Science Policy-themed Cocktails & Mocktails from the S&T Policy Fellowships

Each year, the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) program looks forward to the science event of the year – the AAAS Annual Meeting – during which STPF hosts a reception to encourage people engaged at the intersection of science and public policy to meet and mingle!

This year, we challenged STPF fellows and staff to come up with original, science policy-themed cocktail and mocktail recipes. Then, we asked “mixologist” and STPF alum Brannon Green (2017-19 fellow at the National Institute of Justice) and AAAS Meetings and Special Events Manager Jaime Stevens to serve as judges and recommend two standouts: one with and one without alcohol.

And the winners are… All Around the Zoom Tiles by STPF fellow Eve Boyle (2020-21 fellow at the National Science Foundation) and the STPF Forever! by STPF staffer Kat Song. Congratulations, Eve and Kat!

Have a look below and try out some recipes. Then, bring your favorite to the online reception. Cheers!

DoD (or DHA?) Daiquiri
By Aaron Conrado, 2019-21 fellow at Department of Defense

2 oz light rum

1 oz passionfruit nectar or liqueur

1 oz lime juice

Combine all in a shaker. 

MOCKTAIL version:
Skip the rum and add more lime juice, some mango or guava juice/nectar, and optional club soda!

SecDef Sour

By Aaron Conrado, 2019-21 fellow at Department of Defense

2 oz bourbon

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

1/4 oz lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker. Add an egg white if you feel confident and shake once dry (without ice) and then once wet (with ice) for a nice foamy top and texture.

MOCKTAIL version:
Experiment with citrus juice and maple syrup. Try orange juice even. No one knows what season it is anyway!

All Around the Zoom Tiles - MOCKTAIL

Eve Boyle, 2020-21 fellow at the National Science Foundation

8 oz sparkling water (I like Topo Chico)  

0.5 oz vinegar of choice (I like celery vinegar or citrus vinegar) 

Stir vinegar into seltzer and serve over ice. Garnish with mint. 

Continuing Resolution Solution 

Eve Boyle, 2020-21 fellow at the National Science Foundation

1.5 oz Dimmi liqueur 

3 oz freshly squeezed orange juice 

Whole nutmeg 

Fill glass with ice. Pour Dimmi & orange juice into glass and stir to combine. Grate fresh nutmeg on top & enjoy!  

New York Avenue*  

Eve Boyle, 2020-21 fellow at the National Science Foundation

1 oz bourbon (I like Four Roses)  

6 oz chilled sorrel drink 

Mix bourbon and sorrel drink, serve over ice. Garnish with lemon or orange slice.  

To brew sorrel drink (spiced hibiscus punch) 

• 10 cups of water  
• 1.5 cups dried sorrel (dried hibiscus flowers) 
• 2 cinnamon sticks 
• 6 whole allspice berries 
• 2 star anise pods 

• 3 cloves 
• 1, two-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped into large chunks  
• 2, two-inch pieces of orange peel  
• Juice of one lemon, plus more to taste.  
• Maple syrup or agave, to taste  

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add all ingredients besides the maple syrup/agave. Simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from heat. Let steep for at least for 3 hours (or overnight if you can wait that long). Strain mixture into pitcher or large bowl, discarding the sorrel, spices, and aromatics. Add maple syrup or agave to taste, and more lemon juice if needed. 

* New York Avenue: Location of AAAS headquarters.

The Policy Memo-sa

Zack Everett, STPF Senior Program Associate

Mix together:

• 6 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Grand Marnier or orange liqueur

Add:

• Chilled prosecco to preference
• Fresh mint leaf

The Boston Autumn

S. Mariah Lancaster, 2020-21 fellow at Department of State

Sapling Maple Bourbon Whiskey

Luxardo Sangue Morlacco liquor

Angostura bitters

Apple cider

Lemon (fresh)

Cinnamon (ground and stick)

Luxardo cherry

Sugar cube

Ice

In a rocks glass, muddle a cane sugar cube with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters.

In an ice-filled shaker, mix 2 parts Sapling Maple Bourbon Whiskey and one part Luxardo Sangue Morlacco with the juice from 1/4 lemon. Add 4-6 oz of unfiltered apple cider and 2 dashes of ground cinnamon. Shake vigorously.

Add a king cube (large ice cube) to rocks glass, then pour drink over ice into glass. Garnish with a luxardo cherry, a twist of lemon, and a cinnamon stick.

The Wavy Western 

Katelynn Milora, 2020-21 fellow at National Institutes of Health

3 oz vodka 

3 oz white rum 

3 oz silver tequila 

3 oz gin 

3 oz blue curacao 

3 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed 

Cola to top

Mix together. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Layer the blue curacao in to attempt to load your western carefully!

Hippocrasic Oath 

Chris Parsons, 2020-21 fellow at the National Science Foundation (also known as “the alchemyst Christen Parson, Doctorae of Natural Philosophy”)

This is a mediaeval recipe for a type of mulled wine called “hippocras” and converted to modern measurements (approximately).  

2 bottles of red wine 

1 oz cinnamon sticks 

1 oz fresh ginger 

¼ teaspoon of spikenard* 

1 teaspoon galangal* 

½ teaspoon grains of paradise* 

1 teaspoon long pepper* 

1 teaspoon cloves 

1 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 teaspoon marjoram 

1 teaspoon cardamon 

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Break up the sticks, grate the ginger and grind up all of the spices with a mortar and pestle (or new-fangled mechanical grinder). Add to the wine in a pot or container and leave for 1-2 days to sit. Then strain through a clean linen rag (or a coffee filter or fine grain sieve). You can serve warm or chilled.  

* Unless you live next to a herbalist or are an extreme foodie, you probably don’t have access to these. Instead you can substitute a teaspoon of black pepper, a teaspoon of rosemary and some brown sugar.  

The Wendy Davis All-nighter  

Alexa Pinto, STPF Program Associate

1. Mix 1 packet of jello (any flavor or color) with 1 cup of water.
2. Heat until boiling.
3. Mix in one cup of Red Bull.
4. Pour into small, shot-sized containers and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  

STPF Forever!

Kat Song, STPF Director of Communications & Digital Strategy

1. Add ice to a double old-fashioned glass. 

2. Fill it 2/3 full with apple cider (about 2/3 cup). 

3. Add a shot (3 tablespoons) of cognac. 

4. Add a cinnamon stick or sprinkle with cinnamon. 

5. Raise your glass and proclaim, “Once a fellow, always a fellow!” or “STPF Forever!”

Your Bosc Called

Julie Stahlhut, 2018-19 fellow at NSF, 2019-20 fellow at Department of State

Mix equal parts of:

• Pear-flavored vodka
• Sparkling wine of your choice
• Cranberry juice cocktail
• Garnish with lime, lemon, or orange wedge

I like this in a martini glass, but you could also drink it on the rocks. You can adjust the proportions of ingredients to regulate alcohol content, sweetness, fizziness, etc.

The First Three Smoothie Swirl (AMP) - MOCKTAIL

Mike Wheeler, STPF Senior Program Associate

*A play on the first letter of the first three vaccine company names. The three stabbed cherries represent COVID.

1 part apple juice

1 part fresh/frozen diced mango

1 part fresh/frozen diced pineapple

Blend together. Top with cherry garnish: Three cherries stabbed by plastic sword toothpicks.

In Case Fauci Quit (Trust the Science!)

Mike Wheeler, STPF Senior Program Associate

* Inspired by the Zombie and the Painkiller tiki drinks.

1 oz white rum

1 oz amber rum

1 oz dark rum

.5 oz 151 proof rum

4 oz pineapple juice

1 oz orange juice

1 oz cream of coconut

Crushed ice

Pineapple wedge