A date night cocktail at home should be easy enough that you're not stuck behind the bar all night, but theatrical enough that the moment of pouring is part of the date. Five recipes that hit both, built around our spirits.
1. The Vesper
The Bond drink. 1.5 oz Oasis Vodka, 0.5 oz Nopalera Gin, 0.25 oz Lillet Blanc. Shaken (Bond's preference, technically wrong but romantic), strained into a coupe, lemon twist. Theatrical, simple, surprisingly delicious.
2. The smoked Old Fashioned
2 oz Zanja-Madre Bourbon, 0.25 oz simple syrup, 3 dashes Angostura bitters, large ice cube, orange peel. Build in a glass, then — the trick — cover the glass with a wood plank and use a kitchen torch to smolder a few cedar chips on top, trapping the smoke under the glass for thirty seconds. Lift, drink. Worth the props.
3. The French 75
1.5 oz Nopalera Gin, 0.5 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup, top with champagne. Shake the gin, lemon, and syrup with ice; strain into a champagne flute; top with chilled champagne; lemon twist. The brunch upgrade that doubles as a date night drink.
4. The espresso martini
2 oz Oasis Vodka, 1 oz fresh espresso, 0.75 oz coffee liqueur. Shake hard with ice, double-strain into a coupe, three coffee beans on top. The 1990s comeback drink that genuinely impresses.
5. The Negroni
1 oz Nopalera Gin, 1 oz Campari, 1 oz sweet vermouth. Stirred, over a large rock, orange peel. Equal parts, no measuring required after a few practices. The grown-up drink for grown-up dates.
Where to next
Browse our spirits, read date night ideas in Hollywood, or try our Old Fashioned recipe.