15 Spring Cocktails

PUT A

Chris Wiman of Mountain Motion Media / Ore House Durango

We spoke to five different bars and asked them to come up with threecocktails made with a different base spirit; two classic preparations togive choice to finicky cocktail drinkers, and a third, more obscure orinventive cocktail. So whether you’re looking for something refreshingafter a long day in the saddle or something slightly warming after a dayof spring skiing, you’ll find it here.

WHISKEY | Ore House, Durango

Ryan Cleveland

1. The Scofflaw

This cocktail dates back to the 1920’s and was named after the frequenters of speakeasies and general naysayers of the National Prohibition Act. The only alteration to the traditional recipe is that instead of rye whiskey Cleveland substituted Earl Grey-infused bourbon.

2 ozs Earl Grey-infused Colorado straight bourbon (Peach Street Distillers)

1 oz Carpano Dry vermouth

.75 ozs fresh lemon juice

.75 ozs real pomegranate grenadine

Method: Shake all of the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker. Fine strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Click here to get the recipes for the Earl Grey-infused bourbon and the pomegranate grenadine.

2. Meunier’s Vieux Carré

This next drink is essentially a white Vieux Carré. A traditional Vieux Carré consists of rye, sweet vermouth, Cognac or brandy, Benedictine and bitters. It is one of Cleveland’s favorite wintertime cocktails, but substituting bianco vermouth and Singai (Bolivian white brandy) make this an incredible light springtime whiskey drink.

1 oz Leopold Bros. American Small Batch Whiskey

1 oz Singani 63

1 oz Contratto Bianco Vermouth

1 barspoon Leopold Bros. Three Pins Alpine Herbal Liqueur

Method: Stir ingredients together in a mixing glass for roughly 40 seconds. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon and a brandied cherry.

3. You Me & Génépi

Cleveland opted for A.D. Laws Whiskey House Secale Straight Rye whiskey. This whiskey has incredibly rich flavor and is 100 proof which is great for mixing drinks. It is a slight riff on a whiskey sour with the addition of Golden Moon Distillery’s Ex Gratia, a génépi.

1.5 ozs Laws Secale Straight Rye whiskey

.75 ozs Golden Moon Ex Gratia

.75 ozs fresh lemon juice

.5 ozs simple syrup

1 oz egg white

Method: Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker without ice vigorously for at least one minute to create a froth. Then add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with two dashes of bitters on the foam. Be creative and make a design using a toothpick.

RUM | The Way Home, Carbondale

Kade Gianinetti

1. The Colorado Dirty Bird

More commonly known outside of Colorado as the Jungle Bird, the original version of this tiki cocktail was said to have been invented at the Aviary bar in the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in 1978. The Dirty Bird goes better with hiking boots and flannel, than flip flops and swim trunks.

The Way Home version follows tradition pretty closely but with a few ounces of pure Rocky Mountain rum.

1.5 ozs Montanya Oro

.75 ozs Campari .5 ozs lime juice

.5 ozs simple syrup

1.5 ozs pineapple sage shrub

Method: Add all of the ingredients to a shaker, add ice and shake until desired dilution is reached. Pour into a Collins glass with crushed ice.

This cocktail is also good frozen.

2. Rum Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is an absolute classic. It is said to have been created by James E. Pepper in Louisville, Kentucky who then took the drink to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City.

When it comes to the Old Fashioned, there are “fruit forward” people and there are those that enjoy a pared-back version. This one will surely divide opinion as it doesn’t even contain whiskey.

2 ozs Montanya Exclusiva

.25 ozs demerara syrup

4 dashes Strongwater Orange Cocktail Bitters

Method: Add ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice and stir until desired dilution is reached. Strain into a double Old Fashioned glass with a large ice cube and garnish with a preserved lemon wheel.

3. The Daiquiri

The classic Daiquiri is made from nothing more than rum, lime juice and sugar shaken with cracked ice and strained. It takes its name from the place it was invented, the mining town of Daiquiri on the southeastern tip of Cuba.

Said to have been created during the time of the Spanish-American War, in 1898, by Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer, to protect his workers from yellow fever. Another theory is that he ran out of gin at a party and began shaking rum cocktails instead.

2 ozs Montanya Platino

1 oz lime juice

.5 ozs simple syrup

Method: Combine all of the ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a cocktail coupe.

The Daiquiri is such a classic cocktail and with rum this good it is best to let it be the star. Classics are classics for a reason.

GINGERCELLO | Marble Bar, Aspen & Carbondale

Matt Kyllonen

1. Marble Mule

Moscow Mules may be all the rage this spring, but you don’t you have to go to Russia for great vodka or a great Mule. Using fresh juices and homemade syrup are the key to ensuring a ginger punch with an all-natural, fresh flavor.

1 oz Gingercello

1 oz ginger-infused Marble Vodka*

.5 ozs ginger syrup

.5 ozs fresh lime juice

1.5 ozs cold seltzer

.5 ozs Q Gingerbeer (Q is a Colorado all-natural mixer company)

Method: Mix all of the ingredients in a rocks glass and stir gently. Fill to the rim with ice, and garnish with a lime wedge.

*Macerate two cups of fresh ginger then add one 750ml bottle of vodka and rest in sealed container for at least one week (or longer) before straining.

2. Spicy Marble-Rita

If you aren’t a tequila drinker, try the Marble-Rita in place of a traditional Margarita. This spicy cocktail will make you feel like you are on the beach in Mexico.

1 oz Gingercello

.5 ozs Marble Vodka

.5 ozs pepper-infused Marble Vodka

.5 ozs fresh lime juice

1.5-2 ozs Stripped Margarita Mix (Stripped is an all natural, Colorado craft mixer)

Honey and crystallized ginger

Method: Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice. Rim a rocks glass with honey and crystallized ginger. Shake and strain the mixture over ice and pour into the glass. Garnish with a jalapeño slice and a sprig of mint.

3. The Gilligan

Not to be confused with the Gilligan’s Island, a tiki cocktail with all kinds of tropical flavors, Kyllonen’s Gilligan is a summer pleaser that doesn’t require any fancy equipment - all you need is a mason jar. Light and refreshing, it is equally perfect on an a sun-drenched beach on your back deck.

1.5 ozs Gingercello

1 oz Marble Vodka

.75 ozs lemongrass syrup

.75 ozs fresh lemon juice

Shake and strain all of the ingredients into a mason jar filled with ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint.

VODKA | The Bookcase and Barber, Durango

Collaborative effort

1. Rosemary’s Baby

Named after Roman Polanski’s 1968 psychological horror film “Rosemary’s Baby,” the Bookcase version of this cocktail uses houseinfused rosemary vodka to give a Bookcase take on the classic vodka martini.

2 ozs rosemary-infused vodka

.25 ozs Luxardo Maraschino

.25 ozs Damiana Carpano Bianco to rinse

Method: Add all of the ingredients into a glass and stir. Double strain into a Nick and Nora set-up (see image) that has been rinsed with dry vermouth. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary via a clothespin on the glass.

This Nick and Nora set-up is how The Bookcase and Barber present their martini cocktails. The rest of the cocktail is chilling as you sip it, so you get that perfect crisp taste with each sip.

2. The 'Classic' Gimlet

The Gimlet was promoted and drunk by British naval officers back in the 19th Century as the vitamin C in the lime prevented scurvy.

Said to have been named after Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette, the use of lime to prevent scurvy is how British sailors became known as Limeys.

For this version, The Bookcase and Barber uses Goat Vodka from Peach Street Distillers in Palisade and serves it in a large chilled coupe.

2.5 ozs vodka

.5 ozs lime juice

.5 ozs simple syrup

Method: Add the ice, lime juice, vodka and simple syrup to a metal mixing tin and shake with a Boston shaker. Strain into a large coupe glass if served up or over a large cube in an old fashioned glass if on the rocks. Garnish with a lime wedge.

3. Gözlü Dilber

A Bookcase original collaboration, the Gözlü Dilber is named after the Turkish term for hazel eyes and is a nod to Turkey, using pistachio, rose, and orange blossom water are all quite common in Turkish cuisine, specifically baklava.

2 ozs pistachio-infused vodka

.75 ozs creme de rose

1.5 ozs Poli Miele

.25 ozs honey simple syrup

.75 ozs egg white

.75 ozs lemon juice

4 dashes orange blossom water

1 dropper of cardamom bitters

Method: Add the lemon and egg white to the shaker with the spring from a Hawthorne strainer and shake. Add the remaining ingredients and a small scoop of ice and shake again. Strain onto fresh ice in a bucket glass. Garnish half the cocktail with pistachio dust and the other half with fresh petals.

AGAVE |Phelanies, Montrose

Collaborative effort

1. Juan Collins

This strawberry and cucumber Juan Collins is an agave variation of the classic Tom Collins, the “gin and sparkling lemonade” drink, as it was described in 1876 by Jerry Thomas, “the father of American mixology.”

The Juan Collins that Phelanies came up with is going to be a good drink for spring, particularly as the weather warms up as we move toward summer.

2 ozs Storm King Agave Blanco

1 oz Lemon Juice

.5 ozs Simple Syrup

Method: Muddle the strawberries and cucumber before adding the wet ingredients. Shake and strain over ice into a Collins glass and top with club soda. Garnish with a strawberry and a slice of cucumber.

2. Agave Old Fashioned

Another take on the Old Fashioned, this time perhaps even more controversial as it uses agave.

In this case, Phelanies uses agave from local distillery Storm King Distilling Company which produces both agave blanco and agave especial as well as gin, barrelrested gin and vodka.

2 ozs Storm King Agave Blanco

.125 ozs agave syrup

2 dashes black walnut bitters

Method: Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass pour over large ice cube and garnish with a cherry and an orange swath

3. Tamarind Margarita

A cocktail classic, one origin story for the Margarita claims that it was invented in 1938 at Carlos “Danny” Herrera’s restaurant in Rancho La Gloria for a customer who was allergic to many spirits, but not tequila. Either that or it is a reincarnation of a drink called the Daisy but with tequila instead of brandy and using the Spanish version of the name - Margarita is Spanish for Daisy.

In the Phelanies incarnation, the Cointreau of the classic is switched out for tamarind syrup.

2 ozs Storm King Agave Blanco

1.5 ozs tamarind syrup

.75 ozs freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice

Method: Shake all of the ingredients and strain over ice into a Margarita glass with a salted rim. Garnish with a lime wedge.