We wanted to make some cocktails that were inspired by not only the teams that made it to the Super Bowl but also the teams that didn’t quite make it.
Aperol Spritz
After reading about the thriving cocktail scene in Kansas City, we decided to go with the Aperol Spritz to start our party. This city is definitely a visit!
3-4 oz Lemon and Honey Switchel, frozen in small cubes
2 oz sparkling wine
2 oz Aperol
1 ounce (a splash) unflavored sparkling water
Garnish – Orange slice or zest
Glass – Flute
1. Fill glass with switchel cubes.
2. Pour in the sparkling wine. I usually eyeball this and pour until I’ve filled about half of the glass.
3. Pour in the Aperol. Top your drink off with a splash of sparkling water and garnish.
The San Francisco Treat
Until we started reading up on cocktails that were popular in San Francisco, we thought the San Francisco Treat was Rice-a-Roni. Fernet is the distinctive ingredient here. It’s fragrant and slightly mentholated, with hints of sweet orange and cinnamony spice. It is not for the timid. San Franciscans drink more of this than anyone else in the world.
1 1/2 oz reposado tequila
1 oz Dubonnet Rouge
1/2 oz Aperol
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
4 oz Cranberry Maple Switchel
Garnish: orange twist, brandied cherry
Glass: Large Rocks
1. Pour the tequila, Dubonet, Aperol and Fernet into a glass filled with ice.
2. Top with Switchel.
3. Stir well.
Option – Freeze the Switchel in small cubes and use it in place of the ice.
Lynchburg Lemonade
This is a winner – easy to assemble and easy to drink
1 1/2 oz Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
1 oz Triple Sec
1 oz lemon juice
4 oz Lemon & Honey Switchel
Garnish – lemon slices
Glass – Mason Jar or Collins Glass
1. Pour the whiskey, triple sec, and lemon juice into a glass filled with ice.
2. Top with Switchel.
3. Stir well.
Bacon-washed Brandy Old Fashioned
In Wisconsin, brandy is used in place of bourbon and it is often topped with 7Up/Sprite. We also fat-washed the brandy and used our Switchels in place of the pop/sodas. Interesting and delicious.
1 sugar cube
1 orange
3 dashes of bitters
2 oz bacon washed bourbon or brandy
2 oz Switchel, Lemon & Honey or Cranberry Maple
1 large ice cube
1 lemon peel
Garnish Ideas: 2″ peel of orange zest and a brandied cherry, slice of bacon
Glass – Rocks
1. Rub each side of the sugar cube on the skin of the orange to draw out the oil. Do this with each side of the sugar cube.
2. Put a sugar cube at the bottom of a large glass (a pint glass will do). Douse it with Angostura bitters and about a teaspoon of Switchel. Smush the sugar cube with a muddler or spoon and stir to dissolve as much as possible.
3. Add in your bourbon, then the ice cubes. Using a proper bar spoon if possible, stir a minute at the very least, until the liquid is ice-cold and you can smell the brandy aromas.
4. Put large ice cube in the rocks glass. Strain the liquid into the glass. Because a large ice cube melts slowly, it slows dilution of your drink. Top with Switchel.