Drink The Best Olympic-Inspired Cocktails And Win A Trip To Japan

The Liberian Olympic team inspired us with their stylish uniforms, created by native Liberian and fashion designer Telfar Clemens—now they have a cocktail, The Lib Lion, created by fellow Liberian and award-winning mixologist Keyatta Mincey-Parker. In fact, Telfar is Mincey-Parker’s Godbrother and, as she explains, “everyone in this process is connected by being Liberian and understanding how important it is in a time of uncertainty to celebrate our team.” You’ll find her delicious cocktail recipe, inspired by all things Liberia, below along with a few more Olympian inspirations—including scoop on how to win a trip to Japan, a Muhammad Ali-styled riff on the French 75, and a gold-medal winning tequila reposado cocktail.

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The Lib Lion—The celebratory cocktail for Team Liberia. Keyatta Mincey-Parker’s drink, which she made in collaboration with Grey Goose, has a brilliant golden hue—homage to the powerful lion, as well as reflective of the beautiful beaches of Liberia. Says Mincey-Parker, “I wanted the flavors of Liberia, showcasing things that are native to Liberia but still approachable, including, pineapple, mango (we call it plum) papaya (we call it paw-paw), ginger, coconut, guava, lemongrass and plantains. That is our spirit, we dance and celebrate our people.” Mincey-Parker lives in Atlanta with her family and spent the pandemic cultivating a community garden, A Sip of Paradise, to share with other bartenders.

·      2 0z Grey Goose Vodka

·      1 oz Plum Nectar (referred to as Mango in Liberia)

·      .75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

·      .75 oz Lemongrass Simple Syrup

Combine all ingriedients into a shaker, shake hard and strain into your favorite glass. Garnish with lemon peel. To make Lemongrass Simple Syrup combine ¼ cup dried lemongrass, 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in saucepan, bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Store in glass container in the refrigerator.

Light the Torch—Homage to Mohammad Ali’s Olympic Torch Moment. Creator Deke Dunne, Bar Director at Allegory (in Washington DC’s Eaton Hotel), explains, “When I was 8 years old, I witnessed Mohammad Ali fight through Parkinson’s disease and light the torch to start the Atlanta Olympic games. It was humbling to see one the greatest humans in modern history struggle, which made his actions that much more heroic. This cocktail is an ode to The Greatest and all the awe-inspiring moments he created.”

·      1 oz Bourbon

·      .5 oz Fresh Lime 

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·      .5 oz Fresh Lemon

·      1 oz Simple Syrup

·      3 oz Bubbles, preferably a dry California sparkling wine

Instructions: Combine all of the ingredients except for the bubbles into a shaker tin. Add ice and shake for 5-7 seconds. Strain ingredients into a Collins glass. Add fresh ice. Top cocktail with dry bubbles. Cut a peel of lemon and add to the rim. Enjoy!

The Headliner—Blending Japanese and American ingredients. Creator, New York bartender Lucinda Sterling of Seaborne and Middle Branch explains, “This recipe was inspired by the great American athletes who represent the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics. Town Branch Bourbon is an outstanding all-American spirit from Lexington, Ky., and the yuzu liqueur is an homage to the great country of Japan.”

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·      1.5 oz Town Branch Bourbon

·      .5 oz yuzu liqueur

·      .5 ginger syrup

·      .5 pineapple juice

·      .5 lemon juice

·      Fever-Tree Soda Water

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Instructions: Add ingredients, except soda, to a shaker with ice. Shake just enough to integrate ingredients and pour over ice into a 12 oz Collins glass. Top with soda.

TOKI Highball—Win a Trip to Japan (REALLY!), just prepare your own Toki Highball and post about it on social media. The House of Suntory is giving away a free 4-day trip to Japan (complete with visits to the city’s best whisky bars and a tour of their famed Yamazaki Distillery) to one lucky US Winner…and 50 winners will receive a Toki Highball kit. Follow @SuntoryToki on Instagram and post a Suntory Time experience (with your freshly-made highball). Get more details here.

·      1 part Suntory Whisky Toki®

·      3 parts soda water

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·      Grapefruit peel

Instructions: Fill a highball glass with ice, pour in whisky, add soda water, peel and give it a gentle stir.

Lobos Paloma—A Double Gold award-winning reposado tequila (NYISC 2021), to keep pace with our Olympic Gold Medal winners. Created by Juan Arboleda in partnership with Los Lobos Tequila.

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·      1.25 oz Lobos 1707 Reposado

·      .25 oz Ancho Reyes

·      1 oz Fresh grapefruit juice

·      .5 oz Fresh lime juice

·      .5 oz Agave nectar

·      Top with Club soda

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Directions: Add all ingredients into a shaker except the club soda, add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a highball glass rimed with chili salt and fill with ice. Top off with club soda and give a gentle stir and garnish.

Basically Vitamins Bloody Mary—Olympians need their vitamins. Created by Seagram’s for those daytime Olympic watch parties

·      2 oz. Seagram’s 100 Proof Vodka 

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·      1⁄2 oz. Puréed Spinach

·      1⁄2 oz. Green Tomato Juice

·      1⁄2 oz. Carrot Juice

·      1⁄2 oz. Lemon Juice

·      1⁄2 oz. Aloe Vera Juice

·      1⁄2 tsp. Minced Garlic

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Directions: Rim a highball glass with celery salt and fill the glass with ice. Combine all ingredients in the glass over the ice and stir with a bar spoon. Garnish with a celery stalk, sliced carrot, parsley, cucumber and lemon rounds and an edible flower.

Big Red: Beer meets Bourbon for the All-American beverage. Consider this one in the same spirit as the “redneck mimosa” (Miller High Life and Orange Juice), but take things up a tasty notch with ginger beer and bourbon. Created by the Off Hours Bourbon team.

• 2 oz Bourbon Whiskey (Off Hours is suggested)
• 2oz Ginger Beer
• 2oz Budweiser
• Fill a tall glass with ice, add whiskey, beer and Budweiser, stir gently to combine. Garnish with American flag, of course.

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