10 Spirited Southern Cocktails To Make Now

Ingredients 1.5 oz. Ole Smokey Moonshine 1 oz. lemon juice .5 oz. simple syrup 1 lemon twist Preparation Add all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain into a Collins glass and garnish with a lemon twist. (Delano’s Rose Bar at South Beach, Florida.)

Ingredients 1/3 fresh peach, muddled 2 fresh cherries, pitted and muddled ½ orange slice, muddled 2 oz. bourbon 0.75 oz. lemon juice 0.75 oz. simple syrup 0.25 oz. Triple Sec 1 peach wedge Preparation Add all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake. Pour in chilled rocks glass. Garnish with a peach wedge. (KTCHN in New York.)

Ingredients 8 cups water 7 black tea bags 1 ½ cups sugar juice from 2 lemons juice from 2 oranges 1 cup high proof golden rum lots of fresh basil leaves Preparation Bring half of the water to boil and add tea bags. Steep them for about 5 minutes, and remove. Add the sugar and stir the tea until it’s dissolved. Transfer the tea to a pitcher. Stir in your lemon juice, orange juice, and rum. Add some fresh basil leaves and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Serve in a tall glass over ice with fresh orange and lemon wedges, along with fresh basil leaves. (Celebrity Caterer Andrea Correale of Elegant Affairs.)

Ingredients 1 ¼ oz. Vida Mescal 1 oz. grapefruit juice 1 oz. lime juice ½ oz. jalapeno-infused agave syrup smoked sea salt 1 jalapeno sliver Preparation Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into a smoked sea salt rimmed glass. Garnish with a jalapeno sliver. (Freedmen’s Bar in Austin. Photo courtesy of Derek Putlak.)

Ingredients 12 mint leaves 3 fresh Georgia peaches, sliced and frozen overnight juice from ½ a lemon 1 cup black tea bourbon basil leaves Preparation Slice peaches and freeze overnight (can used packaged frozen peaches for easy preparation). In a food processor, add frozen peach slices, mint leaves, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bourbon. Blend, adding ice, until a slushy consistency forms. Scoop slush into glasses. Garnish with basil and peaches. Serve immediately. (Celebrity Caterer Andrea Correale of Elegant Affairs.)

Ingredients 1 ½ parts Bärenjäger Honey and Tea Liqueur 1 part rye whiskey ¼ part simple syrup 10 mint leaves 3 thin lemon wedges 1 mint sprig Preparation Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice cubes or crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon wedge. (Sidney Frank Corporate Mixologist.)

Ingredients ¾ oz. Campari ¾ oz. sweet vermouth 1 ½ oz. Kentucky straight bourbon 1 orange or lemon twist Preparation Add all ingredients and stir with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange or lemon twist. (Created in 1927 by New Yorker Harry McElhone at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris.)

Ingredients 2 oz. gin 1/3 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice ½ oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice 1 oz. simple syrup 3 oz. Pellegrino Sparkling Water grapefruit zest mint leaves Preparation Rim glass with grapefruit wedge. Dip into salt and grapefruit zest mixture. Add gin, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, and simple syrup to martini shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into glass. Add sparkling water and stir. Garnish with grapefruit zest and mint leaves. (Celebrity caterer Andrea Correale of Elegant Affairs.)

Ingredients 2 ½ oz. bourbon (Maker’s Mark or Buffalo Trace were recommended) 6 large mint leaves 1 Tbsp. simple syrup Preparation Combine the mint and simple syrup in a glass and muddle until aromatic. Put mixture in the bottom of a julep cup or Collins glass. Fill the cup up halfway with crushed ice. Add bourbon. Fill the cup up to the top with more crushed ice. Garnish with more mint and serve with a straw. (Chef Eli Kirshtein from The Luminary in Atlanta.)

Ingredients 1.75 oz. Evan Williams Bottle in Bond Whiskey 1 oz. PAMA pomegranate liqueur 2 oz. black tea 5 oz. lemon juice 2 Tbsp. diced peaches 1 mint sprig 1 peach slice Preparation In a mixing glass, combine lemon juice and peaches. Gently muddle until peaches break up. Next add whiskey, simple syrup, black tea, and ice. Shake until well chilled. Fill a Collins glass with crushed ice and strain over ice. Top with liqueur. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint and a slice of peach. (Mixologist Lynn House, PAMA National Brand Ambassador.)