Espresso Tonic

Credit: Daniel Gritzer, Serious Eats

Ingredients

1 oz cold brew coffee concentrate or espresso
4 oz Fever Tree Indian Tonic Water
1/2 oz oleo saccharum or other syrup
lemon peel

Directions

Fill a glass with ice. Add the tonic water. Float the cold brew coffee concentrate and oleo saccharum on top because it looks cool, but serve it with a straw or small spoon to blend the flavors. Express the lemon oil and add the peel to the glass.

Notes

Ok, almost used lemon juice instead of oleo saccharum because I was distracted dancing to Tyler the Creator—close save! Seriously though…this drink is exactly why I love home bartending. Easy, impressive, and unexpected! For those of us without an espresso maker, cold brew coffee concentrate is perfect—even strongly brewed coffee would work. Oleo saccharum isn’t essential, but the lemon and coffee play so well together, so at minimum I recommend expressing plenty of lemon oil into the drink and using a wide strip of peel as a garnish.

Oleo Saccharum

Ingredients

1 cup lemon rind, peeled thin, avoiding the white pith
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Mix the lemon rind and sugar together in a bowl, cover, and let sit at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally, until a syrup forms. Strain the syrup into a jar and store in the fridge. Keep the leftover lemon peel if you like: it’s quite similar to candied citrus in texture.

Notes

Yes! The first time I tried making oleo saccharum ages ago it failed. No syrup formed—it was just damp sugar coating dry lemon peel. I used Meyer lemon this time, but I think the key was using a Y peeler—it did a great job of removing the peel without any pith. Next time I make this I’ll add the weight of the rind and sugar in grams, but I thought volume was a safer place for me to start. I took a more educated guess at the ratio and this one seemed to work just fine.

Golden Delight

★ Original Cocktail ★

Ingredients

1.5 oz 90 proof bourbon (or 2 oz 80 proof bourbon)
generous 1/4 oz golden-thyme syrup
2 dashes Scrappy’s Cardamom Bitters
5 drops saline solution
thyme sprigs
lemon peel spiral

Directions

Build in a glass over ice. Garnish with thyme sprigs and a lemon peel spiral on a cocktail pick.

Notes

This is a variation on an old fashioned. Woodford Reserve bourbon works well here with its sweeter, caramel-honey notes, but use what you like. Thyme sprigs and saline solution help coax more flavor from the syrup, while still keeping the sweetness at the right level. Scrappy’s Cardamom Bitters have the truest cardamom flavor, but again, use what you can find or prefer. The lemon peel garnish is aesthetic only—expressing lemon oil from the peel throws off the delicate balance of the drink.

I don’t gravitate toward bourbon drinks—and I just love this. Absolutely delightful.

Golden-Thyme Syrup

★ Original Cocktail ★

Ingredients

2 oz Lyle’s Golden Syrup
2 oz water
2 generous sprigs of thyme

Directions

Place all the ingredients into a small pot, stir, and and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, take off the heat. Let cool, strain out the thyme, and store in the fridge.

Notes

Perhaps my proudest accomplishment in home bartending experiments! The buttery, caramel notes of the Lyle’s Golden Syrup pair so well with the herbaceous thyme. Most syrups here are 2:1 sugar to water so they last longer in the fridge. Lyle’s is quite rich though, so a 1:1 ratio is less likely to overpower the thyme. I also recommend making only 1/2 cup of syrup at a time to allow for adjusting the strength of the thyme flavor as needed. Lyle’s can be tracked down on Amazon or international grocery stores like World Market in the US.

A 2:1 version of this syrup without the thyme would also be fantastic in cocktails—especially rum drinks—where you want a hefty dose of complex sweetness.

Shirley Temple

Ingredients

6 oz Canada Dry Zero Sugar Ginger Ale
1 oz grenadine
Luxardo cherry

Directions

Fill a glass with ice. Add ginger ale. Top with grenadine and garnish with a cherry.

Notes

Ok, for a lower sugar drink, this is great! I got hooked on the zero sugar line starting with A&W Root Beer. I tried the ginger ale on a business trip and was equally impressed (or scared) by how much it tasted like real soda. I was concerned that the syrup and diet soda would clash somehow but not at all. (The zero Sugar Sunkist is great too.)

Shirley Temples are traditionally made with ginger ale, but 7-Up is a common alternative. You can also add lime, depending on the proportion of soda and syrup used, but this is an easy ratio to work with.

Thai Iced Lime Tea (Cha Manao)

Credit: Pailin Chongchitnant, Hot Thai Kitchen

Ingredients

2 tbsp Thai tea leaves
1 cup boiling water
1 tbsp sugar or 3/4 oz 2:1 clear syrup
juice from 1/2 a lime
ice

Directions

Brew tea for 5 minutes. Strain, ideally with a French press and then through a pour-over coffee filter to catch the tea dust. Let the tea cool, then mix with lime and sweetener and pour over ice.

Notes

This is a revelation! I love classic Thai iced tea with sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk, but it’s rich. I was hesitant I’d appreciate this lime version with no creamy element but it’s so bright and refreshing! I tried it with sugar so I could gauge how sweet I wanted it, but next time I’d use syrup as it blends easier.

Monterita

Credit: Amaro Montenegro

Ingredients

2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1 oz Lunazul Blanco Tequila
0.5 oz lime juice

Directions

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass.

Notes

We had people over for games on Cinco de Mayo, and my husband found this recipe on the web. I don’t often drink tequila but this one is great for how simple it is! Montenegro has a perfect balance of sweet and bitter in this drink. The guests enjoyed it too!

Ginger Shot

Credit: Lisa Bryan, Downshiftology

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped ginger, washed (no need to peel)
1/4 cup Harmless Harvest or Trader Joe’s coconut water
1/3 cup lemon juice
pinch cayenne

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a blender or Nutribullet and strain, pressing as much juice out of the remaining pulp as possible.

Notes

Ok, this is always going to be in the refrigerator. It’s easy to make a double batch. An immunity boost, good for digeation, and helps with sugar cravings! It helps to use fresh, juicy ginger root.

London Fog

Ingredients

Hot

1 cup water
1 bag Earl Grey tea
1/2 oz 2:1 simple syrup
1/4 tsp Penzeys Vanilla Extract (either single-strength or Mexican)

Iced

1 cup water
1 bag Irish Breakfast tea
1/2 oz 2:1 simple syrup
1 oz Vanilla Nupod Creamer

Directions

Hot

Brew tea. Add the simple syrup to the tea. Add the vanilla to the milk separately, warm, froth, and add to the tea.

Iced

Brew tea. Add the simple syrup to the tea. Pour over ice. Top with creamer.

Notes

My son loves the iced version, and I love the hot one. So easy to make!

Turmeric Tea

Credit: Lisa Bryan, Downshiftology

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
few grinds black pepper
1 tsp honey

Directions

Add water, lemon juice, turmeric, and black pepper to a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and add honey.

Notes

So, after indulging in all the things on New Year’s Eve, I woke up feeling nauseated. I made this and immediately felt better! Next time I’d try adding the lemon at the end, so it doesn’t simmer so long. Also it’s important to strain this. So comforting and a beautiful color.

Tasting: Cream Liqueurs

The Flight

Amarula Cream Liqueur (17% ABV)
Bailey’s Irish Cream (17% ABV)
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream (15% ABV)

Notes

Amarula Cream Liqueur: Fruity, tropical. An utter joy to have discovered. We tried this flight neat but I’d welcome this over ice and will also explore using it in cocktails! Amarula is all about the fruit—it’s a rare cream liqueur that doesn’t have a whisky or brandy base, but a fruit spirit base.

Bailey’s Irish Cream: Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve had Bailey’s, and it’s an almost harsh combination of ethanol, sweet, and cream. However, the Oatmeal Cookie shot is a fun use of this one.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream: Ok, this one is all about the bourbon flavor coming through. I bought Buffalo Trace to use in a Cynar Boulevardier, and the cream does it justice.

The Verdict

Amarula will always be in my bar. That simple. So glad I discovered this only because I read about L.A. Burdick Chocolates doing a seasonal release of chocolate elephants with Amarula. Bailey’s is alright in coffee, hot cocoa, or collegiate shots, but I won’t rush out to restock it. The Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream is a fun upgrade for a whisky-based liqueur that I look forward to enjoying over ice and in cocktails.

Ginger-Lime Spritz

★ Original Cocktail ★

Ingredients

1 oz blended lime cordial
1/2 oz ginger syrup
6 oz sparkling water

Directions

Build in a collins glass over ice.

Notes

I like this even better than the lime spritz. The added ginger is so refreshing, and the brightness of the ginger counteracts the extra sweetness perfectly!

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Turkish Coffee

Credit: Merve

Ingredients

1 tbsp Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi Turkish Coffee
1/4 cup water
1 cardamom pod

Directions

Mix coffee and water in a Turkish coffee pot (cezve). Break open the cardamom pod and add the seeds to the pot. Heat on high heat until boiling and foamy. Pour half the coffee mixture into a cup. Bring the remaining half of the coffee mixture to a boil again, then pour that into the cup as well.

Notes

A Turkish coworker taught me how to make this over a video call, and then we enjoyed our coffee together! It’s the only coffee I can drink with no cream or sugar. It’s especially fun to sip it in a double-walled espresso glass.

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Coquito

Credit: Alejandra Ramos, Always Order Dessert

Ingredients

12 oz evaporated milk
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
15 oz Coco López Cream of Coconut
14 oz coconut milk
24 oz Puerto Rican rum
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

Directions

Combine everything in a blender except for the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean—blend in batches if needed. Add the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean. Pour into bottles or pitchers and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours to get cold and for the flavors to settle. Serve in small glasses.

Notes

Ok, so, my father-in-law is 1/2 Puerto Rican and I hope his mother would have been happy—or amused at least—that I brought this to our first Christmas gathering together in a while! It’s so tasty, and not at all overly sweet despite the comical amount of sweet things that go into it. A fun change from eggnog!

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Averna Toddy

Credit: Elena Lepkowski, Serious Eats

Ingredients

1 oz Amaro Averna
1/2 oz brown sugar syrup
1/2 oz lemon juice
4 oz boiling water
lemon peel garnish

Directions

Combine everything in a mug and garnish with lemon peel.

Notes

Note: I didn’t make the spiced syrup that Elena Lepkowski includes in her article, because I wanted to make this with ingredients I already had on hand. This was fantastic, and the bizarre thing—it tasted exactly like hot apple cider! Like, exactly. It was the funniest thing!

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Greek Frappe

Credit: Ken's Greek Table

Ingredients

1 tsp (rounded) Nescafe instant coffee
2 tsp (rounded) sugar
2 3/4 oz water
1 oz milk
6-7 ice cubes

Directions

Mix coffee, sugar, and 3/4 oz water in the bottom of a glass, and froth with a milk frother for 30 seconds. (You can also shake this in a mason jar.) Add ice cubes, remaining water, and milk.

Notes

This is quick, refreshing, and well-balanced. Fantastic! I can’t decide if I want to sip it from a straw or the glass. There’s a thick foam on top, and I stirred it up so it was mostly mixed into the drink with a thin layer on top. And it’s so fun to use instant coffee :-) I have no idea how I came upon this recipe but so glad I did!

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Espresso Martini

Credit: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Ingredients

1 oz cold brew coffee concentrate
3/4 oz 100 proof vodka
3/4 oz Kahlua
lemon peel

Directions

Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express a lemon peel over the glass.

Notes

This. Is. It. Ugh, single-word sentences, that’s the 100-proof vodka kicking in. Now I get why you need the stronger vodka—it cuts through the sweetness of the Kahlua. The lemon peel is a reminder of how well citrus and coffee pair. I made two of these at once, but next time I’d make them individually to ensure adequate foam levels. Stellar.

Here’s a video of the cocktail’s creator, Dick Bradsell, making the drink—originally called a Vodka Espresso. He shares the origin story as well. :-)

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Irish Coffee

Credit: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Ingredients

2 tsp brown sugar syrup
1 1/2 oz Irish whiskey
3 oz coffee
1 1/2 oz heavy cream, lightly whipped (technique below)
Serve in a traditional Irish coffee glass

Directions

Fill glass with hot water until it heats up, then dump out the hot water. Heat up brown sugar syrup, whiskey, and coffee, then add to glass. For the whipped cream, pour heavy cream into a mason jar and shake for 15 seconds, then gently spoon it on top of the drink.

Notes

This is just perfect, and the easiest Irish coffee I’ve made. Apparently sweetening the cream is a faux pas, and it turns out you don’t need to! The whipped cream technique is from Mr. Morgenthaler’s The Bar Book.

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Brown Sugar Syrup

Credit: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Ingredients

30 g blackstrap molasses
270 g white sugar
150 g water

Directions

Heat ingredients in a pot until combined. Let cool and bottle.

Notes

Mr. Morgenthaler is genius to have cut out the middle man—brown sugar—and just mixed deep, bitter molasses and sugar. A game-changer.

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Lime Spritz

★ Original Cocktail ★

Ingredients

1 oz blended lime cordial
6 oz sparkling water

Directions

Build in a collins glass over ice.

Notes

Simple and refreshing!

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