8 Cocktails to Make National Hamburger Month The Best Ever

Photo courtesy of Causwells

 May is National Hamburger Month, and one way to enjoy this truly all-American comfort food is with a perfectly paired cocktail.

Burgers have come a long way since the “two all beef patties with special sauce” jingle in the 70s, and decades later from the film Pulp Fiction from the famous scene in which Jules guzzles down his Big Kahuna Burger with a tasty Sprite. Sure, sodas, shakes, or even a beer or a glass of red wine will always go well with burgers, but we’ve reached out to bartenders from restaurants that are known for their burgers for these inspired burger and cocktail pairings.

Photo: Courtesy of Causwells

Burrata Burger & Big Trouble in Little Italy

Causwells San Francisco, California

This neighborhood American bistro located in San Francisco is well known for its smash burger, but Chef/Owner Adam Rosenblum went all out for the month of May. Exploring flavors from around the world, including themes from Mexico, Spain, Italy, and France, Rosenblum worked with friend/consultant Elmer Mejicanos and bartender Ronnie Lopez to create a special menu of cocktails to pair with burgers for each week of the month.

From May 17th to May 23rd 2021, Causwells will be serving a burrata burger, which is a double beef patty with basil pistou aioli, red onion, and burrata, paired with the Big Trouble in Little Italy.

Mejicanos said he helped make this pairing because he wanted to pay homage to Italian American culture by choosing the most American spirit (bourbon) and complementing it with popular Italian flavors, which also happens to be in season in California. “The bourbon complements the high-quality meat in the burger while the fresh, slight sweetness of the strawberry and herbal basil complements the creamy burrata,” said. Mejicanos. “Balsamic created a bridge between sweet and savory with a touch of acid needed for a perfect sip and bit."

Big Trouble in Little Italy

1.5 oz bourbon

0.5 oz lo fi dry vermouth 

0.75 oz lemon

1 oz strawberry purée

0.25 oz balsamic reduction

0.5 oz simple syrup

2 basil leaves

Shake all ingredients together, double strain, and pour over ice in an old-fashioned glass.

Garnish with basil, strawberries slice, and 3 drops of balsamic.

Pork & Kimchi Burger & Four Ingredient Wonder

Whiskey Dry Louisville, Kentucky

Photo Credit: Edward Lee/Whiskey Dry

Chef Edward Lee, whom you might recall from Emmy-winning series Mind of Chef on PBS, as well as season 9 of Top Chef, is the chef/owner of Whiskey Dry in Louisville, Kentucky. Lee and Bar Director Stacie Stewart put their creative minds together to pair the Pork and Kimchi burger with a bourbon-forward Four Ingredient Wonder cocktail for National Hamburger Month.

The burger is Korean-cuisine inspired, replete with Asian fish sauce and chopped kimchi, and served on pretzel rolls. See Chef Edward Lee’s Instagram post for the full recipe.

According to Lee and Stewart, the pairing works well because the citrus component complements the natural tang of the kimchi, the mint demerara syrup offers a refreshing finish, and the angostura float helps add depth to the flavor profile.

Four Ingredient Wonder

2 oz  Bourbon

0.75 oz mint demerara syrup

0.75 oz  lemon juice

Angostura float

Mint Simple Syrup

2 cup water

2 cup Demerara sugar

1 small-sized bunch of mint

Add the first 3 ingredients to an old-fashioned glass and stir to combine. Fill the glass with crushed ice, float a bar spoon of Angostura over the ice, and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint and a lemon wheel.

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat.  Heat and stir occasionally until sugar dissolves completely.  Remove from heat and stir in mint leaves.  Let steep for 15 minutes and then remove the mint.  Let syrup cool to room temperature and store.

Photo: Courtesy of Ocean Prime

Prime Burger & Prime Manhattan

Ocean Prime Various locations

With over a dozen locations across the U.S., Ocean Prime is lauded for its menu of prime cuts of meat and seafood, as well as its signature cocktails.

Beverage manager Nick Ansara recommends the Prime Burger on its lunch menu, served at its Beverly Hills, Denver Tech Center, Manhattan, and Tampa locations, to pair with the bar’s Prime Manhattan.

The Prime Burger begins with a custom grind of beef short rib, brisket, and chuck, creating a rich beef flavor and the right amount of fat to make it juicy. Seasoned with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic, and then seared, it’s then topped with caramelized onions and Tillamook cheddar cheese, and served on a toasted sesame seed bun with mayo, mustard, pickle relish, fresh shredded lettuce, and sliced tomato seasoned with salt.  

Beverage Manager Nick Ansara pairs it with the Prime Manhattan. “The contrast of the caramelized notes in the Manhattan pairs perfectly with the savory Tillamook and custom grind of beef.”

The Prime Manhattan is handcrafted from Woodford Reserve Bourbon and Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth. To add another depth of flavor, they utilize Amaro Nonino, an Italian digestif, to add a touch of bitter orange & sugar. Before stirring to combine over ice, finish it with Crude “Rizzo” bitters with hints of rosemary, grapefruit, and peppercorn. Strain it into your favorite coupe glass over ice and garnish with a Luxardo cherry.

More Pairings

Prime Manhattan

1 ½ oz Woodford Reserve

¾ oz Carpano Antica

¾ oz Amaro Nonino

6 drops crude rosemary, grapefruit, peppercorn bitters

Service Glass: coupe

Prep Glass: beaker

Garnish: Luxardo cherry

Combine all ingredients in a beaker. Add pellet ice to the beaker. Stir to combine and chill.

Strain into service glass.

Pub Burger & Gin Thyme Cocktail

The Pearl Ohio (Columbus and Dublin)

Ohio-based restaurant and tavern, the Pearl, showcases homemade comfort food and classically inspired cocktails along with a selection of ales, stouts, and lagers.

Their Pub Burger— ground fresh daily and topped with Cambozola cheese, tomato jam, and tavern fries—is best when served with the Gin Thyme. "Opposites attract!” says Beverage Manager, Holly Colburn, adding “The rich, full flavors of the Pub Burger are complemented by light and refreshing tastes of the Gin Thyme cocktail. A delicious pairing of salty and sweet."

Photo: Courtesy of the Pearl

Gin Thyme Cocktail

1 ½ oz Botanist Gin

1 oz Greenbar Grand Poppy Amaro

1 oz Fresh Lime Juice

¾ oz Thyme Gomme Syrup

Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin

Add ice, shake vigorously

Strain into highball over ice

Garnish with one thyme sprig

 Thyme Gomme Syrup

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

2/3 T dried thyme

1/8 t dried rosemary

1/8 t dried rubbed sage

1 lemon, peels only

Combine all ingredients in the pot. Heat on medium-high until boil. Turn off, remove from heat. Once cooled, move to Cambro food storage container.

Label, date, refrigerate overnight. Strain the next day. Refrigerate up to 5-7 days

Photo: Courtesy of STK

Wagyu Burger & Not Your Daddy’s Old Fashioned

STK Nashville Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville-based steakhouse, STK, offers Wagyu burgers to go with “Not Your Daddy’s Old Fashioned.”

The burgers served on their happy hour menu are 7 oz Wagyu patties, seasoned with salt and pepper and then flame-broiled, served on a sesame seed bun with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, special sauce and pickles. Kevin Abbott, Executive Chef of STK Nashville said of the earthy notes and a little bit of sweetness in the whiskey, “These two flavor profiles pair well with beef, especially with our multidimensional burger.”

Not Your Daddy’s Old Fashioned

2 oz Woodfood Reserve

2 dashes Angostura bitters

1 brown sugar cube

1 dash of club soda

1 inch square orange peel

1 inch vanilla bean

large rocks glass

orange peel (1 inch wide and 2 inches long)

Place a sugar cube in an Old Fashioned Glass

Wet down cube with Angostura bitters and a short splash of club soda

Crush the sugar cube with a muddler, then add the vanilla bean and square orange peel and muddle all together. Rotate the glass so that the sugar and bitters line the glass

Add the bourbon and stir. Add ice and garnish with longer orange peel.

Photo Credit: Alisa Scerrato

Impossible Burger and Holy Basil

Wildseed San Francisco, California

If you’re craving a burger but looking for a meatless alternative, plant-based restaurant Wildseed, owned by prolific restaurateur Adriano Paganini, offers a couple of burgers on its menu. The bar offerings feature the same fresh, sustainable, and seasonal ingredients as its food menu, using fresh juices, homemade extracts, herbs, shrubs, and tinctures in all of its cocktails.

Wildseed’s team recommends pairing the Impossible Burger, served with grilled onion, chipotle aioli, tomatoes, gem lettuce (vegan cheese can be added for an additional $2) with a cocktail that will refresh the palate, the Holy Basil. What makes this vegan burger and cocktail a good match is that the cucumber and basil and the freshness of the lime help cool down the heat from the chipotle aioli and the spicy vodka. And let’s face it, the basil seed cube is cool.

Holy Basil

2 oz spicy vodka

1 oz cucumber-basil shrub 

.75 oz lime juice

Served up with basil seed cube

Cucumber-Basil shrub

3 cups peeled cucumber, cut into chunks

9 basil leaves (No stems. Stems turn it brown!)

1/4 cup sugar

Macerate overnight, then add 1/4 cup rice vinegar and 1/4 tsp salt

Blend well and strain through a fine mesh.

Photo: Courtesy of Union Burger

Southwest Burger and Social Cooler

Union Bar Southampton Southampton, New York

Union Burger in Southampton, New York, offers a plethora of burgers, including a few vegetarian options. While burgers can be custom ordered, the proprietors recommend one pairing in particular, the Southwest burger to go with their Social Cooler. The tequila-based cocktail pairs perfectly with a burger that features black Angus beef, habanero pepper jack cheese, apricot bacon barbecue sauce, and coleslaw on a pretzel bun.

With this combo you’ve got the freshness of the watermelon and the tartness of the margarita mix to balance out the savory meat and spice of habanero pepper jack cheese. The tequila is also a nice complement to sweet and salty apricot bacon barbecue sauce.

Social Cooler

1.75 oz Dano’s Dangerous Blanco Tequila infused with sliced fresh jalapeños (at least 24 hours)

1.75 oz fresh watermelon puree

.5 oz house-made margarita mix

Shake and serve over ice in a rock glass. Garnish with a fresh watermelon triangle.

Garnish with fresh watermelon and jalapenos.