Cocktails for the Zodiac Signs

Did you know that there’s been a recent rise in alcohol sales since quarantine has begun? Weird. Let’s add more fuel to the fire.

Each Zodiac sign is unique, and therefore, deserves a special cocktail! In these desperate, dire times, it’s important to let loose. Maybe you’re an essential employee coming home after a long day, in need of a wine-down wind-down. Maybe you’ve about had it with the Zoom work conferences. You may also be a college student deprived of frat parties and bar crawls. Whatever the case may be, let’s have a drink.

Handy Tools

You’ll preferably need the following to craft your cocktail:

Blender
Shaker… or two cups that can be fit together to perform as a home-made shaker
Spoon, preferably a long teaspoon (or knife, whatever works)
Muddle stick (or a long, wooden spoon)
Shot glass (short glass equates 1 shot, tall glass equates 2 shots)
Cocktail strainer or a slotted spoon
Ice
Simple syrup (equal parts hot water and white sugar, mixed together until sugar dissolves, let cool)

If you’re feeling extra:

Fruit for garnish
Salt, sugar, or other rim toppings (I.e. spices like cinnamon, cayenne pepper, etc)
Funky ice molds
Herbs to infuse in simple syrups (I.e. lavender, rosemary, mint, etc)

Astrological Cocktails

Aries

Let’s take a trip to Margaritaville! Alrighty friends, we can blend it or pour over rocks. Margaritas are ideal because you can make it with fresh squeezed juice, or pre-made mix. Salted rims, sugar rims, or plain. Not to mention you can make a killer marg with any type of tequila. So versatile, yet so easy.

Recipe:

2 oz of your preferred tequila
0.75 oz of Cointreau
1 oz of lime juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
Fruit garnish, preferably lime or lemon

Directions:

Wet rim of glass with lime juice. Coat evenly in sugar or salt
On the Rocks: Pour tequila, Cointreau, juice, and syrup into shaker over ice. Stir for a minute. Strain and pour over fresh ice in a new glass. Garnish with fruit
Blended: Toss tequila, Cointreau, juice, syrup, and 1 cup of ice into blender. Blend until smooth. Pour in glass and garnish with fruit

Extra, extra:

Pour a shot of Grand Marnier on top as a floater
Top with fresh squeezed fruit juice, such as grapefruit juice or orange juice
Infuse your margarita with some jalapeños for a spicy kick in the ass

Taurus

Sweet and cool, let’s be inspired by you, Taurus! Sangria may be your move. It can be made with red, white, or rosé! It can be sweet, fruity, floral, and/or on the drier side. You can even throw in some brandy. It’s perfect for sitting on the porch while early summer cicadas sing. Or inside while wearing your college sweatshirt, watching Sex and the City.

Recipe:

A bottle of your preferred wine. For white wine sangria, use a white blend, Pinot Grigio, or Sav. Blanc. For red wine sangria, use a Zinfandel, Cabernet, or red blend. For rosé sangria, use your favorite semi-sweet, semi-dry rosé
Fruit! Red needs oranges, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate seeds, and/or blackberries. White needs strawberries, peaches, apples, pears, lemons, and/or limes. Rosé needs strawberries, raspberries, peaches, lemons, and/or grapefruit
Red sangria tastes best with 1 cup of blackberry brandy
2 shots of simple syrup for each type of sangria
Club soda or lemon-lime soda

Directions:

Get a large pitcher
Fill with whole bottle of wine, all desired fruit, and brandy if it’s a red sangria
Leave to infuse in the fridge for up to a day… but if you’re not one to wait, 3 hours works too
Top with ice and club soda/lemon-lime soda when you’re ready to get your drink on!

Extra, extra:

Red sangria can be infused with cinnamon sticks for a sweet, spicy note
Rosé sangria can be infused with a herbal simple syrup… try it with lavender or rosemary infused simple syrup
White sangria can be topped off with a spritz of prosecco instead of soda

Gemini

You’re unpredictable with your many faces, Gemini. Let’s make your drink just as unpredictable. Gemini, let’s go with a Long Island Ice Tea! Did you know this drink has five different liquors in it? And it doesn’t even taste like it.

Recipe:

1 oz of tequila
1 oz of vodka
1 oz of white rum
1 oz of gin
0.5 oz of triple sec
0.5 oz of simple syrup
0.5 oz of lime juice
Splash of Coca-Cola

Directions:

Grab your shaker and fill halfway with ice. Pour all shots of liquor, simple syrup, and lime juice in. You can either cap the shaker and give it 5 hard shakes. Or you can stir with a long teaspoon (or knife, whatever is handy) for 30 seconds
Strain over fresh ice in your glass. Top with a spritz of Coca-Cola

Extra, extra:

You can sub Coca-Cola for diet or cherry Coca-Cola
You can use lemonade in lieu of lime juice and simple syrup
Float with cherry juice

Cancer

Cancer, you strike me as a classy broad. Your ideal drink is an Aperol Spritzer. It’s light, floral, and a little bubbly. You can sip on it while gossiping with your friends or pairing it with a new recipe.

Recipe:

Prosecco, Cava, Brut, Champagne… Or even an effervesent rosé
Club soda or lemon-lime soda
2 oz of Aperol liqueur
Orange or lemon garnish

Directions:

Get yourself a nice, big wine glass… preferably a red or pinot noir glass!
Pour in your preferred bubbles, fill approximately 2/3 of the glass
Top with the 2 shots of Aperol liqueur
Add ice and float with a little club soda/lemon-lime soda
Garnish with either a lemon wheel, orange wheel, lemon twist, and/or orange twist

Extra, extra:

You can sub the bubbles for a still rosé or white wine. Just remember to use more soda to add more bubbles to the spritzer
You can infuse the drink with fruit like peaches, strawberries, and raspberries
If you want a drier spritzer, use the Cava or Champagne. If you want a fruitier, juicer spritzer, use the Brut or Prosecco

Leo

Bold, confident, and expressive – so, your cocktail needs to match. I think you’d go best with a Paloma! Tequila is the liquor that brings out our inner lion. Grapefruit is sweet, tangy, and refreshing. It’s a match made in heaven.

Recipe:

2 oz of blanco, anejo, or reposado tequila
3 oz of grapefruit juice
0.5 oz of lime juice
0.5 oz of simple syrup
Club soda

Directions:

Pour tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice and simple syrup into your shaker over ice. Stir with a long teaspoon (or knife, whatever works) for a minute
Strain over fresh ice in a new glass
Float with a little club soda and garnish with lime wedge

Extra, extra:

Instead of stirring, cap your shaker and bruise your Paloma (1 minute of shaking, or 20 shakes). Strain and pour over fresh ice
Wet the rim of your glass with lime juice and coat evenly in either sugar or salt
Sub tequila for gin

Virgo

A Virgo’s cocktail should be clean and bright. It can be a little daring with the liquor being used, but should finish on a crisp, classy note. Virgo, enjoy a Gimlet. You’ll be surprised by this refreshing cocktail!

Recipe:

1.5 oz of gin or vodka
0.5 oz of lime juice
0.5 oz of St. Germaine Liqueur
1/3 cup of quartered cucumber

Directions:

Crush cucumber then pour liquor, liqueur, and lime juice into your shaker over ice. Cap and shake like a madman for 30 seconds. The longer you shake, the more “bruised” your cocktail will be
Strain and pour into a martini glass. This is a drink that is typically served up
Garnish with a cucumber twist or cucumber wheel

Extra, extra:

Use an herbal infused gin or vodka. Hendrick’s is recommended!
Garnish with an edible flower to add a pop of Instagram worthy color
If you want this on the sweeter side, use a 0.5 oz of simple syrup or elderflower liqueur

Libra

Libra’s cocktail should be flirty and fun. It should also be popular. Like no matter what, you know you can’t go wrong with this crowd pleaser. Go for a Cosmopolitan. People may scoff at it at first, but let’s be real, everybody loves a Carrie Bradshaw moment.

Recipe:

2 oz of vodka
Splash of cranberry juice
0.75 oz of lime juice
0.5 oz of simple syrup
0.5 oz of Cointreau

Directions:

Pour liquor, Cointreau, juices, and simple syrup into a shaker over ice. Cap and shake for at least 30 seconds. The more you shake, the more “bruised” the cocktail will be
Strain and pour into a martini glass. This cocktail is typically served up
Garnish with a lime wheel

Extra, extra:

Infuse with an herbal simple syrup, such as a rosemary simple syurp
Use herbal or citrus flavored vodka
Garnish with a twist or edible flower

Scorpio

Brooding and mysterious, Scorpio needs a drink to match in intensity. Scorpio likes to leave people wanting more, so the cocktail should be the same. A Blood and Sand it is! It sounds just as provocative and daring as Scorpio is.

Recipe:

Equal parts scotch, cherry brandy, orange juice, and sweet vermouth (1:1:1:1)

Directions:

Fill your shaker half-way with ice. Pour in your mixture. Shake for 30 seconds, or about 10 shakes
Strain and pour into a martini glass, served up
Garnish with an orange peel

Extra, extra:

Sub cherry brandy for blackberry brandy for a different, fruity flavor profile
Sweeten with 0.5 oz of cranberry infused simple syrup
Garnish with cocktail cherries

Sagittarius

Honestly, Sagittarius gets straight shots of Fireball. Just kidding…! But seriously, Sagittarius is an adventure seeking sign who kind of reminds me of Captain Jack Sparrow. Let’s make Capt’ proud with a Hurricane. This drink matches Sag both in name and flavor intensity.

Recipe:

Equal parts white and dark rum (2:2)
1 oz of passion fruit juice or Hawaiian punch
1 oz of orange juice
0.5 oz of lime juice
0.5 oz of simple syrup

Directions:

Fill your shaker half-way with ice. Pour in rums, juices, and simple syrup, Stir for 30 seconds
Strain and pour into a fresh glass with ice
Garnish with cherries and orange slices

Extra, extra:

Use mango juice, pineapple juice, or any tropical fruit juice in lieu of Hawaiian punch/passion fruit juice
Use a cherry or blackberry Kool-Aid in lieu of Hawaiian punch
Muddle cherries and orange slices at the bottom of the shaker before pouring in rums, juices, simple syrup, and ice. Stir everything in together in shaker. This will provide a bolder, fruit-forward flavor profile

Capricorn

If Capricorn is timeless, then so is their cocktail. Capricorn is no stranger to karma, so their cocktail shouldn’t leave them with any resounding regrets. Try the classic Bee’s Knees. This cocktail can be served slightly chilled, or at room temperature to bring out the rich, buttery flavor in the infused gin. Want to work for it? Take it a step further by infusing your own gin with honeyed butter.

Recipe:

2 oz of gin
2 oz of loose honey (heat in microwave in 10 second bursts to make it thinner in consistency or water down with hot water)
0.5 oz of lemon juice

Directions:

Fill shaker up half-way with ice. Pour in gin, honey, and lemon juice. Shake for 30 seconds, or about 10 shakes
Strain and pour into a martini glass. This cocktail is traditionally served up

Extra, extra:

Add 1 egg white to the mix and shake well with the liquor, honey, and juice. This gives the cocktail a rich, frothy texture
Garnish with bee pollen, lemon twist, or edible flowers
Use 0.5 oz of lavender infused simple syrup or 0.5 oz of elderflower liqueur in mix

Aquarius

Aquarius deserves a zany, innovative drink. The more complicated or unique, the better. My recommendation is putting a twist on a Mojito. Start with your basic Mojito recipe and infuse different herbs, fruits, liqueurs, juices, and/or teas into your drink. You can take it up a notch and blend it, or pour over ice! Mojitos are simple, but can vary in taste and appearance.

Recipe:

2 oz of white rum
0.75 oz of lime juice
0.5 oz of simple syrup
Mint leaves, as much as you like
Club soda

Directions:

Slap your mint leaves to express the oil in the leaves for a bolder flavor profile
Put mint in shaker, then pour in juice and simple syrup. Muddle your leaves in your syrup and juice
Then pour in some ice and the rum. Shake for 30 seconds, or about 10 shakes
Strain and pour into a fresh glass over fresh ice. Top with club soda and a sprig of mint

Extra, extra:

Muddle fresh berries with your mint
Pour in 2 oz of preferred cold tea in your shaker to shake with the rest of your mix
Use fruit or herb infused simple syrups

Pisces

Ruled by Neptune, Pisces is often associated with water, the color blue, and a dreamy haze. Pisces is also one who strays off the beaten path, but never too far from normalcy. Your ideal drink is Sex in the Driveway. Sounds daring, but it’s actually sweet in appearance and taste! Plus, it’s a classic spin-off of Sex on the Beach.

Recipe:

2 oz of vodka
2 oz of Blue Curaco
1 oz of Peach Schnapps
Lemon-lime soda or club soda

Directions:

Fill shaker up half-way with ice
Pour in liquor and stir for 30 seconds
Strain and pour over fresh ice in a new glass. Top with soda

Extra, extra:

Top with cherry juice for a funky flavor and color combo
Use citrus vodka in lieu of non-flavored vodka
In lieu of soda, top with your favorite bubbles… preferably prosecco or brut!

Cocktails for the Zodiac Signs

Handy Tools