Toast to movie magic with Oscars inspired cocktails
While people might be sitting in their own mojo dojo casa house watching the celebrities sparkle as they stroll down the red carpet, the watching event can have their own touch of glamour. With a few ingredients that are sitting behind the bar, Oscar inspired cocktails will make for an award-winning evening.
During award season, bottles are popped, glasses are raised, and everyone celebrates. Even if people can debate over nomination snubs or worthy performances, the reality is that movies are and will continue to be a source of endless entertainment. Some films are cinematic masterpieces and others are just meant to be fun. No matter the description, there is something exciting about sitting in the dark and staring at a screen for a few hours.
Since the Academy Awards celebrate the compelling, intriguing storytellers and artists, Oscars inspired cocktails need to capture that sentiment, too. Even if a few libations might be similar to other classic cocktails, the special event adds a little flare.
Here are some Oscar inspired cocktails.
The Barbenheimer
The movie event of the summer was the combination of watching Barbie and Oppenheimer back to back. This cocktail brings together a burst of tropical sweetness and a depth of flavor that captures the yin yang moment of watching the two movies back to back.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz BACARDÍ Gold Rum
1 1/2 oz Pineapple juice
1 oz Lime juice
1/2 oz Simple syrup
1/3 oz Ruby port
Mint Sprig as garnish
Method:
In a glass filled with crushed ice, pour the first 4 ingredients and churn to mix. Top with port and garnish with a mint sprig.
Pour Things
Referencing Bella Baxter, this sweet and sour cocktail is more complex than what drinkers realize at first blush.
Ingredients:
1 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
1 1/2 oz Patrón Silver tequila
3/4 oz Fresh Lime juice
Lime Wedge for garnish
Method:
In a shaker, combine the St Germain, tequila and fresh lime juice. Then, add ice and shake vigorously until it’s nicely chilled. Lastly, strain over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a lime wedge for the perfect margarita!
Good Old Days
Reminiscing about the past can bring fond memories. A nod to Past Lives, this cocktail feels little nostalgic but never feels redundant.
Ingredients
50 ml Santa Teresa 1796
7.5 ml Demerara sugar syrup
3 Dashes 1796 Cacao bitters
Orange peel to garnish
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir until fully mixed together. Strain over rockers or ice block. Garnish with an orange peel.
The Torched Cherry
Putting aside another famous character who would never open a bottle of merlot, this cocktail is inspired by the classic dessert, Cherry Jubilee. A reference to the Holdovers, it has a taste of New England that balances simplicity with a little extra that cannot be overlooked.
Ingredients:
2 oz. Dewar’s 12-Year-Old
5 oz. Dress the Drink Smoked Cherry
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Method:
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Add fondant lace wrap around the interior of the glass before pouring the cocktail. Garnish with orange peel and cherry.
French 75
While Swifties might know that their icon enjoys a take on this classic cocktail, another musical genius inspires this pairing. A nod to Bernstein’s legendary career, the French 75 is a reference to where his musical journey began back in 1947. Timeless elegance is always in fashion.
Ingredients
35 ml Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru
75 ml Martini & Rossi Prosecco
15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ tsp white sugar
Garnish – lemon peel twist
Method:
Add fresh lemon and sugar to a shaker and stir to dissolve. Add Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru and fill with cubed ice. Shake well and then strain into your champagne flute. Top with chilled Brut Champagne. Stir slowly and garnish with a lemon peel twist.
The Golden Man
While many people in the audience dream of holding a golden statute at the end of the night, everyone can sip on a golden cocktail. This cocktail is sweet, bubbly, and a touch bitter. Win or lose the award, this cocktail shines brightly.
Ingredients:
1 Part D'USSÉ VSOP Cognac
1 Sugar Cube
3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Top MARTINI & ROSSI Asti Sparkling Wine
Method:
Add D'USSÉ, sugar cube and bitters into a champagne flute. Top with chilled MARTINI & ROSSI ® Asti Sparkling Wine.
Box Office
Although big numbers at the box office does not always mean accolades during award season, the overflowing coffers ensure that movies are always part of the conversation. This cocktail brings a nod to Bohemian life and creativity with the touch of Absinthe. The Green Fairy is floating around to inspire more movie magic.
Ingredients
1 ½ oz, GREY GOOSE Le Citron Flavored Vodka
½ oz, MARTINI Bianco Vermouth
½ oz, Bénédictine Liqueur
1 tsp, Spoon Absinthe (to Rinse)
1 dash, Celery Bitters
+ Orange Zest
Method:
Rinse martini cocktail glass with small amount of Absinthe. Stir all ingredients over ice in mixing glass until very cold. Strain into glass and garnish with an orange zest.
Allied Powers Apple Cocktail
While war is never an easy subject, combining efforts to secure victory does bring a taste of sweetness. This cocktail is a nod to the Oppenheimer and the WWII Allies coming together to prevail in battle.
Ingredients
2 parts Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
4 parts Apple Cider
½ part Honey
Method:
Add all ingredients to a shaker, using a bar spoon twice to collect the honey. Shake until chilled and fine strain into Highball glass with ice. Garnish with an apple slice.
Barbie’s Brew
While many Barbie inspired cocktails are swathed in pink, this cocktail is more than just another colorful cocktail. Just like how Barbie does not want to be confined to just one description, this cocktail offers a little bit of everything to everyone.
Ingredients
2 parts Aberfeldy
.75 parts lemon juice
.75 parts honey syrup
2 parts hibiscus tea
Method:
Combine ingredients into shaker tin and shake for about 30 seconds. Strain over fresh ice.
Maestro's Encore
Anyone who has listened to symphonic music appreciates the seamless transition from quiet, subtle moments to sweeping crescendos. With this cocktail, the Maestro controls the simple ingredients to swirl the experience into highs, lows, and a lovely finish that will linger in a triumphant way.
Ingredients:
1½ parts Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
2 parts Soda Water
Method:
Pour Teeling Whiskey in a rocks-filled Collins glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with lime wheel or your choice of citrus.
Ken’s Old Fashioned
Ken might sing about being “Just Ken,” but this version of an Old Fashioned is far from being “just” another cocktail.
Ingredients
2 oz. Templeton Rye 6 year
1 Sugar Cube
3 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
Large Ice Rock
Orange Peel
Method
Add sugar and, bitters into a chilled rocks glass. Muddle and stir until the sugar is nearly dissolved. Fill the glass with one large ice cube, add Templeton Rye, and gently stir until chilled. Express the oil of the orange peel over the glass and add as a garnish.
The 96th Academy Awards ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. The ceremony will be shown on ABC as well as other platforms starting at 7 p.m. ET.