By Derek Herscovici ’14

Just in time for summer, these cocktail recipes from El Guapo Bitters, Tonics & Syrups are here to beat the heat. El Guapo is the subject of “Shaking Things Up,” a profile of 2011 alumna Christa Cotton in the Summer 2020 issue of Auburn Magazine. The founder and CEO of New Orleans Beverage Group and owner of El Guapo Bitters, Tonics & Syrups, Cotton has earned widespread acclaim for her New Orleans-inspired cocktail line.

Made with locally sourced ingredients that are traceable to the farm level or third-party certified organic. El Guapo’s entire line is non-GMO, high fructose corn syrup free, gluten free and vegetarian, too.

Visit El Guapo’s website for their products and more recipes. Cheers!

Jungle Bird Milk Punch
Makes one cocktail
• 2 oz Zero Proof Clarified Milk Punch (recipe below)
• 2 oz white rum (we used Roulaison)
• 2 oz El Guapo® Spiced Pecan Syrup
• 1 T. El Guapo® Polynesian Kiss Bitters
• Edible or yard flowers, as garnish

In a clean shaker filled with ice, add clarified milk punch, rum, syrup, and bitters. Shake until well chilled. Strain into a low ball and serve up, using edible flowers or yard flowers as garnish. Cheers!

Holiday Old Fashioned (Featuring Good Food Award winning Chicory Pecan Bitters)
Makes one cocktail
• 3 oz bourbon (we used @13thcolony)
• .5 oz El Guapo® Spiced Pecan Syrup
• 8 dashes El Guapo® Holiday Pie Bitters
• 1 large rock
• 2 Luxardo cherries, yard flowers and leaves, to garnish

In a lowball, combine bitters, syrup & bourbon. Stir to combine & place one large rock in glass. Garnish with cherries & any other desired accoutrements. We chose yard flowers & a tropical leaf… because optimism.

Desert Island Margaritas
Makes 2 cocktails
• 2.5 oz Coconut Tequila (@1800tequila)
• 1 oz Triple Sec
• 1.5 oz guava purée
• 1.5 oz Pink Coconut Water (@harmlessharvest)
• 1.5 oz key lime juice
• 4 dashes El Guapo® Polynesian Kiss Bitters (@elguapobitters)

Rim glass with Lime flavored sugar using a lime wedge. Regular sugar works too! Add a few large cubes of ice. Pour all ingredients straight into glass, stir, squeeze in lime wedge and add it or discard, top with bitters.\

Rose Cordial Cocktail
Makes one cocktail
• 1.5 oz gin (Have you tried Wonderbird?)
• .74 oz El Guapo® Rose Cordial
• .5oz @lillet Blanc
• .5oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Topo Chico
• Dried rose petals (or rose petal tea!), for garnish

In a clean shaker filled with ice, add gin, cordial, Lillet & juice. Shake until well chilled. * strain into a collins glass. Top with Topo Chico & garnish with dried rose petals.

Pro tip: you can find dried rose petals in some loose-leaf teas as well as sold as an individual garnish!

Sweet & Sour Citrus Martini
Makes one cocktail 
• 1 oz El Guapo® Lemon Cordial
• 1 tsp El Guapo® Cuban Bitters
• .5 oz freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
• .5 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
• .5 oz vodka (we used St. Roch, but any quality vodka will do)
• Sugar, Meyer lemon peel or yard flowers, for garnish

In a shaker filled with ice, combine Lemon Cordial, bitters, juices & vodka. Shake until well chilled. Rim a martini glass in sugar (rim with water first to help sugar adhere) before straining liquid into the glass. Garnish with a Meyer lemon peel or yard flowers before serving.

Pro tip: For a more prominently bitter martini, add a tablespoon of Cuban bitters as opposed to a teaspoon.