The book missed Jeremy’s famous (at least to us) chicken pot pie which he had made earlier in the pandemic. And even though it is summer in Dallas—meaning 100 degree days—he wanted to make it again.
He found some ripe heirloom tomatoes at the store, so decided that we would start with gazpacho with homemade croutons and champagne before pairing the pot pie with a private reserve Chardonnay from Beringer Vineyards. Because chicken pot pie isn’t chicken pot pie without a special Chardonnay—at least in our house.
A Zoom with two friends from Boston, one being the famous Etiquetteer, and the other being from the UK. Andy felt that it would be appropriate to have a British cocktail and turned to Google, only to discover that one of his favorites—the Sidecar—has British roots!
A cocktail book published in 1922 attributes the cocktail to a celebrated bartender who worked at London’s Buck’s Club. The drink is traditionally served with a sugar rim, but we prefer it without … however feel free to do whatever you would like!
The ingredients: 1 ½ ounces De Luze VS cognac ½ ounce Grand Marnier ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
How to make: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Optional: sugar rim.
If we’re being honest with this one, we needed to use up some more bottles to clear some space on the shelves for new alcohol bottles! If you’re “struggling” to figure out what to create for your next cocktail hour, why not make The Struggle?
How to make: 1 oz. Cruzan Dark Rum 0.5 oz. Luxardo Apricot liqueur 1 oz. Mandarine Napoleon liqueur 0.5 oz. Brandy’s 5-year Bual 0.25 oz. lemon juice 2 dashes Scrappy’s orange bitters
On this particular night, we had a Madeira Zoom challenge with our Pennsylvania friends whose power was officially back on after crazy storms knocked it out! Jeremy decided to create The Trans-Atlantic to use up a few nearly empty bottles in our house.
He used: Blandy’s Bual Madeira 5yr, Cruzan Dark Rum, Cocchi Sweet Vermouth, Mandarine Nalpoléon liqueur, Lemon Juice and a splash of Topo Chico. And let’s just say—it’s both easy to make and incredibly delicious.
What you need: 2 oz. Blandy’s Bual Madeira 5yr 1 oz. Cruzan dark rum 1 oz. Cocchi sweet vermouth 0.5 oz. Mandarine Nalpoléon liqueur 0.25 oz. lemon juice Splash of Topo Chico
How to prepare: Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass and stir well. Enjoy. See? It’s really that easy.
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Some days, we had good reasons why we picked a certain cocktail or perhaps could offer a story behind our choice. But other days, we don’t remember how or why we picked the cocktail.
Please forgive us.
During our stay at home, it was often hard to even remember what day of the week it was. The rationale for Day 3’s concoction was the strawberries Jeremy bought on Day 2 were quickly spoiling. The most memorable thing about this cocktail was that it accompanied what became weekly Sunday evening Zooms with Andy’s son Zak and his girlfriend Alice in D.C. and Zak’s mother across town here in Dallas.
For people with previous disdain for FaceTime (or any video conferencing for that matter), we have found Zoom a fun way to keep connected with family and friends. We certainly used them a lot more often than we did during “normal” times.
Ingredients:
2 ounces Tanteo Jalapeno tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce lime juice
1/4 ounce agave nectar
4 strawberries
Garnish: lime wedge
How to make:
Muddle strawberries in a shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake well with ice. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with lime wedge. Optional: Add salt rim.
Our first trip to Southeast Asia started in Singapore at the legendary Raffles Hotel where we arrived late one balmy evening. Exhausted, we were greeted by the doormen and promptly shown to our suite. As we unpacked, there was a knock at the door, and our butler had two Singapore Slings from the Long Bar on a silver tray.
The trip took us on the Eastern & Oriental Express for three days through Kuala Lumpur to Penang and the River Kwai to Bangkok. It was a journey we’ll never forget as the devastating tsunami had ripped through the area the week before. It was an educational adventure for us. A trip full of wonderful people, food, and of course, cocktails.
It was such a generous, warm first trip to Southeast Asia that whenever we want to reminisce on that trip, we make Singapore Slings and pretend we’re back there.
Singapore Sling
1 1/2 ounces Aviation gin
1/2 ounce Luxardo cherry brandy
1/4 ounce Cointreau
1/4 ounce Ramazzotti amaro
1 ounce lime juice
4 ounces pineapple juice
Scrappy’s orange bitters (2 dashes)
Garnish: amarena cherry
How to make: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with cherry.
This cocktail choice was a no-brainer default! Day 33 was Cinco de Mayo, which meant two things: Tex-Mex and margaritas. Jeremy made a (fairly large) pitcher of margaritas and we ordered tacos for takeout and grabbed some plasticware. It happened to be a perfect evening with high clouds and a nice breeze to meet up with friends at White Rock Lake for a socially distanced picnic. As the sun set across the lake, we shared wedges of chilled watermelon. Now let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: orange juice in a margarita. Jeremy has always added a little OJ for depth of flavor and swears by it for a perfect ’rita!
How to make:
16 ounces Camarena blanco tequila
8 ounces Grand Marnier
3 ounces agave syrup
12 ounces lime juice
4 ounces orange juice
Pour all the ingredients in a pitcher with ice and stir well. Pour into an ice-filled highball glass (or plastic tumbler … you do you). If you want to add some extra flavor: add salt to the rim.
Get even more cocktail ideas from our cocktail book, “Cocktail Hour Meets … A Pandemic” out now!
“Cocktail Hour Meets … A Pandemic” is trending and #1 under new releases on Amazon! Thank you to everyone that has bought it so far. We’re so thrilled about the release and can’t wait to hear what you think of the book!
IT’S HERE! Get your copy of “Cocktail Hour Meets … A Pandemic” out now! Our 50-day cocktail challenge brought good memories during a weird time of life and we’re so excited to share the experience with you.
A portion of the proceeds will go to Core—a national non-profit that provides financial relief to food and beverage industry employees with children impacted by a health crisis, death or natural disaster. Learn more at coregives.org.
