5 Killer Cocktail Recipes From Women Bartenders Across The Country

Women bartenders and mixologists have been shaking up the cocktail scene with bold, creative drinks.

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To close out this year’s Women’s History Month, here are six extraordinary cocktail creations by five lady bartenders and mixologists from across the country to showcase their diverse backgrounds and extraordinary talent.

Straddling the seasonal change between winter and spring, these cocktails will be an interesting addition to your home bar repertoire.

Summer Goff, Head Bartender at Death & Company Denver

Summer Goff began her path to hospitality unexpectedly during her Biochemistry & Fermentation Science studies in Fort Collins, slinging beer at a local pizza joint. She embarked on a self-directed learning journey before joining the prestigious Death & Co. team in 2021. She was a Southwest finalist for SpeedRack Season 11, and holds certifications from BarSmarts, Bar 5-day, and CSS Beverage Professional.

“Time & Place is warming and spirituous but with a juicy dark stone fruit and berry backbone. Tawny Port and Cocchi Rosa was the first pairing I made for this drink. I loved how the two melded together and didn’t bully each other. A cask-strength spirit was necessary to balance the sweetness of those two fortified components, where our then-new Stellum collaboration bourbon came into play. A touch of Riesetbauer’s Carrot Eau de Vie adds a delightful earthy note that anchors the drink back down. It’s a flavor you can’t quite pick out when you have the cocktail, but certainly miss when it’s not there.”

Summer Goff, head bartender at Death & Co. in Denver created the Time and Place, a boozy sipper.

WalersteinStudios

Time & Place

1.25 oz Stellum Dark Matter Cask Strength Bourbon
1 oz Taylor Tawny Port
0.75 oz Cocchi Rosa
1 tsp Reisetbauer Carrot Eau De Vie
2 dashes Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitter

Stir and strain into chilled Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Tiffany Nahm, Bartender at Death & Company East Village

Tiffany Nahm is an award-winning bartender based in Brooklyn, NY. She’s been a part of the Death and Co. East Village team since 2018, working her way up through several positions. She has a culinary approach to cocktails, often showcasing unexpected pairings.

“I wanted to take the idea of a chocolate ganache and turn it into a night cap. This riff on an Adonis features a savory chocolate shochu base with notes of rich fig, brightened by a touch of basil.”

Tiffany Nahm’s Firebird is a chocolatey nightcap cocktail.

Death & Co.

Firebird

1.5 oz Lustau Rojo Vermouth
0.75 oz Mugi Hokka Shochu
0.25 oz St. George Basil EDV
0.5 oz Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry

Stir and strain into chilled Nick & Nora glass.

Marisela Dobson, Bartender at Death & Company East Village

A bartender from Brooklyn who’s been in the industry for about 10 years, Marisela Dobson joined the Death & Co. team in March 2023.

“I created this drink to challenge myself to work outside of my comfort zone, combining bold ingredients to create a savory flavor bomb that’s still delicate. This drink tells a story in a way of my journey as a bartender, using ingredients that I’ve learned about along the way.”

Pyramid Peril

1 oz Quebranta pisco
3/4 oz Tequila Tapatio blanco 110
1/4 oz Empirical ayuuk
1/2 oz Dolin dry vermouth
1/2 oz Chicha morada brine

Stir and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with pickled apple or pear from the brine.

The Pyramid Peril features pisco and chicha morada in an homage to Peruvian ingredients.

Death & Co.

Pamela Wiznitzer

An award winning mixologist based in New York City who has worked around the world bringing cocktail culture to life, Pamela Wiznitzer has been named Food & Wine Magazine’s top 10 Rising Star Mixologists, was an inductee to the “Dames Hall of Fame” in 2015 and one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s “40 Under 40” (now “Future 40”).

“Appletinis are commonly known for their syrupy sweet flavor and bright, neon green hue, none of which are truly reflective of the vodka as the base spirit and apple as a dynamic ingredient in the cocktail. I wanted to reimagine (and rebalance) this drink to make the Ketel One Vodka the star of the show and amplify it with apple cider, lemon, and a cinnamon syrup to make every sip feel like you’re taking a bite of a delicious piece of an apple dessert. This appletini has a great tartness that tastes like biting into a crisp apple and the apple cider gives the drink more depth and texture. All in all, it’s a delicious way to drink your apple a day.”

Pamela Wiznitzer, an award winning mixologist based in NYC, gives the Appletini a very welcome … [+] facelift.

Joanna Lin

Ketel One Vodka Appletini

1.5 oz Ketel One Vodka
.25 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz cinnamon syrup*
.75 oz apple cider
Garnish: apple fan

In a shaker, combine ingredients with ice and shake vigorously for 7 -10 seconds. Strain up into a chilled Martini glass and add a green apple fan for garnish

*Cinnamon Syrup:

Boil 2 cups of water with 3 cinnamon sticks on high for 10 minutes. Reduce to a low simmer for an additional 15 minutes. While the water is still hot, measure out 1 cup of the cinnamon water and mix with 1 cup of dark brown sugar until it dissolves. Store in the Fridge for up to 3 weeks

Erika Flowers, Bar Lead at Compere Lapin

A New Orleans-based bartender, Erika Flowers was named one of PUNCH’s “Best New Bartenders of 2023.” Her career in drinks began when she introduced bottled cocktails to her line of beverages and home goods, Taste of the Tropics, which she sold at NOLA pop-up markets. With no formal training, she began bartending professionally through Turning Tables, a local nonprofit run by Touré Folkes that strives to increase diversity in the hospitality industry.

This cocktail was created as part of her partnership with Ketel One for this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and is inspired by one of the featured films.

“Opposed to the traditional Cosmopolitan, this variation is presented in an old fashioned glass on a large format ice. A blend of blood orange and lime juice adds complexity to the citrus element of this cocktail, further expressing the family drama that ensues throughout the film that inspired it. With a visual of fire in this cocktail, the torched rosemary sprig brings a beautiful aromatic experience that further accentuates the winter flavor notes in the glass.”

This variation of the traditional Cosmopolitan by Erika Flowers is presented in an old fashioned … [+] glass over large format ice.

Eric Medsker

The Blaze

1 ½ oz Ketel One Vodka
¾ oz Cointreau
¾ oz blood orange & lime juice blend*
¾ oz spiced hibiscus tea**
Garnish: torched rosemary sprig

Combine Ketel One Vodka, Cointreau, citrus blend, and spiced hibiscus tea in a mixing tin. Shake with cubed ice until cold. Double strain into old fashioned glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a torched sprig of rosemary.

*Blood Orange & Lime Juice Blend

50% Natalie’s Blood Orange Juice
50% fresh lime juice

**Spiced Hibiscus Tea

16 oz water
65g cane sugar
10g dried hibiscus flowers
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
Pinch dried lavender buds

Combine all ingredients except cane sugar in a small pot over low heat. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in cane sugar until completely dissolved and allow to cool. Store in an airtight vessel and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.