Apple Pickin' Punch

 

2 oz Goslings dark rum
1/2 oz Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps
1/4 oz St Elizabeth allspice dram
4 oz apple cider
1 tsp lemon juice

The taste of the autumnal equinox right there in the glass.

Apropos

 

1 oz gin
1 oz Aperol
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz orange juice
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange twist for garnish

Light on alcohol and just enough to whet your appetite.

Mon Ark

A riff on the drink called the Monarch - we replaced the lemon juice with grapefruit and left out the sugar.

2 oz Tanqueray gin
3/4 oz St. Germaine elderflower liqueur
1 oz grapefruit juice
4 mint leaves
Twist of lemon

Tear the mint leaves into a shaker and add the gin, liqueur and juice. Shake with ice and double strain into a cocktail glass. Add twist and mint leaf to garnish.

Optional: Add to Collins glass with ice and top off with club soda. The first went down too quickly we wanted the second one to last!

 

March on Washington

 

Lots of people are in town this week to mark the 50th anniversary march on Washington and we thought we'd mark the occasion with a little drink. What else do you do with out of town guests!

1 oz Makers Mark bourbon
1 oz Tanqueray gin
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
Dash of Angostura bitters
Reeds ginger ale

Mix the first 5 ingredients together with ice in a shaker. Please note the equal measure of bourbon, gin and lime juice - equality is important after all! Pour over ice in a Collins glass and top off with ginger ale and a slice of lime.

It was hard to wait for this one - I was barely able to take a photo of it . Maybe I should have told them to prove how much they needed refreshments and have them band together and march on the capital or something.

 

Hot Lips

2 oz Tres Agaves Tequila Blanca

1 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur

1 tsp agave nectar (or to taste)

3 basil leaves

3 slices jalapeno pepper (with or without seeds)

1/2 lime

Dash of lime bitters (optional)

 

Muddle the tequila with the jalapeno slices, the basil leaves and the half lime cut up into smaller pieces. Add ice and all the other ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain with a fine mesh strainer into cocktail glass.

 

Prepare to have your lips tingle!

Manhattan Bing

Himself loves a Manhattan and was one of the reasons we made cherry bitters to try it in one of these. It did not disappoint.

2oz James E. Pepper 1776 rye whiskey
1/2 - 1oz sweet vermouth
Bada Bing cherry to garnish (much preferred to the maraschino)
12-18 drops/2-3 dashes cherry bitters

Sicilian Side Car

 

Or a Sicilian Side Track - I have a post ready on how we used our Cherry Bitters but this week I've been thinking of a dear friend who is moving away from the area and in her honor I made one of her favorite cocktails - the Side Car. But why Sicilian? I used Solerno blood orange liqueur instead of Cointreau and celebrated my friend's Italian roots. (I totally made that last part up - I'm all out of Cointreau!)

2oz brandy or cognac
1oz Solerno Liqueur
1oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

Shake all together with ice and strain into a chilled glass.

Here's to new adventures and the mountain air of Colorado!