Creamy cocktails are not my thing, except corn milk punch. I wouldn’t say I like the taste of cream and half-and-half, so adding full-fat dairy to an ethanol cup can cause curdling problems. A touch of creaminess can make a cocktail more satisfying and round.

You can add some richness to your drink without having to use cream. Powdered lactic acid or leftover burrata water are two options. While the former might need to be ordered uniquely (but it isn’t difficult to find), the latter can be used to save money on food that would otherwise go to waste.

Cultured tang can be added to lactic acid.

It is a byproduct of fermentation and gives yogurt and kefir their distinctive tang. It is primarily sour but tastes like the cultured dairy products you are used to.

PUNCH states that simple syrup dissolves lactic acid, creating a creamy texture without using the cream. Vanilla bean is often used to make the most popular version. PUNCH offers two versions of vanilla lactic syrup: you can create using a whisk and require an immersion circulator and some straining.

These syrups go well with fruity sours, such as orange, strawberry, or pineapple. They create creamsicle vibes while rounding out more acidic fruit flavors.

Burrata water adds body.

I have written before about how to add burrata water to sours. It is one of my favorite party tricks (beverage categories). The leftover packing water makes cocktails feel creamy and round, but it also creates a stable egg-free foam.

It’s easy to make your own egg-free, creamy, and foamy cocktail. This is a plug-and-play recipe: Old-fashioned-style drinks are great. After life has formed a calloused skin shell of impervious disenchantment around your heart and soul, sometimes you want to feel something, anything, and a good old fashioned is like putting a match out on your tongue and getting your shoulders massaged at the same time. But before I go too far into the wood-paneled study of “Daddy’s Had A Long Day” territory, as a reminder (primarily to myself), there is more to cocktails than a momentary, poorly-adhesive bandage slapped on the day-to-day. Cocktails give us a little ceremony; a ritual meant to dignify and elevate. And even while old-fashioned-Esque drinks are certainly among the more severe and stiff, there is still plenty to play around with and discover within that glorious trifecta of bitters, sugar, and booze.

The Fancy-Free is a beautiful example of what a few modifications to a classic template can achieve. A fantastic old-fashioned variation to help us transition out of summer, it replaces the sugar cube with Maraschino liqueur and couples Angostura with a dash of orange bitters. It bumps the bourbon by a quarter ounce.