Classic Drinks_Modern Girl

Classic Drinks_Modern Girl Classic cocktails mixed and imbibed with enthusiasm, by a lady.

What a weather week we've had in Iowa. Sunday; blizzard. Monday; single digit temps. Thursday; we made it over 70 degree...
03/20/2026

What a weather week we've had in Iowa. Sunday; blizzard. Monday; single digit temps. Thursday; we made it over 70 degrees. That's a big swing, and these tropical temps have me thinking about beach drinks. The question...do i want rum or tequila??
Better question...why should I have to choose??

Sunny & Seventy

▪️ 1.5 oz tequila blanco
▪️ 1 oz Jamaican rum
▪️ .5 oz dry curacao
▪️ 1 oz lime juice
▪️ 2 oz orange juice
▪️ .5 oz grenadine
▪️ .25 oz demerara syrup

Everything goes in the shaker with a couple ice cubes. Shook it all up good and then dirty dumped it into a glass filled with crushed ice.

Faur warning; this one is boozy. This would be a yummy drink even without the rum, but the Jamaican rum gives a nice funky note that elevates it from just a fruity tequila drink into something a little deeper. Also, it makes me get all nostalgic for the trip we took to Jamaica last summer 🇯🇲😍

Cheers, everyone. 🥂 Hope your weather is being as kind to you this weekend as Iowa's is.

On another note, I'd love to get back into regular cocktail posts, but I need a theme; preferably something that mixes drinks with costumes/vintage clothing. Shoot me your ideas. 😊

Look at that thing! I really didn't want to post this cause it turned out such a hideous color; like a glass full of tom...
03/11/2026

Look at that thing! I really didn't want to post this cause it turned out such a hideous color; like a glass full of tomato soup at best. I didn't even attempt to make that first photo pretty. But damn, the drink is just so delicious, I decided to share it with the world anyway. We can't all be photogenic!!

This one is inspired by a recipe in this 1967 printing of Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cook Book.

Orange Spice Bar

▪️ 1.5 oz cognac
▪️ .5 oz triple sec
▪️ .75 oz spiced port syrup
▪️ 2 oz orange juice
▪️ .5 oz lemon juice
▪️ a few walnut pieces

Everything goes in a shaker. I very lightly muddled the walnuts and then added ice and shook her all up. Fine strained into a chilled coupe and SURPRISE!! It looks horrible. Fortunately it tastes like a yummy spiced orange dessert. Definitely an after dinner drink.

Side note, the port syrup was made as you might imagine; port, sugar, whole allspice, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, star anise.

Tonight's cocktail continues on a theme, I guess. Two themes really. Another vintage Better Homes & Gardens recipe for i...
02/04/2026

Tonight's cocktail continues on a theme, I guess. Two themes really. Another vintage Better Homes & Gardens recipe for inspiration, and another tea based punch is the result.

Fruited Tea-quila Punch

▪️ 1.5 oz honey tequila
▪️ .5 oz triple sec
▪️ .5 oz lime juice
▪️ .25 oz lemon juice
▪️ .25 oz turbinado syrup
▪️ .25 oz maraschino cherry juice
▪️ 2.5 oz green tea

Absolutely everything into a shaker of ice for the shake-up, then strain into a pretty glass of crushed ice. I garnished with a lime wheel and a couple of cherries.

Delicious. That's all; just yum. The honey tequila really shines in this. If you are able to get Cazcabel, I highly recommend.

Side note, you may notice in the first photo a puddle forming next to the glass. I thought my glass had sprung a leak. Turns out my garnish on the rim was siphoning my drink out onto the counter. Science!! 🤣

It's been awhile since I got serious and truly creative with a cocktail. So here goes...I am obsessed with collecting vi...
01/11/2026

It's been awhile since I got serious and truly creative with a cocktail. So here goes...

I am obsessed with collecting vintage Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks, especially 50's, 60's, and 70's vintage. Mid-century recipes are fascinating. They are also apparently a great place to find cocktail inspiration. You will find the harvest punch recipe inspiration for this cocktail in the 3rd photo. It's also my first stab at a cognac cocktail.

Even Better Homes & Gardens Punch

▪️ .75 oz lemon juice
▪️ 1.5 oz cranberry orange ginger syrup
▪️ .75 oz dry curacao
▪️ 1.5 oz cognac
▪️ 3 oz spiced & sweetened Earl Grey tea

All of these ingredients went into a shaker of ice to get shook. I used a meat cleaver to crush some ice in a bag and dumped it in my chilled glass. The strained my cocktail into it and added some more crushed ice and a twist of orange on top.

I made the syrup with as you would imagine with water, white sugar, fresh cranberries, fresh ginger and orange peel on the stove for about 10 minutes and then strained. The tea was an Earl Grey Supreme steeped for 5 minutes with allspice, nutmeg and orange peel, then a teaspoon of sugar was added.

Long story long, this drink is freaking DELICIOUS!! And soooo worth all the work. Cheers!

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