1: Flora
Bloomington craft distillery Cardinal Spirits mingles fresh raspberries with a garden’s worth of flowers (elderflower, jasmine, and hibiscus) in this aromatic botanical that will add depth to clear spirits or make a light refresher when mixed with chamomile tea and citrus.
2: Orangecello
The spirits at veteran-run Hotel Tango Distillery are the consummate cocktail add-ins, especially the bright and juicy orangecello, a play on the Italian classic that’s a dead ringer for a Dreamsicle when shaken with vanilla creamer, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
3: Perfect Panther
Among such cleverly named pandemic-response cocktail mixers as Raised Me Right, Pinky & the Brain, and Strange Dreams, 8th Day Distillery offers this sweet mixture of fresh-pressed lemon, blackberries, and raspberries that is especially refreshing when combined with rum.
4: MeSorrel Jamaican Tea
The bracing blend of hibiscus extract, cinnamon, ginger, clove, and rosemary in this tea from Bloomington-based Dreamers Delight will send you to the islands when mixed with a jigger of rum. And its detoxifying and immunity-boosting properties will turn your next cocktail into a delicious restorative.
5: Apple Crisp
Long a Broad Ripple Farmers Market standard, Maggie Day’s Tailored Toddies line of perfectly potable cocktail mixers runs the gamut from savory to spicy- sweet, as in this fall favorite. It’s flavored with apple cider, orange juice, classic Angostura bitters, and simple syrup spiked with cinnamon and peppercorn.
