The Indy 500 is just days away, and the pit crew at Hard Truth has assembled some homegrown, Indiana cocktails to sip while enjoying the festivities surrounding the greatest spectacle in racing.
#1: Carb Day
Carburetors may be a thing of the past for IndyCars, but Carb Day remains, and we’ll be keeping cool with this carbonated, rum-based take on a paloma during our Indy 500 celebrations.
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum
1 oz. Ruby red grapefruit juice
½ oz. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
¼ oz. Agave syrup
Soda water, to top
Lemon wedge, to garnish
CRAFT:
1. Add rum, juices, and agave to ice-filled collins glass, then top with soda water.
2. Place lemon wedge on glass rim to garnish, and serve.
#2: Pace Car
A pace car plays an important role, leading warm-up laps before races and heading to the front of the field during caution periods. Our Pace Car cocktail, however, revs up a classic sidecar with a little bit of rye spice.
INGREDIENTS:
1½ oz. Hard Truth Indiana Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Orange liqueur
¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
Orange twist, to garnish
Sugar, for rim (optional)
CRAFT:
1. Rim coupe glass with sugar, and set aside.
2. Add rye, orange liqueur, and lemon juice to ice-filled bar shaker.
3. Cover, and shake until well chilled, then double strain into prepared coupe glass.
4. Twist orange peel over drink, then drop in to garnish, and serve.
#3: BACK HOME AGAIN
Whether you’re watching from the other side of the world or baking on the stands at turn 1, there’s nothing quite like the moment that Back Home Again in Indiana starts belting out over the track. In honor of our Indiana home, we’ve paired Hard Truth’s Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey — a true Indiana original — with a hint of sweetness, bright lemon, and earthy basil for a refreshing treat to sip while humming along.
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Simple syrup
¼ Lemon, cut into three pieces
3 Basil leaves, medium-sized
CRAFT:
1. Add two basil leaves and lemon pieces to bar shaker, and muddle thoroughly.
2. Add simple syrup and Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey, then fill remainder of shaker with ice.
3. Cover, and shake to chill.
4. Single strain into an ice-filled rocks glass, then slip remaining basil leaf into glass to garnish, and serve.
#4: Racing Fuel
Keep your engine purring with a little extra vroom from our espresso martini. Our Racing Fuel cocktail features Hard Truth’s smooth-drinking original vodka and crowd favorite Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream with creme de cacao, coffee liqueur, and a shot of espresso.
INGREDIENTS:
1½ oz. Hard Truth Original Vodka
1 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream
1 oz. Crème de cacao
½ oz. Coffee liqueur
1 shot Espresso
3 coffee beans, to garnish
CRAFT:
1. Add liquid ingredients to an ice-filled bar shaker.
2. Cover, and shake to chill, then double strain into chilled coupe glass.
3. Drop coffee beans in drink to garnish, and serve.
#5: Winners Drink Milk
Indy 500 drivers get a choice of whole, two percent, or skim — and a write-in request — when it comes to the milk they’ll drink if they win. From the comfort of our living rooms, we’ll be sipping this Hard Truth Maple Bourbon Cream and Cinnamon Vodka cocktail along with them.
INGREDIENTS:
1½ oz. Hard Truth Maple Bourbon Cream
1 oz. Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka
1 oz. Kahlúa
1 oz. Half & half
Chocolate syrup, to drizzle
CRAFT:
1. Drizzle chocolate syrup into a coupe glass.
2. Add remaining ingredients to an ice-filled bar shaker.
3. Cover, and shake to chill.
4. Double strain into the prepared glass. Enjoy!
