3. Cheeky Cocktails
Cheeky Cocktails replicates the essential ingredients stocked behind the bar of your favorite craft cocktail joint, says Wachtel, former mixologist and cocktail instructor who developed Cheeky Cocktails’ line of mix-and-match syrups and juices. These bar-quality products are made without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. The focus isn’t on novel or unusual flavors, but rather craft-cocktail building blocks—essentials like lemon and lime juice, as well as agave, ginger, and honey syrups.
4. Bittercube
Bitters are the spice rack of the home bar, explains Ira Koplowitz, former bartender and founder of Bittercube. “When people make cocktails at home and begin to think about them in this way, it changes their approach,” he says. Choosing a different style of bitters can completely change the subtleties of a cocktail. A drop of Jamaican No. 1 Bitters to a daiquiri balances its sweetness with ginger, allspice, and black pepper. Take that same daiquiri and add Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters; the lime is softened by the vanilla while the rum is enhanced by the woodsy quality, he explains. Bittercube has nine varieties to experiment with.
5. Modica
Mixing your cocktail with a superfood is a noble thing to do. Modica released its trio of superfood cocktails in late 2020, providing an alternative to cocktail mixers full of artificial ingredients and sugar, says co-founder Eric Wentworth, who has a decade of bartending experience. The mixer lineup includes Turmeric-Ginger Mule, Tart Cherry Old Fashioned, and Cucumber Aloe Margarita.
