National Cocktail Day Is Here. Check Out Some Recipes

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Today is National Cocktail Day (March 24) and across this great land, someone is surely going to have a wonderfully crafted cocktail in hand or so we hope. Down below, we’ve got an assortment of cocktail ideas that will help you celebrate in style.

National Cocktail Day was founded by expert “holidaymaker” Jace Shoemaker-Galloway. According to lore, Shoemaker-Galloway just decided that this would be the day to celebrate a cocktail because, as she puts it on her website, “every day is a holiday.”

For those who have been hanging out here with us at Spirit.Ed, they should already know that we’re fond of our cocktails. As we believe wholeheartedly, mixing drinks should be viewed as a culinary exercise and art form. To transform spirits, liqueurs, mixers, and bitters into an entirely different thing is a beautiful skill to have. Plus, you’ll be the hit at all of your parties if you take up some of these excellent recipes we’ll share below.

Now, on to the National Cocktail Day drinks roundup!

Before we get into it, I thought it would be a good idea to share a pair of cocktails I mixed and enjoyed for the holiday. Because of the warmer temps, I decided to go for the fresh and bold flavors of dry gin to serve as my base. I ended up making classic cocktails, the Bijou, and the Alaska. Both are simple cocktails with easy ratios to remember. However, the reason I picked them is the fact that green and yellow Chartreuse, which is a key ingredient for these cocktails, will be harder to obtain globally as the monks who make the product are focusing more on their personal mission and faith. With the possibility of never being able to make these drinks except on rare occasions, I wanted to go out with a bang. Enjoy. — D.L.

Bijou

1 1/2 part gin (I used Ransom Spirits‘ dry gin for both)

1 part green Chartreuse

1 part sweet vermouth

2 dashes orange bitters

Preparation:

Stir in mixing glass with ice and strain into coupe or Nick & Nora glass

Alaska

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces gin

1/2 ounce yellow Chartreuse

1 dash orange bitters

Lemon twist

Method

Add gin, yellow Chartreuse and orange bitters to a mixing glass with ice and stir until cold. Strain into a ice water-chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Express the oil of a lemon twist over the drink and then garnish the drink with the twist.

St-Rémy Signature Elettaria Boulevard

Ingredients:

1.5 oz St-Rémy Signature

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

0.75 oz Chai Simple Syrup*

1 dash Cardamom Bitters

4 drops Rose Water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and stir with ice

Strain over large ice cube in double rocks glass

Garnish with rose petal dusted with ground cardamom

*Chai Simple Syrup: Boil one cup water with one tea bag of chai tea (we want to over extract it for bitterness). Remove tea bag once satisfied with flavor and bitterness. Stir in one cup sugar until fully dissolved

The Emerald Country

INGREDIENTS

2 oz Ransom The Emerald Whiskey

1 oz Lemon Juice

3/4 oz Simple Syrup

1 Egg White

Angostura Bitters

DIRECTIONS

Mix the bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker. Dry shake (no ice) vigorously to create a slight foam. Add ice and then shake again. Strain the cocktail and serve over fresh ice. Garnish with a drop or two of Angostura bitters.

Flower Margarita

Ingredients:

1 oz Cointreau

1.5 oz Tequila

0.75 oz Lime

0.5 oz Rose Syrup

2 Sprays Rose Perfume

Directions:

Rim the coupette glass with a regular salt or pink salt. Combine all ingredients in a shaker and add ice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into a coupette glass. Garnish with a rose petal.

Rum Skies

Ingredients

2 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel

1 Grapefruit

0.75 oz Elderflower

4 oz Tonic Water

Directions

Add all ingredients except tonic into the glass and stir. Add ice, finish with tonic and garnish with grapefruit wheel

The Rémy Ginger

1 3/4 oz Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal

Ginger ale

Angostura bitters

Lemon Wedge

Instructions:

Pour Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal over ice cubes. Top with ginger ale. Add two drops of Angostura bitters. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Ilegal Margarita

2 oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven

1 oz Lime Juice

1/2 oz Agave Nectar

Directions: Add to shaker with ice. Shake. Dump ingredients into a pre-salted rimmed rocks glass.

KRAKEN CRUSH

1 part The Kraken Gold Spiced Rum

3 parts Orange Soda

Directions: Combine in a rock glass with crushed ice. Garnish with candied orange strips

Balvenie in Bloom

By Naomi Leslie, The Balvenie Ambassador

Ingredients

1 1/2 parts The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14-Year-Old

1 part Fino Sherry

1/2 part Elderflower Liqueur

1/2 part Rhubarb Liqueur

1 part Fresh Lemon

1 Egg White

Method

Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin and shake briefly. Then add ice and shake once more. Strain into a coupe glass.

Spiced French 75

1 oz St. George Botanivore Gin

1/2 oz St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

dry sparkling white wine

Directions: Add Botanivore, Spiced Pear Liqueur, and lemon juice to a mixing glass with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a flute. Top with chilled sparkling wine and garnish with a lemon twist.

Rob Roy

1 oz The GlenDronach Original Aged 12 Years

1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Garnish: Filthy Black Cherry

Method: Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until very cold and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with cherry.

KOJI-SAN

Created by: Kenta Goto, Bar Goto Niban

Ingredients:

2 oz Barley Shochu (Iichiko Saiten)

0.5 tsp Mezcal

4.5 tsp Lime Juice

5 tsp Simple Syrup

2 tsp Celery Juice

Glassware: Rocks Glass

Garnish: Rimmed with Dashi Salt, Float celery juice on top

Method: Combine all ingredients except for celery juice in a shaker tin, Shake with ice

Silver Carrot

Created by Julia Momose, Bar Kumiko

Ingredients:

1 barspoon Guillaumette Genepi

0.75 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth

0.5 oz Reisetbauer Carrot Eau de Vie

1.5 oz Hakutake Ginrei Shiro

Glassware: Rocks Glass

Garnish: Oba

Method: Stirred, strained over clear ice in a rocks glass. Garnished with oba.

Cierto Calamansi Paloma

Ingredients

2 oz Cierto Tequila Private Collection Reposado

1/2oz Pamplemousse Juice

1/4 oz Calamansi Juice

Method

Add Cierto Tequila Private Collection Reposado, Pamplemousse and Calamansi to a shaker. Shake until chilled and strain into a rocks glass with a salted rim over ice. Top with Fever Tree Sparking Pink Grapefruit soda and serve.

Amami Island Colada

Created by Chris Bostic, Half Step TX

Ingredients:

2.5 oz Jougo Shochu

.5 oz brown sugar Matcha coconut cream

.75 oz lemon juice

.25 oz apricot liqueur

2 dash Angostura bitters

Glassware: Rocks Glass

Strawberry Daiquiri, but #makeitmonkey

by Anna Mains, Monkey Shoulder Brand Ambassador

Ingredients:

2 parts Monkey Shoulder

¾ part simple

¾ parts fresh lime juice

1-2 strawberries (sliced)

Method: Muddle strawberries in shaker, add ice, Monkey, lime, and simple. Shake. Double strain into coupe.

Hendrick’s Flora Adora Wildgarden Cup

Ingredients:

2 Parts Hendrick’s Flora Adora

1 Part Lemon Juice

1 Part Simple Syrup

Top with Premium Sparkling Water

4 Raspberries

6 Mint Leaves

3 Cucumber Wheels

Method: Combine all ingredients in a highball glass filled with cubed ice. Top with sparkling water and stir gently. Garnish with cucumber wheels, mint leaves & raspberries.

Super Smash Fuzz

1.5oz Whiskey

.5oz Blood Orange Juice

.5oz lemon Juice

.75oz Simple

Shake and transfer to bucket glass

Top with SuperFuzz from Elysian Brewing

Garnish: Blood Orange Peel

Storms a Brewing

Ingredients:

2 parts Reyka Vodka

1/2-1 part Black olive juice

Vermouth rinse

Garnish: Black olive with chèvre cheese

Glass: Martini

Method: Combine all ingredients into glass and stir. Garnish and serve.

The Norman Collins

Ingredients:

1 ½ parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

1 part lemon cordial (see recipe below)

½ part lemon juice

Club soda

Bee’s Knees

To make one glass:

3oz Fresh Victor Lemon Sour

1.5oz Gin

1oz 1:1 raw honey syrup*

Garnish: lemon twist

Glass: cocktail

* heat water and add an equal amount of hot water, by volume, to the amount of honey you have. Stir until dissolved and store in the refrigerator.

Shaker Method

In a cocktail shaker, add all ingredients, fill the shaker with ice, shake well (to chill and dilute) and strain up in a 7-9oz cocktail glass. Add garnish and serve.

Build Method

In a glass full of ice, add all ingredients, plus 1.5 ounces of water (for dilution), stir gently, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish and serve

Cucumber and Tonic

Difficulty: Easy

3oz Fresh Victor Cucumber & Lime

1.5oz gin

1-2oz tonic water

In a tall glass, build all ingredients and top with ice. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with a lime wedge and a cucumber wheel.

(For a Cucumber Collins substitute Soda for Tonic)

NUTS 4 NUTS

Available at: Madame George (New York, NY)

Created by: Marshall Minaya, Beverage Director

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz Nuts4Nuts washed Iichiko Saiten

½ oz Myris Nutmeg Liqueur

½ oz Carpano Antica Formula

½ oz China-China

Glassware: Chilled Double Rocks (2” Cube)

Garnish: Lime Twist & Grated Roasted Nut

Directions: Build in Glass – Add all ingredients to a chilled double rocks glass, slowly lower big rock into glass and stir to proper dilution. *Peanut Allergy*

Sittin’ Sidewayz

1 1/2 parts Paul Masson VSOP Brandy

3/4 part Grand Gala or orange liqueur

3/4 part lemon juice

Directions: Combine ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe glass with a sugar rim.

SKYY Hibiscus Mule

Ingredients:

4 parts SKYY Vodka

2 1/2 parts ginger beer

2 hibiscus tea bags (Tazo Passion brand recommended)

Large lime wedge, for garnish

Recipe:

In a small container, pour vodka over the tea bags. Let steep for one hour. Remove tea bags.

Combine hibiscus-infused vodka and ginger beer in a copper mug or rocks glass with ice. Stir to incorporate.

Squeeze lime wedge into the drink and serve.

Spicy Cucumber Margarita

Ingredients

2oz LALO Tequila

2oz lime juice

1.5oz pineapple juice

½ of a small cucumber

2-4 slices of jalapeño

1-2 tbsps honey or agave syrup

Directions

Rim edge of glass with lime wedge and dip in Tajín or salt. Add ingredients to blender and strain when smooth. In cocktail shaker, muddle slices of jalapeño, ice, cocktail mix and shake until chilled. Strain into glass. Serve with extra lime wedges and garnish with jalapeño slices.

Clermont Collins

Created by Ali Martin – New York, NY

Ingredients

2 parts Knob Creek Rye

¾ part lemon juice

½ part simple syrup*

4 cucumber slices

Healthy pile of dill

Ground pepper

Seltzer

Directions

In a tin, middle the cucumber, dill and simple syrup, then add all other liquid (except seltzer). Shake and fine strain into a collins glass. Add ice and top with seltzer. Garnish with a sprig of dill or a cucumber slice. Grind fresh pepper on top.*Simple Syrup: Add 1 part sugar to 1 part water. Stir sugar until completely dissolved.

Luna Rosa

Ingredients

1.5 oz Mezcal Montelobos Espadin

.5 oz Aperol

.5 oz lemon juice

.75 oz grapefruit juice

1.5 oz wine

Garnish: Pink grapefruit slice

Recipe

Mix ingredients with 1 cup of ice.

Bourbon Sunrise

Ingredients:

2 oz Four Roses Bourbon

3/4 oz fresh orange juice

1/2 oz mango juice

1/2 oz Clover honey simple syrup

1/2 oz lemon juice

2 dashes bitters

1 lemon

Directions: Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with fresh ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice.

Papa’s Old Cuban

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum

0.75 oz lime juice

0.75 oz simple syrup

6 medium sized mint leaves

2 dashed Angora bitters

2 oz Prosecco

Directions: Place mint leaves and add fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Gently muddle leaves and add Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum and ice. Shake then strain through a fresh mesh strainer into coupe glass. Add 2 dashes Angora bitters, then top with Prosecco.