holy city handcraft | RECIPES
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Cornstar Martini
The P*rnstar Martini is a modern classic—fruity, approachable, and built on a formula that works. But here’s the thing: formulas can be reworked if you respect what makes them work in the first place.
This Mexican version starts with Mijenta Reposado, which brings oak and vanilla complexity that rum or vodka can’t match. Passionfruit syrup keeps that fruity brightness the original is known for. But here’s where it gets interesting: Nixta. It’s a corn-forward Mexican spirit that adds something earthy and unexpected—it’s not trying to hide, it’s showing up as itself. Vanilla agave syrup bridges the gap between the tequila’s spice and the passionfruit’s sweetness. Fresh lime brings the tart snap.
The egg white is optional, but if you use it, shake hard for a silky texture that transforms the whole experience. The tepache sidecar is the final touch—it’s fermented, slightly funky, and it makes sense alongside this drink in a way champagne never could in a margarita moment.
This is a martini built on Mexican spirits that deserve more attention. Sophisticated, fruity, and genuinely different.
Cheers, y’all!
Bourbon Pina Colada
Why does bourbon get a reputation as a cold weather drink??
Together with my friends at @fourrosesbourbon,
we’re going to prove that theory wrong, and honestly, it wasn’t hard.
Four Roses Small Batch brings a soft, fruity character with layers of spice that hold up beautifully against tropical flavors, which makes it a surprisingly natural fit for a frozen drink. So instead of reaching for rum, I built this Pina Colada around bourbon instead. Coconut cream and pineapple juice bring that classic tiki sweetness, a splash of lime juice adds acidity to balance it out, and blending it all with ice gives you that thick, frosty texture that disappears fast on a hot day.
What’s your go to bourbon cocktail for summer? Drop it below, I might build it next.
Cheers, y’all!
Sandia Congelada
National Tequila Day deserves a riff that actually hits.
Loca Loka Blanco brings clean, fruity Highland agave character to fresh watermelon, bright basil, and a salted rim. We're freezing it smooth with Aperol and agave syrup, then garnishing with a watermelon slice and basil leaf. This is the margarita your summer's been waiting for.
Cheers, y'all!
Papa Doble Crush
I dare you to make a better Daiquiri this summer #ad
Together with my friends at @luxardousa, we’re going to make a rendition of the classic Hemingway Daiquiri called the Papa Doble Crush, based on a a variant called the Papa Doble - also invented in Havana! It’s the stronger (double) version of the classic Hemingway Daiquiri but blended instead of shaken. While the daiquiri is known for the rum, I feel like the Hemingway has always used Luxarado Maraschino Liqueur as the backbone, and this recipe doubles that too while keeping it balanced.
The legend goes, that Hemingway tried the bar’s standard frozen daiquiri and said, “That's good but I prefer it without sugar and with double rum”
We're crushing ice pretty fine on this one to keep it icy cold and give it that slush texture that makes you understand frozen daiquiris should be the official cocktail of the summer.
Cheers, y'all!
Fun fact: did you know it’s not just cherries that go into maraschino liqueur? They also include the leaves, branches, pits, stems and every part of the Marasca cherry tree to create the iconic liqueur used in this cocktail
Buko Pan-Daiquiri
Here we go again… making Filipino food into cocktails 🥥🍹#ad21+
Together with my friends at @tanduayrum, I’m making one of my favorite filipino desserts in buko pandan into my favorite cocktail so I figured why not make it into a crushable daiquiri. Today I’m using Tanduay’s new 10 year old Filipino Rum. It’s got notes of vanilla, oak and caramel which plays perfectly with the pandan syrup and lime. Shaken hard, then served over crushed ice or in a coconut shell for presentation, and then finally topped with toasted coconut and lime for aroma and texture.
Let me know what Filipino ingredient you want me to use in the next recipe!
Cheers y’all.
Queen’s Park Swizzle
It's like if a Mojito with bit more style…
Together with my friends at @mountgayrum and @devereuxgolf, we're going to add some style to something familiar.
These two brands have teamed up to showcase their shared love of craftsmanship and leisure by putting together a line of limited edition designs that are comfortable enough to wear on a golf course to being stylish enough to wear on a sailboat. Check out the collection in the link in my stories.
The Queen's Park Swizzle is named after the historic Queen's Park Hotel in Port of Spain sometime in the early 1900s. Built with rum, mint, lime, and bitters, it's bright, refreshing, and dangerously easy to drink — basically the Caribbean cousin to a Mojito with a little more spice and depth.
For this version, I'm using @mountgayrum Eclipse Rum, whose warm vanilla, baking spice, and oak notes fit perfectly into the drink's tropical backbone while still letting the mint and bitters shine through.
Cheers, y'all!
Pineapple Margarita Smash
A smashed spicy Margarita? 🌶️ Why not?
My friends at @thelostexplorer just dropped their brand new Reposado Tequila so of course we had to work together to make a recipe together and this one is a banger. Pineapple, lime, habanero and agave are at the forefront of the drink here and is really highlighted by the layered and agave-forward resposado. What sets it apart is the resting process in 3 different casks: Sauternes, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and Bourbon - not only is this combination super rare for tequila, but it adds a layer of richness and complexity you won’t find in any other tequila.
Top this cocktail with some freshly crushed ice to make it truly crushable and you’ve got yourself a drink worthy of summer.
Cheers y’all.
Smoked Pineapple Margarita
A smokey, caramelized pineapple 🤝 tequila #ad21+
Smoky, sweet, and just a little salty, this one is my type of summer margarita.
The pineapple gets a quick run on the @traegergrills Westwood XL grill, picking up that smoky, wood-fired flavor that takes this margarita to another level. Paired with nice blanco tequila and a touch of smoked sea salt, it’s balanced, refreshing and built for warm days by the grill. Don’t forget the caramelized, charred pineapple garnish!
Cheers, y’all!
Pickled Strawberry Margarita
“Why are you picking all the green strawberries?” - my wife
Comment “STRAWBERRY” below and I’ll send this recipe straight to your DMs.
#ad21+ Together with my friends at @codigo1530, I made a crushable margarita riff made using pickled strawberry brine, WITH ingredients as fresh as the tequila itself.
During strawberry season last year, I was lucky enough to pick some beautiful green (unripe) strawberries from a local farm here in Charleston. I’ve seen local chefs utilize these in salads and savory dishes but my mind immediately went to how I could use it in a cocktail recipe. Green strawberries bring acid, vegetal brightness, and subtle tannin that will play really well with the vegetal, bright notes in Codigo 1530 Blanco.
This one is a must-try, cheers y’all.
Adam’s Words
This is my kind of daiq 😮💨
This is Episode 2 of Equal Parts Theory, the series where we see if equal ingredient measurements actually make a good cocktail.
Today, we’re making Adam’s Words, a modern equal-parts cocktail created in 2012 by @Fransos. You really can’t go wrong with the ingredients in this cocktail but it’s just a bonus that they’re so balanced in an equal parts cocktail.
What should I make next? Let me know below.
Cheers y’all.
Industry Sour
Ok hear me out, this + a MHL pony…
What would happen if a bartender put two of his favorite ingredients into a cocktail. Well, you’d get this… the Industry Sour. Created by Ted Kilgore back in 2011, this combines Chartreuse, Fernet along with lime and simple to create a strong, sweet sour. Its a little on the sweet side to me, but this + a High Life would be 🤌🏽
Now who’s gonna make a Malort + Angostura Sour?
Cheers y’all.
Dirty Margarita
What if I told you this margarita was made with 100% blue Weber agave but it’s NOT with tequila? 🤔
I’ve created the perfect cocktail for your Labor Day Weekend. This recipe is a cross between a dirty martini and a margarita. It has the savory notes of the martini, but makes it more sessionable like a margarita. Weber Ranch is made with 100% Blue Weber Agave, just like premium tequilas, but thats where the similarities end. The flavor profiles produced from distilling blue weber agave produces an earthy, sweet and mellow vodka without the astringency of a traditional vodka made from potatoes. Yes, its great in a regular dirty martini too, but you definitely need to give this recipe a try this weekend.
Green Flag
Don’t ask me about my red flags 🚩 but lemme tell you about my green flags this summer 🟩
We’re going to make this vibrant and refreshing Green Flag cocktail while I tell you all about my cocktail green flags this summer. These are things I look for whenever I’m drinking or making a cocktail of my own and just figured it was fitting to make this cocktail too! It’s got tropical notes of passionfruit and melon and makes for a great summer sipper.
My cocktail green flags this summer:
Using fresh juice.
Using crystal clear ice.
A fun/funky garnish.
What are yours??
Cheers y’all!
Pickled Watermelon Margarita
Let’s put those watermelon rinds to good use.
You probably saw this on an earlier reel (see linked Reel) but I don’t think I ever showed y’all how to make it. Did you know you can eat watermelon rinds? If they’re pickled, they’re amazing in salads, as a snack and in this case, as a margarita. Sustainability is the name of the game folks. You’re going to love this recipe.
Wisconsin Margarita
Today we’re going to answer the age old question:
WILL IT WISCONSIN??
On this week’s episode, we’re going to try to ‘Wisconsin’ the iconic MARGARITA. What does it mean to Wisconsin something? It means adding fruit, some sort of soda and muddling the hell out of it to make a cocktail with some sort of base spirit.
The good news is, it works. I figured it would since this is pretty much how you make a caipirinha with cachaca. Yes I know this is pretty much a ‘smash’ type cocktail, but isn’t that what a Wisconsin Old Fashioned is anyway? ;)
Cheers y’all!
Garden Margarita
Let’s see if we can make a Margarita from the garden 🍅🍃
Y’all know how much I love trying to incorporate fresh and savory ingredients into a cocktail. Together with my friends at lalospirits, I was able to make make a margarita using some fresh ingredients from the garden. This recipe is perfect with LALO Tequila Blanco because it highlights its bright/vegetal notes and gets some savory/sweet/sour umami notes from the tomato. This is further enhanced by the vegetal notes from the basil and chile liqueur and a little kick from fresh cracked black pepper. This is the perfect margarita for the Spring/Summer and you need to try it out.
Cheers y’all.
Dirty Paloma
If you add olive brine, does it automatically make it dirty? 🫒
For #WorldPalomaDay, we’re doing exactly that and it’s absolutely wonderful.
Check out the recipe below, cheers y’all.
Fresa Congelada
#ad21+ Frozen strawberry + jalapeno margaritas should be on the menu this #CincoDeMayo
I recreated one of my favorite drinks I had a few weeks ago but added a little kick to it. For this frozen margarita, mix everything up and add a few dashes of jalapeño hot sauce and you’ve got something magical. Tequila Mi Campo Blanco adds a layer of citrus and rich tropical notes derived from resting in French oak barrels to this already incredible cocktail that you should definitely make for Cinco de Mayo.
Check out the link in the bio to find a bottle for yourself!
Cheers y’all
#MiCampoPartner
For 21+
Key Lime Time Margarita
Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful moms out there!
Today, we bring you an easy Mother’s Day margarita recipe that anyone can make using Natalie’s fresh juices and topped with a refreshing Jalapeño/Key Lime Margarita Sorbet infused with tanteotequila from tipsyscoop! Cheers y’all.
Batanga Margarita
What happens when you cross a margarita and a Batanga? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I had this crazy idea to merge these two iconic Mexican cocktails without really knowing if it it'll work or not. In theory, the elements in a cola syrup wouldn't be too far off from an amaro. We've made the Jagerita before (yes, it's a Jagermeister as a base spirit in a margarita) - and I actually kinda enjoyed it. I'm writing all this before I even do any R&D on this cocktail but I have a feeling like it'll all work out. Unless I'm wrong.
Future Miguel: "Hey guys, this is pretty good, you need to try it out"
