Bulletproof Cocktail Recipes From a Bartender

Hi! My name is Lorena Chirinos but everyone calls me Lola. I was born and raised in Venezuela. 4 years ago I moved to New York City and I have been working as a bartender ever since. Even though I work at a sports bar where I mostly pour beer all day, I have learned a thing or two about cocktails. 

Crisp and clear, that’s how I would describe my favorite liquors. Don't you dare give me anything that has been sitting in a barrel for way too long. Growing up in Venezuela, a world-known rum producer, I was always the weird kid who didn’t like to drink the sugarcane elixir. Gin, tequila, and vodka on the other hand… those are my preferred liquors when it comes to sipping cocktails in a fancy bar in New York City. 

After working as a bartender for the last 4 years, I can say these are my favorite cocktails to make (and to drink): 

Extra Dirty Martini

• 2 ½ Ounces of gin
• ½ Ounce of olive brine
• Garnish (or snack): 2 Olives

First thing first, how to order a martini? I personally like them extra dirty (extra brine), dry (no vermouth), and shaken (not stirred)

To make it at home, you only need to pour the gin and the brine into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Then, shake vigorously until the metal from the shaker feels and looks cold. Finally, stir into a previously chilled martini glass. 

Like any other booze-forward drink, good martini practices say that it should be stirred. Nevertheless, if I wanted to drink gin soup I would simply drink it straight from the bottle. But since I want my cocktail to be as cold as possible, there's only one way I can have my martinis: shaken. 

Bonus Tip: Try different types of olive brine to obtain different flavor profiles with the same formula. Kalamata olives are one of my personal favorites.

Skinny Margarita

• 2 Ounces of silver tequila
• 1 Ounce of Cointreau
• 1 Ounce of fresh lime juice
• Garnish: Lime slice and salt for the rim

I know, the word “skinny” also makes me cringe. But the way I see it when ordering a skinny margarita at a bar, it prevents you from getting a drink filled with cheap sour mix (which is just premixed artificial lime juice and sugar). Personally, I rather bump the Cointreau ratio in my recipe and obtain the needed sweetness from this liquor. 

To prepare this cocktail just add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until the shaker looks frosted. Moist the rim of the glass with a lime, dip in salt, and fill the glasses with fresh ice. Lastly, stir the cocktail into the glasses and decorate with a lime slice.

Bonus Tip: Instead of salt, try using Tajin on the rim for a little bit of heat.

Follow Lola on Instagram @LolaChirinos

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