Trust The Process
As promised, this post is a continuation of my last one, making a cocktail built around the syrup I discussed. While I highly recommend this syrup and the resulting drink, the bigger points here are 1) Consider making a syrup instead of throwing out overripe produce, 2) It’s not too complicated to make said syrup, 3) These spontaneous syrups can be a great launching point for new cocktails.
Sgt. Pepper
While I love making drinks that are clearly food-inspired, I also love making a simple 4-5 ingredient drink that I can quickly make for a group. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring, and this one is packed with flavor. The ingredients just seem made for each other: a spicy and refreshing syrup with habanero and cucumber; an intensely flavorful gin with notes of cilantro, cucumber, lime, and more; and a poblano chili liqueur that brings more vegetal pepper and spice. Bring in some lime juice and a bit of soda water, and you have a thirst-quenching drink that is great for the patio or with dinner. Check out the details below if you want a discount on some of the ingredients!
Berry Versatile
It’s officially the Summer of Strawberry. For one, little kids go through more fruit than several grown men, and currently we’re on a strawberry kick in our house. This inevitably means the occasional batch of strawberries about to go bad, which is actually the best kind for syrups and the like. To that end, I made a strawberry rhubarb ginger shrub that is amazing (full recipe on my website, link in bio) and good in everything I’ve tried it in so far.
Just Add Chips
When I first heard about San Miguel Southwestern Gin that @old_harbor was going to send me— full of lime, cilantro, and cucumber, among other botanicals— I immediately thought of salsa. But how could I bring in salsa into a cocktail? I’m curious to hear others’ approach here, but I went with a shrub.
Violet Crown
I have a fruit-forward Springtime drink to share today! The strawberry tarragon syrup has been a huge hit and is nearly gone, so here is one more drink featuring it. This one includes a beautiful purple gin kindly sent by @mcqueenvioletfog that is flavored with berry/hibiscus. The strawberry was a natural pairing here with the berry notes. I added a bit of tequila because I love the hibiscus/agave combo. Bitter bianco brought some depth and balance to the build. For being a fairly straightforward Tom Collins riff, this one was highly touted by my (albeit gin-loving) wife.
Happy Tears
Today’s recipe includes one of the spirits I brought back from Greece: Mastiha liqueur. It’s made from the resin that comes from an evergreen shrub native to Greece. When the plant’s resin comes out it looks like a tear drop, and can be used in a variety of culinary (and drink) applications (and more). The nose on the spirit is pine-y and not too distant from gin/juniper, but the taste is definitely distinct and includes more woodsy/cedar/earthy notes with a tiny hint of herbaceousness/?mint. Yum!
Inverted French ‘75
Happy National Cocktail Day! I figured it was prudent to post a drink, of all days, even though that’s pretty much business as usual around here. Today I have another “class switch” if you will— reimagining a classic cocktail in a different style.
One With Tea
Hey all! I’m back from vacation and have some new content for you. Today we’re going to keep it fairly simple with a martini-style drink using a delicious flavored vodka kindly sent by @chakravodkas. With this build, I wanted to highlight the jasmine by tying in some tea-leaning flavors with the Italicus (bergamot-forward liqueur) and gin— I used @jaisalmergin, which has green tea among its aromatic botanicals.
Low-Key
I have made this drink multiple times already, so that should tell you a lot (I don’t normally do that). Don’t let the homemade ingredients dissuade you, they are both as easy as throwing stuff in a jar (though I made the tincture in a sous vide, a room temp infusion should work fine). I’m a big fan of this gin, and I feel like its full potential is unlocked when paired with vegetal pepper.
Cosmic Harmony
I know flavored vodkas often get a bad rep, but like with any spirit, there is a wide spectrum of quality out there. I want a vodka that is still clean and not overly sweet, with authentic flavor representation. The lychee, coconut, and jasmine vodka that the folks at @chakravodkas kindly sent me fits that order nicely. It has a ton of depth and the three flavors represented are in perfect harmony.