Awesome Drinks

When Astral Tequila Blanco debuted, it was practically written in the stars that they’d eventually launch two more affordable offerings: Astral Tequila Reposado and Astral Tequila Añejo. For just a couple extra bucks, go for the Añejo, a mellow 100% Blue Weber agave spirit aged 12 months in single-use American Oak Bourbon barrels.

No self-respecting bartender mixes a mint julep, mojito, or stirred negroni without a strainer. Named for the head bartender at New Orleans’ Sazerac House, Cocktail Kingdom’s mixologist-approved, silver-plated Wilkinson Scalloped Julep Strainer was inspired by the collections of cocktail historian David Wondrich and Cocktail Kingdom owner Greg Boehm.

When a cocktail is this substantial, it’s easy to justify a liquid lunch. For the Taquito-rita, JAJA Tequila took a classic margarita, added muddled jalapeños, and garnished it with a stack of Delimex Taquitos. Genius. The celery stalk makes it a balanced meal in a glass, and Go Puff’s kit makes it easy.

Created nearly 140-years ago by Scotch Whisky pioneer James Buchanan, Buchanan’s whiskies helped establish the art of Scotch blending. The house of Buchanan’s is still at it, most recently blending their smoothest whiskies with the juicy pineapple. Buchanan’s Pineapple brings a touch of the tropics to the not-so-sunny land of the brave.

The way life is today, you never know when a drinking emergency might come up. This fun gift set from Not Another Bill comes packed with vodka, bloody mary mix, Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, and a cocktail shaker. The only thing missing are drinking glasses, but you can always use your coffee mug for that. They also make an emergency gin and tonic suitcase.

The world’s first carbon-neutral and fair trade certified rums by Flor de Caña are as exceptional as the distiller’s 130-year history as a family-run enterprise. Flor de Caña 12-Year Rum is naturally aged without sugar in white oak bourbon barrels sealed with plantain leaves, creating a premium rum with tropical notes.

Produced in a state-of-the-art palenque in Axocopan, Puebla, Mexico, Del Maguey Vida Puebla adheres to Del Maguey’s tradition of “Single Village” expressions made by skilled mezcal craftsmen. Del Maguey knows their stuff, having introduced the category of traditional Mezcal in the USA 25 years ago.

Create delicious coffee drinks with just a tablespoon of Estate ‘98’s ultra-concentrated coffee. The 10x concentrate is extracted from beans harvested in the mountains of El Salvador. It’s perfect for lattes, smoothies, martinis, and Americanos. Each 8.5 oz. bottle makes 8 to 16 cups of coffee, depending on how strong you like it. The price shown is for two bottles.

A treasure trove of pirate puns comes to mind when Kraken Gold Spiced Rum entices ye hearties to drink until three sheets to the wind. With notes of cinnamon and vanilla, this smoky-sweet 70-proof gold rum (AKA amber) from the Dominican Republic is lighter in color and flavor than its darker cousin.

We once spotted Katy Perry and hubby Orlando Bloom sneaking into an NCL cruise theater with a sake bottle… which appeared to not be their first of the night. Still, even superstars can’t imbibe 24/7, so we’re not surprised Perry co-founded De Soi non-alcoholic botanical drinks for sober occasions.

The Italian distillers of our favorite almond liqueur introduce Disaronno Velvet, an incredibly smooth cream dessert liqueur with the sweet aroma of almonds and nuances of chocolate and vanilla. The velvety drink is ideally served over ice or to add an elegant touch to cream cocktails like the Disaronno Velvet Batida.

Maraschino cherries are meant for desserts, not cocktails. Italian Black Cherries from Filthy Premium Mixers & Garnishes are the secret to the best Manhattans and Old Fashioneds served in the world’s best bars. They’re made from natural Amarena cherries, slow-cooked in copper pots.

The next best thing to having cocktails in NYC at the award-winning Via Carota restaurant is having their mixed drinks available at home 24/7 in these Via Carota Craft Cocktail Sets. Each boxed set includes two ready-to-drink cocktails and two Italian-made crystal low-ball or Nick and Nora glasses.

Call it a thruple, if you will. Crafthouse ready-made cocktails got cozy with Dark Matter Coffee and Traverse City Whiskey Co. to beget a limited-edition Coffee Old Fashioned cocktail in a bottle. The result is a perky caffeinated cocktail featuring a whiskey blend of straight bourbons with two high-rye mashbills aged 2 to 5 years.

A modern milkshake mixer is a pretty uninteresting appliance. Apparently, it was much more entertaining to watch milkshakes being made back in the 1890s. Rescue & Restore shows us why with this video of a vintage, hand-cranked milkshake machine that shakes milk and ice like an earthquake.

St. Patrick’s Day is one holiday when people usually don’t show much restraint when it comes to imbibing, so the concept of the World’s Smallest Irish Coffee is a fun novelty… and an authentic one at that, when made for a crowd with triple-distilled Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey.