by Mikey Rox
Thirsty for Oscar? Watch the 88th Academy Awards go down in history – and hashtags (#becausesomebodyshadworkdone) – with these quenching cocktail recipes inspired by this year’s nominees and Hollywood’s biggest night.
Red Carpet Ready
4 cups apple cider, chilled
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
2 cups SPARKLING ICE Crisp Apple, chilled
1 can (12 oz) frozen orange juice concentrate
Apple slices for garnish
Rosemary cranberry sprig for individual garnish, or float fresh or frozen cranberries in punch bowl
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and let sit overnight. Serve chilled, garnish with rosemary cranberry sprig. Add a splash of vodka or Prosecco for a cocktail modification.
Winter Vengeance – inspired by The Revenant
Created at the oceanfront resort Terranea in Los Angeles.
3/4 oz Baileys
3/4 oz Averna Amaro
3/4 oz Cointreau Noir
Egg white
1 oz coconut milk
Garnish with coconut snow and rosemary.
Life on Mars – inspired by The Martian
1 1/2 oz Ketel One Citroen
1/2 oz Suze liqueur
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet vermouth
3/4 oz fresh squeezed blood orange
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Garnish with blood orange slice and mint.
*created at Terranea
Fury Road – inspired by Mad Max
2 oz Pelligroso Silver Tequila
3/4 oz Heering Cherry liqueur
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz agave nectar
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 bar spoon harissa chili paste
Muddled grilled pineapple that has been soaked in mezcal
Pinch of salt
Garnish with grilled pineapple slices/cayenne pepper/salt
*created at Terranea
The Irish Goodbye – inspired by Brooklyn
Created by Keith Villanueva, bartender at Seattle’s Sazerac restaurant.
2 oz Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz maraschino
1/4 oz Amer Picon
Stir, strain and serve up. Garnish with lemon peel.
Spotlight
Created by Andrew Call, bartender at Portland’s Bacchus Bar.
1/2 oz Angostura bitters
1/2 oz Soldera sherry
1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz rosemary simple syrup
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into a wide coupe glass and top with “creamed wine” (Oregon pinot, lemon and egg whites in a whipped cream canister). Notes: wine and rosemary are both used in religious ceremonies, so this is like an amped up version of holy wine, served in a glass with a spotlight-like rim.
The Big Short
Created by Bryan Galligos, bartender at Portland’s Bacchus Bar.
1 oz Templeton Rye
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz dry Curacao
1 bar spoon Fernet Branca
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Combine and shake over ice. Strain into Nick and Nora glass and garnish with a large orange wheel. This packs big flavor into a small glass, hence “The Big Short.”
Luck in East Berlin – inspired by Bridge of Spies
1 oz Luksusowa Vodka
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Crème de Cassis
Shake and strain into a flute. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with a lemon peel.
*created by Keith Villanueva
Something Wicked This Way Comes – inspired by Room
Created by Chad Phillips, head bartender at Seattle’s Pennyroyal bar.
1 1/2 oz Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
8 Arugula Leaves
Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and shake. Strain over rocks. Garnish with an arugula leaf.
The Old Hollywood
1 oz Amaro Lucano
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 oz San Pellegrino Limonata
Bisol Jeio Prosecco
Lemon wheel for garnish
Ice
Mix Lucano, fresh lemon and San Pellegrino. Add 3 1/2-ounce mix to wine glass, fill with ice, top with Prosecco, and garnish with two lemon wheels.
Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He splits his time between homes in New York City and the Jersey Shore with his dog Jaxon. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox.
