Happy holidays. Time to drink.
Today is National Cocktail Day and if you’ve given drinking up for Lent, don’t worry, God’s turning a blind eye today. We already had a chat.
It’s time to crack open the best bottle on your bar cart and grab all the mixers you can find in your fridge and get sipping. We don’t care if you’re making a classic or creating a new cocktail with the things you have at home, National Cocktail Day only occurs once a year so you have no excuse. It’s a holiday, for Pete’s sake.
No matter what you prefer sipping on, there’s a solid chance we’ve covered it at SPY before. So, to help get your cocktail-filled day started, pick your poison below before you break out that cocktail shaker:
- These are the best vodka brands
- Too expensive? Check out the best cheap vodka money can buy
- G&T kinda day? Here are the best gin brands
- Make some margaritas with the best tequila
- Looking for something newer? Try the best new tequila
- It’s safe to say that reposado tequila is taking the world by storm right now, though
- Mojitos? We’ve got the best rums ranked
- Go to the dark side with the best whiskey brands
- Looking for the gold at the end of the rainbow? You need to check out the best Irish whiskey brands
- Put a little hair on that chest with the best bourbon
- Don’t forget: applejack is making a comeback
- Lastly, see which of your favorite celebrities have gotten into the liquor game
With so many liquor choices to choose from as your base, the next step is to figure out what you’re going to mix with. It isn’t National Shots Day. That’s not until August. You gotta mix to celebrate correctly.
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To help give you some ideas, we asked our editors at SPY what they’re sipping on to celebrate today. From dirty martinis to mango margs, check out what drinks we’re making to celebrate National Cocktail Day today.
1. Dirty Martini
Our Editorial Director Jamie Miles has no time to waste when it comes to cocktail making. “Vodka martini, slightly dirty, is my drink of choice. The more olives the better,” she mentions only one minute after I emailed our team asking what they’ve got on their bar cart for tomorrow, “I always have a bottle of Ketel One in my pantry because as a new mom, you never know when you’ll be ready for happy hour after a long work week.”
2. Mai Tai
Who doesn’t love a good Mai Tai? Right now, they’re our Copy Editor James Schiff’s go-to. “I’ve been really into rum lately, so I’ve got to go with the classic rum cocktail, the Mai Tai. I recently got a bottle of Diplomatico rum and while it’s absolutely insane by itself, it’s even better as a base for a Mai Tai,” he explains as my own mouth begins to water from his description. “The ingredients are mostly things I’ve got lying around and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more refreshing cocktail for an end-of-day sipper.”
3. Paloma
“I’m a Paloma gal myself. A little tequila and grapefruit juice and we’re in business,” says E-Commerce Editor and self-proclaimed tequila enthusiast Taylor Galla. “I’ll drink it with mezcal in the winter if I want a little heat, or use regular tequila in the summertime — it’s the perfect breezy cocktail,” she continues on as I personally eye the tequila sitting on my bar cart across the room. “For regular tequila, I like my main man George’s former brand Casamigos and for mezcal I like Derrumbes San Luis Potosi.”
4. Rum & Coke
Our SEO Specialist Vita Savenko loves to use whatever she’s got in the house to get sipping, but specifically, she’s really into using flavored rum paired with Coke. “Flavored Cruzan rum with either Coke or pineapple juice is my go-to,” she begins explaining, with a preference toward Cruzan’s vanilla or coconut flavors, “It’s easy, inexpensive and delicious every time.”
5. Old Fashioned
“A perfectly made Old Fashioned is the GOAT cocktail as far as I’m concerned,” says our Tech Editor Adrian Covert, in which he rightfully has a point, “While you can go crazy with rye whiskeys, maraschino cherries and fancy bitters, I prefer to keep it simple: Bulleit bourbon with a few dashes of Angostura bitters, a teaspoon or two of simple syrup and a twist of orange. You absolutely can’t go wrong with this.” Keeping it fancy Adrian. We see you.
6. Gin & Tonic
“I don’t drink anymore, but if I was to mix a cocktail after a long day at work, I would keep things simple yet classy with a gin and tonic,” Managing Editor Tim Werth mentions in our one-on-one Slack chat, “With some classic Bombay gin and a squeeze of lime juice, this has to be one of the greatest cocktails ever invented. I know craft cocktails with all the fixings are the big thing now, but it’s hard to beat a good old-fashioned G&T.”
7. Mango Margarita
Oh, me? E-Commerce Editor, Tyler Schoeber? You want to know what I’m sipping on today? I thought you’d never ask. Every single day I am thinking about margaritas and tacos. No matter what day it is or the last time I had them, I am still thinking about them. Recently, I’ve been more into flavored margs every time I get the chance. Mango is typically my go-to, but every time I go to a new Mexican restaurant (which is often) and the waiter tells me about a margarita flavor they have that haven’t tried yet, you know damn well I’m ordered. Alas, today I’m ditching the restaurant making margs at home with my new favorite tequila brand Partida, some classic margarita mix and frozen Dole mangos right in the Nutribullet. No ice. Trust me, it slaps.