Cocktails and Mocktails
The final menu of our first year has arrived! To keep you warm in the final months of Winter, we offer a collection of cocktails, highlighting several from the Cocktail Codex, an amazing book of cocktails from the folks at Death and Company. If you like these, grab a copy and explore the rest (there are hundreds upon hundreds of classic and original cocktails to discover!!) Cheers!!
This is our first member created cocktail, not created by one of the founders. We are thrilled to feature Leif’s tasty cocktail as the first of our “member created” series.
A well known fan of all things Star Wars, Leif found a creative way to combine blueberries with an often overlook liqueur, Limon Rum Chata! Leif’s original recipe is served on the rocks with minimal straining. We also discovered that if you like a cocktail served “up” (no ice) you can modify this drink. No change in the recipe, just double strain into a chilled glass.
Thank you Leif for raising this glass for all of us to enjoy!! Cheers! And May the Force be with You!!!
¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Limon RumChata
2 oz Gin (Old Tom Gin works well)
8-10 fresh blueberries (will be muddled)
Add blueberries to a shaker tin and muddle into a nice paste
Add all the liquids to the shaker tin
Add 0.5 cup of ice cubes
Shake for 20-30 seconds (the longer the better)
Strain into a prepared rocks glass with ice cubes
Option for cocktails served “up””Double strain into a chilled coupe glass
Source: Runaway Anchor Member Leif Original Recipe
Sometimes you just want something simple. If that’s you, this one might hit the spot. Our first attempt accounted for all the ginger (root and beer) and it was pretty strong. If you dig ginger, it’s still good. But you could cut the ginger root in half, or even cut it out entirely if you like. The flavor of muddled strawberries and ginger beer is pretty good all on it’s own.
Cheers!
1 tsp Fresh Ginger Root (finely grated)
3 Fresh Strawberries
Ginger Beer
Add grated ginger and strawberries to a highball glass and muddle
Fill the glass with ice and top with ginger beer
Give everything a gentle stir to combine the flavors
Serve with 2 straws and garnish with strawberry (optional)
Source: Dry Mocktail Book
If you miss the complexity of cocktails then this one might be worth checking out. It is fruit forward, but with rosemary in the mix, the mocktail is far from boring.
Couple pieces of advice. Don’t be afraid to overdo the blueberries. If they are small, add more. We added simple syrup (2:1 ratio) to the original recipe because the first version was being overpowered by the citrus. Finally when you add the lemon juice, we recommend adding a splash of water (not sparkling) to the tin. Our first cocktail was hard to pour because there wasn’t enough liquid. Make sure to double strain to get rid of the fruit and the rosemary bits, and give the cocktail a gentle stir after adding the sparkling water. Cheers!
7-8 fresh blueberries
Sprig of fresh rosemary (cut in half)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
½ oz 2:1 Cane Sugar Syrup (aka rich simple syrup)
Splash of Water (for shaking)
Top with Sparkling Water
Add the blueberries, honey, and rosemary to a large shaking tin
Muddle everything into a paste
Add lemon juice, and a splash of water and the simple syrup
Add Ice and shake for 10-15 seconds
Double strain into a chilled nick and nora glass
Top with sparkling water
Source: Mistress of Cocktails Recipe (with slight adjustments)
Whether you are doing Dry January or just aren’t a cocktail drinker, we’ve got a list of options for you. The new menu also features our updated branding, as we continue to develop the Runaway Anchor in the coming year! Cheers!!
This tiki drink has a fun garnish that should not be optional. It’s pretty satisfying pushing a cocktail umbrella inside out, as if blow back by the wind. So don’t skip that step. Umbrellas are cheap.
This tiki drink is all about balance. Lots of citrus balanced against a couple of rums. Don’t use spiced rum, just because it is usually black in color. The rum in the link is also very cheap and easy to find. No need to overthink it. For lightly aged rum, I almost always go with Appleton 8 or 12.
Cheers!
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1½ oz Coconut Cream
1 oz Apricot Liqueur
1 oz Black Blended Rum
Add all ingredients to a mixer tin (or blender)
Add 12 oz crushed ice and 4-6 agitator cubes
Flash blend for 5-10 seconds
Open pour into a high ball or Zombie glass
Source: Smuggler’s Cove Cocktail Book
This was a very popular cocktail during the Summer months. Make sure to make your own Grenadine (it’s too easy to go with store-bought options).
This is also one of the few tiki cocktails that doesn’t call for a Hamilton Beach blender. All you need to your handy cocktail shaker and you can be sipping in the sun in no time. Even if it’s freezing outside!
Cheers!
½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz Grenadine (homemade is best)
1 oz Blended Lightly Aged Rum
½ oz Rye Whiskey
½ oz Brandy
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker
Add cracked or cubed ice and shake for 15 seconds
Double strain into a chilled coupe glass
Source: Smuggler’s Cove Cocktail Book
A classic mocktail if there ever was one. The lime and mint are still there even if the booze is not, and those are the classic flavors you are probably looking for in this mocktail anyway.
Build it in the glass and go easy on the sugar for starters. And always use fresh mint. No shortcuts with this one.
Cheers!
6 fresh mint sprigs (plus 1 for garnish)
1 barspoon superfine sugar
2 lime wedges
Soda Water
Dash of simple syrup
Muddle the mint, sugar and lime in a highball filled with ice
Top with Soda Water and muddle gently
Add simple syrup to taste (start with the barspoon you used with the sugar)
Garnish with mint sprig
Source: Mocktails: cordials, syrups, infusions and more book
This mocktail packs a few surprises, and the biggest is that it is complex. When we set out to make a mocktail menu for “dry January” the main goal was not to make a bunch of smoothies and Shirley Temples. While the Strawberry Booster is a blended drink, it has so many flavors that it feels like a cocktail and not a smoothie.
Sweetened with honey and sitting on a virgin hot toddy of lemon, hot water, and mint. The complexity arrives with the marriage of strawberry and balsamic vinegar. This isn’t as strange a combo as you might think, but not necessarily found in a lot of drinks. All combined it is complicated and an easy sipper. Definitely an elevated smoothie.
Cheers!
2 tbsp Raw Honey
Lemon Juice of one lemon
Pinch of Salt
1½ oz Hot Water
4-6 Mint Leaves
4-5 Strawberries
Dash of Balsamic Vinegar
Garnish with Mint Sprig and use a short straw
In a blender add honey, lemon juice, salt, hot water, and mint (immersion blender works too)
Blend ingredients for 5 seconds
Chop strawberries into quarters and add to blender, blend until smooth
Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and blend again for 5-10 seconds
Prepare tulip glass with fresh ice and open pour mixture over ice, leaving 1 inch
Add cold water to top of drink
Garnish with fresh mint
This is a midwestern cocktail through and through. But since the home base of the Runaway Anchor Cocktail Bar is in the midwest, we wanted to call it out.
This is an Old Fashioned made with Brandy, but it’s more commonly referred to as the Wisconsin Old Fashioned, where it finds it’s origins. You’ll want to pay attention to the build process. First off, this one is built in the glass (not a mixing glass like you would normally do with an Old Fashioned). The other big difference is topping off the drink with soda. I’m still a little conflicted about this myself.
If you want a sweet drink, go with Sprite or 7up. If you want a sour drink, swap out for Squirt and if you just want the bubbles without the added flavors, you can always just do Club Soda.
Last point. For the Brandy stick with the original recipe and get a bottle of Korbel. It’s cheap and easy drinking. If you’re adding soda to a cocktail, you generally don’t want to use expensive stuff, and especially not cognac for this one.
This one is an easy drinker for warm evenings, preferably near a cabin in Lake Country.
Cheers!
2 oz Brandy (don’t waste good cognac on this one)
1 sugar cube (or ½ oz simple syrup)
3-4 dashes Angostura Bitters
Splash of water
Soda for topper (Sprite is our preference, but Club Soda or Squirt are other options)
Garnish with orange slice and cherries
Place the sugar cube in the bottom of the glass and soak with the Angostura Bitters
Add a splash of water to the glass (0.25oz if you really need to measure)
Muddle into a nice paste (if using simple syrup, you won’t need to muddle)
Add Brandy and swirl to mix the ingredients together
Add a single cube (or a handful of ice cubes if that’s what you have on hand)
Add your soda of choice to top off the drink
Garnish with a slice of orange and a couple cherries
Source: Runaway Anchor Recipe of a Regional Cocktail