Search Results for: SODA

The Americano

May was a bust in DC; it rained pretty much all month and the weather was unseasonably cool. And then the rain stopped, and the swelter started. We went straight from the rain and right into hot, muggy summer. So for the month of June we’ll be spending some time with cold, sparkling cocktails to help us beat the heat. First up this month: a sparkling amaro spritz straight out of Italy called The Americano. It’s ridiculously easy to make and incredibly refreshing, which makes it perfect for summer evenings and al fresco dining. –Andrew

The Americano Sparkling Cocktail Recipe / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Americano

1 1/2 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
Soda Water

Combine the Campari and sweet vermouth over ice in a highball glass. Top with soda water and give it a stir. Garnish with an orange slice and enjoy!

The Americano Sparkling Cocktail Recipe / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Pretty simple, no? Italians do happy hour a little differently than we do. Instead of cheap draft pours, they’re drinking vermouth on the rocks and sparkling amaro spritzes. There’s something to be said for this: a drink like the herbaceous, bittersweet Americano is effortless to make and effortless to drink; its low proof means that one or two of these won’t knock you out. And it looks beautiful which, in Italy, is half the point anyway.

The Americano Sparkling Cocktail Recipe / Oh So Beautiful Paper

This amaro spritz has a long history. The Americano was first served in the 1860s in Milan, where Gaspare Campari – the inventor of the brilliantly red, deeply bitter amaro Campari, opened his Cafe Campari. James Bond orders one in Casino Royale, and it was also the favorite drink of Count Camillo Negroni who, in 1919, asked his bartender to punch up his Americano with some gin and, well, you get the idea.

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Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

 

Paper Party 2016: The Cocktails (and Recipes!)

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that we offered two signature cocktails to guests at Paper Party 2016. In the past we’ve offered an open (cash) bar so that guests could order whatever they liked, but I’ve always wanted to do a custom cocktail menu – after all, it is kind of one of the things we do best around here! So we finally did it! Andrew came up with two recipes that we thought worked well for both the time of year and the number of guests (we were estimating around 250 people): a Pineapple Mai Tai and a Lavender Collins. They’re both so, so good and perfect for summer get togethers! Today we’re sharing the recipes for both drinks, along with the cocktail coasters, stir sticks, menus, and matchbox favors that we made for the Paper Party!

Paper Party 2016 Cocktail Menus, Stir Sticks, Coasters, and Matchbox Favors / Oh So Beautiful Paper

First, the stationery! Sarah from Parrott Design Studio designed the gorgeous cocktail menus – I printed them at home using my Epson WorkForce WF-7610 printer (which can print borderless!). I printed a smaller 5×7 size to scatter around the venue, and a larger 8×10 size to display at the bar.

Paper Party 2016 Cocktail Menus, Stir Sticks, Coasters, and Matchbox Favors / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Paper Party 2016 Cocktail Menus, Stir Sticks, Coasters, and Matchbox Favors / Oh So Beautiful Paper

We also worked with Foryourparty.com to make some fun wood cocktail stir sticks in shiny lavender foil, coasters in shiny lavender foil, and – my personal favorite – Riviera matchbox party favors with shiny silver foil on lavender Color Plan paper. I just can’t get enough lavender these days!

Paper Party 2016 Cocktail Menus, Stir Sticks, Coasters, and Matchbox Favors / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Paper Party 2016 Cocktail Menus, Stir Sticks, Coasters, and Matchbox Favors / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Paper Party 2016 Cocktail Menus, Stir Sticks, Coasters, and Matchbox Favors / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Okay, so I may have gone a bit coaster crazy for the party this year, but after seeing this absolutely AMAZING hologram foil called Micro Glitter at Bella Figura when selecting a foil for the Paper Party invitations, I asked if they’d be willing to print up some coasters for the party. Can you blame me? The Micro Glitter hologram foil is just ridiculously awesome. It reminds me of a disco ball! How could I resist?

Paper Party 2016 Cocktail Menus, Stir Sticks, Coasters, and Matchbox Favors / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Okay, now on to the cocktail recipes! I wanted one of the cocktails to be fruity and tropical, and the other cocktail to be effervescent and refreshing (especially after a long day at the Javits Center). A Pineapple Mai Tai and Lavender Collins were the perfect fit! I highly recommend giving both of these cocktails a spin at home!

Paper Party 2016 Cocktail Menu / Design by Parrott Design Studio for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Cocktail menu design by Parrott Design Studio

Pineapple Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Pineapple Mai Tai

1 oz Silver Rum
1 oz Aged Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz El Guapo Orgeat
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Orange Curaçao

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled two-thirds with ice and shake gently. Strain into a lowball glass filled with crushed ice and garnish with a mint bouquet. Enjoy!

One quick note about shaken drinks: If you’re making a large quantity of a shaken cocktail recipe in advance, chances are you won’t individually shake each cocktail in a cocktail shaker. But! Shaking a cocktail with ice adds water to a drink, so without it the drink can come out a bit on the strong side. When pre-mixing a large batch of cocktails in advance, you’ll need to add extra water to the recipe to compensate. We recommend adding about half an ounce of water per serving for these kinds of drinks.

Pineapple Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Lavender-Lemon Collins Cocktail Recipe / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Lavender Collins

2 oz Dry Gin
1 oz Royal Rose Lavender-Lemon Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
Soda Water
Mint

Add mint and ice to a highball glass, then add the gin, lavender-lemon syrup, and lemon juice. Top with soda water and give it a good stir to combine. Enjoy!

Lavender-Lemon Collins Cocktail Recipe / Oh So Beautiful Paper

A huge thanks to El Guapo Bitters and Royal Rose who so generously donated their syrups for the Paper Party so that we could make these wonderful cocktails!

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

A Classic Mojito

Last week, we hinted at this month’s theme without coming right out and saying it: mint! Our garden is overgrown with mint. Mint is a hardy, vivacious plant; it can quickly overtake a garden if it’s not constantly pruned back. Pruned back to, say, make cocktails! And, especially this time of year, that means Mojitos. Let’s revisit the Classic Mojito, shall we? – Andrew

 Classic Mojito Cocktail Recipe by Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

A Classic Mojito

2 oz Silver Rum
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice
Mint
Soda Water

Add a sprig of mint and the simple syrup to a highball glass and muddle until the mint is shredded a bit but not ground to a pulp. (Don’t muddle so hard that the mint oxidizes quickly and turns brown!) Add the rum and lime juice, dropping in half a spent lime shell (a single, whole lime yields about an ounce of juice). Top with crushed ice and soda water. Give it a stir and enjoy!

Classic Mojito Cocktail Recipe by Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Mojito is a classic, a Cuban drink that’s basically a Daiquiri with a touch of effervescent soda water and cooling mint. So, while the Daiquiri can work as a year-round drink, the Mojito really belongs, spiritually, to the summer. A Mojito is, simply put, glorious on a hot day: sweet, cool, bright, fresh, and delicious.

Classic Mojito Cocktail Recipe by Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Since the Mojito is a Cuban drink, think Cuban rum here. Bacardi – which started in Cuba before it moved to Puerto Rico after the revolution – makes a silver rum that’s a good fit. Now that the U.S. has finally eased the embargo on Cuba, you can also find real Cuban rum in the States again, such as Havana Club 3 Años. But, really, the point here is fresh ingredients: fresh lime, fresh mint, raw sugar: this is what will give you the best Mojito

Classic Mojito Cocktail Recipe by Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

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Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

 

 

 

 

A Bourbon Mojito

On Saturday, I hear there’s some sort of race? Maybe with horses? But, more importantly, Saturday is a day for drinking Mint Juleps, a beautiful and simple drink that’s sublime in the warmer months. Only, we posted a Mint Julep recipe four years ago (!!!) that’s still pretty much exactly how I’d make that drink, so I don’t know how much point there is to mess around with perfection. Instead, we’re going to offer a spin on the Mint Julep, a Bourbon Mojito that’s basically a Mint Julep/Mojito mash-up as a playful alternative for tomorrow. – Andrew

Bourbon Mojito Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Bourbon Mojito

2 oz Kentucky Bourbon
3/4 oz Falernum Syrup
1/2 a Lime
Mint
Soda Water

Add the syrup to a highball glass and gently muddle with a sprig of mint to extract the mint’s oils. Press the mint; don’t shred it. Remove the mint (promptly, if it is oxidizing and turning brown), extracting as much of the minty syrup as possible. Add the bourbon and squeeze the lime into the glass. Drop the spent lime shell into the glass, if that’s your thing, or not. Add ice and more mint leaves (don’t muddle these, but you can give them a slap in the palm of your hand to release the mint’s aromatics). Top with soda water, give it a stir, and enjoy!

Bourbon Mojito Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Mint Julep is cool and smooth and luxurious. The Mojito is cool and lively and tropical. Put them together, and you get something that doesn’t split the difference but plays up the best of both: rich and smooth from the bourbon, but also zippy and a bit tropical from the soda and lime and falernum. Not a bad alternative if you’re looking for something a bit different tomorrow…

Bourbon Mojito Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

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Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

 

A Bittersweet Paloma

The weather’s getting warmer, and it’s time – yes, already – to start thinking about what we want to drink when summer shows up. In DC, hot and sweaty summer is always around the corner. Fortunately, Tequila makes for some pretty great summer cocktails, including this refreshing Bittersweet Paloma. – Andrew

Bittersweet Paloma Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Bittersweet Paloma

2 oz Reposado Tequila
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
Grapefruit India Pale Ale

Combine the Tequila, lime juice, and syrup in a shaker filled with ice and shake gently. Strain into a rocks glass or highball filled with fresh ice. Top with the IPA and garnish with a lime wheel. Enjoy!

Bittersweet Paloma Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The original Paloma, a popular Tequila cocktail in Mexico, combines Tequila with grapefruit soda. This version replaces the grapefruit soda with grapefruit-flavored beer, keeping the original’s tart fruitiness and effervescence but adding in a big, bitter kick. The lime and syrup, also additions, help tame the IPA’s bitterness a bit. It’s a fun, snappy drink, perfect for watching the sunset on a hot summer evening.

Bittersweet Paloma Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

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Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper