Tag Archives: cocktail

The “It” Beverage of The Summer of 2018

It’s official. Now that we’re in the thick of the summer of 2018 we can indeed call it: The beverage of the season is, drum roll please, the canned cocktail. This ready-to-drink format has taken not just our store, but the whole country by storm. Seems gazillions of you have taken a shine to these little aluminum canisters and the well-made, thoughtful, delicious drinks inside of them. And you’re taking them to your porches, your decks, stoops, parks, beaches and boats in record numbers.

Producers of many leading brands have rushed their versions of canned cocktails to market, which has unfortunately resulted in a glut of questionable offerings that deliver less quality and more hangover. Our team has tasted so many of them this season that they’ve lost track. But what we haven’t lost track of is our drive to separate the bad from the good, to find the tastiest, well-crafted, most fun versions of this super popular format for you.

Here are 11 we’ve added to our shelves and coolers over the past month that we just love. Most are new, others are so good we’re calling them the classics already.

Sons of Liberty Loyal 9 Blueberry Lemonade
Yep, our pals from just down the road took their incredibly popular vodka lemonade and made it more New-England-Summer by adding blueberry to the mix. It’s a touch lower in alcohol than the straight lemonade version and we love love love its refreshing, winning style.
$11.99 / 4pk
$2.99 / single

Half-Seas Sparkling Cocktails
Serious cocktail aficionados will find much to love in this line of premium bubbles made by the team behind the popular Seattle-based Scrappy’s Bitters. Each offering is made with real distilled spirits, pure cane syrup and natural flavors. They’re solid cocktails, and are as tasty as the day is long.

Half-Seas Bramble
The original Bramble cocktail was created in London in the 1980s and is a mashup of dry London gin, tart citrus and juicy berries. This sparkling version pays tribute to the OG recipe and adds a touch of effervescence for a delightful tingle. It’s an incredibly balanced, dry, adult cocktail in a fun-sized format.
$15.99 / 4pk
$4.49 / single

Half-Seas Daiquiri
The Daiquiri is arguably one of the most well-known cocktails in the world, and this canned sparkling version remains true to the original ingredients, with white rum, tart limes, sweet pure cane sugar, and the added twist of effervescence. It’s refreshing – and the only way it could possibly be easier to enjoy would be if we drank it for you. Which we’re happy to do.
$15.99 / 4pk
$4.49 / single

Half-Seas Paloma
A mix the finest Mexican tequila with Half-Seas’ own all-natural, refreshing grapefruit soda, pure cane syrup, and zesty lime make this a not-to-be missed summer treat. Bring on a platter of fish tacos, please!
$15.99 / 4pk
$4.49 / single

Bravazzi Blood Orange Hard Italian Soda
Inspired by the iconic Italian fruit sodas, these hard versions are made with lots of amore and nothing artificial. They’re bright, fizzy and fruity thanks to real fruit juice and natural cane sugar. One sip and you’ll feel as if you’re on the Amalfi Coast!
$8.99 / 6pk
$2.25 / single

Joia Sparkling Greyhound
Come on, folks. There’s so much to love here. Premium vodka with all-natural grapefruit, chamomile and cardamom. This bubbly cocktail is low in sugar and calories if that sort of thing matters to you. If it doesn’t, drink it because it’s really, really, tasty.
$12.99 / 4pk
$3.99 / single

Monaco Cocktails
And for something a bit different – you can’t go wrong with the $2.99-a-pop Monaco cocktails given the pure amount of flavor punch packed into each can.

Monaco Mango Peach
This is a sweet and easy treat for a hot day. Freshly pressed mango juice flavor is blended with two shots of peach vodka. Nothing cerebral – and nothing wrong – with that!
$2.99 / single

Monaco Tequila Lime Crush
100% blue agave tequila and fresh lime flavors. Nothing more. Nothing less.
$2.99 / single

Monaco Citrus Rush
They say it’s like an adult energy drink. We say why not. It’s vodka infused with citrus & vanilla flavors for a sweet kick and a smooth finish.
$2.99 / single

Fishers Island Lemonade
So though it’s not technically new to our shelves (we’ve carried it for the past several seasons), this can deserves a spot on this list because it delivers, year after year, a super refreshing, slightly sweet, slightly tart bang for your buck. Is $5 a lot for one can? We don’t think so, when you consider each can contains the equivalent of two well-made cocktails. Enjoy with care: it’s scrumptious flavor packs a high-alcohol wallop.
$14.99 / 4pk
$4.99 / single

Ramona Ruby Grapefruit Spritz
This wine-based cocktail made its debut at Bottles last year, but we’re including it here because it’s terrific an a no-brainer for delicious summer fun. It’s an organic ruby red grapefruit wine spritzer that all the cool kids with great taste are drinking. It’s dry and balanced and refreshing – and look at that spectacular packaging!
$19.99 / 4pk
$5.49 / single

Cheers & enjoy!

prices subject to change

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A Rosé Cocktail For The Derby

Derby Day is almost upon us which means diehard fans are dusting off their julep tins, fancy hats, and lyric sheets to My Old Kentucky Home. Though we don’t have anything against the classic Mint Julep – the unofficial cocktail of The Kentucky Derby – we’re mixing things up a bit this year and will be drinking a julep-inspired cocktail that uses two of our favorite seasonal beverages: rosé and cider.

We stumbled upon this version a few weeks back when we joined our pals at The East End for a private tour of Boston Beer Company. It’s made from Angry Orchard’s Rosé Cider (new this year and flying off the shelves) and is simple and beautiful and delicious:

Rosé Julep

(makes 1 julep tin full)

.5 oz bourbon
.5 oz creme de cassis
.5 oz simple syrup
6-8 mint leaves
4-5 oz Angry Orchard Rosé Cider
crushed ice

Muddle the mint in the bottom of a julep tin. Add the remaining ingredients, then fill the tin with crushed ice. Garnish with a lavish mint bouquet, and you’re off!

Happy Derby Day from all of us at Bottles + The East End!

Team Bottles + The East End at Boston Beer Company in March 2018

El Diablo – An Easy Late-Summer Cocktail

We’re not entirely sure why this iconic tequila-based cocktail isn’t more popular among the general drinks-lovin’ public. After all, it’s easy to make, distinctive, delicious and a perennial bartender favorite.

To right that wrong we’ve teamed up with our friends at The East End to concoct an updated spicy take on the classic El Diablo. Bar Manager Kayleigh Speck swapped out tequila for mezcal, and amp’d up the spice with the addition of a habanero shrub. She shakes it with creme de cassis, and lime juice, adds ginger beer and presto: the iconic cocktail gets the attention it deserves.

More on that mezcal: We’ve chosen the Mezcales de Leyenda given its superior taste and its commitment to quality and the environment: its business practices are responsible straight through farming to bottling. For this recipe we’re using the Oaxaca Blanco for its lemongrass aromas and flavors of lemons, herbs and cooked agave.

Head to the store to pick up your bottle — $5 off through August 2017 — for this cocktail (or just for sipping – it’s that good) then head to The East End to taste their El Diablo on tap!

The East End’s El Diablo

1½ oz Mezcales de Leyenda Oaxaca
½ oz Merlet Creme de Cassis
½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 Dashes Habanero Shrub (Bittermens Hellfire is a good one)
Approx. 4oz Ginger Beer
Lime wedge for garnish

Combine all ingredients, except ginger beer, to a shaker with ice and shake. Fine-strain into highball or Collins glass with fresh ice, top with ginger beer and garnish.

Cheers!

How To Make Simple Cocktails That Taste Anything But

No muss no fuss.

That’s our mantra in these torrid times, which is why we’re crushing hard on locally-owned and operated Bootblack Brand’s line of all natural cocktail/soda syrups. They’re made by Paul Kubiski out of Hope & Main, the culinary incubator in Warren. His roster currently consists of two killer flavors, both of which are deeply layered with sweet, savory and citrus ingredients that meld into one complex cocktail or mocktail when mixed with a beverage of your choice.
bootblack

Paul launched Bootblack Brand with the super popular Ginger, Cardamom & Lime syrup, which is great when mixed with bourbon or rum. With vodka it’s a heady Moscow Mule. When splashed into tequila it makes a spicy riff on the basic margarita. We also love it plainly mixed with iced-tea, and with selzer, it makes an outrageous ginger ale.

He recently released his second flavor: Cranberry, Jalapeno & Lime, which is a true treat with tequila and/or mezcal. It also sings beautifully with whiskey, vodka and gin. At its most simple, we love splashing it into a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade.

Both make quick work of a Monday night cocktail at home, and really shine when used in a welcome/signature cocktail for gatherings of a handful or more of friends.

For a truly simple, one-minute cocktail/mocktail, Paul suggests mixing 3 parts spirit or seltzer to 1 part syrup, and adjusting amounts to suit your taste.

And for the days when you have a touch more ambition, Paul recommends the following two recipes (both of which are included on their respective bottles).

3 Compadres
2oz bourbon
.75oz Ginger Cardamom Lime syrup
.5oz Ferent-Branca
3 dashes orange bitters
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Orange twist

Add bourbon, syrup & Fernet to a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a double old fashioned glass over a large cube. Float with the bitters and the twist.

Smokey Summer
1.5oz Tequila Reposado
.5oz Mezcal
1oz Cranberry Jalapeno Lime syrup
.5oz Lime Juice
Splash of seltzer
Salted lime wheel

Add tequila, mezcal, syrup and lime juice to a shaker filled with ice and shake well. Strain into a double old fashioned glass filled with ice. Add seltzer, stir gently, then add lime wheel.

Cheers to another local Rhody success story!

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The Irish Mountain Marma

We loved the Irish Whiskey-based cocktail that Lily created for us last week so much so we asked her to do another.

To complement the whiskey, Lily used a pantry staple – marmalade. The drink is sweet & tart, with wonderful aromatics from rosemary and a slightly bitter finish thanks to the addition of Montenegro amaro. It’s delightful anytime of the year, not just on St. Patty’s Day.

powers_lemon
The Irish Mountain Marma
makes 1 cocktail

2 oz Powers whiskey
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Montenegro
1 tbsp marmalade*
1 small, 1″ sprig of rosemary
1 larger sprig (for garnish)

*For this recipe, orange marmalade was used but lemon grapefruit marmalade is also quite nice.

Place small sprig in shaker, add Montenegro and gently muddle once with a muddler or wooden spoon to release the rosemary flavor.
Add whiskey, lemon, and marmalade.
Fill shaker with ice and shake until frost forms on the outside of the tin.
Double-strain into a tumbler, garnish with remaining sprig of rosemary and ice.

Enjoy!

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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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

Masko’s Manhattan Recipe

Masko's Manhattan - Cocktail Recipe

Looking for a magical Manhattan cocktail recipe? John Masko (a friend of Bottles) has concocted this special drink that features White Ginger Infused Simple Syrup from Sonoma Syrup Company.

To make their White Ginger Simple Syrup, Sonoma Syrup Co. infuses fresh white ginger in pure cane syrup, resulting in a peppery, sweet taste. It can enhance loads of cocktails, but is especially ideal for Masko’s Manhattan, a combination of Knob Creek Bourbon, Ramazzotti Amaro, and the amazingly delicious Luxardo cherry.

MASKO’S MANHATTAN

Ingredients:
— 3 oz Knob Creek Bourbon
— 3/4 oz Ramazzotti Amaro
— 1 1/2 teaspoons (1/4 oz) White Ginger Infused Simple Syrup from Sonoma Syrup Company (shake the syrup well before dispensing)
— Luxardo cherries

Directions:
Add the three liquid ingredients to a shaker 2/3 full of ice. Shake longer than usual with ice (I shake to a slow count of 40) and strain into a chilled cocktail glass; because of the intense flavors of all of the ingredients, prolonged shaking is necessary. Garnish with one or two Luxardo cherries and lightly pull a Luxardo-syrup-coated fork through the cocktail after you place the cherry, leaving a fading swirl of syrup.

(The measurement of Bourbon and Ramazzotti is not as critical as that of the ginger syrup: under or over-measuring the syrup can give a very different character to the cocktail.)

Recipe by John Masko

Cocktail Recipe: How to Make a Caipirinha

Need a different drink idea, yet something still simple and summery? Try cachaça, a popular spirit in Brazil that is made from distilled sugarcane juice.

Well, what should you do with cachaça, you say? Make a caipirinha! It’s a refreshing combination of limes, sugar, and cachaça.

Pick up a bottle of Boca Loca Cachaça for $19.99 (reg. $24.99) for the month of June! One bottle of Boca Loca Cachaça makes around 12 cocktails.

Caipirinha Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients
– 2 oz. Cachaça (we recommend Boca Loca)
– 1 lime
– 2 tsp. sugar

Directions
Cut a lime into 8 wedges. Place the lime and sugar into a rocks glass and muddle the ingredients together. Fill your glass with ice; then add the Boca Loca Cachaça. Stir vigorously to mix the sugar well before adding a lime wheel to garnish.

Download & Print Caipirinha Cocktail Recipe Card >