How to make your favorite Charleston cocktails at home

By Allie Tkachenko, creator of the Charleston-based Instagram account @youshouldbedrinkingthis

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The F&B scene is what makes our city’s heart beat here in Charleston. I’m Allie, and I started the account You Should Be Drinking This on Instagram to help inspire people to go out and try a new restaurant, to check out a new cocktail that’s a can’t-miss, to sip beyond their normal order, or to even just try out a new coffee shop they may not have known about.

Over the past year of managing this account (we turn 1 April 4th!), I have met so many business owners and bartenders who are overflowing with passion for what they do, who go to their jobs every day excited to create drinks they know will put a smile on our faces. So when establishments started closing their doors, I couldn’t help but feel for those people who bring so much joy to our lives.

I knew I had to figure out a way to support these great people who are now out of work, while maintaining the connection that F&B workers have with our community. Also, bringing a little normalcy to our newfound “distancing” lifestyles couldn’t hurt either. So that’s when I decided to create an at-home drink recipe series called Drinking with Friends, Distancing Edition. Spoiler alert: It’s so fun!

This series highlights the bartenders we love and the drinks we love that they make for us. Since we can’t actually get out and order those drinks at the moment, a handful of local and out-of-town bartenders have given us recipes similar to our favorites that we can easily make at home.

While the drink making and sipping will be a good time, the most important part of this series is our continued support for our bartenders. We feature a new bartender and drink on our Instagram posts, stories, and blog almost every day and ask people to participate by making the drink at home, snapping a photo (tagging us and the bartender), and spreading the word any way possible. We are also including Venmo information for some bartenders, and ask you to consider sending a virtual tip to him or her if you make the drink. And when this is all behind us, please make an effort to visit the bars to show your support and enjoy the real sips.

Our first featured bartender was Aneel James of Basic Kitchen and he kicked us off strong with a delicious recipe for a rum-based cocktail called the Sunshine Superman.

Here’s what Aneel says about the drink: “The Sunshine Superman is an ‘elevated’ version of a drink my dad used to make when I was young, growing up in the Caribbean. It’s light and refreshing, good for times like these. This version is a simplified version you can make at home. It’s easy to batch and make pitchers of it too! If you want to go the extra mile, cut up fresh pineapple, coat it in cinnamon and cook it on the stove till it turns brown. I like to soak that in rum and garnish the drink with it for an extra boozy surprise. You can find this on the BK menu when we reopen!”

Here is the recipe if you want to try it out at home:

○ 1.25 oz Rum

○ 0.5 oz Frangelico

○ 1.5 oz Pineapple

○ 0.75 oz Coconut Water

Mix all ingredients together and pour over ice. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Please follow along with us as we continue to highlight our favorite bartenders and their delicious drink recipes. You can find us on instagram at @youshouldbedrinkingthis and on our website.

Thanks for the support, y’all. Cheers!