Say “Cheers!” with Lily and enjoy the boozy beverage that captures the heart of her sound
Alberta-based indie-folk sweetheart Lily Monaghan is celebrating her EP “Introspection” with drink pairings for each of the stunning new tracks. The debut release is an emotional journey of love, heartache, and growth, with Lily’s melodious musicality tying everything together in a captivating bow.
While her poetic musing may not instinctively evoke the need to pour yourself a glass, there is an underlying parallel with the nature of drinking to accompany an array of emotions and experiences.
Lily’s EP takes you through the vast spectrum of emotions relating to relationship drama and joy, the celebratory and the lonesome, there’s a drink for every occasion! From party cocktails to bitter vices, Lily has provided the perfect tonic to accompany your emotional wins and losses in both a sonic escape and a boozy distraction.
#1 – Let Me Kiss You – Espresso Martini
This boozy cocktail with a caffeine kick will pair perfectly with the EP’s bouncy, up-beat introduction. Throw inhibition to the wind as Monaghan sings about how there’s “no time to take [things] slow” as you sip on (or slam back) a perfect mixture of two of your favourite vices – coffee and vodka.
Ingredients
100g golden caster sugar
ice
100ml vodka
50ml freshly brewed espresso coffee
50ml coffee liqueur (we used Kahlua)
4 coffee beans (optional)
Method
STEP 1 – Start by making the sugar syrup. Put the caster sugar in a small pan over medium heat and pour in 50ml water. Stir, and bring to a boil.
STEP 2 – Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Put 2 martini glasses in the fridge to chill.
STEP 3 – Once the sugar syrup is cold, pour 1 tbsp into a cocktail shaker along with a handful of ice, the vodka, espresso, and coffee liqueur. Shake until the outside of the cocktail shaker feels icy cold.
STEP 4 – Strain into the chilled glasses. Garnish each one with coffee beans if you like!
#2 – On Hold – Whiskey Neat
There’s no need for a mixer (or ice dilution for, for that matter) to buffer the welcomed burn of each swallow of this drink; pairing almost too well with the unwelcome burn that accompanies Monaghan’s realization of not being wanted in ‘On Hold’. Find a comfy chair, a dimly lit room, a fancy whisky glass, and the permission within yourself to cry about it and get over it tonight because you’re better than that.
#3 – Sleeping Alone – Negroni
The bitter-sweet essence of Campari perfectly intertwines with the bitter-sweet understanding that you may have to break a perfectly good heart in order to stay true to your own needs. Tastes a little *too* bitter? Can’t handle it? Add in an orange peel and let it soak, but this is a truth you will eventually need to swallow.
Ingredients
25ml gin
25ml sweet vermouth
25ml Campari
ice
For the garnish
slice of orange
Method
STEP 1 – Pour the gin, vermouth and Campari into a mixing glass or jug with ice. Stir well until the outside of the glass feels cold.
STEP 2 – Strain into a tumbler and add 1 large ice sphere or some fresh ice, and garnish with an orange slice, using a blood orange when in season.
#4 – Security Blanket – Merlot
Is it just me or does wine get you admitting your deepest confessionals before you’ve finished your second glass? The entire vibe of this ‘Introspection’ track is shamelessly declaring a necessary wrong that has been committed. Through a healthy mix of thorough sober self evaluation and many late night drunken realizations, Monaghan realizes that it is because of her hardest efforts to do the right thing she ends up doing the wrong thing. Lets all get our waterproof mascara on and pour a tall glass of the driest red we can find.
#5– Comes And Goes – Old Fashioned
Another bitter-sweet pairing, this classic cocktail would no doubt blend in smoothly with the EP finale. As Monaghan sings about the parallels of the ending of a relationship and the impermanence of life itself, what better mixture to sip on than one of muddled sugar and the bite of bourbon? Pondering existentialism might not sound like your ideal evening, but if it is anything like Monaghan in ‘Comes and Goes’, there is an overwhelming sense of sweet acceptance surrounding it. So, kick back and relax – your cocktail will go down as easily and quickly as fleeting time itself.
Ingredients
2 tsp sugar syrup or 1 tsp granulated sugar
1-2 dashes of Angostura bitters
splash of water
60ml Scotch whisky or bourbon
soda water (optional)
orange slice
maraschino cherry (optional)
Method
STEP 1 – Put the sugar, bitters, and water in a small tumbler. Mix until the sugar dissolves if using granulated. Fill your glass with ice and stir in the whisky. Add a splash of soda water if you like and mix. Garnish with orange and cherry.
Indulge in the whisky warmth of the “Introspection” EP from Lily Monaghan, and know that while there may be a drink for every occasion, there are also artists like Lily who reminds us that we are not so alone in our sorrows
Recipes courtesy of BBC Good Food
