CRAFT COCKTAIL RECIPES
Looking for the perfect drink to serve next time friends visit? Choose one of these must-drink craft cocktail recipes. Make your selection based on food-pairing suggestions, simplicity, number of ingredients or time to make. We guarantee great results and you’ll look like a master mixologist.
FIND A RECIPE RESET
BRIGHT GIN PRESSE
Want a light, breezy cocktail with hidden depths? Try this Bright Gin Presse. Greenbar Bright gin is an expression of the myriad cuisines of Los Angeles. From the South American food trucks, to the strip mall Asian restaurants and the home-cooking by recent immigrants, Bright gin encompasses all these flavors plus ingredients that are abundant in our city like fresh peppercorns and citrus. Pairing the gin's streetwise complexity with the suave flavor of cucumber, delivers a fun and balanced cocktail that's exceedingly easy to drink. We recommend batching up an evening's worth of drinks, setting out some bowls of home-cooked seasoned cashews and brazil nuts, inviting your friends, and getting down to some serious gossip. We'll even help you with the math: Bright Gin Presse Batch for Six 9 oz Greenbar Bright Gin 6 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice 6 oz Simple Syrup 1/2 Persian Cucumber, Sliced Batched cocktails last for around 24 hours if refrigerated. When ready to serve; stir, pour over fresh ice and top with tonic.
3 min
Medium
Gin
REPOSADO PALOMA
Want a refreshing drink that's perfect all year round? Step up your classic Paloma cocktail by using IXÁ Reposado Tequila which adds an extra 'nuttiness' and depth. The Paloma is one of the most popular tequila cocktails and is delightfully restorative and sophisticated, complimenting spicy Mexican food perfectly. Once you've mastered this cocktail recipe, try experimenting with the amount of agave syrup. For a skinny cocktail, you can leave out the syrup entirely as the grapefruit and lime juice, together with the Greenbar Orange liqueur, might make it sweet enough for your taste.
2 min
Easy
Tequila
AVOCADO TOAST SMASH
Inspired by LA hipsters, this avocado toast cocktail is designed to impress. It's delicious, fun and a great conversation starter. Pair with a tomato based dish like a rich bolognaise or shaksuka. Find out more about how distillery co-founder, Melkon Khosrovian created the Avocado Toast Smash Cocktail.
4 min
Medium
Whiskey
ORANGE MARGARITA
An Orange Margarita is a Classic Margarita with Greenbar Orange liqueur instead of Triple Sec - this reduces the sweetness and boosts the organic orange taste. To make our award-winning orange liqueur, we hand-zest hundreds of local oranges for an intense tang and bitter-sweetness. Pair this Orange Margarita with jalapeno cornbread muffins, carnitas or an earthy gumbo.
1 min
Easy
Tequila
BRIGHT GIN MULE
Some days you want a drink that's easy-sipping with a hint of complexity on the tongue. This is the drink for you! We think this gin mule is a perfect everyday cocktail. The Greenbar Bright gin is rich and flavorful, lingering a moment after you sip. The Greenbar Ginger liqueur is warm and zingy making it the perfect partner. Add as much fresh jalapeno as your tastebuds desire :) Pair with something tasty and satisfying: a doorstep sandwich packed with cheddar or Italian sausage.
2 min
Easy
Gin
GARDEN BLOODY MARY
Not just for brunch! In its simplest form a Bloody Mary is just vodka and tomato juice. We like to think that this is one of the places where the savory flavors of Greenbar Garden vodka shine. Of course, you can mix it up a bit. Maybe you already have a favorite Bloody Mary mix or you like to make your own. We humbly recommend mixing fresh tomato juice with lime juice, worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, celery salt and cracked black pepper. The ratios for a Bloody Mary can also be tweaked to taste. In this Bloody Mary recipe, we advocate 2oz of Greenbar Garden vodka to 6oz of mix. That will give you a nice long drink but we've seen equal measures or 2:1 used too. What we're saying is: the best Bloody Mary is really the one you make on the day. Live a little, customize what goes in the glass but stay true to Greenbar Garden vodka. Pair with any egg dish. Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine are the perfect accompaniment as the tomato juice cuts the richness of hollandaise sauce.
1 min
Easy
Vodka
MEZCAL MARGARITA
Add a splash of smokiness to a margarita with mezcal. We recommend this cocktail if you love margaritas but are also a mezcal fan who enjoys the hint of smoke. We've heard that the deep rich flavor makes the drink taste strong but the alcohol level is about the same as a standard 'rita. We love this combo of smooth, mellow IXÁ Silver tequila, with the tartness of lime and the earthiness of mezcal. Did you know margarita's are one of the most popular cocktails in the United States and tequila is the spirit of choice in our home State, California? With all that drinking, it's good to understand the terms. What's the difference between tequila and mezcal? When it comes down to semantics; tequila is a type of mezcal but here's an easy way to understand the major differences: Both are made with agave but tequila has more specific regulations Tequila can only be produced from Blue Weber agave (agave tequilana) mainly in the Jalisco region of Mexico Mezcal can be made with many more types of agave and the geographic territories are wider When choosing mezcal look for a producer who uses traditional methods: roasting the agave hearts in a pit to impart the unique sweet and smoky flavor. Pair this Mezcal Margarita with any Oaxacan foods especially mole, pisole and tlayuda. If you're up for it: fried chapulines (crickets) are the perfect crunchy drinking snack.
2 min
Easy
Tequila
LA BREAKFAST
An absolute favorite and perfect for every time of day. Dunk a donut into a serving of Greenbar Single Malt whiskey, and enjoy the marriage of delicious sweetness with rich notes of tea, butterscotch, vanilla and dark fruit. We prefer traditional raised donuts but let your taste buds be your guide :)
1 min
Easy
Whiskey
THE GRIFFITH
Officially LA's favorite cocktail, The Griffith is an acclaimed award winner. Created in 2014, it evokes the flavors of Los Angeles as it's deep and complex (like a Hollywood actor), fresh (like the breeze off Santa Monica Pier) and unforgettable (like the first time you land at LAX). The Griffith Cocktail is designed to work with freshly prepared food and is the perfect drink to hand your home chef while they prepare a masterpiece. If possible, use local lemons and cucumbers grown in season. You'll like The Griffith Cocktail because it's sweet and fresh with a little bit of a bite. Here's Melkon's take on the drink: ‘Many great cities have signature cocktails. It's time for Los Angeles to create a drink to call its own, something that reflects the local culture that we can savor with friends and share with visitors.’
2 min
Easy
Amaro
SPICED DAIQUIRI
Adored by many, this is a super simple recipe that tastes like you spent heaps of time behind the bar. We've listed the instructions for a single serving below but it's easy to batch all our cocktails. Use double the rum to simple syrup and fresh juice. Serve with Caribbean-inspired foods if you want to create a theme. Our Spiced Daiquiri is also a hit with burgers, wings and tacos.
1 min
Easy
Rum
HIBISCUS MARGARITA
Pretty in pink and a fun alternative to a classic margarita. We love this twist on a margarita as it adds an extra punch of flavor. Greenbar Hibiscus Liqueur was developed by Litty and Melkon as a homage to their favorite Mexican agua frescas, it adds floral flavors cut with citrus and black tea making it a grown up drink designed especially for margaritas. Enjoy with bar food or a plate of your favorite snacks.
1 min
Easy
Liqueur
WALK IN THE WOODS
This cocktail is made with two ingredients and can be made in next to no time. Don't let the simplicity distract you from the flavor. This is rich, delicious and warming. We love it at every time of year and it's the perfect drink for relaxing after work or entertaining friends. Pair it with nibbles: roasted nuts and dried fruit play well with this cocktail.
1 min
Easy
Amaro
MESA MARGARITA RECIPE
Complex and delicious served straight from the bottle, IXÁ Reposado Tequila is also a great ingredient in craft cocktails as it adds complexity and depth without overriding other ingredients. Pair with savory pastries. We especially love Armenian boreg or piroshki and have even tried it with nazook which pulled out some of the deeper coffee flavors.
1 min
Easy
Tequila
GRAND AÑEJO
IXÁ Añejo Tequila is perfect just as it is but we're always interested in finding new flavor combinations, so one day we set ourselves the challenge: how to make the best añejo tequila cocktail. We were looking for a new drink that accentuates the wood and fruit flavors of aged tequila - we think we found it with this drink. Pair with the darkest chocolate you can find!
1 min
Easy
Tequila
GARDEN AFFAIR
Created by Litty and Melkon back when Greenbar Distillery was far younger than it is now, this cocktail stands strong. It's the perfect savory cocktail and is a delicious match for rich food. Add as much spicy sauce as your taste buds like. Melkon, in particular, loves a couple more dashes than the rest of us! Pair with either your favorite deli foods or hearty stews and hotpots. The lightness of the cocktail will cleanse your palate during a meal.
2 min
Easy
Vodka
DOUBLE LEMON PRESSE
Our go-to cocktail: this is a drink everyone loves. The refreshing taste of real lemons combined with muddled mint is perfect for every season. We call this cocktail a Double Lemon Presse because it's packed with citrus, two ounces of Greenbar Lemon Vodka and one ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice. It's based on a classic Mint Drop cocktail but we've updated the taste with a nice Greenbar Distillery twist. Serve with a colorful salad or bread and cheese.
2 min
Easy
Vodka
MELROSE MULE
The trick to making a great mule is using Greenbar Ginger liqueur and soda water. You get the kick of real ginger without any unwanted aftertaste. We love pairing a Melrose Mule organic cocktail with a selection of rustic breads and deli fixings. The taste is strong enough to stand up to strong flavors yet refreshing enough to make it an easy-sipping drink :)
1 min
Easy
Vodka
LAVENDER DAIQUIRI
Clean and delicious, we love this daiquiri because it's super easy to make but tastes like you slaved behind the bar. Punch up the look by using fresh lavender as the garnish. Pair with your favorite takeout.
1 min
Easy
Rum
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
This is one smooth cocktail! We like to think it's chosen by the leading ladies in Bel Air but it can definitely be enjoyed by everyone. Using pure cranberry juice in a Fountain of Youth cocktail is key. Look for unsweetened 100% juice. It's now available in most stores and makes a huge taste difference. Plus, it's packed with lovely vitamins and antioxidants. Our version of this classic pairs TRU Lemon vodka with FRUITLAB Hibiscus liqueur for a rich fruit flavor that tastes clean and fresh. The addition of BAR KEEP Lavender bitters adds a certain je ne sais quois. Try pairing with a well-dressed Caesar salad.
2 min
Medium
Vodka
ANGEL’S FLIGHT
Anything with FRUITLAB Orange liqueur is a crowd pleaser. We love an Angel's Flight because it combines liqueur with whiskey in this simple yet delicious cocktail. Try pairing with your favorite bran muffins or pistachio cookies.
2 min
Easy
Whiskey
GINGER CRISP
If you love the tang of ginger then this is the drink for you. Refreshing, simple and absolutely packed with flavor. Order in, pick your favorite TV show and get comfy!
1 min
Easy
Liqueur
CITY OF ANGELS
We love our City of Angels cocktail because it's so simple yet tastes so complex. This one is a sure winner at larger parties and with friends. We recommend serving with Mexican-style street food. And one of the best things about this cocktail? It was created by Litty Mathew - it's still one of her favorites!
2 min
Easy
Tequila
GREEN BLOODY MARY from @Chickologist
Now and then you come across someone who really knows their spirits and Rachael Robbins (AKA @Chickologist) knows liquor better than most. This recipe comes from Rachael: she was facing a cold New York morning and needed the perfect brunch drink. She started with Greenbar Garden vodka and got to work making the best homemade green tomatillo salsa. Not for the fainthearted or anyone new to cocktailing, this is a tricky cocktail because the fresh Green Bloody Mary mix takes a little concentration but it's well worth the effort. We'll admit, we don't always go all out with the garnish but, if you have time to spare, a deviled egg and fried oyster makes the perfect pairing. Thanks again Rachael and @CapacityImages for the photo. Try this Green Bloody Mary with deep fried appetizers or your favorite brunch dish.
15 min
Hard
Vodka
CASK STRENGTH WHISKEY
This one needs no introduction. Greenbar Distillery SLOW HAND Six Woods Cask Whiskey is revered by many and we think the simplest serving style might be the best.
1 min
Easy
Whiskey
GINGER SPICE MULE
Enjoy the warmth of ginger and the burst of spice in the delightful cocktail. Pairing the richness of FRUITLAB Ginger Liqueur and the complexity of BAR KEEP Chinese bitters with a burst of soda water makes this an unforgettable Moscow mule. Enjoy with strong flavors. We suggest Thai noodle salad, tandoori chicken or grilled sea bass topped with a zesty salsa.
3 min
Medium
Vodka
THE MACARTHUR
Love an Old Fashioned? Mix things up and try our organic take on this old favorite. We've combined CITY Amber gin with FRUITLAB Orange liqueur to create a nuanced concoction that hits all the right spots! Serve with a wedge salad or deviled eggs. This mixed drink is the perfect accompaniment for complex yet light flavors.
2 min
Medium
Liqueur