Up Your At-Home Mixology Game With These 3 Easy Sparkling Cocktail Recipes

The assortment of hard seltzers and canned cocktails has certainly changed the way we drink today. Most of these beverages tend to stay in their lanes, meant to be consumed as is, but Modified Theory, a new malt beverage, is toeing the line between standalone low-alcohol cocktail and a mixer that will amplify boozier, more complicated ones.

With no bartending skills or equipment required, Modified Theory acts as a complex flavor booster for easy-to-assemble drinks made with ingredients you already have on your bar cart or in your fridge. At most, you’ll need a spirit, a few dashes of bitters, and a squeeze of lime. With less than four grams of sugar in each can, Modified Theory puts you, the bartender, in charge of determining a drink’s sweetness, too.

The equations are simple: add tequila and a squeeze of lime to Modified Theory’s Tahitian Lime Agave (which has a little heat, thanks to aji amarillo chiles) for a freshened-up Margarita. Swap Tarocco Orange Vanilla for the soda in an Aperol spritz, giving the drink a juicy, Sicilian blood-orange vibe. Stir together a de facto bramble by adding gin to Northwest Berry Lavender, made from hand-picked Pacific Northwest marionberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Or skip the added booze altogether for equally tasty lower-alcohol versions. With 12 ounces in each can, one “hard bevy” will easily make four cocktails, ideal for park picnics.

Whether poured over ice, sipped straight from the can or as a mixer in a favorite drink, Modified Theory is here to make cocktailing easier. Here, three of our favorite ways to use Modified Theory’s flavorful crafted hard bevy wherever your bar may be:

Spicy Margarita Cooler

Spicy Margarita Cooler

Modified Theory’s Tahitian Lime Agave combines citrus, natural agave nectar, and aji amarillo chiles, a combination as near a spicy Margarita as one can get without tequila. Take it over the line by adding in your favorite tequila. We opt for a mellow, only slightly oaky reposado tequila. Along with a salted rim and dash of Tabasco for acidity, this drink finishes with a kick, just in time for another bite of guacamole.

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce reposado tequila
½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 dash Tabasco or other favorite hot sauce
3 ounces Modified Theory Tahitian Lime Agave

Salt, for rim (optional)
Garnish: Lime wedge

DIRECTIONS

1. If desired, salt the rim of a rocks glass.
2. Fill the glass with ice.
3. Add the tequila, lime juice, and a dash of hot sauce. Stir.
4. Top with Modified Theory Tahitian Lime Agave.
5. Garnish with a lime wedge.

*Note: For a low-ABV take on a Margarita, simply omit the tequila.

Summer Garden Bramble

Summer Garden Bramble

This one will transport you to a garden in the English countryside — or the Pacific Northwest countryside, as it were. Mix Modified Theory’s Northwest Berry Lavender with dry gin and taste how the lavender is heightened in the presence of juniper. Up the herbal ante even further with the addition of Averna, a Sicilian amaro with notes of anise and juniper, and Angostura bitters.

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce dry gin
½ ounce Amaro Averna
½ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
3 ounces Modified Theory Northwest Berry Lavender
1 lemon peel

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a rocks glass with ice.
2. Add dry gin, Averna, simple syrup, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters. Stir rapidly until very cold.
3. Top with Modified Theory Northwest Berry Lavender
4. Twist the lemon peel over the drink and drop it into the glass.

*Note: Make this drink low-ABV by leaving out the dry gin.

Orange Vanilla Swizzle

Orange Vanilla Swizzle

This quick and easy dark rum cocktail, made with Modified Theory’s Tarocco Orange Vanilla, has an island soul. Here we use Dale DeGroff’s pimento bitters, which bring more aromatics than Angostura and plenty of allspice flavors to this play on a rum swizzle. Rather than using standard simple syrup, we’ve used maple syrup for a layer of complexity and richness.

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce dark rum
½ ounce maple syrup
½ ounce lime juice
1 dash Dale Degroff pimento bitters (can sub Angostura)
3 ounces Modified Theory Tarocco Orange Vanilla

Garnish: Orange wedge

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a mixing glass with ice.
2. Add dark rum, maple syrup, lime juice, and pimento bitters. Stir vigorously.
3. Pour into a rocks glass with ice.
4. Top with Modified Theory Tarocco Orange Vanilla.
5. Garnish with orange wedge.

*Note: For a low-ABV drink, leave out the dark rum.

This article is sponsored by Modified Theory.