top 5 favorite cocktails | the great american takeout
today is The Great American Takeout 2. it’s a social media push to support local restaurants, eateries, and beverage stores that have off-premise/curbside offerings. given that most the country—and world—is effectively shut down, assuming you safely can, it’s so important right now to support our local businesses. to that end, we thought we’d do something fun on the blog today. i’ve asked the team to pick our top 5 favorite cocktails we’ve featured on fridays with oscar over the past few months. anything going back to last fall was fair game, and here’s what we came up with—a pretty diverse mix of drinks. if your local restaurants or liquor stores offer these cocktails (or variants) proper or have the ingredients to make them, make sure to patron them (again, assuming you safely can)! my favorite liquor store in Athens, 5 Points Bottle Shop, offers curbside pickup. so, we’ll be revisiting these cocktails. please enjoy, and in support of our local restaurants and liquor stores, cross post today’s blog on your social media channels.
as my mother always used to say, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. so, in no particular order, here are our top 5 favorite cocktails.
apple cider mojito
one of my favorite cocktails from last fall was the apple cider mojito. my family and i had many dinners and late night conversations on the porch, and i really enjoyed the fall-inspired apple cider mojito. the crisp, minty flavor takes the edge off the sweetness of the cider—a true juxtaposition of tastes.
similar sleeveless shirt | similar cargo pant | penny loafer
the purrfect manhattan
last fall, we featured a manhattan. if you’re a whiskey-rye-bourbon fan, then you’re going to love this pick. this family of liquors pairs perfectly with steak. it’s my son’s favorite cocktail.
similar sweater | similar blouse | similar camo pants | similar camo pants 2 | similar driving mocs
a martini shaken, not stirred
stirred, not shaken? no. shaken, not stirred. this past winter, we featured the classic dirty martini. it had been a while since i’ve had one, but Kelly suggested we feature it on the blog. and am i glad she did. super simple to make. you can go with either gin or vodka and some vermouth. i’ve chosen to do a gin one.
similar cable knit sweater | toby flat | similar pants
a holiday margarita
this past holiday season, we featured a slightly new take on the classic margarita. i just love the sweet and spicy flavor combination. if you do too, or if you’re looking to break out of the holiday same old same old, check out this drink: a blackberry margarita. the bite of the jalapenos is offset nicely by the sweetness of the blackberries. pair that with a traditional salt rim, and you’re running the full flavor spectrum.
similar sweater | crop trouser jean | similar ankle boots
red vespa
hard to believe just a few months ago, we were watching the Super Bowl. we went out on a limb and featured a Red Vespa. the recipe calls for a citrus bitter liqueur called Contratto, which i was unable to find here in Athens. so i substituted Campari. you can also substitute with Aperol. this cocktail is basically the beer version of an Aperol spritz (one of my favorite cocktails!). it’s light and refreshing.
similar cashmere cardigan | straight pant | tank | ballet flat | lipstick
We are able to get cocktails along with our take out food here in Texas. Thank you Governor Abbott for that Executive Order!
Hi Beth, lovely pictures, you have brightened my day xoxo Julie from England
I love all your post. I especially love the ones with Oscar. Thank you for all your preppyniess. Preppy is still my look so I was so happy to find you. Nancy
love it! thanks…..
What is Oscar’s favorite drink? He is so cute.
Mmmmm. All good-sounding choices. I admit I succumbed to a number of Aperol spritzes last time I was in Italy. I’ll have to try that apple cider mojito–I don’t remember that one, and it sounds yummy. I’ll pin these for future ideas, too. Thanks!
Hi Beth, I love all your post, thank you!!! Oskar is the best!!! Veselina
Great post! You should do a family post, show case your kiddos. Hope all is well with your family.
We are having a virtual cocktail party today with friends. These are some great ideas – our fellas like craft beer, but the gals will have vanilla vodka & tonic. I plan on making some homemade potato chips this morning, and will set up a little snack table for my husband and myself. Take care.