There are brunch standards: the Bloody Mary and the mimosa that eventually turns into straight champagne. But if you are getting out of bed for this, shouldn't your drink be a little more revolutionary? We asked Gil Bouhana, Cocktail Program Creator at Atwood Kitchen and Bar Room, for drinks that can take your boozy brunch to beatific new levels. Get ready for a breakfast worth waking up (and potentially taking a nap later) for.
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Ramos Gin Fizz
Invented in New Orleans, the Ramos variant of a gin fizz called for bartenders to shake for 12 minutes. Skip setting your watch and shake at least until it feels decadent (or you feel a tiny bit stronger).
INGREDIENTS
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup (The equivalent of 1 cocktail jigger.)
3/4 oz Cream (The equivalent of 1 cocktail jigger.)
2 oz Gin (The equivalent of 1/2 cup.)
1 Egg White
Orange Blossom Water (Available at speciality grocery stores)
DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients into a shaker and shake without ice for 15 seconds. Then add ice and shake very well. Pour into a Tall Tumbler and top with seltzer. Spray with orange blossom water. Note: make it a “cherry ramos gin fizz” by adding a cherry to the shaker, resulting in an added flavor and a blushing hue.
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Montecarlo
An Old Fashioned is great, but perhaps a little, oh we don’t know, old fashioned? Try this twist which serves up a hint of herbaciousness through monk-approved Bénédictine.
INGREDIENTS
3 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
1/2 oz Bénédictine
2 oz Rye Whiskey
Ice to Serve
Lemon or Orange Peel to Serve
DIRECTIONS
Build your beverage in a Short Tumbler glass. Add ice and stir. Garnish with a lemon or orange peel and serve.
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Cherry Bourbon Airmail
Guaranteed, you’ll want this special delivery, and considering the problems the postal service is having nowadays, we should probably consume as many of these as we can now while the price is still good.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cherry
1/2 oz Lime Juice (1 Tablespoon)
1/2 oz Honey (1 Tablespoon)
1 oz Bourbon (2 Tablespoons)
Champagne to Top (Add to taste, but Gil recommends 1-1.5 oz)
Ice to Mix
Cherry to Garnish
DIRECTIONS
Mix ingredients and ice, shake. Pour into a flute glass, top with champagne, and garnish with a cherry.
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Virgin Mimosa
A virgin mimosa isn’t just orange juice -- then we’d just call it orange juice. Elevate the ordinary elixir by adding even more bright citrus. Vitamin C never tasted so good. (Plus you can always mix and let your guests add their own libations.)
INGREDIENTS
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice
Seltzer to Top (To taste, but Gil recommends 1-1.5 oz)
Ice to Mix
Orange Slice for Garnish
DIRECTIONS
Pour juices and simple syrup into a shaker and add ice. Shake and then strain into a flute. Top with seltzer and add an orange slice to serve.
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Cherry Fizz
Skip the Shirley Temple and give them something sweet and sophisticated. This fizz will have anyone feeling effervescent about what their quaffing.
INGREDIENTS
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Cream
2 oz Seltzer to Top
Ice to Serve
Cherry for Garnish
DIRECTIONS
Mix all items in a shaker, shake thoroughly, and strain into a Tall Tumbler with ice. Top with seltzer and garnish with a cherry.
