BBQs, baseball, old friends and family, Labor Day brings people together to celebrate the last rays of summer. If you’re looking to add a little something extra to this year’s celebrations, we’ve put together a guide made up of bottles and cocktails that are sure to impress friends and family, making Labor Day 2021 one for the ages.
This year, our Labor Day Drinks Guide is filled with bottles that are perfect for easy sipping or making a variety of cocktails with minimal effort. Whiskey, tequila, and white wine is what’ll be behind our bar come September 6. For mixed drinks, we’ll once again be keeping things simple with most cocktails featuring between two and four ingredients and made to pair perfectly with foods coming off the grill.
So without further ado, here’s our 2021 Labor Day Drinks Guide:
Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Labor Day comes near the start of National Bourbon Month, and when it comes to the delicious brown liquor, Woodford Reserve is always a brand that appears near the top of our list. Making things even better this year, the iconic Kentucky bourbon has teamed up with Williams Sonoma to create three cocktail mixers–Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour and Mint Julep–which make creating tasty drinks easier than ever before.
Komos Tequila Cristalino Anejo
For the last couple years, Cristalino has been the in-vogue style of tequila for agave spirits fans looking for a new adventure. Komos Tequila Cristalino Anejo may be our favorite of all the Cristalinos we’ve tried. They source their agave from Jalisco and roast in old-fashioned stone ovens that sit on the side of Tequila Volcano in Mexico. It’s also aged in white wine barrels, which gives the tequila a wonderful and unique flavor profile
Speyburn 10 Year Old
Labor Day is all about enjoying the simple things and Speyburn is one of the most versatile Scotch whiskies out there. It’s particularly good for a highball, which is an ideal drink cocktail for a day in the grass spent grilling. Feel free to mix the 10-Year-Old Scotch with club soda, ginger ale, or cream soda.
Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential American Single Malt
Made from a single strain of two-row malted barley prepared exclusively for Cedar Ridge at the Prairie Malt plant in Biggar, Saskatchewan, the QuintEssential is first aged in ex-bourbon barrels. The whiskey then gets a second treatment in barrels that once held brandy, rum, wine, port or sherry. Last up – it’s married into the distillery’s oak solera vat for a final rest. Expect flavors of spiced mocha, gingerbread, fudge, coconut, and banana pancakes.
Frontera Sauvignon Blanc
We generally prefer our wines in bottles, but sometimes you need three liters of Sauvignon Blanc for the right price, and Frontera is that and more. Not only is it the most delicious wine we’ve ever had out of a bag, if you keep it refrigerated, it’ll last far beyond this weekend’s festivities. In case you’re wondering, it comes in 1.5L bottles too.
Cocktails
Glenmorangie x BBQ
Ingredients:
- 50ml (2oz) X by Glenmorangie
- 50ml (2oz) Ginger Beer
Method: Fill a highball glass with crushed ice. Add X by Glenmorangie and ginger beer. Stir, squeeze 3 lime wedges over the drink, then use them to garnish.
Prima Fresca
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz Tequila Don Julio Primavera
- ½ oz Agave Nectar
- 1 oz Sparkling Wine
- Dash Orange Bitters
Add all ingredients except sparkling wine to a shaker tin with ice. Shake and strain into glass and top with sparkling wine
Pear & Ginger Collins
Ingredients:
- 1½ oz Belvedere Pear & Ginger
- ½ oz Honey Water (1:1)
- ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3 oz Soda Water
- 1 Dash Orange Bitters
- Cucumber Ribbon for Garnish (In Glass)
- Sprig of Rosemary for Garnish
Method: Place all ingredients except soda to a cocktail shaker and shake over cubed ice. Strain into a highball over cubed ice and top with soda. Garnish with the cucumber ribbon and a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Seedlip’s Grove Margarita
Ingredients:
- 2 oz of Seedlip Grove 42
- 1 tbsp Agave Syrup
- ½ oz of Fresh Lime Juice
- Lime wheel
- Salt
Method: Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and half-rim of salt.
Angel of Tombstone
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz High West Double Rye
- 0.5 oz Amaro Nonino
- 0.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
Add all ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice and stir to chill. Strain cocktail into a flask and enjoy a great cocktail on the go.
