We’re having some grey, dark days right now. So while I’m staying inside watching the weather, I think it’s time to brighten up the home bar with these pops of color! Sunny days ahead! At least with my drinks…
1. Underwood Sparkling Rosé 2. Yellow Cups 3. Fruit Drink Stirrers 4. Coasters 5. Pommery Brut Rosé Royal Champagne 6. St. Agrestis 7. Bottle Opener
I’ve unearthed this forgotten column that I started years ago since there has been a genuine interest in cocktail gardens as of late. Over on Instagram there have been a few conversations now about growing herbs, flowers, and plants for use in cocktails. This could mean just a garnish, or ingredients for an infusion or a tincture.
I LOVE that readers have been getting more interested in this subject but I am not an expert in this field by any means. So recently I asked my friend Kristin from Dine By Design if I could interview her and talk about what’s growing in her incredible garden. You can catch the whole video on Stir and Strain’s IGTV or, even easier, just watch the video below!
During our discussion on herbs, Kristin introduced me to this lovely coconut thyme, which really smells tropical, but also of thyme, and I knew I had to make something with it. A few weeks ago I shared this delicate, vermouth based cocktail using your standard thyme, Thyme for Tea. And if you like that flavor then I really think you’ll love this more robust thyme cocktail.
Old Fashioneds are usually known for their whiskey base, but as you’ve seen on here they are also great with rum, or mezcal. But did you know gin can also fit into this equation? When creating new syrups and tinctures I like to try them out in a very simple cocktail to see how they initially will play with a spirit. Sometimes I just stop there and enjoy the drink. Today’s cocktail lets you enjoy the full aroma of the coconut thyme, via a simple syrup, against the subtle backdrop of a London dry style gin. Any more botanical gins are going to bury that flavor and aroma so steer clear of those. I’ve added a few drops of bergamot bitters to add a little complexity to the mix; it’s simple but works.
2 ounces London dry style gin
3/4 ounce coconut thyme syrup (recipe follows)
2 dashes bergamot bitters
In a mixing glass filled 2/3 with ice, pour in gin, coconut thyme syrup and bitters. Stir 20 seconds and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
large handful of coconut thyme, cleaned
In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine sugar and water, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture has reached just about a boil and all the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and add thyme to the saucepan. Cover and let sit 1 to 2 hours. Strain into an airtight container. Discard thyme and refrigerate syrup for up to two weeks.
Now if you’re thinking, I don’t have a farm, or even a backyard, how am I going to create a cocktail garden? Well, you just need a window, or a grow light! A lot of the items we talk about in the video you can grow in containers, so if that was holding you back from starting your own tiny cocktail garden, consider this the nod to start.
Kristin will have a post soon that I will link to here with more informational links, but if you’re looking for a great resource to start with about growing and using plants in your kitchen or bar, start with The Cook’s Herb Garden. It has lots of photos and tips to help you along to creating a cocktail garden, as well as growing herbs to use in your everyday cooking including how to harvest, store and use what you grow.
I hope that you’ll find this information useful however you’re choosing to use flowers, herbs, and plants in your cocktails. Let us know below or contact us on social with what you’re growing in your cocktail garden.
This post is brought to you by Cinzano. Recipe and ideas are my own.
Vermouth is one of those jack-of-all trade bottles in your liquor cabinet. Have it for an aperitif to whet your appetite before a meal, pair it with your favorite gin for a classic martini, sip it alongside your meal, infuse it with interesting herbs and spices, or play off its flavors in a new cocktail twist. Do you have any particular brands that come to mind when you think of vermouth? For me, the classic vermouth I’ve been grabbing for ages is Cinzano.
And today we’ve got a wonderful cocktail that will be your spring and summer sipper: Thyme for Tea. This cocktail was made for outdoor garden parties. Fresh thyme is steeped in a green tea syrup, mixed with gin and Cinzano Bianco Vermouth, and kissed with the subtle scent of lavender and a touch of lemon. You could quietly sip one of these by yourself, lost in thought, or mix up a whole bunch and enjoy with some friends on a late summer afternoon.
1-½ ounces London dry style gin
¾ ounce Cinzano Bianco Vermouth
½ ounce thyme and green tea syrup (recipe below)
¾ ounce lemon juice
3 dashes lavender bitters
thyme sprig garnish
In a mixing glass â…” full, pour in gin, Cinzano Bianco Vermouth, thyme and green tea syrup, lemon juice and lavender bitters. Stir 20 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a fresh thyme sprig.
1 cup sugar
¾ cup water
Handful of fresh thyme (about 8-9 grams)
2 bags genmaicha green tea
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, water and thyme. Bring to just under a boil, stir to dissolve sugar, and remove from heat. Add tea bags. Cover and let steep 30 minutes. Strain mixture into an airtight container and use immediately or refrigerate up to two weeks.
This post was made in partnership with Truvia®. Recipes and ideas are my own.
As much as we needed the rain here in Southern California, with this drought that’s been going on for years, I must say I am SO happy to see blue skies and warmer temps. I’m getting all the tropical feels now, everything is green, and racing season is just around the corner.
I will take any excuse to wear one of my many oversized hats, and it’s even better when cocktails are involved. The Mint Julep is the traditional drink in Kentucky, and I know that some people have very strong opinions about the drink in its purest form… but I am not one of those people. While a Mint Julep is refreshing on a hot day out in the sun, I wanted to give my race day drink a little tropical twist.
Together with Truvia® I’m taking the traditional Mint Julep and sweetening it with a rich, toasted coconut syrup made with Truvia Brown Sugar Blend, which has a deep, rich caramel flavor you expect from brown sugar with 75% fewer calories per serving than brown sugar. The flavor of the Brown Sugar Blend intensifies the caramel-y flavors of the bourbon and the spicy notes of the rum. The toasted coconut gives a wonderfully nutty and fragrant aroma to the syrup that works really well with the mint, transporting you to a lush tropical locale, no matter where you’re sipping it.
If you’re hosting a racing party, these drinks are easily batch-able too! I’ve included a note in the recipe if you’d like to serve up multiple of these cocktails.
Tropical Toasted Coconut Mint Julep10 mint leaves
2 ounces bourbon
1/4 ounce Toasted Coconut Syrup (recipe follows)
1/4 ounce aged rum
mint, toasted coconut flakes, pineapples for garnish
In the bottom of a julep cup (or Collins glass), muddle the mint leaves with the syrup. Pack the glass with crushed ice and pour in bourbon. Drizzle rum on top and garnish with mint leaves, toasted coconut flakes and a pineapple spear. Giant hat or seersucker suit optional.
1 cup flaked coconut, divided
3/4 cup Truvia Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 cup water
To batch this recipe: Add 1/4 cup packed mint leaves in the bottom of a pitcher. Muddle with a 1/2 cup of Toasted Coconut Syrup and then add in 2 cups bourbon. Stir to combine. Chill in refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight. When ready to serve, pack 8 julep cups with crushed ice, fill with mixture and garnish with mint and toasted coconut flakes. Optionally drizzle 1/4 ounce of aged rum over the ice.
This post is made in partnership with Amaro Lucano. Recipes and ideas are my own.
If you’re looking for a springy cocktail to serve for your Easter weekend that’s bursting with flavors, fruit and flowers: look no further! We’ve teamed up with Amaro Lucano, one of our fav amari for mixing up cocktails, to show you how you can create a low ABV cocktail that is a sheer delight to look at and to drink!
The flowers here in SoCal are everywhere (I’m sure you caught a poppy or two on Instagram)! But did you know some of those gorgeous blooms are edible? And today our cocktail is brimming with a whole bunch of colorful spring flowers that are safe for cocktail garnishes and also super pretty to look at. While you may not want to taste all of them, if you do, you’ll find tastes ranging from cucumber (borage) to raw green beans (bachelor’s buttons) to slightly bitter and spicy (chrysanthemum). All of these can add to the flavor and aroma of this amaro-based cocktail, a Strawberry-Rhubarb Amaro Cobbler Cocktail.
Isn’t cobbler a dessert?! Well, yes. Many people will be familiar with the cobbler as a baked good, but a cobbler cocktail is like a fancy dessert… in the cocktail world! I go into the cobbler a bit in this post, but for brevity, a cobbler is a very old style of cocktail that is made with crushed ice and garnished by decorating the drink in a fanciful manner with seasonal fruits (and here we’re adding flowers as well). Usually it is served with a tiny spoon to eat the fruits with as well. Sherry is often the spirit used most with this drink, but I thought an amaro would be a great base.
Amaro Lucano has been a staple in my home bar for awhile now (and that 93 point rating from Wine Spectator would tell me some of you enjoy it a lot too!). Amaro Lucano has a mild, bittersweet taste that is great on its own, but lovely in cocktails. There are some citrus and herbal notes here too (which isn’t surprising as it’s blended with over 30 herbs!) and I thought they’d pair really well with the strawberry-rhubarb syrup as well as the flowers in the garnish. Since I wanted an easy drinking, low ABV cocktail to pair with my Easter brunch, Amaro Lucano fits the bill with an ABV of 28%.
And what does it all taste like? Well, you get a bittersweet start to the drink with a nice sweetness from the strawberry-rhubarb syrup. I included a float of Lucano’s Anniversario Limoncello for a sharp note of citrus and to further enhance the citrus profile. The finish has some herbal notes to it but I like the surprise subtle licorice flavor that ends your sip.
I really love that people are so into flowers, and gardening, and just taking some time to enjoy nature; this is one current trend I can get behind! Maybe we could all do it with a lot less handheld devices though… but still, at least everyone’s getting outdoors.
If you’ve been following along on Instagram and my Stories this past month or so, you’ve heard me talk about how easy it is to grow a few essentials in a “Cocktail Garden” whether you’ve got a whole back yard to work with, or just a windowsill. Currently I’m growing in a windowsill (cilantro, basil), on a porch (chives, strawberries), and I have an entire front yard area overrun by rosemary (if you’re in SoCal and need some send me a DM). Plans are underway to start some landscaping and garden building in my backyard but that’s going to take awhile. Until then though I am fortunate enough to have my friend Kristin, who runs DineXDesign.com, and her wonderland of a garden who generously provided all of these edible blooms for me to garnish drinks with. All of these flowers you could easily grow in containers so you too can have a variety of blooms to garnish your cocktails with.
Ok, let’s mix some drinks!
Strawberry-Rhubarb Amaro Cobbler Cocktail1 tablespoon reserved strawberry-rhubarb compote from syrup
1-1/2 cups crushed ice, divided
2 ounces Amaro Lucano
1-1/4 ounce strawberry-rhubarb syrup (recipe below)
1/4 ounce Lucano Anniversario Limoncello
fresh fruit and edible flowers for garnish
In a double rocks glass or goblet glass, build your drink by spooning in fruit at bottom of glass. Add in about one cup of crushed ice. Pour in Amaro Lucano and strawberry-rhubarb syrup. Pack glass with additional ice, leaving about 1/2″ from top of glass. Drizzle Limoncello over the ice. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with fruit and edible flowers and enjoy with a straw (or eat fruit first, your choice!).
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup rhubarb chunks (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. When sugar has dissolved, add in rhubarb (if using frozen no need to defrost) and strawberries. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a boil. Once a boil is reached, lower to a simmer, cover, and let simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain solids and set aside. Let syrup cool to room temperature before using. Once cool, use immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to two weeks.
This post was made in partnership with Kerrygold Irish Cream. Recipe and ideas are my own.
This past Monday, in our Monday Booze News, I referenced that the newest wave of tiki cocktails and culture is turning down a darker road (I joked that it had become a moody teenager). This new turn, which is apparently referencing a much older version of tiki… just proves that the fantasy can be whatever you’d like it to be in your head.
What I’m getting at is this, Tiki cocktails have come a long way and these new modern nods are just as interesting, and sometimes, much more complex and delicious, than the originals. And today I have a very out there, very delicious, addition to this new wave, the Port Dues Cocktail.
If you’re a familiar reader around here you may have noticed that I partnered with Kerrygold Irish Cream a few months back and I have been experimenting with this Irish cream liqueur to show how versatile (and OMGGGGG so good) it is. There’s a lot of times people see a liqueur and box it into a known and familiar category, and I feel part of my job here is to break those rules. Sure, I made frozen Irish Coffee cocktails with it and Grasshopper brownies, but did you check out the edible cocktails and the egg cream??
So I’m super excited about this cocktail, with nods to some of my favorite tiki drinks and especially to the Missionary’s Downfall with the herbal, minty notes from the fernet. You’d be surprised, but there are actually quite a number of tiki drinks out there that incorporate a hint of chocolate in them too. Using the creamy, rich Kerrygold Irish Cream here gives this dry, rum forward cocktail with a sour punch an unexpected twist with a hint of chocolate at the end.
Could the Port Dues be the dark, brooding cousin to the bright and poppy drinks of the midcentury? Try one and find out!
Port Dues1-1/2 ounces aged rum, Haitian 8 year used here
1/2 ounce tawny port
1/2 ounce Kerrygold Irish Cream
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 ounce fernet
1 dash Angostura bitters
Garnish: mint and brandied cherries
In a shaker filled 2/3 with ice, combine rum, port, Kerrygold Irish Cream, lemon juice, fernet, and bitters. Shake 20 seconds and strain over a rocks glass filled with fresh crushed ice. Garnish with mint and brandied cherries.
I was compensated by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas for my time in developing this recipe and post. All opinions are my own.
This past week, Instagram was filled, filled, with weddings. It’s like half the internet decided this was the most auspicious week of their lives and if they were ever going to get married they might as well do it now. And I’m in no way hating on these people, in fact, I loved looking over how different they all were from each other; I’m a total sucker for weddings.
All of this celebrating tuned me in to the fact that we are about to hit summer party season. Already. One would say you can’t tell by the weather here in Southern California, but those of us in the know, know, that summer season starts about as gray and gloomy as they get before the awful heat kicks in.
So today we’ve got a fun punch you can throw together for a wedding or a graduation party or “hey look I’ve got a stoop we can sit on for a few hours let’s make a punch and call it a party” party. You’ll find a reason guys to make this punch. It’s also a lovely pink-hued punch for our SoCal June gloom, but it will work for sunny days too. Let’s just all agree not to call it a millennial pink punch. Ok? It was inspired by Turkish cuisine with pomegranates, pistachio and orange blossom water, otherwise known as “Essential Oil of Neroliâ€.
I’ll tell you upfront, it’s gin based, and I can already hear some of my pals whining about how they don’t drink gin. But trust me! It layers nicely in here and if you use a London dry, like I tell you to, then it won’t be an overpoweringly “gin” punch. Pairing it with a rich pomegranate reduction give a sharp sweetness with a nutty layer from some pistachio orgeat. The whole punch gets tied together with the amazing scent of Nielsen-Massey’s Orange Blossom Water.
There is a tiny amount of the orange blossom water in the pistachio orgeat, but adding in the aroma directly to the punch makes for a more prominent aroma. Also, if you opt not to make the orgeat then this guarantees that you’re still getting lots of orange blossom with every sip.
I’ve been using the Nielsen-Massey vanillas for over a decade now and have started using their extracts in cocktails these past few years. All Nielsen-Massey products are all-natural, certified gluten-free, certified Kosher, allergen-free and GMO-Free, and there is an expanding line of certified organic products (right up our alley!). Their orange blossom water is my go-to for my obsession with almond-alternative orgeats as well.
Are you ready to start your summer punch party? Let’s get mixing.
Serves 5-7 guests
7-1/2 ounces London dry style gin, such as Beefeater
1-1/2 ounces pistachio orgeat (recipe here, or sub in orgeat of choice)
2-1/2 ounces pomegranate reduction (recipe follows)
2-1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Orange Blossom Water, or to taste
1 bottle of sparkling rosé wine
orange slices and pomegranate seeds for ice block
1-1/2 cups all natural pomegranate juice
For more info on Nielsen-Massey Orange Blossom Water and all their products, check them out at nielsenmassey.com or on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!
If you’re anything like me, scrolling through endless Instagram photos of kids out at a festival, profusely sweating and pretending to smile at the camera, you’re SO happy you didn’t wait in line 45 minutes for a watered down margarita. You get to drink yours with 2 ounces of top shelf booze in front of the air conditioning. You win.
Still miss that 104° heat? Make your home bar into your own oasis. Here’s how…
Do they even serve alcohol at these festivals? Who cares! You have a well stocked bar cart at home. Throw up some cactus photos, maybe in #milleniumpink and match your glasses to that desert vibe. Crochet. There has to be lots of crochet things. A hanging chair to sip cocktails in? YES! And maybe some hanging crochet fruit baskets to match. Add in some tassels and some leather fringe. And if your festival look veers off in the electric art dream in the desert, might I suggest uranium glow-in-the-dark mixing glasses and colorful rainbow ice cubes? You can always use that glow stick to mix a few drinks with too.
1. Desert Distilling Vodka 2. Blush goblet 3. Cactus Print 4. Hanging Chair 5. Tassel Swizzle Sticks 6. Manila Bar Cart 7. Leather fringe flask 8. Cactus tumbler 9. Arette Tequila 10. Glow-in-the-dark mixing glass 11. Rainbow Ice Cubes
Catch up on all the gift guides here!
This post is brought to you by Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced Rum. Recipes and ideas are my own.
I’ve decided I hate the term “binge watching” television. The term makes it sound like it’s a bad thing to watch a few hours of House Hunters International. And that, folks, is not a bad way to spend a few hours of relaxation time (i.e. kids are asleep).
The couples on that show are fantastic to watch. Either they are attempting to look into the camera and say something positive about this bungalow in the jungle with giant flying bugs because they are fulfilling some dumb dream when they spent two weeks there in college and now are realizing how difficult it will be dragging their whole family there… OR their significant other is making them get a second house and they are just seething on the inside while obviously trying not to look angry for a national audience. But we can tell!
At the end of the island episodes, the couple is always cheers-ing with some fantastic looking cocktails and they somehow look content with their decision to be the crazy Americans on that island. If they were in Puerto Rico, by the way, they probably were sipping on a cocktail made with Don Q rum.
Today’s recipe is in partnership with Don Q Rums and we’re featuring their newest rum offering the Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced Rum. Don Q Rum has only been in the States a little over a decade, but has been a popular choice in Puerto Rico for 150 years, making it their #1 rum. This spiced rum packs a punch of flavor with vanilla and pepper and just enough sweetness for my palate. While you can definitely sip this rum, it’s also a great mixing rum to make unquestionably delicious cocktails. So that’s what we’re doing with it now!
With such strong flavors to start with in the rum, I decided to use some equally strong flavors to compliment that spiciness. When you think powerful, do you think about gunpowder? In cocktails?! I do, but this version of gunpowder comes in the form of tea. Gunpowder green tea to be exact. Teas are great options for giving subtle (and sometimes not so subtle. Hello lapsang souchong tea!) flavor to cocktails. I steeped this savory, smoky tea in a simple syrup to lend a savory note to the drink and to balance the sweetness of the other components. Thinking of Puerto Rico, I opted to add some guava nectar for tropical sweetness and a big squeeze of lime finished with a touch of orange curaçao. The drink starts sweet, but ends with a lingering earthiness. To give it a finishing kick, the glass is rimmed in a mixture of salt and cayenne.
Ok, so now that we have our tropical inspired drinks, we can get back to the tv watching. While these house hunters might make very questionable choices, make sure your cocktail is unquestionably delicious.
Spiced Gunpowder Guava Cocktail1-1/2 ounces Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced Rum
3/4 ounce guava nectar
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice from about 1 lime (reserve lime shell)
1/2 ounce gunpowder green tea syrup (recipe follows)
1/4 ounce orange curaçao
1 teaspoon kosher salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper for garnish
Yields approximately 5 ounces
3 bags of gunpowder green tea (or two heaping tablespoons if you have loose tea)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in teabags (or loose tea if using). Steep for 10 minutes. Strain and use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month.
For more information about Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced Rum and all their exceptional rums, their commitment to sustainability and quality, and for additional drink & garnish ideas and proper glassware tips please visit their website at donq.com.
It’s March. It’s almost spring. Let’s refresh that bar cart with a little smattering of green and gold. Lucky Charms cocktail garnish optional.
Thank your lucky (edible) stars we’ve been scouring the internet for some new bar cart items this month. First, skip the green beer and get yourself some green liqueur instead. Now that you’re adulting, a gilded bar cart is much prettier than a cardboard box. Next, grab yourself some equally pretty gold jiggers and a functional pitcher (for like, water or holding straws). And OK, yes, you can have ONE novelty glass. And a stir stick or two. And if you insist, some mint bitters for that adult Shamrock Shake you secretly want.
1. Shamrock Glass 2. Gold Cheers Stir Stick 3. Green Glass Pitcher 4. Gold Jigger 5. Edible Gold Stars 6. Mint Bitters 7. Bar Cart 8. Green Chartreuse
Catch up on all the gift guides here!