In t he Spir it By Tony Cross

Just the Two of Us

Cockt ails you don’t h ave t o post on social media

By ton y C ross This month is

for the couples. Yes, love is in the air . . . or is it the sound of greeting card and chocolate companies rubbing their hands together, ready to rake in millions? Maybe it’s both.

R egardless, Va lentine’s Day is one of, if not the busiest nights of the year if you’re in the restaurant business. I a lways recommend not going out the night of. Chances are, the establishment of your choosing w ill be slammed, the menu w ill be limited (and probably over pr iced), ser v ice w ill be spot t y, and you’ll feel r ushed. Instead, go out the weekend before or af ter and, on Va lentine’s Day, stay home and cook.

Mak ing dr ink s together can be f un, especia lly if you keep it simple. Below are some suggestions for you t wo lovebirds to tack le. T he first is ver y va lentine-y. T he rest are uncomplicated and var ied — a lit tle something for ever y romantic taste bud.

Bitter French

T his is a cock tail f rom bar tender Phil Ward. It’s a subtle spin on the classic French 75 cock tail. T he addition of Campar i g ives this dr ink a slight bit ter flavor, which tastes incredible. If I happen to have strawber r ies in my f r idge, I’ll muddle one while whipping this up. It’s a nice compliment to an a lready g reat classic. 1 ounce Ply mouth g in (It doesn’t have to be Ply mouth, but k now that this g in is sof t and not ver y juniper-for ward. You k now, juniper . . . the reason people who hate g in, hate g in?) 1/4 ounce Campar i 1/2 ounce lemon juice 1/2 ounce simple sy r up Dr y Champag ne or any dr y spark ling w ine 1 g rapef r uit t w ist If you’re going to include a strawberr y, muddle in a cocktail shaker. Shake all ingredients (minus grapef r uit t wist and Champagne) with ice, then doublestrain into a Champagne flute or cocktail coupe. Top with Champagne. Express oils of grapef r uit t wist over cocktail and discard.

Sidecar

T he or ig ina l recipe f rom this classic only ca lls for three ing redients: cog nac, orange liqueur and lemon juice. However, to me, adding just a touch of r ich simple sy r up g ives this cock tail a bet ter mouthfeel. 2 ounces cog nac (R emy Mar tin work s fine, but use Pier re Fer rand 1840 Cog nac if you can get it) 3/4 ounce Cointreau 3/4 ounce lemon juice 1 barspoon r ich simple sy r up R ich simple syr up: Combine t wo par ts sugar to one par t water in a pot and stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. L et cool and ref rigerate. It keeps for up to a month. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard for 10 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail coupe. No garnish.

Brandy (or Gin) Alexander

T his is a classic desser t cock tail. If cog nac isn’t your thing, substit uting g in makes this dr ink wor thwhile. May I recommend Sutler’s Spir it Co. out of Winston- Sa lem? W hen it comes to crème

Donald Ross claimed God created golf holes. And it was his job to find them.

de cacao, please don’t use the cheap st uf f. You can get Tempus Fug it’s online if it’s not available in your loca l A BC store. Tr ust me, the difference is well wor th the time in order ing it. W hen using g in, I like to keep the recipe equa l par ts, but feel f ree to play around w ith the measurements. Brandy 1 1/2 ounces cog nac 1 ounce crème de cacao 1 ounce heav y cream Nutmeg Gin 1 ounce g in 1 ounce crème de cacao 1 ounce heav y cream Nutmeg Combine all ingredients (minus nutmeg) with ice and shake hard until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Grate nutmeg over cocktail.

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Dark ‘N’ Stormy

E asiest dr ink on the list. Grab a bot tle of Gosling’s Dark Sea l Rum, qua lit y g inger beer, a few limes, and you’re good to go. If you want to tr y something dif ferent, Jef f rey Morgentha ler has a g reat lit tle recipe using Chinese Five Spice. Google it. 2 ounces Gosling’s Dark Sea l Rum 4 ounces g inger beer Lime wedge In a Collins glass, add r um, fill with ice and top with ginger beer. Squeeze lime wedge over drink before adding. Give a brief stir with a spoon and enjoy.

Cosmopolitan

Some of you may be rolling your eyes, but have you had a proper Cosmo? T his dr ink is no joke and, if made cor rectly, it’s strong and delicious. T here are many versions out there and this is mine. To any of you g uys or ga ls who have a lready swor n of f mak ing this because of its pink hue, remember, it’s just a damn dr ink. 1 1/2 ounces citron vodk a (If you’re like me, and only have a bot tle of Belvedere in the f r idge, that’s cool, too.) 3/4 ounce Cointreau ( You may substit ute Grand Mar nier, but if so, sca le back to 1/2 ounce — to me, it’s a bit r ich.) 1 ounce cranber r y juice (Ocean Spray is just fine.) 1/2 ounce f resh lime juice Lime wheel (optiona l) Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard until chilled. Double strain into a chilled mar tini glass. Garnish that bad boy if you’d like. PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.