Make Surprisingly Elegant Cocktails with Almost-Empty Jam Jars

Jam is a perfect cocktail ingredient; it gives your drink a nice fruity flavor, along with a silkier, rounder viscosity that you don’t get with fruit juice. But the jam jar cocktail isn’t just delicious, it’s also a smart, no-waste way to imbibe, with far less cleanup. Rather than scrape the last sticky bits off the sides of your jam jar—or rinse them down the drain—you can use the jar as a cocktail shaker to create a shockingly elegant beverage.

By shaking cocktail ingredients inside an almost-empty jam jar, you infuse your drink with the flavor of your favorite jam, while ensuring nothing goes to waste. There’s no need for a stirring glass or dedicated cocktail shaker—it’s all built right in the jar. Just add your booze, along with a little fresh lemon juice, some ice and maybe a little sweetener, then shake hard before straining into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. (Tip: If you want to speed up the process, shake room-temperature booze in the jar before adding ice to help the jam dissolve.)

You can make as many jam jar cocktails as there are flavors of jam, but we’re taking our cues from editorial director (and cocktail aficionado) J.M. Hirsch and making his Jam Jar Lemon Drop, the Sassy Jam Jar Cosmo—which gets its sass from pickled jalapeños—and a Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam Jar Margarita.

Jam Jar Lemon Drop

It’s tart and sweet, with a noticeable creamy note, almost like lemon meringue pie.

Ingredients:

• 1 nearly empty jar of lemon curd, with 1-2 tablespoons lemon curd remaining
• 2 1/2 ounces vodka
• 1/4-1/2 ounce orange liqueur
• 1/4 ounce lemon juice
• Pinch kosher salt
• Agave or simple syrup to taste (optional)

Add all ingredients except the optional syrup to the jar. Add ice, shut jar tightly and shake until well chilled. Taste and adjust with agave or simple syrup if needed. Strain into a chilled coupe through a fine mesh strainer, using the lid to hold back the ice and stirring to help the liquid flow through the strainer.

Sassy Jam Jar Cosmo

It gets its sass from pickled jalapeño brine.

Ingredients:

• 1 nearly empty jar of cranberry relish, with 1-2 tablespoons remaining
• 3 ounces vodka
• 1/2 ounce orange liqueur
• 1 barspoon liquid from jar of pickled jalapeños
• Agave or simple syrup to taste (optional)
• Fresh cranberries
• Pickled jalapeño slices

Add all ingredients except the optional syrup to the jar. Add ice, close jar tightly and shake until well chilled. Taste and adjust with agave or simple syrup if needed. Strain into a chilled coupe through a fine mesh strainer, using the lid to hold back the ice and stirring to help the liquid flow through the strainer. Skewer cranberries and jalapeño slices with a toothpick and garnish.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam Jar Margarita

Rhubarb adds a gorgeous tartness, but any strawberry jam will work.

Ingredients:

• 1 nearly empty jar of strawberry-rhubarb jam, with 1-2 tablespoons remaining
• 3 ounces blanco tequila
• 1/4 ounce orange liqueur
• 1/4 ounce lemon juice
• Pinch kosher salt salt
• Agave or simple syrup to taste (optional)
• 1 fresh strawberry

Add all ingredients except the optional syrup to the jar. Add ice, shut jar tightly and shake until well chilled. Taste and adjust with agave or simple syrup if needed. Strain into a chilled coupe through a fine mesh strainer, using the lid to hold back the ice and stirring to help the liquid flow through the strainer. Garnish with fresh strawberry.

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Claire Lower

Claire Lower is the Digital Editor for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, with over a decade of experience as a food writer and recipe developer. Claire began writing about food (and drinks) during the blogging boom in the late 2000s, eventually leaving her job as a lab technician to pursue writing full-time. After freelancing for publications such as Serious Eats, Yahoo Food, xoJane and Cherry Bombe Magazine, she eventually landed at Lifehacker, where she served as the Senior Food Editor for nearly eight years. Claire lives in Portland, Oregon with a very friendly dog and very mean cat. When not in the kitchen (or at her laptop), you can find her deadlifting at the gym, fly fishing or trying to master figure drawing at her local art studio.