What your first date cocktail reveals about you
Here's to me
And here's to you,
And here's to love and laughter.
For I'll be true as long as you.
And not one moment after!
Hello Darling! It’s date night, and you’re in your favorite bar filled with the nervous anticipation of new romance and the heady perfume of gin and freshly squeezed citrus. Waiting for your date, you hear the chatter of “hello,” “pleased to meet you,” and “do you come here often?” all around you. And as the bartender hands you the menu of cocktails, your mind turns to your first drink and that all-important first impression. You ask yourself When I raise a glass to toast with this new potential love, what will its contents say about me? And what could their tipple tell me about them too?
As always, we’re here to advise! Having observed many thousands of cocktail exchanges over the years, we have created this easy guide to the love language of cocktails revealing what common drinks say about their drinkers.
THE SPRITZ
Not just for brunch, the spritz has recently found its way onto every happy hour menu too, and with good reason. The spritz is an easy, breezy, sitting-in-an-open-air-cafe-on-the-Amalfi-coast kind of drink, which bartenders usually list near the top of their menu because they know it never disappoints. If your date orders a spritz, know that they are likely to be rather cultured and sophisticated with a penchant for European travel. However, know that they are also likely to be a bubbly and light-hearted companion who doesn’t take themselves or life too seriously.
MODERN SPRITZ
1 ½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
3 oz sparkling wine
1 oz choice of fresh juice
Build ingredients one by one over ice in a wine glass, stirring gently to mix. Garnish with fresh fruit and herbs.
THE MARTINI
The martini is a serious kind of drink for a serious kind of drinker. The person who orders this cocktail usually has a particular view on how they like it to be prepared, and the small details matter to them. Though they may seem intractable in their views, they make up for this by being loyal to the core to those who show they care. However, do beware of the number consumed, especially on a first date. As Dorothy Parker once quipped, “I like to have a martini, two at the very most. Three I’m under the table, four I’m under the host!”.
SUFFRAGETTE MARTINI
1 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 oz gin
1 oz dry vermouth
lemon twist
Add the liquor ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Gently squeeze the lemon peel over the drink to release its oils, before dropping it into the drink.
THE MARGARITA
The margarita drinker is a merry and mirthful spirit who loves the company of others and never meets a stranger. They like to get the formalities out of the way, and the fun started quickly. Though usually unpretentious, there are always those who will try to impress by insisting on ordering the top-flight tequila. But don’t be fooled! Because everyone knows it’s the loveliness of the liqueur that truly makes the difference. Impress your date by ordering yours with Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur.
LOVELY RITA
1 ½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 ½ oz blanco tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into a glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
THE NEGRONI
Also known as the bartender’s choice, the Negroni is a sophisticated and complex cocktail for the sophisticated and complex cocktail connoisseur. Equal parts bitter, strong and sweet, the Negroni drinker does not suffer fools gladly. Yet, just like their drink, they tend to have a mellow center and are rarely all for show. Find the ones with the imagination and curiosity to try new and unusual variations because those are the real keepers.
NEGRONI ROSE
1 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 oz bitter orange amaro
½ oz dry vermouth
½ oz sweet vermouth
Combine the ingredients in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice; stir to combine. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.
THE OLD-FASHIONED
“Nothing is so dangerous as being too modern. One is apt to grow old-fashioned quite suddenly”. So said Lady Markby to the young Mabel in Oscar Wilde’s, An Ideal Husband. And just as it was true for fashion and social values, so is it true for cocktails. The Old-Fashioned is arguably the oldest and truest of all cocktails, and its drinkers tend to be dutiful and uncomplicated people. However, you can try testing their openness to modernity by ordering yours with gin – after all, it’s just the original made new again.
MOD FASHIONED
1½ oz gin
½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
½ oz simple syrup
dash cardamom bitters
Build over ice in a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with an oversized twist of grapefruit.
THE GIN & TONIC
Like its drinker, the Gin & Tonic is the type of cocktail that attracts both ardent fans and passionate haters. As a two-ingredient highball, it’s an altogether simpler drink, although that is not to say it is in any way straightforward. Easy-going and refreshing, the G&T drinker doesn’t care for your judgment anyway. They prefer to start things off casually, knowing there is always time to move on to weightier subjects (and drinks) later.
POMP & TONIC
1 ½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
3 oz tonic
lemon slice
Serve over ice in a tall glass, finishing with a squeeze of the lemon.
GIN-GIN!