Andrea KramerThe socially distant situation in which we find ourselves can make even a teetotaler crave a drink, so with moderation in mind, let’s give in and have some fun with quarantine drinking. In the spirit of accomplishing two things at once, we have found a few products to help making and serving drinks easier and more fun. What’s more, we plan to pass off the products we have found as Father’s Day presents when in reality, we are going to enjoy them ourselves. (We won’t tell, if you won’t tell.)
We are recommending you focus on better drinks and ditch the infamous and controversial “quarantini” – the drink that started it all was likely meant as a joke. Still if you missed the quarantini controversy and must know what the fuss was about, here is a link to a pretty decent quarantini recipe.
Moving on to better drinking, meet Steve the bartender from Down Under. Here are two youtube videos featuring our new favorite bartender. The first video blog is “10 easy drinks in 10 minutes”. Quite frankly, Steve had us at “easy”, but his adorable Australian accent and his arm muscles from the constant drink shaking are pretty good too. In the second video, Steve focuses on quarantine drinks using what folks have on hand. ENJOY!!!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfEJUzPnT-HdNqOqdX3A0lA
Steve’s tools of the trade are jiggers, cocktail shakers and strainers, which got us thinking – if you don’t have an attractive matched set of bar tools, we want to recommend a set that contains the tools Steve uses plus a few more. As we mentioned in the introduction, you can easily pass this off as a Father’s Day gift. This attractive set is $199.95 and sold exclusively at Williams Sonoma.
Williams Sonoma Bar Tool Set with Stand & Cocktail Shaker
Here is another set with a few supplemental bar tools, also from Williams Sonoma for $89.95. This will come in handy for professional looking garnishes. It is a great gift for someone who already has the basics covered.
Crafthouse by Fortessa Bar Tool Set
And while we are on the subject of Father’s Day, no man on the planet can resist swiss army knives-and we kind of like them too. We found a swiss army knife 10 in 1 bar tool that is a great Father’s Day present, assuming you won’t mind sharing it. It is $36 on Amazon.
HOST 7339 Bar10der 10 in 1 Tool in Wood, One, Brown
If a simple glass of wine is more your speed, we do not want you to feel left out. Everyone already has a decent bottle opener, but this electric one makes opening a bottle almost too easy. Added bonus- this too can be passed off as a Father’s Day gift. It’s on sale right now at Kohl’s for $27.99.
Food Network™ Electric Wine Opener
Getting back to drink recipes- we wanted to share our favorite peach sangria recipe. It’s our go-to summer drink, courtesy of my son. Enjoy!
- 1 bottle of dry white wine
- 1 cup of peach shnapps
- ¼ to 1/3 cup of sugar
- Dice fresh peaches, apples, plus add any fruit you have on hand such as grapes, strawberries and oranges
- 1 Litre of Sprite or Ginger ale
Stir wine, schnapps and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add fruit and chill. Add soda immediately before serving.
You’ll need the perfect pitcher for serving the sangria, or really anything this summer, along with coordinating glasses. Both are available online. The pitcher from the Mikasa Cheers collection is $33.99 at QVC and the glasses also from the Mikasa Cheers collection are $69.99 for a set of four at Hudson’s Bay.
Mikasa Round Pitcher – Cheers Collection
Cheers Stemless Wine Glasses Set Of 4
The bar tool set from Williams Sonoma that we featured earlier has a long mixing spoon, so you don’t really need a second; however, we couldn’t resist sharing this mixing spoon that combines a spoon on one end and a fork on the other to easily pick up chunks of fruit. It’s great for serving sangria and comes with a muddler for only $11.99 on Amazon.
Hiware 10 Inch Stainless Steel Cocktail Muddler and Mixing Spoon Home Bar Tool Set
If bigger seems better and you want sangria (mojitos and more) for the whole day, here’s a useful beverage dispenser. We love that this dispenser keeps the ice separate, so it won’t dilute your drinks and it’s elevated to make pouring easy, plus the design keeps pesky insects out -all for $25.99 at Target. We always use one to hold iced tea and one to hold lemonade for the perfect Arnold Palmer.
Beverage Dispenser with Infuser – 3gal
At BA50, sometimes we get carried away about the products we love, and here we go again. We LOVE these Bloody Mary Cocktail Branches from Uncommongoods.com. They are sold as a set of two for $18. They almost turn your drink into a meal. Not only are they useful and adorable, but they are great conversation pieces. Have fun also using them to hold fruit for tropical drinks or smoothies.