The Ultimate Guide to Southern Cocktails | Garden & Gun

Step 1

In a julep cup, muddle mint leaves and sugar together lightly to express oils, not overworking the mint. Add bourbon and fill glass halfway with crushed or cracked ice. Stir until cup is frosted, then pack glass full with ice. Add straw and garnish with mint sprig.

Step 2

Add sugar cube, peel, bitters, and water to a rocks glass. Muddle firmly with a wooden muddler to release flavors. Add ice and then bourbon. Stir to chill.

Step 3

Fill a cocktail shaker three-quarters with ice. Pour in all liquids. Shake vigorously until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a goblet. Dust with grated nutmeg on top of milk foam.

Step 4

Combine vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, lime juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and celery salt in shaker. Roll shaker from side to side about 10 times. Pour over pint glass filled with ice. Shake on extra celery salt if desired and garnish according to preference (and hunger).

Step 5

Using cocktail shaker, shake all ingredients, except club soda, without ice very vigorously for 30 seconds. Add 5 or 6 ice cubes and shake vigorously for 2 minutes more. Strain drink into collins glass up to top. Set shaker aside. Put drink in freezer for several minutes to set. Meanwhile, pour cold club soda into shaker and shake to absorb any remaining egg white. Pull glass out of freezer and gently top with club soda mixture to cause head to rise.

Step 6

Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice. In a second old-fashioned glass, place the sugar cube and add the bitters, then muddle together. Add rye to muddled sugar and bitters. Remove ice from first glass and swirl with Herbsaint to coat inside. Discard excess Herbsaint (or serve in separate glass). Empty the second glass into the first glass. Express the peel’s oils over the drink.

Step 7

Fill a collins glass with ice. Add ginger beer. Add rum and, after taking a moment to admire the contrasting layers, stir with a bar spoon. Garnish with lime wheel, if you prefer.

Step 8

Mix all ingredients and serve in a 20 oz. cup over ice.

Step 9

Fill a shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake and serve, either over ice or in a short rocks glass as a shooter.

Step 10

(Frozen) Fill blender with ice. Add all liquid ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve in a hurricane glass. Garnish with orange slice.

Step 11

The night before, thinly peel lemons and muddle peels with sugar in a jar. Juice lemons to get 1½ cups juice and add to jar to dissolve sugar. Let stand overnight. Fill a large bowl with crushed ice and add brandy, rum, and whiskey. Strain lemon juice and sugar mixture into bowl, discarding peels. Just before serving, add sparkling wine. Yield: At least 20 servings.

Step 12

Combine. Sip slowly and savor.

Step 13

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add all the liquid ingredients, stir briefly, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Step 14

To make sour mix, bring water and sugar to a simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cool, and stir in lemon juice and lime juice. Put in a jar, cover, and refrigerate. To mix drink, add all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain over crushed or cracked ice into a tall glass. Garnish with orange slice and cherry.

Step 15

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all ingredients, shake, and strain into a tall glass over ice. Serve with a straw.

Step 16

Fill a shaker with ice. Add vodka, cranberry juice, and lime juice. Shake and strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with cherry.

Step 17

Chill a beer mug and a shot glass in the freezer before starting. Fill mug with beer and orange juice not quite to top. Fill chilled shot glass with amaretto and drop in mug. In true Edna’s tradition, chug it.

Step 18

Peel strips of zest from 3 lemons and slice into slivers. Juice all lemons to produce 1½ cups juice. Combine lemon juice, sliced lemon peel, raw sugar, tea, brandy, rum, and peach brandy in a large glass container. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. To serve as a punch, place a large block of ice in a punch bowl, pour in mixture and top with club soda. To serve individually, pour mixture over ice in a glass and top with 1 oz. club soda. Yield: 20 servings.

Step 19

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add whiskey, sweet and sour mix, and triple sec, and mix with a tall spoon. Top with chilled soda.

Step 20

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, grapefruit juice, and simple syrup, and shake. Wet the rim of a collins glass with lime wheel and roll in salt. Add ice to glass. Strain drink over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with lime and grapefruit wheels.

Step 21

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add all ingredients and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Step 22

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Step 23

Fill a collins glass with chunky crushed ice. Add gin and squeeze in half of a juicy lime. Top with club soda.

Step 24

Fill a pitcher with ice, add all ingredients, and stir well. Serve on ice in collins or highball glasses, garnished with lime wedge or peel. Serves two to three.

Step 25

Stir together bourbon, Cointreau, and bitters in a chilled champagne glass. Top with cold champagne or sparkling wine, and garnish with a long twist of orange peel.

Step 26

Add bourbon, gin, lime juice, and bitters to a shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a collins glass over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with mint sprig.

Step 27

Rim a 20-oz. glass (with straight sides) with coarse salt. Fill the glass halfway with ice cubes; the denser the cube the better (melts slower). Add all ingredients except beer over the ice, and garnish with a lime wheel. Serve with a stirring straw and beer on the side (add beer to glass per individual taste).

Step 28

Stir cereal and milk together in a large pitcher, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Then, strain milk mixture, discarding solids, and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Serve over ice in a collins glass, and garnish with grated fresh nutmeg and cereal, if desired.

Step 29

Combine all ingredients except nutmeg in a cocktail shaker. Shake without ice for 1 minute to incorporate and emulsify the ingredients. Add ice and shake 1 minute more to chill. Strain into a double rocks or highball glass, over ice if desired. Dust with nutmeg.

Step 30

Combine all ingredients except the root beer bitters over ice. Stir and then strain into a coupe glass. Top with aromatic or root beer bitters. Honey syrup: Stir local honey with hot water in a 4:1 ratio until incorporated.

Step 31

Combine the syrup, lemon juice, brandy, and bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Float the apple slice on the drink for a garnish, and serve. *To make the apple cider-cinnamon syrup, bring 4 cups of good-quality apple cider to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add a cinnamon stick, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes, or until the cider has reduced to the consistency of syrup. Bring to room temperature, then refrigerate in a tightly covered container. The yield is about 4 ounces.

Step 32

Shake all ingredients except tonic and garnishes in an ice-filled shaker until well chilled. Strain into a collins glass over fresh ice, top with tonic water, and stir. Garnish with a lime wheel and a sprig of sage.

Step 33

For the cocktail:Stir first 2 ingredients with ice until chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with olives stuffed with smoked turkey from the potlikker. For the potlikker braising sauce:In a stockpot, combine all but last 2 ingredients, ensuring 1 inch of liquid covers the greens (add water if needed). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour. Drain off and reserve potlikker, and let cool. Making enough braising sauce for 2 drinks makes it easier to divide: Strain 2 oz. of potlikker through a fine-mesh sieve, then mix with honey and hot sauce. Bigger sauce batches will keep in the fridge for a few days.

Step 34

Combine in a flask.Note: This recipe makes enough for a standard 6 oz. flask. If using a larger flask, adjust ratios accordingly.

Step 35

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with edible dried rosebuds. For the strawberry jam: Place all ingredients into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries have mostly fallen apart (about 4 hours). Store in the refrigerator.

Step 36

Combine all rums, the juices, and grenadine in a tall glass (or plastic cup). Add ice, stir to combine, and garnish with the maraschino cherry and orange slice.

Step 37

Fill a blender with ice. Add all ingredients. Blend until the ice is crushed. Begin playing Connect 4 (optional).

Step 38

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Step 39

Peel 6 lemons and steep rinds in brandy for 12 hours. Juice all lemons and mix juice with infused brandy (strain out peels), rum, curaçao, tea, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add sparkling wine, seltzer, and ice before serving. Garnish with lemon wheels and sliced pineapple.

Step 40

Add all ingredients to a tiki glass or other tall glass. Mix with a swizzle stick and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with orange slice, cherry, and, of course, a tiny umbrella.

Step 41

Add one large or two medium ice cubes to a tumbler glass. Add all ingredients and stir. Garnish with lemon peel.

Step 42

In a shaker, combine all ingredients except champagne. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne and garnish with a fresh mint sprig.

Step 43

Add liquid ingredients to a shaker. Shake vigorously and pour into coupe glass. Garnish with pineapple wedge and mint sprig.