Best of: The 10 best 19th-hole cocktails (and the spirits that make for great holiday gifts)

In golf, one great round calls for another. Bring your A-game with you from the 18th green to the 19th hole armed with the most important arsenal in golf: an understanding of your options. A post-round libation isn’t just a rite of passage, it’s a rite of existence as golfers.

Around the holidays, cocktails take on an even more important role — not just for post-round enjoyment but as gifts that keep on giving to friends, family (and golfers!) in your life.

With the help from the bartenders at Toro, a lively Latin restaurant and rum bar at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, we’ve compiled a list of classic and contemporary cocktails that every golfer should know. Better yet, we included a handy and seamless way for you to buy the bottle of your choice for your favorite golf buddy. (Or, buy it for yourself; we won’t tell.) Without further adieu, here are our 10 favorites for ensuring your days are extra merry and bright this holiday season.

The 10 best 19th-hole cocktails

Gin & Tonic

Simple. Timeless. Beautifully balanced. It’s the cocktail equivalent of Ben Hogan’s swing.

3 oz Bombay Sapphire gin
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
4 ounce tonic water
Lime wedge
Glass: Rocks glass

Bombay Sapphire

Made from a combination of 10 hand-selected botanicals, this beautifully balanced gin works wonderfully in both classic and contemporary drinks.

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Mojito Palmer

A classic rum-based cocktail, topped, in this version, with iced tea, in a tribute to the King.

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Superior
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz mint syrup
Splash soda
Topped with ice tea
Glass: Collins

Bacardi Superior

A light, bright and nuanced white rum, it’s been Bacardi’s signature spirit since the distillery was founded in 1862.

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Translucent Transfusion

True to its name, this refreshing drink is a clear-colored riff on a Transfusion, made with white grape juice and ginger liqueur to turn it translucent. And, of course, a dose of vitamin V.

1 1/2 oz Grey Goose Vodka
1/2 Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
1/2 lime juice
1 1/2 oz ginger ale
1/2 white grape juice
Glass: Collins

Grey Goose

Distilled from winter wheat and pure spring water, this sublime vodka is a must for any home cocktail bar.

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Sandy Shandy

Cold beer made even better with the bright flavors of lemonade and gin.

Wit beer
1/2 oz Bombay Sapphire gin
1/2 St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1 1/2 oz lemonade
Glass: Pint

Bombay Sapphire

Made from a combination of 10 hand-selected botanicals, this beautifully balanced gin works wonderfully in both classic and contemporary drinks.

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Rum Punch

A rum punch, like a punch shot, is a chance to get creative. At Toro, they infuse theirs with a tropical medley of lime, pineapple and banana.

1 oz Bacardi Ocho
1/2 oz Bacardi Superior
1/2 oz Giffard banana liqueur
1 oz pineapple juice
1/4 oz lime juice
1/4 grapefruit juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
Glass: Hurricane

Bacardi Superior

A light, bright and nuanced white rum, it’s been Bacardi’s signature spirit since the distillery was founded in 1862.

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A Little Rusty

When the members of the Rat Pack weren’t playing golf, they often could be found at the clubhouse bar, enjoying a whisky cocktail called the Rusty Nail. This is Toro’s take on Frankie and Dino’s drink.

1 3/4 oz Dewar’s 15 Blended Scotch Whisky
3/4 Drambuie
Splash of lemon juice
Glass: Coupe

Dewar’s 15

A limited-release whisky, blended from sherry and bourbon barrels, then set to age in choice oak barrels.

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Old Fashioned

Originally known as the whiskey cocktail, and later, the old-fashioned whiskey cocktail, this classic drink now goes by a suitably classic name. Traditionally, it’s made with rye or bourbon, bitters, sugar and an orange twist. At Toro, they whip up rum-based iteration of the cocktail, which they call On the Stint.

2 oz Bacardi Reserva Ocho
1 oz simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
Glass: Double rocks

Bacardi Reserva Ocho

A smooth, golden-hued spirit, and one of the oldest private rum blends in the world.

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Gopher It

The name conjures images of Caddyshack, but you might also know the drink by another title. This is Toro’s version of a whisky sour.

1 1/2 oz Dewar’s 12 Blended Scotch Whisky
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz amaretto
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 egg white
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Dewar’s 12

Called “The Ancestor” in honor of founder, John Dewar, this impeccable blend is the result of a time-honored process. After its blended, its returned it to vintage oak casks, allowing the whiskies to age together and harmonize to perfection.

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Pina Colada

If you like pina coladas, you know that there many ways to riff on the drink. Toro’s version, called Rather be Shopping, gets a boost from Baileys and banana liqueur.

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Superior
1 1/2 oz Baileys
1/2 oz Giffard banana liqueur
1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz cream of coconut

Bacardi Superior

A light, bright and nuanced white rum, it’s been Bacardi’s signature spirit since the distillery was founded in 1862.

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Bloody Mary

A lot of golfers think of Bloodys as a hair-of-the-dog-that-bit-them beverage cart libation. But it’s also a first-rate clubhouse order, especially after a summer morning round.

2 oz Grey Goose vodka
4 oz tomato juice
2 teaspoons horseradish
2 dashes Tabasco
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch smoked paprika
1 pinch celery salt
Garnish: parsley, green olives, celery stalk, lemon wedge, lime wedge

Grey Goose

Distilled from winter wheat and pure spring water, this sublime vodka is a must for any home cocktail bar.

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