We definitely need a drink these days, right?
In this edition of recipes for the lockdown, San Diego restaurants shared their favorite cocktails with Times of San Diego readers on Memorial Day.
Check out the recipes below and be sure to look back for recipes of your favorite dishes from the region’s best eateries.
Cardellino Restaurant‘s Red Moon
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz Vodka
- ½ oz Pamplemousse Liqueur
- ¾ oz Grapefruit Oleo
- 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
- 2 dashes Yuzu Bitters
Pour ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a bucket/lowball glass over ice. Garnish with a grapefruit twist to finish!
To make the grapefruit oleo, zest the skin of four grapefruits and add it to 1 liter of dry sugar. Gently muddle with dry sugar for about two minutes and shake the zest in sugar to make sure everything is mixed well. Let sit overnight. When ready, add piping hot water to the sugar and grapefruit zest mixture. Mix well with a whisk and strain the zest out of the liquid.
Trust Restaurant‘s Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Rye Whiskey
- ¼ oz Simple Syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Pour ingredients in a bucket/lowball glass and stir 20 times with ice. Garnish with an orange twist to complete this classic cocktail.
To make the simple syrup, combine equal parts piping hot water to sugar. Mix well with a whisk.
Rare Society‘s Too Many Zoos
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka
- ½ oz Becherovka Herbal Liquor
- ½ oz Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ oz Cinnamon Syrup
- 3 oz Sparkling Wine
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Pour ingredients in a glass over ice and stir 10 times. Garnish with juniper berry, cinnamon stick, star anise and rosemary sprig.
To make the cinnamon syrup, combine 10 cinnamon sticks to one liter of water and bring it to a very low boil for 20 minutes. Strain over 1 liter of dry sugar and mix well with a whisk.
Fort Oak Restaurant‘s Fairlane
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz Gin (Preferably London Dry)
- 1 oz Grapefruit Juice
- ¾ oz Lemon Juice
- ½ oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Germain)
- ½ oz Prosecco Syrup
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake vigorously and strain into a coupe glass. Squeeze a grapefruit twist over the top and leave on rim.
To make the prosecco syrup, heat 10 oz of prosecco on a stovetop. When the alcohol starts to burn off (this is when you can smell it and it starts to foam) add 10 oz of sugar. Take it off the heat and stir until combined.
Gelson’s Blackberry Margarita
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Tequila
- ½ oz Triple Sec
- 1 oz Blackberry Syrup
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- Lime wedges and remaining blackberries for garnish
- Kosher salt for rimming the glass
Pour enough salt onto a small plate to rim your margarita glass. Run a lime wedge along the rim of the margarita glass, and then dip the glass in salt. Fill a cocktail shaker ⅓ full of ice and add the tequila, triple sec, blackberry syrup, and lime juice. Shake it for 15 seconds, and then strain into the salt-rimmed glass over ice. Garnish the glass with a lime wedge and blackberries — and enjoy!
To make the blackberry syrup, combine 4 oz of simple syrup and 4 oz blackberries in a blender. Whirl them up until liquified, then strain and reserve the liquid. The blackberry syrup will keep for one week in the fridge.
The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa‘s Lavender Blossom Fizz
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz Venom Vodka (Neutral Spirit), or VeeV Acai Spirit
- ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- ¾ oz Lavender infused Simple Syrup
Combine the vodka, lemon juice and lavender simple syrup in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain into coupe glass. Top with a splash of sparkling wine and a spritz of orange blossom water. Garnish with edible flowers and a lemon twist.
To make the lavender syrup at home, steep a generous amount of lavender (about 1/2 cup) in 1 cup of boiling water. Then stir in 1 cup of sugar. Strain and reserve the syrup.
ALSO READ:
Top San Diego Restaurants Share Recipes Amid Stay-at-Home Order
Popular San Diego Restaurants Share Recipes: Luna Grill, Trust, Waterfront Grill
San Diego’s Top Restaurants Share Recipes: Trust, Patisserie Melanie
