5 Easy Drinks To Make At Home For National Cocktail Day
Tomorrow (May 13th) is National Cocktail Day. Depending on what your week was like, if the weather is gorgeous, or you just want a drink any day could really be National Cocktail Day. Here are 5 easy cocktails to make at home.
1. Margarita
(Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Rémy Cointreau )
The classic. Rocks or frozen. Personal preference is rocks, so here is that recipe I like the most for my margs. You can’t really go wrong, but I found this one on a really good site called A Couple Cooks. The recipe link also has the recipe for making a pitcher.
1 1/2 oz tequila blanco
1 oz Cointreau or Triple Sec
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and lime wedge.
Pour ingredients in shaker (shake). Rub lime wedge around the edge of glass, dip glass in salt. Pour and enjoy.
2. Grapefruit Crush (sub different fruit for different crush)
(Photo by Erik Voake/Getty Images for Absolut)
I will be crushing (pun intended) these memorial day weekend down the shore. It’s an easy to make and drink cocktail using 4 ingredients. Some recipes say it’s best to use freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (everything is best with fresh ingredients), but for those of us that don’t have a juicer on hand can substitute store bought grapefruit juice (some pulp) without really missing out.
4 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz vodka (plain or grapefruit)
1/2 oz triple sec or orange liqueur
2 oz lemon line soda of choice
Pour into a shaker with ice. Shake. Pour into ice filled glass.
3. Mojito
(Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
I’ve never been a fan of mint in my drinks, but people do seem to love Mojitos when the weather gets nice. Because of that I can’t leave it off the list, especially because it’s easy to make. The hardest part is having mint leaves on hand when you want a Mojito.
Mint leaves
1/2 Lime (3 wedges)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 oz white rum
1/2 cup club soda.
Crush mint leaves and 1 lime wedge with muddler. Add other 2 lime wedges and sugar, crush more. Fill glass with ice. Pour rum and club soda over ice. Give it a stir and add more sugar if needed. Garnish with mint leaves.
4. Paloma
(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
My brother introduced me to this at my cousin’s wedding when I was buying a round before cocktail hour. Of course it was an overpriced hotel bar and he didn’t bother to mention what the drink had in it. $17 delicious dollars a pop later I had another drink to add to the list.
2 oz tequila
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
2 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (again who has a juicer on hand) sub store bought jucie with some pulp
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 oz soda water or carbonated water
Rub grapefruit wedge on rim of glass, just like a margarita. Dip rim in salt. Add tequila, lime juice, grapefruit juice and simple syrup in cup, stir. Fill the glass, with ice and top with soda water. Don’t buy in hotel bar. Enjoy outside in the sun.
5. Moscow Mule
(Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Smirnoff)
A few years back there were stories that the copper mug that Moscow Mules are served in were causing an issue. People were letting their drinks sit for too long and the copper was leaching into the drink. First, who let’s there drink sit for almost a half hour to let the copper do that? Second, sometimes it’s worth the risk.
2 oz vodka
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
4 oz ginger beer
Pour the ingredients into copper mug, add some ice and garnish with lime wedge or mint leaves. Really doesn’t need to be said, but drink within a half an hour to avoid copper leaching in.
These are best if drank outside, under the sun on a nice spring or hot summer day.
Related:
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