Camping is one of the great summer pastimes, connecting us with nature and giving people a reason to buy fancy outdoor gear they only use once a year. As for drinks, the usual formula couldn't be simpler. Toss some bourbon or red wine in your pack and you’re good to go. But while camping does throw some barriers up against high-quality cocktailing (no ice, no running water, barware is heavy) they're nothing you can't work around. These flaskable cocktails require no refrigeration, are easily built in a single vessel and are guaranteed to make campfire storytime more entertaining.
A few general principles to remember when mixing flaskable drinks:
- Make something that tastes good warm (these cocktails use whiskey as their main spirit for a reason).
- Ditch any ingredient that will oxidize or spoil. A rancid-tasting cocktail is worse than no cocktail at all. And food poisoning is no fun in the middle of the woods. That means no citrus, fresh juices or eggs.
- Make 'em strong. Liquids are heavy and you have to lug these things to the campsite. Plus they need to last multiple days. Make sure a little goes a long way.