The Long Beach Iced Tea

About The Long Beach Iced Tea

Meet the floral and visually pleasant cousin of the Long Island Iced Tea (quite a big family isn’t it?). Taking away the sour mix and cola and bringing in cranberry juice with fresher lemon juice and simple syrup, the palette on this cocktail is a bit more bitter and hides the bite of alcohol through this method. Although it may be pretty it does still pack that all-to-familiar Long Island Punch!

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Vodka

• 1¼ oz. Rum

• ¾ oz. Gin

• ¾ oz. Tequila

• 1 oz. Triple Sec

• 1 oz. Lemon Juice

• ½ oz. Simple Syrup

• Fill Cranberry Juice

• Lime Wheels and Mint for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.5 Stars

• Served:      On the Rocks

• Strength:   Strong

• Difficulty:  Medium

• Flavor:       Cranberry

Method:

Build ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice, except for the cranberry juice. Gently shake a few times to chill ingredients. Pour with ice into highball or pint glass. Fill cranberry juice and stir gently. Garnish with mint and lime wheels.

The Mai Tai

About The Mai Tai

The Mai Tai is perhaps the most famous Tiki cocktail and was invented in 1944. Trader Vic’s is credited with inventing the drink although friendly rival Don the Beachcomber claimed to invent a very different iteration of the drink in 1933. The name was allegedly taken from maita'i, the Tahitian word for "good" or "excellence." The Mai Tai was immensely popular in the Tiki Culture phase of the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

Ingredients:

• 1½ oz. Silver Rum

• ½ oz. Dark Rum

• ¾ oz. Orange Curacao

• ¾ oz. Lime Juice

• ½ oz. Orgeat Syrup

• Crushed Ice

• Spearmint & Lime Wedge for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.5 Stars

• Served:      On the Rocks

• Strength:   Mild

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Sweet

Method:

Shake all ingredients except dark rum with ice. Strain into glass. Float Dark Rum over the top of the cocktail. Garnish and serve with straw.

The Old Cuban

About The Old Cuban

The Mojito connects with the French 75 in this old school throwback cocktail. This recipe hails from New York in the SoHo neighborhood. This modern cocktail is appetizing and pairs well with any sort of food. This cocktail is designed to be made with passion and requires patience; it’s not meant for speed.

Ingredients:

• 1½ oz. Aged Rum

• 2 oz. Champagne/Prosecco

• 1 oz. Simple Syrup

• ¾ oz. Lime Juice

• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

• 6-8 Mint Leaves

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4 Stars

• Served:      Neat

• Strength:   Medium

• Difficulty:  Medium

• Flavor:       Minty

Method:

Pour all ingredients except the wine into cocktail shaker, shake well with ice, strain into chilled elegant cocktail glass. Top up with the sparkling wine and garnish with mint sprigs

The Fall White Sangria

About The Fall White Sangria

Just in time for the upcoming fall season, meet the Fall White Sangria. This crisp and refreshing recipe is simple and flavorful. The crisp blending of fruits in this sangria make for a cool and refreshing flavor without the heavy-bodied feeling of a red sangria. This recipe is sure to become one of your favorites as we delve deeper into the fall season.

Ingredients: (makes a pitcher)

• 1 750mL Bottle of Pinot Grigio (or your preference)

• 2 oz. Brandy

• 8 oz. Lemon Lime Soda

• 1 Sliced Asian Pear

• 1 Sliced Fuji Apple

• 1 Cinnamon Stick

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.5 Stars

• Served:      Neat

• Strength:   Mild

• Difficulty:  Medium

• Flavor:       Sweet

Method:

Stir all ingredients in a pitcher with cut up and peeled fruits. Refrigerate and serve after six hours.

The Bramble

About The Bramble

This English IBA Cocktail hails from London and was invented in the 1980s. The name of the drink comes from the fact that blackberry bushes are called brambles. The Bramble was invented as a springtime cocktail ans is best enjoyed with “red fruits” such as blackberries, cranberries, and raspberries as something to snack on.

Ingredients:

• 1½ oz. Gin

• ½ oz. Blackberry Liqueur

• 1 oz. Lemon Juice

• ½ oz. Simple Syrup

• Crushed Ice

• Blackberry & Lemon Wheel for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4 Stars

• Served:      On the Rocks

• Strength:   Mild

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Sweet

Method:

Fill glass with crushed ice. Build gin, lemon juice and simple syrup over. Stir, and then pour blackberry liqueur over in a circular fashion to create marbling effect. Garnish with two blackberries and lemon slice.

The Casino

About The Casino

This 1917 cocktail is an IBA Official Cocktail and is a very flavorful and strong drink. This classic has fallen out of popularity but still retains a unique flavor pattern and can be found in upscale lounges and not ironically, casinos!

Ingredients:

• 1½ oz. Gin

• ½ oz. Maraschino Liqueur

• ½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

• 2 Dashes Orange Bitters

• Lemon Twist and Maraschino Cherry for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.0 Stars

• Served:      Neat

• Strength:   Strong

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Spirit Forward

Method:

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry. Serve without a straw.

The Russian Spring Punch

About The Russian Spring Punch

The Russian Spring Punch was created in London, England by Dick Bradsell in the 1980s. He claims not to remember which bar he was working at at the time, but tells the story of how he created the recipe for personal friends wishing to hold a cocktail party while minimizing the amount of money they had to spend on alcohol. Participants were provided with the vodka, cassis, simple syrup and lemon juice, and were asked to bring their own sparkling wine.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Vodka

• 1½ oz. Creme de Cassis

• ½ oz. Simple Syrup

• 1 oz. Lemon Juice

• Fill Sparkling Wine

• Garnish with Blackberries or Lemon Slice.

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.0 Stars

• Served:      On the Rocks

• Strength:   Strong

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Spirit Forward

Method:

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker except the sparkling wine, shake well with ice, strain into chilled tall tumbler glass filled with ice and top up with sparkling wine.

The Banana Boat

About The Banana Boat

The Banana Boat is a Non-Alcoholic Pina Colada with the taste of banana. This dessert mocktail is very sweet and should be blended to properly incorporate all the flavors together. We recommend serving this cocktail in a margarita glass or highball. If being served to children we recommend limiting to one or two servings, as the acidic pineapple and base milk may upset some tummys.

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana

• 3 parts Milk

• 1 part Coconut Cream

• 1 part Pineapple Juice

Cocktail Profile

• Rating: 4.5 Stars

• Served: Frozen

• Strength: Non-Alcoholic

• Difficulty: Simple

• Flavor: Sweet Banana

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and then present.

The Singapore Sling

About The Singapore Sling

The concept of a “Gin Sling” hails from the 1700s but the first appearance of the Singapore Sling can be dated to the 1930s in print, but was likely invented sometime around 1915 in Singapore. The cocktail has been made many different ways and for a long time had a vastly oversimplified recipe that was largely reminiscent of the Gin and Juice of the time. The Singapore Sling has been seen as a Mark of Mastery in recent times in a number of mixology schools.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Gin

• ½ oz. Cherry Liqueur

• ¼ oz. Triple Sec

• ¼ oz. Bénédictine

• ½ oz. Lime Juice

• ½ oz. Grenadine

• 4 oz. Pineapple Juice

• Dash of Angostura Bitters

• Pineapple Wedge & Maraschino Cherry for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.0 Stars

• Served:      Neat

• Strength:   Light

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Tropical

Method:

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into highball glass. Garnish with pineapple and cocktail cherry.

The Hurricane

About The Hurricane

Another creation from the Big Easy, this cousin of the Daiquiri was crafted in a New Orleans Speakeasy in the 1940s. The owner of the speakeasy Pat O’Brien needed to find a way to sell all of the less-popular rum that his distributors forced him to buy before he could buy the popular spirits. He concocted a mixture of rums with passion fruit syrup and lemon juice; and then poured it into a hurricane shaped glass. The drink caught on and has been a mainstay of tropical drink menus across the world. The Bahamanian version of the cocktail uses different ingredients such as coffee liqueur, Irish cream, and Grand Marnier.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Silver Rum

• 2 oz. Dark Rum

• 1 oz. Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

• 1 oz. Orange Juice

• ½ oz. Passion Fruit Syrup

• ½ oz. Simple Syrup

• Dash of Grenadine

• Orange Wheel & Cherry for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.5 Stars

• Served:      On the Rocks

• Strength:   Mild

• Difficulty:  Medium

• Flavor:       Tropical

Method:

Shake ingredients with ice, then pour into the glass and serve over ice. Garnish with orange wheel and cherry.

The Orange Crush

About The Orange Crush

Hailing from Ocean City, MD; the Orange Crush is a signature Maryland cocktail. Quite similar to a Screwdriver Cocktail, the Orange Crush mixes vodka and orange juice but also adds in triple sec. What makes a crush a “crush” is that it adds lemon-lime soda or sparkling wine to the mix to top off. The Orange Crush is a perfect addition to any brunch menu.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Vodka

• 1 oz. Triple Sec

• 3 oz. Orange Juice

• 3-4 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda

• Orange Wedge and Mint for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.5 Stars

• Served:      On the Rocks

• Strength:   Light

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Orange

Method:

Pour all ingredients directly into highball glass filled with ice cubes. Stir gently.

The Mary Pickford

About The Mary Pickford

A Mary Pickford is a Prohibition Era cocktail made with white rum, fresh pineapple juice, grenadine, and Maraschino liqueur. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a Maraschino cherry. Named for Canadian-American film actress Mary Pickford (1892–1979), it is said to have been created for her in the 1920s by either Eddie Woelke or Fred Kaufmann at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba on a trip she took to Havana.

Ingredients:

• 1½ oz. Silver Rum

• ¼ oz. Maraschino Liqueur

• 1½ oz. Pineapple Juice

• Splash of Grenadine

• Cherries for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.0 Stars

• Served:      Neat

• Strength:   Strong

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Fruity

Method:

Shake and strain into a chilled large cocktail glass

The Finding Nemo

About The Finding Nemo

This is an Empire Signature Cocktail! This cocktail was invented shortly after the release of the eponymous movie and is credited to originating in San Diego, CA. Multiple versions of this drink were invented on the fly by simply adding a Swedish Fish to any blue colored cocktail. This version adds a bit of a tropical flavor and the signature spirit Hypnotiq© is required for this recipe, the color is essential to the visual product.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Coconut Rum

• 1 oz. Hypnotiq© Cognac

• ½ oz. Lime Juice

• ¼ oz. Blue Curacao

• ¼ oz. Pineapple Juice

• 1 Swedish Fish for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.5 Stars

• Served:      On the Rocks

• Strength:   Mild

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Sweet

Method:

In a cocktail shaker, add all of the ingredients except the candy; shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass; add the candy.

The Mimosa

About The Mimosa

The origins of the Mimosa are quite shrouded. It is known that variations of Mimosa cocktails have been enjoyed in the Mediterranean for centuries, specifically in Spain. There are some credits to the first “written” recipe for a Mimosa hailing from a Spanish Resort, however the claims are widely doubted. The epitome of first class and brunch cocktails anywhere, the Mimosa is a timeless classic and IBA Official Cocktail that is most likely here to stay.

Ingredients:

• 2½ oz. Champagne

• 2½ oz. Orange Juice

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.5 Stars

• Served:      Neat

• Strength:   Mild

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Orange

Method:

Ensure both ingredients are well chilled, then mix into the glass. Serve cold.

The Kir Royale

About The Kir Royale

The Kir Royale is an upgrade/variation to the IBA Cocktail the Kir. This version adds Champagne to the mix with creme de cassis making an “upscale” edition of the recipe. A Kir Imperial is made with the famous Chambord Liqueur as a further variation.

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. Champagne/Sparkling Wine

• ⅓ oz. Creme de Cassis

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4.0 Stars

• Served:      Neat

• Strength:   Strong

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Spirit Forward

Method:

Add the crème de cassis to the bottom of the glass, then top up champagne.

The Tommy's Margarita

About The Tommy’s Margarita

The new era IBA Official Cocktail Tommy’s Margarita is a slight spin on the original Margarita recipe. Invented in the year 1990 in San Francisco at Tommy’s Restaurant. Mixologist Julio Bermejo had recently started using Agave Nectar in his recipes and decided that the Agave would better accentuate the Margarita’s inherent citrus flavor better than the industry standard Triple Sec. Julio turned out to be correct , and the flavor profile of the Tommy’s Margarita is noticeably different from the traditional.

Ingredients:

• 2½ oz. Tequila

• 1½ oz. Lime Juice

• 3 Bar Spoons of Agave Nectar

• Salt for Glass Rim

• Lime Wedge for Garnish

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4 Stars

• Served:      Margarita

• Strength:    Strong

• Difficulty:    Simple

• Flavor:        Spirit

Method:

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into margarita glass rimmed with salt.

The Dirty Bong Water

About The Dirty Bong Water

Don’t blame the 2000s for having lame shot names; the 80s and 90s took most of the good ones. The Dirty Bong Water is actually a fairly tasty shot and is mild due to mostly using liqueurs. The name is off-putting but this shot will surprise you in a good way. Empire Mixology does not recommend taking a shot of actual dirty bong water and expecting the same flavor.

Ingredients:

• ½ oz. Spiced Rum

• ¼ oz. Amaretto

• ¼ oz. Blue Curacao

• ¼ oz. Raspberry Liqueur

• ¼ oz. Sour Mix

Cocktail Profile

• Rating:       4 Stars

• Served:      Shooter

• Strength:   Mild

• Difficulty:  Simple

• Flavor:       Sweet

Method:

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass.