Cocktails | Saveur

Autumn Bellini

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:46:37 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Prosecco marries with richly spiced mulled cider and a splash of vodka in this seasonal take on the classic Bellini served at the now-closed Caffè Storico in New York City. While the original recipe called for a fig-flavored vodka such as Figenza, regular vodka works just as well in this fall cocktail.

Yield: 2 cocktails

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the mulled cider syrup:

1 cup apple cider
½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
4 whole cloves
2 green cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole star anise

For the Bellini

1 oz. vodka
12 oz. chilled prosecco

Instructions

Make the mulled cider syrup: In a small pot, bring the cider to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cider is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and star anise, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Strain the syrup into an airtight container and refrigerate. (You should have about ½ cup of syrup.)
Make the cocktail: To a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, add the vodka and 2½ ounces of the mulled cider syrup. Shake until chilled, then strain into two champagne glasses, top each with prosecco, and serve.

The post Autumn Bellini appeared first on Saveur.

Pineapple Moonshine Punch

Charlotte and Kesha Jenkins — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 19:31:57 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Gullah Geechee chef Charlotte Jenkins served this fruity, potent punch at her niece’s wedding, along with shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, roast beef, string beans, Gullah rice, and buttermilk biscuits. In her cookbook, Gullah Cuisine, Jenkins credits the recipe to her daughter Kesha, who dubbed it “sweetgrass wedding punch” because the color of the finished drink reminded her of the reddish stems of fresh sweetgrass.

Featured in “Chef Charlotte Jenkins Is Spreading the Gospel of Gullah Cuisine” by Amethyst Ganaway.

Yield: 2½ gallons

2 cups sugar
6 cups pineapple juice
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
2 cups moonshine or corn liquor
½ canister Kool-Aid (9.5 oz.), any flavor
Pineapple slices, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

To a large pot, add the sugar and 8 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the pineapple and lemon juices, moonshine, and Kool-Aid, and mix well. Refrigerate until chilled.
Serve in glasses over ice, garnished with pineapple slices if desired.

The post Pineapple Moonshine Punch appeared first on Saveur.

Tinto de Verano

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:45:54 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Tinto de verano, which translates to “red wine of summer,” is a surprising combination of red wine and lemon-lime soda. This cooling spritzer is a perfect refreshment for hot summer days. If a lightly sweetened lemon-lime soda like lemon Fanta or Spain’s La Casera (known locally as “gaseosa” or soda) can’t be found, you can substitute Squirt or 7Up cut with a splash of plain seltzer.

Yield: 1 cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

¾ cup red wine, preferably Spanish, such as rioja
¾ cup lightly sweetened lemon-lime soda
1 lemon or orange wedge, for garnish
Seltzer (optional)

Instructions

To a glass filled halfway with ice, add the red wine and soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge. If the drink is too sweet, add a splash of seltzer.

The post Tinto de Verano appeared first on Saveur.

Frozen Limeade Margarita

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:30:52 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Tyna Hoang. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Tyna Hoang

Canned frozen limeade intensifies the citrus flavor of this slushy libation, an easy drink for summer cocktail parties and cookouts. Pair it with any spicy dish—a frozen margarita is just the thing for taming the heat.

Yield: 4–6

Time: 5 minutes

1 cup silver tequila
¼ cup triple sec
1 Tbsp. agave nectar or simple syrup
½ tsp. kosher salt
One 12-oz. can frozen limeade
Lime wheels or wedges, for garnish

Instructions

To a blender, add the tequila, triple sec, agave nectar, salt, limeade, and 6 cups of crushed ice and pulse until smooth. Pour into a pitcher and serve in chilled glasses garnished with lime wheels.

The post Frozen Limeade Margarita appeared first on Saveur.

Soju Sour

Su Scott — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 21:24:15 +0000

Photo: Toby Scott • Food Styling: Tamara Vos • Prop Styling: Rachel Vere (Courtesy Hardie Grant). Photo: Toby Scott • Food Styling: Tamara Vos • Prop Styling: Rachel Vere (Courtesy Hardie Grant)

This recipe is brought to you by the SAVEUR Cookbook Club, our passionate community of food-loving readers from around the globe, celebrating our favorite authors and recipes. Join us as we cook through a new book every month, and share your food pics and vids on social media with the hashtags #SAVEURCookbookClub and #EatTheWorld.

The rice-based liquor known as soju is an essential element of the pojangmacha, or “covered stall,” street food scene across Seoul. In her new cookbook, Pocha: Simple Korean Food from the Streets of Seoul, author Su Scott offers a handful of fresh cocktail recipes to put the iconic liquor to work, including this twist on the classic sour. Though you can easily enjoy soju by itself, this zingy drink brightened with lemon juice, maple syrup, and maraschino cherry syrup is well worth a try.

Adapted with permission from Pocha: Simple Korean Food from the Streets of Seoul by Su Scott, published by ‎Hardie Grant Publishing, June 2024.

Featured in “Pocha Takes You on a Street Food Crawl Through Seoul” by Jessica Carbone.

Yield: 1 cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

1½ oz. soju
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
¼ oz. maple syrup, plus more to taste
1 tsp. maraschino cherry syrup
1 maraschino cherry, for garnish
Lemon slice, for garnish

Instructions

To a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, add the soju, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Shake until chilled, then strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Taste and adjust sweetness with more maple syrup if necessary. Drizzle in the maraschino cherry syrup and garnish with the cherry and lemon slice.

The post Soju Sour appeared first on Saveur.

Cucumber Gin Cooler

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:20:39 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Tyna Hoang. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Tyna Hoang

This refreshing update on the classic gin and tonic is an easy sipper, thanks to summery cucumber slices and plenty of lime juice. You can use any gin you have on hand, but we’re partial to Hendrick’s, which has a slight cucumber flavor, for this cooler. A note on the cucumber slices: it may be tempting to nibble them out of your drink right away, but try to resist the urge. After several minutes’ contact with the lime juice, gin, and tonic water (about as long as it takes to finish the cocktail), they pickle ever so slightly, taking on a lovely crisp flavor.

Yield: Makes 4 cocktails

Time: 5 minutes

8 oz. gin
8 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
½ cup thinly sliced Persian or Kirby cucumber, scrubbed but not peeled
Tonic water
Lime wedges, for garnish

Instructions

To a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, add the gin, lime juice, and cucumber slices. Shake vigorously for 1–2 minutes, then strain into four ice-filled glasses, making sure the cucumber slices are evenly distributed. Top each glass with tonic water and garnish with a lime wedge.

The post Cucumber Gin Cooler appeared first on Saveur.

Rossini

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:29:23 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Pearl Jones. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Pearl Jones

A luscious take on the bellini, the Rossini swaps in strawberries for the latter drink’s white peaches, and prosecco for champagne. Serve this versatile cocktail in place of mimosas at brunch, as an aperitif, or with dessert.

Featured in the October 2012 issue.

Yield: Makes 4–6 cocktails

Time: 10 minutes

½ lb. fresh strawberries
One 750-ml bottle prosecco, chilled

Instructions

Set aside a few strawberries for garnish, then hull the rest. Transfer the hulled strawberries to a blender and process until smooth. (You should have about 1 cup of purée.)
To serve, add 2 tablespoons of the strawberry purée to a chilled champagne or coupe class. Top with the prosecco, stir to combine if desired, and garnish with a reserved strawberry. Repeat with the remaining purée, prosecco, and strawberries.

The post Rossini appeared first on Saveur.

Painkiller Cocktail

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 19:54:13 +0000

Jenny Huang. Jenny Huang

Very boozy and very well-shaken, this British Virgin Island classic gets a creamy frothy head similar to a flip or fizz from the addition of cream of coconut. While Pusser’s Rum trademarked the name in the 1990s, it was the iconic Soggy Dollar bar on Jost Van Dyke that invented the Painkiller in 1970. Pusser’s rum is a non-negotiable in the drink today; for the best results, look for their “Gunpowder Proof” (black label) bottle.

Yield: Makes 1 cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

4 oz. fresh pineapple juice
3 oz. Pusser’s dark rum
1 oz. cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez
1 oz. fresh orange juice
Lemon wedge
Lime wedge
Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Instructions

To a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, add the pineapple juice, rum, cream of coconut, and orange juice. Squeeze the lemon and lime wedges into the shaker, then add them too. Shake until chilled and frothy, 20–30 seconds. Pour into a chilled collins or rocks glass, garnish with freshly grated nutmeg, and serve immediately.

The post Painkiller Cocktail appeared first on Saveur.

Punch Romaine

Kellie Evans — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:27:02 +0000

Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Punch Romaine, a rum-spiked shaved-ice palate cleanser served to first-class passengers during the fateful last dinner aboard the Titanic on April 14, 1912, was based on a recipe from famed French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier, who championed alcoholic shaved ices during the early 20th century. The original recipe, essentially a granita, is updated here as a drinkable, citrusy cocktail poured over an iceberg of crushed ice.

Follow our easy instructions to make your own simple syrup. Use a channel knife to create thin strips of orange peel for the garnish.

Yield: Makes 1 cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

1 egg white
1 oz. white rum
1 oz. white wine
1 oz. fresh orange juice
½ oz. fresh lemon juice
½ oz. simple syrup

2 oz. Champagne or sparkling wine

Orange zest, for garnish

Instructions

To a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, add the egg white, rum, wine, orange and lemon juices, and simple syrup. Shake until well mixed and frothy, then strain into a large coupe glass mounded with crushed ice, being careful to pour the drink around the ice. Top with Champagne and garnish with orange zest.

The post Punch Romaine appeared first on Saveur.

22 Tequila Cocktail Recipes That Go Way Beyond Margaritas

SAVEUR Editors — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 14:12:55 +0000

Photo: Linda Pugliese • Food Styling: Christine Albano • Prop Styling: Carla Gonzalez-Hart

While there’s always a time and place for a classic margarita (or one of its many highly drinkable variations), there’s so much more you can do with tequila. There are also more varieties of each style, from añejo to reposado to blanco, available in the United States than ever, thanks to the agave spirit’s meteoric rise in the past 20 years. In fact, more tequila is now sold in the U.S. than in any other country, including Mexico. Why not make the most of all this agave abundance by getting creative behind the bar? From underrated classics like Palomas and Tequila Sunrises to refreshing riffs on the Negroni and Old-Fashioned, here are the best tequila cocktail recipes.

Paloma

Photo: Julia Gartland • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen Photo: Julia Gartland • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Our take on this iconic Mexican cocktail swaps out the sugary soda for fresh lime and grapefruit juice, yielding an ultra-quaffable drink bursting with citrus flavor. Get the recipe >

Hibiscus Tequila Mule

Photo: Linda Pugliese • Food Styling: Christine Albano • Prop Styling: Carla Gonzalez-Hart Photo: Linda Pugliese • Food Styling: Christine Albano • Prop Styling: Carla Gonzalez-Hart

A cross between a Paloma and a Moscow Mule, this refreshing fuschia cocktail pairs tequila blanco with ginger beer, grapefruit and lime juice, and a homemade hibiscus infusion. The result is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the tongue. Get the recipe >

Tequila Sunrise

Andy Sewell Andy Sewell

Tequila, orange juice, and grenadine create the eponymous sunrise in this ’70s icon that actually started out as a classic Prohibition-era cocktail. Get the recipe >

Caléndula

Vanessa Jane Lamb Vanessa Jane Lamb

Named for the flower in the daisy family, the Caléndula is a riff on the daisy cocktail, which is said to be a precursor to the margarita. Brightened with fresh lime and pleasantly herbal from the inclusion of bitter liqueurs, it’s the ideal summer party drink. Get the recipe >

El Treintañero

Grace Ann Leadbeater Grace Ann Leadbeater

We perfected this tequila-cucumber cocktail for our 30th anniversary party and have been finding any excuse to make it since. Bolstered by delicate aloe liqueur and two types of vermouth, it’s the perfect showcase for your favorite tequila. Get the recipe >

Little Dragon

Jeslyn Chanchaleune Jeslyn Chanchaleune

This savory tequila-based cocktail, developed by Oklahoma City restaurant Ma Der Lao Kitchen, channels the flavors of jeow som, a fish sauce- and chile-spiked Lao dipping sauce. Get the recipe >

Bull Ring

Thomas Payne Thomas Payne

With a split base of tequila and mezcal, this lively drink shines with zippy pineapple and tart key lime. Get the recipe >

TiNegroni (Half-Sized Negroni)

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

Swap out gin for tequila, then add the usual Campari and sweet vermouth to make this satisfying snack-sized Negroni from New York City’s iconic Long Island Bar. Get the recipe >

Spiked and Smoked Lemon-Lime-Ade

Eric Medsker Eric Medsker

If summer had an official mascot, it would be a toss-up between fireflies, sprinklers, hot dogs, and lemonade. This version of the latter is rendered boozy and smoky-sweet with the juice of grilled lemons and limes, toasted simple syrup, and tequila. Get the recipe >

Torchlight

Matt Taylor-Gross

Honey has a unique ability to temper spice. In this refreshing but fiery tequila-based drink from New York City’s Little Branch, it tames the heat of both cayenne pepper and Cholula hot sauce. Get the recipe >

Watermelon-Basil Cocktail

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

Exceedingly well-balanced, this juicy cocktail gets its sweetness from yellow watermelon, herbal freshness from Chartreuse and basil, and an astringent kick from tequila. Get the recipe >

Chile-Pomegranate Paloma

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

Homemade árbol chile-spiked grenadine brings smokiness and a touch of heat and sweetness to this otherwise classic grapefruit-, tequila-, and soda-based cocktail. Get the recipe >

Tomato and Orange Sangrita

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

Spanish for “little blood,” sangrita is a traditional Mexican accompaniment for tequila. Bolstered with Clamato and Worcestershire sauce, this tomato-based version is like a super-savory deconstructed Bloody Maria. Get the recipe >

Spanish Lovers’ Punch

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

This punch is basically a sherr-ified large-format margarita. Unexpected but natural lovers—oloroso sherry and tequila—are married together with lime, sugar, a splash of Averna, and a grating of nutmeg for a rich, autumnal sour. Get the recipe >

The Malibu

Farideh Sadeghin Farideh Sadeghin

Inspired by the famed California beach city, this refreshing tequila cocktail is infused with grapefruit and pisco (a South American brandy), then softened with floral Lillet Blanc. Get the recipe >

Moradita

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

A blood-colored tequila and beet cocktail, the Moradita (“Little Death”), is a bracing, almost healthy-tasting drink with some real body and just a hint of richness. Get the recipe >

Bala de Canon

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

Sweet cantaloupe is a natural partner for tequila. Here, agave nectar and fresh lemon juice are used to adjust the sweetness level, then the whole thing is finished with a melon ball and chia seed garnish. Get the recipe >

Calavera Catrina

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

While you’ve got the cantaloupe out, try shaking it up with tequila, cointreau, lime juice, and orgeat for this cocktail named after calavera catrina (“dapper skull”), an essential symbol of Día de los Muertos. Get the recipe >

Romero and Julieta

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

This vibrant, summery cocktail starts with a tea made from dried hibiscus, then adds tequila, a rosemary-infused simple syrup (romero is Spanish for rosemary, hence the name of the drink!), and fresh lime juice. Get the recipe >

Tequila Old-Fashioned

Farideh Sadeghin Farideh Sadeghin

Aged reposado tequila adds smooth vanilla notes to this light, citrusy twist on a classic Old-Fashioned. Get the recipe >

Boston Tea Party

Farideh Sadeghin Farideh Sadeghin

This refreshing, fragrant drink mixes grassy tequila with spicy ginger beer and a syrup infused with bergamot-flavored Earl Grey tea. Get the recipe >

The Soul Train

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

Floral, piney green cardamom and smooth tequila make for an unexpected, but sophisticated, flavor combination in this citrusy cocktail. Get the recipe >

The post 22 Tequila Cocktail Recipes That Go Way Beyond Margaritas appeared first on Saveur.

Caléndula Cocktail

Jesse Ditson — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 15:00:37 +0000

Vanessa Jane Lamb. Vanessa Jane Lamb

Spirits professional Jesse Ditson of the forthcoming bar Sugar Water prepared this bright and herbal refresher for SAVEUR’s print relaunch and anniversary party at the magazine shop Hi Desert Times in Twentynine Palms, California. Named for the flower in the daisy family, the Caléndula is a riff on the daisy cocktail, which is said to be a precursor to the margarita.

For the best results, Ditson recommends recreating it with a high-quality, additive-free agave spirit like Tequila Ocho, which he describes as “the tip of the spear in single-estate, terroir-forward tequila.” Look for the brand’s unoaked Plata expression, which balances slow-roasted agave notes with a grassy, mineral, citrus-forward nose. “I hope that other brands will be inspired to blend less and taste more because of the examples in Ocho’s spirits.”

For the party, Ditson pre-batched his version with a from-scratch, centrifuge-clarified fresh lime soda, but for home bartenders he suggests using a mixture of fresh lime juice, rich Demerara syrup, and seltzer. To make the rich Demerara syrup, double the amount of white sugar called for in classic simple syrup and replace it with Demerara sugar.

Yield: Makes 1 cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

2 oz. Tequila Ocho Plata
1 oz. fresh lime juice
¾ oz. Contratto Bitter or Campari
½ oz. rich Demerara syrup
½ oz. génépy liqueur
2½ oz. seltzer
Orange slice and fresh mint sprig, for garnish

Instructions

To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the Tequila Ocho Plata, lime juice, Contratto Bitter, Demerara syrup, and génépy. Shake until chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with the seltzer, garnish with the orange and mint, and serve.

The post Caléndula Cocktail appeared first on Saveur.