 Sorry, I couldn't resist the Austin Powers quote, for the record there isn't anything weird about the Dutch. This is my second, and last, submission to the Home Bar Awards finals, and I wanted to do something different. The concept was to make a drink that didn't look like a traditional amaro cocktail. While researching different types of bitters my ever helpful husband suggested Cloosterbitter, a herbal bitter from Holland. It has a beautiful green color, and is similar to Green Chartreuse. Since Cloosterbitter is so drinkable I thought I would stay true the classic Americano specs and pair it with a vermouth. With its mild licorice flavor, it has more of a mint and ginger kick, I wanted to pair it with something fresh, and since citrus juice is out I substituted with lime bitters and dry vermouth for a little acidity. The final result is a bright and herbal cocktail that is totally refreshing.  Lekker-icano
1 1/2 oz. Cloosterbitter 1 1/2 oz. Dolin Dry Vermouth 2 dashes Scrappy’s lime bitters 2 oz. Topo Chico / club soda Crack several pieces of ice for your mixing glass. Combine all ingredients, except the club soda, in the mixing glass and store until chilled. Strain into a high ball glass filled with ice. Placing a bar spoon into the glass, pour the club soda down the shaft of the spoon dispersing it throughout the drink, give it a gentle stir. Garnish with a round of lime peel. Cheers!
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 dresss: Club Monaco I have been having so much fun putting together new outfits, trying out styles and colors and generally playing dress up. I love a little retail therapy as much as the next person, but I’ve been making a big effort over the last few years to try and be more sustainable and ethical about my purchases. While there are a lot of ways to shop more sustainably, the best and most affordable way is to rewear the pieces that are already in my wardrobe. To that end I thought I would introduce you to one of the older pieces in my collection. This beautiful blue dress was purchased from on sale from Club Monaco well over ten years ago. I loved the color, fabric and low back, and honesty those are the things that have kept it around all these years later. The El Presidente, much like this dress, is an old favorite. It is a classic rum cocktail originally found in The Savoy Cocktail book. Like a lot classic cocktails that have seen the test of time it seems to have an unlimited number of different variations. I definitely went for one with a smaller amount of grenadine in it, but there's truly something for everyone where this drink is concerned.  El Presidente (The Spruce Eats)
1 1/2 oz light rum 3/4 oz. orange curaçao 3/4 oz. dry vermouth Dash of grenadine Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing glass with one and stir until chilled. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a lemon twist. Cheers!  This is my first submission for the Home Bar Awards finals! This is also my first year being in the finals, while I’m so excited, I am also just a little intimidated. Not only was this a huge challenge for me as far as drink creation, but I'm also competing against , in my opinion, some of the best accounts on IG. Good luck to all of the competitors, may the specs ever be in your favor. The basis for my Amor-icano is St. Agrestis Amaro, an American Amaro from Brooklyn, NY, it seemed like the perfect fit for a New York amaro bar. I wanted to stay true to the perfectly balanced sweet and bitter of an Americano, but with a different flavor profile. This spicy amaro brings to mind root-beer and cola, and I couldn’t resist combining it with cherry flavors. The resulting cocktail is refreshingly herbal with warm baking spices and red fruit, not too sweet and a clean bitter finish.  Bitter is the new Black
3/4 oz. St. Agrestis Amaro 3/4 oz. Cherry Heering 3/4 oz. lillet blanc 3/4 oz. London dry gin Top with 2 oz. Topo Chico or club soda Crack a piece or two of ice for the bottom of your mixing glass, combine all of the ingredient except the seltzer, fill with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled highball glass filled with ice. Placing a bar spoon into the glass, pour soda down the spoons shaft, dispersing the carbonated water through the beverage, and give it a gentle stir.. Garnish with a bourbon cherry. Cheers!  top: DVF // Pants: Helmut Lang // Earrings: Alison Lou // Shoes: Loeffler Randall I’m still rolling with a monochromatic theme, this week its sea foam green! Weirdly, I don’t own anything in this color, but you can bet I’m going to change that. Monochromatic dressing hasn’t really been part of my repertoire, but for some reason it has really been speaking to me lately. Maybe because its actually so easy to pull an outfit together, focus on fit and texture, and you can end up with something so visually interesting. And these pants! I can’t even; the cut, the material, they are just so dreamy. Honestly, the whole outfit is amazing. Clearly my cocktail needed to match my outfit, and when I think of green cocktails one of my favorites always come to mind. The last word is such a fantastic classic, tart and herbal with just enough sweetness and a little bite from the gin. If you’re not a fan, or you’ve never tried Green Chartreuse, this might not be the cocktail for you. But, if you’re looking for an introduction to this bitter, herbal and expensive liqueur then this is the perfect place to start.  The Last Word
3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse 3/4 oz. HIghclere Castle Gin 3/4 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur 3/4 oz. lime juice Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe. Cheers!  It’s back, after a brief crisis of indecision, cocktails and clothes is returning to the blog. While, I admit the purpose of these posts in regards to you dear reader is a bit unclear, I really love styling and shooting these photos, and so I will continue. Hopefully you will agree that I’m getting better at this… This week is a study in pink, a monochromatic theme that I hope you will enjoy, I certainly did. Instead of an outfit I wanted to share one of my Christmas presents. A washable silk robe from Lunya. If you haven’t heard of them they make the most amazing sleep and lounge wear. I want everything. I love them, because as well as being incredibly beautiful and comfortable, all of their products are so thoughtfully designed. For example, this robe in addition to being machine washable (it’s true! I’ve done it) has an ingenious internal magnetic clasp, no more fiddly little ties. It also has elastic cuffs, so you don’t get your selves wet when you are washing your face, and the belt can’t fall off. Oh yeah, and it has pockets! Let’s talk about the cocktail, that’s maybe why you’re here? I was obviously looking for something pink, and in a strange mood, so when I found this random spec for something called the Queen’s Ruby in The Ultimate Bartenders Guide I was intrigued. What sealed the deal was that this cocktail doesn't exist on the internet, I should have taken it as a sign. It’s not good. Despite Fred DuBose, author of The Ultimate Bartenders Guide, claims that this was served at a Four Seasons, it's flat and overly sweet, and I don’t recommend it. But, I am dying to try and perk it up a bit, so expect a re-shake in the near future.  Queen’s Ruby (The Ultimate Bartender’s Guide)
2 oz. Highclere Castle London Dry Gin 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering 1 tsp. Sweet vermouth Combine in a mixing glass with ice and stir till chilled. Strain into a glass. Cheers!  I don’t really do dry January… but I am currently dealing with a gallbladder thing, and deprivation of all the things that make me happy (aka cocktails, greasy foods, joy… you get it) seems to be the only thing that helps. I know, I know, I should just have the thing removed, everyone says so, but the last thing I want right now is to be in a hospital. So, I will continue to act as I was brought up to, and ignore it until I’m in crisis and end up in the emergency room, problem solved. Enough about me though, let’s talk about this zero proof cocktail for a minute. While this one doesn’t have any alcohol in it, it does have some CBD infused mixer. It’s a super refreshing combination of Seedlip Spice 94, a zero proof distilled spirit, which brings some nice herbal notes, and Rosemary Grapefruit CBD infused beverage with a little lemon juice for balance. This is still an adult beverage in the way that it is not overly sweetened, and its much more sophisticated in its flavors. It in no way tastes like it was made with dirty bong water either, which is always a plus.  CBDB (For Uplifting Gormandizers)
2oz. Seedlip Spice 94 4 oz. Aurora Infused beverage Rosemary Grapefruit 15mg. CBD 1/4 oz. lemon juice Combine all ingredients in a chilled cocktail glass. Cheers! |