After over a half-century of serving up comforting southern classics, it’s hard to deny that Cracker Barrel is anything other than an American icon. But despite its signature old-school look — and commitment to serving nostalgic, equally old-school food — it’s not immune to innovation. Take, for example, the Cracker Barrel drinks menu, which has seen some exciting additions in recent years (especially of the alcoholic variety, with a new range of wines, beers, and pre-made cocktails).
For the amateur mixologists among you, this presents an opportunity: From brunch to lunch to a pre-dinner pick-me-up, if you know what to order, you can spice up your next meal at the old country store (well, hopefully not breakfast) by crafting an easy, refreshing DIY cocktail. Whether you’re after a little extra fizz in your drink or a hit of sharp berry sweetness, Cracker Barrel’s got you covered. Now, what you mix together is up to you — but we’ve got some ideas you might feel like trying out if you need a little inspiration.
Create a fruity, summery number with the Jack Daniels Southern Peach
Now, if you ask us, very few things scream “the South” quite like a good ol’ bottle of Jack Daniel’s. For a distillery in a dry county (yes, you still can’t buy or drink alcohol in Lynchburg, Tennessee), the folks there sure make some good whiskey. While the classic Jack and coke is one of the most popular cocktails of all time, Jack Daniel’s has a whole range of pre-made, bottled cocktails — and one of them is the Southern Peach. As the name suggests, it’s a fruity number, with a sweet flavor that pairs wonderfully with the subtle spice and heat from the whiskey.
While the Southern Peach cocktail is great all on its own, why not try upping the ante and making a sunrise-esque summery cocktail perfect for an evening aperitif? All you have to do is mix it with lemon-lime soda. The simple addition of Sprite brings zest, fizz, and a little friendly tang. The sourness from the citrus will balance out the more intense sweetness of the peach, resulting in a surprisingly delicious and balanced cocktail that’s far simpler than it tastes.
It’s refreshing, goes down easy, and pairs rather wonderfully with Southern classics like fried chicken. To make it, simply pour your bottle of Southern Peach into a glass over ice (bonus points if you ask for a wedge of fresh lemon) and top it off with your sprite — you can adjust the ratios as you go until you find what works for you! A simple, two-ingredient winner.
Make a berry-forward wine spritzer
Cracker Barrel hasn’t just added cocktails to its drinks menu — the wine list has seen a bit of a shake-up, too. One welcome addition brought in especially for spring is the Roscato Moscato (it even rhymes!). This classic wine from Northern Italy is sweet with a delicate flavor: Fruity and fragrant with a touch of fizz (the Italians would call it “frizzante”) that balances everything out.
Much like the Southern Peach, this addition makes for a delicious pairing to your meal all on its own. But it’s sweet flavor profile makes it the perfect candidate for a delicious DIY white wine spritzer. Moscato’s predominant tasting notes are of stone fruits (like apricot) and citrus. It’s a simple, clean-tasting wine that benefits from a mixer with bold, complex flavors — which is why it pairs particularly well with, of all things, Dr. Pepper.
Bear with us here. You might call this combination slightly wild, but Dr. Pepper actually shares a lot of the tasting notes found in wine — think vanilla, for example, or cherry. Its subtle fruitiness works nicely with comparable notes in the Moscato, and the two of them together make for a surprisingly complex, berry-forward drink, with a nice spicy sweetness and a hint of fizz. You’ll want to follow the classic spritzer ratio of three parts wine to one part soda, but you might want to add the Dr. Pepper gradually so you don’t risk overwhelming the flavor of the wine.
Take inspiration from the British and make yourself a shandy
Now, there’s not an awful lot about Cracker Barrel that’s particularly British — far from it, in fact. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take inspiration from a British pub classic and make yourself a delicious shandy the next time you go to the restaurant. If you’re not familiar, a shandy is made by combining beer (usually lager, but not necessarily) and soda — in this case, lemonade.
From the Cracker Barrel menu, we’d recommend Bud Light. It’s a light, refreshing, and easy-drinking beer with a mild flavor — nothing too strong that’ll overpower the lemonade. Rather, its subtle maltiness will complement the bright, sweet, tangy lemonade and make for a delicious summery cocktail that’s perfect to pair with whatever you happen to be eating. To make it, just order a Bud Light and one of Cracker Barrel’s in-house old-fashioned lemonades. Combine them in equal measures and voila — you’ve got yourself a shandy, and a good one at that. If you fancy spicing things up a little (literally), use some ginger beer in place of the lemonade for a sweet, boozy combo that’ll pack some heat, too.
Order some red wine and make a Spanish summer classic
The aforementioned Rosato Moscato isn’t the only wine Cracker Barrel added to its menu during its last update: There’s also a new red offering in the Roscato Sweet Red. It’s also a creation of Northern Italy and makes for a delicious, accessible red wine that’s an ideal accompaniment to the hearty Southern cooking Cracker Barrel is known for. But while it’s a perfect dinner pairing all on its own, you can take it to the next level by ordering one of those lemonades we mentioned earlier and combining them to make a classic Spanish cocktail that’s perfect for the summer: tinto de verano.
Beloved in Spain for its sweet yet refreshing flavor (similar to sangria, but perhaps a little lighter), tinto de verano is essentially a red wine spritzer with lemonade instead of soda water. The ratio is different, too: Equal parts lemonade and wine are used. What results is a drink that’s perfect for any time of day — one that’ll rival the likes of the Aperol spritz as one of the best aperitifs out there. And if you’re feeling adventurous, swap out the lemonade for coke and make the legendary Basque cocktail, the kalimotxo. Trust us, it sounds weird, but once you try it, you’ll never look back.
