The Perfect Drink For Each Golden Globe Best Motion Picture Drama Nominee

The Hollywood elite will be sipping this year’s official signature cocktail, the “Moet Ruby Red,” which combines Moet & Chandon Champagne, raspberry, tarragon and lemon (we mere mortals can join them by substituting a less costly Prosecco or Cava). As another option for your Golden Globes gathering may we suggest a nominee inspired cocktails.

The bartenders at Where to Watch have put together a suggestion for each of this year’s Best Motion Picture Drama contenders. Please remember to drink responsibly, which is not drinking every time Ricky Gervais skewers Hollywood royalty.

Carol

This is a sophisticated drama about a married woman who risks everything when she embarks on a romance with a younger department store worker. Set in 1950s Manhattan, may we be so bold as to suggest the classic cocktail that matches its namesake in glamour – “The Manhattan”.

Perfect Manhattan (from Epicurious.com)

2 ounces rye and bourbon whiskey
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
2 dashes Angostura or orange bitters
Maraschino cherry or small piece lemon peel for garnish

In mixing glass or cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. Stir well, about 20 seconds, then strain into cocktail glass (we love it in a Martini glass). Add cherry or twist lemon peel directly over drink to release essential oils, and serve.

Mad Max: Fury Road

While Mad Max: Fury Road was filmed in Australia, Namibia, and South Africa, the Mad Max franchise is pure Australia. In a few weeks (January 26th) our friends down under will be celebrating “Australia Day,” so let’s get the party started for them with the “1788,” named for the year the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove.

The 1788 (designed by Café Sydney head barman Dan Jones)

50ml West Winds Gin
​10ml Wild Brumby Pink Lady Apple Schnapps
​30ml Wild Hibiscus and Rosella Syrup
​10ml Fresh Tahitian Lime Juice
1 Finger Lime, Muddled
Wattle

Chill a martini glass with ice.

In a mixing glass, muddle finger lime. Fill with ice then add all ingredients and stir until chilled. Discard ice from martini glass. Fine strain the mixture into Martini glass. Garnish with wattle (official flower of Australia).

Drink with mates.

Room

This is a deeply emotional drama about a five year old boy and his mother who are held captive in a room and their struggle to adjust to life after years in isolation. As this transformative film is about firsts for its young protagonist, we are suggesting a wonderful fruity mocktail – A Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri.

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri (from allrecipe.com)

3 1/2 ounces frozen strawberries
1/8 cup ice
½ fluid ounce sweet and sour mix (like the boy’s life)
1 dash grenadine syrup

Place strawberries, ice cubes, sweet and sour mix and grenadine in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add more ice or less depending on your taste.

Spotlight

This is a gripping newsroom drama set in Boston with a star-studded cast, which includes Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery and Stanley Tucci. Want to serve a cocktail that would please a Boston reporter? How about a “Boston Club” from “Boothby’s World Drinks And How To Mix Them (1934)” – very basic, quick, tart and no nonsense.

Boston Club (from drinkboston.com)

1 1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz Italian vermouth
1/2 oz lime juice

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish w/pickled onion.

The Revenant

This fierce film needs to be accompanied by an equally fierce cocktail. The Revenant is a cinematic wonder, set in the American wilderness and shot in natural light. Whiskey is the classic spirit of the West and you can certainly serve your guests a shot in the tradition of the great Western bar scenes, but we are going to go for a little more. Bourbon is the most popular American whiskey so we selected an old fashioned drink to warm us for this chilly film – an “Old Fashioned.”

Old Fashioned (from drinksmixer.com)

2 oz bourbon whiskey
2 dashes Angostura® bitters
1 splash water
1 tsp sugar
1 maraschino cherry
1 orange wedge

Mix sugar, water and angostura bitters in an old-fashioned glass. Drop in a cherry and an orange wedge. Muddle into a paste using a muddler or the back end of a spoon. Pour in bourbon, fill with ice cubes, and stir.