Awesome Mixers

The best booze can’t make good drinks if the mixers don’t measure up. Based in New Orleans (a town that really knows cocktails), El Guapo makes award-winning zero-proof mixers, bitters, syrups, and sodas that are notably better than most bottled brands we’ve tried. Pretty impressive, given that they’re also made with locally-sourced, non-GMO ingredients.

Orgeat syrup is best known for its use in the Trader Vic’s classic Mai Tai. It’s usually made with sugar and almonds, but El Guapo’s special Creole Orgeat switches things up with organic Louisiana pecans. A delicious taste of New Orleans mixed with rum and fruit juice or with whiskey and bitters for a unique Old Fashioned. It’s also tasty in coffee drinks.

’Tis the season for instant cocktails that don’t leave us cold. Mix up a warming Hot Buttered Rum, Vodka Apple Pie, or Whiskey Hot Toddy in a flash with Cutwater Heaters concentrated high-proof mixers. No mixology skills needed. Just add hot water and curl up by the fire.

We love opening those little doors on advent calendars for sweet surprises. Eight Days of Spirits’ windows hide artisanal cocktail mixers and barrel-aged bitters by Woodford Reserve and Williams Sonoma. Festive faves include Orange, Chocolate and Cherry Bitters, and Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, and Spiced Apple.

Pratt Standard makes delicious cocktails inspired by the classic pre-prohibition-era recipes. This set of three mixers includes 8oz bottles of True Rich Simple Syrup, True Tonic Syrup, and True Grenadine Syrup. Makes a great gift for any cocktail lover.

We love summertime Bourbon Sours and Old Fashioneds, so it’s no surprise that we’re in-Spire-d by the sweet-and-sour Spire cocktail created by Woodward Reserve Bourbon Whiskey. It’s a cinch when made with William Sonoma’s Spire mixer, a blend of tart cranberry and lemon juice, sweetened with simple syrup.

Electronic instrument and gear maker Teenage Engineering applied their minimalist design to this palm-sized mixing board. The TX-6 runs on batteries and has six 3.5mm stereo inputs, an equalizer, effects, synthesizer and sequencer, and an iOS app. It’s made from aluminum with a PU leather pad on back.

The canned cocktail craze makes drinking convenient but generally leaves us wishing for fresher flavors without an aluminum aftertaste. Williams Sonoma and Woodford Reserve whisky come to the rescue with a trio of premium bottled cocktail mixers – Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, and Mint Julep – especially for brown liquor lovers.

Because mixers make or break any cocktail, Fever-Tree makes a Distillers Cola with lower sugar and higher carbonation to enhance rum and whiskey. A global search for its key ingredients yielded Caribbean kola nuts, Tahiti limes from Mexico, Jamaican pimento berries, Sicilian lemon, and Madagascan vanilla.

Music gear maker Roland’s compact GO:MIXER PRO-X is designed for capturing live performances on smartphones. It’s great for recording bands, multiple instruments, interviews, and more. It has Combo XLR, 1/4″, and 3.5mm inputs, and connects directly to the Lightning or USB-C port on your phone.

With 2 inputs, 1 output, 2 full-size faders, bass kill switches and the newly added Bluetooth accessibility and monitor function, the pocket-sized Djoclate II music mixer could easily get your next party started.