Man, I sure hate I missed the first-ever cocktail tasting of Highland Wine Club. But, I sure needed that vacation. Anyway, from Rosemary Beach I was able to put together the cocktail recipes for you guys to try. And you were probably better informed with Stan doing the bartending than if I had done it. He really knows his cocktails! From what I understand, some were a big hit and some were not, but everybody learned something about classic cocktails.
Here are the recipes:
Vodka
Cosmopolitan Cocktail
- 1 ¼ ounce Vodka
- ½ ounce Triple Sec
- ¼ ounce lime juice
- 2 ounces Cranberry juice
Shake over ice and serve up.
Lemon Drop
- 1 ¼ ounce Vodka
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
Shake over ice and serve up.
Gin
The Original Martini
- 1 ½ ounces Gin
- ½ ounce dry vermouth
Stir, don’t shake,serve up
Garnish with a lemon twist
Abbey Cocktail
- 1 ½ ounces Gin
- 1 dash of Orange Bitters
- Juice of ¼ orange
Shake over ice and serve up
Garnish with a cherry
Rum
Caipirinha
- 2 ounces of Cachaca or Rum
- 1 lime
- 4 tsp natural sugar (not brown, it is khaki in color)
Slice the limes into wheels and muddle with the sugar and rum until sugar is dissolved. Add ice and stir or shake and serve over ice.
Mojito
- 2 ½ ounces Rum
- Juice of ½ lime
- 4 mint leaves
- 4 tsp natural sugar
Muddle lime and mint leaves with rum and sugar. Add ice and club soda. Stir and strain into glass.
Whiskey
Mint Julep
- 2 ounces whiskey
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 4 mint leaves
Muddle mint leaves and simple syrup in shaker. Fill the shaker with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon. Stir and serve over ice. Garnish with mint leaves if desired.
Old Fashioned
- 2 ounces whiskey
- 2 dashes of bitters
- 2 tsp simple syrup
- one cherry
- one orange slice
Mix sugar, water and angostura bitters in shaker. Drop in a cherry and an orange wedge. Muddle into a paste using a muddler or the back end of a spoon. Pour in bourbon, fill with ice cubes, and stir. Do not shake. Pour into cocktail glass.
Manhattan
- 2 ½ ounces whiskey
- ¾ ounce sweet vermouth
- 1 dash bitters
- 1 cherry
- 1 orange
Combine the vermouth, bourbon whiskey, and bitters with 2 – 3 ice cubes in a mixing glass. Stir gently, don’t bruise the spirits and cloud the drink. Place the cherry in a chilled cocktail glass and strain the whiskey mixture over the cherry. Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink to release the oils but don’t drop it in.