Memorial Day Cocktail Recipes

Hey, three day weekend. There’s something to celebrate. And like most occasions, Memorial Day calls for cocktails. But with the weather getting warmer, patios beckoning and hopefully a barbecue on the agenda, you’re going to need something refreshing. Maybe with a little fruit or some fresh-pressed juice. So to that end, we’ve rounded up recipes for five Memorial Day cocktails that will treat you right. And no, you don’t have to wait until Monday to get started.

GREEN MACHINE (pictured above)

1.25 oz Tanqueray No. TEN
3 oz green juice

Blend assorted greens with apple and lemon to create juice. Fine strain green juice into glass, add Tanqueray No. TEN and stir. Garnish with a mint sprig.

SPRING SHOWERS

1.5 oz Reyka Vodka
1 oz fresh watermelon juice
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.75 oz part lavender syrup
1 egg whites
4 cucumber slices

Muddle three cucumber slices in shaker. Add remaining ingredients and dry shake. Then add ice and shake again. Strain into a coupe and garnish with lavender seeds on that remaining cucumber slice.

RED RED RITA

1 oz Sauza Signature Blue Silver Tequila
1 oz blood orange juice
.5 oz fresh lime juice
·5 oz simple syrup

Add ingredients to an ice-filled shaker. Shake and strain over ice into a margarita glass. Garnish with a blood orange wheel.

DIPLOMATICO CLIPPER

50 ml Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum
15 ml homemade grapefruit cordial*
10 ml Cocchi Americano
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

To make the cordial, first melt white granulated sugar with the juices of grapefruit and make a syrup that’s 60% Sugar, 40% juice. Then add 10 strips of grapefruit peel and let sit for three hours. About 20% of the volume will reduce, so add water to maintain volume. Pour into bottle and keep in the fridge. To make the cocktail, combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass with large ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.