The Outrageous Price of Cocktails
(and how I’m making Fig Margaritas at home)
Everything has gotten more expensive lately, but have you seen the price of cocktails? Whoo-ee. It’s well into the double-digit range. A margarita at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Laguna Beach is anywhere from $15 to $25, depending on the brand of tequila. Martinis are $22 to $24. Ouch. What a damper on date night when the price of drinks is nearly equal to the cost of the entrees.
But! We don’t have to go out for drinks.
Make Cocktails at Home
In another life, I used to be a ghostwriter of other people’s blogs and cookbooks. It was while I was working on a cocktail and home mixology book that the lightbulb went off in my head—I can make these drinks at home!
The caveat, of course, is we won’t enjoy the ambiance and luxury of someone else shaking together our liquid sanity saver. But if it means I don’t have to drive anywhere and can enjoy a cocktail while watching The Great British Baking Show in my jammies, then I am very happy to make my own cocktail, thank you very much.
Cost
For fun, let’s price out how much it is to make a margarita at home. These costs are all approximations based on the price of 750mL bottles at my local BevMo. It may be cheaper or more expensive in your area. And if you get your liquor at Costco, the price per ounce is probably going to be less.
As reference, a 750mL bottle is approximately 25 ounces. If we use 2 ounces per drink, we can make 12-ish drinks per bottle. I chose two tequilas, one considered value-priced and the other top-shelf.
Warning: lots of numbers ahead. And they are all loosey-goosey, not scientific, and rounded to the nearest cent.
Value-priced:
Cazadores Reposado Tequila is $21.99 at BevMo = around 88 cents per ounce
Triple Sec is $10.99 at BevMo = around 44 cents per ounce
Limes are 33 cents and yield around 1 ounce
Cazadores (2 oz) + triple sec (1 oz) + lime juice (½ oz) = $2.36 per cocktail
Top-shelf:
Patron Silver is $39.99 at BevMo = around $1.60 per ounce
Cointreau is $37.99 at BevMo = around $1.52 per ounce
Limes are 33 cents and yield around 1 ounce
Patron (2 oz) + Cointreau (1 oz) + lime juice (½ oz) = $4.88 per cocktail
Compare that to the $25 margarita at the Mexican restaurant. Excited? Me too.
Barware
When writing the home mixology book, I took a deep dive into all the types of barware needed to make cocktails. Juicers, jiggers, muddlers, strainers, and shakers. These all sounded like a dance style that I didn’t know how to do.
If you don’t have these already, you don’t have to buy them. Once I discovered that I enjoyed making cocktails at home, my daughter gifted me with a starter barware kit that included the basic items. But other things work just as well: an insulated stainless steel travel mug can stand in for a cocktail shaker (ask me how I know), two tablespoons equal one ounce, and the back of a spoon can be a muddler.
Stemware
When I make a drinkie at home, it is usually just for me (my husband would rather drink European beer). I make one cocktail that is 4 to 5 ounces, or Nick and Nora-sized. You know, like in The Thin Man movie. Detective Nick Charles and his wife Nora drink 5 martinis in one sitting. But, take a look at the size of their martini glasses and you will see how tiny they are. The martinis are around 4 ounces. By contrast, today's average martini in an American restaurant or bar is 8 to 9 ounces. Granted, 5 martinis with Nick and Nora is still 20 ounces of cocktails. Or a little over 2 cocktails in a today-sized serving.
Glasses and stemware have been collected at thrift shops and yard sales. Some are cocktail-ish and others might be iced tea glasses, but I don’t care because they are beautiful, good quality, and cost me next to nothing. I use them all. Plus, if the week has been anything like the horrendous one the world just had, an iced tea glass-sized cocktail is merited.
Fig Margaritas
Fresh fig season is petering out now that we are into October. But there are still figs to be found and wow are they good. I’m lucky to have a generous friend with fig trees and she gives Brown Turkey figs to me by the bagful.
Fig simple syrup is easy to make and is a two-fer. For your efforts, you get a delicious figgy syrup to use in cocktails, salad dressings, marinades, and desserts (or to drizzle on pancakes). You also come away with jammy fig pieces that are fantastic over yogurt, ice cream, and savory appetizers. Maybe tucked into a chicken dish.
If you are saying to yourself “That sounds delicious but I’m never going to make fig syrup in a million years,” then you will be happy to know you can purchase 8 ounces of fig syrup on Amazon for $19.75.
Now, on to the recipes!
Fig Margarita
Yield: 1 margarita
Time: 5 minutes
2 oz tequila
1 oz fig syrup
1 oz lime juice
1 oz orange juice
Rub the cut half of a lime around the rim of a glass and dip in coarse salt.
Pour the tequila, fig syrup, lime juice, and orange juice into a cocktail shaker.
Plop 4 or 5 ice cubes into the shake, cover, and shake for 20 seconds until cold.
Strain into the prepared glass.
Garnish with a slice of fresh fig if you want to feel fancy.
Fig Simple Syrup
Yield: About 1 ½ cups fig syrup and 1 cup of jammy figs
2 cups quartered fresh figs
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
Dump all ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain to separate liquid and solids. Pour the syrup into a jar and store covered in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Store the cooked figs in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Fig and Cheese Appetizer
Serves 2, 3, or 4 depending on the appetite
4 oz goat, feta, or cream cheese
⅓ cup jammy figs
Place the cheese on a small plate and lightly mash with a fork. Top with the figs. Drizzle with some honey if desired.
Serve with crackers. Enjoy with a cocktail.
Tell Me
What is your favorite cocktail? And do you make cocktails at home? I’d love to hear what you are shaking together right now.
Yum Betty! And by the way, all those martini's make Nick and Nora hilarious!