Stay-at-home cocktail hour: 7 delicious, easy drinks you can make

This fresh pink Paloma will change the way you look at tequila. A festive drink is ideal for brunch, parties and holidays. — This fresh pink Paloma (grapefruit juice-based cocktail) will change the way you look at tequila. The festive drink is ideal for brunch, parties and holidays — and easy to make at home.

It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere, especially in quarantine.

When time has no meaning and you have no patience for sourdough starters, there’s only one thing left to do: Make cocktails!

After stay-at-home orders started two months ago, our first lockdown “splurge” purchase was a Modern Mixology cocktail shaker set ($56 on Amazon, but you can buy others for as low as $20.) Since then, we’ve managed to majorly up our drink game, which primarily consisted of vodka sodas and Dark Horse wine in the Before Times.

Here are seven cocktail recipes you can mix up during your next Zoom happy hour or socially-distanced cookout.

Hurricane

Our new favorite cocktail originated at Pat O’Brien’s bar in New Orleans in the 1940s. It’s perfect if you want to recreate that canceled trip to the French Quarter right in your living room, but be careful: The high rum content sneaks up on you.

2 oz. of dark rum
2 oz. of light rum
2 oz. of passion fruit juice
1 oz. of orange juice
1 tbsp. of simple syrup
1 tbsp. of grenadine
½ of lime
Orange and maraschino cherry for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Pour light rum, dark rum, passion fruit juice, orange juice, simple syrup, grenadine and lime juice into cocktail shaker.

3. Squeeze half a lime into shaker and close tightly.

4. Shake well — until outside of cocktail shaker is frosty — and pour into glass with ice.

5. Garnish with cherry and orange slice.

Manhattan

If you still like to imagine you’re in “Mad Men,” this is a boozy classic that’s easy to make. It can also be served straight up (without ice) or on the rocks — whichever you prefer.

2 oz. of whiskey (rye, bourbon or Canadian)
¾ oz. of sweet vermouth
1 to 2 dashes of angostura bitters (about 8-16 drops)
Cherry and/or orange for garnish

1. Pour ice into cocktail shaker.

2. Pour whiskey, vermouth and bitters into shaker and close tight.

3. Shake cocktail and strain into glass (with or without ice).

4. Garnish with cherry and/or orange slice.

Paloma

If you’re out of margarita mix or Cointreau, the Paloma is a fun, fruity alternative for a Mexican tequila-based cocktail.

2 oz. of tequila
1 oz. of grapefruit juice
½ oz. of lime juice
1 oz. of club soda
¾ oz. of simple syrup
Lime and/or grapefruit for garnish
Salt for rim (optional)

1. If desired, rim a glass with salt. To do this, lightly wet the rim of the glass with water or a lime wedge, before rolling it in a small plate of salt.

2. Fill the glass with ice.

3. Pour in tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice and simple syrup.

4. Stir together.

5. Top with club soda and add lime and/or grapefruit for garnish.

Pina Colada

Bring the beach to your backyard with a Pina Colada, which can be blended or poured over ice.

2 oz. of white rum
2 oz. of pineapple juice
1 oz. of canned coconut cream
1 oz. of canned coconut milk
Ground cinnamon, angostura bitters, pineapple and cherry for garnish

1. Pour ice into cocktail shaker.

2. Combine light rum, coconut cream, coconut milk and pineapple juice in cocktail shaker and close tight.

3. Shake well — until outside of cocktail shaker is frosty — and pour into glass with ice.

4. Lightly sprinkle ground cinnamon on top and add a dash of bitters.

5. Garnish with pineapple wedge and cherry.

Crimson Jim

Also known as a Lounge Lizard or Mixy’s, depending on who you ask, this is basically a glorified rum and Coke with a slightly bitter, cherry-flavored kick. (Trust us, it’s delicious.)

2 oz. of dark rum
¾ oz. of amaretto liqueur
4 oz. of Coca-Cola
Lemon or lime for garnish.

1. Fill a glass with ice.

2. Pour in dark rum, amaretto and cola.

3. Stir together and garnish with lime or lemon slice.

John Collins

A simple happy-hour staple that’s light and refreshing. If you prefer vodka, simply sub out the gin to make a Vodka Collins.

1½ oz. of gin
½ oz. of simple syrup
1 oz. of lemon juice
2 oz. of club soda
1 dash of angostura bitters (about 8 drops)
Lemon and cherry for garnish

1. Fill a glass with ice.

2. Pour gin, simple syrup and lemon juice into the glass.

3. Stir together.

4. Top with club soda and a dash of bitters.

5. Garnish with cherry and lemon slice.

Long Island Iced Tea

If you have a stacked liquor cabinet — or a surplus of airplane bottles stashed away — this is a deceptively strong summer cocktail that tastes more like sweet tea.