Cocktails, the libationary art!

We are just having wine I think. Raventos Blanc Blanc de Blancs Cava. And maybe some of the Yuzu Habanero lemonade we got from Publix - it was their limited edition for 2025 and I would say the best vintage so far, it's delicious.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/40802960

If anyone didn't know, Mormons don't drink alcohol

A few years ago my older brother told me that at our Thanksgiving and Christmas family dinners he fills a powerade bottle with red wine. For years I never noticed. I remembered thinking "good for him, avoiding all the soda and bringing his own healthy drink" lol. I was still scared to try it myself, but it went fine, and the last time I used a pomegranate juice bottle instead. I love red wine, and with big family dinners with 40+ people of all ages and hours long, it REALLY helps me enjoy myself. Plus, I can take a sip during the prayer and that's cathartic for some reason.

But there are problems... Wine has a pretty strong smell and strongly discolors your tongue and teeth. I do NOT want to get caught and end up killing my grandma with shock. Also, I'd love having enough to share with my cousins who've left the church, so something stronger would be nice.

I've been thinking about this a lot this holiday season and here's some things I'd like to achieve:

• Super covert. Where even my smart aunt wouldn't think twice.
• A shareable amount. Maybe not where we could all get buzzed, but a few sips.
• Variety - I love making different cocktails, and like showing them to my Exmo family. So I don't want to be tied to purple forever.

Some ideas I've had:

• A thermos or opaque water bottle and just hope it's not suspicious.
• Invent some two chambered bottle that only pours alcohol if a button is pressed
• Find some clear cocktails and put them in clear water bottles
• Maybe a hidden and silent flask that we can just pour liquor into our drinks
• Color the inside of a bottle to look like it's full of the original beverage.
• Just refill emptied soda cans. Or re-bottle some root beer bottles (I have a bottle cap press...)
• Refill a kombucha bottle. This might work great because it can be whatever color I want since it's not recognizable, and since it's fermented tea it might ward off the TBMs

Also, I need a phrase I can say to ward off cousins who might ask for a sip, "that's not church-approved eggnog" for example 😂

Edit: Thanks everyone for being concerned about alcoholism! It occurs to me that I should have specified that I'm not a heavy drinker... Even small amounts of alcohol wreck my sleep so I very literally only drink a couple times a month - at most. Always on a Friday night so I have maximum time to recover before work on Monday (I'm an absolute baby...) And no I'm not getting drunk on those Fridays. Just 1-3 drinks. Usually me experimenting with some new cocktail or wine since I know so little about them, but wish I did. I was drinking more often when alcohol was super new to me, but it just doesn't agree with me very much. I swear on my Seminary Graduation Degree 😉 With that being said, I really enjoy drinking in social situations and the holidays feel perfect for that. Although... while I would never consider myself an alcoholic, pretty much all of my Mormon family would... 😁

This post is meant to ask for help with me challenging my family norms. Mormons in general, and especially my family, have a DEEP-rooted expectation of everyone pretending to still be Mormon when they visit. It was a huge fight a couple years ago for me not going to church with my parents when I visit ("it's such a small thing, can't you do it for me?" - it may be small, but this is a never-give-a-mouse-a-cookie situation). My parents freaked out at me this year (literal screaming and crying) because I wouldn't take out my earrings for the Christmas dinner (boys aren't supposed to have earrings according to Mormons). They asked me to wear long sleeves to cover my tattoo when I visit too. They also expect us exmo kids to abstain from coffee while visiting. I have to admit, I also don't drink coffee (or any caffeine) regularly, but when I'm home I make an effort to have some every day 😈 I literally drink decaf and pretend I need it lol. And at our family reunions, I'd been living with my girlfriend (now wife) for 3 years and every single one of my aunts asked me where she was sleeping tonight and every one of them was shocked that she'd be sleeping in my tent. "Don't you think that sets a bad example for your younger cousins?" - "Umm no. I think pretending to be someone you're not is probably setting a bad example though." (Although maybe in their eyes, they were right because the next family reunion two more of my cousins slept in the same tent as their non-married partners. I'm really happy about that though!)

So this post is just me wanting to be rebellious. Maybe that's childish and silly, but it's cathartic to me and exciting. Maybe some day they'll chill enough for some of us who've left the church to have a holiday drink, but it doesn't seem very likely right now.

The Last in Blue, like it's cousin, the Avation, had a good flourall flavor to it. It was a toss up between my wife and I which one we prefer.

• 1.5 oz gin
• 0.25 oz creme de violette
• 0.75 oz lemon juice
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• 3 drops orange flower water
• Blue curacao, to layer
• Garnish with flowers (or in my case orange wheel)

Add the gin, creme de violette, lemon juice, simple syrup, and orange flower water to a shaker with ice; shake until chilled and pour into a coupe. Layer it with blue curacao. Garnish with flower petals if you got them.

This was not only a pretty drink, it tasted really good. I wish the pear would have been more forward then subtle but it was still really tasty. I'm going to have to make this more.

• 1.5 oz gin
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 0.75 oz pear syrup
• 1 egg white
• Garnish with a star anise

To make the pear syrup I cut up a pear into 1inch chunks and crushed them into juice using a garlic press. I got almost exactly 1.5 oz doing this, enough for two drinks, I then added a splash of simple syrup to bring it up to 2x 0.75 oz. (Next time I'll put more effort into this step and boil down the pear juice to get more flavor and naturally sweeten it.) I then poured everything together and shook for a full minute then added ice and shook until cold. Topped it off with a star anise. It was a hit with the wife as well.

I didn't get a picture but when I said "rhubarb strawberry margarita?" got such an enthusiastic response I just made a pitcher and it disappeared quickly.

1 part lime

1 part rhubarb liqueur (Amaro Santoni)

1 part strawberry syrup

1/2 of 1 part dry strawberry kvass

2 parts tequila

1/4 of 1 part water plus ice to stir it with and ice in the cups.

Quite sweet but very good.

• 2 oz. Bourbon.
• 1/2 oz. Cynar.
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters.
• 1/2 oz. Clove and Cardamom Simple Syrup.
• Garnished with Star Anise

I made the clove and cardamom simple syrup by grinding up 6 cloves and equal pay cardamom seeds powder, adding 1/2 oz. sugar and 1/2 (ish) oz boiling water, then letting it cool. This maybe excessive for some on the spices.

This was a really good drink, the spices went well with the fire we had going. My wife thought it was a bit strong, but I thought it was perfect.

I do love a paper plane with 2x the bourbon. These all have a very strong and sweet ginger juice component, so good for winter. And all have lemon/lime, they are not just boozy but balanced looking.

1 oz mezcal

1 oz reposado tequila

1 oz lime juice

3/4 oz Chinola passion fruit liqueur

3 slices of cucumber & a squirt of agave syrup

Ginger beer (I used 1 oz ginger syrup 3 oz fizzy water)

Muddle cucumber with agave, add mezcal, tequila, Chinola, lime, shake with ice. Strain thrice, mix in ginger beer, pour over fresh ice.

Not sure where this comes from - it appears in several sites without attribution, just like this but 1.5oz mezcal no tequila.

It's really good but not sure it needs the cucumber, I might try one more change next time and use some Cynar instead?

What a creative bunch this is. Lots of savory stuff.

Pretty diverse list!

• 3/4 oz Gin
• 3/4 oz Campari
• 3/4 oz Sweet vermouth
• 1 oz Lemon juice
• 1 oz Aquafaba

Shake everything with ice.

Remove the ice and shake one more time.

Garnish with pink peppercorn because it matches the color :)

Nice variation of the Negroni, it tones down the bitterness, so it could definitely work for those that don't like Campari that much!

No name yet but I will make this again, maybe with home fermented ginger beer for a Christmas batched cocktail.

2oz cognac

1oz Heirloom pineapple amaro

.75oz ginger syrup plus a squeeze of agave

2oz lemon juice (it was a very juicy lemon - this the additional sweetener)

2oz fizzy water

Shake first 4 ingredients with ice, add the soda water, pour over fresh ice.

Not a drink, just tangentially related and very interesting. I love the hippo bar but not 31m in love. Rich people are crazy!

• 2 oz Gin
• 1/2 oz Orgeat syrup
• 3/4 oz Lemon juice
• Small bar spoon Orange blossom water
• 1 oz Aquafaba

Shake everything with ice. Remove the ice, and shake one more time. Serve, and garnish with nutmeg.

Nice winter feeling with the orgeat, foam, and nutmeg :) I do like orange blossom water, but it can easily be overpowering, so proceed with caution!

In the Thanksgiving spirit I put this drink together, it was pretty good, mostly just a slightly spiced white Russian. 2 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. Kahlua, 2 oz. of pumpkin spiced whipped cream (it was fairly runny and liquidly), Cinnamon powder.

Poured vodka, coffee liquor, and the spiced pumpkin whip cream over ice and stirred to get the whipped cream to mix. Topped with some more pumpkin spice whipped cream and garnished with cinnamon powder.

2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. Lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Like juice, 1/2 oz. Simple syrup, 3 dashes of Orange bitters, 1 oz. Cream, 1 egg white, 2 oz. Soda water. Lime peel. Shake all the ingredients expect the soda water, for while a minute. Then add ice and shake again until chilled. Strain into a glass and add the soda water and garnish with a lime peel. Didn't worry about dropping the peel in, it will just sit on the now semi-solid top.

I made this for my wife and one for me. She loved it, but it wasn't for me, to much lemon and lime. The cream, egg white, and soda water made the top half of the drink semi-solid and was fun to drink. Definitely a cool drink to make and try.

Couldn't find any grillos v8 for Thanksgiving, but also just realized v8 is owned by Campbell's so fuck 'em anyway.

The gin was gift somebody gave me a while back. People always raise an eyebrow at the bottle, but it's actually become my favorite.

I don't drink much anymore, but when I do gin is my go to. I feel like there's something unique about the botanical notes in Engine compared to other gins, and it works surprisingly well in a variety of cocktails.

Recipe:

1:1 Gin and Pickle Brine (Preferably Grillos)

Top off with Bloody Mary mixer of your choice. I just grabbed this one from the grocery store, but it made a very tasty drink.

Mix well Garnish with pickle and black pepper

I got this from Food & Wine website, it's better than I expected. Basically a margarita sweetened with sambuca.

2 oz good tequila blanco

1 oz lime juice

3/4 oz sambuca

1/4 oz agave syrup/water (I just put a bare squirt of agave)

I had no expectations. But Tequila and Sambuca are good together, they aren't at all discordant and I can taste both. It would probably be a good beginner sambuca drink, you could adjust it down to half & half with the agave.

I made one of my favorite Trinidadian dishes last night (doubles), and what better pairing than the Queen’s Park swizzle — named after the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain where carnival takes place. Of course it has angostura, along with black rum and mint. Lovely! I took this recipe from smuggler’s cove.

• 4 mint leaves
• ½ oz lime juice
• ½ oz Smuggler's Cove Demerara Syrup
• 2 oz black blended rum
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 mint sprig

Gently muddle the mint leaves with lime juice and syrup in the glass. Add the rum and bitters. Add crushed ice until the glass is three-quarters full, then swizzle. Top with crushed ice to fill the glass, and garnish with a mint sprig.

1oz bourbon

1/2 oz Nixta (corn liqueur, tastes like caramel corn)

1/2oz Ancho Reyes

3/4 oz lemon

Shake together with ice, then add 2 oz pineapple tepache, serve over ice.

Tequila was my first thought but the bourbon is better with the Nixta. It's good.

This was a weekday sip, didn't want it too boozy, it came out great.

1 oz bourbon (Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond)

1 oz lemon

1 oz ginger syrup

Shake together and add

1 oz strawberry kvass (or other fruity sweet soda) and 2 oz topo chico fizzy water

No clear ice, unfortunately someone (ahem, husband) left the freezer door cracked open overnight and it melted partially so it's just one clear ice now, and the little pebble ice too. I'd already put it in the rocks glass but a highball glass with crushed ice and a straw would be my recommendation anyway.

It's pretty damn good. I heard blantons was the best so here we are.

2 oz bourbon

Scant oz lemon, 3/4 oz simple syrup

2 dashes each bitters and tabasco

And I added a squirt of fire tincture (habanero/anatto)

Bourbon sour with a little bit of bite, unremarkable but certainly not bad.

I was out of tequila, so I made a Ti'Punch and sweetened it with triple sec. Tried a proper-ish margarita recipe after. Then I tried a bunch of different rums and settled on Isautier rhum blanc traditionnel (see pic), which tastes about halfway between unaged Jamaican rum and agricole blanc, though agricole works great, too. Both rhum traditionnel and rhum agricole match the mineralic, vegetal notes of tequila and the traditionnel I have is not quite as fruity as the agricoles I have.

my recipe (adjust according to how you like your margaritas/daisies/daiquiris/ti'punches):

• 26ml rum (rhum traditionnel blanc or rhum agricole blanc with ~50% ABV)

• 18ml triple sec (I used 40% de Kuyper)

• 6ml lime juice

• serve on ice and stir

Arguably this is more of a Ti'Punch with triple sec than a rum margarita. This style of rum really wants to be drunken without too much dilution IMO, but feel free to make it more similar to a margarita. For what it's worth, I often drink tequila as a Ti'Punch with tequila instead of rum - I just really like Ti'Punch as a template.

I'm surprised that there isn't an established cocktail for this "margarita with the spirit swapped for agricole" thing, it seems like a very natural substitution to me. It's probably due to limited availability of French rum in latin american and anglophone countries.