Coral Gables, Fla. (December 14, 2017)      Hot of the heels of another great year of drinks and drinking, the Bacardi Trade Advocacy U.S Team of Portfolio Ambassadors have unanimously agreed that classic cocktails —those that continue to shine with longevity through the decades — have been sweeping cocktail menus across the country this year and will continue to make even more noise in 2018.

 

Timeless cocktails are the drinks that over the years continue to be the go-to tipples that never fail to entice and satisfy, even with the endless stream of top-notch contemporary cocktails out there. Simply put, they are delicious drinks that will always be a crucial component to the cocktail playbook. And, just like the team of the Bacardi Portfolio U.S Ambassadors — who have set the bar when it comes to championing the bartending community, their expertise and passion for the spirits industry — these timeless cocktails have set the standard of what makes a drink exceptional and everlasting.

 

THE SPRITZ: Dan Long, Los Angeles Portfolio Ambassador

France and Italy, two cultures that treat food as a religion and celebrate the occasion of The Spritz, the pre-meal beverage like no other.  Whether called an Aperitif or Aperitivo, The Spritz is a timeless reflection of the local Italian & French palate and celebratory occasions with friends and family. It has transcended time, and in my mind, is the original “happy hour” classic. There is no better time than gathering to enjoy the company of good friends with great food and drinks, and this low ABV refresher says, “we’re in this together.”

 

MARTINI® AMBRATO SPRITZ

1.5 parts MARTINI & ROSSI Riserva Rubino

2 parts MARTINI & ROSSI Prosecco

2 parts sparkling water

Garnish: orange twist + oregano bouquet

 

BACARDÍ® PIÑA COLADA: Jennifer Contraveos, Central U.S. Senior Portfolio Ambassador

The Piña Colada has a robust and colorful history surrounding its creation and the exact recipe. It ranges from the 1820s to the 1950s replete with a laundry list of names attached to its Caribbean evolution. But one thing remains true, there isn’t a day of the week, month of the year, or time of your life when a frosty cold Pina Colada isn’t exactly the cocktail you’re looking for. One of my favorite ways to enjoy this timeless cocktail and that makes it even more delicious, refreshing and timeless is carbonating the drink for a little fizz. Get yourself the iconic BACARDÍ OCHO rum, a bottle of coconut water, a soda siphon, and shake yourself up a carbonated Piña Colada — the cocktail that is perfect any time, all of the time.

BACARDÍ FIZZY COLADA

1 part BACARDÍ OCHO

.5 part BACARDÍ Coconut Flavored rum

1 part fresh pineapple juice, strained

3 parts coconut water

.25 tsp citric acid

.75 parts sugar syrup

Method: For a classic Piña Colada, combine all ingredients into a blender and mix until frothy. For a fizzy spin, chill all ingredients then pour into soda siphon. Cap and seal siphon, charge siphon with one CO2 soda charger and shake vigorously to incorporate and carbonate. Stream cocktail from siphon into an ice filled hurricane glass.

Garnish with a pineapple fan.

 

FRENCH 75: Colin Asare-Appiah, East Senior Portfolio Ambassador

The French 75 is a graceful timeless classic with a kick. Like many cocktails created in yesteryear, its origins are confusing but there is no confusing that it has been around for generations for a reason, probably for the subtle jolt it gives to the unsuspecting drinker. The popularity of the cocktail spread at Harry’s Bar in Paris where gin was the featured spirit, but traditionally it was made with cognac, fresh lemon juice and brut champagne and to me it has stood the test of time.

FRENCH 75

2 parts D’USSE ® cognac

.5 parts lemon juice

.25 part simple syrup

3 parts Brut champagne

Method: Combine cognac, syrup, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into an iced champagne glass. Top up with champagne. Stir gently. Garnish: long lemon twist

 

50/50 MARTINI: Jaymee Mandeville, West Senior Portfolio Ambassador

As I think of a “timeless” cocktail I think of a martini, of course.  Everyone has his or her own preference; whether it be shaken or stirred, with a twist or an olive…it’s a drink that identifies someone in a certain fashion.  Whether it is midday, before a glorious dinner or long into the evening, I drink mine as a 50/50.  Low proof and aperitifs are coming back in style, and vermouth never left the party but today, is definitely stepping more into the spotlight.  In this expression, it celebrates simplicity and elegance in a cocktail that you can keep coming back to over and over, year after year.

50/50 MARTINI

1.75 parts BOMBAY® gin

1.75 parts NOILLY PRAT® Dry vermouth

Method:  In a mixing glass, stir spirits over ice, strain into a coupe glass

Garnish with a lemon twist

 

THE NEGRONI: Chris Hopkins, National Accounts Portfolio Ambassador

Over the last year I have seen a continued rise in the timeless Negroni cocktail. Sustaining this growth is the emergence of many new options within the aperitivo/bitter category and a large variety of interpretations appearing on menus across the country. With the recent launch of MARTIN & ROSSI® Riserva Speciale Bitter, I am looking forward to seeing how the best bartenders across the country will be using the entire new MARTIN & ROSSI Riserva line to create their own version of this classic, equal parts, recipe.

MARTINI & ROSSI NEGRONI

1 part OXLEY Gin

1 part MARTIN & ROSSI Riserva Speciale Bitter

1 part MARTIN & ROSSI Riserva Speciale Rubino

Method: Combine ingredients and stir until chilled and diluted. Strain over cubed ice into Double old-fashioned glass.

Garnish with an orange slice.

 

CAMERON’S KICK PUNCH: Anna McLoughlin, New York Portfolio Ambassador

My timeless cocktail is a Cameron’s Kick. This cocktail falls into one of my favorite categories: the punch. Punch sits directly between the stirred, spirit forward cocktails and the refreshing highball. It’s perfect for when you are in the mood for something refreshing but with a bit of a “kick.” Pun intended. The Cameron’s Kick is timeless for several reasons.  First, it’s incredibly simple. At its core, it’s only a dressed up whiskey sour. Second, it has equal parts Scotch and Irish whisk(e)ys. Like a mother who would never pick a favorite child, I will never be able to choose which style of whisk(e)y I love over the other. While both are notoriously challenging to use in cocktails, the soft sweetness of the Irish whiskey rounds off the smoky edge of the Scotch and they play off of each other beautifully. Classic and never out of style!

CAMERON’S KICK

1.5 parts DEWAR’S® 12 Blended Scotch Whisky

1.5 parts TEELING® Small Batch Irish Whiskey

.75 part lemon juice

.5  part orgeat

Method: Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake, fine strain into a punch glass with a large chunk of ice

Garnish with nutmeg or orange oils.

 

THE HIGHBALL: Duane Fernandez, Houston Portfolio Ambassador

Simplicity is key to life! Cocktail creativity invokes imagination, passion and time. Although the process may be rewarding, we are most at peace when we can relax and let our mind go free from the everyday hustle. What better way to kick back then to indulge in a simple, timeless, cocktail then the two-ingredient highball. So many variations, but my favorite is the classic & Old Hollywood Gin & Tonic!

BOMBAY GIN & TONIC

1.5 parts BOMBAY Sapphire East gin

Bittercube Tailor Made Tonic

Method: Pour gin into ice filled highball and top of with tonic.

Garnish with a lemon wheel and rosemary

 

MAI TAI: Areina Thomas, San Francisco Portfolio Ambassador

There are numerous cocktails that have stood out in my memory bank over the years, but there is one cocktail that is truly timeless for me — the Mai Tai. I began to try to make sense of cocktails as a child on vacation with parents that drank Mai Tai’s on the beaches of Hawaii during sunset. It was always a ritual for them and became emblematic of our time in the tropics. It made sense that whenever there was a Mai Tai in one of their hands, we were on vacation and that life was easy and great. Years passed, I grew up, I moved to San Francisco, and on a grey day walked into a well-known tiki bar naturally ordering a Mai Tai. To my surprise, this cocktail was wildly different than the Mai Tai’s I’d tried before. While the original Mai Tai, born in 1944, was the cocktail recipe I have known and loved, this version was new and fascinating to me – a perfect introduction to adulthood and a new life in San Francisco. Nutty, slightly bitter, citrusy, funky, balanced, and delicious —connecting me in a whole new way to my nostalgia of the past and this new life I was making for myself. For those times that I want to bring the aloha into my life and embrace a great day over a cocktail, regardless of whether or not I’m on a beach, this is what I’ll be drinking.

MAI TAI

1.5 parts. BANKS® 7 Island rum

.5 part. SANTA TERESA® 1796 rum

.75 part fresh lime juice

.5 part orange curacao

.25 part orgeat

.25 part Rich Demerara Simple Syrup

Method: Combine all ingredients in a crushed iced shaker and until the tin is frosted. Pour contents of the tins into a double rocks glass.

Garnish with half of a lime and a fresh sprig of mint.

 

BOBBY BURNS: Taylor Hansen, Chicago Portfolio Ambassador

A strong believer that a well-balanced Manhattan can solve most of the world’s problems, flipping the script and using a feathery and elegant single-malt such as CRAIGELLACHIE® 13 presents a welcome opportunity for foreign relations to truly thrive. Taking a step back from overpowering vermouth by integrating Ambrato opens the door for the Scotts to be the star of the show, basking comfortably in the company of its Italian and French entourage. Timeless and delicious, The Bobby Burns is my everlasting, go-to cocktail I’ve recently seen popping up everywhere in Chicago.

BOBBY BURNS:

2 parts CRAIGELLACHIE 13 Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

1 part MARTINI & ROSSI Riserva Speciale Ambrato

.25 part BENEDICTINE®

2-Dashes Angostura (aromatic) Bitters

Method: In a mixing glass, stir spirits over ice, strain into a coupe glass

Garnish with a luxardo cherry

 

MARTINI AMBRATO + TONIC: Hillary Jaroschy, South Florida Portfolio Ambassador

Not only am I naturally drawn to vermouths, the new MARTINI & ROSSI Reserva Speciale line of vermouth di Torino are absolutely gorgeous and a perfect fit for the low alcohol movement.  Since I’m transitioning towards a family life, low alcohol drinks are a great way to incorporate cocktails into my busy, all day schedule where I can enjoy a few and still accomplish my goals.  It’s also a great option for the year round heat Miami experiences.  Light and refreshing, this cocktail is cooling and fizzy during the Miami heat, and never fails.  You can’t go wrong with an Ambrato and Tonic.  And since the new line of MARTINI & ROSSI Reserva Speciale vermouths are the first permanent release in over 25 years from the MARTINI & ROSSI family, I see this cocktail not only growing in popularity, but also standing the test of time.

MARTINI AMBRATO + TONIC

2 parts MARTINI & ROSSI Reserva Speciale Ambrato Vermouth di Torino

2 parts Fever Tree Indian Tonic Water

Method: Combine Ambrato vermouth and tonic water over ice in a wine glass and stir gently to combine.

Garnish with a wide lemon peel and your herb sprig of choice if desired.

 

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About Bacardi:

Bacardi, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDÍ®, GREY GOOSE®, DEWAR’S®, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®, MARTINI®, CAZADORES®, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON’S®, ERISTOFF®, and ST-GERMAIN®.

 

Founded more than 155 years ago, in Santiago de Cuba on February 4, 1862, family-owned Bacardi employs nearly 5,500, operates 29 manufacturing sites, and sells its brands in more than 170 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. www.BacardiLimited.com

 

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