one of my favourite parts of traveling is trying new things, like food and drinks. i also prefer to stay in places where i can buy my own food and cook. sometimes, i find post-grocery shopping that i don’t have all the right tools to make what i want, like that time i made pizza in a frying pan in reykjavik, because they didn’t have a cookie sheet or pizza pan. and a lot of times i grab whatever looks good and invent something new.
however, something i really like doing is finding a local bar and trying their versions of classic cocktails. if i’m going to be somewhere for an extended period of time, i’ll buy a bottle of liquor and concoct my own, like we did in cabo.
so, here are my picks on some of the best worldly cocktails (in no particular order):
*recipes are at the bottom of the post*
the negroni
this year’s hot cocktail. a bright blend of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and campari. it’s best served in a chilled glass, over ice, with an orange twist. if you make this well, you will make friends at your hostel for life.
a sparkling margarita
my own concoction, but it combines the best tequila and lime flavours with the crisp sparkling wine. i am a huge believer in not using sour mix – i will squeeze as many limes as i need to in order to make a fresh marg. i also like kosher salt. it’s a little chunkier than iodine salt, and many places swap that out in favour of margarita salt anyway (which i’m 99.99% sure is just a fancy name for kosher salt.) use a good tequila and a splash of triple sec, or go fancy with cointreau. a splash of oj will make your flavours pop. you don’t need to go fancy with the bubbles either.
french 75
if done right, a french 75 can be the perfect cocktail for brunch on a patio, overlooking the eiffel tower or the aegean sea. if not done right, it’s still gin and champagne, so… for an unique flavour, shake a dash of lavender or plum bitter in before you shake the gin and lemon.
old fashioned
a precise mix of bourbon, bitters and sugar, there are old fashioned geeks out there who adhere tothe original 1806 recipe. i’m not like that. i’ve made these for men using southern comfort instead of bourbon (my former coworker g will be *appalled*) and i’ve made them with a hint of sweet vermouth too. served best with one massive ice cube instead of a handful.
manhattan
if done right, manhattans are one of the classiest drinks. there are some bars that specialise in them, and others that wouldn’t know a manhattan from a cosmo. that’s alright, you should skip those bars anyway. for a different take, use orange or plum bitters instead of the traditional. garnish with a luxardo cherry.
mojito
probably hands down one of the best beach cocktails. jazz it up with kiwi, berries or ginger; use a dark rum like zacapa or abuelo; use raw sugar instead of white. i prefer squeezed lime again, not a concentrate, and i also like to tear my mint into pieces before muddling. so many variations and all ingredients can be found at the local grocery.
caipirinha
a fiery drink made with cachaça (a brazilian sugar cane liqueur,) limes, and sugar, this can be overpowering if you don’t know what you’re getting into. i’ve made a ginger-pineapple one before, to rave reviews. if you don’t have cachaça, you can use vodka. just make sure you call it a caipiroska then.
bubbly berry basil lemonade
this was the drink we made up in cabo, and i’ll be honest, it doesn’t have a true name. it’s dark rum, berries, and some muddled basil. mix with a tart lemonade, pour that over ice and top with sparkling wine. damn delicious and refreshing while sitting beachside under the mexican sun.