6 Easy Drinks to Make While Stuck In Quarantine
We love hosting Happy Hour at Boston Offices for our in-house and virtual office clients! However, now that we can’t mix up drinks for you, we’re bringing the bar to you! Here are a few easy, fun cocktails to try while the bars are closed and you’re quarantined.
My name is Kim Hanley, and with each cocktail I’ll give some suggestions on substitutions or alternative ingredients to try based on what might be available to you at home. I’ll also share some tips for making your own drink syrups, and ways to make the drinks your own!
Bee’s Knees
This is one of my all time favorite gin cocktails. Light to sip on and easy to make! A perfect drink for spring and summer. All you need is gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup. In my opinion, fresh squeezed lemon juice is best but the bottled version will get the job done just fine. See below for instructions on how to make your own honey syrup. Tip: Don’t add straight honey to chilled drinks, the honey hardens and will not dissolve!
*Honey Syrup: Add ½ cup honey to ½ cup of warm water. Feel free to experiment with how much honey you add. The more honey you use, the thicker the syrup and stronger the flavor will be. Stir until blended. Pour into a jar and refrigerate. If refrigerated it should last for one month.
Cold Fashioned
A new take on an old classic. This is a recent favorite of mine, picked up from a mixology class I was lucky enough to to have access to through our building’s tenant amenities program – Shift Beyond Work. Another 3 ingredient cocktail that is easy to make from home, and sure to be a big hit with coffee lovers.
*Coffee Syrup: Take ½ cup of hot coffee and add ½ cup of sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. There is a lot of room for customization here depending on what type of coffee you choose. You can use different roasts, flavored coffee, cold brew – the options are only limited by what is in your pantry!
Berry Rosé Sangria
Sangria is one of the most versatile cocktails to make because there are many variations you can do depending on what you have on hand. This one would always bring the clients out of their private offices! With the warmer weather coming I’d like to share with you my go to summer sangria, using a dry rosé as the base.
If you don’t have rosé lying around, try substituting with a bottle of red wine (my go to: spanish reds) or white wine (my go to: Italian pinot grigio). You can also go by what fruit you have on hand, or what is in season.
Note: Letting the mix sit overnight creates a stronger, better flavored, sangria as the fruit soaks. When adding the soda water/sprite, my ratio is usually ⅔ sangria base, ⅓ soda water. This is added right before serving to keep your sangria nice and bubbly. Don’t forget to enjoy that sangria soaked fruit too, but be careful – it can pack a punch!
Double Espresso Martini
Nothing says indulgence like an espresso martini. I’m giving you my personal recipe, but it’s easy enough to sub in basic ingredients if you don’t have the specialty flavors! I’m a coffee lover, so when I discovered Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka and Espresso Baileys, I knew there was no going back. I also add my favorite coffee liqueur, Tia Maria, to the mix. I highly recommend trying it, but Kahlua will also do the trick as a substitution.
The Blue Parrot
Since we can’t be sipping on tropical drinks on a beach in Mexico at the moment, let’s bring the beach drinks to you!
This tequila based drink will put you in the mindset of warmer climates and sea breezes. Take it one step further and get your own set of parrot tiki cups. We got these on Amazon and it was well worth the investment.
*Simple Syrup: If you have sugar and know how to boil water, you need never pay for store bought simple syrup again! Just boil 1 cup of water and mix in 1 cup of sugar, and tada you have homemade syrup!
French 75
Classic and bubbly, the French 75 is a refreshing way to upgrade your basic champagne. It’s also just plain fun to drink anything out of a champagne flute! What I’m showing here is the traditional recipe, but try mixing it up by substituting in lavender simple syrup, or adding an elderflower liqueur like St. Germain.
BONUS: Sugared Prosecco Grapes
Impress all your virtual friends with your fancy video chat snack! These prosecco grapes are both delicious and easy to make. Try with your choice of red or green grapes – or both!
Tips: You need about 6-8 cups of grapes, but feel free to adjust based on what containers you have available to soak them in. I use a 2qt jug with a lid so it’s easier to drain the excess prosecco. Also, when choosing a prosecco go with the cheap stuff – save the good prosecco for sipping!
We hope you all enjoy and we can’t wait to mix all of these drinks up again for our clients in the Financial District soon!
-Kim Hanley