Netflix and Kill, anyone? If you’re anything like us, you spent most of the weekend watching Netflix’s new, highly bingeable murder mystery series, “The Perfect Couple.”
Starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Eve Hewson, and Dakota Fanning, among other notables, this six-episode TV mini-series follows the Winbury family, a wealthy Nantucket-based clan, during what should be their son and brother’s picture-perfect wedding.
Everything goes awry when the maid of honor, played by a bubbly and delightful Meghann Fahy, washes ashore the morning after the rehearsal dinner.
Okay, no spoilers, we promise that’s all we’ll reveal about the plot. Aside from Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber’s chemistry as husband and wife, the show’s main star has been the Blackberry Mojito.
Introduced in the pilot episode titled “Happy Wedding Eve,” this drink is matriarch Greer Garrison Winbury’s (aka Nicole Kidman’s character’s) signature welcome drink for guests. Since the show’s premiere on September 5, 2024, internet searches for “Blackberry Mojitos” are up a whopping 600% percent.
Clearly, fans are thirsting for more cocktail pairings to fit the show’s seaside, luxurious vibe — and we’re here to bring them.
How to make a Blackberry Mojito
Mojitos are a refreshingly crisp drink typically found on casino floors and served up sandside at beach resorts. While there are endless ways to put a little twist on the classic Mojito recipe, adding blackberries is a particularly genius move.
The tart berries play perfectly off the sweetness of the sugar, and the added deep purple swirl gives the drink a nice pop of color. Making a Blackberry Mojito is about as easy as making a Mojito; you only need one five-second adjustment:
The Blackberry Mojito takes a standard Mojito recipe and adds blackberries into the pre-spirit mixture.
So, you start with ½ ounce of mint simple syrup, or, if you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to make your simple syrup, you can add the juice from 1 lime, one teaspoon of raw sugar, five mint leaves, and 4 to 5 blackberries to a glass and use a muddler to mash all the ingredients together.
This should unlock those vibrant aromas, and using the bigger-grained raw sugar will help it break down and mix in with the other ingredients. Next, add some ice, 1 ½ ounces of white rum, enough club soda to fill the glass, and your garnish. We suggest a couple of beautiful, plump blackberries stabbed through the middle.
This is a great pre-dinner drink and would pair wonderfully with a grazing table or a charcuterie board.
Cozy up with a Cape Codder
A Cape Codder (or a Cape Cod) might sound like a fancy-pants cocktail you’d see a member of the Winbury family clutching while admonishing a housekeeper. Still, Cape Codder is just another name for a Vodka Cranberry.
This classic cocktail, dating back to the 1940s, is allegedly named after the Cape Cod Resort and is the quintessential Massachusetts drink, considering that cranberries were first cultivated on Cape Cod in 1816. This makes it a perfect companion for the show, which takes place in Nantucket.
It’s an excellent yacht drink, too, meaning it’s delightful on a hot day, easy to make on a rocky boat, and bougie as all get out.
To make a genuine, authentic Cape Codder, you can’t forget a spritz of lime and lime wedge garnish — and bonus points for using locally sourced cranberry juice. Springing for the lime is an easy way to elevate your Vodka Cranberry and also brings a great color contrast to the drink.
It’s never recommended to imbibe on an empty stomach, so we recommend whipping up some cranberry Brie bites as a delightful appetizer that will keep your guests satiated while leaving enough room for dinner.
Kick back with a Nantucket Mule.
Continuing on the theme of classic cocktails dressing up as regional drinks for some added pizzazz, we have the Nantucket Mule, named for the island on which the show takes place. This take on the Mule might not be as recognizable as its counterparts, such as the Mexican Mule or Kentucky Mule, but the cocktail brings the same amount of refreshing spice.
Each Mule variation has its twist, and this one is no different. Unlike the Moscow Mule, which features vodka, mint, lime, and ginger beer, the Nantucket Mule contains an added ingredient (you guessed it!): cranberries.
To make a Nantucket Mule, all you need to do is start with the standard Moscow Mule recipe and add 1 ½ tablespoons of cranberry juice, sauce, or jam to your tumbler.
If you’re feeling ambitious, try making your cranberry compote to add to the drink. You can use Bryan Voltaggio’s cranberry-Riesling compote recipe; skip the Riesling for this one, or your drink will be beyond boozy. The Nantucket Mule is the perfect drink to pair with seafood. The spice from the ginger beer and tartness from the cranberries will cut through any salty, briny flavors. We recommend giving oysters Rockefeller a try with this drink. The Winbury family would approve; keep everyone away from the kitchen and all its sharp tools — if you catch our drift.
A toast twist: Champagne Cocktails
It’s nearly impossible to attend a wedding weekend without spending considerable time sitting through dreadful speeches. That’s why Champagne always accompanies speeches to make them easier to bear.
You were kidding (sort of). You don’t need to spend much time with the Winbury family to know that they like to take everything up to an elevated level of poshness. So, when it comes to having Champagne as your “Perfect Couple” watch party pièce de résistance, pouring it straight from the bottle into a flute won’t do. Instead, add your favorite fresh fruit juice to turn your Champagne into a cocktail.
This is essentially what Champagne-based cocktails like French 75s, Marasca Fizzes, Mimosas, and Bellinis are: some variation of fruit mixed with Champagne. Champagne and seafood go together like, well, money and murder. To keep your “Perfect Couple” night on theme, we recommend whipping up some buttery New England-style lobster rolls to serve as the entrée.
Don’t be intimidated if you have no experience cooking lobster; this is like a fancy, toasted sandwich (and you can even buy pre-cooked lobster meat). This recipe only takes 15 minutes, so you can spend most of your time watching the TV with your friends, trying to figure out who killed who.
Non-alcoholic Plum and Ginger Mocktail
Non-alcoholic drinks are having a (non) spiritual awakening in this country. Get it? Okay, sorry. You’re right, it’s a stretch. Aside from their increasing popularity, we thought something like a Plum and Ginger Cordial Mocktail would’ve been the perfect offering at the Winbury house, considering that Abby Winbury is pregnant and other non-drinkers might be on the guest list.
Insert sly smiley face here. Nicole Kidman, for one, doesn’t drink, although it does seem like her character, Greer, likes to partake in a cocktail or two. She is a writer, after all.
A Plum and Ginger Cordial Mocktail is made in the same way you would prepare the recipe’s cordial — with tea, orange juice, ginger, plums, and sparkling water — but to make it zero alcohol by volume (ABV), you can omit the gin. The Nantucket Mule also makes for a great mocktail; skip the vodka, and you’re good to go.
Whether you’re binging the “Perfect Couple” show or reading the book on which the series is based, it’s always fun to get lost in a good story. By pairing your entertainment with some of these cocktails and bites, you can enhance your experience to a 3D level.
Pick up a bouquet or two of hydrangeas and throw on your best vintage gown to get into the Winbury spirit.
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