 Tricks might be for kids, but this Strawberry Milk version of a Flip definitely isn’t. First, I’d like to admit that I have never made or consumed a Flip before. Secondly, I’d like to admit that I don’t like strawberry milk. Thirdly, and most importantly, I loved this! I know, I’m shocked. I was totally inspired by my kids for this recipe. Their strawberry milk seemed like the perfect flavor profile to pair with the creaminess of a Flip style cocktail. A Flip is traditionally made with sherry and a whole egg. I have never owned a bottle of sherry… so I used a bottle of Malmsey, a style of Madeira, that I’ve had for a while. I also added a touch of Bourbon because I thought it would be nice with the strawberry flavor, and cut down on some of the sweetness of the drink. I really feel that the key to this drink is making your own strawberry syrup, taking care not to cook the berries in the syrup in order to keep their brightness. The strawberry syrup won’t make the drink pink, so if you’re determined to have a strawberry hue you’ll have to add a drop or two of food coloring.  Strawberry Milk Flip
1 oz. Elijah Craig Bourbon 1 oz. heavy cream 0.75 oz. Paul O’Brien Malmsey 0.50 oz. strawberry syrup 1 egg yolk Mix all of the ingredients in a shaker and dry shake for a few seconds, add ice and shake until chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Cheers!
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 The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase was recommended to me after one of my previous posts, mystery in the English country side, I’m in! The book follows two storylines, one of four sisters in the 1950’s, and one of a woman named Jesse in present day. Both stories converge at a country estate called Applecote Manor where a young girl once went missing. This was a really lovely read that explores the strength of the bonds women create with each other, in between enough intrigue to keep my interest. This is a hauntingly beautiful story, well written with lots of Gothic overtones. I loved this book, and I highly recommend reading it. In order to find the perfect cocktail to accompany this book I looked to what people where drinking in 1950’s Britain. Sloe Gin was very popular in the UK, and I thought a Sloe Gin Fizz would be the perfect thing for the Wildling Sisters. Like a lot of classic cocktails there are a few ways to make this drink depending on how much sweetness you like, and the quality of your sloe gin. I personally like mine with a full shot of Sipsmiths Sloe Gin, and no simple syrup.  Sloe Gin Fizz
1 oz. Sloe Gin 1 oz. Gin 0.75 oz. lemon juice 0.5 oz. simple syrup 3-4 oz. club soda Combine all ingredients, except the club soda, into a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a high-ball glass filled with ice and top with club soda. Garnish with a lemon slice and a cherry. Cheers!  My husband created this cocktail and named it, which I think is pretty obvious. It’s a bit like a boulevardier meets a bourbon sour. This drink is big and bold with a simple construction, much like my husband. Just kidding he’s very complicated and mysterious… This cocktail can easily be enjoyed with or without the egg white. By replacing the sweet vermouth in a classic Boulevardier with citrus the drink has a brighter flavor, and makes it feel much more summery. This drink benefits from being thoroughly diluted while shaking to mellow out the lime juice.  Scorpion Venom
1 oz. Elijah Craig Bourbon 1 oz. Campari 1 oz. lime juice Egg white (optional) Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake until chilled and diluted. Strain out ice and continue to dry shake for 90 seconds, strain into a low ball glass. Cheers!  Unseen City by Nathanael Johnson takes a look at the un-noticed natural world that exists all around our urban homes. While we are all stuck in our houses, I thought this would be the perfect time to learn more about where I live. I spent my childhood roaming forests and hunting frogs. My father who was a bit of a mountain man, taking us foraging for puff balls that we would take home and cook for dinner. Now, I live 3000 miles away in a large city in a different country, and on the opposite coast from where I grew up. I know shamefully little about the natural world around where I live. As I sat reading this book on my back porch I was watching in real time the animal behaviors and insect life that Johnson had described. I loved this book, if you’re feeling a bit trapped by our current situation pick this up, you won’t regret it. I thought a Bee’s Knees would be the perfect cocktail to go with this book. The simplest of cocktails, just three ingredients two of which are local honey and lemons picked from my yard. This a prohibition era cocktail and its simplicity makes it the perfect showcase for the gin that is used. Next weeks book is The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase. As always scroll down to find the recipe to make your own Bee’s Knees.  Bee’s Knees (Robert Simonson)
2 oz. Highclere London Dry Gin .75 oz. Lemon juice .5 oz. Honey syrup (1:1 honey and water) Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Cheers!  This drink was totally inspired by a bottle of spiced red wine from Oregon that’s been gathering dust on my bar. The spiced aspect of the wine brought to mind more tropical island flavors or Tiki drinks, but I’ve had a New York Sour on my list of cocktails to make for a while. The obvious answer was to combine the two. This is pretty much me throwing any Tiki-like ingredients into the form of a New York Sour. As a concept it worked pretty well, though I couldn’t get the red wine float to work. I’m going to chalk that up to inexperience and try again later.  Tiki State of Mind
1 oz.Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon 1 oz. Koloa Kaua’i Dark Rum 1 oz. lime juice .75 oz. Donn’s Mix .25 oz. John D Taylors Velvet Falernum Chateau Bianca’s Northwest Comfort Red Wine Combine all ingredients, minus the red wine, in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into a high ball glass filled with ice. Ideally float red wine on top, but if that doesn’t work it doesn’t matter. Garnish with a tiny umbrella and pretend your on a tropical vacation. Cheers!  I love a good murder mystery, and Agatha Christie is the Queen, so I couldn’t go wrong with The Mysterious Affair at Styles. This is one of the Hercule Poirot series and it is resplendent with bucolic English scenery and country estates. There is just something about Agatha Christie’s stories that I love and find almost soothing. If you love murder mysteries but need something civilized then this book is your perfect escape from reality. The Attention was first published by Hugo Ensslin in the early 1900’s. This was a spirit forward cocktail, heavy on both Créme De Violette and Absinthe, and it’s generally considered to be fairly unbalanced. Harry Craddock recreated a more balanced version called the Atty in the 1930’s. I thought it was only right to start at the beginning, and I couldn’t resist a cocktail called the Attention which also spawned something called Arsenic and Old Lace to go with a Christie murder mystery. The recipe I used was a updated spec by Jamie Boudreau which can be found on Imbibe. Next weeks read is Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness by Nathanael Johnson. As always, scroll down for the the specs to try the Attention for yourself.  Attention
2 oz. Gin .25 oz. Dry Vermouth .25 oz. Absinthe .25 oz. Créme De Violette 2 dashes orange bitters Garnish with Lemon twist Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, stir till chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Cheers!  Whether you can’t drink, don’t drink, or just need to give your liver a break… this ones for you. Whatever your reasons for not consuming alcohol, sometimes you just want to drink a fancy beverage custom-made and tailored to you. Well, here is a refreshing non-alcoholic spritz perfect for sipping right into summer. I can be difficult to create a mocktail that has more complexity than a Shirley Temple, the overly sweet combination of soda and juice. To create adult flavors requires a little more creativity, adding some astringent and herbal notes. This is where a bottle of non-alcoholic spirits can come in handy. This cocktail uses botanical flavors of Seedlip Spice 94 aromatic non-alcoholic spirits combined with rose simple syrup to create a refreshing alternative to a traditional spritz.  Grapefruit Rose Seedlip Spritz
2 oz. Seedlip Spice 94 Aromatic 1 oz. grapefruit juice 1 oz. rose simple syrup (1:1 rose water to sugar) Soda water Combine all ingredient, except the soda water, in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and pour into a glass filled with ice. Top with soda water and garnish with grapefruit slices. Cheers! |