Scandoval, the Cocktail

The Scandoval cocktail recipe from The Whole Smiths is the perfect easy-to-make cocktail inspired by America’s favorite drama, Vanderpump Rules. It’s messy, over-the-top, self absorbed and has a band. It’s a lighter riff on an old school Long Island Iced Tea.

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Alright friends, we are ready for the tea to spill this reunion. Am I right, or am I right? I’m right. I think it’s safe to say this is the most anticipated Vanderpump Rules reunion we’ve had yet. Forget about Jax and his stolen sunglasses, Miami girl, Kristen and Jax hooking up, Stassi’s many birthdays, Jax cheating (again) and the multitude of trips gone wrong. This reunion is where it’s at. I anticipate it will be one of Bravo’s highest rated shows as we all tune in to watch the fallout of Bravo’s messiest debacle yet. 

The Scandoval Cocktail is Your Vanderpump Reunion Drink. 

Tom Sandoval himself has been crafting and serving up drinks form the beginning of Vanderpump Rules and it’s time for him to have his own cocktail aptly named after him. Besides, we need a festive drink to tune into this TV moment. I started thinking about Long Island Iced Teas this past fall and realized we needed an updated version of the over the top drink from the 70’s. It needed to be a bit lighter and, well, a bit less over the top. Drinkable, if you will.

Then more recently, I started thinking about what kind of cocktail I wanted to create to really get us into the spirit of the reunion and realized that Tom Sandoval is the original Long Island Iced Tea. A relic of the 70’s that leaves you feeling dazed and confused. We might not need any more Sandoval in our lives, we do need a Scandoval cocktail. 

From there, I took the original Long Island Iced Tea and turned it into something we could all stomach. Smoother, cooler, lighter and understated. 

How to Make the Scandoval Cocktail.

The Scadoval Cocktail uses a wide variety of liquors just like the original. First, I chose to tone the drink down by using half shots and added some smoother flavors to blend it all together. The Scandoval cocktail even has actual tea in it! For this recipe I chose to use peach juice but the truth is, you can use all sorts of juices to flavor it. Mango, passionfruit, and pineapple juice are all great alternatives. 

This is one of the easiest cocktail around to make. Once you have your ingredients measured and lined up, you add them all into a cocktail shaker with lots of ice and shake. And shake some more. In fact, put on a song and shake until your tail feather falls off. You can even take a moment and pretend you’re Ariana behind the bar at Sur. Shaking is the best part of making any cocktail in my opinion, it’s where all the love comes from.

How to Serve the Scandoval Cocktail. 

Once the Scandoval Cocktail has been properly shaken, strain the cocktail a tall highball glass full of ice. Any kind of ice will do. Finally, to garnish I like using a fresh slice of lemon and a spring a mint. It helps to lighten up the drink a bit. 

If you’re looking for an extra special highball glass to serve yours in, these are some of my favorite. 

Maximizing Your Vanderpump Rules Viewing Party. 

The Scandoval Cocktail just wouldn’t  be complete without an entire spread of Vanderpump Rules goodies to serve at your viewing party. Which is why I created some additional recipes to serve your guests. We can’t have just one cocktail to choose from, we need two. Hence, the Chicken & Waffle Cocktail. It’s an homage to our other dear Tom, Tom Schwartz. I think the title is self explanatory. 

As far as bites go, I created a few nibbles. First up is a Gluten-Free Fried Goat Cheese Ball. I’d like to think it has Stassi’s approval.

Finally, finally, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PASTA PASTA! This Gluten-Free Crispy Artichoke Carbonana is where it’s at. It’s hearty, gives some LA vibes and sprinkled with everyone’s favorite white power, Parmesan!

Now that you have the drinks and the vibes, it’s time to bring the drama. Grab your best Vanderpump Rules pals and join them for the 3-part reunion starting May 24th.