Three Sunday Funday Brunch Cocktails You Can Make At Home

By Emma Diab

Published on 11/15/2016 at 4:35 PM

Photo: Daniel Restrepo Food Styling: Hannah Kirshner
Photo: Daniel Restrepo Food Styling: Hannah Kirshner

Island Time Any Time


Tropical drinks shouldn’t be relegated to just summer time, which is where the inspiration for this bright cocktail comes from, with its bold pineapple and coconut flavors. Hey, you’re eating breakfast foods past noon -- there are no rules when it comes to brunch.

No Sunday Funday is complete without brunch -- and no brunch is complete without cocktails. To help you mix up the best drinks possible, we paired up Sourced, Smirnoff’s newest line of vodka infused with real fruit juice*, and bartender extraordinaire Crystal Chasse, from an NYC cocktail lounge, to concoct a few brunch drinks worthy of Sunday Funday. Using Sourced’s three flavors, we came up with three cocktails for the next time you pile into your pal’s kitchen for some pancakes. Oh, and because you’re obviously going to be having these with your friends, we also threw in measurements for a batch that serves six -- so call your mom and ask her to borrow the fancy punch bowl.

Photo: Daniel Restrepo Food Styling: Hannah Kirshner

SINGLE SERVING

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 1/2oz Smirnoff Sourced Pineapple Flavored Vodka
  • 1 1/2oz Coconut Water
  • 1/2oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • 1/2oz Honey Syrup* (1:1 Honey and water)
  • 1 sliced medium sized strawberry
  • Ice
  • Pineapple leaves for garnish
  • Rocks Glass
DIRECTIONS:
Add sliced strawberry and lemon juice into a shaker tin and muddle. Add Smirnoff Sourced Pineapple, coconut water, and honey syrup*. Shake and double strain into a rocks glass. Add ice and feel free to garnish with pineapple leaves and strawberry slices.

Directions for Honey Syrup:
Because regular honey is too thick for mixing into a cocktail, creating a light syrup will help the sweet stuff play nice with the other ingredients in your drink. Take equal parts honey and water and heat in a saucepan until the honey melts into the water. Wait for it to cool and then place into an airtight container before sticking it in the fridge.

BATCH COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS:
  • 9oz Smirnoff Sourced Pineapple Flavored Vodka
  • 9oz Coconut water
  • 3oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 3oz Honey syrup* (1:1 honey and water)
  • 6 Sliced medium sized strawberries
DIRECTIONS:
Add sliced strawberry and lemon juice into a separate bowl or tin. Muddle ingredients and pour into a large serving or punch bowl. Then add Smirnoff Sourced Pineapple, coconut water, honey syrup, and ice. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Garnish with pineapple slices, lemon wheels, and strawberry slices.
Photo: Daniel Restrepo Food Styling: Hannah Kirshner

Sweater Weather

Pumpkin spice may be having a moment, but the humble apple and its good friend the cranberry are the unsung heroes of fall flavor -- especially in this drink. This mix takes that a step further with a nod to edible coziness with grated cinnamon and aromatic bitters for that “the heater is on” feeling. Ginger beer tags along for just the right kind of kick.

SINGLE SERVING

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 1/2oz Smirnoff Sourced Flavored CranApple Vodka
  • 3/4oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 Orange slice
  • 2 dashes aromatic bitters
  • Top with 3 oz of ginger beer
  • Mason jar
  • Grated cinnamon
  • Cinnamon stick
DIRECTIONS:
Add all ingredients except for the ginger beer into the shaker tin. Muddle the orange slice, add ice, and shake! Strain the liquid into a mason jar and top with the ginger beer. Garnish with grated cinnamon and a cinnamon stick.

BATCH COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS:
  • 9oz Smirnoff Sourced Cranberry Flavored Apple Vodka
  • 4 1/2oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 6 Orange slices
  • 12 dashes aromatic bitters
  • Top with 18oz of ginger beer
DIRECTIONS:
Add lemon juice and orange slices into a tin. Muddle the orange slices well and strain the juice into a punch bowl. Discard those muddled oranges (compost time!). Add ice, and then add all the other ingredients into the punch and stir until well combined. Garnish with cranberries, apple slices and grated cinnamon.
Photo: Daniel Restrepo Food Styling: Hannah Kirshner

Thank Goodness It’s Sunday (TGIS)

Brunch foods and light, easily pairable sparkling wine cocktails are made for each other -- and this one, a twist between the mintiness of an Old Cuban and the grape-fruitiness of a Paloma, is definitely going to be a regular at your gatherings. We’ll bet on it.

SINGLE SERVING

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 1/2oz Smirnoff Sourced Ruby Red Grapefruit Flavored Vodka
  • 3/4oz Fresh lime juice
  • 1/2oz Honey syrup* (1:1 honey and water)
  • 7-10 Mint leaves
  • Top with sparkling wine
  • Collins glass
  • Grapefruit peel
DIRECTIONS:
Add fresh mint leaves to the shaker tin (Pro Tip: If you smack the mint in your hands before adding it to the tin, it'll release the oils and make the flavors pop in the drink!). Follow by adding the Smirnoff Sourced Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka, lime juice, and honey syrup. Shake it all up and dump contents of tin into a collins glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a grapefruit peel and fresh mint tops.

BATCH COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS:
  • 9oz Smirnoff Sourced Ruby Red Grapefruit Flavored Vodka
  • 4 1/2oz Fresh lime juice
  • 3oz Honey syrup* (1:1 honey and water)
  • 50-60 Mint leaves (a little less than an entire bunch)
  • Top with half a bottle of dry sparkling wine
DIRECTIONS:
Place mint leaves into your punch bowl (after smacking between your palms to release the oils, that is). Follow by adding the Smirnoff Sourced Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka, lime juice, honey, and ice, stirring until the contents are well mixed. Top with a dry sparkling wine, and garnish with grapefruit wedges, lime wheels and fresh mint tops.