tis the season for holiday parties! If you’re throwing one of your own, then pay attention to these tips from one of our favorite LA cocktail pros!
On any given night in LA there are countless parties and events happening. Keeping life in balance means keeping our event calendars in check, but one thing that always brings our team out to play is reading Pharmacie LA’s name on an invitation. If this creme de la creme cocktail crew is behind the bar – we’re there!
Jenni Kayne has her finger on the pulse of this kind of thing and shares our love for a perfectly crafted cocktail. Jenni invited Pharmacie’s Talmadge Lowe to join us at her home one afternoon earlier this month where Talmadge taught us to create a few delicious drinks that are holiday party ready. Find Talmadge’s two simple juice cocktail recipe below and take his advice on stocking the perfect home bar…
Holiday Cocktailing Tips
Glassware matters!
For wine or whiskey and everything between, serving in the right glassware is thoughtful, elegant and enhances the beverage being served. You can rent or buy inexpensively, so why not?
Keep simple syrup on hand:
It’s easy enough to make (sugar and water in equal parts boiled together until the sugar liquifies) and can be added to bourbon for an old fashioned; to a little gin, lemon juice and soda for a Tom Collins; and to lime and tequila for a margarita. Oh, keep fresh citrus on hand too!
Ice Up:
Get plenty of ice before the weekend: You’ll use more than you think.
Buy California Wines:
Buying as local as possible is always a good thing. Also, most California wines are reasonably priced and accessible to the non-wine connoisseurs in the family.
Get a digestif:
My favorite is Cynar. But you can find a dozen different amaros (Italian “bitter” liqueurs) at your local spirit shop. Believe me, after a big meal, there nothing better.
The reason I like these drinks is that they walk the lines between seasonal/fresh and classic/nouveau.
The key to a good cocktail is its ingredients. The same, of course, is true of fresh juices. You can always add vodka to anything for a little kick, but the two recipes below feel a little more like “adult beverages.”
The pineapple pear ginger mint combination seems so classically winter, though with a Southern California twist. Adding the bourbon emphasizes the wintery feel with its rich flavors. Feels so much like an after-dinner sipper to me.
And the strawberry apple lime combination feels like orchard meets ocean. A little tropical and a little traditional, again, just like L.A. Rum is also very reminiscent of the holidays with nogs and punches and cakes. This sunny day cocktail is perfect for bright holiday afternoons.
Orchard Daquiri
Ingredients
1 oz rum
Pressed Juicery Strawberry Apple Lime
lime, for garnish
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake vigorously. Then strain over new ice into a high ball glass. Garnish with a lime half-wheel.
Back Porch
Ingredients
1 oz bourbon
Pressed Juicery Pineapple Pear Ginger Mint
mint, for garnish
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake vigorously. Then strain over new ice into a high ball glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.
