Quarantinis: Or, When Life Gives You Lemons

If I was hoping for a burst of creativity, I got it, but just not in any way I might have imagined. We are all doing our part to self-isolate amidst the throes of this pandemic. Folks are spending more time at home, perhaps cooking up a storm, perhaps foraging in their pantries – and in their liquor cabinets, too.

I recently challenged myself to publish a cocktail recipe every day, for 14 days, on social media – the challenge was that I had to use spirits I already had at home, and that I could not make any extra/unnecessary trips to the grocery store for mixer, etc. This challenge became Free Pour Jenny’s “Recesses of the Liquor Cabinet” series.

I made a number of slightly obscure, classic cocktails, along with some originals. Along that same vein, I give you a few more recipes here, including classics and unpublished, original cocktails.

Quarantini

Jennifer Tyldesley

This is really just a dry, gin martini, but it is served in isolation, in your own home, hopefully consumed in the company of someone you are in isolation with, or perhaps sipped whilst video conferencing with a friend or two. 

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Ingredients

  

• 3 oz gin
• Hint of dry vermouth
• 8 drops FPJ Spruce Tip Bitters
• Several olives or a lemon twist

Instructions

 

• Rinse a cocktail glass with a splash of dry vermouth, shaking to remove any excess. Chill the glass. Combine gin and bitters in a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well chilled (at least 30 seconds). If you prefer your Quarantini shaken, use a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake well. Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass. Garnish as desired. 

Notes

A few notes on alcohol consumption: these cocktails are strong, and they should be consumed in moderation; one serving of spirits is 1 ½ oz, so the Quarantini is actually the equivalent of 2 drinks; a good rule of thumb is to have a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage. Cheers!

Keyword Cocktails

Old Fashioned

Jennifer Tyldesley

One can never go wrong with an Old Fashioned, and you can make one with just about any type of whiskey – it’s really up to you. I prefer bourbon, but you can use rye. 

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Ingredients

  

• 2 oz bourbon
• ¾ tsp birch syrup or you can use a sugar cube, soaked with the bitters instead of syrup
• 10 drops FPJ Solstice Orange, Coffee-Pecan, or Popcorn Bitters
• Optional – splash of water
• A thick slice of orange peel or a preserved cherry

Instructions

 

• Build the drink in an Old Fashioned glass: add the syrup (or sugar cube) and bitters first, then a large ice cube, and then the bourbon. Stir until blended. Garnish with a piece of orange peel or a preserved cherry.

Gin Sour

Jennifer Tyldesley

We are all feeling this way at the moment, and because the lemons are so lovely now, and in the same springy theme, I give you a refreshing, sassy, and springy gin sour! If you leave the egg white out of the cocktail, then you have what’s called a “daisy,” which is essentially a sour without the egg white (a popular cocktail of this genre is one you will know about – the margarita).

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Ingredients

  

• 2 oz gin
• ¾ oz lemon juice
• ½ oz crème de cassis if you don’t have this, then a raspberry liqueur like Chambord would be a lovely substitute, or Grand Marnier for a hint of orange
• ¼ oz simple syrup 1:1 white sugar to water, made as per the instructions for the ginger syrup, but just with sugar and water
• 5 drops FPJ Cranberry Bitters
• 1 egg white may be omitted
• Fresh blackberries black currants or a lemon twist

Instructions

 

• Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with NO ICE; dry shake, to emulsify the egg white. Add ice, and shake again to chill the contents. Strain into a cocktail glass or a coupe. Garnish with fresh berries if available, or a lemon twist.

Notes

*A few notes on alcohol consumption: these cocktails are strong, and they should be consumed in moderation; one serving of spirits is 1 ½ oz, so the Quarantini is actually the equivalent of 2 drinks; a good rule of thumb is to have a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage. Cheers!