2018’s Best New Cocktail Flavors + Recipes

Veggie-loaded cocktails? We’re not talking Bloody Mary’s. Think fresh kale juice, radish flavors and roasted corn. And coffee aficionados can rejoice too. Your morning favorite is now mainstream, meaning you can sip your roasts from morning to late night. And for all those Japanese whisky fans out there, expect to have plenty of company the next time you’re sipping the latest Nippon export. Below, a few recipes to get you started.

VEGGIE COCKTAIL: 24 Carat Magic
Geraldine’s — Austin, Texas (Courtesy of Bar Director, Caitlyn Jackson)

Getting your vitamin C’s has never been easier (Photo Credit: Sarah Jacober)

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. Tito’s vodka
• 1 oz. fresh carrot juice
• 1/2 oz. tamarind syrup
• 1/4 oz. Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
• 1/4 oz. lemon juice
• Picked carrots and pearl onions (for garnish)

Directions: Shake all ingredients and pour into rocks glass. Garnish with a skewer of house pickled assorted baby carrots & pickled pearl onion.

VEGGIE COCKTAIL: Vodka So… Duh
Jane Q — Los Angeles, CA (Courtesy of Lead Bartender, Dan Rook)

Drink your greens with Jane Q’s Vodka So…Duh cocktail (Photo credit: K. Teig/Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Stolichnaya vodka
• 2 oz. Green juice (this is one of Dan’s favorites)
• 3/4 oz. Lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• 3 oz. tonic water
• Lemon peel (for garnish)

Directions: Add each ingredient to glass over ice and stir. Garnish with lemon peel.

 

COFFEE COCKTAIL: No Cigar
Stratus Lounge — Philadelphia, PA

Other cocktails may try, but they’re No Cigar to this boozy coffee cocktail (Photo credit: Stratus Lounge)

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Dewar’s scotch whisky
• 1 oz. Bitter coffee aperitivo (recipe below)
• 1 oz. Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
• Coffee beans (for garnish)

Directions: Add all ingredients to a glass. Stir with ice, strain over ice and garnish with 3 coffee beans.

For Bitter Coffee Apertivo: Combine 1 cup of your favorite bitter Amaro (Cynar or Campari both work well) and ½ cup of coffee beans. Let sit for 48 hours, strain.

 

COFFEE COCKTAIL: Espresso Martini
Henley — Nashville, TN (Courtesy of Head Bartender, Jonathon Howard)

Henley’s Espresso Martini is what all the buzz is about (Photo credit: Angelina Melody)

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Tito’s vodka
• ½ oz. Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
• ½ oz. Simple syrup
• 1 Double shot of espresso
• Espresso beans (for garnish)

Directions: Add all ingredients to a shaker over ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with 3 espresso beans.

JAPANESE WHISKY COCKTAIL: Breakfast at Katsura
Boleo — Chicago, IL (Courtesy of Head Bartender: Jess Lambert)

Fizzy and bright, Breakfast at Katsura packs a flavor punch (Photo credit: Michelle Banovic)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 oz. Suntory Whisky Toki
• 3/4 oz. Rhine Hall La Normande
• 1/2 oz. Lemon juice
• 1 Egg white
• A splash of French Toast Café Orgeat (recipe below)
• Sparkling water (reserved)

Directions: Put all ingredients, except sparkling water, into a shaker. Start with a dry shake (no ice), then finish with a quick hard shake over ice. Strain into collins glass with 3 ice cubes. Top with sparkling water.

For French Toast Café Orgeat: 

1. Toast 1 c. raw, sliced, skin-on almonds and 1 cinnamon stick and toast, stirring often, in a dry sauce pan until golden brown and fragrant.
2. When toasted, add 2 c. water, 1 tbsp. maple extract, 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 c. sugar and a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and let sit on warm stove for 2 hours.
3. Pour syrup through a fine strainer to strain out almonds. Set aside.
4. Place 3 pieces of stale bread or croissants on a baking sheet and toast in a 400° oven for 5 minutes until golden brown. Cool.
5. In a blender or food processor, add strained syrup and toasted bread. Blend on high until fully incorporated.
6. Fine strain through a cheese cloth.

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