My dad loves his 5 o’clock cocktail. From a spiced rum and coke, to a smooth sipping tequila, to a hearty red wine, to a nice cold beer, dad loves his cocktails (as do I) so in celebration of Dad, here are a few ideas to take the evening cocktail up a notch; and of course a few wine options for those not keen on spirits.
Patron Tequila has created a series for this summer called “The Art of The Drink,” which includes tasty recipes from mixologists around the country. There are a few that look tequila tantalizing including the Rubia Bonita, from Chicago’s Blackbird mixologist Kyle Fountaine; to the Tequila Mockingbird from Greg Seider, mixologist and co-owner of The Summit Bar in New York.
Rubia Bonita
3 oz. Patrón Silver Tequila
½ oz. Aperol
½ oz. simple syrup
Dash of orange bitters
1 oz. lime juice
1 cup cilantro
4 strawberries
In cocktail shaker muddle cilantro and strawberries together with the lime juice. Build rest of ingredients. Hard shake for 10 seconds. Double strain in rocks glass with ice.
Tequila Mockingbird
2 oz. Patrón Silver Tequila
1½ oz. watermelon basil puree (Blend 2 cups chopped watermelon with 7 basil leaves)
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. agave mix (mix 1/2 water with 1/2 light or amber agave)
1 slice muddled jalapeno pepper
In cocktail shaker muddle jalapeno pepper. Build rest of ingredients. Add ice. Hard shake for 10 seconds. Double strain in rocks glass with ice.
Jumbie Trading Company has created a line of flavored rums that are the perfect base for warm weather cocktails.
Try their Rum Jumbie Pineapple Splash with orange juice; or their Coconut Splash with puréed strawberries and ice for a light version of a Strawberry Pina Colada with half the calories. Or a good old Rum and Coke with their Rum Jumbie Vanilla Splash. Add a lime for the full Caribbean experience.
Fiddlehead Cellars Fiddlestix Seven Twenty Eight Pinot Noir – From the Santa Rita Hills region of California, and surrounded by great company (Sanford & Benedict and Sea Smoke) this sustainable Pinot is rich, vibrant and everything good about California Pinot Noir. Fruit forward with lots of cherry and raspberry the grapes really benefit from the regions cool nights and ocean breezes. Aged 16 months in new French oak, and held in the bottle for a year before release creates a wine ready to be enjoyed now that is elegant and approachable.
Franciscan Estate Merlot – Classic Napa Valley Merlot is the best way to think about Franciscan. Some people shy away from Merlot, but I find I have been enjoying it more and more lately. Maybe I am just looking for some lighter wine options to a Cab, but still something with great weight and mouthfeel – both of which this Franciscan Merlot has. Crafted slowly in small lots the wine is filled with currant and plum flavors with notes of licorice creating a jammy, vibrant wine.
Treana Red from Hope Family Winery – a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, I found this to be an interesting and unexpected wine from the Paso Robles region of California. Witha goal to make a wine with longevity and drinkability the wine a blend of the wineries best barrels of Cabernet and Syrah, to create a powerful, hearty wine from the Cabernet, with the inviting spiciness from the Syrah. I didn’t know exactly what to expect from this blend and was pleasantly surprised.
Antler Hill Syrah– Smoky, spicy Syrah from Biltmore Estates Winery. Named after the hill the Inn on Biltmore Estates resides on, this wine is filled with the smoky bacon fatty notes that I love in Syrah. A mear 400 cases of this Napa Valley wine were made after 18 months of French and American oak aging, adding richness and complexity. The wine is very approachable and ready to be enjoyed now, preferably with dark chocolate.
Or, if mixed cocktails or bold reds won’t fit the palate today, just give in to the pleasure of a perfect shot, served neat, of The Macallan 18 Year Old Scotch.
