3 easy ways to improve your cocktails

The season for lots of entertaining is upon us. You can mix up some pretty complicated cocktails if you want to emulate your favorite mixologist. Or, you could try these three options, for an easy cocktail life.

Cosmopolitan martini from Empower Cocktails

A cocktail in a bottle? Count us in. This martini is made from sweet potato vodka, triple sec, white cranberry juice and lime. Remember, it’s a martini, so there’s plenty of power in this drink. Sip wisely. The website has other ideas for using it, including mixing it with Aperol and sparkling rosé, or matching it with rum, some lemon juice, simple syrup and a few raspberries. With a bottle of this in your refrigerator, you’re ready for any impromptu gathering. Chill, pour. Could it be easier? $21.99. Available at Total Wine. empowercocktails.com.

Tonics and potions from Cherokee Moon Mixology

Almeta Tulloss, Deisha Oliver-Millar and Nicole Bluh are the women of Cherokee Moon, an Atlanta-based mixology company using traditional foodways to enhance modern life. They are always tweaking their line of drinking vinegars. We tried the Prickly Pear sangria with satsuma, hibiscus, ginger, lemon, sugar and cinnamon; and the Smokehouse shandy, with lemons, habanero pepper, camellia flowers, sugar, black cardamom and smoked sea salt (this one is very hot and very smoky). If you’re lucky, they still may have a few bottles of their Southern Woods tonic, with eastern red cedar tips, holy basil, lemon, juniper berries, lemongrass, green apples, sorghum molasses, rosemary, thyme and sugar. We hear Goldenrod tonic will be available soon. Our favorite of what we’ve tried is the Prickly Pear sangria. It has beautiful color, includes delicious Georgia-grown satsumas, and is made from vinegar produced from Georgia apples. It’s just sweet enough, just tart enough, just delicious. Use these vinegars to make a mocktail with sparkling water or tea, or to make a cocktail by mixing with sparkling wine or your favorite spirit.

$10 for a 4-ounce bottle, $20 for an 8-ounce bottle. Available at Grant Park, Decatur, Freedom, Athens and Roswell farmers markets, and at Creature Comforts Brewery. Check Cherokee Moon social media accounts for where they’ll be next. cherokeemoonmixology.com.

Cucumber mojito from Barcoop Bevy

Barcoop Bevy out of Charleston, South Carolina, offers a line of mixers that makes serving cocktails a breeze. We love the flavors — grapefruit margarita, agua caliente spicy strawberry margarita, ginger smash, pina colada and, the one we tried, cucumber mojito. It’s got just five ingredients: water, lime juice, cane sugar and natural cucumber and mint flavors. To make a mojito, the proportions are two parts mixer to one part white rum. Or, the label cleverly explains how to turn the entire bottle into a pitcher of mojitos. Empty the bottle into your pitcher, then pour in rum up to the black line on the now empty bottle. Combine the two, and stir. Done. All we needed was a sprig of fresh mint to be refreshed totally. The mixers work great with sparkling water as well.

$9.99 for a 33.8-ounce bottle. Available at Total Wine. barcoopbevy.com.