Booze before noon

January 22, 2012 10:56 AM

Before noon booze. Tomato juice gives me heartburn and I don't really want to open a bottle of champagne for two drinks. So, what are the alternative brunch cocktails. NO VODKA DRINKS. Preference for drinks which are not simply an ounce of alcohol added to a glass of juice/cup of hot coffee or chocolate.

To recap, brunch alternatives to: Bloody Mary/Bloody Margarita, Mimosa, Bellini, Champagne Cocktail, French75, Kir Royale, and/or Screwdrivers.

posted by crush-onastick to food & drink (40 answers total)

My local grocery store sells tiny bottles of champagne. $2.00 a pop and very good. I can't remember the brand but that may be an option for you. I've made mimosas from it before but my favorite way to drink is is in a champagne flute with chilled fruit floating around. Raspberries and blueberries are my favorites.
posted by myselfasme at 11:01 AM on January 22 [7 favorites]

I dearly love Campari and grapefruit juice, which could be gussied up by any number of fruity liqueurs (Chambourd, Gran Marnier, etc.); obviously this only works if you're in the Campari camp (many aren't).
posted by smirkette at 11:04 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

I just came here to throw this out there: Caipirinha

I had a friend from Brazil who introduced me to them... and though I've never had them before noon I certainly would if given the opportunity.
posted by one4themoment at 11:04 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

In fact, after reading the whole wikipedia article, the Caipifruta with crushed fruit sounds like a really good brunch drink to me.
posted by one4themoment at 11:07 AM on January 22

Aperol, grapefruit juice, club soda. St. Germain and iced chamomile tea.
posted by bcwinters at 11:11 AM on January 22

The Maple Leaf.

2 oz Bourbon
3/4 oz Maple Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Mix and shake with ice.
posted by hwyengr at 11:12 AM on January 22 [12 favorites]

Pimm's Cup come to mind, although it is more of a summer drink.
posted by cabingirl at 11:12 AM on January 22 [3 favorites]

Easter Breakfast with my family is always accompanied a Ramos Gin Fizz.
posted by mollymayhem at 11:15 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

I'm always game for a Mojito, and there are some good ones in my neighborhood. Refreshing, light, and doesn't get me too sloppy.
posted by asavage at 11:17 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Banana
handful of Cashews
Gin
bit of Coconut meat or Coconut water

Blend.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 11:18 AM on January 22

Richmond Gimlet:

1 oz lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
2 oz gin
a few mint leaves

Put everything in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously, strain into martini glass
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 11:19 AM on January 22 [5 favorites]

Irish coffee (or any variant like Dutch, Italian, whatever) done right is not simply "an ounce of alcohol added to a cup of hot coffee."

Then there are various punches (most could be mixed up for two or twenty). Try Fish House Punch, (individual recipe there) for example, which is rum, cognac, brandy, lemon juice, sugar and water.
posted by beagle at 11:25 AM on January 22

Mm, yes, a mojito. We had those as welcome drinks at our wedding, a little before noon.
posted by danteGideon at 11:26 AM on January 22

There's a caipifruta variant that uses sake instead of pinga. The most popular flavor is strawberry. Basically, crush strawberries with a bit of sugar in a glass and top up with sake and crushed ice. For a personal touch, add a dash of gin. Mojitos can also be prepared this way.
posted by Tom-B at 11:26 AM on January 22

... kiwis are also a popular choice.

Video Receita - Caipirinha de Saquê
posted by Tom-B at 11:29 AM on January 22

Captain Morgan plus equal parts OJ and pineapple juice. Don't know what this is called, but it's a very mellow, not too sweet punch.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:30 AM on January 22

Jalapeño infused Blanco tequila (make this yourself) + lime + Tecate in a glass with a salted rim

Homemade lemonade sweetened with maple syrup + Bourbon
posted by Juliet Banana at 11:31 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I have never gone wrong with a bourbon and lemonade or even a bourbon and Arnold Palmer.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:31 AM on January 22 [2 favorites]

The Banana Banshee is pretty much a boozy banana milkshake where we drink. This is a recipe found online, rather than the excellent one at my local cocktail place, so results not guaranteed.

2 oz banana liqueur
2 oz white creme de cacao
2 oz light cream


Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass.
posted by biffa at 11:34 AM on January 22

The Corpse Reviver No. 2 and the Ramos Gin Fizz are both simply mahvelous, if a bit involved.
posted by mostlymartha at 11:41 AM on January 22

Call me old school, but nothing makes me smile like a glass of ice cold Riesling or Gewurtztraminer with brunch. It just makes the whole day seem better instantly.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 11:42 AM on January 22

Paper Plane

Also, combine the following to your tastes: gin, muddled blackberries, club soda

I had a Jasmine the other day and that would make a nice brunch drink.

(paper planes and jasmines are both good for scaling up to pitcher-sized for a hosting a larger brunch)
posted by melissasaurus at 11:58 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

just put a shot of whiskey into your coffee. preferably Jameson

the we've-got-nothing-that-needs-doing sunday ritual around me house is:

make really good fresh-ground coffee
pour a cup, and add the usual sugar and cream
have a taste - go mmmm because it's good coffee
add a shot
taste again - go MMMMM because now it's GOOD coffee
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:58 AM on January 22

If you really want to WORK for your morning buzz-on try a spanish coffee. I got hammered on those with my mother in law once... yeesh.
posted by lilnublet at 12:08 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

Although we think that the Maple Leaf is a little sweet as presented here. We'd go with
2 oz Bourbon
.5 oz Maple Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
posted by crush-onastick at 12:13 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

Milk Punch is decadent. If you want even more decadence, there's always my old Southern family eggnog recipe.
posted by Addlepated at 12:18 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

The bottle of champagne problem can be solved by way of this sparkling wine in cans -- it's tasty and you get four little cans for what you might spend on a bottle of champagne.

....And if, given that, you still want mimosa alternatives, I had a wonderful, wonderful thing recently that I would cheerfully drink at any hour of the day. I think the bar called it a Vesper, but it wasn't this Vesper at all -- it was St. Germain, sparkling wine, and seltzer with lots of ice. Went home, recreated it with a can of the Sofia, and that was great too. I can see doing it with tart fruit juices or syrups as well, or maybe just St. Germain and soda; St. Germain is magical stuff, plenty sweet and complex as is.
posted by clavicle at 12:20 PM on January 22

Frozen strawberries blended with maple syrup or agave syrup and mineral water with a splash of rum. I call it my healthy daiquiri.
posted by myselfasme at 12:39 PM on January 22

I know you gave preference to something more complicated than booze + juice, but you simply must try a Greyhound/Salty Dog. Gin and grapefruit juice; for a Salty Dog, salt the rim of the glass first. One of those 2-ingredient drinks that's more than the sum of its parts.

(Some people will make a Greyhound with vodka, but those people probably also make martinis with vodka.)
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:00 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

lilnublet, so funny you mentioned Spanish Coffee... My Mom was never much of a drinker, but once I introduced her to Spanish Coffee (at a restaurant I'd taken her to for dinner) she became a desciple. She's just recently turned 80 and refuses almost every alcoholic drink due to her various medications, but she'll still have a Spanish Coffee or two at brunch whenever I take her out (she always calls it her "special coffee" and was concerned enough to ask her doctor could she drink "special coffee" - detailing the ingredients - while taking her various medications. He assured her that a Special Coffee now and then wouldn't hurt her.)

Speaking of special coffees, another variation is what I originally was served as "Canadian coffee" - a shot (or so) of whiskey in a mug, with an equal amount of maple syrup. Fill the cup with coffee, mix, and topped with whipped cream. Soothing, tasty and not overwhelming-ly alcoholic.
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:02 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

(Spanish Coffee at Huber's is good any time of day or night. But they do make it in a spectacular way there.)
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 1:47 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I find that certain types of beer -- especially very effervescent ones -- make a nice replacement to champagne for brunch. Brooklyn Local 1 is a pretty good example. Pilsners tend to be a decent sub for anywhere that you would normally drink champagne, too.
posted by asnider at 2:20 PM on January 22

Tinto de verano. It's red wine and Sprite (or lemon Pellegrino, if you're feeling fancy, but really, the Sprite is fine), maybe with a lime wedge.

Sounds awful, but I drank gallons of this in Spain. Very refreshing.

If you don't do red wine, you can substitute white with no problems.
posted by elizeh at 2:42 PM on January 22

I've named grapefruit juice and champagne a hibiscus (pink grapefruit juice - pink hibiscus). You can make it with white wine. I also really like grapefruit juice and bourbon. You could also make sangria.
posted by theora55 at 5:29 PM on January 22

Tequila and orange juice, in a salted glass.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 7:22 PM on January 22

I am thirding the Ramos Gin Fizz. Unless it's on the menu, it's a dick move to order them, so they'd be special for their rarity if they weren't also incredibly special for their deliciousness. Seriously, lay in a wee bottle of orange flower water in anticipation of the day that you are ready, with lemons and limes and half and half and gin and eggwhites (and maybe a splash of Campari), to shake up the bestest brunchy cocktail of them all.
posted by mumkin at 8:32 PM on January 22

If you want to be hardcore and mofo mixologist: this requires experimentation, but damn did I have the most amazing slightly-sweet/tart/vegetal nectar-dripped-from-athaenas-nipples springtime cocktail at at fancy ass place called vandaag


The balsa raft

Secrets: less pineapple, orgeat and honey syrup compared to above, maybe a little more cucumber. Should not be as milky as shown.... If you get it right, you will thank me.
posted by lalochezia at 6:09 AM on January 23

There are as many recipes for mulled wine as their are stars in the sky, but nothing says "Light and warming midday winter treat" better.
posted by The Whelk at 7:26 AM on January 23

KGB Coffee: coffee with Kahlua, Grand Marnier and Bailey's. Yum!
posted by radioamy at 2:10 PM on January 23

I'll fourth the Ramos Gin Fizz. Use the recipe from this book. You will be glad you did.

I also love caipirinhas.
posted by Mental Wimp at 4:27 PM on January 25