Cocktails to Beat the Quarantine Blues

If you’re committed to picking up a hobby, while still under home quarantine, give it a shot to these astounding cocktails. 

Teasing the senses with a variety of tantalizing and hard-hitting flavors, bartending will help you gain some clever skills and tricks. Once the quarantine lifts and you go back to entertaining, surprise everyone with the expertise you’ve picked up behind the counter. 

If you’re a little lost and don’t know where to start, we’ve got a collection of five recipes that any first-timer can easily try making at a home bar. Using the least possible ingredients and minimal skills - bartending 101 just got simplified with these delicious cocktails. 

Try them out, impress your family (only adults please!), and show off your skills.

Cosmopolitan 

A snobby, high-end drink, the Cosmopolitan has become the tipple of choice mostly on the Eastern Coast. Primarily ladies drink (Think Carrie Bradshaw) its popularity isn’t waning any time soon. 

It deserves to be made during this quarantine period and sipped slowly—alone, strong, yet tender. 

Ingredients

• Lime slice to garnish
• 1 ½ oz. citrus vodka
• 1 oz. Cointreau 
• ½ oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 splash of cranberry juice 

Steps

• In a cocktail shaker add citrus vodka, Cointreau, fresh lime, and cranberry juice. Shake until it’s well mixed.
• Select a chilled cocktail glass and strain the drink into it.
• Use a lime slice to garnish.

Kamikaze

Reminiscent of the name itself, this drink is downed in a kamikaze fashion, that is, in one shot. It was crafted on an American naval base and grew in popularity during the 1970s and 1980s. Now it’s making a comeback, it's easy-to-find ingredients and easier-to-make the recipe. “This recipe makes two servings of the cocktail. “

Ingredients

• A wedge of lime
• 2 oz. vodka
• ¾ oz. orange liqueur
• ¾ oz. fresh lime juice

Steps

• Add the vodka, orange liqueur, and fresh lime to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. 
• Strain this mixture into two cocktail glasses. 
• Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Lo and behold your drink is ready for a quick downing! 

Paloma

A pale salmon-pink colored drink that’s got the kick of tequila in its heart, Paloma is a favorite across the American states bordering Mexico. 

Texans, Arizonians, and Californians are showing this drink, with origins from the humble town of Tequila, much love. 

Mixed first by one Don Javier Delgado Corona, he passed away this year in March, after giving the world this fruity, spunky, grapefruit and tequila melody. This recipe makes one serving.

Ingredients

• Lime wedge or slice
• Grapefruit soda
• 2 oz. Tequila
• 4 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
• ½ oz. fresh lime juice

Steps

• In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour in the tequila, grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice and shake.
• Decant the liquid mix into a glass filled with ice.
• Splash on some grapefruit soda.
• Garnish with a wedge or slice of lime.

Voila! This refreshing drink is ready to be served! 

Garibaldi 

All the colors of a summer sunrise lie decanted in one tall glass of Garibaldi. 

With vivid shades of orange coming from the fresh orange juice and undertones of carmine red from the Campari, the Garibaldi is a highly popular drink named after Italian unifier Giuseppe Garibaldi. 

It is said Campari’s red color was a nod to freedom fighters from the north and the bright orange is representative of Sicily. A sight of this drink is sufficient to beat the quarantine blues and its zesty taste perks up the gloomy spirits in a jiffy. This recipe makes one serving.

Ingredients

• 1 wedge of orange for garnish
• 1 ½ oz. of Campari
• 4 oz. fresh orange juice

Steps

• Blend the orange juice at high-speed to make it ‘fluffy’, meaning it will get foamy.
• Put ice cubes in a highball glass.
• Decant the Campari and orange juice into the highball glass.
• Stir to combine.
• Balance across the rim a wedge of orange and serve with a late brunch.

Screwdriver

The simplest two-ingredient cocktail on the list is the Screwdriver. 

Ablaze with yellow vigor, the origin of the Screwdriver has two stories. One story says that the drink was popularized by American aviators in the 1950s; yet another story says American oil workers in the Gulf invented the drink and used a screwdriver to mix it since they did not have a spoon.

No matter its ambiguous origins, the drink is refreshing, clean, and has a lovely tart taste. This recipe makes one serving.

Ingredients

• 1 slice of orange
• 1 ½ oz. vodka
• 4 oz. fresh orange juice

Steps

• Prepare a highball glass with ice.
• Fill it up with 1 ½ oz. of vodka.
• Pour over the orange juice. 
• Garnish with a slice of orange.

Once you’ve mixed and tasted these delights, you can create your own version of these recipes. 

With these recipes beat the quarantine blues you may be experiencing, and get cracking making some of these scrumptious libations! 

Cheers!