Craft cocktails aren’t just for the realm of professional bartenders. To inspire the mixologist in you, we sought tips and recipes from local experts.
By Ruthanne Johnson
11 Alley Mint Mojito
from Centro Latin Kitchen
Ingredients (serves one)
1½ ounces silver rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1½ ounces homemade simple syrup
(recipe below)
4 to 6 slapped mint leaves (hold leaves in one hand and slap them with the other to open their flavor)
Mix all ingredients and shake with ice (do not strain). Pour into a Collins glass and top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Homemade Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Combine ingredients in a pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until syrup thickens (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat and strain into a glass container to cool. Homemade simple syrup keeps about two weeks refrigerated.
Alley Mint “No-jito”
popular on Centro’s “mock-tail” drink list
Ingredients (serves one)
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce homemade simple syrup
6 slapped mint leaves
½ ounce fresh lime juice
Mix all ingredients and shake with ice (do not strain). Pour into a Collins glass and top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.
22 How Deep It Goes
Ingredients (serves one)
1 ounce beet-infused vodka (recipe below)
½ ounce Old Forester bourbon
¾ ounce lavender simple syrup (use the simple syrup
recipe on page 37, adding 3 tablespoons of fresh or
dried lavender)
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
Combine all ingredients and serve in a glass over ice.
Beet-Infused Vodka
Clean and chop one large cooked beet (skin removed) and blend with 1 liter of vodka in a Vitamix or blender. Strain mixture through cheesecloth into a glass jar. Refrigerate unused portion.
33 Aion’s House Sangria
Ingredients (serves two)
1 liter Spanish red wine (can replace with nonalcoholic sparkling red wine)
2 tablespoons crème de cassis
2 tablespoons triple sec
2 tablespoons apple juice
1 small dried chile
½ cinnamon stick
½ bay leaf
¼ cup peach juice
1 lemon, halved
1 lime, halved
1 orange, halved
1 “secret ingredient” like sliced fruit, a spice or a liqueur (optional)
Combine all ingredients, except the citrus and secret ingredient. Squeeze the juice from the citrus into the Sangria and then add the secret ingredient, if using. Cover, refrigerate and let sit overnight. Strain and serve garnished with sliced fresh fruit.
44 The Gold Standard
Ingredients (serves one)
1 ounce Mezcal
1 ounce fresh carrot juice
½ ounce Grove Street Alchemy
Orange Liqueur
½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
Mix all ingredients and serve over ice in a glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
55 Piña Picante
Ingredients (serves one)
1½ ounces tequila resposado
¾ ounce chile agave nectar (recipe below)
1 ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
Mix all ingredients, shake and blend with crushed ice. Moisten glass rim and dip in a mixture of salt and mild ground chile powder. Garnish with jicama slices and a lime wedge.
Chile Agave Nectar
1 ancho chile 1 cascabel chile
2 New Mexico Hatch chiles 3 arbol chiles
16 ounces light agave nectar 2 ounces fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon crushed 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
red pepper
½ tablespoon cayenne pepper
Pulse fresh chiles in a food processor. Simmer pulsed chiles and remaining ingredients on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Strain mixture through cheesecloth, cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
66 Blood Orange & Basil Soda
Ingredients (serves one)
6 to 8 fresh basil leaves
½ ounce simple syrup
2 ounces fresh-squeezed blood orange juice
1½ ounces spirit of choice for an alcoholic version
3 ounces seltzer water
Lightly press or crumple (but don’t tear) basil leaves and place in a glass with ice. Add remaining ingredients and gently stir to combine.
77 Grapefruit Rosemary Fizz
Ingredients (serves one)
½ ounce Mezcal, tequila or vodka
(delete this for a nonalcoholic version)
¼ ounce fresh lime juice
¾ ounce fresh grapefruit juice
½ ounce rosemary simple syrup (use the simple syrup recipe on page 37, adding 5 large rosemary sprigs)
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, pour into a glass with ice and top with seltzer water. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and grapefruit slice.
88 Moroccan Mule
Ingredients (serves one)
1½ ounces Pruf vodka
½ ounce cardamom simple syrup (Use the simple syrup recipe on page 37 and add 2 tablespoons crushed cardamom pods. Let syrup sit overnight, then strain.)
Top off with ginger-limeade (recipe below).
Mix ingredients and serve over ice in a glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge sprinkled with Za’atar.
Nonalcoholic Moroccan Mule
2 ounces ginger-limeade
½ ounce cardamom simple syrup
Top off with seltzer water
Mix ingredients and serve over ice in a glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge sprinkled with Za’atar.
Ginger-Limeade
1 cup ginger root, peeled and chopped
1 cup sugar
1 quart water
1 cup fresh lime juice
Purée ginger, sugar and water in a blender. Let sit overnight, strain and add lime juice. Adjust lime/sugar to taste.
