Master These 5 Cocktails During Quarantine

Every hour is happy hour during quarantine, right?

If you’re like me, you’re probably missing going to the bars or happy hour with your friends. And even though my Zoom happy hours are pretty consistent, I’m getting tired of just drinking Whiteclaws and Moscato. So that’s when I started thinking that I should use this time to learn how to make real cocktails (beyond the vodka cran I would probably be drinking if I was at a bar right now). So if you’re going a little stir crazy in quarantine right now and you’re looking to learn a new skill or just waste some time, consider learning to master these 5 classic cocktails.

The inspiration for this blog post came from a few places. For one thing, I absolutely love this blog post from Fran at Fran Acciardo. It really motivated me to think of some new cocktails to enjoy during my daily happy hour. I was also thinking back on this Elle article featuring Taylor Swift where she mentioned some of her favorite cocktails. I’ve recently discovered my knowledge on how to make cocktails is minimal. And since I’m not doing much while I’m stuck at home, I figured it was the perfect time to try some out. Making all of these drinks was really fun and now that I have all the ingredients for these in my house, I’m looking forward to testing myself to see if I can make them by memory next time.

Cocktail #1: Pimm’s Cup

Maybe I should call it a “Kimm’s Cup” just to be funny. This is a light, summer cocktail that reminds me of Sangria. From what I can tell there are several variations of a Pimm’s Cup, but this is the recipe I was referring too. Taylor Swift talked about this drink in her Elle interview, which doesn’t surprise me because it’s a British drink. Would love to add ginger beer next time! I also want to add that usually this drink is made in a pitcher! But for the sake of just making one class for yourself, here is the recipe with a single serving size. I had never had Pimm’s before. Its gin and herb based but definitely not as intense as other dark liquors.

What You Need:

• 1-2 oz of Pimm’s Liqueur
• 1/2 cup Lemon Seltzer
• Ice
• Cucumber Slices
• Lemon slices
• Strawberries
• Mint leaves

In a glass pour the Pimm’s and lemon seltzer over ice. Stir or shake. Feel free to leave the ice or drain it out. Add the cucumbers, lemon slices, strawberries and mint leaves as garnish.

Cocktail #2: Aperol Spritz

Another drink Taylor mentioned in her article with Elle. But also, this drink seemed like it was right up my alley. I was surprised to find any article from 2019 from the New York Times that’s titled “The Aperol Spritz is Not a Good Drink“. And then all these articles started coming out about how it is. So since there was so much debate, I figured I needed to try it myself. Plus, I love anything with Prosecco. Aperol is a bright orange apéritif (which I had never heard of before). This is a summery Italian drink that is great for day-drinking (thus, perfect for quarantine).

What You Need:

• 2-3 oz Aperol Liquor
• Splash of Club Soda
• 3-4 oz Prosecco
• Orange Slice
• Ice

Mix all the ingredients together in a wine glass. The only advice I have for this is to go easy on the club soda and heavy on the Prosecco. But that may just be personal preference.

Cocktail #3: Cosmopolitan

We all saw that hilarious video of Ina Garten IGTV right? Where she makes the giant Cosmo? Unfortunately I don’t have the giant martini glass she does, but I did take note on how to make this Cosmopolitan (how very Sex and the City). I follow along with Ina’s recipe and hers serves 3-4 drinks. Which is great for me because my mom loves Cosmos too.

Here’s What You Need:

• 16 oz Vodka
• 8 oz Triple Sec
• 8 oz Cranberry Cocktail
• Freshly squeezed lime juice (3 Limes)

Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice and serve with frosty martini glasses. Sharing with your mother is encouraged but not mandatory.

Cocktail #4: Mojito

Is it weird to admit that a mojito was my drink of juice the summer I got my jaw surgery (along with Ensure)? I love the taste of mint and find mojitos so refreshing. But embarrassingly enough, I forgot everything that goes in them! I also almost never have mint or club soda in the house, so adding this drink to this blog post was a good reason to bring those back.

Here’s What You Need:

• 1-2 oz White Rum
• 1 Lime
• Mint Leaves
• Splash of Club Soda
• 1-2 tbsp sugar or simple syrup
• Ice

Place mint leaves and half the lime at the bottom of a glass. If you have a muddler, crush them together (or use like a bottle or something). Add the other half of the lime and the sugar and crush (mush? mash?) again. Fill the glass with ice, pour in the rum and throw in a splash of club soda on top.

Cocktail #5: Old Fashioned

Turns out I’m a big whiskey/bourbon person. You probably wouldn’t expect it but after doing a Scotch Whiskey tour in Scotland a few years ago, and trying a bunch of Kentucky Bourbon in Louisville with my friend Emily, I love it! But I honestly had no clue how to make an old fashioned until now. I even had to embarrassingly ask the man at the liquor store to show me where the bitters were. I think I also bought the wrong kind of cherries but I mainly used those for show anyway. I also left a little extra orange on the peel because I like the zest.

Here’s What You Need:

• 2 oz bourbon whiskey
• 1-2 tbsp sugar or simple syrup
• 2-3 dashes of Bitters of your choice
• Ice
• Orange peel
• Cherries (optional)

In a mixing glass pour in the bourbon whiskey, sugar and bitters. Add ice and stir. Strain over a smaller glass with new ice. Garnish with an orange twist/peel and cherries (if that’s something you’re into).

So there you have it! Five cocktails you learn how to make during quarantine. Consider it a new skill or party trick. Personally, my favorite is the mojito. Now that I’ve learned to make and tried these five, I’m trying to decide what other drinks I should do. If you have any suggestions, comment below!

Thanks for reading and happy drinking! xx