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Ditch the Delivery, DIY the Delight: Mastering the Art of Home Mixology

Step aside, overpriced delivery fees and crowded cocktail bars! Tonight, your living room transforms into a liquid playground, courtesy of you, the master mixologist. Forget sugary, store-bought concoctions – we're brewing up pure magic from scratch, using fresh ingredients and a dash of creativity.

No shaker in sight? No worries. This guide is your ticket to crafting impressive libations with everyday tools and easily-sourced ingredients. Whether you're a seasoned shaker-wielding veteran or a curious cocktail novice, these recipes are tailor-made for every skill level.


So, ditch the delivery app. Let the muddler be your microphone and the ice tray your sidekick. We're about to embark on a journey of sensory exploration, where flavors dance, spices sing, and every sip becomes a celebration of the homemade.



CARAMEL PUMPKIN PIE 

  • 2 oz Duke & Dame 

  • 1/2 oz Real Pumpkin Puree 

  • 3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice 

  • 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters 

  • 1 Egg White 

  • Grated Nutmeg (Garnish) 

Combine all ingredients in shaker tin and dry shake (i.e., without ice).  Add ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into chilled coupe glass and garnish with nutmeg. 

  



CARAMEL APPLE SANGRIA

  • 2 Cups Duke & Dame  

  • 2 Cups cubed apples 

  • 3 Cups Pinot Grigio 

  • 5 Cups Apple Cider 

  • Apple Slices for Garnish 

Pour small, cubed apples into a pitcher. Add 2 cups of Duke & Dame. Muddle the apples. Add 3 cups of Pinot Grigio. Add 5 cups of Apple Cider. Mix. Pour into a glass over ice. Garnish with cubed apples and sliced apple on the rim. 



GLENDALOUGH SIGNATURE IRISH COFFEE

  • 2 Teaspoons of Demerara Sugar

  • 4 oz of Freshly Brewed Coffee

  • 2 oz of Double Barrel Irish

  • Whiskey

  • Fresh Heavy Cream

  • Coffee Beans

Pour freshly brewed coffee into an Irish coffee cup. Add the Demerara sugar and whiskey. Stir all ingredients and top with heavy cream. Garnish with some coffee beans.



SUGAR PLUM SOUR 

  • 11½ oz Empress 1908 Gin

  • ¾ oz Plum Wine

  • ½ oz Cinnamon & Clove Syrup

  • ½ oz Lemon Juice

  • Plum Slice & Whole Cloves

Shake ingredients on ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass or stemless wine glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a plum slice adorned with whole cloves and a grapefruit twist.



ROSES AND POINSETTIAS

  • 1 oz Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin

  • 1.5 oz Cranberry Juice

  • ¾ oz Orange Liqueur

  • Sparkling Wine

  • Garnish: Rosemary Sprig

Add all ingredients except Sparkling Wine to a mixing glass over ice and stir briefly. Strain into a champagne flute and top with Sparkling Wine. Garnish with Rosemary Sprig.



BIG SUR SUNSET

  • 2 parts Gray Whale Gin

  • 1 part Lemon juice

  • 0.75 parts Raspberry syrup

  • 0.5 parts Orgeat

  • 1 Egg white

  • Garnish: Raspberries and mint leaves

Reverse dry shake and double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with raspberries and mint leaves



COCONUT NOG

Photo Credit: James & Jess

  • 1.0 oz spiced rum (no captain morgan, please)

  • .5 oz 151 rum

  • 2.5 coconut syrup

  • 3 dashes angostura bitters

  • 1 dash bittercube cherry bark vanilla bitters

  • nutmeg/cinnamon

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and roll the drink between the tins. Dump into double old-fashioned glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon. 

Coconut Syrup: 2 parts Coco Lopez coconut creme to 1-part organic coconut milk. Refrigerate and use within a week.



GINGER SNAP OLD FASHIONED

  • 1.5 oz Ardbeg Ten Year Old

  • ¼ to ½ oz Maple Syrup

  • ½ oz Amaro Dashes Angostura Bitters

Build cocktail in a highball glass with ice. Stir ingredients together. Garnish with an orange twist and serve with Gingersnap cookies on the side



PEACH TODDY, Ketel One  

  • 2 ounce KOB Peach & Orange Blossom

  • 1 Peach Teabag

  • 1 Large Lemon Wedge

  • 1 Tbsp. Honey

  • 1 Cinnamon Stick

  • 1 dash Orange Bitters

  • 4-5 ounces Hot Water

  • Garnish: Lemon Wheel

Add Ketel One, bitters, teabag, cinnamon stick, and honey to a mug. Top with 4-5 ounces of hot water and stir to dissolve honey. Let sit for 3 minutes, then remove teabag. Squeeze large lemon wedge into mug and discard. Stir to incorporate all ingredients. Garnish with a lemon wheel, in glass, and enjoy.



HOLIDAY MOSCOW MULE

  • 1 oz pH Ginger syrup

  • 2 oz vodka

  • Soda water

  • Rosemary branch and fresh or sugared cranberries to garnish

Add syrup, vodka, and soda water to a copper mug with ice. Garnish with a rosemary branch and cranberries. 



BEE’S KNEES 

  • 2 ounces 209 gin

  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed

  • 1/2 ounce estate Ojai honey 

Add the gin, lemon juice, and honey into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.



SPIKED HOT CIDER

  • 1.5 oz NOËL Rum (either type works!)

  • Hot Apple or Mulled Cider

  • Cinnamon Stick for Garnish

Add Rum to Your Glass. Top with Hot Apple or Mulled Cider. Garnish with Cinnamon Stick


Mocktails for those keeping their eye on their alcohol intake this season.



CRANBERRY MARTINI

  • 4 oz Mingle Mocktails Cranberry Cosmo

  • 2 oz non-alcoholic gin of your choice

  • .25 lime juice

  • .25 cranberry juice

  • Optional Garnish: Dehydrated Lime, Cranberries or Rosemary Sprig

Combine and enjoy!



WINTER SPICED SPRITZ

Photo Credit: Abstinence Spirits, USA

  • 1.5 oz Abstinence Blood Orange Aperitif

  • 1.5 oz Abstinence Cape Spice

  • 2 oz club soda

  • Rosemary sprig

Add the Blood Orange Aperitif and Cape Spice to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass, top with club soda, and garnish with a rosemary sprig.

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