Labor Day goes hand in hand with barbecues, the last official fling of summer. It’s warm, you’re in shorts and just chillin’ by the pool. You may associate food pairings with wine or beer, but a cocktail can enhance your grilled foods, whatever’s on the menu. These easy recipes allow for variation (substitute your favorite liquor for what’s listed or add a different garnish) and experimentation.
The Moscow Mule
Kings Row Gastropub in Old Pasadena offers their riff on the Mule with ginger syrup in place of carbonated ginger beer, which allows for a richer, smoother drink. Different vodkas can bump up the sweetness (e.g. corn-based vodkas) or be smoother (potato vodkas). Grill up fish like snapper, mahi mahi or swordfish with sweet corn on the cob in the husk for an ideal pairing.
Ingredients
2½ ounces Mulholland Vodka
½ ounce fresh lime juice
3½ ounces ginger syrup
Add all ingredients to shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into glass over ice. Garnish with lavender and lime wheel.
Pig in a Barrel
Pig In A Barrel
Eagle Rock’s 5 Line Tavern touts this cocktail, which not only offers a combination of woody and spicy notes, but a potent bourbon kick with a hint of sweetness and herbs. Bourbon-based cocktails work with a wide variety of foods: obviously this will pair well with grilled steak, venison, dry rubbed ribs and the like. It also works well with mushroom risotto with a grilled portabella or vegetable kabob with a brown sugar glaze.
Ingredients
Two dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters
1½ ounces James Pepper 1776 Bacon Washed Bourbon
½ ounce Amaro Nonino (or Campari)
½ ounce Zaya Rum (or any dark rum)
¼ ounce vanilla syrup
1 dash of liquid smoke
Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Stir vigorously. Add large ice cube to tumbler, pour in ingredients.
