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Audrey Saunders

Culture

The Cocktail Formula That You Need to Memorize Now

One easy formula, 9 cocktails.
Recipes

Intro to Aperol

Recipes

Earl Grey Rum Punch

A colonial twist on the ubiquitous — and potent — rum punch.
Recipes

Lemon-Coconut Piña Colada

The Piña Colada was born in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. Give this version an extra dose of the tropics with a stylish shredded-coconut rim (see below).
Recipes

Jamaican Rum-Ginger Zinger

Ginger beer is a staple in Jamaica, and the best is homemade (it's easy to do, as you'll see in this recipe). Resist the temptation to use commercial ginger beer for this drink — it's too sweet.
Recipes

Jack Rose

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. Click here to learn more about the Jack Rose.
Recipes

Aqua Pearl

Recipes

Pisco Punch

Recipes

Homemade Ginger Beer

Homemade ginger beer is concentrated, dry, and noncarbonated, making it ideal for mixing directly into cocktails.

The ginger beer's appearance will be cloudy; this is natural.
Recipes

Gin-Gin Mule

This drink contains a refreshing combination of ingredients — the herbaceous mint, the tart lime, the hot, spicy ginger, and the crisp, bright gin.

When used in drinks, gin's botanicals have the ability to cut through the sweetness of liqueurs and sugar. The botanicals stimulate the palate and keep it feeling fresh and clean. Gin also pushes flavors "forward" (much the way a squeeze of lemon does) without altering the flavor profiles.

This recipe makes 1 gallon, which yields approximately 25 to 30 drinks, depending on the size of the highball glasses. This sounds like a lot, but it's not. A gallon would go very quickly for a party of 6 people.

For home entertaining, you can premix all of the liquids a couple of hours ahead and then store in the refrigerator. When you're ready to serve the drinks, just mete out the liquid into a mixing glass and muddle a sprig of mint into each. It makes enjoying your own party a lot easier, rather than having to worry about continual prep.

And please, no shortcuts here: Do not presqueeze the lime juice more than only a few hours ahead. It loses its vitality quickly. And do not infuse the mint into this (or any drink). It takes on a funky, vegetal quality, which mars the taste of the drink.

Using commercial ginger beer is not recommended, as it is too sweet. Nonalcoholic note: Without gin, this makes a very refreshing nonalcoholic beverage!