scorecard16 easy cocktails to try during quarantine, according to influencers, bartenders, and people who can send alcohol straight to your door
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16 easy cocktails to try during quarantine, according to influencers, bartenders, and people who can send alcohol straight to your door

Gillian Brassil   

16 easy cocktails to try during quarantine, according to influencers, bartenders, and people who can send alcohol straight to your door
Easy cocktails — like this Cinnamon Rosemary Old-Fashioned — can liven up your Netflix-binging during quarantine.Kyle Boen of @StayFoxx
  • If you're looking to spice up your at-home bar amid the coronavirus outbreak, here are some top-notch recipes to get the ball rolling.
  • We asked the experts — like social media influencers and bartenders who can't go into work during the pandemic — for their twists on classics, like an Old-Fashioned or a mojito.
  • You can even have a service deliver drink kits to your home — and a virtual bartender will take you step-by-step through making them.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If your drinks and Instagram feed have both been dry during this period of social distancing, try spicing things up with a few novel cocktails. A tasty new drink concoction can help pass the time — and you may discover your inner mixologist at a moment when mastering new skills is crucial.

Business Insider asked popular cocktail influencers and experienced bartenders for their favorite recipes and tricks for livening up the best classic drinks. Here are 16 quarantine cocktails they suggest, plus a list of options from a company that can get the ingredients — and a virtual bartender — right to your home.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Or have cocktail ingredients delivered

Or have cocktail ingredients delivered

Mixology not your cup of tea? Try having a virtual bartender take you through it.

Sourced Craft Cocktails can send you a kit for any of the following cocktails, and a bartender can take you (and your friends, or your coworkers) step-by-step through making them. Not only is it a virtual happy hour a fun pasttime for your colleagues, it also employs bartenders otherwise out of work amid the pandemic. A feel-good bonus: Some of the proceeds go the United States Bartenders Guild's Bartender Emergency Assistance Program.

Here are the options for their DIY cocktail kits:

  1. Bramblin Man: Hendrick's Gin, homemade raspberry puree, fresh squeezed lime juice, and a homemade mint simple syrup.
  2. Strawberry Margarita: Milagro Silver Tequila, homemade strawberry puree, fresh squeezed lime juice, and bitter orange syrup.
  3. Spicy Margarita: Avión Tequila, orange cordial, fresh squeezed lime juice, homemade honey syrup, and finished with a jalapeño tincture.
  4. Whoa, Black Betty: Grey Goose Vodka, fresh squeezed lemon juice, homemade blackberry syrup, shaken and topped with sparkling water.
  5. Brown Derby: Glenlivet Founder's Reserve, fresh squeezed grapefruit and lemon juice, homemade honey simple syrup, and Angostura bitters.
  6. Black Cherry Old Fashioned: Glenlivet Founder's Reserve, homemade cherry syrup, and burlesque bitters.
  7. Tracy's Garden: Grey Goose Vodka, homemade cucumber juice and lime juice, and a basil-infused simple syrup.
  8. Irish Goodbye: Tullamore DEW Irish Whiskey, Chameleon Cold Brew, homemade maple simple syrup, and oat milk.
  9. Hideaway Daiquiri: Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rum, fresh squeezed lime juice, and a homemade grapefruit-cherry ginger shrub.
  10. Bartender's Choice: If you want a fun surprise, pick the Bartender's Choice cocktail and the local bartender team will come up with a custom cocktail.

16. La Conga Blicoti

16. La Conga Blicoti

Hannah Chamberlain's Instagram is flocked to by about 33,000 fans, where they come to find crazy cocktails like this one inspired by Josephine Baker's song.

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts Frapin 1270
  • 1 part lime
  • 1/2 part Giffard Banane du Brasil
  • 1/2 part Demerara syrup
  • Banana chips and/or tropical flower for garnish

Method: Shake all ingredients (other than the garnish) and double strain them into a coupe. Garnish.

15. Orange Crush

15. Orange Crush

"Cocktail Ninja" Trevor Schneider has over 6,000 Instagram followers. Here's an Orange Crush that he says is super easy to make: "No mixology skills needed."

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 parts Reyka Vodka
  • 3 parts fresh orange juice
  • Sprite or soda

Method: Build by combining all ingredients in a pint glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

14. Backyard Tea

14. Backyard Tea

Ashley Thomas' Instagram has just over 5,000 followers, but her Sailor Jerry recipes pack a punch. Here's a simple Backyard Tea, plus a tip from Thomas: "Dig out a teabag from the back of your cabinet! Fresh citrus juice makes even the simplest drink pop. Just squeeze teaspoon into your cocktail to brighten it up."

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
  • 1 part iced tea
  • 2 parts lemonade

Method: Serve on the rocks, garnished with a lemon.

13. Rum Boulevard

13. Rum Boulevard

Charlotte Voisey's cocktail Instagram has 9,000 fans. This is her super easy rum boulevard:

Ingredients:

1 part Flor de Cana-12

¾ parts Campari

¾ part sweet vermouth

Method: Combine ingredients and stir well. Strain over a large block of ice in a rocks glass. Spritz and garnish with a large orange peel.

12. Margarita

12. Margarita

Jaime Salas touts tequila to about 8,000 Instagram fans. One of his favorite cocktails is Milagros' Freshest Margarita recipe, which he says can be hacked with things found in most kitchen cupboards: "Don't have agave nectar? Use simple syrup instead (1:1 sugar to water). Muddle in a few of your favorite fruits, herbs, and spices to kick the margarita up a notch!"

Ingredients:

2 parts Milagro Silver

1 part lime juice

¾ parts agave nectar

Method: Pour all ingredients into a Boston shaker, shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel, salt optional.

11. Mojito

11. Mojito

Jane Ko is a food blogger with more than 75,000 Instagram followers. You can never go wrong with a mojito, which is "the perfect warm-weather refresher to usher in springtime," she said.

Ingredients:

  • 3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
  • 1¾ ounces of gold rum
  • 10 mint leaves
  • ½ ounce of lime juice
  • ½ ounce of simple syrup
  • ¾ ounce of apple juice
  • Ginger beer

Method: Place all ingredients (except for the ginger beer and apple juice) in a highball glass. Muddle mint gently to extract flavor. Add the apple juice and some crushed ice. Gently stir the drink and top up with ginger beer. Add three dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters. Garnish with mint sprig.

10. Summer's End

10. Summer

Elliot Clark shares his drink, home, and lifestyle tips to over 63,000 Instagram followers. And with Business Insider, he shared the recipe for a "Summer's End," which he says has "subtle Tiki vibes:"

Ingredients:

  • 3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
  • 1.5 ounces of Scotch whiskey
  • 1/2 ounce of overproof rum
  • 1 ounce of grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 ounce of fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 ounce of Velvet Falernum
  • 1/2 ounce of Demerara syrup

Method: Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Double strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with a pineapple leaf.

9. John Collins

9. John Collins

An oldie but goodie, a John Collins might be an old-time whiskey favorite to bring back. Also available from ReserveBar's delivery, here's how to make it yourself:

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 parts Bushmills Original
  • 1 part lemon juice
  • 1 part simple syrup
  • 2 parts club soda
  • Maraschino cherry
  • Orange slice

Method: Combine whiskey, lemon, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 10 seconds, strain over fresh ice, and top with club soda.

8. Mixed Up Monkey

8. Mixed Up Monkey

Another Henderson hit? This mixed-up surprise:

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ parts Monkey Shoulder
  • ¾ parts mint simple syrup
  • ½ parts lemon juice
  • 3 parts club soda
  • Mint sprig

Method: Build in highball glass over ice, lightly stir, and garnish with a mint sprig.

7. Lazy Old-Fashioned

7. Lazy Old-Fashioned

Last Old-Fashioned, we promise. With almost 5,000 followers, Vance Henderson's Instagram is a home to Scotch whiskey delights, including this one.

Ingredients:

  • 5 parts Monkey Shoulder Whisky
  • 1 part 1:1
  • 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
  • Orange zest

Method: Add Monkey Shoulder, sugar syrup, Angostura bitters ,and orange zest to a mixing glass. Add cold, dry ice and stir. Once dilution is reached, strain into glass over fresh ice. Twist orange peel over glass.

6. Pioneer Old-Fashioned

6. Pioneer Old-Fashioned

David Powell has 3,000 Instagram followers for his concoctions, including his take on the classic.

"The Old-Fashioned is a super versatile template, and this Pioneer version of it swaps white sugar simple syrup with the darker richer demerara sugar syrup," he said. "The orange and lemon peel expressed over the glass create a really nice aromatic touch that just brings everything together. Cheers!"

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts Hudson Baby Bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon Demerara simple syrup
  • 3-4 dashes of aromatic bitters
  • An orange and lemon twist

Method: Add to a mixing glass: simple syrup, bitters, then Baby Bourbon. Stir well to combine and chill. Strain into Double Old Fashioned glass over one large rock (or fill the glass with smaller cubes).

5. Tequila Old-Fashioned

5. Tequila Old-Fashioned

John Philp Thompson is a photographer with over 144,000 Instagram followers, posting pictures of travel, food, and fitness. Try an Old-Fashioned with tequila instead of whiskey, he says, and some grapefruit.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of blanco tequila
  • ¼ ounce of Demerara syrup
  • 2 dashes of Angustora aromatic bitters
  • 1 grapefruit rind (garnish)

Method: Add ingredients to an ice-filled mixing glass. Stir well. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Squeeze the oils from the grapefruit rind over the drink, then insert into the drink as garnish.

4. Black Fashioned

4. Black Fashioned

Another take on the classic: Use a darker whiskey for some deeper flavor. Here's what Bushmills recommends (available for delivery).

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts Black Bush
  • 1/4 part agave syrup
  • A few dashes of orange bitters
  • Orange rind
  • Dark cherry

Method: Pour ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice. Add a dash of orange bitters and a dash of agave. Stir until fully incorporated. Strain into rocks glass with large ice cubes. Garnish with orange rind and a cherry.

3. Cinnamon Rosemary Old-Fashioned

3. Cinnamon Rosemary Old-Fashioned

Kyle Boen is a fashion, lifestyle, and kitchen influencer with more than 75,000 followers on Instagram. In another Old-Fashioned twist, he said add cinnamon and rosemary.

But first, you need to make the Cinnamon Rosemary Simple Syrup. Here's how.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of honey
  • 1/2 cup 0f water
  • 6 sprigs of rosemary
  • 3 cinnamon sticks

Method: In a saucepan, combine honey, water, rosemary sprigs, and cinnamon sticks over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently until the honey has dissolved into the water. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Once cool, remove rosemary and cinnamon sticks and put in an air-tight container so you can keep using the syrup for future recipes.

And now, the cocktail:

Ingredients:

  • 4 teaspoons of Cinnamon Rosemary Simple Syrup
  • 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
  • 2 ounces of bourbon
  • 1 orange peel
  • 1 rosemary spring
  • Ice

Method: Add four teaspoons of the simple syrup and three dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters to an Old Fashioned (or rocks) glass. (For some additional depth, you can add in a dash of Angostura orange bitters, too!) Swirl syrup and bitters around until mixed. Add bourbon, ice, orange peel, and stir. Finish off the presentation adding a sprig of rosemary to the glass to garnish.

2. Foam Old-Fashioned

2. Foam Old-Fashioned

Will Taylor is a design, fitness, and style blogger with more than 317,000 followers on Instagram. His take on the classic cocktail? Add some foam. Here's how he says to make this "light and airy cocktail is as delicate as it is delicious."

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of single malt Scotch
  • ½ ounce of Demerara syrup
  • 2 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 large ice cube

Method: Dry shake (no ice) the scotch, demerara, Angostura aromatic bitters, and the white of one egg. You will need to shake for around one minute in order to create a nice, airy foam. Then, pour into a low-ball glass over one large ice cube.

1. Classic High Ball

1. Classic High Ball

If you're looking for a simple whiskey fix, try Sexton's three-ingredient High Ball, which has made itself available for delivery on ReserveBar, an alcohol delivery service still operating during the pandemic.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of Sexton Irish whiskey
  • 4 ounces of club soda
  • 2-3 ice cubes
  • Lemon twist

Method: Pour whiskey over ice into a Collins glass. Add club soda. Garnish with a lemon twist.

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