4 Wicked Cocktails to Match the Season

The art of making craft cocktails has been around for more than a century, and some of the long-standing recipes seem to only get better with time. Mike Holmes, owner of Wickman House in Ellison Bay, takes us through four favorites so you can create your own at home.

Not much of a DIY’er? Find your way to a local pub or bar for more liquid libations.

Two End-of-Summer Sips

These first two recipes are perfect for squeezing the last drops of summer fun out of the season before flavors switch to fall themes. The Zombie is a famous tiki drink that will make you feel as though you’ve been lost on a Polyensian island, and the Berry Fizz is a berry-filled take on the bartenders’ essential gin fizz. 

The Zombie

• 3/4oz simple syrup
• 1/2oz lime juice
• 1/2oz lemon juice
• 3/4oz orange
• 1/2oz grenadine
• 3/4oz passion fruit puree
• 1 1/2oz dark rum
• 1 1/2oz light rum
  
  
• Brandy cherry, for garnish
• Orange, for garnish
• Umbrella, for garnish

Directions: Pour all of your ingredients into your shaker and add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a tiki glass with a hawthorne strainer. Top it with more crushed ice. Garnish with an orange slice and a brandy cherry, and, finally, an umbrella. Then enjoy!

Berry Fizz 

• 3 Raspberries
• 6 Strawberries
• 2 Blackberries
• 2oz gin
• 3/4oz simple syrup
• 1/2oz lime juice
• 1/2oz lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• Berry or berry pulp, for garnish

Directions: Start by muddling the berries in pint glass, then add gin, simple syrup, lime juice, and lemon juice. Fill pint glass with ice and cup with shaker. You’ll want to shake this vigorously, as you’ll be making a smoothie out of this combination of fresh berries, juice, and gin.

Once well-shaken, use a hawthorne strainer to strain the mixture into a tall glass, removing the pulp from the berry mix. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl separate the egg white from the yolk into the bowl. With a whisk, whip the egg white vigorously until it froths into a meringue texture.

Add a splash of soda water to your berry mix, then top with the egg white, a berry for garnish, and if you like, spoon a little of the berry pulp onto the white for color. Then drink up and reminisce about your summer days at the beach!

Two Cocktails for Cooler Fall Days

Looking for a cocktail to enjoy during your fall getaway or for something to impress at your holiday party? Bust out this twist on a classic: the Fig Sidecar. It’s bound to please the most discerning spirits imbiber. Or, go with a century-old classic: the Sazerac. Heavy on booze and bitters, this one is a bold toast.

Fig Sidecar

• 2oz Amrut Old Port Dark Rum
• 0.75oz fresh lemon juice
• 0.75oz simple syrup
• 3 Tbs Fig Puree
• 0.25oz triple sec
• Sugar

Directions: Start by filling a martini glass with ice and water, then set it aside to chill.

In a pint glass, combine the fig puree (you can make this yourself with fig preserves) lemon juice, simple syrup, triple sec, and rum. Fill the glass with ice, and cap it with your shaker. You’ll want to shake vigorously to get the combination extremely chilled.

Empty the ice and water from the martini glass, shaking out as much of the water as you can. Put a couple tablespoons of sugar on a small plate and rim the glass with sugar. Using a hawthorne strainer (that’s the spring-loaded style) pour the contents from you shaker into the martini glass and enjoy. You should feel those family frustrations and holiday stress slipping away in no time!

Wickman House Sazerac

• 1/2 ounce absinthe
• 12 shakes of Bittercube Orange bitters
• 12 shakes of Bittercube Bolivar bitters
• 10 shakes Angostura bitters
• 0.75 ounce simple syrup
• 3.5 ounces Riverboat Rye
• Orange peel, for garnish

Directions: Fill a tumbler glass with crushed ice and 1/2 ounce absinthe and set aside to chill.

In a pint glass combine the three bitters, simple syrup, and rye. Fill glass with ice and stir for 40 stirs (don’t shake) then strain into chilled glass with julep strainer. Garnish with orange peel and enjoy!