Mike's Mix: 'Batch' Cocktails For Your Party Or Picnic
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Each Saturday, Mike Augustyniak takes a look at the local cocktail scene in the Twin Cities. This week, he's checking out a few big-batch recipes (courtesy of Spoon & Stable) that can add some refreshing fun to your summer picnic or cookout!
Summer Sling
1 bottle J. Carver Vodka
2 cups fresh pineapple juice
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup simple syrup
½ cup Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
12 dashes Angostura bitters
1 bottle sparkling water
Combine in a punch bowl (or other large vessel) over ice, and stir.
Can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
Taste Test
Any "sling"-style drink combines spirit and sugar with water (sparkling or still). The Summer Sling from Spoon and Stable's Robb Jones makes use of fresh watermelon, abundant and delicious during the summer, as both ingredient and serving vessel.
Start by hollowing out a whole watermelon (like you would a pumpkin) and using a blender to liquefy the watermelon flesh. That fruity base provides a lot of the flavor and dilution for the drink, but caraway-heavy aquavit, anise-flavored absinthe, and even a little salt help to elevate the flavor... making this fun and fruity punch more than the sum of its parts.
Hotel Nacional
1 bottle J. Carver Vodka
2 cups fresh pineapple juice
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup simple syrup
½ cup Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
12 dashes Angostura bitters
1 bottle sparkling water
Combine in a punch bowl (or other large vessel) over ice, and stir.
Can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
Taste Test
The classic Hotel Nacional is a rum-based cocktail containing apricot brandy or liqueur (depending on the recipe) that dates to the Prohibition era. Chances are that Hemingway reclined at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, in Havana, sipping one of these eponymous cocktails.
This update, from Spoon and Stable Bar Manager Robb Jones, makes use of vodka instead of rum; specifically J. Carver vodka, which has a hint of vanilla without being overtly VANILLA. Rothman and Winter Apricot Liqueur provides the traditional apricot essence, and fresh pineapple juice makes this punch tropical and bright.
Spoon and Stable online: www.spoonandstable.com
