Are you looking to stir things up during your Zoom meetups? Or needing to feel re-invigorated while quarantined? Not acquainted with the French 75 or Cucumber Vodka Fresca? Well, here's your chance!

Here are five easy-to-make cocktail drinks that will keep you feeling refreshed all summer long.  

The French 75

Ingredients: Gin, simple syrup, champagne

The French 75 is one of our favorite classic cocktails dating all the way back to World War I. Named after the 75-millimeter light field gun used by the French during the first world war, it had the firepower to shoot off 15 rounds per minute. The drink adopted this name due to the potency of the cocktail famous for knocking people flat. We can attest to this while perfecting the drink we had several versions, which resulted in a drunken IG live video to the market and a late-night YouTube concert party.

Start with a mixing glass full of ice, add gin and simple syrup, and squeeze of lemon juice.  Stir to chill all ingredients, strain, and pour into your glass and top with champagne.  Garnish with a twist of lemon. 

SANGRIA

Ingredients: Wine, rum, simple syrup, soda water

When we make Sangria, we always refer to it as an adult "jungle juice" as a joke. The first time we made it, we talked about going to high school parties and drinking the "Jungle Juice" that would be at any party you went to, which is basically all the alcohol you can mix together with some sweet juice. Sangria is similar to that but more refined for adults who aren't going to their first kegger. Sangria translates to blood in Spanish, referring to the red wine that is most commonly used for the base of the drink. Sangria is never made the same way; it's a drink to take your own liberties and experiment with. We once made a Sangria that had a 40oz. of Miller High Life in it (we don't recommend this) just to see the results.

Start by pouring a bottle of red wine into a pitcher. Add a cup of Rum and a half cup of simple syrup and stir. Add your seasonal fruit. Just before serving, add a liter of soda water, stir and garnish. If serving at parties, I like to have different flavors of soda water and extra fruit so guest can personalize their Sangria.

Chamoy Beer

Ingredients: Beer, chamoy, tajin

We often enjoy drinking Michelada's, which was the inspiration for this drink, but inevitably regret ordering the drink due to it resulting in acid reflux and indigestion (yes, we're old). We, therefore, omitted the spice from the Michelada and just used the Chamoy and Tajin for garnish bringing out the natural fruit flavor in Golden Roads Mango Cart. Chamoy has had some recent popularity in the culinary world. Most commonly used in Mexico as a condiment for fruits and other sweets, Chefs use it as a flavor enhancer for some of their main dishes and highlight this unique Mexican flavor. Pairing Chamoy with beer is one of our go-to summertime drinks.

Start by rimming your glass with Chamoy, then apply the Tajin (sprinkle Tajin in a bowl, turn your glass upside down and rotate the glass until the rim is completely covered) and add your ice. Ice is entirely optional; we prefer ice because we like our beer super cold. Slowly pour your mango cart into your glass.

Bootleg Marg

Ingredients: Tequila, agave, lemon soda water

The Bootleg Marg is a true quarantine drink for us. It's rare when we crave a tequila drink because we're not huge fans of the spirit. When those rare cravings occasions happen, we never have all the ingredients to make a traditional margarita. We had my sister over during quarantine (she's in our bubble of 10), and she brought over her Trader Joes Tres Agaves, we had tequila and added some soda water to give her that marg fill that she was craving. So by no means is this a traditional marg just something that can replace that taste you might be craving.

Start with a shaker of ice. Add tequila and Tres Agaves and shake up and down until all ingredients are cold. Strain ingredients into your glass with ice and top with lemon or lime soda water. Garnish with a lemon slice and sliced Serranos.

Cucumber Vodka Fresca

Ingredients: Vodka, cucumber water, simple syrup

Hard Seltzer drinks have been all the rage this season.  Every time we go to the store I can never bring myself to buy a drink like because I usually have all the ingredients to make my own at home.  This drink you can use any flavored soda water you have in your refrigerator add clear alcohol of your choice with a little bit of sugar.  I prefer starting with flat fruit infused water and cucumber is always so refreshing in the summertime. 

Start with a shaker of ice.  Add vodka, cucumber water, and simple syrup. Shake until all ingredients are cold. Use a vegetable peeler to thinly slice a cucumber.  Place in a glass sticking the cucumber to the wall of the glass starting at the bottom and continuing up to the top of the glass to create a swirled effect.  Pour your cocktail carefully into your glass. 

With all our drinks we experiment and play with our ingredients.  We carve out days dedicated to day drinking and experimenting with flavors.  There's no right or wrong way to make a drink, have fun, enjoy the journey, and along the way you'll find a signature drink that's uniquely you.  We of course encourage you to drink responsibly. 

About the Author: We are just a couple of kids that met in culinary school who share a love of good food, classic cocktails, and LA culture. We started working in hospitality together, taking different career paths. Nick is the head chef for the Nordstrom Cafe, and I was the Catering Manager for Embassy Suites. 

Like everyone else, Covid-19 has thrown us in unfamiliar territory, and with the extra free time, we decided to put our talents together and share all the culinary things we love with the rest of the world. We hope you enjoy our culinary journey as we share with you all the things that make us smile during such an uncertain time. #teamtoodlestreats |Instagram: @toodlestreats

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