The cocktail deck, Cheers! Just Because makes it easy to find the perfect cocktail to suit your mood. Courtesy photo.
A Spirited Toast to All Things Alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg
Feeling adventurous, naughty, flirty, insecure, sentimental or stressed? Have we got a cocktail for you.
Author (Sanctuaria: The Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars) Matt Seiter, a certified bartender, and industry historian, has something new and fun on the menu: the Cheers! Just Because collection of 50 “mood-inspired cocktail recipes” in a handy card deck format.
There’s something here for all types of cocktail lovers, from novices looking to set up their own home bar to advanced mixologists in search of exotic new recipes.
For the adventurous, how about “A Walk in the Grove,” which combines Calvados brandy (made with apples and pears) with lemon juice, Cointreau, simple syrup and a few drops of Absinthe for a ripe fruit adventure in cocktails. The naughty recipe is “Cookies & Cream Punch” (yum!) made with Gin, Maraschino Liqueur, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and, of course, cookies!
Want to whip up the perfect drink for an occasion? The cocktail deck, Cheers! Just Because has the recipe for you. Courtesy photo.
The flirty category calls for “Loose Inhibitions,” combining Reposado Tequila, Cognac, fresh squeezed orange juice and lime juice and raw honey, shaken, not stirred. Feeling insecure, Seiter’s recipe for that is the “Mystic Lamp,” to “guide you to happier times” with a mixture of Puerto Rican Gold Rum, Lychee Juice, fresh squeezed orange juice and lime juice and almond extract.
You get the idea: pick a card, mix a drink.
Now that fall is here, the sentimental recommendation from the deck is perfect—”Remembering Summer” made with Cucumber -infused Blanco Tequila, St. Germain, fresh squeezed lime juice, rose water and Peychaud’s Bitters. Stressed, Seiter prescribes a tiki style cocktail called “Relief” with Cachaca (a Brazilian spirit made from sugarcane juice), fresh squeezed orange juice, hibiscus syrup, Allspice Dram, tonic water and mint leaves.
The Cheers! Just Because deck makes a fun host or hostess gift for cocktail aficionados, but it’s so much fun to play with, you just might want to keep it for yourself.
The cocktail deck, Cheers! Just Because takes the concept of mood in a truly unique direction, linking 50 drink recipes to different moods. Courtesy photo.
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When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”
