Brought to us by our editorial director J.M. Hirsch, the concept is this: Take a full bottle of your chosen liquor, pour off just enough to make room for your mixers and build your cocktail right in the bottle. Serve from the freezer when the mood or occasion arises.
But, as Hirsch has taught us in a number of social media videos, a little science is required. The classic piña colada, for instance, needed tweaking to prevent curdled coconut milk, and a mint julep should be made with peak minty freshness in mind (fresh mint does not freeze well). You also need to add a little water, but not too much, lest the whole things freezes.
Why Add Water?
You might wonder why many of these recipes have one add water to the mix. The reason is simple: When you shake cocktails with ice, it doesn't just chill them; it also dilutes them, smoothing out the harsh bite of the alcohol and opening up the flavors. By adding water to our freezer door cocktails, we're compensating for that dilution, ensuring that every sip is perfectly balanced.
What should you do with the pour-off amount?
You only pour off some of the liquor to make space to add ingredients to the bottle, but you certainly don’t want to waste it. The leftover liquor presents the perfect opportunity to craft one of our Milk Street Cocktails.
Mint Julep
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of of bourbon
- 2 cups fresh mint
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- Enough water to just cover the mint
Instructions:
Pour out 3 1/4 ounces of bourbon from the bottle. Simmer the mint, sugar, and water, tasting after a couple of minutes. Once the syrup has been infused with mint flavor, cool and strain. Add 3 ounces of the mixture to the remaining 22 ounces of bourbon. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Serve over crushed ice and garnish with fresh mint.
Dirty Vodka Martini
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of of vodka
- 4 ounces dry vermouth
- 2 1/2 ounces water
- 1 1/2 ounces green olive brine
Instructions:
Pour off six ounces from the vodka bottle. Add the dry vermouth, water, and olive brine. Shake
well and chill in the freezer. Serve chilled with a green olive garnish.
Manhattan
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of vodka
- 4 ounces sweet vermouth
- 1/2 ounce of syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries
- A generous dash or two of Angostura bitters
Instructions:
Pour off 4 1/2 ounces from the rye bottle. Add the sweet vermouth, cherry syrup, and bitters. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Serve over ice and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Daiquiri
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of white rum
- 3 1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 ounces water
- 1 3/4 ounces of agave or simple syrup
- Peychaud’s bitters
Instructions:
Pour off 7 ounces of white rum from the bottle. Add lime juice, water, syrup, and Peychaud’s bitters. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Serve with a lime wedge garnish.
Margarita
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of tequila blanco
- 5 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
- 4 ounces orange liqueur
- 1 1/2 ounces agave or simple syrup
- A pinch of salt
Instructions:
Pour off 10 ounces of tequila from the bottle. Add lime juice, orange liqueur, syrup, and a pinch of salt. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Serve over ice.
Espresso Martini
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of vodka
- 3 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 9 ounces Kahlua
- 1 ounce water
Instructions:
Pour off 10 ounces of vodka from the bottle. Add espresso powder, Kahlua, and water. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Serve over ice.
Negroni
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of gin
- 7 ounces sweet vermouth
- 7 ounces Campari
- A few dashes of orange bitters
Instructions:
Pour off 16 ounces of gin from the bottle. Add sweet vermouth, Campari, and orange bitters. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Serve over ice with an orange twist.
Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of bourbon or rye
- 1 ounce agave or simple syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon Angostura bitters
Instructions:
Pour off 1 1/3 ounces of bourbon or rye from the bottle. Add syrup and bitters. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Serve over ice.
Vesper
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of gin
- 2 1/2 ounces Vodka
- 5 ounces Cocchi Americano
Instructions:
Pour off 10 ounces of gin from the bottle. Add vodka and Cocchi Americano. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Pour straight from the freezer into a coupe, no ice necessary.
Cosmopolitan
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of vodka
- 3 ounces orange liquor
- 2 ounces water
- 1 ounce cranberry juice concentrate
- 1/4 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon orange bitters
- 1 1/2 ounces agave or simple syrup
Instructions:
Pour off 9 ounces of vodka from the bottle. Add orange liqueur, water, cranberry juice concentrate, lime juice, orange bitters, and syrup. Shake well and chill in the freezer. Pour over a single large cube of ice to let the drink dilute and evolve as you sip.
Coconut-Lime Daiquiri Colada
Ingredients:
- 1 750-milliliter bottle of white rum
- Zest strips from 2 limes
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 ounces water
- 2 ounces agave or simple syrup
Instructions:
Infuse the white rum with lime zest by pulsing in a blender. This gives the cocktail a strong lime flavor without diluting the rum with lime juice. Strain the rum through a cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer and discard the zest. Next, stir the melted coconut oil into the rum. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, stirring often. Freeze the mixture until the fat solidifies. Strain it again through a cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer straight into the bottle of rum. Discard the solids, add the water and syrup, then shake the bottle well before chilling in the freezer. Serve over crushed ice.
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