 Another addition to the Spring Cleaning series, this time I blew the dust of my bottle of Chareau Aloe Liqueur. This is a super fresh eau de vie made in California with a slight minty finish. Its the perfect modifier to a lot of classic cocktails, much like st. Germaine, there is really no excuse for it to be languishing at the back of my bar. While you can easily add Chareau to your gin and tonic or margarita, why take the easy way? That being said, this cocktail might be an example of trying too hard. Its not that this was a bad cocktail, its just that it could be better, and I’m not sure how to get it there. But it looked so pretty that I had to post it. Let’s just call this one a work in progress.  Bitter Peach
2 oz. Amass Impeachment peach vodka 1 oz. Chareau Aloe liqueur 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters Combine the vodka and Chareau in a shaker with ice and shake until very chilled. Strain into a martini glass and season with 2-3 dashes of bitters. Cheers!
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 I have become obsessed with Gucci’s last few seasons, and I can’t get enough of the 1970’s aesthetic, the color blocking and the oversized florals. Since a wardrobe comprised exclusively of Gucci is not really within my budget I thought I would have some fun throwing together some outfits that are inspired by it instead. I paired an over-sized blazer from Everlane belted over an A.L.c. pleated midi skirt to create a modern take on a skirt suit. The slouchy suede Vince Camuto boots and a pair of calypso curvy hoops from Demarson New York keep the outfit from feeling too stuffy. While it looks like the Tom Collin’s was most likely created almost a century prior, it was very popular during the 1970’s. Originally made with Old Tom gin or Plymouth gin, it turns out there is a whole family of Collins cocktails. There is some dispute that a Collins made with London Dry Gin is actually called a John Collins, or is that with Bourbon? You see the problem. Its undoubtably the simplicity of the the Tom Collins, made even easier with the over-sweetened Collins mixes of the time, that made it such a favorite during the disco fulled ’70's. Bonus points to anyone who can guess where the quote from the title is from!  Tom Collins
1 1/2 oz. London dry gin 3/4 oz. lemon juice 1/2 oz. simple syrup 4 oz. club soda Orange slice and Cherry Combine all ingredients, except the soda, in a shaker and shake until chilled. Strain in to tall glass filled with ice and top with club soda. Garnish with an orange slice and cherries. Cheers!  Recently I’ve started using Rent-the-runways unlimited service, which allows you to rent several pieces of clothing or accessories each month. I get to satisfy my urge to shop without having to worry about overflowing my closet or making bad choices, and I get to try out brands for fit, sizing, quality and comfort before I commit. I’ve been looking at this Doen dress for a while now, and when I saw it on the site I knew I had to give it a try. I love it so much I bought it (for 85% off the retail price)! Okay, there are no lemons in a Pisco Sour, though if that’s what you’ve got go for it. Pisco is a brandy made in the wine regions of Chile and Peru. Its new to me, and it’s nothing like the brandy’s that I’m familiar with. I find Pisco is much lighter, brighter and more fruit forward in flavor. The Pisco Sour is probably the most commonly known Pisco cocktail and its the perfect introduction.  Pisco Sour
2 oz. Capurro Pisco 1 oz. lime juice 1/2 oz. simple syrup 1 egg white Angostura bitters for garnish Place all of the ingredients in a shaker and dry shake until combined, add ice and shake until very cold and frothy. Strain into a coupe and garnish with several drops of bitters. Cheers!  It’s the second installment of Spring Cleaning, and today I’m tackling the half bottle of Southern Comfort that I’ve had sitting in the back of my bar for so long I can’t remember when or why I bought it. What I do know is that its not my favorite, and I need to figure out a way to make it better. I decide to take my inspiration from southern sweet tea. Keep in mind I’ve never had sweet tea or been to the south, so this is based completely on cliches. I just happened to have some Oliver Pluff & Co. Blackberry tea from Charleston that I’ve been waiting to do some thing special with, and this seemed like just the thing. I accidentally infused this for about 18 hours, and while it maybe be a bit too astringent for some, I really liked it. This particular tea was lovely, the blackberry flavor is very prominent and really adds to the cocktail. This did end up being on the sweet side so I add lots of ice to the glass. This ended up being a very drinkable, elevated cocktail, and I’m please to report that I have an empty bottle to recycle!  Spill the Tea
2 oz. Black Berry tea Infuse Southern Comfort 1/2 oz. simple syrup 1/2 oz. lemon juice Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled and very diluted. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with lots of ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Blackberry Tea Infused Southern Comfort 125 ml Southern Comfort 1 tsp. Oliver Plum & Co. Blackberry tea Combine tea and Southern Comfort in a jar or bottle and infuse for 12-15 hours agitating once in a while. Cheers!  This is just one example of how my life is benefited and enriched daily by the AAPI community and Asian culture, and so I would like to share some appreciation, love, acceptance and recognition here. The Singapore Sling is credited to a Hainanese man named Ngiam Tong Boon, who was the bar captain of the Long Bar at the Raffles hotel in Singapore in the early 20th century. Like many cocktail creators he was secretive of his recipe, allegedly keeping it in a safe until his death in 1915. He led an amazing life, and is survived by many Ngiam descendants. Please follow the link and read the article about him on diffordguide.com which is based off of his various relatives recollections. Like many older classic cocktail recipes, especially when the recipe was a secret closely guarded, this one has changed over time. It was probably based off of a gin sling, and it seems likely that it was pink in the beginning. According to family lore Ngiam’s original recipe was more a citrusy, herbal cocktail with a cherry brandy much like the recipe below, but after his death the pineapple became more prominent as a cost saving measure, these things happen.  Singapore Sling (adapted from thespruceats.com)
1 1/2 oz. gin 1 oz. Bénédictine 1 oz. lime juice 1/2 oz. cheery heering 1/4 oz. simple syrup 2 oz. club soda Garnish maraschino cherry Combine all ingredients except the club soda in a shaker and shake until chilled and diluted. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice and top with soda. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. Cheers!  I’m starting a new series, Spring Cleaning, where I’m trying to use all of my lost, forgotten or unwanted bottles to make tasty new cocktails. Most bottles are not meant to be open for longer than 6-8 months for peak flavor, if something has been sitting open on your bar for over a year its time to use it or lose it.This one was a twofer! Some how I managed to end up with not one but two bottles of Midori, which is maybe two too many in my opinion. Forgive me if you love Midori, but its not my cup of tea, or melon liquor… whatever. The green Chile vodka on the other hand is very tasty but I find it hard to use, and I’ve had a bottle lingering in the back of my cabinet for way too long. These two together is pure gold, or green… you get it. I was determined to not like this, I have preconceived notions about sweet, creamy cocktails. A flip is a great example of this, it should be rich, but balanced and not overly sweet, they are entirely enjoyable and I am surprised every time. In this version of a flip the Midori takes the place of the sherry, because they have a similar viscosity. I then paired it with the slightly spicy, very vegetal Green Chile vodka to help mellow the sweetness of the Melon. A whole egg gives this cocktail a richness and froth that will stand up for a long time. And, finally a few drops of fire water, watch out this stuff is no joke, to help up that kick and take the place of the spice garnish that would traditionally go on top.  Midori Makes Me Flip
1 1/2 oz. Midori Melon Liquor 1 1/2 oz. St. George Green Chile Vodka 1/4 oz. simple syrup 1 whole egg 2-3 drops of Scrappy Bitters Fire water Place all ingredients in a shaker and dry shake until frothy, add ice and wet shake until very cold and very frothy. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a shamrock. Cheers!  It’s been pretty dark and stormy here for the last couple of days, I guess that’s what you get when you live next to the Ocean. Honestly, I love a good storm, and after living in the monotony of perfect blue skies every day for years, I was desperate for a bit of weather. I always appreciate the sunset after the skies have cleared, and being able to throw on this light wool dress from Polo Ralph Lauren and ramble around in nature felt great after a few days of rain and wind. You know what they say; Feet in sand, hats on heads, drinks in hand, can’t loose. Technically, a Dark ’N’ Stormy is proprietary to Gosling’s Rum, they managed to have it trade marked in the early 1990’s, so just to clarify this is not that cocktail. I think it's safe to say that sailors have been drinking combinations of rum, lime and ginger beer for as long as those three ingredients have existed to be put together. This is similar to a Moscow Mule, but better because it has rum in it. I like a spiced rum, and if you can’t put it in a drink like this, then when can you use it? Don't say never, that’s mean.  Dark and Stormy
2 oz. Kraken black spiced rum 1/2 oz. lime juice Top with Bundaberg Ginger beer Garnish with lime wedge Fill a glass with ice, add rum and lime juice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wedge. Cheers!  Good news! Our school district has announced that they will be sending the kids back to school in April. Of course, they will only have spots for the children who said they wanted in-person learning in a random survey sent out before we switched schools. So, I have spent all of yesterday searching through emails trying to find a link to this survey, no luck, and most of this morning emailing various school officials trying to get a new link. Some times you just feel like you need a big old glass of Gin, or maybe that’s just me. Luckily for us all, with the addition of just one or two ingredients you can make that glass of gin into a socially acceptable, and stylish martini! While drinking a martini before ten in the morning might still get some looks, I propose that they’re just jealous. My Nana taught me how to make a Gin martini, and it really was just a room temperature glass of Beefeater with a drop of dry vermouth (that they did not refrigerate and was probably older than me) some ice, and a lemon twist, maybe. So when I found out that you could season a martini with vermouth (not just an unwanted necessity for social acceptance) and bitters, it was pretty world changing. The other day I felt like a wanted a martini, but make it feel like spring, so I added some lavender bitters to one of my favorite gins, and instead of dry vermouth, I added Lillet for just a hint of sweetness and a sublet fruit aspect. I’m not positive, but I think Nana would approve.  Lavender Martini
2 1/2 oz. Highclere Castle gin *gifted 1/2 oz. Lillet blanc 2-3 dashes Scrappy Bitters lavender bitters *gifted Combine everything in a shaker with ice and shake until very chilled. Strain into a coupe. Cheers!  I did it. I binge-watched Bridgerton, and it was good. I was a bit confused about how scandalous (Shonda!) people were saying it was, but the last period piece I watched was Harlots so... Anyway, I regret nothing, and it inspire this fancy edition of Cocktails and Clothes. The dress is from Sachin & Babi, and while its not exactly in the style of Bridgerton, I loved the high-low hem, pockets and pink and green floral pattern. Who says you can’t wear the dress even though you have absolutely nowhere to go? The French 75 is named after a gun, and I’m guessing it has something to do with how it hits you like heavy artillery. This classic champagne cocktail is bubbly and tart with just a hint of sweetness. It definitely goes down way too easyily, but don’t forget about that sneaky shot of gin in there. To that point, I actually don’t mind a little extra gin, just to remind me…  French 75
1 oz. St. George Botanivore gin 1/2 oz. lemon juice 1/2 oz. simple syrup Top with Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup in a champagne flute, top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist. Cheers!  This daiquiri is based off of one of my favorite morning smoothie flavors, pineapple and matcha. If it tastes great without rum, it's definitely going to taste even better with it. This is a random flavor combo for me as I don’t particularly like pineapple or matcha by themselves, but together its amazing. You could make this with pineapple juice or canned pieces, but I used chunks of fresh pineapple and muddled them in the shaker. I combined the matcha with the simple syrup, but if you really like matcha and want a stronger flavor you could just toss some straight powder in. I used a funky white rum, but I’m tempted by the idea of a coconut rum in this cocktail, maybe next time…  Pineapple Matcha Daiquiri
1 handful of pineapple pieces 1 oz. matcha syrup 1 oz. lime juice 2 oz. ten to one white rum Add pineapple pieces to a shaker and muddle. Add matcha syrup, white rum and ice to the shaker and shake until chilled and diluted. Strain into a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with lime and pineapple. Matcha Syrup 1 part matcha tea 1 part sugar Combine sugar and hot tea and stir until dissolved. Cheers! |