Kendall County has a growing, amazing cocktail scene, with local bars, nearby distilleries, and stores offering great options. The number of places to grab a cocktail with a meal or sit at a bar sipping a concoction has increased dramatically in the last few years. After a long day of work and sitting in traffic, I’m less interested in going out, so I love exploring ways to make my own at home. With the season of family and friends gathering for holiday parties, many of us are either planning the party or bringing something to enjoy. A simple pour of whiskey may seem too easy a solution when I am looking for a cocktail experience with minimal effort. Still, local stores and distilleries can help you find quality ingredients or ready-to-drink options to elevate your home gatherings.
The history of the cocktail is as old as time, as civilizations have mixed ingredients into their beverages to create more pleasing drinks. They added various flavors to counter intense flavors and mixed them with honey, fruits, herbs, and spices to create new flavors. They even added vinegar to add layers of complexity through the tang and effervescence it provides. Many may think their cocktail is a new recipe, but it is more likely to be a rejuvenated idea with modern ingredients.
More recently, the quantity of high-quality Ready-to-Drink (RTD) bottled cocktails has become an extremely welcome sight on the shelves. I am not talking about flavored liqueurs made from a whiskey base, such as apple, peach, and cinnamon flavors, or the popular “moonshine” offerings. These cocktails have names we would order, such as “Old-Fashioned,” “Manhattan,” “Paper Plane,” and “Whiskey Sour.” They have improved dramatically beyond the first offerings and are now available in a wide variety of options from a broader range of trusted distilleries. One of my favorites is the Andalusia Stryker Old-Fashioned, distilled in Blanco, Texas, at Andalusia Distillery. It delivers the classic smoky Old-Fashioned profile and has the perfect amount of sweetness for my preference. I add a cube to my rocks glass, pop the cork, pour a nice amount, and add a Luxardo cherry if I am feeling like a sweet treat at the end.
When I plan to entertain, I am more than likely to prepare batch cocktails and have a wide variety of my whiskies available to enjoy. These batch cocktails let me make them ahead of the party and then spend time with my guests instead of being in the bartender role all night. Batch cocktails are becoming more popular. The Refrigerator Manhattan is delightful as a batched cocktail. It keeps the cocktail chilled before the party and preserves the sweet vermouth’s sweetness. Remember to refrigerate vermouth and other perishable ingredients to prevent spoilage and avoid party fouls. Make sure your ingredients are fresh and stored properly to ensure the best flavor and safety for your guests.
A few basic tools are helpful if you want to make cocktails at home. A quality shaker is a must! You can substitute most other tools with basic kitchen tools you may already have at home. The standard cocktail measurement is 1.5 ounces, which converts to 3 tablespoons. Quality oranges for an Old-Fashioned are cumbersome and something I rarely have on hand. I keep a martini atomizer filled with orange extract to spritz over my rocks glass and give my cocktails the orange essence they need. You’ll find a martini atomizer in most liquor store bar-tool sections, and orange extract in the baking section next to vanilla extract at the grocery store. The best part about this hint is that orange extract doesn’t expire, and you can use it in non-alcoholic drinks, too! Children can feel just as fancy with a Shirley Temple and an orange spritz over the glass.
Adding garnishes used to be as simple as a little umbrella, a pineapple slice, and a maraschino cherry for tropical cocktails, and a skewered olive or onion for a martini. Now, the sky is the limit, as some Bloody Marys have whole meals adorning the beverage. Keeping it simple but creative is an easy way to make it feel like a nicer experience without much effort. Frozen fruit helps keep the drink cold while subtly adding a fruit layer as it defrosts. Add a sprig of freshly grown herbs from your garden, either quickly torched to add a smoky fragrance or used fresh. The trick with flat herbs is to lay them in the palm of one hand and give them a good slap to help release the oils into your drink.
When everything else feels like too much effort, a pour of whiskey with a small dash of liqueur will do the trick. The classic Godfather cocktail with two parts smoky whiskey to one part amaretto. Pour Ironroot’s Harbinger Bourbon with a dash of Total Wine’s Borgata Chocolate Liqueur for a sweet treat. Garrison’s Honey Dew added to a warm tea to help soothe the day away.
Cocktails do not have to be elaborate affairs full of flair and drama. They are simply ingredients put together in a beverage to enhance the experience. How you make and enjoy your cocktails changes with the seasons, the more you experience, and what you have on hand. Be willing to try new cocktails when you do go visit our many places around Kendall County. Take pictures of the menu when you enjoy the cocktail. Attempt to create it at home. If there is one you do not enjoy, how would you change it to make it your preference? Experiment at home. Buy ready-to-drink bottles so you always have one waiting to pop the cork. Enjoy the delights that have come a very long way from where we used to be. Cocktails are no longer limited to professionals, but something you can enjoy in the comfort of your home.
“Cocktails do not have to be elaborate affairs full of flair and drama. They are simply ingredients put together in a beverage to enhance the experience.”
From the November 2026 issue of The Kendall Gentleman.
Renita Reavis has written about whiskey for The Kendall Gentleman before in Back to School – Whiskey Style, A Trip of a Lifetime – Edinburgh, Scotland and Mashbills – The Agricultural Recipe for Whiskey. For more from this issue, read Coach Stan Leech’s Twice on Sunday.