Cocktails For Every Occasion
cheers to you chef
I love cocktails for any occasion, and think the best nights, in or out, begin with one. Here is a line-up of my favorite seasonal cocktails that we’ve been stirring up this season at our events, mixing at home and shouting over the bar to obliging bartenders.
Barely Dirty Martini
Ingredients
3 oz Chopin Vodka
½ oz Blanc Vermouth
½ oz Olive brine
Castelvetrano Olives on a skewer
Lemon Peel optional
Method
Pre-chill martini glass in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
Mix all the liquid ingredients into a cocktail mixing glass over ice, stir and allow to dilute for 45-60 seconds. Strain the liquid into a martini glass and serve with a skewer of olives.
Optional: add a squeeze of lemon essence from the peel before serving.
Pickled Martini
3 oz Chopin Vodka
½ oz Dry Vermouth
½ oz Dill Pickle brine
Cornichons or Pickle spear
Lemon Peel optional
Method
Pre-chill martini glass in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
Mix all the liquid ingredients into a cocktail mixing glass over ice, stir and allow to dilute for 45-60 seconds. Strain the liquid into a martini glass and serve with a skewer of cornichons or pickle spear.
Optional: add a squeeze of lemon essence from the peel before serving.
Hot Cocktails
While a perfectly chilled cocktail is what most of think of when we chose to imbibe, hot cocktails have a season and deserve a spot on your holiday menu. One of my favorite drinks that I tried in 2024 is a regional drink straight from the Austrian alps. It’s like a liquid blanket after a day of skiing called Jägertee. It’s made from a mix of black tea, spices, Tyrolean Schnapps and sugar. While most of the exact ingredients can’t be found in the States, I’ve concocted a delicious version with what can be sourced here in Los Angeles (where we nary reach a below 50 degree day).
Jägertee
Ingredients
4oz Chopin “Bartenders Choice” vodka
2oz Spiced Pear Liquor
2oz dark Rum
1 liter of water
12 tsp of loose black tea
30 g brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
4 cardamom pods
Method
Bring the water to a boil and brew the black tea with the spices, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Strain off the tea and spices, add the Chopin vodka, spiced pear liquor, rum, and serve hot.
Batch Cocktails
My lazy-fancy trick instead of making cocktails to order, is to set-out large pre-batched cocktails in chic carafes for guests to serve themselves. I like to make a classic cocktail that is spirit forward, and another that is lighter and refreshing, and I put a seasonal spin on them both. Here are two seasonal recipes that are great for batching.
Quince Vesper Martini Batch
Ingredients
750mL or 25oz Gin
250mL or 8oz Chopin Vodka
125mL or 4oz Cocchi Americano or Lillet Blanc or any similar white wine aperitif
*170mL or 5oz filtered water
1 tablespoon of Quince Paste
Optional Garnish: dehydrated lime wheel
Method
Soak the quince paste in Chopin Vodka for 24 hours at room temperature then strain off. Freeze the vodka for another 12 hours, and strain again.
Mix the quince infused Chopin vodka, gin, and wine aperitif into a large carafe. *Add water if necessary, see note below.
To serve, pour the *diluted martini mixture into a pre-chilled glass, and garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.
*note: the water is added only to dilute the pre-batched drink, this is only added if you plan to serve it chilled from the carafe. If you plan to chill and dilute the cocktail individually this step is not necessary.
Spiced Pear Mule Batch
750mL or 25oz Chopin Vodka
250mL or 8oz St George Spiced Pear Liqueur
250mL or 8oz fresh lime juice
125mL or 4oz sage infused simple syrup
4-8 bottles of Ginger Beer (keep chilled)
Optional Garnish: dehydrated pears
First, make the simple syrup by using a 1:1 ratio of granulated sugar to water, place both ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add a handful of fresh sage leaves to the pot. Simmer the mixture until all the sugar is dissolved, and the sage is fragrant. About 3-5 minutes.
Strain the leaves off and discard. Store the sage simple syrup in a fridge for up to two weeks.
Mix the Chopin Vodka, spiced pear liqueur, and fresh lime juice in a carafe. Store in the fridge for up to two days before serving.
To serve, pour the mixture into a rocks or tall glass, or copper mule cup, with ice. Top with chilled ginger beer. Garnish with a dehydrated pear.