Fan Favorite Cocktails
And at the end of each tour we ask our guests, which of the several cocktails they tried, was their favorite?
Check back here often for recipes and pro tips from the mixologists who created them.
Be cocktail curious and drink outside the box. Cheers!
The Journey
Milo’s Deli
Irad and Lennon created this delicious and complex cocktail featuring Watershed’s Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. We were all surprised at the unique and delicious use of Marlört in the cocktail which added to the cocktail’s complexity while the bourbon remained the star of the show.
1 oz. Watershed Bottled-in-Bond bourbon
1 oz. London Dry gin
.5 oz Malört
.75 oz. Orgeat
.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake hard until chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a charred cinnamon stick.
PRO TIP: Split-based cocktails such as this one create richer and more complex flavors in the cocktail. Don’t be afraid to try new and different combinations of base spirits… you never know what you’ll discover.
Sang-zerac
PO Box XXI
Andrew created this amazing cocktail just moments before we arrived. He wanted to showcase High Bank’s PO Box XXI Staff Pick Barrel Select Statehouse Gin as well as their Barrel Proof Whiskey War Midnight Cask. The concept was to create a combination Sangria and Sazerac riff. And he succeeded!
1.25 oz. High Bank Barrel Select Statehouse Gin — PO Box Staff Pick
.75 oz. Whiskey War Midnight Cask Barrel Proof
.5 oz. Cranberry juice
.25 oz. Fresh lemon juice
.25 oz. Demerara syrup
.75 mL Saline solution
1 Barspoon Amaro di Angostura
4 dashes Fee Brothers Turkish Tobacco bitters
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Combine all ingredients with ice in a shaker tin, add ice and shake until chilled. Place a large cube in a rocks glass and pour 1 oz. grapefruit soda over the cube. Top with the strained cocktail and garnish with a dehydrated orange wheel.
PRO TIP: This cocktail is both complex and delicious. There are several unique ingredients but if you can’t find them you could substitute for a similar product.
Limelight
Denmark on High
Isaac’s cocktail was flavorful, layered and super-well-balanced. It was so good that it made the decision to name it this week’s fan favorite very easy for all of our guests.
1.5 oz. Planteray Isle of Fiji Rum
.5 oz. Fresh lime juice
.5 oz. Fresh lemon juice
.75 oz. Honey
.25 oz. Fresh pineapple juice
.5 oz. Coco cream
3 dashes Smoked Cinnamon bitters
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake hard until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with a dried lime wheel.
PRO TIP: Be certain you’re not allergic to cinnamon before ordering this cocktail.
Banana Boat
Palm Valley Cocktails
Cheech’s tiki cocktail featuring Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon was delicious and perfectly-balanced. It drank like a classic tiki cocktail but the bourbon base was the perfect addition for creating a unique new cocktail.
1.5 oz. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon
.5 oz. Giffard Banane du Brésil Liqueur
.5 oz. Giffard Orgeat
.5 oz. Fresh lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake until chilled. Double strain into a rocks glass, add fresh crushed ice and garnish with a dried banana chip.
PRO TIP: There are several good orgeat recipes online but we recommend Giffard’s which is shelf stable and will keep for months.
Benny and the Jets
The Shapeshifter
This was The Shapeshifter’s first time on the craft cocktail tour but Theo is a veteran of the tour and their Paper Plane riff did not disappoint. Benny and the Jets, which featured Elijah Craig bourbon was more than just a riff on a modern classic. By adding hints of fig, cinnamon and smoke the cocktail was elevated in a unique and very delicious way.
.75 oz. Fig-infused Elijah Craig
.75 oz. Cinnamon-infused Aperol
.75 oz. Amaro Nonino
.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice
Add all ingredients to tin, shake with ice and strain into a glass bottle with a lid. Use a hand held smoker to smoke the cocktail then seal and let it sit in the smoke for 30 seconds. Pour into a coupe garnished with a paper plane and enjoy!
PRO TIP: To create the fig infusion add one tablespoon of fig jam to a bottle of Elijah Craig and shake the bottle to incorporate. Let it sit for 24 hours then strain. To make the cinnamon-infused Aperol, add 2 crushed cinnamon sticks to a bottle of Aperol. Let it sit for 24 hours then strain.
Side Hustle
Denmark on High
Isaac’s brandy sour riff “Side Hustle” easily won last weekend’s fan favorite. It was refreshing, delicious and beautifully balanced. All of our guests agreed it should be our fan favorite cocktail.
2 oz. Cognac
.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice
.5 oz. Aperol
.5 oz. Passionfruit liqueur
2 dashes Fee Foam
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake hard until chilled. Double strain into a coupe and garnish with a few drops of Angostura bitters.
PRO TIP: A couple dashes of Fee Foam replaces egg whites or aquafaba as a foaming agent that is both flavorless and vegan.
Dragon of the West
Wiseguy Lounge at Goodfellas Pizza
Dragon of the West was bright and floral, with some citrus notes and had a beautiful silky finish. The Deep Eddy vodka tied it all together to make a great cocktail.
2 oz. Deep Eddy Vodka
1 oz. White Peach Puree
1 oz. Yuzu Juice
1.5 oz. Oolong Demerara Syrup
1.5 oz. Whole Milk
Combine all ingredients but Whole Milk in a beaker. Stir without ice until fully combined. In a different container (with a lid) add whole milk. Pour cocktail mixture evenly over whole milk, seal lid and transfer to the refrigerator. After 24 to 48 hours, filter the mixture (ideally through a Chemex style pour-over coffee maker with a coffee filter). Serve over a large cube in a rocks glass and garnish with a lemon peel.
PRO TIP: To make the Oolong tea syrup combine 25g Oolong tea leaves, 1 L Filtered water, and .5 L Demerara sugar. Combine and stir the mixture over heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let steep for 30 to 40 minutes.
Kashmir Feel
Denmark on High
Isaac’s delicious gimlet riff was inspired by ingredients from the Kashmir region and it was both complex and refreshing. He used classic London-Dry-Style gin as the base but elevated those flavors to make something unique.
1.75 oz. Rotanjot infused gin
1.25 oz. Mahuya flower syrup
.75 oz. Fresh lime juice
.25 oz. Aperol
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake hard until chilled. Double strain into a Nick and Nora glass and garnish with a wheel of dried lime.
PRO TIP: To make the syrup, steep equal parts of dried flowers and sugar in hot water then add an equal amount of water to make the syrup, bring to a boil and let cool.
Crocodile SmilE
Soul at the Joseph
Mike shared this cocktail featuring Deep Eddy vodka which is on their current “Lost Cocktails of Columbus” menu and adapted from the Elephant Bar in Columbus, from the 1980s. It was beautifully balanced and its bright neon green color only added to the festiveness of the drink.
1.5 oz. Deep Eddy vodka
1 oz. Midori melon liqueur
1.5 oz. Pineapple juice
.75 oz. Lemon juice
2 dashes Mt. Fuji bitters
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and fill with ice. Shake vigorously for about 8 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with 1" ice cubes. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a lime wheel.
PRO TIP: The original recipe uses gin instead of vodka which adds botanical notes to this fruity cocktail.
Sardinia Fresca
Palm Valley Cocktails
Cheech shared a cocktail soon to be on the Palm Valley menu that Brayden is currently developing. This gin cocktail with strawberry and rhubarb notes was bright, balanced, refreshing, full of flavor and it easily (and unanimously) won fan favorite.
1.5 oz. London Dry gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz. Simple syrup
.75 oz. Fresh lime juice
.5 oz. Chambéryzette Strawberry aperitif
.25 oz. California Poppy amaro
4 dashes Rhubarb bitters
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake until chilled. Double strain into a Nick and Nora glass and garnish with a lime peel.
PRO TIP: Expressing the lime peel over the cocktail releases oils that add aroma and flavor to the cocktail and is an important part of the cocktail experience.
Pep in ya Step
Goodale Station
Nikki’s debut on the tour introduced us to her creative talent and this deliciously refreshing and fruity cocktail featuring Tequila Ocho.
1.5 oz. Tequila Ocho Plata
.75 oz. Giffard Fruit de la Passion
.75 oz. Pineapple juice
.75 oz. Fresh grapefruit juice
.5 oz. Fresh lemon juice
.5 oz. Cinnamon syrup
.5 oz. Pink Peppercorn syrup
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a tumbler glass with ice and top with crushed ice. Garnish with a wheel of fresh grapefruit and pink peppercorns.
PRO TIP 1: To make the pink peppercorn syrup combine 100g pink peppercorns, 1000g granulated sugar and 1000g water in a vacuum seal bag and sous vide at 150° for 2 hours. Strain and add 1/2 tsp. of salt.
PRO TIP 2: to make the cinnamon syrup, combine 600g water and 4 cinnamon sticks broken in half and heat in a saucepan over low heat for 30 minutes. Add 1000g of sugar and dissolve. Turn off heat, let steep for 30 minutes and strain.
Green Thumb
Goodale Station
Jordan created this amazing cocktail to showcase the Whistle Pig rye. By adding peach, basil and lemon in just the right amounts he allowed the rye to take center stage while still letting the other flavors have their moment. The result was quite simply delicious.
1.5 oz. Whistle Pig 10 year old rye
.5 oz. Giffard peach liqueur
1.5 oz. Basil simple syrup
.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake until thoroughly chilled. Double strain into a rocks glass, add fresh ice and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil and dried lemon wheel.
PRO TIP: To make the basil simple syrup add 6 fresh basil leaves to simple syrup (1:1) and let steep for several minutes. The longer you steep the basil the stronger the flavor and brighter the green.
Blue Collar
Denmark on High
Isaac created this delicious cocktail featuring Noble Cut’s Limoncello — beautifully balanced and full of flavor and character. He added a little fresh juice to the recipe to amp up the citrusy flavor and balance the cocktail.
1 oz. Bombay London dry gin
1 oz. Noble Cut Limoncello
1 oz. Heritage Blueberry liqueur
.5 oz. Aperol
.5 oz. Lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice and shake until chilled. Double strain into a coupe and top with champagne. Garnish with a blueberry.
PRO TIP: Noble Cut and Heritage are both local brands. Support Local!
Tell Me Lies
Market Bar Dublin
Noah created this playful Old Fashioned riff featuring Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon inspired by the Mini Beer Shot. Delicious, boozy and complex — even the foam on top!
For the base:
2 oz. Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon
.5 oz. Amaro Di Angostura
.5 oz. Licor 43
For the foam top:
Using an iSi cream whipper combine:
5 oz. Fresh heavy cream
5 oz. Middle West Spirts bourbon cream
5 oz. Licor 43
2 oz. Fee Brothers Fee Foam
Charge with two CO2 cartridges and refrigerate for at least 30min. Makes enough foam for approximately 10 cocktails.
Combine the base ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with one large cube. Then release the foam to cover 1” of head on top of the base.
PRO TIP: If you don’t have an iSi cream whipper, a hand or stand mixer can be used but you may need to add 1/2 tablespoon od powdered sugar to help stabilize the cream.
The Count of Monte Cristo
Asterisk Supper Club
Micah’s cocktail was a beautiful start to our tour. It was a creamy and boozy, rum and espresso-fueled cocktail with a hint of orange topped with a delicious, rich, orangey foam.
1.5 oz. Goslings Black Seal Rum
1.5 oz. Espresso or cold brew concentrate
.5 oz. Simple syrup
.5 oz. Liquor 43
Orange cream foam
Combine all ingredients and shake hard. Strain into a rocks glass with one large rock and top with the orange cream foam. Garnish with freshly-grated cinnamon.
PRO TIP: To make the foam: Combine 1 oz. heavy cream, .5 oz. Liquor 43, .5 oz. whole milk and .25 oz. orange oleo saccharum (equal parts fresh orange zest and sugar, let sit for 24 hours then fine strain). Whisk the foam in a frozen metal bowl until a wet foam forms (add more heavy cream if needed to thicken).
Shiso High
Ampersand Asian Supper Club
Jimmy’s High Ball, the “Shiso High,” paired Ocho Tequila Reposado’s honeyed caramel and vanilla flavors with aromatic, minty shiso. Light, effervescent, and precisely balanced, it delivered herbal complexity, gentle warmth, bright fruitiness, and a clean, lingering herbal finish — an obvious fan favorite.
2 oz. Ocho Tequila reposado
2 oz. Grapefruit juice
1 oz. Shiso syrup
.75 oz. Yuzu juice
1 dash Habanero tincture
Build in highball glass rimmed with salt and sansho pepper. Add several large ice cubes and then all ingredients and stir. Top with soda, express a grapefruit peel and garnish with a Shiso leaf.
PRO TIP: To make the Shiso syrup: make a simple syrup with near-boiling water and sugar. Take off heat and add green shiso leaves. Infuse for 5 to 10 minutes and strain out the leaves.
Speed Trap
Goodale Station
James’ “Speed Trap” featuring Archer Eland Solstice Rye was a refreshing and delicious cocktail that was reminiscent of a Paper Plane. The presentation was just as beautiful as the cocktail was delicious and we were fortunate to have Wendy Pevitch, Archer Eland’s creator join us to tell us all about her new brand of ryes.
1.5 oz. Archer Eland Solstice rye
.5 oz. Amaro Rubarbaro
.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice
.75 oz. simple
4 Raspberries
Add the 4 raspberries to a shaker tin and muddle. Add the other ingredients and ice and shake until chilled. Double strain into a Collins glass filled with 1” ice cubes. Top with soda and garnish with more fresh raspberries.
PRO TIP: The Amaro Rubarbaro played perfectly with the raspberries but you could try using different amari to accentuate other flavors in the cocktail.
Last Kiss
Asterisk Supper Club
Micah’s cocktail was balanced, full of flavor and loved by everyone on the tour. His cocktail featured Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon and had beautiful, yet subtle notes of coffee due to his infusion process.
1 oz. Coffee-infused Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond bourbon
1 oz. Fernet
1 oz. Demerara syrup
1 oz. Lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and and shake until thoroughly chilled. Double strain with a mesh strainer into a coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with a twist of lemon.
PRO TIP: To infuse the coffee into the bourbon, use freshly-ground coffee (medium course) and pour the bourbon over the coffee in a pour-over style. No steeping necessary.
Bitter and Better
Goodale Station
Jordan’s cocktail helped everyone escape from the winter weather — even if for just a moment. This deliciously refreshing cocktail featuring Noble Cut’s Grapefruitcello easily (and unanimously) won fan favorite.
1 oz. Noble Cut Grapefruitcello
.5 oz. Aperol
.5 oz. Fresh grapefruit juice
.75 oz. Cinnamon simple syrup
Combine all ingredients and shake until chilled and strain into a Hurricane glass. Fill with ice and top with prosecco and soda. Garnish with a brûléed grapefruit wheel.
PRO TIP: The garnish on this cocktail was amazing. To make the brûléed grapefruit — slice a grapefruit, add a coating of sugar in the raw and use a kitchen torch to brûlée it.
Glascow Sour
Wiseguy Lounge at Goodfellas Pizza
This whiskey sour riff adds winter flavors to the classic and brightens the cocktail with fresh lemon and pineapple juices.
1.5 oz. Dewars white label
.5 oz. Campari
.5 oz. Ferrand dry curaçao
.5 oz. Fresh pineapple juice
.5 oz. Cinnamon-infused agave
.5 oz. Fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Agostura bitters
1 egg white
Combine all ingredients and dry shake. Add ice and shake again until chilled. Double strain into a coupe and garnish with a slice of dehydrated orange.
PRO TIP: If you don’t have a dehydrator at home you can dehydrate fruit in your home oven at a low temperature.
Yeti or Not
Denmark on High
Yeti or Not previously won Fan Favorite but that was a completely different cocktail. This reworked version includes several fall/winter flavors but keeps the yeti-shaped stencil for the foam. We loved it and so did our guests.
1.5 oz. Old Forester Rye
.5 oz. Punch Abruzzo
.75 oz. Maple simple
.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice
7 dashes Fee Foam
Add all ingredients into a shaker, add ice and shake hard. Double strain into a coupe and add several drops of Aperol unless you happen to have a yeti-shaped stencil, then mist the Aperol over the stencil.
PRO TIP: Maple simple (1 to 1 with water) is a delicious twist to simple and adds a ton of flavor.