Build.

Shake.

Stir.

Let’s cocktail!

Runner-up in Smoke

Distillers Challenge Spirits Competition, San Diego
Contributed by Del Milholland

For the inaugural Distillers Challenge International Spirits Competition, held April 15-16, 2023 in San Diego, Competition Director Rich Cook and Associate Director Del Milholland created this cocktail for the Judges Reception. If you’re curious about this cocktail’s name, here’s a hint: SDSU Aztec basketball. We hope you enjoy!

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 1 ounce Tequila blanco/silver
  • 1 ounce Mezcal
  • 1 ounce fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 ounce prickly pear syrup
  • 1 thin slice dehydrated (or fresh) grapefruit
  • sea salt for rim
  • Tajin (chili lime salt) for rim

Rim half of glass with sea salt and the other half with Tajin. Combine tequila, mezcal, lime juice and prickly pear syrup in a shaker with ice. Give a good shake and strain into ice-filled, salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with dehydrated grapefruit slice.

Blood Orange Margarita

Las Anayas Restaurant, Pasadena, CA
Contributed by Michael Cervin

The margarita is a staple of any Mexican restaurant, but that doesn’t mean it should be a cookie-cutter cocktail. Many restaurants and bars strive to uplift the ubiquitous margarita with various rifts, but the essentials need to stay in place to get to the heart of the drink. Though this recipe is basic, the use of higher quality ingredients and the edible flowers makes this more festive and drinkable. The Patron adds a light sweetness while the Casa Noble provides a deeper agave note, and the blood orange makes this richer than lime-based margaritas. Pair this with black tiger shrimp with roasted garlic or fried fish tacos. Makes 12 cocktails.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 1 quart fresh blood orange juice (strained)
  • 1-1/2 cups fresh lime juice (about 12 limes, strained)
  • 1-1/2 cups Patron Lime Citronge
  • 3-1/2 cups Casa Noble Blanco Tequila
  • Kosher salt
  • Blood orange wedges and fresh edible flowers for garnish

In a large pitcher combine blood orange juice, lime juice, Citronge and tequila. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Rub 12 martini or tumbler glasses with orange wedge, and dip rims into the salt to lightly coat. Add cubed ice to pitcher and stir well, then strain into prepared glasses. Garnish with blood orange slice and float fresh flower petals on top.

Pig in a Barrel

5 Line Tavern, Eagle Rock, CA
Contributed by Michael Cervin

Everyone loves a show, and some cocktails can offer very cool visuals as well as be great tasting. The Pig in a Barrel not only offers the optics – revealed with smoke wafting around the cocktail like a ghost – but it’s multi-layered and complex. It offers a combination of wood and spice notes, a potent bourbon kick with a hint of sweetness and herbs. There are also subtle notes of smoke, mandarin, honeysuckle and vanilla.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 2 dashes Fee Brothers whiskey barrel-aged bitters
  • 1-1/2 ounces James E. Pepper 1776 Bacon Washed Bourbon
  • 1/2 ounce Amaro Nonino
  • 1/2 ounce Zaya 12 YO Rum
  • Barspoon of Blank Slate Vanilla Syrup

Smoke gun

Combine ingredients in a shaker. Stir vigorously. Place large ice cube in tumbler, pour in ingredients. Place a covering over tumbler (preferably clear glass), and use the smoke gun to blow in smoke. Leave covered for 3 minutes. Remove covering just as you serve. (Note: In place of smoke gun, you can light a pipe and gently blow in smoke and cover. Avoid cigars as they are too harsh for the cocktail.)

The Nutty Pumpkin

Round Barn Winery
Contributed by Michael Cervin

Round Barn Winery in Michigan offers this seasonal take on the ever ubiquitous pumpkin-spiced whatever liquid-it-might-be-at-the-moment. What sets this apart is that the pumpkin notes are tempered by the vodka and black walnut cream, making this more fully balanced. Of course you can substitute their vodka and walnut cream for ones that might be more accessible, but that makes this much less Michigan.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 1-1/2 ounces Round Barn’s DiVine Vodka
  • 1/2 ounce Round Barn’s Black Walnut Cream
  • 1-1/2 ounces Pumpkin Spiced creamer
  • Dab of caramel sauce
  • Cinnamon stick (for garnish)

In a shaker combine all ingredients over ice and shake thoroughly. Coat the rim of an empty glass with caramel sauce. Strain mixture into the glass, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Smarty Jones (aka Lemon Drop)

The Derby Restaurant, Arcadia, CA
Contributed by Michael Cervin

Ah, the Lemon Drop – a misunderstood, maligned cocktail that seems too candy sweet. But when it’s balanced and comprised of proper ingredients it can be a simple yet effective cocktail, pairing with a surprising diversity of foods. Since 1922 The Derby restaurant near Santa Anita racetrack has been the place to celebrate your wins and drown your losses at the track. The balance of sweet, acidity and a mild sourness from the sweet-and-sour mix is evident in the Derby’s take on the Drop, they call Smarty Jones. The addition of Cointreau adds viscosity and though this calls for a sugar-rimmed glass that ends up as over-the-top sweet, it’s best to keep it simple. Lose the rimmer and add a garnish of fresh basil to bring out an herbal note, or fresh fruit such as orange for a citrus note, or raspberry.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 2 ounces Absolute Citron Vodka
  • 1/2 ounce Cointreau
  • 1 ounce Mr & Mrs T Sweet and Sour Mix
  • Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • Sugar (for garnish)
  • Lemon rind (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add cubed ice, shake well. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with lemon peel or red fruit.

Lavender Martini

Pasadena Hotel
Contributed by Michael Cervin

The martini is a classic cocktail, but there are always new riffs worth exploring. At the Pasadena Hotel their Lavender Martini is a simple concoction, but allows for a floral and calming effect. The sweetness of the vanilla vodka and the acidity of the lemon balance the floral, soothing notes of the lavender. It is subtle but effective, making for a cocktail that is light and enjoyable and can work with a variety of foods. The hotel suggests Miso Truffle Crab Salad or Pan Seared Sea Bass. Making this at home you’ll want to avoid the inexpensive vodkas as they rely on artificial sweeteners, and the end result will be a cocktail that is too sweet.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 1-1/2 ounces Corsair Vanilla Bean Vodka
  • 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 ounce lavender syrup (recipe below or purchase Collins Lavender Syrup)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka, lemon juice and lavender syrup and shake well. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with lavender sprig and lemon slice.

Lavender Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried lavender

Place dried lavender and sugar in a small saucepan. Crush lavender flowers into the sugar with the back of a spoon. Add water and place on stove. Bring to a simmer until the sugar completely dissolves, about 2 minutes. Let the syrup completely cool before using.

Ginspiration Point

Alcazar Tapas Bar, Santa Barbara
Contributed by Michael Cervin

Named Visit Santa Barbara’s “Official Drink of Santa Barbara 2017,” you’d never know that Alcazar’s owner, Alvaro Castellanos Rojas, had a rough go at first. “I didn’t know how to tend bar when I opened my first bar,” he says. “The first drink I made was sent back to me – since I had to cover for my absentee barkeep – because it was so bad. The guests walked out shortly thereafter.” It’s guaranteed you won’t walk out now.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 3/4 ounce lime juice
  • 1/2 ounce Nostrum’s pineapple turmeric ginger shrub
  • 1/4 ounce Benedictine
  • 1/2 ounce Chartreuse
  • 1-1/2 ounces Cutler’s Gin (or similar)
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon simple syrup

Add all ingredients into shaker tin with ice and shake (about 30 times or until chilled). Dry shake strained liquid with egg white and simple syrup. Double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with lime zest and seasonal flower.

The Draft Mule

Kings Row Gastropub, Old Town Pasadena
Contributed by Michael Cervin

The Moscow Mule has seen a resurgence in the past several years and though this cocktail was initially created in the 1940s to sell vodka – at the time a spirit most Americans had never heard of – it has now established itself on most cocktail lists. Kings Row Gastropub in Old Town Pasadena, California, offers their riff without the copper mug, and ginger syrup in place of carbonated ginger beer, which allows for a richer drink with more viscosity.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • Two ounces Mulholland Vodka
  • 1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
  • Four ounces Ginger People Organic Ginger Syrup

Add all ingredients into shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into glass over ice, add garnish of lavender and lime wheel.

Biltmore Fuente

Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara
Contributed by Michael Cervin

The Thomas Fire ravaged Santa Barbara in late 2017. Then a month later the Montecito Debris Flow hit, causing additional devastation. Bartender Samantha Graham of the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara was moved by the loss the community faced. She remembered a news story about a bee removal and rescue company. Beekeepers lost thousands of hives in the Thomas Fire. Sam discovered that in addition to saving the honey, they also rescued many bees looking for a new home. The honey extracted from the hives in the Thomas Fire had a new and unique flavor with notes of sweet smoke. This cocktail won the Visit Santa Barbara Official Cocktail for 2018.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 2 ounces Cutler’s 33 Bourbon
  • ½ ounce organic lemon juice
  • ¾ ounce Ebby’s Farm Strawberry Puree
  • ¾ ounce honey
  • Honeycomb
  • Lavender flowers

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously, at least 1 minute. Pour over block ice into stemless wine glass. Garnish with honeycomb and lavender.

Bourbon Old Fashioned

By Derwayne Chesterman, Flairaholiks

Despite its name, an Old Fashioned never goes out of style and is a must-have in any bartender’s repertoire. The combination of ingredients is simple, but it’s all in the assembly. Brandy can be substituted for Bourbon, and if you’re a traditionalist, put a cherry on top. For an “uptown” evening, this classic cocktail can’t miss.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Recipe

  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
  • Garnish: Orange Twist

Put sugar in a rocks or Old-Fashioned glass. Cover sugar with dashes of bitters. Add whiskey and water. Then stir until sugar dissolves. Add ice, stir again, and serve with garnish.