Category Archives: recipes

Yuzu Sour

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yuzu sour cocktail

I recently came across East Bev Co, a cocktail box subscription service that focuses exclusively on Asian and Asian-inspired ingredients. They were kind enough to send me a sample of one of their boxes, which includes ingredients to make 3 different cocktails, and comes with enough to actually make 4 of each. Helloooooo dinner party!

eastbevco recipe cards

East Bev boxes run about $50 per month, and includes all ingredients but alcohol. My 3 recipes this month called for Sake, so a single bottle would be perfect to make all 12 drinks. I chose the Yuzu Sour, and here’s how you do it:

Yuzu Sour (via East Bev Co)

  • in a shaker, combine:
  • 2 oz sake
  • 1 oz yuzu juice (provided)
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup (provided)
  • shake with ice and double-strain into a rocks glass filled with ice
  • garnish with bitters or a lemon peel (I did both!)

So you’re left with a deliciously tart, balanced drink with ingredients that you can’t usually find on the grocer’s shelf. For aficionados of Asian culture and for those who like to experiment with their food and drink, East Bev is a fun addition to a dinner party. Subscriptions are available here.

RumChata Candy Cane

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rumchata candy cane

There’s no doubt that the Holidays are a great time of year to break out the RumChata. Show up to the party with a chilled bottle, and people will always be thrilled. Of course, this leave lots of opportunity to experiment with great Rumchata winter drinks.

RumChata, if you don’t know yet, is rum, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar. It’s great to mix with warm drinks (coffee, cocoa and tea) and it makes for some killer cocktails with lots of spirits. Here’s one I made called a Candy Cane:

Candy Cane (by Greg Mays)

  • in a rocks glass filled with ice, add:
  • 1 1/2 oz RumChata
  • 1 1/2 oz white rum
  • 3/4 oz of peppermint schnapps
  • stir gently to combine
  • carefully drizzle grenadine down edges of glass to resemble stripes

Special thanks to our sponsor RumChata.

RumChata RRR Cocktail

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RumChata RRR cocktail

I have been glad to have RumChata join us as a sponsor for the past few years at Simple Cocktails, and I’ve been starting to wonder if I’ll run out of ideas for new RumChata cocktails. Today, I opened, the liquor cabinet, and thought to myself: what do I love? Let’s make that a drink.

I grabbed RumChata, rye whiskey and aged rum. I poured equal parts and shook it on ice. I could not believe how delicious this cocktail was. Time to share the recipe…this is my current go-to RumChata drink!

RumChata RRR (by Greg Mays)

  • In a shaker, combine:
  • 1 oz RumChata
  • 1 oz high-proof rye (100+ proof)
  • 1 oz aged rum (5 years+)
  • shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe
  • garnish with a stemmed cherry
Thanks to our sponsor RumChata.

Hunny Peach (feat. RumChata)

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hunny peach cocktail

I’ve had the pleasure of working with RumChata for the past few years and have had the opportunity to experiment at great lengths with their versatile cinnamon cream liqueur. So far, I’ve run into very few limitations for RumChata in cocktails. Initially, I began with riffs on the White Russian, or the other standard cream liqueur drinks, like a splash in coffee or cocoa.

What has surprised me, though, is how RumChata works with other liquors, like gin, applejack or whiskey. In fact, I’ll go as far to say that cocktails with RumChata and whiskey are some of my favorites. Here’s a new cocktail I created called the Hunny Peach:

Hunny Peach (feat. RumChata) by Greg Mays

  • in a shaker, combine:
  • 2 oz RumChata
  • 2 oz Jack Daniels Honey
  • shake vigorously with ice
  • strain into an Old Fashioned glass filled with ice
  • top with 2 dashes of the Bitter Truth Peach Bitters
Thanks to our sponsor RumChata.

RumChata Soda

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RumChata Soda

Did you know that combining a shaken cocktail with club soda can give you a “foamy” consistency to a tall drink? That’s exactly what I had in mind as I made this cocktail with RumChata and as warmer weather is on the horizon.

This tall cocktail, in fact, is really a template for a delicious creamy drink, and nearly every part can be interchanged with other ingredients to create a unique RumChata soda that fits your tastes. Don’t like chocolate syrup? Replace with caramel! There are lots of great options here.

Here’s the recipe for this simple, tasty soda fountain drink:

RumChata Soda

  • in a cocktail shaker, add:
  • 1 1/2 oz RumChata
  • 1/2 oz chocolate syrup
  • 1 oz vodka
  • shake vigorously with ice
  • in an ice-filled collins glass, fill about 1/3 with club soda
  • strain the cocktail into the glass
  • fill the remaining space with club soda, which should foam up nicely
  • garnish with an orange twist and serve with a straw!
Thanks to our sponsor RumChata.

Spiced Chata

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spice-chata downsized

Every time Fall and Winter arrive, my RumChata bottles go quick. From adding a shot to coffee or hot cocoa to making some great rum or whiskey based cocktails with it, the cinnamon and horchata flavors make it easy to create a great cold-weather drink.

With that in mind, I decided to make a drink that’s got an easy mixing ratio (2:1:1) and is perfect for sipping by the fire! Here’s the Spiced Chata cocktail:

Spiced Chata (by Greg Mays)

  • in a shaker, combine:
  • 2 oz amber rum
  • 1 oz RumChata
  • 1 oz spiced liqueur (I used Jägermeister Spice)
  • shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice cubes
  • garnish with an apple slice

Alternatively, you can serve “up” in a chilled cocktail glass with no ice. Enjoy this Fall cocktail from our sponsor RumChata!

Angel Wings featuring RumChata

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angel wings cocktail

I love challenging myself to come up with creative new ways to mix RumChata, and the cinnamon-and-cream deliciousness always mixes very well with other items in the bar.

Because Fall is coming soon, I’ve begun thinking about seasonal flavors I can mix with RumChata, and decided on a spiced concoction that turned out really beautiful and really tasty. I’ve named it the Angel Wings because of the deceptively pink-ness of the drink, which is surprisingly strong. Here’s how to make it:

Angel Wings (by Greg Mays)

  • in a cocktail shaker, combine:
  • 1 oz RumChata
  • 2 oz reposado tequila
  • 1/2 oz herbal liqueur (like Jägermeister)
  • 1/4 oz Grenadine
  • shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with cherries

The spice and the tequila balance very well with the spices in RumChata and make for a bright, flavorful and tasty cocktail.

Special thanks to our sponsor RumChata.

RumChata Coffee Shake

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rumchata coffee shake

RumChata’s a great liquor to splash in your coffee or hot chocolate, but don’t forget that it can also be enjoyed as part of an iced-coffee cocktail during the summer. I applied a little creativity on this recipe and came up with a delicious and refreshing drink. It’s really simple to make and RumChata’s cream-and-cinnamon flavor is at the forefront. Try this one out:

RumChata Coffee Shake (by Greg Mays)

  • in a cocktail shaker, combine:
  • 1 oz RumChata
  • 1 oz coffee syrup (I used Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 1/2 ounce white rum
  • 2 dashes of whiskey barrel aged bitters
  • shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled old fashioned glass
  • garnish with cherries or an orange slice

Special thanks to our sponsor RumChata.

MintChata

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luckychata cocktail

I feel like with every RumChata cocktail I make here at Simple Cocktails, it becomes a challenge to be more creative and more interesting with the next recipe. Now that we’re on the brink of Spring, my focus has drifted to my mint plants, which are just starting to show signs of life.

So how to incorporate mint into a cinnamon-rum-and-cream liqueur like RumChata? It turns out RumChata was actually the perfect binding ingredient to the other two I chose to use in this cocktail: apple whiskey and creme de menthe! Here’s how I made it:

MintChata (by Greg Mays)

  • in a shaker, combine:
  • 1 oz RumChata
  • 1 1/2 oz apple whiskey (I used Tullamore Dew Cider Cask)
  • 1/4 oz creme de menthe (I used a natural one called Embassy Row)
  • shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with a mint sprig

The result is a light, fragrant and fun cocktail with a great deal of familiar flavors that is absolutely delicious.

Special thanks to our sponsor RumChata.

RumChata Apple Snap

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rumchata apple snap

Though we’ve spent the year proving otherwise, I don’t think there’s any doubt that RumChata’s real season to shine is the winter. With it’s creamy cinnamon and rum notes, there are a lot of opportunities to make some killer cold-weather cocktails with it.

I’ve been working hard to break RumChata out of it’s shell this year, though. It obviously plays well with coffee, chocolate and rum, but I’ve been working to pair with with spirits you wouldn’t necessarily think of using (like gin in the Red Summer).

So for our final RumChata foray, I’ve gone all warm and wintry with Calvados (a Spanish apple brandy) and a spiced liqueur. I call it the Apple Snap:

Apple Snap (by Greg Mays)

  • in a shaker, add:
  • 1 oz RumChata
  • 1 1/2 oz of Calvados or apple brandy
  • 1/2 oz of spiced liqueur, like Besamim or Snap (I used Besamim)
  • add ice, shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • garnish with an orange peel and a sprinkle of nutmeg

Special thanks to our sponsor RumChata.