The Immortal Rose pairs citrus and floral notes with cardamom bitters.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FREDRIK BRODÉN
We love a night on the town as much as anyone. But we also love the idea of being impeccable hosts, and that often requires a little know-how around a cocktail shaker. Who better to turn to for a few bartending tips than the folks who run the mixology classes during Modernism Week? Here, Josh Valdez, lead bartender at Seymour’s — the speakeasy concealed behind a heavy curtain at Mr. Lyons Steakhouse in Palm Springs — presents four recipes to ramp up your repertoire at home.
Immortal Rose
2 ounces Vodka
½ ounce Campari
½ ounce Lime juice
1 ¼ ounces Fresh-pressed blood orange juice
½ ounce Rose syrup
3 drops Cardamom bitters
1 Tea rosebud, for garnish
Spritz Rose water, to finish
Directions
Shake vodka, Campari, juices, syrup, and bitters with ice and fine-strain into a martini glass. Garnish with tea rosebud and spritz with rose water.
Drink local: Joshua Tree Distilling
Based in the Morongo Basin, this distiller sources inspiration from the landscape and donate a percentage of revenue to nonprofits. Offerings include Black Hole Vodka, Lost Horse Whiskey, and Giant Rock Gin.
El Asombro.
El Asombro
1 ½ ounces Mezcal
¾ ounce Fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
¼ ounce Honey
2 Pitted green olives
Splash Fever-Tree tonic water
1 Marigold flower, for garnish
Directions
Muddle olives in shaker, then add mezcal, juice, and honey. Shake with ice, fine strain into a Collins glass with ice. Top with tonic and garnish with a marigold flower.
Drink local: Rancho de la Luna
Musicians David Catching and Bingo Richey run Rancho de la Luna, a High Desert recording studio, where everyone from the Foo Fighters to Iggy Pop have laid down vocals. They also make an Espadin Joven Mezcal with notes of white pepper and cacao.
Espresso Martini
2 ounces Vodka
1 ounce Mr. Black coffee liqueur
3 Espresso beans, for garnish
Directions
Shake vodka, coffee liqueur, and espresso with ice and fine-strain into a martini glass. Garnish with three espresso beans.
Espresso Martini.
Drink local: Hollywood Distillery
Technically, this microdistillery is in Los Angeles. But its small-batch Oasis Vodka incorporates organic medjool dates harvested from Oasis Date Gardens in Thermal. The fruit imparts a unique minerality and sugar profile, resulting in a smooth finish.
Paper Plane.
Paper Plane
1 ounce Bourbon
1 ounce Aperol
1 ounce Amaro Nonino
1 ounce Fresh-pressed lemon juice
1 Lemon peel, for garnish
Directions
Add spirits and juice to a shaker with ice and shake. Then fine-strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon peel.
Drink local: Racquet Club Spirits
This LGBTQ+ owned distillery has won several awards for its Racquet Club Vodka and Racquet Club Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Both are “proofed down” with a proprietary process using Sierra Nevada alpine water, and each bottle is filled, labeled, and sealed by hand.
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