Ina Garten’s Favorite Cocktail: Plus Party Cocktail Tips!
I chatted with Ina Garten last week, in an interview about her upcoming book. And of course, since Cocktail Week was impending, I had to ask her about her favorite cocktail! Here’s what she said, along with some tips for throwing parties when cocktails are involved.
Garten’s favorite cocktail to serve at home, she said, is the old-fashioned whiskey sour. She loves the old-fashioned taste, and the fact that it can look so great when served in a martini glass. “Anything,” she said, “served in a martini glass feels like fun.”
She also pointed out the pink grapefruit margarita, which is in her upcoming book and is a great summer drink.
I asked her for tips on incorporating cocktails into entertaining. Often it can feel overwhelming to make cocktails for a crowd — I wondered if she had any good ideas on mixing up cocktails in batch.
“That’s why I write these cocktail recipes,” she said. “Most cocktail recipes are for one at a time, and if you’re having eight people for dinner — how to do one at a time?” So all the recipes she writes are for a pitcher of drinks. You can mix up each drink in a fresh glass — pour it over ice, shake it — but the basic mix is all ready in the pitcher, waiting to be served to the guest.
I want to try this sometime, and serve cocktails instead of beer or wine before dinner. I may even try Garten’s favorite — the whiskey sour. The recipe linked below makes enough for 4 servings. (And thanks for all the whiskey suggestions, everybody!)
• Get the recipe: Fresh Whiskey Sours at Food Network
What’s your favorite pitcher drink? Have you tried any of Ina Garten’s?
(Images: House Beautiful; Food Network)