Here are a few of our best alcoholic drinks for party. These classic cocktail recipes will make your guests go wild.
This cocktail is a blend of bourbon, amaro and bittersweet herbal liqueur. This cocktail is also a great digestif to drink after a heavy meal.
Long Island Iced Tea
The Long Island Iced Tea may have a reputation for being, well, a bit of a risky drink, but that’s not necessarily due to the alcohol content. This cocktail is a high-ABV mix of four spirits and one liqueur. Its name comes from the fact that it looks like a cup of amber iced tea. Musgrave says if you use high-quality ingredients it will “have a good balance of sweet and tart.”
For this version, iced tea is replaced by Daily’s Sweet & Sour mix and triple sec syrup, and the whole thing is topped off with cola. The result is a refreshing drink that can be served on its own, or mixed into a larger batch to serve at a party.
If you love this classic cocktail, try adding some craft vodkas and gins for a new flavor. You can also substitute the triple sec for another orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau. You can substitute the cola with other soft drinks, lemonades or even sour mixes.
To begin, fill up a cocktail jar or shaker with ice. Add all ingredients except the cola to a cocktail shaker or lidded jar and stir until chilled, about 15 second. Pour the cocktail in a glass, and then top it off with cola. Enjoy. Garnish it with a slice of lemon. If you are serving this drink to a large group, you might want to prepare a few so that everyone can have a taste. The sweet, tart, and sour flavors of this drink will complement each other well, and the cola will help to cut through the liquor a little, so that you can enjoy the flavors without getting too tipsy.
Screwdriver
Few cocktails are as simple to make as the Screwdriver. It is a simple combination between vodka and orange. The drink is said to have been named by construction workers who stirred their orange juice with vodka before going to work, using a screwdriver. (The kind of tool which has a handle which tapers and flattens to a tip that can fit into the slotted head on a screw). The Screwdriver’s two-ingredient simplicity makes it an essential bartender recipe, one of the first cocktail recipes many people ever learn. It also provides a base that’s ripe for experimentation, spawning other highballs like the Harvey Wallbanger and Fuzzy Navel.
This drink is made with a good-quality vodka, but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are many budget-friendly vodkas that taste great. You could even experiment with infusions. Rosemary-strawberry is a delicious option. Freshly squeezed orange juice is the best. If you don’t have time to make it yourself, consider buying organic or Fair-Trade juice.
Adding a splash of soda to your screwdriver is an easy way to lighten it up and add a little bit of sweetness. Club soda or ginger beer are great choices, but if you want to take a hint from the Tequila sunrise, use a flavored sugar syrup such as raspberry-lavender or strawberry. You can also add some muddled fruit to your drink, like kiwifruits or berries.
Negroni
The Negroni has become a classic drink that is enjoyed by drinkers from all over the globe. It’s easy enough to be a classic, yet sophisticated enough to get its own week-long celebration. Even though many bartenders playfully tweak this recipe, the classic equal part gin with Campari and sweet vermouth will always be a good choice.
The Negroni is usually served over ice. You can use the large square ice or spherical cubes you see in cocktail bars or three or four draft-sized cubes. If you decide to use large ice cubes, choose a high-quality Gin (the Campari and vermouth will overshadow the gin). You can also spice up the Negroni with different brands of gin, or even change the sweet vermouth.
When making a Negroni you will want to add an orange peel as a garnish. It’s a great way to showcase the citrusy flavor of the drink, as well as its natural bitterness. When you’re ready, gently squeeze out the peel to place the orange side down in the glass.
Negronis can be a delicious pre-dinner beverage or enjoyed during happy hour. You can also make them in large quantities to serve at a party. It’s simple to mix up and pour into individual glasses. You can dress up the glass by adding it to an elegant cocktail coupe.
Corpse Reviver no. 2
If you ever find yourself needing to jump-start a hungover morning then look no further than the Corpse Reviver No. 2. One of a series of cocktails designed to be consumed in succession, these potent gins were developed as a hair of the dog (or foggy day cure) by Harry Craddock and are often made with a combination of gin, Lillet blanc or Cocchi Americano, a quinine-flavored aperitivo, citrus juice, absinthe, and lemon juice. The drink clocks in at a very high proof and is held together by a balanced array of bitter and sweet citrus components balancing out the acidity of both the gin and the fortified wine.
I don’t think it is necessary to add a citrus twist when the cocktail is served in a coupe. Instead, I prefer to express the oils from a little fresh lime or orange zest over the cocktail and allow it to sit for about a minute so that the citrus can blend with the other flavors.
When it comes to choosing orange liqueur, I’ve found that the higher-strength stuff tends to work best in Corpse Reviver #2. If you add a bit of the cheaper stuff (such as Dekuyper or Llord’s triple sec, which is more commonly used in pubs), the drink will taste flat.
Regarding the Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano debate: I have found that Cocchi, the closest modern approximation of Kina Lillet (original ingredient used in this drink and others), is the closest to what was originally called for. Kina Lillet has not been produced since 1985. Lillet Blanc is a good substitute for Cocchi Americano. It’s less sweet and more bitter.
Tomato Martini
Tomatoes offer savory umami flavor without overpowering a drink. A simple yet refreshing summer drink, this Tomato Martini combines ripe tomatoes with lemon juice and premium vodka. The recipe is easy enough to make for a crowd at a cocktail party, gourmet brunch, or even a garden get-together. Mix the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake until chilled. Garnish your cocktail with a skewered cherry tomatoes and basil leaves.
Tender tomatoes are at the peak of their freshness right now. They add a pop to cocktails and bring out their vibrant color. This tomato cocktail takes a page from the Bloody Mary and swaps out the gin with vodka. It also includes a little vinegar to balance the sweetness and acidity in the juice. The recipe uses white balsamic which has a less syrupy flavor than regular dark balsamic. This will not alter the drink’s pretty red colour.
The cocktail also contains a touch rosemary, which is a great way to enhance the umami trend’s savory flavors. Piper Kristensen is the beverage director at Brooklyn’s Place des Fetes. She says that rosemary goes well with a tomato and gives it a herbaceous flavor. The restaurant’s House Martini features a unique tomato liqueur Laurent Cazottes, 72 Tomatoes. It is made by a winemaker biodynamically from macerated tomoatoes. Kristensen says the liqueur is a good substitute for Curacao in a margarita, as it pairs well with the earthiness of the tequila.
To make the cocktail at home in a simple way, combine gin with tomato water and ice in a cocktail mixer. Shake until chilled. To make it extra fancy, wrap 1 of the basil leaves around a mozzarella ball and thread it on a cocktail pick or skewer to garnish each glass.
