The Mockingbird Cocktails & Bartending

02/22/2023

A day late but we couldn’t resist sharing at least one Mardi Gras cocktail. Did anyone else enjoy a New Orleans classic this week?

hurricane
3 oz dark rum
1.5 oz passion fruit syrup
1.5 oz lemon juice
dash grenadine

Shake all ingredients over ice. Strain over pebbled ice. Serve with orange slice and umbrella.

06/26/2022

Summer evenings pair splendidly with blended strawberry daiquiris with Alpena strawberries.

strawberry daiquiri
1/2 cup white rum
1/4 oz lime juice
1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
2 cups strawberries
2 cups ice

Blend rum, sugar, and lime juice. Add in ice and strawberries until smooth. Makes two drinks.

04/04/2022

As it snows this April evening, why not cozy up with a New York Sour?

new york sour
2 oz rye
0.75 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz orange juice
0.75 oz simple syrup
0.5 oz medium bodied red wine

Shake all ingredients except wine over ice. Strain into a coupe or nick and norah. Pour red wine over the back of a spoon to float.
Enjoy!

12/10/2021

Looking to elevate your cocktails this holiday season? Riffing on the classics by swapping a simple syrup for an infused syrup (think cinnamon, all spice, cardamom, rosemary, cranberry, orange, or all the above) can bring a festive touch to a familiar classic and elevate the other flavors in the drink.

Tonight we swapped a simple syrup in a daiquiri for a spiced cranberry syrup made with cranberry juice, cranberry sauce, brown sugar, all spice, cinnamon, and orange. Most festive indeed.

Cheers to the holiday season!

09/14/2021

We are so excited to be a part of the upcoming fundraiser for Hospice of Michigan, A Hemingway-Inspired Evening in Paris, Havana, and Northern Michigan!

We’ll be mixing up some inspired cocktails during the event, which will take you on a historical journey through the life, cocktails, and literary works of Ernest Hemingway with author Philip Greene.

The event is September 25, 2021. You can find all the details and how to purchase tickets here: https://www.hom.org/hemingway-alpena/

08/11/2021

SAVE THE DATE! 🍹🥂
We are so excited to be shaking cocktails during happy hour for this event with Hospice of Michigan on September 25! Check it out below!

Hemingway fans – SAVE THE DATE and get ready for a night of fun, food and cocktails...A Hemingway-Inspired Evening in Paris, Havana, and Northern Michigan will be here before you know it!

We'll have not one, but two rounds of this fundraiser – on September 24 in Traverse City and again on September 25 in Alpena. More information to come soon! 📚🥃

06/26/2021

Thank you for bringing us a taste of Trader Sam’s on this rainy evening with a round of Temple of the Forbidden Ryes. 🍹

06/24/2021

Thank you for hosting us last night for our Virtual Cocktail Tutorial for the adult summer reading program! If you missed it, you can view the video over on the library’s page and learn how to make some tiki cocktails 🍹

Pictured here is the third cocktail of the evening, the aptly named Quarantine Order.

quarantine order
3 oz aged Jamaican rum
1 oz lime juice
1 oz grapefruit juice
0.5 oz cinnamon syrup
0.5 oz passion fruit syrup
5 dashes angostura bitters

Shake all ingredients over ice. Strain into glass over crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheel, cherry, and fresh mint.

04/08/2021

Based on its color, you wouldn’t guess green chartreuse is one of the major flavors in this drink. The Bijou cocktail dates back to the 1890’s, invented by Harry Johnson, who is considered the father of professional bartending. He called it “bijou”because it combined the colors of three jewels: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby, and chartreuse for emerald.

bijou
1.5 oz gin
0.75 oz green chartreuse
1 oz sweet vermouth
2 dash orange bitters

Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir. Serve in a chilled martini or coupe glass.

09/18/2020

Shaking up another Campari-based cocktail this evening to celebrate Negroni Week.

negroni sour
1.5 oz gin
0.75 oz Campari
1 oz amaro
0.75 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz orange juice
0.25 oz simple syrup
1 egg white

Dry shake egg white and lemon juice for 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and shake over ice. Fine strain into coupe. Garnish with lemon wheel.

Recipe from

09/14/2020

Happy Negroni Week 2020!

Negroni Week is a weeklong celebration of one of the world’s great classic cocktails and a fundraising campaign for various charities and organizations, hosted by Imbibe and Campari. This year, all events and fundraising are digital, and all funds raised will go to restaurant and bar workers who have been devastated by COVID-19. You can learn more about Negroni Week by visiting here: https://negroniweek.com/donation/

negroni
1 oz gin
1 oz campari
1 oz sweet vermouth

Add all ingredients to mixing glass and stir over ice. Strain into low ball glass over ice. Garnish with orange peel.