Best Stay-at-Home Cocktails

With most restaurants & bars closed during coronavirus quarantine, several are offering cocktails for curbside take-out, from L.A. to Kansas City to NYC. Among the most popular drinks are Moscow Mules*, Margaritas* or Margarita kits, the Old-Fashioned*, Rye Manhattans*, SaltyDogs and Tequilla Collins. They are being handed out with city permission to help out the related restaurant/bar franchise. They do so in 16-ounce mason jars or bottles with prices ranging from $25-60. This isn’t a surprising move, especially given that ready-to-drink cocktail preparations surged 40% last year in the U.S. and it’s a win-win business for everybody. Keet’s Cocktails only wishes we had the liquor license and staff to do the same.

Another step in the direction of serving the “cocktail club” community during quarantine is for various online sources to offer their best recommendations for self-made stay-at-home cocktails. Some recommend the Moscow Mule*, the Cape Codder (1 part vodka to 1 part cranberry juice), and the Tom Collins (2 parts vodka/gin to 1 part lemon juice, 1/2 part simple syrup, ice & club soda).

Keet’s Cocktails recommends the following cocktails for simple mixing at home: the classic vodka/gin martini, the Dark & Stormy, Moscow Mule, Scotch & Soda, Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, Margarita, Black Russian, Manhattan or even the Blinker. All are posted here. (FYI, my link offers a DAILY MIX tab and a TWOFER TUESDAY selection which show 2-ingredient cocktails.)

Let’s not forget the British man who reportedly tested positive with COVID-19 and after repeatedly making himself whiskey-based Hot Toddy’s until he ran out of whiskey, soon rid himself of the virus. He tested negative twice and is fine. No other medicines were used. Is there something about warm whiskey that we don’t know about?

* Recipe is posted at keetscocktails.com