Groom Duties

Signature cocktails that don’t suck from the experts at Employees’ Only in NYC

The Plunge sat down with the renowned bartenders of Employee’s Only to concoct you a custom-made cocktail guide to your Bachelor Party, Wedding Night and After Party:

Bachelor Party

Manhattan Cocktail

Ok, we’ve all seen the movie The Hangover.  As funny as it was and as much fun as it looked like they had, none of us would want to put our brides to be in such stress or put our friends in such wild predicaments (for the most part).  For that reason, I would steer away from too many straight shots of booze and focus more on drinks that you can sip on for an extended period of time.  Boozy drinks that’ll get your money’s worth, but will allow you time to cherish the last moments you have of single life before making the big step into marriage. When it comes to stirred and boozy, I always recommend a Manhattan Cocktail.  Not to be confused by the Contemporary Manhattan, the Manhattan Cocktail is based off of an old 1862 recipe, which increases the amount of vermouth and accentuates the flavors with Grand Marnier. 100 proof rye is essential with this recipe, as it provides great balance, gives you that alcoholic kick but doesn’t overpower your palate… or your mind.

Directions:

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye (Wild Turkey also makes a nice 101pf Rye.  Feel free to use Bourbon as well but make sure the proof is high and you might have to adjust the proportions of the recipe to taste as Bourbon is generally sweeter than Rye)

1 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Keep vermouth fresh, it is a type of fortified wine afterall and does go bad after time.  Vermouth gets a bad rap because a lot of bars have dusty old bottles of vermouth on their backbar that have been opened months or sometimes years ago.  Maybe buy small bottles of Cinzano, Martini Rosso, Dolin Rouge, Cocchi Torino or anything that’s light and inexpensive. There are some big, oaky and woody vermouths out there — my advice is to stay away from them for this cocktail.  Too much oak will throw the balance out the window and overpower the drink.)

1/2 oz Grand Marnier

3 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Add ingredients to a mixing glass.  Add ice, stir and strain in a cocktail glass. garnish with a Lemon Twist

Wedding

Pimm’s Cup

Here’s where you have to be careful. You’ve got your friends and family, your distant family, your wife’s family and all of her friends, the kids, etc all in one place.  You’d want a drink that appeals to everyone.  A Pimm’s Cup is my personal favorite for this.  There are many different variations and methods of making a Pimm’s Cup.  It’s refreshing and is neither masculine or feminine.  For simplicity’s sake and taste-wise, think of it as a boozed up iced tea. although it’s much much more than that.  Another plus when it comes to Pimm’s is that you can batch it ahead of time and make it into a punch to appease the large crowds of people coming to your special day.  As delicious as it is, It’s also a relatively inexpensive drink to make so that could help with your costs.

Directions: in a tall Collins Glass, add
3 slices cucumber
1 pinch mint
1 1/2 oz Pimm’s No. 1
3/4 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz Lime

Top with Ginger Ale (Since you’ll most likely be having Champagne somewhere at the wedding, feel free to simplify it by mixing Pimm’s, Lime and Champagne.  Easy-breezy.)

After Party

Common Sense

Back to the boozy sippers, same rules apply — it’s a marathon.  You’ve already had a hell of a party and will likely have a bottle of Scotch or two from Uncle Freddy’s collection. For this boozy sipper, try one of our EO originals, Common Sense. The base of this cocktail is Blended Scotch and is mellowed by Bianco Vermouth and accentuated with bittersweet Amaro.  Don’t be afraid of chocolate bitters, they won’t make the cocktail chocolately but will add deep aromatics and spice to it.  The lemon zest provides that fresh nose.  Usually we serve it up but feel free to put it on the rocks if you’d like — it’s your party, afterall.  If you get tired of mixing the cocktail at least you’ll have some ice and some Scotch to sip on, which is never a bad call around the dudes. Nightcaps can make glorious memories.. and you’ll be able to see who can hang when the whole party is said and done.

Directions:
1 3/4 Monkey Shoulder (Blended Malt Scotch Whisky.. any Blended Scotch, really)
1 oz Dolin Blanc (Bianco Vermouth — a sweet white vermouth that’s very light.  Martini Bianco works as well)
3/4 oz Averna Amaro (Bitter Italian Digestif — Averna is great because of it’s balance between bitter and sweet)
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bitter Truth makes a great batch.  Fee Brother’s being an alternative)

Put ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, stir and strain in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a zest of Lemon

 

Enjoy. (in moderation).

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