Category Archives: Cocktails

Boulevardier: Bourbon Cocktail Recipe

Boulevardier Bourbon Cocktail Idea

Learn how to make a Boulevardier cocktail as part of the Bottles Bourbon feature happening in our Providence store. With only 3 ingredients (Bourbon, Campari and Vermouth), this is an easy drink ideas for holiday parties!  Contact Us

This cocktail with a goofy name is a variant on a Negroni, a classic cocktail made of equal parts gin, Campari, & sweet vermouth. In a Negroni, you are seeking balance in the components; bitter Campari tempered by sweet vermouth, with the gin adding punch and floral overtones to the whole.

With a Boulevardier, you replace the gin with bourbon, and raise the ratio of the bourbon a smidge. This results in a sweeter cocktail, and I find it helps to tame the bitterness of the Campari more so than just gin & sweet vermouth. It’s a brilliant drink to have before dinner, as the bitter-sweet flavor and slightly acerbic finish of the Campari will get your gland salivating and ready for the meal at hand.

how to make bourbon cocktail

To make a Boulevardier, try the following ratios:

Ingredient List
* 1.5 Pt. Bourbon
* 1 Pt. Campari
* 1 Pt. Sweet Vermouth
* Lemon Twist

Stir well over crushed ice & strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon.

As with any cocktail, the levels of Bourbon, vermouth, or Campari can be adjusted to make the finished drink more or less bitter or fruity, as suits your fancy. This is a great recipe to play around with, and something very easy (yet elegant) to put in front of guests.

Try our other Bourbon Cocktails:

Find more videos and cocktail ideas on our YouTube channel and our Cocktail Recipe Page.

Manhattan Cocktail Recipe for the Holidays

manhattan cocktail recipe ingredients "rhode island"
As part of the Bottles Bourbon feature, here is a simple but delicious Manhattan cocktail recipe made from our recommended Bourbons, Vermouths, and Bitters. All of the bourbons and drink ingredients in this blog post are available at our fine wine, beer and liquor store in Providence, Rhode Island. Contact Us

A classic cocktail, Manhattans are easy to make, easy to drink, and can be simply modified to suit one’s taste. The hallmark of a Manhattan is cold, cold Bourbon, whose toasty, oaky vanilla notes are being balanced by the vermouth’s sweet herbal flavor, with the bitters holding to sweetness in check & the cherry adding a touch of fruit.

In perhaps the simplest method, a Manhattan can be broken down as follows:

Ingredient List
* 2 Pts. Bourbon
* 1 Pt. Sweet Vermouth
* 1 Dash of Bitters
* Garnish with a Cherry

Stir over crushed ice & strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

The particular Bourbon (or Rye!) is up to you, as is the brand of vermouth & bitters. I like to make my Manhattans with Eagle Rare (when I’m feeling fancy) or W.L. Weller Special Reserve, both from the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky. Eagle Rare is a Bourbon that exhibits pronounced flavors of fruity cherry in the finish, and is therefore well suited to a Manhattan. W.L. Weller is a wheated whiskey, meaning that a portion of wheat has been added to the corn & grain before distillation. This softens the whiskey, and makes for a very light & refreshing cocktail.

easy best manhattan "how to make"

For Vermouth, I very much prefer Dolin Rouge. It’s less sugary sweet than many of its counterparts, with a delightfully full, herbal flavor. When mixed with bourbon & Peychaud’s Bitters (a true American original, lighter & more floral than Angostura bitters) you get a killer combination.

The great thing about cocktails like the Manhattan is that you can alter them to be stronger or weaker, more or less fruity, sweeter or drier, as your taste or the occasion dictates. They can also be made in advance, left in a pitcher in your fridge, and doled out as necessary – saving you lots of time mixing when company is over.

Try our other Bourbon Cocktails:

Find more videos and cocktail ideas on our YouTube channel and our Cocktail Recipe Page.

 

Phantasma: Halloween Cocktail Recipe

Halloween and Dia de los Muertos are just around the corner! Phantasma is a Halloween cocktail idea created by the folks here at Bottles, a fine wine, craft beer, and liquor store in Providence, Rhode Island. To help you celebrate for Halloween, here is an easy tequila cocktail recipe that uses only 3 ingredients: Kah Tequila Blanco, Cocchi Americano, and fresh lemon juice. Watch the Cocktail Video 

Phantasma

Ingredients
1.5 oz Kah Blanco Tequila
1.5 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz lemon juice
Lemon garnish

Directions
Add ice to shaker. Add tequila, Cocchi Americano and lemon juice. Shake and then strain into a glass with ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge or lemon zest. Enjoy!

The Kah Tequila Blanco skull bottle is hand painted to represent a traditional Calaveras, or sugar skull, which is used in Day of the Dead rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. The word “Kah” translated to life in the ancient Mayan language.

Kah’s distiller’s use 100% hand selected Blue Agave, and is both certified organic and Kosher. Kah Tequila Blanco has sweet notes of cooked agave with a spicy white pepper punch, and is silky, delicate and smokey. This tequila is great on the rocks or for mixing in cocktails.

Cocchi Americano is moscato d’asti, a sweet white wine fortified with a touch of brandy and flavored with gentian root, cinchona bark, along with orange peels and herbs. Cocchi Americano makes a delicious aperitif or great base for mixing. Read this article to learn more about Cocchi Apertivo Americano’s resurgence in craft-cocktail bars across America. The New York Times also has a great article on this Italian aperitif wine.

In the area? Bottles has all the bartending and cocktail supplies you’ll need. We are also happy to deliver or ship your order to you. For more information, visit our website at www.bottlesfinewine.com, call us at (401) 372-2030 or email us at info@blog.bottlesfinewine.com.

Cheers!


Find more videos and cocktail ideas on our YouTube channel and our Cocktail Recipe Page.

Bonal and Rye Whiskey Cocktail Recipe

Be your own bartender and learn how to make great cocktails with Joanna from Bottles. Bottles is a fine wine, beer and liquor store in Providence, RI. This instructional video shows you how to make Bonal & Rye, a type of rye whiskey cocktail created by San Francisco bartender Todd Smith. Bonal and Rye has only four ingredients, and is juicy, fun, and fresh drink to enjoy at home, with friends, or to impress party guests.

Bonal & Rye

Ingredients
2 oz. Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Bonal Gentiane-Quina
1/2 oz. Cointreau
3 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
Orange twist, for garnish

Directions
Shake, strain, and serve with an orange twist garnish.

bonal rye whiskey ingredients list how to make

Bonal is a dark, delicious aperitif that is famous for stimulating the palate and self-proclaimed as “ouvre l’appetit,” or the key to appetite. An infusion of gentiane (a root) and herbs from the Grand Chartreuse Mountains, Bonal tastes a little like port, but not nearly as sweet. It has a bitter element from the gentiane root and chinchona (quinine).

bonal gentiane aperitif cocktail ideas

Use Bonal in place of sweet vermouth (it’s great in a rye Manhattan), or drink neat or on the rocks with a twist of orange.

You can find these ingredients at Bottles.

rye whiskey cocktail bonal orange bitters

Find more videos and cocktail ideas on our YouTube channel and our Cocktail Recipe Page.

How to Make a Rosé Sangria

Enjoy this refreshing Rosé Sangria recipe at home or with friends, created by Joanna, the Bottles cocktail expert. This sangria drink idea is easy to make and great for the summertime! Watch this video tutorial for instructions on making this crisp and light sangria that uses Frog’s Leap Rosé, Mathilde Pear Liqueur, Q Ginger Ale and local, seasonal fruits and berries.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups mixed fresh fruit
1 bottle of Frog’s Leap Rosé
4 oz. Mathilde Poire Liqueur
Top off with Q Ginger Ale

DIRECTIONS
Pour the rosé wine and pear liqueur into a pitcher. Add fruit. Let sit for two hours or more, and when serving, add a splash of ginger ale. Enjoy!

ingredients rose sangria recipe

The longer you let this sit, the more the fruit will absorb the flavors. Also, try to use fruits that are in season. For the freshest fruit, visit your local farmer’s market.

Frog’s Leap is a winery located in California that makes this wine is dry and light with aromas of watermelon and summer flowers. Mathilde Pear Liqueur is a great cocktail ingredient made from 100% hand picked fruits. Instead of using regular ginger ale, try out Q Ginger Ale. This tasty ginger ale is made of all natural ingredients like rose oil, orange peel and of course, real ginger.

rose sangria drink idea

If you are letting the fruit soak more than a few hours, add the Q ginger ale just before serving, to add a little fizz to your sangria.

easy rose sangria best recipe

Visit our store for the ingredients you need!

Find more videos and cocktail ideas on our YouTube channel and our Cocktail Recipe Page.

How to Make a Grumpy Cup Cocktail

Watch this video tutorial on how to make an easy and delicious British themed cocktail recipe. The Grumpy Cup drink idea is a Bottles (a Rhode Island liquor store) cocktail invention, and a twist on a classic Pimm’s Cup cocktail. The ingredients include Pimm’s, St. Germain and Crabbie’s (alcoholic!) Ginger Beer.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5OTzZlm0Ag&feature=youtu.be”]

Everything you need for this recipe is available at Bottles, your local Providence cocktail supply store. Not local? We deliver to the state of Rhode Island and ship to almost anywhere!

grumpycup.1

THE GRUMPY CUP COCKTAIL
1.5 oz. Pimm’s
Crabbie’s Ginger Beer
Splash of St. Germain
Lemon

DIRECTIONS
Fill a highball glass half full with ice. Add 1.5 ounces of Pimm’s Liqueur. Top off with Crabbie’s Ginger beer. Add a splash of St. Germain’s, and top off with a squeeze of lemon. Garnish with lemon wedge. Stir, and enjoy!

grumpycup.2

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