6 of our favorite vacation drinks we'll be making at home!
It's true, we can't wait to get back on the beaches, on the pool decks, roaming the cobblestone streets, and trying new drinks and cuisines around the world. For now, we are going to bring a little vacation into our kitchens! Below are some of our favorite, classic vacation drinks and how to make them. Our first drink features the Malibu Beach Inn and a classic from their Carbon Beach Club!
1. Playa Access at Malibu Beach Inn
Served at Carbon Beach Club and created by Bar Director Josh Curtis.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Casamigos Blanco
- 3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
- 3/4 oz. simple syrup
- 3/4 oz. fresh squeezed cucumbers
How to Make:
- Place in cocktail shaker with ice and shake 5 times
- Hawthorne Strain UP the now mixed ingredients into a chilled coupe glass
- Garnish with a skewered cucumber wheel and a kiss-of-salt on the outer ridge of the glass rim
2. Piña Colada
The piña colada became a classic when Rupert Holmes penned the song “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” Dreamed up in Puerto Rico, where it’s now the national cocktail, it’s a creamy frozen drink that is always a go-to on a tropical vacation.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces light rum
- 1 1/2 ounces cream of coconut
- 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
- 1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
- Garnish: pineapple wedge
- Garnish: pineapple leaf
How to Make:
- Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously (20-30 seconds)
- Strain into a chilled Hurricane glass over pebble ice
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and pineapple leaf
3. Bourbon Old Fashioned
When you get right down to it, the Bourbon Old Fashioned is little more than a slug of whiskey, seasoned and sweetened. Start by using good bourbon, the rule being that if you wouldn’t sip it by itself it has no place at the helm of a Bourbon Old Fashioned.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 teaspoon water
- 2 ounces bourbon
- Garnish: orange peel
How to Make:
- Add the sugar, bitters and water into a rocks glass, and stir until sugar is nearly dissolved
- Fill the glass with large ice cubes, add the bourbon, and gently stir to combine
- Express the oil of an orange peel over the glass, then drop in
4. Mojito
To many people, the Mojito represents the perfect rum cocktail. The origins of this classic drink can be traced back to Cuba and the 16th-century Cuban cocktail El Draque, named for Sir Francis Drake. The Mojito is said to have been a favorite of Ernest Hemingway.
Ingredients:
- 3 mint leaves
- 2 ounces white rum
- 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- Club soda, to top
- Garnish: mint sprig
- Garnish: lime wheel
How to Make Simple Syrup:
Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, then pour into a glass jar and seal tightly with a lid. Simple syrup will keep, refrigerated, for about one month.
How to Make:
- Lightly muddle the mint in a shaker
- Add the rum, lime juice, simple syrup and ice and give it a brief shake
- Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice
- Top with the club soda
- Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel
5. Margarita
The Margarita is one of the most popular cocktails in North America—for good reason. Combining the tang of lime and the sweetness of orange liqueur with the distinctive strength of tequila, the classic Margarita strikes all of the right keys. Although many people reach for premade sour mix, using fresh lime juice makes the end results, well, superior.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Blanco tequila
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz orange liqueur
- 1/2 oz agave syrup
- Garnish: lime wheel
- Garnish: kosher salt
How to Make:
- Add all the ingredients into a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled
- Strain into the prepared rocks glass over fresh ice
- Garnish with a lime wheel and kosher salt (optional)
6. EXTRA FUN: Spicy Margarita
The spicy Margarita refocuses the classic tequila cocktail without losing what’s essential to its success: that timeless blend of sweet, sour and earthy flavors. The most important key is to use fresh jalapeño.
Ingredients:
- 1 wedge lime
- 2 jalapeño coins (seeds removed)
- 2 oz Blanco tequila
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz orange liqueur
- 1/2 oz agave syrup
- Garnish: salt rim
- Garnish: jalapeño coin
How to Make:
- Rub the rim of a rocks glass with a lime wedge, dip in salt to coat and set aside
- Add the jalapeño coins into a shaker and gently muddle
- Add remaining ingredients and ice and shake until well-chilled
- Strain into prepared glass over fresh ice
- Garnish with a jalapeño coin
Recipes 2-6 from https://www.liquor.com, Images by Tim Nusog.