Look no further for something new to sip on this season. We asked five top bartenders to pick their favorite distinctive cocktails. We discovered it’s all about incorporating fresh ingredients, including herbs, fruit, and local products. To taste them, visit the establishments or make them at home. Ready to spice up your spring? Read on.
Café de Thai
7499 Longley Lane, Reno
775-829-8424, www.Cafedethaireno.com
Thai Thyme Blackberry Margarita
1.5 ounces Corazon tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce fresh lime juice
.25 ounce local honey (one idea is Halleluyah Honey from Carson Valley, available at www.Halleluyahhoney.com)
8 blackberries from your favorite farmers’ market in the summer (one idea is the South Reno Sunday morning farmers’ market)
4 to 6 sprigs of thyme (fresh from your backyard)
Muddle blackberries and fresh thyme in shaker. Add remaining ingredients with ice. Shake vigorously. Double strain over an ice-filled rocks glass rimmed with kosher salt. Garnish with two blackberries skewered with thyme sprig.
Strawberry Caipiroska
1.5 ounces Van Gogh Vodka
1 ounce raw sugar
3 to 4 fresh strawberries (from your strawberry patch this summer)
1 whole lime, quartered
Muddle lime in cocktail shaker. Add strawberries. Finish muddling. Add remaining ingredients with ice. Shake to mix. Double strain over ice in rocks glass. Garnish with fresh whole strawberry.
Thai Tarragon Cooler
6 to 8 tarragon leaves (from your backyard or windowsill herb garden)
1 inch sliced cucumber (from your garden or local farm)
Juice from one lime
1 tablespoon local honey (one idea is Halleluyah Honey from Carson Valley, available at www.Halleluyahhoney.com)
1 ounce of brewed Davidson’s organic chamomile tea (from Sparks, Nev.)
Sparkling water
Muddle fresh tarragon with sliced cucumber in cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients (except soda water) and shake. Strain into tall glass. Add soda water then stir. Garnish with spear of cucumber and fresh tarragon sprig.
Manzanita at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
13031 Ritz-Carlton Highlands Court, Truckee
530-562-3000, www.Manzanitalaketahoe.com
BNB
3 ounces bacon-infused Maker’s Mark
.5 ounces of maple syrup
Dash of bitters
Combine and present in rocks glass. Garnish with blue cheese-stuffed date.
TidaZitaRita
2.5 ounces of Partida Blanco Tequila
1 ounce simple syrup
3 lime wedges
1 orange wheel
Muddle lime, orange, and simple syrup. Add tequila and ice. Shake well. Pour into rocks glass with salt rim.
Studded Sidecar
3 ounces brandy or cognac/Armagnac
Splash simple syrup
2 slices orange
2 basil leaves
Muddle orange with basil and simple syrup. Add ice and brandy, serve in rocks glass with float of Cointreau. Garnish with kumquat (or orange slice) studded with cloves. Reported to originate at The Ritz Paris, the Sidecar was created for a regular guest, an American general, who rode into the bistro in a sidecar.
Fuego for Tapas
170 S. Virginia St., Reno
775-322-1800, www.Fuegonv.com
Fresh Berry Caipirinha
4 to 5 fresh, locally grown organic berries, when available. For this recipe, Fuego uses raspberries
3 fresh organic basil leaves, torn
2 teaspoons superfine organic sugar
2 ounces Leblon Natural Cane Cachaça (Brazilian rum)
Muddle berries, basil, and sugar in shaker (muddling means to smash while humming a moderate beat). Add scoop of ice. Pour in 2 ounces Leblon Natural Cane Cachaça. Shake vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds, once again to a moderate beat. Serve in rocks glass and garnish with fresh berry. Sip and savor. Then make more. For pitchers: Mix/muddle eight times the amount of fruit, basil, and sugar in pitcher. Add eight times the Cachaça and stir. Fill remaining pitcher volume with ice and stir/mix rapidly for 1 minute. Thereafter, stir before each refill.
Old Granite Street Eatery
243 S. Sierra St., Reno
775-622-3222, www.Oldgranitestreeteatery.com
Chamomile Sour
2 ounces chamomile-infused Famous Grouse Scotch (recipe below)
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
1 egg white
Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and shake. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a lemon peel.
Chamomile-Infused Scotch
1 bottle Famous Grouse
¼ cup chamomile flowers
Steep chamomile flowers directly into scotch. Let sit for 45 minutes. Double strain and rebottle.
Date Thyme
1 date (cut in half)
¾ cup fresh lime juice
Muddle date in a cocktail shaker with the lime juice. Add
1½ ounces Barsol Pisco
½ ounce Cointreau
½ ounce thyme syrup
Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled glass and garnish with lime wheel.
MidTown Eats
719 S. Virginia St., Reno
775-324-3287, www.Midtowneatsreno.com
Cucumber Smash
Muddled basil, cucumber, and brown sugar cube
2 ounces of Hendrick’s gin
½ ounce St.-Germain elderflower liqueur
¼ ounce fresh lime juice
Shake, double-strain, and serve.
Capo Luca
2 ounces De Maguey Chichicapa
¼ ounce agave nectar
¼ ounce yuzu citrus juice
¼ ounce Yellow Chartreuse
Bar spoon Luxardo Maraschino
Serve over and garnish with fresh rosemary.
