Q Mixers Introduces a Chief Happy Hour Officer Joel McHale!
The art of throwing a happy hour can be complicated, with many of us readjusting to social gatherings, returning to work and meeting new people, but lucky for us, celeb icon Joel McHale says he’s “studied it well.” As the first-ever Chief Happy Hour Officer (CHO) of Q Mixers, Joel has vowed to remind everyone, everywhere how to have a great happy hour.
Jordan Silbert explains why mixers are critical to making any cocktail.. and why he created Q Mixers!
Here’s why mixers are so important: they make the drink!
What does it take to be the CHIEF HAPPY HOUR OFFICER?
Q’s CHO ( Chief Happy Hour Officer) (AKA Joel McHale) unveiled 4 easy steps to ensure 5 o’clock is the happiest hour of the day along with the Happy Hour Playbook.
This playbook is your online guide to creating a great Happy Hour as well as providing the cocktail recipes you will see a few of the photos in this article along and even more cocktail recipes in the playbook.
(Suggestion: print it out in a pdf format so that you don’t have to go online to get the recipe. You would have the collection of recipes on paper!)
Joel mixes up one of his favorites: Gin & Tonic
Gin and Tonic The classic for a reason. And that reason is that I like them a lot.
Recipe:
1 ½ oz your favorite gin
5 Oz of Q Spectacular Tonic Water or Q Classic Tonic Water
Slice of lime for garnish
Method:
Fill a highball glass with ice and add your choice of gin.
Pour in the tonic water, gently stir and garnish with a lime wedge.
Enjoy!
1. Make The Drinks Spectacular
Joel’s Tip: “This should go without saying, but the drinks are by far the most important part of any happy hour (that and, pants that don’t bunch up). And it’s really not that complicated: bad mixers ruin your drink – so essentially the entire happy hour, because they’re so loaded with sugar, which drowns out the taste of the spirit and have less carbonation, which leaves you with flat, insipid beverages. So just secure your favorite flavors of Q Mixers, your favorite spirits, lots of ice (then double it), and some lemons and limes and whatever else sounds good.”
Paloma Meet the Margaritas older sister. She’s a little pretentious because she studied abroad in Mexico Junior Year, but she’s the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.
Recipe:
1 ½ oz your favorite tequila
5 ox Q Sparkling Grapefruit
Lime
Method:
Fill a highball glass with ice and add your choice of tequila.
Squeeze in a lime wedge and pour in Q Sparkling Grapefruit.
Gently stir and garnish with a lime wedge or wheel.
Enjoy!
2. Set The Scene
Joel’s Tip: “Ambiance can make or break a happy hour. Give the ceiling lights a night off and find yourself some vibey lighting. Whether it’s casual string lights, the 10-hour fireplace video on YouTube, a moody bunch of candles, or the Gen Z LED lights, correct lighting signals to the lizard brain that it’s time to relax and sip some good drinks. It’s science.”
Joel’s Signature Cocktail, Five O’Clock Fizz
Recipe:
1.5 ounces Blanco Tequila
0.75 ounces Campari
0.75 ounces Lime Juice
5 ounces Q Mixers Hibiscus Ginger Beer
Orange Zest
Method:
Shake all ingredients except the ginger beer and strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Top with Q Mixers Hibiscus Ginger Beer and garnish with an orange peel.
Make sure to loudly say, “ahhh,” after every sip.
3. Bring On The Bites
Joel’s Tip:
“If there’s anything to avoid at your happy hour, it’s empty stomachs – both for safety and for pleasure. When considering snacks for your happy hour, the key is quantity over quality. It doesn’t have to be fancy, there just has to be enough of it. The quickest way to ruin a happy hour is losing a crowd to the nearby Taco Bell. But if you want to get fancy? Go nuts. Cheese plate? Love it. Chips and Guac? Awesome. Crudites? You fancy.”
Whiskey Ginger – America’s original highball pairs the clean, crisp flavor of ginger ale with the warm notes of whiskey for a refreshing and surprisingly classy cocktail.
Recipe:
1 ½ oz of your favorite whiskey
5 oz Q Ginger Ale
1 lemon peelMethod
Fill a highball glass with ice and add your choice of whiskey.
Pour in the Q Ginger Ale, gently stir,
Garnish with a lemon peel. Enjoy!
4. Be Happy
Joel’s Tip: “Hard. But necessary. My advice? Kierkegaard on cassette. Just kidding. Focus on two things: Good friends and great drinks that are easy to make. And how awesome everybody is going to think you are when you host a stellar happy hour.”
Southside Royale This is not your average gin-gin mule, it’s… above average. A twist on the classic southside cocktail. Mint pairs beautifully with the Q Ginger Ale, bringing out the nuances flavors of rose oil and spice.
Recipe:
1 ½ oz Premium Gin
¼ oz Lime Juice
¼ oz Sugar Syrup
8 Mint Leaves
4 oz Q Ginger Ale
Method:
Lightly muddle mint, lime juice and sugar syrup in the bottom of a large highball glass. |
Add gin and ice then stir vigorously with a long handled spoon.
Top with Q Ginger ale and garnish with a fresh mint sprig.
The Limoncello Spritz – Anything with the word “spritz” in it is guaranteed to convince people you’re hosting the classiest f*cking happy hour they’ve ever experienced. This Limoncello Spritz will seal the deal.
Recipe:
3 ounces of Dry White Wine
3 ounces of Q Mixers Tonic
1 ounces of Limoncello
Method:
Build drink in large wine glass over ice,
Garnish with lemon wheel and mint sprig.
American Mule– I may have been born in Italy, but I like my mules American.
Recipe:
1 ½ oz American Vodka
5 Oz of Q Ginger Beer
Slice of lemon and sprig of mint for garnish
Method:
Fill a highball glass or copper mug with ice.
Pour in the vodka and squeeze in a lime, leaving the lime wedge in the glass.
Pour in the Q Ginger Beer gently stir. USA!
Founder Jordan Silbert welcomes Joel McHale:
I’m thrilled to welcome Joel to Q Mixers as our FIRST CHIEF HAPPY HOUR OFFICER!
Joel will be working with us to show people how to make the happiest part of the day even better with great drinks.
As we look ahead to the summer when people will start getting together again, we will help bring the joy back to Happy Hour. Our spectacular mixers will easily make everyone’s favorite drinks even better and Joel will make sure people remember how to do Happy Hour properly – starting with easy, great drinks but also focusing on important lessons such as wearing pants and telling new jokes that you haven’t been telling for the last year.
As a self-avowed foodie and drinker, who already stocked Q Mixers at his home, joining our team was a no-brainer for Joel. “Discovering Q Mixers was like a two by four to my head. I used to spend all this time selecting the perfect spirit for my drink, only to ruin it with a bad mixer. With Q Mixers, I can easily make my drinks a billion times better because they are made with only the best ingredients, have less sugar, and more carbonation,” said McHale. “I want to say it was hours and hours of hard practice. But actually it was just pouring a can of Q into a glass filled with ice and good booze. I am now an expert at easily making great drinks at home and I’m excited to join the team as Chief Happy Hour Officer, where I’ll help bring excitement back to five o’clock gatherings and show America what a quality mixer looks, or should I say, tastes like.”
Cheers!
Jordan Silbert
Thanks to Jordan Silber and Joel McHale for all these tips, tricks and recipes.
Whether you are pouring for one person or you have a group of people over, these cocktails will
please everyone. The key element are the mixers.. because the spirit is consistent every time, but the part
that adds the “sizzle” to the cocktail is always the mixer!
Stevie Wilson
LA-Story.com
Want to leave a comment or ask a question? Please send an email to stevie.wilson@LA-Story.com
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