2022 Tony Awards Cocktails

Anyone who knows me or follows my blog knows that I love theatre, red carpet events, and cocktails. And what better time to celebrate this trifecta than at the Tony Awards, taking place this year on June 12? So in honor of the nominated shows, here are a few suggestions for appropriate cocktails based on whichever nominee you're cheering on!

The Show: Skeleton Crew
The Nominations: Best Play, Best Featured Actress in a Play (Phylicia Rashad), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong)
The Cocktail: Skeleton Key

1-1/4 oz bourbon
3/4 oz elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz lemon juice
3-5 oz ginger beer
8 dashes bitters

In a Collins glass with ice, add bourbon, elderflower liqueur, and lemon juice. Top with ginger beer and add bitters. Serve with a straw.

The Show: Mr. Saturday Night
The Nominations: Best Musical, Best Original Score (Jason Robert Brown & Amanda Green), Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Billy Crystal), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Shoshana Bean)
The Cocktail: Crystal Spritz

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
4 oz Sauvignon Blanc
fresh basil leaf
fresh orange peel
seltzer

Prepare lemon syrup by combining lemon juice and sugar and heating until dissolved; allow to cool. In a large wine glass, add Sauvignon blanc and 1 oz lemon syrup. Fill with ice and stir to combine. Slap the basil leaf between your palms to release the oils and slide into cocktail. Twist the orange peel over the glass, rub the peel on the rim of the glass, then slide into cocktail. Top with seltzer and serve.

The Show: Take Me Out
The Nomination): Best Revival of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play (Jesse Tyler Ferguson AND Michael Oberholtzer AND Jesse Williams)
The Cocktail: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2 oz bourbon
1 oz Frangelico
1 oz Amaretto
1/4 oz lemon juice
pinch salt
4 oz soda water

In a shaker of ice, combine all ingredients except soda water. Shake and strain into a glass of ice and top with soda water. If desired, prepare glass by moistening rim with lemon juice and rolling in crushed Cracker Jacks.

The Show: Company
The Nominations: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Matt Doyle), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Patti LuPone AND Jennifer Simard), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Bunny Christie), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Neil Austin), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Ian Dickinson), Best Direction of a Musical (Marianne Elliott), Best Orchestrations (David Cullen)
The Cocktail: The Sarah (A vodka stinger would have been too obvious - plus Patti gets plenty of love already - so this is in honor of Simard's character)

1 oz vodka
1/2 oz cherry brandy
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1 tsp Campari bitters
1 tsp creme de bananes

Combine all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker; shake and strain into a Collins glass of ice. 

The Show: A Strange Loop
The Nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Michael R. Jackson), Best Original Score (Michael R. Jackson), Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Jaquel Spivey), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (John-Andrew Morrison), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (L Morgan Lee), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Arnulfo Maldonado), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Jen Schriever), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Drew Levy), Best Direction of a Musical (Stephen Brackett), Best Orchestrations (Charlie Rosen)
The Cocktail: The Loop de Loop

2 oz Three Olives Loopy vodka
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz lime juice

In a cocktail shaker of ice, combine all ingredients. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass with ice. Garnish with a lime and/or pineapple wedge.

The Show: SIX: The Musical
The Nominations: Best Musical, Best Original Score (Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Gabriella Slade), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Tim Deiling), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Paul Gatehouse), Best Direction of a Musical (Lucy Moss & Jamie Armitage), Best Choreography (Carrie-Anne Ingrouille), Best Orchestrations (Tom Curran)
The Cocktail: Queens Cocktail

1-1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1 oz pineapple juice

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a wedge of pineapple, if desired.

The Show: Paradise Square

The Nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan), Best Original Score (Jason Howland, Lyrics: Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare), Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Joaquina Kalukango), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Sidney DuPont AND A.J. Shively), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Allen Moyer), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Toni-Leslie James), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Bill T. Jones)

The Cocktail: The Blue Paradise #4

1-1/2 oz vodka
1-1/2 oz blue curacao
1/2 oz creme de coconut
5 oz pineapple juice

Fill a cocktail glass with crushed ice and add all ingredients, then garnish with a cherry and an orange twist.

The Show: MJ
The Nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Lynn Nottage), Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Myles Frost), Best Scenic Design of a Musical ( Derek McLane & Peter Nigrini), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Paul Tazewell), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Natasha Katz), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Gareth Owen), Best Direction of a Musical (Christopher Wheeldon), Best Choreography (Christopher Wheeldon)

The Cocktail: Golden Glove

2 oz white rum
1 tsp Cointreau
1/2 oz lime juice
1 tsp sugar

Shake all ingredients over ice and strained into a glass of crushed ice. Garnish with a lime wedge or wheel. 

The Show: The Music Man
The Nominations: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Hugh Jackman), Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Sutton Foster), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Jayne Houdyshell), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Santo Loquasto), Best Choreography (Warren Carlyle)
The Cocktail: Iowa Mule

2 oz rye (preferably Templeton Rye 4 Year)
1/2 oz lime juice

Ginger beer

Pour rye and lime juice into a copper mug or cocktail glass of ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a lime wheel.

The Show: American Buffalo

The Nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Leading Actor in a Play (Sam Rockwell), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Scott Pask), Best Direction of a Play (Neil Pepe)
The Cocktail: The Buffalo

1/2 oz bitters

2-1/2 oz bourbon

orange juice

Place bitters into a chilled martini glass; pour bourbon over; top with orange juice. 

The Show: Clyde's
The Nominations: Best Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play (Ron Cephas Jones), Best Featured Actress in a Play (Uzo Aduba AND Kara Young), Best Costume Design of a Play (Jennifer Moeller)
The Cocktail: Stone Sour (I had to reach pretty hard for this one: "stone" is the meaning of "cephas" in honor of nominee Ron Cephas Jones) 

1-12 oz bourbon
1 oz orange juice
1 oz simple syrup
3/4 oz lemon juice

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a cherry and an orange wheel.

The Show: The Girl from the North Country
The Nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Conor McPherson), Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Mare Winningham), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Jeannette Bayardelle), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Simon Baker), Best Direction of a Musical (Conor McPherson), Best Orchestrations (Simon Hale)
The Cocktail: North Girl

1-1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup

Shake over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint leaf. 

The Show: for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf
The Nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Featured Actress in a Play (Kenita R. Miller), Best Costume Design of a Play (Sarafina Bush), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Jiyoun Chang), Best Sound Design of a Play (Justin Ellington), Best Direction of a Play (Camille A. Brown), Best Choreography (Camille A. Brown)

The Cocktail: Rainbow Paradise

1 oz grenadine
4 oz pineapple juice
2 oz coconut rum
1/2 oz blue curacao
1/2 oz water

Pour grenadine into a 16-oz hurricane glass, then fill with ice. In another cup, combine pineapple juice and rum. Pour into hurricane glass and stir slightly to form layers. In another cup, combine blue curacao and water and pour gently over the back of a spoon into the hurricane glass. Garnish with a lemon slice or orange twist. 

The Show: The Lehman Trilogy
The Nominations: Best Play, Best Leading Actor in a Play (Simon Russell Beale AND Adam Godley AND Adrian Lester), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Es Devlin), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Jon Clark), Best Sound Design of a Play (Nick Powell & Dominic Bilkey), Best Direction of a Play (Sam Mendes)

The Cocktail: The Money Maker

1/4 oz pear vodka
1/2 oz Midori
scant 1 oz lemon juice

Combine over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled short glass. Garnish with a lime twist and a lemon wedge. 

The Show: The Skin of Our Teeth
The Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Play (Gabby Beans), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Adam Rigg), Best Costume Design of a Play (Montana Levi Blanco), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Yi Zhao), Best Sound Design of a Play (Palmer Hefferan), Best Direction of a Play (Lileana Blain-Cruz)

The Cocktail: The Montana (because I simply MUST recognize at least one of the nominated Costume Designers!!)

2 oz cognac
1 oz dry vermouth

1 oz port wine

Shake over ice; strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Phew! I think I managed to cover the shows with the most nominations, but I apologize if I missed your favorite. Have fun watching on Sunday night and stay tuned for the inevitable red carpet review to follow!