The Bootleg cocktail’s origins date back to prohibition on Lake Minnetonka where it was said to be sipped by the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald and Al Capone and everyone else partying on the lake. That’s the story anyways. The drink? Absolutely delicious and perfect for the summer. It is the signature drink of Brit’s Pub and many country clubs around Minnesota. The bootleg is simple: Lemon, Lime, Mint, Booze, and bubbles. You basically mash a Margarita with a Mojito with your favorite spirit and call it a day, sipping it all through the summer. Here are some delectable liquids to get you started Bootlegging all summer long.
Tattersall Bootleg Vodka // $27.99
Leave it to Tattersall to simplify a Minnesotan classic into an almost ready to go bottle. They’re new Bootlegger is a lemon lime mint explosion, and all you need to do is add soda water and ice. This vodka is tailor made for the bootleg specifically, all of its flavors are concentrated so when you hit it with soda water (about even parts but you be the judge) you get the perfect balance of citrus and mint. It’s about as easy as a drink as they come, and about the most refreshing thing you can put in your mouth. Garnish with lime or mint or both, whatever you prefer!
Summer Lakes Bootleg Mix // $21.99
Also made right here in Minneapolis, you have Summer Lakes Bootleg Cocktail Mix. This mix is no joke, it has no preservatives added and must be kept frozen until use because of its unique use of pasteurized egg white in order to keep the mint from clumping at the bottom so you have a consistent flavor throughout the bottle. Jam packed with lemon and lime juice and zest along with the addition of orange, this mix is a good base if you want to switch up your spirit. You can make a bootleg with anything, vodka, gin, rum, Bourbon (add extra lemon for bourbon), or NOTHING! Make a mocktail! Sit out a drink or two! Do three ounces of mix to five ounces of soda and serve it at a graduation party. The bootleg mix gives you the ability to add, subtract, and customize how you see fit.
Ketel One Cucumber & Mint // $26.99
Ketel one’s new botanical line is no joke. Distilled with real botanicals and infused with real ingredients with sugar or artificial flavors, these vodkas a light, bright, delicious, and unlike almost all flavored vodkas: not sweet. The grapefruit & rose is a personal favorite, but the cucumber & mint screams Bootleg. The bootleg is a very customizable cocktail, why not start with a minty base and go with grapefruit and lemon and skip the lime? Or just go with lime juice and hit it with ginger beer? The world is your Bootleg oyster.
Try any of these recipes out or create your own and let us know how your Bootleg goes!
