With patrons unable to visit Blossom Bar due to the COVID-19 crisis, owner Ran Duan and bar manager Will Isaza have found a way to bring their beloved cocktails to customers, while also keeping some staff working. They’re offering Craft Blossom Mixers—home cocktail-making kits that can be ordered online and picked up or delivered along with garnishes, glassware, ice, and more. All you need to bring is the booze.

“When thinking about the mixers and how to create something as close as possible to our menu, we took into consideration the tools and equipment—or lack thereof—a non-bartender would have at home,” Isaza says.

Those considerations required that the mixers include slight tweaks to house recipes, like the use of ascorbic and citric acid for balance, reverse osmosis water for dilution, and mild teas to mimic the effects of shaking with fresh herbs. They’ve also provided three options for making each cocktail: shaken with ice, blended with ice, or simply stirred with ice in a coffee mug.

We spoke with Isaza to learn more about the most popular mixers, as well as advice for making each of them at home.

Angie Valencia
The Angie Valencia, named after an infamous Colombian model, is fruit-forward and made with papaya, kaffir lime leaf, and lemon. It calls for two spirits: bittersweet Aperol and Aguardiente, an anise-flavored spirit popular in Colombia. But according to Isaza, it’s the most versatile of the mixers and you can use almost any spirit; Duan even recommends it as a base for Mimosas.

Angie Valencia: Shaken
3 ounces Angie Valencia Craft Blossom Mixer
1 ounce Aguardiente or silver rum
½ ounce Aperol

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass over ice.

Angie Valencia: Blended
5 ounces Angie Valencia Craft Blossom Mixer
2 ounces Aguardiente or silver rum
1 ounce Aperol

Add all ingredients to a blender filled with 8 ounces crushed ice (or 6 ounces regular ice). Blend for 10 to 15 seconds (or 30 to 60 seconds if using regular ice) and pour blend into a tiki mug or glass.

Angie Valencia: Stirred
3 ounces Angie Valencia Craft Blossom Mixer
1 ounce Aguardiente or silver rum
½ ounce Aperol

Add all ingredients to a coffee mug filled with ice. Stir at least 20 times with a fork to chill.

Bonus Option: Angie Valencia Mimosa
6-8 ounces sparkling wine
1 ounce Angie Valencia Craft Blossom Mixer

Add Angie Valencia Craft Blossom Mixer to a Champagne flute, wine glass, or highball glass. Top with sparkling wine.

Bocadillo Sour
This mixer, made with guava, mascarpone, sweetened mint tea, and lime, borrows its name and flavor inspiration from a popular Colombian snack. Yet it also channels a classic Mojito with its minty, citrusy qualities.

“The guava and mascarpone add an incredible mouthfeel, while the mint brightens and balances,” Isaza says. “It’s highly recommended with white rum or sugar cane spirit.”

Bocadillo Sour: Shaken
3 ounces Bocadillo Sour Craft Blossom Mixer
2 ounces white rum
 
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass over ice.

Bocadillo Sour: Blended
5 ounces Bocadillo Sour Craft Blossom Mixer
3 ounces white rum
 
Add all ingredients to a blender filled with 8 ounces crushed ice (or 6 ounces regular ice). Blend for 10 to 15 seconds (or 30 to 60 seconds if using regular ice) and pour into a tiki mug or glass.

Bocadillo Sour: Stirred
3 ounces Bocadillo Sour Craft Blossom Mixer
2 ounces white rum

Add all ingredients to a coffee mug filled with ice. Stir at least 20 times with a fork to chill.

Halo Halo
This import from Blossom Bar’s sister establishment, The Baldwin Bar, borrows its name—and most colorful ingredient—from a Filipino dessert made with ube, a.k.a. purple yam. The mix also includes pineapple, coconut, and citrus, allowing it to channel the Piña Colada at the same time.

Blossom Bar and The Baldwin Bar served this drink at their pop-up during famed New Orleans cocktail conference Tales of the Cocktail in 2019. “It was our best-selling drink,” Isaza says, adding that it’s best when made with sugar cane-based spirits but also pairs nicely with blanco tequila.

Halo Halo: Shaken
3 ounces Halo Halo Craft Blossom Mixer
2 ounces rum or blanco tequila

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass over ice.

Halo Halo: Blended
5 ounces Halo Halo Craft Blossom Mixer
3 ounces rum or blanco tequila

Add all ingredients to a blender filled with 8 ounces crushed ice (or 6 ounces regular ice). Blend for 10 to 15 seconds (or 30 to 60 seconds if using regular ice) and pour into a tiki mug or glass.

Halo Halo: Stirred
3 ounces Halo Halo Craft Blossom Mixer
2 ounces rum or blanco tequila

Add all ingredients to a coffee mug filled with ice. Stir at least 20 times with a fork to chill.

Gloria
The Gloria—which Isaza created to compete in and ultimately become the U.S. East winner of the 2019 Liquor.com and Bacardí’s Legacy Cocktail Competition—utilizes passion fruit, cinnamon, sweetened cold brew, mascarpone, and lime.

“The Gloria cocktail draws inspiration from the native Colombian flavors of passion fruit and coffee to create a refreshing, tropical, and slightly savory cane-based cocktail,” he says.
 
Gloria: Shaken
3 ounces Gloria Blossom Craft Mixer
2 ounces aged rum

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass over ice.

Gloria: Blended
5 ounces Gloria Blossom Craft Mixer
3 ounces aged rum

Add all ingredients to a blender filled with 8 ounces crushed ice (or 6 ounces regular ice). Blend for 10 to 15 seconds (or 30 to 60 seconds if using regular ice) and pour into a tiki mug or glass.

Gloria: Stirred
3 ounces Gloria Blossom Craft Mixer
2 ounces aged rum

Add all ingredients to a coffee mug filled with ice. Stir at least 20 times with a fork to chill.

Photo Credit: Ran Duan