SAN FRANCISCO — Movie magic will be the toast of Tinseltown on Oscar night, and what better way to bring the festivities couch-side than with a cocktail inspired by this year’s nominees.
We asked mixologists from around the country to come up with award-worthy recipes. The results ranged from a classic cocktail that dates to the early days of flight to a bubbly concoction from the ice cream parlor featured in the family-friendly “Up.”
So, dim the lights, set out the snacks and raise your glasses up, up in the air. Hurray for Hollywood.
Recipe note: Some recipes call for exotic ingredients; where possible, we’ve suggested alternatives. But if you’re feeling adventurous, cocktail ingredients such as Parfait Amour, a purple-tinged liqueur, are available online and at some liquor stores.
A number of the drinks call for simple syrup, a common cocktail ingredient that is equal parts sugar and water. To make, heat 1 cup of water to near boiling. Add 2 cups of sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool before using. Refrigerate in an airtight container.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Inspired by Shoshanna, the young woman who gets revenge on the Nazis in wartime Paris — while wearing a stunning red dress — mixologist Tony Roumph used French spirits and bright red pomegranate syrup for this drink.
LADY IN RED
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
1/2 ounce pomegranate juice
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Ice
2 ounces Remy Martin VSOP
1 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
Candied ginger and pomegranate seeds, to garnish
In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the pomegranate juice, lemon juice and simple syrup. Measure out 1 ounce of this mixture, then reserve the rest for another use.
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the 1 ounce of pomegranate-lemon syrup, Remy Martin VSOP and the ginger liqueur. Shake, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a slice of candied ginger and several pomegranate seeds.
Recipe from Tony Roumph at the Cityhouse Restaurant at the Parc 55 Hotel in San Francisco
AVATAR
This cocktail uses Parfait Amour (or the more common blue curacao) to create a drink with a hue similar to the blue skin of the nature-loving Na’Vi in “Avatar.” Imagine enjoying it under the Tree of Life.
AME NA’VI
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Ice
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 teaspoon dry vermouth
1 teaspoon Parfait Amour or blue curacao
1 teaspoon orange juice (no pulp)
Orange peel, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Shake, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with strip of orange peel.
Recipe from Rafael Jimenez Rivera, bartender at the Lobby Bar of the St. Regis in San Francisco.
DISTRICT 9
The movie about displaced aliens inspires a drink with a green theme. Slivers of cucumber add a tentacle effect.
ALIEN COOLER
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
1 1/2 ounces julienned cucumber
Ice
1 1/4 ounces premium vodka
3/4 ounce Veev ( or other acai berry liquer)
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
Club soda
Cucumber slice, to garnish
Place the julienned cucumber in a 10-ounce tall, narrow tumbler. Add ice, vodka, Veev, lime juice and simple syrup. Fill the glass with club soda. Stir to mix, then garnish with a cucumber slice on edge of glass.
Recipe from Jon Ojinaga at the Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco
AN EDUCATION
A classic, sophisticated cocktail in tribute to “An Education,” a coming-of-age story set in 1960s England.
MELROSE MANHATTAN
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
Splash of tawny port
Dash of juice from maraschino cherries
Mix and serve straight up (no ice) in a small tulip or snifter glass.
Recipe from the Library Bar at the Warwick Melrose Hotel in Dallas
A SERIOUS MAN
The approaching storm at the end of “A Serious Man” inspired this drink, a take on the dark ’n stormy.
A SERIOUS MAN
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 ounces ginger beer
2 1/2 ounces premium dark rum
Lime peel, to garnish
Pour the lime juice into a tall glass. Fill with ice. Add the ginger beer, then pour the rum gently on top so it “floats.” Garnish with a strip of lime peel.
Recipe from Bryan Ranere of Foreign Cinema in San Francisco
UP
“Up,” a movie about an old man and his young neighbor who fly in a balloon-powered house to South America, includes some San Francisco Bay area landmarks, including the popular ice cream parlor, Fenton’s Creamery, in Oakland. Fenton’s master blender Scott Whidden came up with this recipe he says will take you “Up, up and away!”
CELEBRATION ICE CREAM FLOAT
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Italian sparkling water
1/4 ounce orange syrup (such as Torani)
Premium vanilla ice cream
Fill a tall glass with sparkling water and the orange syrup. Mix, then stir 1 teaspoon of the ice cream into the soda until frothy. Gently top the soda with a scoop of ice cream.
Recipe from Scott Whidden of Fenton’s Creamery in Oakland, Calif.
UP IN THE AIR
The skies inspire a cocktail for “Up in the Air,” a movie about a corporate downsizing expert with a passion for frequent flying.
THE AVIATION
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Ice
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur
1/3 ounce Creme de Violette (or blue curacao)
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup
Lemon peel
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients except the lemon peel. Shake well, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Twist a lemon peel over the surface of the drink to add a few drops of lemon oil.
Recipe from Charles Joly of The Drawing Room in Chicago
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