Delightful Cocktails for Día de los Muertos

Explosions of color, costumes and beautiful florals is something you may think of when you hear about Día de los Muertos. Although the holiday falls around the spookiest time of the year, the magical celebration is anything but that. Día de los Muertos, or “the Day of the Dead,” is not a Mexican version of Halloween, but rather a celebration of life. From November 1 to 2, the holiday’s colorful festivities are far from somber, with music, delicious food and (often) tequila enjoyed among friends and family as you celebrate those who’ve passed. It’s truly a beautiful time to reminisce and reflect, and why not with a festive cocktail in hand?

Perfect for celebrations both large and small this year, check out three cocktails from Volcan de Mi Tierra! Volcan, which proudly crafts it’s expressions using time-honored tequila-making traditions, can be enjoyed neat just as easily as in a flavorful cocktail.

LA VALOMA

INGREDIENTS                                                                                                                                                 

• 2 oz Volcan Blanco Tequila

• ¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice

• 1.5 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice

• ¾ Oz Agave Syrup

• A pinch of salt

METHOD: Combine Volcan Blanco, fresh lime and grapefruit juice, salt and agave syrup in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain over ice in a highball glass. Top with soda water and garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 oz Volcan Cristalino

• 6 mint leaves ripped in half

• .75 oz lemon juice

• .75 oz honey

• .25 oz lime

• Mint (garnish)

JALISCO MULE

INGREDIENTS                                                                                                                                                 

• 2 oz Volcan Blanco Tequila

• 3 oz Ginger Beet

• ½ Fresh Lime Juice

METHOD: Combine Volcan Blanco and fresh lime juice in a glass filled with crushed ice. Top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with a candied ginger and dehydrated lime wheel.

Celebrate National Vodka Day Right with Belvedere Vodka Cocktails

I love me a holiday where I can celebrate with a cocktail in hand! October 4th is National Vodka Day, and the best way to toast to the fun day is with the world’s first super-premium vodka, Belvedere. Made from Polish rye, purified water and a distillation process by fire, Belvedere contains zero additives, in accordance with the legal regulations of Polska Vodka that dictate nothing can be added, is certified kosher and is gluten free. 

 If there’s any vodka I order in a cocktail when I am out, it’s definitely Belvedere! So why not celebrate with it at home, too? Here’s a few of my favorite Belvedere cocktails to enjoy and to do National Vodka Day right!

BELVEDERE AIR

Ingredients

1.5 oz / 45 ml Belvedere Vodka

.75 oz / 20 ml Fresh Lemon Juice

.5 oz / 15 ml Honey Water (2:1 Honey to Water)

2 oz / 60 ml Almond Milk

Sprig of Mint

Method: Place all ingredients into a shaker and shake hard with ice. Strain into highball glass over fresh ice, and garnish with mint sprig.

HERITAGE ROCKS

Ingredients

2 oz Belvedere Heritage 176

Lemon Twist

Method: Serve over a large chunk of ice or large cubes

EVERGREEN ROYAL

Ingredients

60 ml / 2 oz Belvedere Smogóry Forest

7.5 ml / ¼ ozChamomile Tea 

15 ml / ½ oz Honey

2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Grapefruit Peel 

 Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass over cubed ice and stir. Fine strain into a rocks glass over block ice. Give the fresh grapefruit peel a gentle twist before garnishing

Welcome the Spirit of Fall with These Fall-Inspired Cocktails

As summer comes to a close and we trade in our spritzes for warm and spicy cocktails, it’s time to ring in the chillier season with some fall-inspired cocktails! I am not going to lie, while I am a total summer girl, something about fall cocktails really does something for me. I love the notes of spice, smokiness, cinnamon, fruit and nutmeg to name a few… the list goes on! It just gets you in a cozy mood.

The one spirit to transition you into fall? Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon.

Check out some of the recipes I’m loving this season!

BITTER BERRY SMASH

For those who may want to hold on to summer just a little longer, the Bitter Berry Smash serves as the perfect transitional cocktail marrying sweet strawberries and refreshing mint with the sweet and bold flavors of Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon. 

1.5 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

½ part Cynar Amaro

¼ part Simple Syrup

1 Strawberry

3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

METHOD: Muddle strawberry with Peychaud’s Bitters, Cynar and simple syrup in a rocks glass. Add a small scoop of crushed ice and bourbon, then stir for 15 seconds. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

HOT BUTTERED TODDY

For those cool nights with friends where you need something more than a sweater to warm you up, the Hot Buttered Toddy might just do the trick. This take on the Hot Toddy uses cinnamon, brown sugar, orange spice tea, Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon and the ultimate twist - butter! 

1.5 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

6 parts Orange & Spice tea (hot)

¾ part Cinnamon-brown sugar syrup*

½ teaspoon butter

METHOD: Combine all ingredients in a hot toddy glass or mug and stir. Garnish with grated cinnamon.

*CINNAMON-BROWN SUGAR SYRUP: 

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

2 cinnamon sticks

Method: Combine all ingredients in a pot and stir while bringing to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and strain out the cinnamon stick.

SMOKE & MIRRORS

A warm and smoky cocktail with a long and lingering spice served up in a chilled coupe glass. The Smoke & Mirrors secret ingredient? Lapsang Souchong smoky black tea, and Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon of course. 

2 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

¾ parts Amontillado Sherry

¼ part Demerara Sugar Syrup*

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

4 dashes Lapsang Souchong Tea Tincture**

METHOD: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. 

**LAPSANG SOUCHONG TEA TINCTURE: 

2 teaspoons Lapsang Souchong

4 parts vodka

Method: Let tea steep in vodka for 24 hours then strain. Put tincture in a dropper or dasher bottle. 

*DEMERARA SUGAR SYRUP: 

1 cup Demerara Sugar

1 cup warm water

Method: Stir together until sugar is completely dissolved. 

BANANA BREAD OLD FASHIONED

With a vanilla aroma and the bold and sweet flavors of walnuts, banana, and Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, the Banana Bread Old Fashionedis sure to take you down memory lane.

2 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

¼ part Banana Liqueur

1 bar spoon Allspice Dram

1 bar spoon Simple Syrup

2 dashes Black Walnut Bitters

METHOD: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice and stir. Then strain into a rocks glass over a large cube.

Cupid-Approved Sips for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day has to be one of my favorite holidays of all time, solely for how bright and colorful it always is. Growing up, I actually used to have Valentine’s Day parties every year - I became known for it! I’ve always had a soft spot for the day of love, and now in my adult years I can take it up a notch and celebrate even more with festive Valentine’s Day cocktails!

Whether you’re in the mood for something pink, something bubbly, something potent or even chocolatey, here are a few recipes I am loving this year that are so delicious, even Cupid would approve.

Photo Credit: Katie Stryjewski

Mumm Napa Raspberry Rosé Fizz

4 parts Mumm Napa Brut Rosé

2 parts Lime juice or Limeade

1 part Gin or Vodka

Fresh Raspberries

Method:

Muddle ~12 raspberries in cocktail shaker. Add gin/vodka, lime juice and ice, shake

until mixed. add large ice cube to a rocks glass and strain mixture over top. Add Mumm Napa Brut Rosé; stir gently to mix. Skewer three raspberries on toothpick and lay across side of

the glass for a beautiful garnish.

Photo Credit: Claire Mallett

OM ESPRESSO MARTINI

By Claire Mallett, OMbassador, Organic Mixology

1 ½ oz Mulholland Vodka

1 oz Mr Black Coffee Liqueur

1 oz Organic Mixology Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Liqueur

Garnish, Dirty Sue Whiskey Cherry

Method:

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with ice,

Shake and pour into a cocktail glass or coup

Garnish with Dirty Sue Whiskey Cherry

Hey, Honey

2 fl oz Four Roses Small Batch

1 ½ fl oz Honey Simple Syrup

½ fl oz Lemon Juice

5 drops Angostura Bitters

Method:

Mix all ingredients. Serve and enjoy.

Photo Credit: Katie Stryjewski

Mumm Napa Grapefruit Spritz

3 parts Mumm Napa Cuvée M

1 part elderflower liqueur

1 small grapefruit

Fresh mint

Dash of soda water

Garnish with grapefruit slice and florals etc

Method:

Add ½ of cup-up grapefruit and mint to a cocktail shaker. Muddle. Add elderflower liqueur, splash of soda water and ice. Shake. Strain mixture into glass. Add Mumm Napa Cuvée M. Garnish with grapefruit slice and florals.

Sizzling Brunch Cocktails for International Spicy Food Day

Did you know that January 16th is International Spicy Food Day? Well if you didn’t, now you do and it couldn’t be a better reason to experiment with some sizzling recipes from dawn til dusk.

And as the worldwide pandemic surges on, we all could use a little reason to celebrate... in more ways than one! Bushwick Kitchen’s spicy, craft cocktails are made with their signature Bees Knees Spicy Honey, Trees Knees Spicy Maple Syrup and Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha. Skip the triple sec and the simple syrup and swap in Bushwick Kitchen for top-notch flavor using pure, simple ingredients. Since the holiday falls on a Saturday this year, why not brunch all day long? From starting your day with a bloody to ending it with a margarita, Bushwick Kitchen has the ultimate spicy brunch cocktails fit and festive for this exciting holiday.

THE BUSHWICK KITCHEN BREAKFAST

1 ounce bourbon

1 ounce coffee liqueur

½ ounce Trees Knees Spicy Maple

1 egg white

Method: Dry-shake an egg white before adding ice. Add bourbon, coffee liqueur and syrup into a shaker and shake vigorously. Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass and serve.

WEAK KNEES BLOODY MARY

4 cups tomato juice
2 cups vodka
1 cup dill pickle juice
1⁄4 cup lemon juice
1⁄4 cup Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
8 celery stalks and lemon wedges, for garnish

Method: Add all ingredients except the celery stalks and lemon wedges to a large pitcher, stir well and chill for 1 hour. In a tall glass, pour the cocktail over ice and garnish with celery stalk and lemon wedge. 

SPICY MAPLE SAGE DAQUIRI

3 sage leaves
2 ounces light rum
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce Trees Knees Spicy Maple

Method: Cut up two sage leaves and add to a cocktail shaker with rum, lime juice and Trees Knees Spicy Maple and ice. Shake vigorously until frosty and strain into rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Place remaining sage leaf in your palm and slap once, firmly, with the other hand. Float on top to garnish. 

SPICY HONEY MARGARITA

1 ounce lime juice
1⁄2 ounce Bees Knees Spicy Honey syrup 
2 ounces blanco tequila
Salt and lime wedge for garnish

Method: Rub a lime wedge around rim of a rocks glass and dip in salt. Add lime juice, honey syrup, tequila and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until frosty and strain into the prepared rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.