We know that Saturday night left you feeling a little too worn down to make your own drinks, but on the rare occasion that you find yourself home on a Sunday craving a bellini, we got you. Here are our favorite recipes for a boozy brunch. Feel free to put your own twist on them and give us a shout-out on instagram (@diningoutchatt) when you post your drink rimmed with pride.
Cranberry Cobbler
What you need:
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- ½ orange, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 ½ cups London dry gin, such as Beefeater or Tanqueray
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon off-dry sherry, such as Lustau East India Solera
- 6 mint sprigs
What you do:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and ¾ cup water to a boil; stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour off all but 1 cup simple syrup; refrigerate remaining syrup for another use.
2. Heat syrup in pan almost to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Add cranberries and simmer until they just begin to burst, about 2-3 minutes. Let cool in syrup.
3. Place 2 tablespoons drained cranberries and 6 tablespoons cranberry syrup in a large pitcher. Add lemon wedges and orange slices. Using a muddler or wooden spoon, vigorously mash fruit. Stir in gin and sherry. Let steep for 5 minutes.
4. Strain into a medium pitcher. Fill 3 glasses with crushed ice. Pour half of mixture into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice; shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into prepared glasses, and then mound with more crushed ice. Garnish each drink with a mint sprig and 3 cranberries. Repeat to make 3 more cocktails.
(Recipe from the October 2011 issue of Bon Appetit, as listed at epicurious.com)
Wheat Beer Fruit Punch
What you need:
- 1 medium grapefruit
- 6 ounces chilled gin
- 4 ½ ounces chilled St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- Chilled juice from 3 medium lemons
- ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 dashes orange bitters
- 6 chilled 12-ounce bottles of wheat beer (such as Blue Moon)
What you do:
- Remove 6 wide strips of peel from the grapefruit with a vegetable peeler, making sure to avoid the white pith, and set aside.
- Squeeze 3 ounces of juice from the grapefruit and place in 3-quart container. Add the gin, St. Germain, lemon juice, sugar and orange bitters to the container and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the beer and gently stir to combine.
- Twist a grapefruit peel over a beer glass and drop inside, then top with beer mixture and serve.
The Queen Mary
What you need:
- 2 ounces vodka or moonshine
- 7 ounces yellow bloody mary mix
What you do:
- Build ingredients in 20-ounce beer stein and stir
- Garnish with maple pepper bacon, pimiento cheese-stuffed olives, jalapenos, asparagus, lemon wedge, lime wedge, grilled shrimp, celery, pickled okra, cherry tomatoes and a lime salt rim.
(An adaptation of Tupelo Honey’s Queen Mary, made with yellow tomatoes, garlic and other secret ingredients)
The Orion
What you need:
- 1 ounce Lillet Rose or Cocchi Rosa
- 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice
- 1/2 ounce St. Germain
- 4.5 ounces sparkling wine
- 2 dashes grapefruit or orange bitters
What you do:
Combine ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake, strain into a glass and serve.
(Recipe from Matilda Midnight’s Justin Stamper)
Peach Bellini
What you need:
- 3 ounces of Prosecco sparkling wine
- 2 ounces fresh white peach puree (Nectarines, yellow peaches, strawberries and melons are also great fruit options to try.)
What you do:
Mix ingredients in a Champagne flute and serve.