• Jane on September 15, 2022

  Everything I've made from this book has been great. Very easy to prepare, easy to serve for large group, tastes and looks wonderful. Highly recommend.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Derby cup [Fred Yarm]

  • alex9179 on July 02, 2019

    Reminds me of sweet tea. Very easy to drink, so be careful!

  • DFarnham on October 19, 2021

    Great batch cocktail. Easy to make. EASY to drink!

• Improved blood orange punch [Jen Ackrill]

  • Jane on March 18, 2026

    I made this for my Oscars party - it’s a great batch cocktail for this time of year when blood oranges are in season. Fruity, well balanced, not too sweet.

• Sandy bottoms [Stephanie Andrews]

  • peaceoutdesign on August 02, 2020

    Great summer cocktail. I tried substituting an amaro for the bitters and it was missing the depth of flavor that the 1/2 cup Peychauds had.

• Side porch sangria [Dorothy Elizabeth]

  • caitmcg on July 03, 2019

    This is a delicious, citrusy sangria with a nice bittersweet edge thanks to the Campari and Aperol.

  • Yildiz100 on July 10, 2019

    Nice sangria. Surprisingly the apricot stands up well to the Campari and Aperol. I liked it even better with a bit of soda added, as the author suggests. With the soda it is a bit lighter, fresher, and more summery.

  • Jane on September 15, 2022

    I'm not a fun of sweet sangria - but this isn't sweet at all with most of the ingredients being bitter or dry/sharp. That's balanced with the apricot - I couldn't get apricot so used peach/orange and added peach slices. It was delicious and everyone at the party loved it.

  • peaceoutdesign on July 10, 2023

    This was great, not to sweet and nicely bitter. I had to use mango juice because I couldn't find apricot anywhere and it was a good substitute. I did not top with soda but I'm sure it would work well.

• Bear at the turn [Miles Howard]

  • Jane on September 15, 2022

    This was a great summer cocktail and very easy to do for a large gathering. The blackberry mint syrup had great flavor. As well as tasting great it was a very pretty color.

  • pastryguy on March 10, 2025

    I received rave reviews on this one at my neighborhood block party. There were many compliments on both the unique blueberry-mint flavor and the lovely color. For my personal taste I thought it just a tiny bit overly sour and will try decreasing the lime juice from 2 cups to 1 & 2/3 cups next time

• Lace and fancy things [Alexandra Anderson]

  • Ehcoggin on March 27, 2020

    Maybe the best cocktail I have ever made. I don't love cantaloupe, but the cantaloupe gin is my favorite infusion I have done!

• Strawberry-basil syrup

  • alex9179 on July 02, 2019

    Whirred everything in the FP and didn't strain. We loved it and the kids think its fantastic with Sprite.

• Tenochtitlan [Pilar Vree]

  • SheilaS on January 21, 2021

    This is one of my favorite cocktails to batch up for parties, especially in the wintertime. The chile liqueur makes it interesting. Too bad I don't know how to pronounce it!

• The poolside [Sam Willy]

  • caitmcg on July 03, 2019

    This is a refreshing low-alcohol drink. The flavors all marry well, and the bit of heat from the chile works nicely.

  • Yildiz100 on July 29, 2019

    Nice, refreshing, and very low alcohol. I might experiment with adding a bit of extra Grand Marnier next time.

• The Sundance sparkler [Daniel Paez]

  • Jehensle on June 15, 2019

    This was very tasty, but also very spicy. Don’t make this for sensitive tastebuds. Also, really be careful when pouring in purée, it really foams up the wine and makes a mess. While this was very good, it was a bit of work. It is reminiscent of a mimosa with flavors of Mexican candy. I would make this again for a brunch party.

• Tipsy daisy [Brian Means]

  • Jehensle on April 03, 2019

    Delicious! Well balanced, flavorful drink! Loved the combination of strawberry and basil. The Serrano also provides a nice, subtle, but noticeable heat and flavor. Perfect spring time drink! Also, the strawberry basil syrup is to-die-for! We had a little leftover, which I poured over plain, whole milk, Greek yogurt, and it was fabulous!

  • alex9179 on July 02, 2019

    Very refreshing! Wonderful party/summer cocktail.

• Basil expedition [Wes Leslie]

  • Jehensle on August 14, 2019

    Delicious! Very smooth, flavorful, and well balanced! We used a whole Thai pepper and is was not too spicy. Just the right amount of heat. One of our favorites from the book, after Tipsy Daisy.

• Paper Plane [Sam Ross]

  • peaceoutdesign on December 31, 2020

    Great Recipe, as an add on at the bottom of the page.

• The birds and the bees punch [Shannon Tebay Sidle]

  • Yildiz100 on June 18, 2019

    Very nice, fresh and summery. Great for rum lovers as the cucumber highlights the rum nicely. The green tea adds a bit of tannin for complexity.

  • peaceoutdesign on July 10, 2019

    When I made the tea, I put in 4 stems of lavender and steeped that as well for just a hint of floral. Very good cocktail.

• Chipotle Collins [Mike Treffehn]

  • peaceoutdesign on April 22, 2024

    This was refreshing but not a crowd pleaser. I really did like the syrup, it had lots of flavor compared to most chile syrups.

• Chipotle syrup

  • peaceoutdesign on April 22, 2024

    I made this with Chipotle powder and a dried Guajillo and thought that the taste and level of heat was perfect. because I used "powder", I strained the syrup through a nut bag.

• Perfect circle [Paul McGee and Shelby Allison]

  • Yildiz100 on May 31, 2019

    I always say a drink with Campari tastes like Campari and nothing else. I love it, so I don't mind. However, the sherry does manage to stand up to the Campari- a bit. It's not a seamlessly blended drink but it works if you like bitter and sherry.

• Ratterwick punch [Shannon Tebay Sidle]

  • Yildiz100 on June 01, 2019

    Fresh, light, well balanced. Nothing remarkable but would be, as the other notes, a crowd pleaser.

  • peaceoutdesign on February 02, 2022

    This was very sweet, possibly switching out the Aperol for Campari might make it better.

  • Jane on May 21, 2026

    A great cocktail for a summer party. All prepped well ahead. Good balance of sweetness, bitterness, alcohol and fruit. Will definitely make again - everyone loved it.

• Bitter ex [Gillian Fitzgerald]

  • Yildiz100 on June 21, 2019

    Needs the salt rim, otherwise it tastes a bit syrupy. Despite the sweetness, this is sooo bitter, and that is saying something, I love bitter! This is one of the cases where the sugar works to highlight the bitter by its contrast. This one is not a repeat, I'm afraid.

• Unchained melody [Katipai Richardson-Wilson]

  • peaceoutdesign on May 25, 2019

    EtOH forward, a bit sweet, everyone loved. For a better presentation, make a big ice cube in a plastic container with orange slices.

• Ticktock [Jennifer Akin]

  • krista_jo on July 29, 2019

    Delicious and complex. Whiskey-forward despite being 9 tenths rum. The syrup recipe can be halved without problems.

• Simply Recipes by Emma Christensen

  Q&A with the author and a recipe from the book.

  Full review