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We have located five warming cocktails all served locally to help get you get through the tail end of winter! There's still time to cozy up with a cocktail from one of these Nashville hotspots.
Here are our five favorites:
Anzie Blue
- Known for their CBD-centric beverages, and delicious soul food, Anzie Blue has a full bar with cocktails that don't disappoint. Stop by for all day brunch and order a Cold Brew Martini.
- Hours: 8AM - 6PM Daily
Photo by Edward Howell on Unsplash
Flatiron
- Flatiron is a lively neighborhood spot in Midtown with a menu full of American staples, as well as dishes for the adventurous eater. The cocktail menu was just updated for fall, and the Harvest Margarita is a must-try for any tequila lover.
- Ingredients: Tequila, cranberry, cinnamon, orange bitters
- Hours: Monday-Friday 4PM - 10PM, Saturday 10AM - 10PM, Sunday 10AM - 9PM.
Stateside Kitchen
- Tucked away inside of Dream Nashville, Stateside Kitchen showcases seasonal cuisine and cocktails. Offering brunch, lunch and dinner, this brasserie has a wide range of seasonal cocktails including the Tequila Mockingbird.
- Ingredients: Patron, Cassis, Crème de Cacao, citrus, egg white
- Hours: Monday-Thursday 11AM - 9PM, Friday-Sunday 10AM - 10PM
STK Steakhouse
- Located in the Gulch, Nashville's trendiest steakhouse, has way more to offer than just delicious steaks. STK has a full cocktail menu of seasonal drinks including the Pumpkin Spiced Old Fashioned.
- Ingredients: Woodford Reserve, fresh pumpkin, pumpkin pie syrup, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, black walnut bitters, star anise, brown sugar rim
- Hours: Sunday-Thursday 3PM - 11PM, Friday-Saturday 3PM - 12AM, Saturday-Sunday Brunch 10AM - 3PM
The Listening Room Cafe
- Legendary live music venue, The Listening Room is conveniently located near downtown. Book yourself a table and sip on a craft cocktail like Kentucky Bloom, while enjoying music from some of Nashville's rising stars.
- Ingredients: Bourbon, Cadamaro, citrus shrub, Peychaud's bitters
- Hours: Brunch- Saturday 10AM - 3PM, Dinner - Monday-Saturday 4PM - 11PM
Photo by Taylor Simpson on Unsplash
The Negroni was first created in the early 1900s by Count Camillo Negroni, a Florentine aristocrat. Camillo had asked the bartender to add some bite to his preferred cocktail, the Americano, a mixture of Campari and sweet Vermouth. With the addition of gin, a delicious classic was created and the Negroni became the eponymous Count’s new favorite.
Today, many others have experimented as the Count did, tinkering with the recipe to please their own palates and those of fellow Campari aficionados. Below is a sampling of Negronis from around the world. From the Bourbon & Branch bar in San Francisco to The Cuckoo Club of London, bartenders have continued to recognize the versatility of this spirit, updating this cocktail with their own signature twist.
Follow the evolution of the Negroni around the globe as Davide Campari once devotedly followed “the greatest beauty in the world.” Mix up one of these recommended recipes on your own, or try it for yourself if you’re in the right neighborhood.
Perhaps you’ll even be inspired to create your own personalized variation of the Negroni. If you’re already planning for Valentine’s Day, consider mixing in the passion of this distinctive spirit.
SAN FRANCISCO
Bourbon & Branch
Recipe from Todd Smith
Classic Negroni
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz Martin Miller’s Gin
- 1 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth
- Pour ingredients over ice into a shaker.
- Shake and strain in a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with an orange twist.
NEW YORK
Pegu Club
Recipe from Chad Solomon
Cornwall Negroni (a tribute to Gary Regan)
- 2 oz Gin
- 1/2 oz Campari
- 1/2 oz Punt e Mes
- 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 2 dashes of Regan’s Orange #6
- Hand crack ice and stir.
- Strain into a chilled coup.
- Flame an orange twist on top for garnish.
MILAN
The Living
Recipe from Diego Boronat
Negroni Sbagliato
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth
- 1 oz Spumante Brut
- Pour Campari over ice in a rocks glass.
- Add other ingredients and stir.
- Garnish with an orange slice.
LONDON
The Cuckoo Club
Recipe from Andreas Jansson
Negroni Twist
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz Martin Miller’s Gin
- 1 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth
- 0.6 oz Rhubarb Syrup
- Pour ingredients over ice into a shaker.
- Shake and strain in a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with twist or orange and lemon.
TOYKO
OPA Bar
Recipe from Yuka Yamamoto
Domani
- 2/3 oz Campari
- 2/3 oz Martin Miller’s Gin
- 2/3 oz Disaronno
- Blood Orange Juice
- Pour Campari over ice in a highball glass.
- Add other ingredients and stir.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Joe Eats World
This was also the real genesis of his food blog. He intended to learn about food, how to cook, and document his journey in his blog. As for his food career, he said, “I decided I’d figure that out along the way!”
He admitted that felt kind of silly. “At my age and having that naivety?”
Once he got started, however, things didn’t follow that plan, either for his blog or his career. “It was going to be more of a diary… I guess that's how it always starts: you always have these good intentions. I started a blog because I was going to document my culinary education … start to finish and then about the restaurant industry and whatever else. Going into culinary school full time, doing side work … it just kind of sat there!”
As far as his attitude toward restaurant work went, that also transformed during culinary school. “I was like, ‘Alright, I absolutely want to get into the restaurant.’ And once I went into a restaurant, it was amazing. Some of the best times I had in the kitchen were in the restaurant!”
Chef Joe Morales
Out of culinary school, Morales became a sous chef for a Michelin-recommended restaurant, where he worked until they closed in 2019 and relocated to Cleveland. The closure of the restaurant spurred him to rededicate himself to food blogging and teaching.
“I started to teach cooking classes at a local kitchen here in Chicago,” he explained. “There's an LGBTQ owned business that is down the street from us, so I was doing a lot of cooking classes and stuff there for them until the pandemic hit, and all of that stuff got shut down.”
Morales has continued to develop the “Joe Eats World” blog—which took the shape of a full food blog, though primarily focused on recipes and cooking tips—during the pandemic. When it comes to recipes, Morales took a different tack than many contemporary food blogs. Rather than focus primarily on the backstory and history of the dish, with personal asides, his blog entries focus their detail on the execution of the technique and conclude with the formal recipe.
In addition to detailing his perfected recipes, Morales also gives readers a window into the development process professional chefs go through as they experiment with dishes in a section he calls the “Test Kitchen.”
“Basically, the Test Kitchen details when I get these ideas of cooking something or trying something, how I executed it, and then I will tell you whether they fail or not. So far … there's been some failures. You know sometimes something sounds good but in the execution not so much! I did a twist on this chicken and Italian sausage dish that was a little sweeter than the traditional preparation. It sounded great. And then I made it, and I was like, ‘This tastes like shit.’ Sometimes you have to try it to find out!”
Why document the failures? “I struggled with that because everything that people put on their websites—the recipes, or whatever else—they're going for the hero shot and the perfect picture! Nobody likes to talk about their failures, so in my Test Kitchen I document both successes and failures. Like—I don't think I wrote about it yet but—I've done sourdough bread, and I don't know what it is with me and sourdough bread. But my first attempt at sourdough is always a failure. One time I woke up two days later, and the starter was just pitch black. And I had to toss it out. But you know people can learn from our mistakes, so I write about it, focusing on ‘do this, but don't do that’.”
Joe Eats World ... Television?
When asked how the “Joe Eats World” television show idea was born, Morales explained that it kind of came together with the birth of the OUTvoices and Aequalitas Media brands on the one hand and his return to the blog on the other.
“I was going to do videos for YouTube that would supplement the ‘Joe Eats World’ blog—it was basically going to be me filming myself doing recipes and stuff like that. Then, it kind of morphed as people would say, ‘Oh, you should do a cooking show. And maybe you should have drag queens or something like that—you know, some sort gay themed show’.”
Beyond the direct appeal to the LGBTQ+ community, Morales thinks this kind of show brings the added value of both showing that our community’s interests are broader than stereotypes and bringing visibility to LGBTQ+ people in the industry.
“I think that the last year-and-a-half has kind of taught us that there's a lot of things that are unspoken unseen. And I think that having an LGBTQ cooking show could help highlight LGBTQ+ diversity in a positive way. We're more than we're more than what they see on comedy and dramas, or at Pride events.”
“Cooking,” he added, “also has broad appeal. There's enough negative crap going on in the world. And there are a lot of LGBTQ+ people in the industry that aren't getting a lot of visibility. A lot of gay or lesbian or transgender chefs—people within the LGBTQ+ spectrum—aren’t highlighted. They're usually just kind of in the background and doing their thing; they're just trying to make a living, enjoy what they're doing, and create great food. A show like this would bring them front and center.”
A lot of planning remains to be done to bring “Joe Eats World” to little screens around the globe, but Morales was on set last month to shoot a pilot, and planning for the series is proceeding, as OUTvoices continues to develop digital content for its OUTvoices TV and OUTvoices Radio arms.
But you don’t have to wait for video to follow what Chef Joe Morales is up to in the kitchen. Check out “Joe Eats World” each month in OUTvoices Nashville, and read his blog posts at joeeatsworld.com.
You don’t have to worry about mixing anything together because they’re premade! They’re easy, they’re portable, and they are delicious. All you have to do is grab a cooler, put them on ice, and go. Just make sure you have a koozie.
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Cantina Especial Tequila Soda
These drinks come in a 4-pack and are 5.6% ABV which is about 11 Proof per can. These carbonated tequila cocktails come in 3 flavors: Grapefruit Paloma, Watermelon Margarita, and Ranch Water. If you’re not familiar with Ranch Water, it’s tequila, soda water, and a squeeze of lime. The best part besides the taste? They are only 99 Calories, 0 Sugars, and 1 Gram Carbs! They are made with blanco tequila harvested from Mexico and are available in over 40 states. Find your nearest outlet with the Drizly app. If I had to pick just one flavor, I would go with the Grapefruit Paloma, it’s refreshing and crisp.
Bacardi Mojito
Who doesn’t love a Mojito? The mint, the soda water, the sweetness…it’s so refreshing. These are also found in a 4-pack and are slightly more potent with 5.9% ABV which is about 12 Proof per 12-ounce can. Made with Bacardi Superior Rum, these cocktails come in five different flavors: Rum Punch, Mojito, Bahama Mama, Limon & Lemonade, Lime & Soda, Sunset Punch. The Mojito, Rum Punch, and Sunset punch are available in a variety pack if you can’t decide what you like best. These ready-to-drink canned cocktails are Gluten Free, 19 grams Sugar, 19.2 grams Carbs, and 198 calories. Available in the Drizly app.
Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tonic
Gin. You either love it or you hate it. Bombay Sapphire makes a pretty good cocktail. They’re relatively new to the market but they’re definitely catching up. This 4-pack is ready for some ice and a slice of lime! It’s the Bombay Gin you have come to know and love, the same botanical and citrus flavor, now in a can. The G&T regular is 5.9% which is 12 Proof while the light tonic version is 98 calories and 0 sugars. You can find both regular and light premixed drinks on the Drizly app.
Ketel One Botanical Spritz Peach Orange Blossom
I do love a good Ketel and soda. This cocktail in a can is pretty good. You get the peach orange blossom flavor mixed in with the sparkling water. This non-GMO vodka is only 3.6% ABV which is around 7 Proof it’s also only 73 calories. Seems there’s a theme with the 4-packs because you guessed it, it comes in a 4-pack. You can also find Ketel One in Cucumber and Mint or Grapefruit and Rose, all flavors are 0 Carbs, no added sugar or artificial flavors. You can find each of the flavors on the Drizly app.
Monaco Vodka & Soda Lemon Lime
If you haven’t heard of the Monaco line, you definitely need to check them out. They are available in vodka or tequila and they have so many flavors to choose from. I’ll talk about my two favorites: the Lemon Lime and the Mango Peach. First, let me tell you that each Monaco has 2 shots of vodka or tequila in it. They have 9% ABV and is about 18 Proof. That’s quite the amount of alcohol compared to the rest of the premixed cocktails I told you about.
The Mango Peach is sweeter and has more calories and carbs because of the sugar. The Lemon Lime is a Keto-friendly drink because it has 0 sugar and 0 carbs. All in all, there are about 12 different flavors; some come in “light” versions with only 69 Calories but still 0 carbs and 0 sugars. Pretty good if you’re a little more calorie-conscious. Most of the Monaco's ready-to-drink canned cocktails are available through alcohol delivery as well. You can find the Lemon Lime on the Drizzly App.
Really the only question that is left unanswered is which flavor of these canned cocktails are you going to choose? Or, you could buy them all and put them into the ice chest or refrigerator. Each 4-pack is under $15.00 excluding any delivery but I’d say the next time you’re at the grocery store or a liquor warehouse, pick some up. You won’t be disappointed.
The best part about it is that you don’t have to get up from your chair by the pool or stand up from the blanket on the beach. All you have to do is reach over to the cooler and grab a drink and quite possibly a cup filled with ice. Imagine sitting there listening to the waves crash as you hear that unmistakable crack of the tab and the hiss from the fizz being released; the can ice cold and you take that first sip and realize how amazing it tastes and how it’s refreshing in this sweltering summer heat.
Don’t worry, if you don’t make to the beach or that swimming pool. You’ll be able to enjoy these canned cocktails year-round!
Also, one more thing. Please drink responsibly.