We all know the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright, Kitty Hawk, and the experiment of human flight. But how many of us know the name, Charles Edward Taylor? Well, Chuck was the Wright Brothers’ mechanic and today is National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day because it would be Chuck’s birthday. So, if you happen to be flying, be thankful for the maintenance professionals who keep you safe up there. And while you’re at it, order a Paper Plane cocktail from the beverage cart. Good luck with that. Here’s how you make one at home:
Ingredients
1 oz bourbon
1 oz Amaro Nonino
1 oz Aperol
1 oz lemon juice
Combine in a shaker with ice, shake, and strain into a chilled coupe.
It’s that time. Taxes are due tomorrow on April 18th. Time to pay or time to play. Either way, an Income Tax Cocktail is the answer and fully deductible (consult your own tax adviser about that). Here’s a recipe from Serious Eats..
1 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice from 1 orange
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: orange wheel (optional)
Add gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, orange juice, and bitters to an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange wheel and serve.
This Vine Pair article shares 14 cocktails we can make on board your favorite airliner. A few require creating some simple syrup in the terminal but most do not. So have a Gin & Tonic, Mimosa, French 75, Kalimotxo, Screwdriver, Irish Coffee, Hot Toddy, Cuba Libre, Sangria, Bloody Mary, Tom Collins, Daiquiri, Mojito or an Espresso Martini. Not only will you impress your seat mates but you’ll kill some time in the process.
April 11th is National Submarine Day and what better way to celebrate than enjoying a Yellow Submarine Cocktail from The Spruce Eats. Vodka, banana liqueur, light rum and a slice of banana for garnish!! Yum!
National Mulled Wine day is March 3rd. If you feel like warm, spiced wine… fine. We don’t. But that’s not to say we’re not willing to try adulterated wine. A Taste of Home shared this:
“If you say Spain to most people, the beverage that jumps to mind is sangria. But the reality is that Spanish people do not drink a lot of sangria.”
“Instead, Spaniards opt for a different type of cocktail made with wine and soda, the most famous of which is the kalimotxo. A kalimotxo (or calimocho) is a mix of red wine and Coca-Cola.“
Leftover wine? Or wine that wasn’t so great to begin with? Here you go.
Kalimotxo Premium
Ingredients
½ ounce Grand Marnier
2 ounces red wine, preferably something bold and oaky
3 to 4 ounces of Coca-Cola
Dash of Angostura bitters (optional)
Orange or lime wedge
To read the whole Taste of Home article, click here. Mixing this concoction up for your wine-loving friends will be worth it for their likely stunned reaction.
We recently read in the news about Russia stepping away from the New START nuclear treaty which reminded us of the Cold War and the constant threat of being really toasted. Luckily that day, the Bartender’s Choice at a local watering hole was their Manhattan Project. The real Manhattan Project was the secret little experiment that lit off the whole nuclear weapons thing. The bar’s Manhattan Project was essentially a Black Manhattan. Black substitutes Averna amaro for sweet vermouth found in a typical Manhattan. “Averna has a mouth-coating and bittersweet taste, carrying hints of orange and licorice, balanced with notes of myrtle, juniper berries, rosemary, and sage. It stimulates the senses, instantly transporting you to Sicily, and making Averna not just an amaro, but an authentic Sicilian experience.” There. That took our mind off nuclear anniliation.
We were looking for a cocktail to enjoy during one of the 437 college bowl games this holiday season and we came across the Hail Mary in pastemagazine.com. What was intriguing about the recipe was some of the ingredients for their Voluptuous Mix. Now whether you’re making your own bloody mix or just tarting-up a store-bought mix, consider including these ingredients:
Lemon juice
Lime Juice
Horseradish
Hot sauce
Pickle brine
Chopped peeled cucumber (run through food processor)
Here’s the link to the Hail Mary recipe plus some other football-themed cocktails including the Boozy Blitz and Tailgate Tea.
If you’re watching the World Cup you know what a Yellow Card is. Or maybe you’ve been hit with one on the home front. Regardless, Mantitlement.com has a cocktail that says, “I not sure I agree with your decision to issue me a Yellow Card but a few sips of this cocktail and I’m feeling better in general.” Or something like that.
Delish has 35 T-Day cocktail recipes to consider. For example, we’re going to try the Big Apple Manhattan, as we were recently visiting the Big Apple Manhattan. And we happen to have some fresh-off-the-tree Washington State Cosmic Crisp apples on hand (thanks Rob). So seems appropriate. Here’s the recipe. For the other 34 in Delish, click here!
Ingredients
Ice
2 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. apple brandy
2 dashes angostura bitters
Apple slice, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 Fill a pint glass or cocktail shaker with ice. Add whiskey, brandy, and bitters, then stir.
Step 2 Strain into a glass and garnish with an apple slice.
If it’s in Esquire magazine, it must be classy and right up our alley.
“Kalimotxo is a slow-burn kind of drink. Upon your first-ever sip, you’ll probably recoil at the taste, which can be accurately described as cherry cough syrup with Splenda. Or, for the 7/11 crowd, cherry Slurpee blended with Coke Slurpee. Mixing equal parts cheap red wine—the cheaper, the better, and if it’s from a box, bullseye—with Coca Cola doesn’t leave room for flavor nuance. But like most cheap and easy drinks, you’ll build up a tolerance and then a hearty appreciation. Soon enough, you’ll have reached fiery passion.”
Count us in!!
“To make it, you could find dry Spanish wine instead of using the dregs of whatever bottle you uncorked two nights ago. You could measure out Coke with a jigger like a real asshole. You could slice off a lemon wedge to cut the sweetness. But the soul of Kalimotxo will always be cheap and easy, so don’t overthink it. In fact, underthink it. That’s the whole point.”
We were recently reminded that the younger generations use the term “Boomer Remover”. Meaning Covid-19. Very upsetting to us Baby Boomers. To calm us down, we found the recipe for a Boomer cocktail on cocktailsandshots.com.
Leave it to the New York Times to show us beer/wine/soda and basic cocktail amateur bartenders what’s what in creative, international cocktails. Two Schmucks in Barcelona shares the Ice Cream for Astronauts recipe which essentially adds basil and coconut ice cream to a gin and tonic. We wouldn’t have thought of that. For more recipes for imaginative summer cocktails read here.
We got this from sugarandsoul.co and it’s an easy, fun, and refreshing adult summer beverage. We like that it’s made right in the bottle! Drink the Corona down to the label. Great start. Add a shot of tequila then a splash of orange juice. A bit of grenadine adds color. Garnish with a lime after squeezing in a bit of juice. Drink. Repeat.