packing spirits
When it’s a long weekend, or a regular weekend, or heck, a Wednesday, and you want to head to the lake, the wilderness, or a friend’s back porch, you may want to be able to make yourself a delectable cocktail when you are there. In fact, you probably should!
But you can’t make a cocktail in the out-and-abouts-world if you don’t bring cocktail ingredients, and you’ll want to be sure you’re transporting your spirits safely. The best way to do this, however, depends on how you’re getting around. When fitting everything into a backpack, you’ll want to transfer your spirits into lightweight, leakproof, nonbreakable containers, and you’ll want to focus on choosing just one or, maybe two things to bring (which is not to say I haven’t lugged a carefully packed bottle of Champagne in a pack through the Presidential Mountains, because I sure have, but that was a very special occasion).
Transfer your spirits into something non-breakable
I’m a big fan of the tried-and-true Nalgene bottle for a long or group trip. The bottle is 1 liter, so it’s big enough to hold more than a whole 750 ml bottle of spirits, or about eight full-sized servings of a cocktail. You can also transfer spirits or premixed cocktails into flasks, collapsible bladders that are made for holding liquid, or other water bottles that seal well. If you’re choosing a flask for camping, you can find lightweight ones made of plastic-like material, or you can choose good old-fashioned stainless steel. Both work great. Just make sure you clean your flask out well as soon as you get home. I like to fill mine with boiling water, drain it, and dry it. To get it extra clean you can use a 1:1 mixture of water and white vinegar for soaking it. Then give it an extra rinse of boiling hot water to get rid of any vinegar residue.
Or pack your bottles properly for safe transport
If you’re car camping or headed to the a cabin, you can use any of these methods, or you could transport whole bottles. Put glass bottles in a sturdy box or crate to keep them from rattling around. Wedge your dishtowel(s) between any bottles for extra security. And make sure that when you’re driving, any alcohol is in your trunk, so that you don’t accidentally violate open container laws. And always, always remember that anything you bring into a park or campsite with you should leave the park or campsite with you. Pack it in, pack it out.
Don’t forget cocktail tools
It’s lovely to have fancy cocktail making tools for your home bar. But if you’re making cocktails on the go, you’ll want to pare down your tools to the basics - the things you need need. At a minimum you need something to measure with, something to shake or stir with, something to shake or stir in, something to strain with (maybe) and something to drink out of.
Something to measure with
You can bring a jigger! They’re sturdy and pack well. But you can also use a small measuring cup or a Tablespoon (one Tbs. is 1/2 oz.)
Something to stir or shake with and in
For a stirred drink life is pretty simple. You can stir in literally any vessel that can hold liquid. And you can stir with anything long and skinny, from a spoon to a knife to a chopstick (or your finger! You brought it with you anyway…). Shaking is only a little trickier because you need a vessel that closes tightly. A shaker, jar, thermos, or water bottle that seals all work. Then, you can strain with anything that will act as a barrier to hold back ice or little bits of muddle ingredients, like a jar lid, a wide knife, or a small strainer. You can also just dump your whole drink with the used ice into your cup. Who needs strict ice protocol when you’re sitting at the beach!
Packing tips adapted from Camp Cocktails by Emily Vikre
