Cordials and liqueurs are key components of most cocktails, whether they’re the star of the show or a supporting player. These drink modifiers come in a range of flavors, from fruity, floral and herbal to spicy, bitter and savory. Here are a few cordials-based cocktails we like for this year.
Italian Sunshine
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Bergamot-flavored liqueur
- 3 dashes Orange bitters sprayed on top
- 1 bar spoon Fig jam
- ½ oz. Lemon juice
- 5 oz. Peroni beer
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except beer to a cocktail shaker.
- Shake then strain over ice into glass.
- Top with beer and garnish with fresh fig or rosemary and lemon peel
Notes
The mixologists at Peroni created this recipe.
Good Intentions
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Ketel One Botanicals vodka any flavor
- ½ oz. Strawberry sherbet
- ½ oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- ½ oz. Basil-infused aloe liqueur
- ½ oz. Fino sherry
- ½ oz. Lemon
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a mixing tin and shake.
- Strain into a Collins glass with ice.
- Garnish with house-made fruit leather (made from food scraps generated in production of cocktail).
Notes
Nate Satterfield, bartender at Vaso rooftop restaurant in Dublin, OH, created this recipe.
Piña Verde
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Green Chartreuse
- ½ oz. Wray & Nephew Jamaican overproof rum
- 2 oz. Coconut milk
- 1½ oz. Pineapple
- ½ oz. Lime
Instructions
- Flash blend (pulse-mix the ingredients together in a blender) until all the ingredients are blended smoothly.
- Pour into a glass.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and nutmeg.
Notes
Dustin Rodriguez, master bartender at The Bamboo Club in Long Beach, CA, created this recipe.
Sun Clap
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Chinola passion fruit liqueur
- 1¾ oz. El Tesoro Tequila Blanco
- 1 oz. Fresh pineapple sage juice*
- ¾ oz. Turmeric honey syrup**
- ¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Pour liqueur, tequila, pineapple sage juice, turmeric honey and lime into an ice-filled cocktail shaker.
- Shake and strain into a wine glass and fill with ice.
- Garnish with fresh pineapple wedge.
Notes
*Infuse fresh pineapple juice with fresh sage for three hours; refrigerate and strain before serving.
** Add a dash of turmeric powder to honey and stir until well blended.
The mixologists at Aura Cocina, Brooklyn, NY, created this recipe.
** Add a dash of turmeric powder to honey and stir until well blended.
The mixologists at Aura Cocina, Brooklyn, NY, created this recipe.
Fly as a Kite
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Blanco tequila
- ½ oz. Giffard Pamplemousse liqueur
- ½ oz. Batavia Arrack
- ¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
- ¾ oz. Fresh grapefruit juice
- ¾ oz. Mexican cinnamon rose water syrup*
- Mint and cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
- Add all ingredients and shake with ice.
- Serve into a Collins glass.
- Garnish with mint and a smoking cinnamon stick.
Notes
*For Mexican cinnamon rose water syrup:
3 Cinnamon sticks
32 oz. Water
48 oz. Granulated sugar
1 oz. Rose water Toast up 3 cinnamon sticks in a saucepan on medium heat for 5 minutes (make sure to occasionally shake so it doesn’t burn). Add water and bring to a boil. Add the granulated sugar and stir till completely dissolved. Drop to a simmer for 20 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes. Strain and add rose water. Brandon Verkaik, bar manager at Maya in Charleston, SC, created this recipe.
3 Cinnamon sticks
32 oz. Water
48 oz. Granulated sugar
1 oz. Rose water Toast up 3 cinnamon sticks in a saucepan on medium heat for 5 minutes (make sure to occasionally shake so it doesn’t burn). Add water and bring to a boil. Add the granulated sugar and stir till completely dissolved. Drop to a simmer for 20 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes. Strain and add rose water. Brandon Verkaik, bar manager at Maya in Charleston, SC, created this recipe.
Smoke & Whisper
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Benriach The Original Ten Scotch
- ¼ oz. Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
- ¼ oz. Limoncello
- ¼ oz. Honey syrup 1:1
- ½ oz. Meyer lemon juice
- Mist of Benriach The Smoky Ten Ten Scotch
Instructions
- Shake liquid ingredients up.
- Strain over a big ice cube in a rocks glass.
- Garnish with a dehydrated lemon disk.
- Mist The Smoky Ten over the top with an atomizer.
Notes
Mixologist Daniel Burns of Foreign Cinema in San Francisco created this recipe.
Alpine Holiday
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ oz. El Bandido reposado tequila
- ¾ oz. Zirbenz Stone Pine liqueur
- ¼ oz. Braulio amaro
- ½ oz. Lemon juice
- ½ oz. Root 23 cranberry apple spice syrup
- Egg white
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a mixing tin and shake.
- Strain into a coupe glass.
- Garnish with fresh pine sprig.
Notes
The mixologists at El Bandido created this recipe.
Good Vibrations
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Smoke Lab vodka
- 1 oz Giffard passion fruit liqueur
- 2 oz Blood orange juice
- ½ oz. Cinnamon syrup
Instructions
- Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice.
- Shake and strain over fresh ice into a large rocks glass.
- Garnish with a slice of blood orange and sprig of mint.
Notes
The mixologists at Smoke Lab created this recipe.
Autumn Sweater
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Zacapa No.23 rum
- 1 oz. Oloroso sherry
- ½ oz. Ancho chili liqueur
- ½ oz. French herbal liqueur
- Garnish with rosemary sprig
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to mixing glass with ice.
- Site and double strain over a large ice cube into a Negroni glass.
- Garnish and smoke with a flavor blaster.
Notes
he mixologists at Zacapa created this recipe.