Picnic Cocktails

[Anna Phor]

Our apartment building has a lovely green space out back bordering on the park, and it's a sweet spot to sit and have a meal or entertain friends. Carting all the gear for a meal and drinks out the back door, however, is a trek.

ISO good picnic cocktail ideas. 2-3 ingredients max, not fussy, crowd-pleasers. Dark and stormies and gin and tonic have been winners, but looking for ideas that are more novel. Any thoughts?

[SeanMike]

Death in the Afternoon - absinthe, lemon, simple syrup, topped with champagne. The anise taste of the absinthe may not be to everybody's taste, but it's a great outdoors drink.

Any Pimm's Cup variant, really. You can bring out a variety of mixers and let folks make their own.

Also, consider bottling a cocktail.

[hillvalley]

Strawberry basil lemonade:

Blend strawberries, basil, and a few turns of black pepper if you are so inclined.  Make ice cubes out of the puree.  Throw a few ice cubes into the lemonade of your choice and add vodka.  

[PappyVanWise]

I used some of those flip top bottles with rubber stoppers and this Manhattan recipe for a picnic a while back.  You add water instead of ice, which mimics the dilution of the cocktail the ice and strainer would give it if you were making them individually.  Then just store the bottles in the fridge to keep them cool.  Super easy to make and the flavors were pretty spot on.

[lperry]

...Also, consider bottling a cocktail. 

I think you had a brilliant formula for the added water?  20%? 25%?

[DrXmus]

I think you had a brilliant formula for the added water?  20%? 25%?

The above Serious Eats recipe adds water at a dilution of about 18% of the liquor volume. I've also read that cocktails should be about 20-25% water, as you mention, too.

[DaRiv18]

This has been the year of the Byrrh-Cassis highball for me.  Byrrh (2 oz) and about .25-.33 oz of Langlois cassis.  Serve with lots of ice in a highball, and add about 2 oz of seltzer.  Our own Jake recommends a peel of grapefruit.  This is a low alcohol crowd pleaser, but one can add rye whiskey and a splash of Ango if you want to beef it up more.

[SeanMike]

I think you had a brilliant formula for the added water?  20%? 25%?

The Joy of Mixology, if I remember correctly, suggests 1/3rd of the amount of cocktail should be added as water so that the overall dilution is 25%. So a bottled negroni, for instance, would be equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, Campari, and water.

[GinChevyChase]

Second on the Pimm's cup.  You can pre-mix a big batch in a pitcher and take it out.  It's also fairly low gravity so you can drink more without falling over