This originally appeared on travelandleisure.com.
Have you ever wondered why some people gravitate towards, say, a dirty martini over a gin and tonic? Well, it might have more to do with your astrological sign than your taste buds—according to The Mandarin Oriental, at least.
The iconic hotel group’s Las Vegas location recently launched their Zodiac Cocktail program, which delivers mouth-watering concoctions inspired by the current sign of the Zodiac. “The program is based on capturing the seasonal offerings during the Zodiac cycle to surprise our guests with unique cocktails,” says Michael LaPenna, the hotel’s Property Mixologist. “With the ever-growing responsiveness of cocktail programs in today’s society, consumers are seeking relatable and personalized services. Our Zodiac program brings the personalized service feel, with the uniqueness of a craft cocktail program.”
Perhaps the best part of the program is that the property will be serving a Zodiac Cocktail free of charge to each patron who presents proof of his or her birthdate, given that it falls within the proper cycle.
But even if you’re not headed to Sin City anytime soon, you too can impress your friends (or just treat yo’ self) with a Zodiac-themed cocktail. For your entertaining purposes, we’ve included the recipes to each cocktail, ahead.
An Aquarius loves to have a sense of independence. In ‘Lovers Potion’, we combined the independent, distinctive flavors of passion fruit and pumpkin to make a delicious cocktail.”
Ingredients
1.5 oz
passion fruit puree
1 oz
pumpkin juice infused with pepper
.5 oz
POM juice
.75 oz
cranberry/cinnamon syrup
2 oz pear green tea
Mint sprig
Passion fruit caviar pearls
How-To
Combine all ingredients in a glass
Top with elderflower tonic
Garnish with passion fruit caviar pearls & mint sprig
“Pisces have a wild imagination and great artistic ability. We used our imagination to design a refreshing cocktail, using unique flavors.”
Ingredients
6 raspberries
3⁄4 oz simple syrup
1⁄4 oz Chambord
1 oz Hendrick’s
1⁄2 oz Lillet Blanc
1⁄2 oz Lillet Rouge
-1⁄2 oz fresh lemon juice
Dash egg whites
How-To
Combine ingredients and shake well
Serve up in a martini glass
Garnish with a mint leaf
“Aries, as the first astrological sign, desires to lead the way for others. The essence of this cocktail is led by a velvety texture and subtle bitterness with a bold finish.”
Ingredients
1 oz Leopold’s Navy strength gin
1⁄2 oz Green Chartreuse
1⁄2 oz Luxardo Cherry Liqueur
3⁄4 oz sage & honey syrup
3⁄4 oz lemon juice
Egg whites
Dash of Bittercube Bolivar Bitters
Lemon twist to garnish
Loose leaf tea (preferably rose petal or chamomile buds) for garnish
How-To
Combine all ingredients in a glass
Garnish with lemon twist and loose leaf tea (rose petals and chamomile buds)
“A Taurus is focused and stable. The components in the ‘Brazilian Delight’ cocktail encompass the best of everything by using the finest ingredients.”
Ingredients
3 large basil leaves
1 1⁄2 oz Grey Goose Le Melon vodka
1⁄4 oz green chartreuse
1⁄2 oz passion fruit puree
1⁄2 oz lime juice
3⁄4 oz simple syrup
1⁄2 oz egg whites
How-To
Combine all ingredients, except the basil leaf
Shake and double strain into a martini glass
Add basil leaf as a garnish
“A Gemini tends to have a sense of duality to their nature. Like the Gemini’s personality, the joining of sweet and sour, the simple syrup and lemon juice, creates a sense of duality in the cocktail. This cocktail was also named after our flirty and charismatic Executive Chef David Werly.”
Ingredients
1 cubed strawberry
1 slice cucumber
1 orange slice
2 oz Pimm’s
1 oz Lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
Mint sprig for garnish
How-To
Add ice, lightly shake and dump in tall glass
Top with ginger ale
Garnish with a mint sprig
“A Cancer personality is extremely innovative and pays attention to detail. The distinct characteristics of ginger and pineapple in this cocktail provide a harmonious finish.”
Ingredients
1 1⁄2 oz Cruzan Spiced Rum
3⁄4 oz Domaine de Canton
3⁄4 oz pineapple juice
3⁄4 oz fresh lime juice
3⁄4 oz simple syrup
1⁄4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Lime twist for garnish
Luxardo cherry for garnish
How-To
Combine ingredients and shake well
Serve up in a martini glass
Garnish with Luxardo cherry and lime twist
“Leos are cheerful, sociable, and full of excitement. We created the ‘Ginger Sparkle’ as the perfect cocktail to match their bubbly personality.”
Ingredients
1⁄2 oz. Domain de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1 1⁄2 oz. fresh pear puree (Perfect Puree)
1⁄2 oz. fresh lemon juice
4 oz. Fleuraison Brut Champagne
Candied ginger for garnish
Lemon twist for garnish
How-To
Stir over ice and pour into champagne flute
Garnish with candied ginger and lemon twist
“Virgos are dependable, rational, and work well with others. This cocktail combines flavors that work wonderfully together.”
Ingredients
3 basil leaves
1 1⁄2 oz Brooklyn Gin
1 oz pineapple
1⁄2 oz lime
1⁄2 oz simple syrup
Elderflower tonic
Pineapple leaf for garnish
How-To
Shake and pour over ice
Top with elderflower tonic
Garnish with a pineapple leaf
“A Libra personality enjoys peace, stability and being surrounded by others. We took a classic cocktail and paired it with lemongrass to create a sense of companionship.”
Ingredients
2 oz Cuca Fresca Blanco cachaca
1 oz lemongrass syrup
1 oz lime juice
Mint leaves
How-To
In a mixing glass, add all ingredients
Shake lightly and dump in a tall glass
Top with soda
“Scorpios are resilient, determined, and confident. The ‘Eastern Drop’ uses strong, bold flavors to appeal to the Scorpio’s personality.”
Ingredients
1 1⁄2 oz Belvedere Vodka Citrus
1 oz lemongrass simple syrup
1⁄2 oz St. Germain Elderflower
1⁄2 oz fresh lemon juice
1⁄4 oz pineapple juice
Dash egg whites
Mint leaf for garnish
How-To
Combine ingredients and shake well
Double strain up into a martini glass
Garnish with a floating mint leaf
“A Sagittarius is expressive, focused and free minded. This cocktail uses Daron Calvados, an apple based cognac that is aged freely.”
Ingredients
Dash peychauds
1 oz Sazerac six-year rye
1⁄2 oz Daron Calvados
1⁄2 oz Benedictine
1⁄2 oz lemon
juice
3⁄4 oz apple
juice
3⁄4 cinnamon simple syrup
1⁄2 oz egg whites
1 oz soda
Cinnamon stick for garnish
One crab apple for garnish
How-To
Shake and pour over ice in a tall glass
Top with soda
Garnish with a crab apple and cinnamon stick
“Capricorns are ambitious, well-disciplined, and highly intelligent. In order to appeal to the Capricorn’s personality, we stuck to the beauty of simplicity when creating ‘Robins Hood’, inspired by Walt Disney and his love of scotch.”
Ingredients
2 dash peychauds
1 dash angostura bitters
1 oz apricot infused 10-year Glenmorangie
1 oz Hennessy VSOP
1⁄2 Benedictine
1⁄2 oz Drambuie
1⁄2 oz Antica sweet vermouth
Dried apricot for garnish
How-To
Stir cocktail over ice and pour over ice sphere
Garnish with a dried apricot