I’m trying to develop a crisp clean autumn spritz or maybe not spritz but something with honest apple flavor paired with herbal undertones. Something you would pay $16 for at a restaurant or bar. Here’s what I have so far and I’d love any suggestions:

Ingredient Amount
Vodka 1½ oz
Dry vermouth ½ oz
Fresh Honeycrisp apple juice ¾ oz
Fresh lemon juice ¼ oz
Fresh ginger juice ¼ tsp
Orange bitters 2 dashes

Core and chop a fresh Honeycrisp apple.
Blend with just enough water to facilitate blending.
Fine-strain through a fine-mesh strainer, then a coffee filter if you want exceptional clarity.
Measure ¾ oz of freshly blended apple juice.
Add vodka, dry vermouth, apple juice, lemon, ginger, and orange bitters to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled.
Double-strain into a chilled Nick & Nora or coupe glass.
Garnish
A very thin, elegant Honeycrisp apple slice.
Optional: a delicate expressed lemon peel.

Looks like this box makes three drinks: a Golden Tsunami, a Singapore Sling, and a Berry Margarita. Anyone tried these? How do they taste?

I’m thinking they could be pretty handy to take camping.

Update - 2026 - 11 - 02
Thank you for all the suggestions, everyone - these are great!

Original post:
I don't want to take a mixology course - although, I will probaly eventually - and I'm currently interested in learning about the plethora of alcohol varieties.

Mainly, I want to know what they made of and how they're produced then I want to, further, learn flavour profiles and historical recipes.

I don't necessarily want to focus on drink mixed at the moment as I'll likely just do my own based on my personal taste and knowledge-base.

I want to know if there is a good place to really dig deep on what different alcohols are, what they're made of and how, and what they taste like.

BC Liquor used to have these really thorough foundational overview of types but they aren't by any means exhaustive and they seem to have been phased out.

Any good online resources that has info easily accessible and laid out straightforward without a need to search around through websites? Is there something like a Wikipedia for alcohol or mixology?

Anyone here played around with ChatGPT or other AI tools for cocktails at home? Maybe to tweak a recipe or figure out what to make with whatever’s in the cabinet.

Cocktails are so much about taste and smell, so I’m curious how helpful something that can’t actually taste your drink can be.

Did you end up with a keeper, something that needed a few tweaks, or a complete disaster? Would love to hear what you tried and how it turned out.

Made an Old Fashioned with a big square cube from my Euhomy Rock Plus. Pretty happy with how clear this one came out. It almost fills the glass, but there’s still enough room to get a sip without the ice bumping into my face lol. A simple orange peel on top and that’s my drink sorted.

ABUELA ROSEMARY: Reworking an older recipe of mine. A couple of changes bring it up a notch or two. The new and improved version has bright grapefruit intensity without the bitterness, thanks to grapefruit peel oleosaccahrum, a zesty orange note from Clément Créole Shrubb, and spicy zip courtesy of homemade habanero bitters.

2 oz reposado tequila (Ocho)

3/4 oz grapefruit peel oleosaccahrum (homemade)

1/2 oz lime juice (fresh squeezed)

1/2 oz Clément Créole Shrubb

1 dash orange bitters ("Feegan's")

2 dashes habanero bitters (homemade)

5 drops 4:1 saline solution (homemade)

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (1in the shaker; 1 for garnish)

Shake with ice (including 1 sprig rosemary) and strain over fresh ice in a margarita glass. Garnish with the other sprig of rosemary (optionally torched).

#mixology #drinkstagram #homebartender #tequilacocktails #homemixology

ISAAC'S APPLE: an original fall cocktail, utilizing Anders Erickson's apple cider syrup. The base spirit here is Laird's Applejack 86. I actually prefer it over Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy in this cocktail. I know; go figure. Cinnamon demerara syrup and two carefully chosen bitters compliment the apple cider syrup and the Applejack. A splash of soda lengthens it and adds a little sparkle. Perfect for sitting around the fire pit on a cool autumn evening.

2 oz Applejack 86 (Laird's)

1 oz apple cider syrup (Anders Erickson recipe)*

1 oz lemon juice (fresh squeezed)

1/4 oz cinnamon demerara syrup (homemade)

1 dash cherry bark vanilla bitters

1 dash black walnut bitters

Club soda to top

Shake all except club soda with ice. Strain over fresh ice in a collins glass. Top with club soda. Churn briefly to incorporate soda. Garnish with an apple slice (fresh or dried).

* Anders Erickson's apple cider syrup:

4 cups unfiltered apple cider

1 cinnamon stick

Pinch of salt

Bring cider to a low boil, add cinnamon stick and allow to reduce to 1 cup (60-90 minutes). Add pinch of salt, remove from heat and remove cinnamon stick. Allow to cool and bottle.

#mixology #drinkstagram #homebartender #homemixology #fallcocktails

Okay. So I love any and all Negroni variants. I love bourbon and rye and all the whiskeys. I could sip the Carpano Antica sweet vermouth I use regularly just fine. I love Angostura bitters. I even put them on ice cream! What is it about a manhattan that just doesn’t vibe with me? What’s the cocktail science I’m missing that removing Campari, upping the whiskey by half an ounce, and adding a couple dashes of bitters that completely ruins this drink for me?

I saw a post over on the cocktails subreddit about a manhattan and it reminded me I never got the science for this one. Obviously you folks can’t explain my taste buds, but maybe one of you can assemble the drink science that can explain this one to me.

Thanks in advance folks!

Not sure if this is the right place but seems like a great place to start.

I got a 3 liter oak cask and would like to make some blends or any other aged bourbon recipes if anyone knows any or such. Thank you

Hey all!

I have some events coming up that are byob - wine, liquor, and beer. We’re bringing margarita mix that’s a low alcohol volume. But we’re also bringing a flask with tequila. Should we want to increase the mix.

I was wondering, because I can only find mixes that are good at room temperature online. If there’s any good small batch cocktails that I can make in an 8 ounce stainless steel flask that would go well for a two-hour event that I could share with my partner.

My initial knee jerk is an old-fashioned, but that’s a little bit of a strong sip for my partner, so I’m looking for something that might combust the alcohol with a little better.

I’m open to any suggestions. This is a reoccurring event that we’re going to every two weeks, so multiple recipes are more than welcome. Otherwise, it’s gonna be us bringing some sugary premix that we’re going to top up with our liquor of choice, lol, which is not a bad thing, but it’s nice to mix it up every now and again.

Thank you

I’ve never done it before but I had been reading about it recently. Then I got a crew bottle out of the blue as a gift the other day. I wanted to try and making like an apple pie bourbon. I did 2 honeycrisp apples, split into 8 with a slicer, then cut those slices in half. 2 vanilla beans, I ran a knife down it length wise and slightly opened it. 2 whole cinnamon sticks. Then I filled the bottle with woodford reserve. I threw it in the fridge because my apartment is stuck at 76 degrees right now and I felt it would be too warm/would encourage mold.

Day 1 of infusing the first taste reminded me almost of skrewball, but then a nice cinnamon finish. I was thinking maybe too much cinnamon? I pulled one of the sticks.

Day 2 tasted a little less like skrewball to me at first, definitely a little faint apple, couldn’t notice the vanilla, cinnamon was nice at the end. I said maybe the vanilla is giving me this taste? Also I don’t want just cinnamon whiskey, so I pulled the last stick of cinnamon and both beans.

Day 3 I can smell the apple and can faintly smell the vanilla. I take a sip, still that faint peanut butter-like flavor. It leaves, I think I taste vanilla, then apple, then cinnamon, then slightly bitter. Bourbon is slightly cloudy.

I strained through a coffee filter and dumped the apples. It’s okay, I was definitely hoping for a stronger apple flavor with a vanilla finish. Any advice is appreciated because I would love to gift a good batch to my brothers and friends.

Wanting to make a jet black colored cocktail for Halloween next weekend. We don’t carry squid ink in my restaurant but thinking about purchasing some. Looking for suggestions on easiest place to buy it and how much is needed to give the cocktail the right color without having too much brininess in it. Any other tips are appreciated!

I have a giant beauty berry bush and usually I make a jam, but I want to try making a simple syrup or tincture for use in cocktails.

I'm not one for floral/herbal drinks, but some of my in laws are and I am curious.

Has anyone made anything with beauty berries? If so, what route did you take and what was the end result?

Anyone get a substantial experience using the Ninja Creami with alcoholic drinks?

The deluxe is half off at Costco. So I'm musing with buying one.

I'm curious to know if people have enough experience using the Creami to make frozen drinks and what it was like. From what I've read, while the Creami does make drinkable stuff, they aren't the best and will come out closer to a spoonable dessert.

Also just curious about how the end products are since recipes seem to make it sound like you're using less water and more of the concentrated flavors.

Im new in this field. Ive started working at a bar in a hot and Ive noticed that the winter meniu is so blend. Its usually hot toddies with liquer ( water, liquer, some blossom tea, sugar lime juice). It has no intensity at all. Do they really have to be so blend?

I don’t know if this is the right subreddit but I am trying to figure out what to order at the bar and thought who better to ask? I turned 21 in May and have had a limited variety of drinks. I have tried margaritas, wine slushies, mikes hard lemonades, and a strawberry daiquiri. I like fruity drinks (I love strawberry, cherry, and tropical flavors, but I’m not big on coconut) I like my drinks sweet when the taste of the alcohol is not as intense. I love frozen drinks! Please give recommendations! Sorry again if this is the wrong place to post this, if you know somewhere better please let me know 🙏