Cocktails for Your Quarantine Lifestyle
Making a homemade cocktail requires several more ingredients (and tools) than opening a beer or decanting wine, and the complexity is probably not exactly the vibe we want to develop right now. Fortunately, cocktails don’t have to be insanely complex.
I’m not talking about cutting your consumption down to “something with soda” and “something and Coca-Cola” – I think you can handle these mixed drinks; There are quite a few super simple yet fully prepared shakes out there that can be made with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Hug sour
Many iconic drinks – margarita, daiquiri, strollers – are classified as sour and surprisingly easy to make. They contain three main ingredients – booze, citrus, and sweetener – and you can experiment with quantities in each category that suit your taste and whim. A ratio of two ounces of alcohol to 3/4 ounce of citrus and sweetener will work in almost every case, although you can use a full ounce of the latter two if you want a sweeter, more fruity drink.
If you want to start with a time-honored favorite, try margarita (tequila, lime, agave), daiquiri (rum, lime, plain), or whiskey sour (bourbon or rye, lemon, plain). For fun, swap syrup for sweet liquor. The brandy, lemon and Cointreau stroller is a classic (and stylish) example of this.
All acidic foods should be shaken over plenty of ice and then filtered in the compartment. (You could strain the whiskey sour on a stone, but this is a matter of personal preference.) Use more citrus for garnish – wheels or strips of zest. Don’t get hung up on this; now is not the time to think. If you want to add some good citrus oils and a little more consistency to the drink, you can toss half of your used lemon or lime into the shaker, as Dan did with his gimbal (also very excellent sour).
Party with Campari
Look, I know I’m leaning a little towards Italian bitters, but Shaken Campari is indeed one of those drinks you must try to fully “feel”. No other beverage illustrates how transformative mixing and dilution can be, and is very simple to make. There is no measure, no citrus squeeze, no sticky syrups – just one, churning aperitif that makes a frothy and refreshing little muscle.
If you want to extend the cocktail – and the sipping time – add some orange juice and make Garibaldi (pictured above this post). Campari and orange juice may not sound overly intriguing, but shaking the orange juice before applying it to the liquor with a cocktail can or blender gives the drink a fluffy, refreshing character and a really pretty look.
Brush off your dusty liquors
Almost any forgotten bottle of liqueur can be used to make the ” Queen of Quarantine, ” which takes advantage of the neutrality of vodka, using it to lengthen the flavor of more intense or syrupy aperitifs and amaro.
Just add an ounce of what’s left on your cart and a little bitterness to two ounces of vodka, stir with ice, then strain into the compartment. If you have a citrus strip, squeeze it through a glass for all these delicious oils. Repeat until you reach a collection of dusty bottles.