5 DIY Cocktails For Your Next Virtual Happy Hour

They say the best way to keep busy is to master a new skill. So, what better time to learn how to recreate your favorite sips? We’ve tapped a few of ATL’s favorite restos to share their favorite cocktail recipes just in time for your next virtual happy hour.

Blind Tiger

Hey all you cool cats and kittens! This Cooks & Soldiers (@cooksatl) cocktail is for you. The refreshing, gin-based drink is perfect to sip on while binge-watching Netflix’s newest phenom, Tiger King. Cheers to everyone except Carol Baskin.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Gin

1 oz. Lime Juice

1/2 oz. Maple Syrup

Top with Cava

Ice

How to Make: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the gin, lime juice and maple syrup and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass over ice (a large rock is ideal). Top with Cava.

Best Food to Pair: Salty, savory dishes such as Cooks & Soldiers Chicken Basquaise or famous Bikini grilled cheese with Jamon Iberico.

Spritz

We stan a spritz. Not only is it easy to make (only three ingredients are needed), but it’s also easy to switch up depending on your mood or preferences. Clarke Anderson, beverage manager at Decatur hotspot no.246 (@no246atlanta), recommends using different fruits and liqueurs to create variations. “Strawberries and raspberries are especially good with the orange and Aperol combo,” adds Anderson.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Aperol (or similar liqueur)

3 oz. Prosecco (or similar sparkling wine or dry cider)

2 oz. Club Soda (or similar sugar-free soda)

Fruits and herbs

How to make: In a sturdy wine glass, combine ingredients over ice. Top with fruit and herbs (Anderson recommends basil, lemon balm and rosemary).

Best Food to Pair: Aperol is Italy’s way to whet the appetite before a big meal. It's great with the salad and pizza course, before switching to red wine for the pasta course.

Dewdropper

There’s no better combo than a refreshing cocktail enjoyed from your porch or patio, so, of course, we love this tipple from Double Zero (@doublezeroatl). The name Dewdropper is especially appropriate as an Old English expression for a lazy person. Even better, this cocktail can be batched as a punch to enjoy with your small quarantine crew—just make sure to sip 6 feet apart.

Ingredients:

2 oz. gin

1/2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. mint simple syrup

How to make: Stir ingredients together and serve, or batch as a punch.

Best Food to Pair: A Margherita pizza and caesar salad to-go.

Max’s Kickin’ Mule

A Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria (@maxspizzaatl) favorite, this spicy sip is a welcome alternative to your traditional mule. And, lucky for you, it requires only a few ingredients that you most likely have at home.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 oz. Herradura Double Barrel Reposado

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

2-3 slices of fresh jalapenos

1 1/2 oz. of ginger beer

How to Make: Shake tequila, lime juice and jalapeno slices and pour in rocks glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with lime.

Best Food to Pair: A Salumi Pizza to-go.

Tom Collins

For a more classic cocktail, opt for a Tom Collins. This version from Tiny Lou’s (@tinylousatl) is our favorite. It’s satisfying yet simple. And since it’s garnished with fresh fruit it’s healthy, right?

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. Old Fourth Distillery Gin

3/4 oz. lemon juice

3/4 oz. simple syrup

Club soda

Fresh fruit for garnish

How to make: Combine ingredients and shake with ice. Strain mixture into glass over new ice. Top with club soda and garnish with cherry and citrus slice, or any fresh fruit.

Best Food to Pair: The Springer Mountain chicken on Tiny Lou’s to-go menu.

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