Netflix and kill, anybody? For those who’re something like us, then you definitely spent a lot of the weekend watching Netflix’s new, extremely bingeable homicide thriller sequence, “The Excellent Couple.” Starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Eve Hewson, and Dakota Fanning, amongst different notables, this six-episode TV mini-series follows the Winbury household, a rich Nantucket-based clan, throughout what must be their son and brother’s picture-perfect marriage ceremony. Every thing goes awry when the maid of honor, performed by a bubbly and pleasant Meghann Fahy, washes ashore the morning after the rehearsal dinner. 

Okay, no spoilers, we promise that is all we’ll reveal in regards to the plot. Apart from Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber’s chemistry as husband and spouse, the primary star of the present has been the Blackberry Mojito. Launched within the pilot episode titled “Blissful Wedding ceremony Eve,” this drink is matriarch Greer Garrison Winbury’s (aka Nicole Kidman’s character’s) signature welcome drink for friends. Because the present’s premiere on September 5, 2024, web searches for “Blackberry Mojitos” are up a whopping 600% %. It is clear that followers are thirsting for extra cocktail pairings to suit the present’s seaside, luxurious vibe — and we’re right here to carry them.

Mojitos are a refreshingly crisp drink you could sometimes discover on on line casino flooring and served up sandside at seashore resorts. Whereas there are limitless methods to place just a little twist on the basic Mojito recipe, including blackberries is a very genius transfer. The tart berries play completely off the sweetness of the sugar, and the added deep purple swirl offers the drink a pleasant pop of colour. Making a Blackberry Mojito is nearly as straightforward as making a Mojito, you solely want one five-second adjustment: The Blackberry Mojito takes a typical Mojito recipe and easily provides blackberries into the pre-spirit combination. 

So, you begin out with ½ ounce of mint easy syrup, or, for those who’re feeling lazy and do not need to make your individual easy syrup, you possibly can simply add the juice from 1 lime, 1 teaspoon of uncooked sugar, 5 mint leaves, and 4 to five blackberries to a glass and use a muddler to mash all of the elements collectively. This could unlock these vibrant aromas, and utilizing the bigger-grained uncooked sugar will assist it break down and blend in with the opposite elements. Subsequent, add some ice, 1 ½ ounces of white rum, sufficient membership soda to fill the glass, and your garnish. We advise a few lovely, plump blackberries stabbed by the center. It is a nice pre-dinner drink and would pair splendidly with a grazing desk or a charcuterie board.

A Cape Codder (or a Cape Cod) may sound like a fancy-pants cocktail you’d see a member of the Winbury household clutching whereas admonishing a housekeeper, however in actuality, Cape Codder is simply one other title for a Vodka Cranberry. This basic cocktail, courting again to the Forties, is allegedly named after the Cape Cod Resort, and is the quintessential Massachusetts drink contemplating that cranberries have been first cultivated on Cape Cod in 1816. This makes it an ideal companion for the present, which takes place in Nantucket. It is an incredible yacht drink, too, that means it is pleasant on a scorching day, straightforward to make on a rocky boat, and bougie as all get out.

To make a real, genuine Cape Codder, you possibly can’t neglect a spritz of lime and lime wedge garnish — and bonus factors for utilizing locally-sourced cranberry juice. Springing for the lime is a straightforward technique to elevate your Vodka Cranberry and likewise brings an incredible colour distinction to the drink. It is by no means really helpful to imbibe on an empty abdomen, so we suggest whipping up some cranberry Brie bites as a pleasant appetizer that can hold your friends satiated, whereas nonetheless leaving sufficient room for dinner.

Persevering with on the theme of basic cocktails dressing up as regional drinks for some added pizzazz, now we have the Nantucket Mule, named for the island on which the present takes place. This tackle the Mule may not be as recognizable as its counterparts, such because the Mexican Mule or Kentucky Mule, however the cocktail brings the identical quantity of refreshing spice. Every Mule variation has its personal twist, and this one is not any totally different. Not like the Moscow Mule, which options vodka, mint, lime, and ginger beer, the Nantucket Mule accommodates an added ingredient (you guessed it!): cranberries. To make a Nantucket Mule, all you must do is begin out with the usual Moscow Mule recipe and easily add 1 ½ tablespoons of cranberry juice, sauce, or jam to your tumbler. 

For those who’re feeling bold, strive making your individual cranberry compote so as to add to the drink. You should use Bryan Voltaggio’s cranberry-Riesling compote recipe, simply skip the Riesling for this one or your drink might be past boozy. The Nantucket Mule is the right drink to pair with seafood. The spice from the ginger beer and tartness from the cranberries will reduce by any salty, briny flavors. We suggest giving oysters Rockefeller a strive with this drink. The Winbury fam would positively approve, simply hold everybody away from the kitchen and all its sharp instruments — for those who catch our drift.

It is practically inconceivable to attend a marriage weekend with out spending a substantial period of time sitting by some dreadful speeches. That is why speeches are all the time accompanied by Champagne, to make them simpler to bear. Simply kidding (type of). You need not spend a lot time with the Winbury household to know that they prefer to take all the pieces as much as an elevated stage of poshness. So, with regards to having Champagne as your  “Excellent Couple” watch get together pièce de résistance, pouring it straight from the bottle right into a flute merely will not do. As a substitute, strive turning your Champagne right into a cocktail by including a splash of your favourite recent fruit juice. 

That is primarily what Champagne-based cocktails like French 75s, Marasca Fizzes, Mimosas, and Bellinis are: some variation of fruit combined with Champagne. Champagne and seafood go collectively like, nicely, cash and homicide. To maintain your “Excellent Couple” night time on theme, we suggest whipping up some buttery New England-style lobster rolls to function the entrée. Do not be intimidated in case you have no expertise cooking lobster, that is mainly like a flowery, toasted sandwich (and you’ll even purchase pre-cooked lobster meat). This recipe solely takes quarter-hour, so you possibly can spend nearly all of your time parked in entrance of the TV with your folks, attempting to determine who killed who.

Non-alcoholic drinks are having a (non)spirit-ual awakening on this nation. Get it? Okay, sorry. You are proper, it is a stretch. Apart from their growing recognition, we thought one thing like a Plum and Ginger Cordial Mocktail would’ve been the right providing on the Winbury home contemplating that Abby Winbury is pregnant, and there is perhaps different non-drinkers on the visitor record as nicely. Insert sly smiley face right here. Nicole Kidman, for one, does not drink, though it does appear to be her character, Greer, likes to partake in a cocktail or two. She is a author in spite of everything. 

A Plum and Ginger Cordial Mocktail is made in the identical method you’d put together the recipe’s cordial — with tea, orange juice, ginger, plums, and glowing water — however to make it zero alcohol by quantity (ABV), you possibly can omit the gin. Pssst … the Nantucket Mule additionally makes for an incredible mocktail, simply skip the vodka and also you’re good to go. Whether or not you are binging the “Excellent Couple” present or studying the e book on which the sequence relies, it is all the time enjoyable to get misplaced in a very good story. By pairing your leisure with a few of these cocktails and bites, you’ll improve your expertise to a 3D stage. Possibly choose up a bouquet or two of hydrangeas and throw in your greatest classic robe to essentially get into the Winbury spirit.