When on a date or out for a drink with your future boss, ordering a hard seltzer may not be the best look. Read on to find out how to mature your alcohol taste without sacrificing your favorite flavors.
Instead of a Vodka Cranberry, Try a Cosmopolitan Vodka.
Cointreau or triple sec. Fresh lime juice. Cranberry juice cocktail.
If you’re still craving the tanginess of cranberry, but want to elevate yourself from undergraduate Sandbar days, look no further than the pink perfection the “Sex and the City” ladies love so dearly. Cosmopolitans recently became UM senior Annie Watson’s go-to. “The closer you are to being a post-gradadult, the more you realize you need a little ‘something something’ in your drink,” Watson said.
Instead of a Rum and Coke, Try a Dark ‘n’ Stormy
Dark rum. Ginger beer. Fresh lime juice.
As the national drink of Bermuda, a Dark‘n’ Stormy is the way to go when you still want the sweetness of rum and coke but want to add a little spice for maturity. Brenda Hernandez, a bartender at Earl’s Kitchen and Bar in Dadeland said a Dark ‘n’Stormy is “elevated and unique and has more depth than a Rum and Coke due to the kick of ginger spice and lime.”
Instead of a Long Island Iced Tea, Try a Negroni London
Dry Gin. Campari. Sweet Vermouth.
If you can’t name every single ingredient of a Long Island, chances are you shouldn’t drink it. This seven-ingredient cocktail might have a home at bachelorette and high school basement parties, but a Negroni is what happens when pure chaos grows up. It’s a badge of honor, as it checks all the “adult” boxes of bitter, complex and sophisticated — and isn’t that what adulthood is all about?
Instead of a Lemon Drop Shot, Try a Whiskey Sour
Bourbon or rye whiskey. Fresh lemon juice. Simple syrup. Egg white.
It’s time to say goodbye to shots. You know you want to call it quits, and at a certain point in life, your shot count no longer makes you cool. A Whisky Sour gives you the same citrusy taste of a Lemon Drop Shot without the sugar crash. Hernandez said Whiskey Sours are “approachable and adaptable,” and mentioned you can easily make them into New York Sours, which “are always fun to present to guests.”
Instead of a Hard Seltzer, Try an Aperol or Hugo Spritz
Elder flower liqueur. Chilled Prosecco. Chilled soda water or club soda. Fresh mint leaves.
A seltzer is convenient, a simple grab-and-go and the only thing frat parties serve, but you don’t have to succumb to them. Instead, try an aperol or hugo spritz. They have the same bubbly and refreshing taste, with a more refined look — and less plastic waste.
Instead of Margarita Mix, Try a Fresh Margarita
Blanco or silver tequila. Fresh lime juice. Orange liqueur. Agave nectar or simple syrup.
If you’re holding a drink in your hand that is a brighter shade than yellow Gatorade, it’s not good for you. Margarita mix is definitely the more affordable way to go, but there’s nothing like fresh lime juice and good tequila. UM senior Mary Elle Masterson learned how to make fresh Margaritas from her roommate, who grew up in Puerto Rico. “Every sip tastes like summer and now I make them for all of my friends. None of us will ever go back to mixes,” Masterson said.
words_amanda mohamad. photo_wes fleischer. design_charlotte deangelis.
This article was published in Distraction’s Winter 2025 print issue.
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