The clubhouse bar is closed. The bar cart is in the barn. The simple luxury of a well-hydrated afternoon on the golf course is suddenly in jeopardy. You’re having a crisis of on-course consumption, and you’re not alone.
Even as courses around the United States reopen, golfers everywhere are forced to improvise. Those who ride in carts have become walkers or push cart-ers. Bunker rakes have vanished, as have post-round handshakes. Golf is we know it is back, but it’s different.
But enough with the idea that “different” has to mean “thirsty.” As the times change — and if that clubhouse is still closed — you should consider some DIY drink options for your next round. (But remember, we are all for supporting our local golf establishments, so if you can still snag a drink, have at it, and tip well.)
In the adult beverage section, we’ve enlisted the help of the wonderful cocktail subscription service Shaker & Spoon. S&S ships customers carefully curated cocktail boxes from master mixologists, and they’ve combed through their recipes to help provide us with the best (and easiest) for a day out on the course. If you love the sound of their libations below, you can check them out at shakerandspoon.com. For now, grab a tumbler and get ready to roll, you can thank us later.
Best for early tee times
Meet Good Walk Coffee, the company starting golfers’ mornings with a different kind of tee time
Good Walk Coffee Company
The first coffee roasted by golfers, for golfers, Good Walk packs a seriously caffeinated punch. Good Walk’s “Breakfast Ball” (a medium blend) is perfect for your everyday cup, but if you’re racing the sun to make your morning tee time, check out the bolder, USDA-certified Organic “Dew Sweeper.” (goodwalkcoffee.com)
Grab Phil’s go-to drink
Back in November, you might have read our Sean Zak’s fantastic piece on completing Phil Mickelson’s six-day coffee and water fast. Now summer is rapidly approaching and you’ve still got some work to do on that beach body. Gather the ingredients listed below, blend together in a tumbler before you head to the course and begin your fast from the very first tee. No fast? No problem. Just drink Lefty’s coffee blend and enjoy.
A nod to Arnie
It’d be journalistic malpractice to collect a list of best DIY golf drinks without including the original DIY golf drink, named for Arnold Palmer. Take half a glass of iced tea, half a glass of lemonade, one large ice cube and combine in a tumbler. You’re ready to roll.
Happy hour, anyone?
Danger Juice
Ingredients: 1 ounce gin, 1 ounce Campari, 1.5 ounces pineapple juice, .75 ounce serrano syrup, .5 ounce lemon juice, 1 dash chocolate bitters
Perhaps leave this creation from mixologist Mia Mastroianni in the bag if you start your round birdie-birdie — there might not be much good that comes out of consuming “danger juice” after a red-hot start. To make, just combine the ingredients above into a shaker with ice and pour into a tumbler or to-go cup.
“You can use pretty much any chili-based simple syrup. There are lots of recipes out there, just don’t make it too spicy,” says Shaker & Spoon founder and CEO Mike Milyavsky.
Batida Rosa
Ingredients: 1.5 ounces cachaca, 6 dehydrated strawberry slices, 1 ounce coconut milk, .5 ounce passion fruit cordial, .5 ounce lime juice
“Batida” is Portuguese for “milkshake,” but this Brazilian concoction from Jacyara de Oliveira is more fruit than dairy. To make this drink, add the cachaca to a mixing glass and mix with five of the strawberry slices (the sixth will be used for garnishing). After letting the mixture sit for 10 minutes, double strain into a shaker and add the remainder of the ingredients. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds and pour into a tumbler or to-go cup.
“You can use pretty much any kind of passion fruit syrup or cordial, though one that is made from real juice is ideal,” Milyavsky says. “You can swap cachaca for rum very easily.”
Reggae Rum Punch
Ingredients: 2 ounces Jamaican rum, 2 ounces pineapple juice, 2 tablespoons orange marmalade, 1 ounce strawberry syrup, .5 ounces lime juice
Don’t worry about a thing with this sweet, easy Reggae Rum Punch. Mixologist Ian Burrell recommends to “whip shake” this cocktail, which means to shake the ingredients with 1-2 cubes of ice until you can no longer hear the cubes in the shaker. Then, mix into a shaker with regular ice and shake again to chill the drink. Once you’re done, mix into a tumbler or to-go cup with more ice and you’re ready to rock and roll.