Finally, a solution for those (and their friends) who find measuring maddening.
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1. Batch & Bottle Monkey Shoulder Old Fashioned
Batch & Bottle have teamed up with some of the biggest names in spirits to create premium, ready-to-pour cocktails, including Scotland’s Monkey Shoulder to create the perfect Old Fashioned in a bottle. It’s said you can measure a bartender’s chops by their Old Fashioned. Pour this for someone and they’ll think you’ve been moonlighting at a swanky speakeasy. Monkey Shoulder Whiskey is a blended malt scotch, designed for mixing from its inception. It’s rich, vibrant and smooth and, with the bold bespoke bitters and golden sugar used to make it, the perfect sweet and silky Old Fashioned.
Your part: Keep the bottle chilled on ice or in the fridge, add an ice cube, preferably round, to a short glass. Pour and add a twist of orange peel.
2. Tails 42 Below Passionfruit Martini
This bottle serves up four passion fruit martinis – when’s the last time you had a passion fruit martini? That’s right, it was the “it” drink at that cool bar and it was called a Pornstar Martini. Making one of these trending drinks usually requires four or five bottles, and some maths, but with the Tails 42 Below Passionfruit Martini, it’s a one-bottle job. A cheat’s Pornstar Martini. The vanilla vodka, passion fruit liqueur, lime juice and vanilla liqueur are built-in. Sweet, fruity, fun and hot. This is an impressive drink to serve, but with the Tails, there’s minimal effort (and zero room for error).
Your part: Pour into a shaker with ice, shake and pour into a Martini glass. Serve topped with half a passion fruit and alongside a glass of sparkling wine, if you’re doing the most.
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3. Campari Negroni
The Negroni is already one of the easier, classic cocktails – 3 spirits poured over ice, stir, voilà. But making them at home, you’ll inevitably be out of gin, or have the wrong vermouth – buying the cocktail pre-batched just cuts out the fuss. And a good Negroni should be just that: simple, balanced and drama-free. Campari know what they’re doing, so why not let them? The cocktail was invented in 1919 by Count Camillo Negroni who, fresh off a visit to London, asked that his Americano be made with gin instead of soda. What? Just because you’re fast-tracking the making doesn’t mean you can’t know a bit of the history.
Your part: Pour 90ml into a glass over ice, stir to chill and garnish with an orange wedge.
4. Curatif Amaretto Sour 130mL Cans
An Amaretto Sour is one of the most recognisable cocktails. Its bouquet is uniquely syrupy with the scent of marzipan, it’s frothy and a bitten-lip shade of red. Incredibly, thanks to a collaboration between Curatif and Melbourne’s Bar Bambi, all these characteristics are preserved in a can. You get the mouth-filling almond taste, chased by the lip-pursing lemon and finish on a comforting sweetness that sweeps the palate. This is no small feat, particularly because Amaretto Sours are a pain in the arse to make. Egg white, sugar syrup, attempts to balance the sweet and sour. By the time you’ve got one made you’ve burnt the chicken and trashed the kitchen. Having this fanciful and crowd-pleasing drink just a pull-tab away means your next dinner party will be a success, even if you only get home 10 minutes before your guests arrive and have forgotten to defrost the chicken. Curatif (and probably UberEats) to the rescue.
Your part: Serve from the chilled can or shake with ice and pour into a coup.
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5.Vok Strawberry Mojito
Mojitos are the ultimate summer sip, but they usually require a lot of muddling. Making them for a crowd can be a real workout for the arms! The Vok Strawberry Mojito Cocktail Can makes Mojitos mucho fácil (that’s Spanish for “easy AF”). Made using the Vok’s premium Strawberry Liqueur (much more herbs, fruits and spices than artificial flavouring), white rum, lime juice and soda water. It’s balanced, refreshing and a great dupe for the real thing.
Your part: Straight from the cold can, or in a tall glass with crushed ice.
6. Kahlua Espresso Martini 200mL Cans
To make this from scratch, you’d need a hipster barista-approved nitro creamer. Yep, these Espresso Martini cans are infused with nitrogen (like all top cold-brews), for a silky-smooth and creamy finish. This is top tier stuff, without the fuss. Made with Kahlúa, vodka, coffee and just the right amount of nitro foam, it’s the Espresso Martini perfected. You get the sweetness, the boldness and the creaminess but none of the bitter after taste that can come with homemade versions of this cocktail.
Your part: Serve from a cold can into a chilled Martini glass.
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