4 Après Day Cocktails We'll Happily Sip All Year Long

Our friends at Breckenridge Distillery believe that you can "Après Anywhere" (not just the slopes). So they're celebrating National Après Day on March 31, an annual holiday to toast the day’s adventures, with inventive drinks you can enjoy after any activity.

---

The après-ski tradition—aka the age-old practice of socializing and sipping on bubbly (bites are often present, too) after a day on the slopes—is often confined to specific seasons and locations: the time of year and places you can, well, ski. But why should the spirit of getting together and toasting the day's endeavor be so limited? It shouldn't, according to Breckenridge Distillery, makers of award-winning spirits based in Colorado.

That's why they created National Après Anywhere, an occasion to celebrate adventures throughout the year with a cocktail or a whiskey neat. An adventure can mean just about anything, from hiking or biking to capping off a long week at work (which can sometimes feel just as satisfying as reaching a mountain peak). No matter how you choose to celebrate the après spirit, here are four cocktails from Breckenridge Distillery you can cheers with any season, anywhere.

1. Solstice Spirit

Notes of butterscotch and candied orange in the Breckenridge Bourbon are complemented by a warmly-spiced syrup that gets a balancing hit of sour from the tart cherry juice. The whole thing's served over ice and garnished with a big mint bouquet for extra freshness. It's a drink we'd happily batch up and serve at any Friday happy hour get-together.

• 2 ounces Breckenridge Bourbon
• 1 ounce spiced tart cherry syrup (see below)
• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Mint bouquet, for garnish

1. For the spiced tart cherry syrup: Over medium heat, add 16 ounces tart cherry juice, 16 ounces sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste. Stir until dissolved.
2. Add 1 cinnamon stick, 2 ounces crushed allspice, and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, then stir and let rest for 2 hours. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate.
3. For the cocktail: Shake all ingredients with ice. Serve over pebble ice and garnish with a fresh mint bouquet.

2. Of All the Gin Joints

Sophisticated yet unfussy to make, this cocktail features Breckenridge Distillery's American-Style Gin layered with 11 botanicals. The syrup is a simple combination of apple juice and sugar, steeped with the herbal fragrance of fresh basil. When shaken together with freshly squeezed lime juice, you get a drink that's floral and sweet, with just the right amount of acid—the perfect addition to brunch.

• 2 ounces Breckenridge Gin
• 1 ounce apple and basil simple syrup (see below)
• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• Mixed basil, for garnish

1. For the apple and basil simple syrup: Over medium heat, combine 1 cup apple juice and 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved.
2. Add 12 basil leaves and let rest for 2 hours. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate.
3. For the cocktail: Shake all ingredients with ice. Serve up and garnish with fresh mixed basil.

3. Winter on an Island

Tropical-inspired flavors get the cold-weather treatment in this drink that pairs Breckenridge Spiced Whiskey—featuring the rich aromas of cinnamon, allspice, caramel, and vanilla—with cream of coconut, pineapple and orange juices, and a ginger-spiked simple syrup. The result is a cocktail that was made for sipping in between seasons, from winter to spring or fall to winter.

• 1 ½ ounces Breckenridge Spiced Whiskey
• 1 ounce coconut almond milk
• 1 ounce cream of coconut
• 1 ounce ginger simple syrup (see below)
• 1 ounce pineapple juice
• ½ ounce orange juice
• Edible orange flowers, for garnish

1. For the ginger simple syrup: Over medium heat, add 1 cup water, 6 ounces sugar, and 3 tablespoons crushed fresh ginger. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then turn off heat and cover. Let rest 2 hours. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate.
2. For the cocktail: Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain and serve over ice, and garnish with edible orange flowers.

4. Blood Orange Hard Soda

---

Using a homemade blood orange shrub (which takes about 10 minutes of active cooking time and three ingredients) gives this drink extra citrusy zip—a great foil to the clean, balanced flavors of Breckenridge Vodka. We especially love this one for after day spent outdoors, be it a hike, bike ride, or day at the beach.

• 1 ½ ounces Breckenridge Vodka
• 1 ½ ounces blood orange shrub (see below)
• Soda water, for topping
• Blood orange slices, for garnish

1. For the blood orange shrub: Over medium heat, add 1 cup of blood orange juice, 1 cup sugar, and 2 ounces cider vinegar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, bottle, and refrigerate.
2. For the cocktail: Shake the vodka and blood orange shrub with ice. Strain and serve over ice. Top with soda and garnish with blood orange slices.

---

Which cocktail would you sip on Après Day? Tell us in the comments below!

Our friends at Breckenridge Distillery have been producing quality spirits since 2008. Rooted in a deep love for quality whiskey, their offerings have expanded beyond the original bourbon and vodka to include Spiced Rum, Gin, Reserve Blend, and other bar-cart staples. For even more cocktail inspiration, check out the Breckenridge Distillery website.