Cocktail Recipes for Every Type of Summer Gathering

Felipe’s  Margarita

2 ounces blanco Monte Alban tequila
1/2 ounce key lime juice (about 1 key lime)
1/2 ounce homemade simple syrup (recipe below)
1/2 ounce triple sec
Garnish: Lime wheel

1. Simple syrup: Mix equal parts sugar and water in a microwavable container and heat until all sugar is dissolved. Alternatively, heat on the stove. Syrup keeps 4-6 weeks in the refrigerator.
2. Add all ingredients to a shaker tin filled with ice and shake for 10-12 seconds. Pour the entire contents (including ice) into a rocks glass. Garnish with lime wheel.

Felipe’s Uptown

Queen’s Bower

0.75 ounce Dorothy Parker gin or dry gin
0.75 ounce Lillet blanc
0.75 ounce Green Chartreuse
0.25 ounce St-Germain
0.75 ounce cucumber water (see recipe) or cucumber soda
0.5 ounce lime juice
0.5 ounce creme de cassis (float on top)
Garnish: blackberries and cucumber slice

1. Add all ingredients except the Creme de Cassis to a shaker with ice. Shake quickly (about five seconds) and strain over crushed ice. Drizzle the Creme de Cassis on top. Garnish with skewered cucumber and blackberry.
2. Cucumber water: Blend a peeled cucumber and strain it through a fine mesh.

Arnaud’s Richelieu Bar

Army and Navy

2 ounces Roku Gin
3/4 ounce lemon
1/2 ounce orgeat
14 drops Angostura
Garnish: grapefruit peel

1. Shake all ingredients with ice until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Express the oils of the grapefruit peel over the drink, and discard.
2. This refreshing classic lives on the Cure menu under “Cocktails we love.”

• Roku gin has a bold, botanical flavor profile. Feel free to try it with other gins to see how they interact with the Angostura.
• Taste the cocktail after you have strained it, but before you have expressed the grapefruit over the drink, and then taste it after to see how the oil affects the overall flavor. Do not leave the peel in the glass — it will make the drink too bitter.
• Make sure to chill your coupe ahead of time to keep your cocktail cold on a hot summer day.

Oxbow Classic Daiquiri

2 ounces Oxbow Rhum Louisiane Agricole
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounce raw cane sugar syrup (see recipe)

Raw Cane Sugar Syrup

1 part raw cane sugar
2 parts white sugar
2 parts water

1. Raw Cane Sugar Syrup: Bring all ingredients to a simmer over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Syrup keeps up to six weeks in the refrigerator.
2. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel.

• Raw sugar, available at Oxbow distillery, is far less processed than commercially available sugars, including brown sugar in the baking aisle. Demerara sugar is a good substitute.
• Rhum Louisiane is made from fresh cane juice and has a slightly brighter, lighter flavor than rums most people are familiar with. Swapping it with the Oxbow Small Batch White Rum made from high-grade molasses makes a warmer and sweeter cocktail. Alter your syrup measurements if needed. Both are delicious!
• If you still have a few ice chips in your drink after straining, don’t worry. They help keep the drink cold in Louisiana heat.

Oxbow Rum Distillery Recipe

Bellini at Midnight

2 ounces Trakal Patagonian spirit
3/4 ounce Combier peach liqueur (or another liqueur using real peach)
1/2 ounce Aqua de Cedro liqueur
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce Burrata water, aquafaba or an egg white (see tip)
2 dashes orange blossom water (less than 1/8 ounce)
Garnish: Orange bitters

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Add 3-4 drops of orange bitters on top of the foam and drag a toothpick or straw through them to make a swirled design.

• Trakal is an unaged Patagonian brandy. It is infused with botanicals like gin, but has more body than gin. If you can’t get it, use a citrus-forward American-style gin like Ford’s or Bombay Sapphire.
• Aqua de Cedro is a Mediterranean liqueur, similar to limoncello but lower proof. It adds a different lemon quality to the drink without adding juice or pulp. If you can’t find it, increase the lemon juice to .75 oz. Aqua de cedro and the peach liqueur can also be used in spritzes, French 75s, and other white spirits drinks to add additional zing.
• Aqua faba, burrata and egg whites all add body and foam to a drink. Egg whites are traditional and add no other flavors. Aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas) is a little salty, and also vegan. Burrata water (the liquid in the burrata cheese container) is slightly more salty, and also has an umami flavor.

Beggars Banquet Recipe

Sur–prise Me

1 1/4 ounces El Buho Espadin Mezcal
3/4 ounce Paranubes Rum
1/4 ounce Braulio Amaro
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce cinnamon syrup (see recipe)
2 ounces Q grapefruit soda
Garnishes: Bouquet of mint and dehydrated lemon slice

Cinnamon syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 cinnamon sticks.

1. Cinnamon syrup: Add sticks to water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and let the sticks steep for 2 minutes (you are making cinnamon tea). While the water is still hot, stir in sugar until dissolved.  Cool and strain out the sticks. Transfer to a well-sealed container, ideally glass. Syrup keeps in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks. If you use a clean spoon each time you dip into the jar and keep the jar well sealed, the syrup keeps longer.
2. Shake all ingredients except the soda and strain into a Collins glass. Top with the grapefruit soda, add cubed ice, and stir gently to mix. Garnish with mint and a dehydrated lemon slice.

• Other ways to use the Braulio include swapping amaro for some of the simple syrup in a Daiquiri or replacing Amaro Nonino in a Paper Plane with Braulio. You can also mix it with ginger beer or grapefruit soda.
• Q is the grapefruit soda best suited for this recipe. Erika finds others too sweet.
• Use the cinnamon syrup throughout your day! Mix it in your morning coffee or tea; drizzle it on toast or pancakes; mix it into your baking; replace some or all simple syrup in classic cocktails like a Daiquiri or Old Fashioned.

Compere Lapin Recipe