Every year summer flies by in a blink of an eye and soon the days will be shorter and the nights will be cooler. Labor Day marks the unofficial end of the season and is a weekend full of BBQs, parties and drinking. Whatever you choose to do this weekend, it’s time to relax, unwind and have some boozy fun. Here are some delectable drinks that are sure to make Labor Day weekend one of the best weekends of summer 2014.
French 75 Pitcher (Courtesy of Bathtub Gin)
6 oz. Tanqueray No. TEN
6 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
3 oz. Simple Syrup
Cracked Ice
12 oz. Champagne or Sparkling Wine
6 Lemon Peels (garnish)
Combine the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup in a pitcher, fill with cracked ice and stir well. Top with champagne. Serve over fresh ice in a Collins glass, garnished with a lemon peel.
Summer Spark (Courtesy of Skinnygirl)
16 ounces chilled vodka
5 cups Skinnygirl Sparklers Tangerine Mango
2 oranges, cut into 1/3-inch thick rounds
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch salt
Put oranges into durable bowl. Add lemon juice and pinch of salt. Bruise the orange with spoon so the oil and pulp from orange mixes with lemon. Add vodka and Skinnygirl Tangerine Mango. Stir and serve over ice.
Berry Lemon Love (Courtesy of Skinnygirl)
For non-alcoholic drinkers and mothers-to-be
1 pint Skinnygirl Sparkler Strawberry Lemonade
1 pint water
4 lemons, sliced
1 pint strawberries
Add sliced lemons and berries to pitcher and lightly mash with spoon. Add water and Skinnygirl Sparkler Strawberry Lemonade and refrigerate.
Mean Melon (Courtesy of Liquid Lab NYC)
4 oz. Uproot Rosé
4-5 Watermelon Slices
1 Jalapeno Slice
0.5 oz. Orange Curacao
Muddle watermelon and jalapeno thoroughly in building glass. Add liquid ingredients and shake. Strain over fresh ice in Collins glass. Garnish accordingly and indulge.
Belvedere Fresca (Courtesy of Claire Smith, Belvedere Vodka)
2 cups Belvedere vodka
1 cup Elderflower liqueur
½ cup lemon juice
Handful of mint + 1 lemon, cut into wheels
Top with club soda and ice.
In a pitcher, add the mint and lemon wheels. Top with the Belvedere vodka, Elderflower liqueur and lemon juice. Top with ice and fill with club soda and stir. Serves 5.
Beach Bubbles (Courtesy of Malibu Rum)
3 parts Malibu Rum Sparkler
1 part pineapple juice
¼ parts simple syrup
Dash fresh lime juice
Build in a chilled flute glass. No garnish.
G’Vine Orchid (Courtesy of G’Vine Gin)
1.5 oz G’Vine Floraison
1.5 oz Pink Grapefruit Juice
.5 oz Elderflower Syrup
1.5 oz Brut Champagne
Put the pink grapefruit juice, the elderflower syrup and G’Vine in a shaker. Add ice, shake and serve in a highball glass. Before pouring the drink into the highball, add the Champagne to mix with the other ingredients. Garnish with an orchid.
Kahlúa Frozen Mudslide (Courtesy of Kahlua)
1 part Kahlúa
1 part ABSOLUT Vodka
1/2 part Irish cream liqueur
1 part vanilla ice cream
In a blender add ice, Kahlúa, ABSOLUT, cream and ice cream and blend. Rim the inside of your glass with chocolate syrup and pour into a hurricane glass.
Romeo’s Revenge (Courtesy of THE LCL: Bar & Kitchen)
1.5 oz Smith and Cross rum
1.5 oz Caliche rum
1 oz Velvet Falernum
1 oz pineapple juice
1.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz grenadine
.5 oz Demerara syrup
1 tsp (4 dash) Angustora bitters
Dry toss. Swizzle with crushed ice in frozen pineapple. Mint sprig, skewered lime and cherry, paper umbrella, plastic monkey, 2 long straws.
Fixed Match (Courtesy of Stone Rose Lounge)
2 oz. Grey Goose Melon vodka
.75 oz. lemon juice
.75 oz. simple syrup
In a mixing glass, muddle 3 chunks of honeydew and 2 blackberries (we can sub the melon for melon puree where available). Add lemon juice, simple syrup and vodka. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a skewered blackberry and chunk of honeydew (If using puree, just garnish with blackberry).
Smokin’ Hot Mary (Courtesy of Chef Dave Martin and Mary Giuliani)
2 oz Ultimat Vodka
14 oz Yellow Tomatoes (cored and blended)
½ tsp Buffalo or Red Hot Sauce
½ tsp Fresh Horseradish
½ tsp Red Chili Garlic Sauce (Sriracha)
½ tsp Granulated Sugar
1/8 tsp Celery Seed
½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Fresh Lime Juice
½ tsp Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Garnish: 1 each- 4 inch Bamboo Skewer; 1 piece Baby Corn; 1 chicken wing
Dave’s Sweet & Sassy Smokehouse Rub for rim (sub with your favorite smokey bbq rub): Using your food processor, blender or immersion blender you will need to blend the fresh tomatoes until they become a puree. Then add the remaining ingredients into a shaker or stir in a pitcher. Dampen the rim of your Pint Glass and gently coat with the Smokey Rub and then fill with ice and your cocktail mixture. Rest skewered garnish into Pint Glass and serve.
Benjamin’s Iced Tea (Courtesy of Benjamin Steak House)
1 tsp. Agave Syrup
3 oz. Citrus Vodka
4 Mint Leaves
3 Lemon Slices
3 oz. Unsweetened Iced Tea
Splash Ginger Ale
Lemon Wedge Garnish
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint leaves and lemon slices with the agave syrup. Add the Citrus Vodka and Iced Tea. Pour into a tall glass, filled with ice. Add a splash of Ginger Ale to the glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge and mint leaf.
Roseberry (Courtesy of The Westin Crown Center)
1⁄2 oz. St. Germaine
1 oz Tito’s Vodka
2 oz. fresh lemon juice
2 fresh sprigs of rosemary 6 fresh raspberries
2 oz. agave
Add fresh rosemary, fresh raspberries, agave and lemon juice to a shaker and muddle Add Tito’s Vodka & St. Germaine and ice cubes and shake. Double strain over fresh ice in a tulip glass. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and raspberry. Note: for a non-alcoholic version replace gin with high quality soda water.
2 GINGERS Negroni (Courtesy of 2 Gingers)
2 parts 2 GINGERS Irish Whiskey
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part Campari liqueur
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir, then strain into a low-ball or rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Paradise Pina Pleaser (Courtesy of Cornelia Guest)
2 cups fresh or canned pineapple juice
cup cream of coconut
1 cup light rum
3 cups crushed ice
2 fresh pineapple spears, for garnish
2 fresh orange slices for garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in a blender. Pour into tumblers, garnish with spears of orange and pineapple. Serve immediately.
Twisted Talk: What are some of your favorite Labor Day cocktails? Will you try any of these? Discuss below!
