at Here’s Looking at You, a popular Los Angeles establishment, this spice infused cocktail tastes like “drinking your way through Christmas break.” Ho Ho Ho.
What You Will Need
- 1 oz. rye whiskey
- 1 oz. Plantation Pineapple Stiggins’ Fancy rum
- ¼ oz. grenadine
- 1 bar spoon Fernet-Branca
- Tools: bar spoon
- Glass: Old Fashioned
To prepare this cocktail, stir all of the ingredients together with a big cube of ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Express the oils from an orange peel by twisting a strip of peel over the top of the drink and discard. Enjoy.
Walnut Manhattan
This bittersweet take on the classic whiskey cocktail comes to us from The Bellwether in Los Angeles, California. Using uncommon ingredients, beverage director Ann-Marie Verdi has crafted a rustic cocktail that is uniquely American.
What You Will Need
- 2 oz. bourbon
- ½ oz. Punt e Mes vermouth
- ½ oz. walnut liqueur
- 2 drops Angostura bitters
- Tools: barspoon, strainer
- Glass: rocks
- Garnish: two maraschino cherries
To prepare, stir all of the ingredients together in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over a few cubes of fresh ice and garnish with cherries.
Lavender Old Fashioned
This playful spin on the classic drink has a refreshing twist. It’s essentially the same as a traditional old fashioned, with the addition of lavender syrup, which adds a nuance of floral sweetness to this Old Fashioned cocktail. This drink should be called “liquid relaxation.”
What You Will Need
- 2 oz. bourbon
- 2 barspoons lavender syrup
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- Tools: barspoon
- Glass: rocks
- Garnish: lemon peel
To mix, stir the ingredients together in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with the lemon peel. This drink is a unique and fragrant cocktail that is sure to calm all of the senses.
Drink Responsibly
While it is nice to have an occasional drink or two, it’s always best to use moderation. A cool cocktail can be a relaxing start to dinner with family, or the cap to an elegant evening affair, but proper caution should always be taken when there is alcohol involved.
If you’ve had a few to many at a friends house one evening, there’s no shame in hiring an Uber to take you home. Never operate a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. With that being said: Cheers!
What are your favorite cocktails to enjoy on a warm summer evening? Leave us a comment with your best cocktail recipe in the section below.
