Tag Archives: cocktail recipe

The Irish Butter Cup (of Coffee)

This delicious recipe, reminiscent of the classic Irish Coffee drink, is the latest from Bottles’ in-house cocktail guru, Lily. It relies on iced coffee, rather than hot-from-the-pot joe, which means it’s not just for brunch or after dinner. The less conventional choices of butterscotch and sea salt combine to make a delightful iced Irish Coffee with a satisfying creamy texture.

powers_buttercup
The Irish Butter Cup (of Coffee)
makes 1 cocktail

1oz Powers whiskey
1 1/4 oz butterscotch schnapps
3 1/2 oz cold brew medium or dark roast iced coffee
3/4 oz light cream
1 small pinch of sea salt

Add ingredients into shaker, and top with ice.
Shake until frost forms on the outside of the shaker.
Pour over ice into a highball, and spoon the remaining whipped cream froth atop the ice.
Garnish with a straw and add a few additional grains of salt over the top if desired.

Enjoy!

 ###

Drink Your Chocolate

Skip the chewable chocolate this Valentine’s Day and give your sweetie the sippable sort. We’re crushing on a few bottles made with real chocolate and genuine skill, those that are good enough to be enjoyed year-round.

Meletti Cioccolato
Thick, dark, creamy, this Italian liqueur is pure pourable decadence. It’s made in Italy with milk and Dutch chocolate, sugar and alcohol, and is intensely rich and smooth with a balanced sweetness. We’re crazy for the Cioccolato any way it’s served: cold & neat (think adult pudding pop), warmed, over ice cream, or as a mixer in any number of cocktails.
vday_meletti

 

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
This full-flavored dark beer made with chocolate malt and real chocolate is luxurious without being overtly sweet. It’s certainly a satisfying treat on its own, but for something special, consider combining it in a frosty mug with vanilla ice cream and bourbon for the ultimate grown-up float.
vday_stout

 

Nickle Creek Decadence
A Rhody original, from Foster! This beautiful bottle, reminiscent of Port, has warm flavors of cherry and plum that make way for a dark, bittersweet chocolate finish. It’s a delicious way to end a romantic dinner.
vday_decadence

Cheers and Happy Valentine’s Day!

A Pair of Pear Cocktails

This time of year we’re always on the lookout for easy-drinking, flavorful cocktails that don’t pack a killer wallop, i.e., those that we can sip on all weekend long. This pair of pear cider cocktails make great companions for strenuous Sunday relaxation activities such as marathon sessions of book-reading, Netflix binge-watching, and backgammon-playing.

The following recipes were created by our newest team member, Lilian Rogers, a truly skilled cocktail-crafter whose passion for the culture of cocktails is infectious. Enjoy these, and stay tuned for more from Lily!

smokymule

The Smoking Mule (photo above)
This drink is earthy, smokey and creamy with tart pear notes. The ginger beer ice cubes take their time to melt, making it a great slow-sipper. Makes 1 cocktail.

4oz Sonoma Cider’s “The Pitchfork” Pear Cider (hard cider)
1oz mezcal
.5oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
.75oz vanilla simple syrup (or, regular simple syrup with 2 drops of vanilla extract)
4 – 6  ice cubes made from ginger beer
1 fresh pear, for garnish

Fill a high-ball glass with the ginger beer ice cubes. Pour in mezcal, lime juice, and vanilla simple syrup, and stir once gently to combine. Top with the pear cider, and garnish with a slice of ripe pear and a straw.

 

The Garden Trowel
Ethereal with beautiful, complex botanicals, this cocktail is creamy and balanced by crisp pear notes. Makes 1 cocktail.

4oz Sonoma Cider’s “The Pitchfork” Pear Cider (hard cider)
1oz botanical gin (such as Uncle Val’s Botanical, Hendrick’s, Farmer’s Organic Botanical)
.75oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
.75oz vanilla simple syrup (or, regular simple syrup with 2 drops of vanilla extract)
1 fresh pear, for garnish

Combine gin, lemon juice, and vanilla simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until slight film of condensation forms on the outside of the shaker. Strain into a rocks glass (8oz or larger), top with 4 oz pear cider. Garnish with a slice of ripe pear.

Cheers and Enjoy!

The Bitter Peruvian

BITTER_PERUVIAN
The popularity of aperitif-based cocktails — those with Campari, Aperol, etc., such as the Negroni — shows no sign of abating anytime soon. And we’re good with that, as we very much like their balanced sweet/savory combination, and their grown-up (aka, bitter-ish) finish.

Our version here is modeled on these aperitif cocktails in that it has as its main ingredient “Baladin Ginger,” a bitters-based Italian soda that interestingly enough does not have ginger in it. (Oh those wacky Italians.) Rather, it’s made with natural brown sugar, lemon, herbs, bitters and orange zest – aromatics similar to those used in bitter liqueurs, minus the alcohol. We mix it with pisco – the Peruvian wine-based spirit – to create an easy-drinking, delightfully tart cocktail. It’s low in alcohol, and has a lovely bitter finish.
bitter_2

INGREDIENTS
1oz pisco
1oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
.5 oz simple syrup
1 bottle (100ml) of Baladin Ginger Italian soda
3 dashes Fee Brothers Rhubarb bitters

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine pisco, lemon, and simple syrup over ice in a pint glass and stir gently to combine.
Top with Ginger soda and 3 dashes of bitters.
Garnish with lemon slice.

Cheers!
-Lilian

Party Math: A Guide to Buying – and Serving – Booze

The good news is the party’s a raging success and your guests are having the time of their lives. The bad news is the party’s a raging success and you’re about to run out of booze. Here’s how to never let that happen again.

party_web

Now that you have that down, ensure your party’s a smash by following these 8 Tips for Entertaining from team Bottles:

1. Don’t forget mixers & garnishes. Figure 1 liter of soda water/tonic/juice for every 3 guests; plan on 1 lemon/lime/orange for every 3 guests as well.

2. Have on hand at least 1 lb. of ice per person for storage & drink-making purposes. Which means your ice trays aren’t enough. Just go buy ice already, and put it in a cooler on the back porch. Trust us.

3. White wine is to be served chilled, not ice cold. Take your whites out of the fridge 10 minutes before serving. Most red wine is to be served a touch cooler than room temp. So don’t store it in direct sunlight, or, gasp, near the oven.

4. Worried about temperature fluctuations when buying cold beer? Fear not. Too much light and extreme heat (think noon heat in an un-airconditioned-car in August) are what will damage your brews. Subtle temperature changes are fine.

5. Always serve food alongside alcoholic beverages.

6. Place pitchers of water near the bar – and keep them filled.

7. Have a designated driver – or your Uber account – queued up for over-indulgers.

8. Reduce party stress by ordering your bottles in advance either in-store or via phone, and Bottles will deliver to your door day of!

Cheers!

 

 

Pumpkin Whiskey Cocktail Recipe & Two Tasty Twists on Classics

Looking for the perfect cocktail to make this season?

Here are 3 tasty recipes that you and your guests will love for the fall, Thanksgiving, and beyond.

These all feature a local whiskey distillery, Sons of Liberty Spirits, and are fun twists on cocktail classics. Visit the SOL Spirits website for even more cocktail ideas!

Cheers!

HOP_TONIC

HOP WHISKEY TONIC

This whiskey is dry-hopped like a beer! Woah. It makes for an idea tonic for a beer lover.

INGREDIENTS

2 oz Hop Flavored Whiskey

5 oz Tonic Water

GARNISH

Lemon wedge

DIRECTIONS

Serve whiskey and tonic water over ice. Stir & garnish with lemon wedge.

PUMP_MAN

PUMPKIN MANHATTAN

Sons of Liberty’s Pumpkin Spice Whiskey has won best flavored whiskey in the world. Now that’s a Manhattan.

INGREDIENTS

2 oz Pumpkin Spice Whiskey

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

2 dashes of Angostura Bitters

GARNISH

Luxardo cherry

DIRECTIONS

Stir ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Strain into chilled glass. Garnish with cherry.

RUSSIAN

DARK RUSSIAN

No comment necessary.

INGREDIENTS

2 oz Loyal 9 Dark Chocolate Vanilla Vodka

1 oz coffee liqueur

1 oz heavy cream or half-and-half, lightly whipped

GARNISH

Dust with grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Shake vodka and coffee liqueur with ice. Strain into ice-filled glass. Float lightly whipped cream on top of drink. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

 

-ENJOY!

Southside Manhattan, a SCLT Cocktail Recipe with Sage Honey Syrup

Southside Manhattan - cocktail recipe with rye whiskey and sage honey syrup

Bottles is proud to be a supporter of Southside Community Land Trust. SCLT is a fantastic organization and forceful change agent for community food security, providing land, education, tools, and support for people to grow food for themselves in greater Providence, Rhode Island.

This past Tuesday was a fundraising event, the 11th annual Harvesting Hope. Attendees enjoyed seasonal small plates featuring fresh ingredients grown on SCLT land, delicious wines from Bottles, and silent and live auctions.

The experts at Bottle created the Southside Manhattan special for the event; it’s a cocktail that uses fresh sage and honey that are grown and made by SCLT.

Try making your own Southside Manhattan at home!

First, make a batch of the Sage Honey Syrup, and combine with rye whiskey & a dash of orange bitters.

It’s yum. And a great way to use fresh, local ingredients in your cocktail.

 

HOW TO MAKE A
SOUTHSIDE MANHATTAN

INGREDIENTS
– 2 oz. Rye Whiskey
– 1 oz. Sage Honey Syrup*
– Dash of Angostura Orange Bitters

DIRECTIONS
Stir all ingredients over ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a whole sage leaf.
Alternatively, stir ingredients over ice & strain into a tall glass filled with ice; garnish.

*SAGE HONEY SYRUP
– 1 cup water
– ½ cup honey
– 10 fresh sage leaves

In a pot over high heat, bring water, honey, and sage to a boil. Reduce heat to low & simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool completely. Remove sage.

Cheers!

How to make a sage honey syrup

 

8 Easy Summer Cocktails – Plus, How to Pre-Batch Cocktails

How to Pre Batch Easy Summer Cocktails

When it’s summery and gorgeous outside, and you’re having a party or attending one, the last thing you want to be doing is spending hours making the drinks. You also don’t want to be making cocktails for everyone all night long if you’re hosting.

What’s the solution?

Pre-make and bottle your cocktails in big batches, or choose simple recipes that take two seconds to make. Keep scrolling to get inspired by our favorite, easy and summery cocktail recipes. Plus, look for our in-store display of all the ingredients you’ll need!

 

HOW TO PRE-BATCH COCKTAILS

SUPPLIES – swing-top glass bottles, funnel, measuring cup

TIMING – Make the batched cocktail 3-4 days in advance and refrigerate. If you’re using fruit juices, make it the day of—they’re perishable and best the day they’re squeezed.

ADDING WATER IN ADVANCE – When you shake a cocktail with ice, the ice actually melts and dilutes the drink. So, when you pre-make a cocktail that usually needs to be shaken, add some water—about 1/5 the volume. This ensures that each drink will taste balanced.

MATH – Our recipes here are in parts, so that you can make as much or as little as you need. One drink or serving usually has around 2 oz. of the base spirit.

SERVING – Serve each cocktail according the recipe directions. Some are over ice, others are poured into a chilled glass, and others are blended with crushed ice.

 

Download & Print Cocktail Recipes (2 pages) > 

 

Pisco Sour drink recipe

PISCO SOUR

Pisco is a type brandy (it’s distilled from the juice of grapes), usually made in Peru or Chile (where the Pisco Sour is the national drink). Icy, frothy, sweet and tart, this drink is super refreshing and great for summer.

Ingredients
– 2 parts Pisco (Try Ocucaje Pisco)
– 1 part Simple Syrup (Try Stirrings Simple Syrup)
– 1 part egg whites
– 1 part fresh lime juice

Garnish: Dash of Bitters (Try Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters)

Directions: Combine and blend all ingredients. When ready to serve, add crushed ice in a blender or shaker. Blend on high for 15 seconds, or shake for 1 minute, then serve. Garnish with 3 dashes of bitters.

*A bottle of Ocucaje Pisco makes around 12 drinks, with 2 oz of Pisco per serving.

Canale Torino Cocktail Recipe

CANALE TORINO

If you like Aperol or Campari, you’ll like this recipe which uses Cappelletti Aperitivo, a red, tasty, wine-based bitter aperitif made in Italy. This Canale Torino recipe is based on one by chef Jimmy Bradley at The Harrison, NYC.

Ingredients
– 2 parts Cappelletti Aperitivo
– 2 parts Dry Vermouth (Try Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth)
-1 part Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao

Garnish: Orange Peel Twist

Directions: Combine all ingredients and ⅕ volume with water if pre-batching. When ready to serve, pour into a glass of ice & garnish. If making individually, add ingredients with 2 cups of ice into a shaker. Shake, then strain into a glass. Garnish with orange peel twist.

*A bottle of Cappelletti Aperitivo makes around 12 drinks, with 2 oz of Cappelletti per serving.

Negroni Cocktail Recipe with Melletti 1870

NEGRONI

A Negroni has just three parts: gin, Campari, & sweet vermouth. You can customize it by swapping out the ingredients, and we love Meletti 1870. A sweet/bitter orange Italian aperitivo, Meletti 1870 is a new, deliciously complex recipe from the Meletti distillery.

Ingredients
– 1 part Gin (try Ford’s Gin)
– 1 part Meletti 1870
– 1 part Dolin Rouge Vermouth

Garnish: Orange Wedge

Directions: Combine all ingredients. To serve, pour over a glass full of ice, and stir well. Garnish with orange wedge.

*One bottle of Meletti 1870 will make around 16 servings, with 1.5 oz per drink. You’ll have leftover gin!

Maine Cooler - Royal Rose Lavender Lemon Syrup

MAINE COOLER

Just like a Tom Collins with vodka, plus yummy lavender-lemon syrup by Royal Rose. Refreshing, sweet, sour, and with a touch of lavender! Try Aylesbury Duck Vodka, which is clean, grainy, spicy and plays well in mixed drinks. (Based on the creation by Andrew Volk of the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club.)

Ingredients
– 2 parts Vodka (Try Aylesbury Duck Vodka)
– 1 part Royal Rose Lavender Lemon Syrup
– 1 part Lemon Juice
– Top off club soda

Garnish: Lemon Twist

Directions: Combine vodka, syrup, & lemon juice. Serve over ice and with lemon wedge. If making individually, shake ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass and top with soda.

*One bottle of Aylesbury Duck Vodka makes around 16 servings, with about 2 oz. of vodka per drink.

Paloma Drink Recipe - Tequila Cabeza

PALOMA

Ahh, the Paloma. Popular in Mexico, it’s a winning mix of tequila, grapefruit soda, and fresh lime juice. Try it with Tequila Cabeza, which is made from 100% agave, grown in the Los Altos region by the Vivanco family for five generations.

Ingredients
– 2 parts Tequila (Try Tequila Cabeza)
– 1 part Lime Juice
– Top with Pellegrino Pompelmo (grapefruit soda)

Garnish: Lime Wedge & Salt Rim

Directions: Combine tequila and lime juice. When ready to serve, fill a glass with ice, add mixture, pinch of coarse salt, and top with grapefruit soda. Stir.

* One bottle of Tequila Cabeza will make you around 16 servings, with about 2 oz. of tequila per drink.

Grumpy Cup Drink Recipe - Pimm's

GRUMPY CUP

Our own recipe! A Grumpy Cup is just like a Pimm’s Cup, but with Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer. Proceed with caution.

Ingredients
– 2 oz Pimm’s
– ½ btl. Crabbie’s Ginger Beer
– Lemon Juice

Garnish: Lemon Wedge

Directions: Fill a glass with ice, pour over with Pimm’s, and top off with Crabbie’s. Stir. Squeeze lemon wedge.

*A bottle of Pimm’s makes about 15 Grumpy Cup servings.

Kalimotxo - Red Wine and Coca-Cola - Drink Recipe

KALIMOTXO

Red wine and Coca-cola?! Don’t knock it till you try it. Popular in Basque-country, it tastes kind of like a sangria, minus the namby-pamby chopping of fruit. Especially refreshing with a squeeze of lemon, say hello to your new summer favorite!

Ingredients
– 1 part Red Wine (try Taron Rioja)
– 1 part Coca-Cola de Mexico

Garnish: Lemon Wedge

Directions: Fill a glass with ice, and combine equal parts red wine and cola. Garnish with lemon wedge.

*A bottle of Taron Rioja makes around 8-10 Kalimotxo’s, with 3-4oz of red wine per serving.

Bittermilk Charred Grapefruit Tonic  - Drink Recipe

CHARRED GRAPEFRUIT TONIC

A cool twist on a classic tonic, and easy to make! Bittermilk Charred Grapefruit is the perfect combination of citrus juices, organic cane sugar, cinchona bark, and fresh charred grapefruit peel.

Ingredients
– 1 part Rum (Try Caña Brava Rum)
– 1 part Bittermilk No. 5 Charred Grapefruit Tonic
– 1 part Club Soda

Garnish: Lime Wedge

Directions: Combine all ingredients, serve in a glass over ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

*One bottle of Caña Brava Rum and Bittermilk No. 5 Charred Grapefruit Tonic will make around 12 servings, with about 1.5oz of each ingredient per serving. You’ll have plenty of leftover rum!

 

Cheers!

 

Summery Cocktail Recipe: Make an Italian Lemonade

Looking for the perfect summery drink idea? Fizzy, citrusy, and bright, this Italian Lemonade recipe is a must-try. Plus, it’s easy to make!

Summer cocktail recipe - Italian Lemonade with vodka, Aperol, fresh lemon juice and club soda

If you need a great vodka to elevate this recipe, we recommend Square One Botanical Vodka, a spirit infused with aromatic botanicals: pear, rose, chamomile, lemon verbena, lavender, rosemary, coriander and citrus peel. Yum.

The recipe also calls for Aperol, which is a bright orange aperitif with a unique sweet-bitter (but fresh) taste, which makes it great for mixing.

One regular sized, 750ml bottle of vodka will make around 16 cocktails, with plenty of Aperol to spare. Stop by the store to pick up all the ingredients you’ll need!

ITALIAN LEMONADE

INGREDIENTS
1 ½ oz. Square One Botanical Vodka
½ oz. Aperol
½ oz. fresh lemon juice
club soda
cherry, orange or lemon slice for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Fill a Collins glass with ice and pour spirits, lemon juice and Aperol into the glass and stir. Top with club soda and garnish.

italianlemonade-horiz-600

If you’d like a few more summertime cocktails to try, in addition to the Italian Lemonade, click to download and print our recipe cards for Rosemary’s Garden and Sun Drop.

printable-squareone

Cheers!

 

Plant Your Cocktails! Herbal Infusions with Southside Community Land Trust

Bottles is pairing up with Southside Community Land Trust to help you create garden-fresh cocktails!

If you’re in the midst of planning this year’s garden, don’t forget to incorporate herbs to infuse your vodka, whiskey, tequila or gin. It’s a great way to add a personalized twist to classic cocktails, like a vodka martini or vodka tonic.

Learn how to infuse your booze here, and keep a look out during the SCLT Annual Plant Sale for the free cocktail recipe cards!

Download & Print Cocktail Recipe Cards >

sclt-basilrecipecard

Make a Batch of Basil Infused Vodka:
– 1/2 750ml bottle of Prairie vodka
– 1 cup lightly packed basil leaves, rinsed and towel dried
Infusing directions >

Thai Basil Vodka Martini
– 2 oz Thai Basil Infused Vodka
– 1 oz Dry Vermouth
– Splash of lime juice
– Lime Wedge

Directions: Pour vodka, vermouth, lime juice over ice in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain into glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

 

sclt-lavenderrecipecard

Make a Batch of Lavender Infused Vodka:
– 1 750ml bottle of Prairie vodkavodka
– 1 tablespoon lavender buds
Infusing directions >

Lavender Vodka Tonic
– 2 oz Lavender Infused Vodka
– 3 oz Tonic
– Splash of lemon juice
– Lemon Wedge for garnish

Directions: Fill half of glass with ice, pour vodka, tonic and lemon juice into glass. Garnish with lemon wedge.

Cheers!
– Joanna