Beet me in St. Louis

So once you've infused a load of gin with beets it's time to search for more ways to enjoy it, right? Thanks to the handy dandy search engine known as Google I came across this gem and put tarragon on the shopping list. To make the Honey-Tarragon syrup bring equal parts honey and water to a boil, reduce heat and stir until honey has melted, then add as much tarragon as will fit in the liquid and let sit for a few hours - even over night. Keep some of the tarragon leaves for garnish as I can't seem to make a gin cocktail without a herb apparently - check out here, here and here.

1 1/2 ounce Beet-Infused Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 ounce Domaine De Canton ginger liqueur
1/2 ounce Honey-Tarragon Syrup
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Tarragon leaves
Combine all ingredients in shaker with ice, shake and serve. Tarragon leaves for garnish.

Beet Negroni

If imitation weren't the best form of flattery well this blog wouldn't even exist. Way back in December we were introduced to a beet Negroni in Parm in New York and we couldn't wait to try it out ourselves at home. Finally got our act together in February (we move slowly round these parts) and it was worth the wait. We infused thinly sliced raw peeled beets in gin and let it sit for 3 days. We strained the gin and stirred it with equal parts Campari and Sweet Vermouth and lots of ice with a slice of orange. Very satisfying and such beautiful deep rich reds and oranges.  

This has a very earthy flavor so if you like it lighter I'd suggest infusing it for a shorter time - I just couldn't take my eyes off the infuser to strain it sooner.

The Last Word

First time I tasted this was in the PX speakeasy in Alexandria and I knew I needed to have more; which is what I've been doing a little too much of really...

Equal parts gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and fresh lime juice shaken in a shaker with ice. Change the gin for vodka, tequila, or mescal and a whole new drink is poured. Easy peasy lime squeezy.

Be My Yes

My little Be My Yes hashtag in liquid form. The drink is actually a marriage of two recipes for the same drink (Clover Club); they each shared only the gin and the lemon juice as ingredients. Totally not planned out that way but now that I think of it very apt as I am thinking very strongly of my homeland tonight and anxiously awaiting the marriage referendum results.

2 oz gin
.75 oz dry vermouth
.75 lemon juice
White of one egg (used one for 2 drinks)
1 tsp raspberry jam (more if you like it sweeter)
Fresh raspberry for garnish

Mix all ingredients together with ice, shake well to make sure the jam has dissolved. Strain into chilled cocktail glasses.

Serve with a decent dose of optimism for a bright future for all.

Cucumber Gimlet

The following makes 2 drinks - can easily be doubled/tripled for a pitcher! Why would you even want to make just one! It's as cool as a gimlet. By the way - you could use vodka if you don't have gin in the house*.

2 tbsp. Sugar
1 Small Cucumber - the Persian kind or 1/4 English cucumber
Some Basil
Juice of one or two Limes
4 oz Gin
Splash of Water
Crushed Ice

Cut the cucumber in small pieces (skin n' all) and muddle with the sugar and basil in the bottom of a cocktail shaker/mixing glass. Add the lime juice and stir to dissolve the sugar, then add the gin and water and stir to combine all the ingredients. Strain into two glasses filled with crushed ice. Garnish with cucumber, lime or basil - or all three!

*There should always be gin in the house.

Pepper Berry

 

We like a boozy cocktail and this certainly is one. Himself made it as directed from John Cusimano's My Year in Cocktails and next time (and there will be one) I'd like to try it with the even more peppery watercress.

 

10 Arugula Leaves

3 or 4 Strawberries

2 oz gin (Try Aviation)

1 1/2 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 oz agave syrup

 

Muddle the arugula in the bottom of a cocktail shaker with the strawberries and agave syrup. Add the rest of the ingredients with ice and shake. No need to strain but pour over crushed ice in chilled glass.

 

 

 



Ruby Summer

Last weekend I went to New York on a mission: spend as much time nattering with the the delectable Domestigeek and do as much 'cocktail research' as my liver would allow. Consider it a success! Research day two brought us to the tap room of the Dead Rabbit where we made a decent dent on the menu - and were right at home sitting at the bar to boot. On my next trip I'll make it upstairs to the parlor!

The Bitter Bramble inspired this one. I wanted to use a gift we received earlier this year of Ruby Blue Wild Blackcurrant Liqueur (aka Irish cassis) and so replaced the creme de framboise with it. This was perfect - light, refreshing, summary and not too sweet.

1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Blackcurrant Liqueur
1/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
4-6 oz Fever Tree Tonic Water (half a bottle)
Lots of ice
Berries to garnish

Stir all ingredients in a glass with ice. You may call it a fancy G&T, I call it summer in a glass.

Cloudy Apparent

I liked the Spring Apparent so much I wanted to see what it would be like if I added a little more pastis (1/4 oz) and added some more ice and club soda to it would it make it get cloudy like just plain pastis and water. And guess what? It did! 

Spring Apparent

Wanted something sophisticated but refreshing to sip on the porch on a fine spring evening. This fit the bill soooo well. I tweaked the Apparent recipe in The Ultimate Cocktail Book and replaced the Dubonnet with Lillet blanc. There's a new bottle chilling in our fridge for the upcoming season, taking my own advice about always having a bottle on hand.

Equal measure of a dry gin and Lillet blanc, and a dash of pastis - or maybe a little more - I like pastis! Shake with ice and pour into chilled glass with lemon twist.

More spring please.

Red Carpet

 

It's Oscars time! While my stylist finalizes what I'll be wearing on the red carpet, I'm working on what I'll be drinking. I have my priorities! 

 

Blood oranges are still in season and this is the perfect time for it - the color of it alone oozes luxury. 

 

1 oz gin

1 oz Campari

1/2 oz Solerno blood orange liqueur

1/2 oz Lillet rose

1/2 oz blood orange juice

1/2 oz lime juice

2 dashes orange bitters

 

Shake all the ingredients with ice, strain into a long stemmed glass and garnish with a blood orange wheel.

 



I wonder will this outdo the Vesper from last year? Been topping the most popular since it was shaken a year ago. 

 

Meyer Lemonita

 

It's been a quiet January blog wise but lest you think it's been a dry January let me assure you that just by looking at our whiskey and Campari bottles it's not at all true. We've obviously been comfort drinking through this 'polar vortex' of a winter but we did have a break and created a Meyer lemonita.

 

I never really noticed Meyer lemons until last year and when I went to make something with them they were gone from the stores - they've a short season so I jumped at the chance this year to try some infusions and juicing them. Not disappointed either.

 

I infused tequila with the peel of two lemons (trying to get as little of the bitter white pith as possible) and kept it in the fridge of a few days. Every time I went to the fridge I'd give it a little shake and drool at the thought of it. This is what we did with it when it was ready ...

 

 

2 oz Meyer lemon infused 100% agave tequila

1 oz gin

2 oz Meyer lemon juice

Agave nectar to sweeten (to one's own taste)

 

Shake above with ice in cocktail shaker and pour into a salt rimmed glass (or sugar if that's your thing) and add some lemon zest for garnish.

 

Rainy Playdate

The kid was playing quite happily in his PJs on this warm wet Sunday but reached a limit come early afternoon. "Why not call a friend and see if he wants to come over," I said. Before I knew it he was dressed and heading out the door to his friend's house. "Come over for drinks and snacks," I said to the friend - thinking they would need one if they had my kid for a few hours. And come over for drinks they did. This is what I made, riffing (by reducing the gin) on this one called Nomayo (doesn't that sound like something you say at a deli counter?).

1 oz gin
3/4 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lemon juice
Prosecco
Lemon twist

Mix first 4 ingredients in shaker with ice. Pour into chilled glass and top with chilled prosecco or champagne. Add the lemon twist. This could also work prepared in a jug I think.

I had to make a second batch. The best play dates are the unplanned ones.

London Calling

 

We'll be in London this weekend catching up with friends so we're getting in the mood with this:

2 oz Dry London Gin
1 oz Pimms Cup
3-6 dashes grapefruit bitters
splash of Italian grapefruit soda

Mix first 3 ingredients together with ice in shaker and pour into chilled glass. Top off with soda and lemon twist. Now make plans with your friends for some fun things to do around London for kids and adults alike.

G & T II

 

The second of my gin and tonics is a pretty simple one - they're all pretty simple to be fair, which is what I love about them, but still I've had some bad ones at some bars that I'm reluctant to drink it outside the home. All you need is a decent gin (40% ABV at least) like Beefeater, Plymouth, or Bombay Sapphire and a good quality tonic (no high fructose corn syrup!) with plenty of bubble left in it. Bar tenders of DC take note - flat tonic in a gin and tonic is a no no.

2oz Bombay Sapphire gin
4oz Fever Tree tonic  
1-2 tsp freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Wedge of lime

Pour gin over glass 3/4 full of ice. Add grapefruit juice and tonic and stir. Rub wedge of lime around rim before adding to drink. The grapefruit juice adds another refreshing layer to this drink it really stands out. You've got to try it.

First G&T is here

G & T I

 

If you could have created any drink what would that be?

For me it's the gin and tonic. I love the botanical flavors and scents, it's refreshing, slightly bitter and has an iridescence about it. It appeals to all my senses. 

And depending on the gin (and tonic) you use it can vary greatly so I'm going to feature a few I really like - first up is this one  - the most delicate of them all. 

2 oz Hendrick's gin
4 oz or so quality tonic water
Slice of cucumber
All served in a Collins glass with ice and stirred.

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.

 

Saketini

 

There was a sushi restaurant we used to go to years ago that had a Saketini that we loved that had a great cucumber flavor. Alas the restaurant is no longer there but I threw together in its memory with what was left of sake and Lillet Blanc in our fridge. This is the kind of cleaning out a fridge I like!

2 parts chilled  sake
1 part chilled Lillet Blanc
1 part gin (optional)
Slice of cucumber for garnish

Stir together and sip. Sip!

Negroni plus

 

More than pasta or gelato, a Negroni is a taste of Italy for me and it's so easy to make - equal measures of gin, campari and sweet vermouth stirred in a glass of ice with a slice of orange. I had a longing for one recently and it was perfect - all I needed was to drink it standing up at a bar after my evening passegiata.

Of course I had to play around with some other ingredients to make it mine (it's a hard job I do you know) and this is what I we had on hand: 

1 1/2 oz Absolut citron

1 1/2 oz Campari

1 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (You should always have this in the fridge)

To make it a long drink, add a little soda water (or lavender soda if you just happen to have it in the fridge). Now splash out for a table on the piazza and waiter service.