5 quarantine-proof cocktails
Life in quarantine boring? Not at all! Always look at the bright side of life: finally, we have time to experiment in the kitchen. We come up with new dishes using a can of coconut milk or corn and make the best rendang ever on an ordinary weekday. We even transform our living room into a real cocktail bar, because these Rotterdam bartenders bring out the inner bartender in us with their at home cocktail recipes. So join in! Get off that couch and start shaking!
1. Tommy’s Margerita by David Trampe from Botanero
Before we begin, David shares a few handy tips:
1. Cheap booze is hangover booze. Just buy Arette Tequila or Nuestra Soledad Mezcal at Gall&Gall. I’ve never had a hangover from those. I often have from that cheap rubbish;
2. Drink enough water in between and don’t forget to eat. It’s much more sociable and, provided you buy and drink good-quality alcohol, it ensures you won’t feel bad the next day;
3. Make things easy for yourself and prepare a basic mix of 200 ml lime juice and 100 ml sugar syrup. Use 35–40 ml of it per Margarita. It’s ready to hand, so you won’t be fumbling around all the time when you’re thirsty!
The classic Margarita is made with Tequila, but according to David, this cocktail is also very delicious with Mezcal.
What you need
- 50 ml good-quality Tequila or Mezcal (again: don’t skimp, you’ll only regret it the next day);
- 25 ml freshly squeezed lime juice;
- 12.5 ml sugar syrup. Add 200 grams of sugar and 100 ml of water to a saucepan. Heat gently while stirring. Once dissolved, it’s ready. So if you like to make things easy for yourself, scroll back to tip 3 above. That way you won’t have to make the sugar syrup again and again;
- pinch of salt
How to make Tommy’s Margarita
Add everything to the shaker at once, fill it completely with ice cubes and shake like crazy. Pour the entire contents, ice and all, into a large whisky glass, and above all, don’t forget to toast with your quarantine buddies!
2. Rum Dry Martini by Daryl Lieuw-On from Rumah
At Rumah, the focus is on, yes, Rum. Why? Simply because Rum is super cool. Unfortunately, we notice that Rum is still relatively unknown in the Netherlands and is misunderstood. Time to change that! In Rumah’s ‘classics’ section, you’ll find cocktails that are based on rum, while the original uses a different spirit.
What you need
- 50 ml Paranubes Rum
- 10 ml Noilly Prat dry Vermouth
How to make the Rum Dry Martini
Stir all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice cubes, then strain into a chilled martini glass or coupe (without ice).
3. Negroni by Chi-Ho Ta from Dr. & Calaboose
The Negroni originated in 1919 at Caffe Casoni in Florence, Italy. At the request of Count Camillo Negroni, the Americano cocktail got an extra kick when the soda was replaced with gin. Et voila, there was the Negroni: a flavoursome bittersweet cocktail in which all the flavours shine beautifully alongside one another and nothing is masked. The Negroni is basically easy to make and consists of three equal parts: gin, sweet red Vermouth and Campari.
And the fun thing about this cocktail is that it’s easy to put your own twist on it. For example, it’s also delicious with Jenever, Bourbon, Mezcal or Tequila. Want to make it a little more exciting? Play around with the other ingredients and add Vermouth instead of Campari, for example. The possibilities are endless! Curious about Chi-Ho’s twist?
What you need
- 30 ml Rutte Paradijswijn
- 25 ml Kamm & Sons
- 15 ml Mandarine Napoleon
How to make the Negroni
Stir all the ingredients with plenty of ice in a mixing glass and strain over ice cubes in a tumbler (or stir directly in the tumbler with ice). Garnish with grapefruit peel.
4. Malibu Cola by Niels van Wouwe from Williams Canteen
In these somewhat strange and uncertain times, we need more certainties. And one thing in life is certain: we all have guilty pleasures! Malibu Cola screams guilty pleasures and is also easy to make at home. Winning!
What you need
- 30 ml Malibu
- 40 ml Bacardi Ocho Años
- 10 ml clarified lime juice
- 20 ml homemade cola syrup
- top up with London Essence soda water
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
How to make the Malibu Cola
Pour all the ingredients over ice and mix a little. A tip for now: buy the ingredients above and start making Malibu Colas at home (while keeping your distance)!
5. Simple yet delicious quarantine Cocktail by Aline Gikis from Amehoela
An absolute crowd-pleaser and super easy to make, making it ideal during quarantine days. Any non-cocktailer can definitely nail this one!
What you need
- 50 ml Cognac
- 25 ml Disaronno
- 25 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
How to make the quarantine Cocktail
Put all the ingredients in a glass and fill it three-quarters full with crushed ice. Use a spoon to roughly stir the cocktail for about 15 seconds. Top up the glass with more crushed ice and finish with a straw and a piece of orange peel.
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