We recently attended a party where pre-bottled cocktails were lining up the cooler. That's right. Moscow Mules and Dark and Stormys in a bottle, just like a beer! Genius! We had to ask the host, Courtney Klein, how she made such portable libations. (P.S. Everything you need is available on Amazon!)
My friends Brian and Grace were married this Fall in the woods and instead of having a bartender they had the brilliant idea to pre-bottle cocktails and serve them on ice next to the beer. Since then I’ve become obsessed with bottling my own cocktails at home. The bottle and equipment (crown capper for the win!) are a small investment but once you have them it takes less than 10 minutes to make a batch at home. It’s so easy. Plus, they make great hostess and holiday gifts. And the bottles are reusable! And they’re delicious!
One hint I’ve found is to “stay strong”. Stick with high-proof, spirit driven cocktails, and avoid bottling anything with large amounts of citrus as those flavors can change over time and are less shelf stable — obviously less of a worry if you plan on drinking up the night of. My favorites are the Manhattan, Bicyclette, Negroni, and Champagne Sparkler. For this holiday hostess gift a Bourbon Fizz fits the season nicely.
Supplies:
– Crown capper– Bottle caps
– Mini glass champagne bottles
– Larger glass pitcher
– Small funnel
– Measuring cup with ounces clearly marked
– Bourbon
– Champagne
This recipe calls for 1 oz bourbon for every 4 oz of champagne (4:1). In this case we’ll be filling a six pack so we’ll need 6oz (3/4 cup) of bourbon and 24 oz (3 cups) of champagne. You can scale up or down as you like.
Combine the bourbon and champagne in your glass pitcher and stir well.
Then slowly fill your bottles just to the bottom of the neck. A funnel would make this loads easier.
Place a bottle cap on top of each of your bottles and then take your crown capper, pushing downward with a little bit of force, and seal them one by one. Place in the fridge to cool.
That’s it! You’re done.
Before you leave for your party, you can decorate them with a bit of bakers twine and a craft paper label like I did, or even make your own custom six pack for carrying.
What cocktails would you bottle and bring to your next holiday or dinner party? Have you tried bottling your own beverages? Talk to us in the comments below.
