A spirit of choice blends with a fresh mixer to create flavor. Soft light shimmers on the glass, casting long shadows as the flower petal garnish sets the mood. If flavor is the way to the heart, then styling is the way to the imagination, and both bring liquid to the lips. In Alyson Brown’s world, creating the perfect, full-flavored summer cocktail is only the beginning. Brown is the author of The Flower-Infused Cocktail and owner of Alyson Brown Studio at the Stacks in the Old Mill. Her beverage styling and photography have found their way into half a dozen books and in myriad ad campaigns. Her ability to create a narrative by photographing a glass of liquid has driven her success. “Light, to me,” she said, “goes a long way in telling a story.”
Now, after creating hundreds of sets, unique moods and beverage experiences through light and shadow, Brown has learned a thing—or 10—about how to style cocktails. More importantly, she has mastered the art of the elevated drink and offers recommendations for ditching the red plastic party cup at home.
Alyson Brown’s Three Rules for Better Cocktails
The First Rule: Batch It
While she promotes simplicity, when Brown hosts an event, she wants “people to leave with a memory and not feel like they wanted more.”
When she puts out the effort to make her own ingredients, she makes a large batch ahead of time and stores it in a container that makes it easy to serve.
Infused simple syrups are the easiest. By planning ahead, one can layer sugar with flowers, coffee beans and vanilla beans and store for a couple of weeks. When it’s time to make the tonic, sift the sugar to remove the ingredients, then mix equal parts of the infused sugar with hot water, stir and let cool.
With all the premade mixers at her disposal, she can also pivot for easy mocktail variations.
The Second Rule: Garnish It
A garnish goes a long way, making even simple drinks look fancy. “Add a few edible flower petals,” said Brown, “or a dehydrated lime on top to make it sexy.” Despite being known for creating elaborate garnishes, she admits that making your drink look cooler “can be as simple as the position of your cocktail pick.”
The Third Rule: Set the Mood
With every photo she snaps, she connects the sipper to the drink and the occasion. To take this idea home, Brown considers the beverage’s color and which flower best creates the mood. However, it all starts with the right glass to create an experience. “Even sparkling water in a champagne flute feels nice,” she said. Brown’s final bit of advice is to create an interactive cocktail adventure. Set out different garnishes, flowers, herbs and citrus. For summer brunch parties, she recommends a “make your own Bloody Mary bar.” By setting out skewers “with fried squash blossoms, bacon, shrimp, cucumbers, peppers, asparagus, green apple” and more in a choose-your-own fashion, every drinker can explore their own stylish flavor profiles. “It’s like a charcuterie board for cocktails,” she said. You’ll also need some basic bar tools to start: a jigger for measuring spirits, a muddler for crushing ingredients, a simple cocktail shaker and some acrylic cocktail glasses for outdoors. Lastly, remember this is all about fun and connection. After all, “flavor is the way to the heart,” she said.
Recipes
White Jasmine Sangria
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of dry white wine
- 1 cup of triple sec
- 12-ounce bottle of ginger ale
- Juice from 1 cantaloupe
- 1 cup jasmine ginger green tea syrup
- 1/3 cup jasmine flower water
- 1 lime, sliced
- 4 kumquats, sliced
Jasmine Green Tea Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons loose jasmine green tea
- 1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
Bring water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the loose jasmine tea. Steep for three minutes and strain, reserving the liquid. Add the sugar and bring back to a simmer. Once the sugar has dissolved completely and the syrup has thickened, remove from the heat. Add the ginger, cover and steep for 30 minutes. Cool completely. Store in the refrigerator and use within one week.
Mixology
In a pitcher or glass serving container, combine wine, triple sec, ginger ale, cantaloupe juice, jasmine ginger green tea simple syrup, jasmine flower water and fruit slices. Stir gently. Serve over ice. Garnish with fruit slices.
Mocktail Option
Make it a mocktail by subbing with a nonalcoholic white wine, such as Giesen 0% Sauvignon Blanc, and fresh-squeezed orange juice in place of the triple sec.
Spin Spin Sugar
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce dry vermouth
- 1 ounce Concord grape shrub
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 2 dashes cardamom bitters
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Lemon slice
- Lemon peel
- Sugar-dusted grapes
Cornflower Sugar
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornflower petals
Rub a lemon slice over the rim of a chilled glass and roll it into the cornflower sugar.
Mixology
Shake bourbon, vermouth, shrub, bitters and cinnamon with ice, strain and pour into a prepared glass with fresh ice. Express a lemon peel over the glass and finish with sugar-dusted grapes.
Aviator Glasses
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces blanco tequila
- ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
- ¼ ounce crème de violette
- ¾ ounce lime juice
- Grapefruit slice
Mixology
Pour the tequila, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette and lime juice into a shaker over ice and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a glass over ice and garnish with violet flowers and a grapefruit slice.
Pablo’s Daughter
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blanco tequila
- 1 ounce grapefruit juice
- 1 ounce mandarin juice
- ½ ounce lime juice
- ½ ounce grapefruit rosemary simple syrup
- ¼ ounce Campari
- Grapefruit bubbly water
- Grapefruit slice
- Mandarin slice
- Stem of alyssum
Grapefruit Rosemary Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ peeled grapefruit, sliced
- 1 sprig rosemary
Combine sugar and water in a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved completely, add the grapefruit and stir for one minute, lightly mashing the fruit. Remove from the heat. Add the rosemary, cover and steep for 30 minutes. Cool completely. Use within one week.
Mixology
Add tequila, grapefruit juice, mandarin juice, lime juice, simple syrup and Campari to an ice-filled shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into a glass over ice and top with bubbly water. Garnish with sliced grapefruit, mandarin and a stem of alyssum.
