Agave Piña
1.5 oz 100% agave tequila 2 oz pineapple juice (fresh if possible) .5 oz agave nectar or simple syrup 2-3 fresh jalapeño slices 2-3 sage leaves ½ small lime Optional: Club soda or lemon-lime soda Squeeze lime into cocktail shaker and add other ingredients. Muddle sage leaves and peppers to release the flavors. Shake well over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Optional variation: Pour into a tall, skinny Collins glass over ice and top with soda to taste.
Read MoreAgave y Sandia
1.5 oz 100% agave tequila .5 oz Combier or another orange liqueur 4-5 chunks fresh watermelon ¼ fresh lime 3-4 sprigs‘Margarita’ spearmint or rosemary Optional: fresh jalapeño slice Reserve a chunk of watermelon or herb sprig for garnish. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and crush with a muddler or wooden spoon, being sure to release all the watermelon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add garnish.
Read MoreThe Farmers Market
1.5 oz vodka (Try Glacier Potato Vodka from Idaho) Gin or tequila would also be lovely in this drink. 2-3 ‘Mexican Sour Gherkin’ cucumbers or regular cucumbers 1-2 stalks ‘Red Venture’ celery 2-3 sprigs cilantro or basil 2-3 slices small spicy or mild peppers 6 cherry tomatoes or 1-2 slices large tomato Dash of Worcestershire sauce (try Annie’s for a vegetarian version) 3-4 oz Q or Fever Tree tonic water Reserve a celery stalk, cherry tomato, or cucumber for garnish. Combine all ingredients excep the tonic water in a cocktail shaker and gently crush the vegetables and...
Read MoreLemongrass Mojito
1.5 oz white rum .5 oz lemongrass simple syrup ¼ lime 3-4 sprigs ‘Mojito’ mint or another spearmint 1 stick lemongrass 4-6 oz club soda Crushed ice Reserve one sprig of mint for garnish. Make simple syrup by heating equal parts sugar and water until the sugar melts, then add the lemongrass allow to cool and steep for one hour. Combine rum, simple syrup, mint, and lemongrass in a cocktail shaker, then squeeze lime juice into shaker and drop the lime in. Using a muddler or a wooden spoon, gently crush all ingredients to release...
Read MoreThe Frezier Affair
1.5 oz white rum .5 oz yellow Chartreuse or Verviene du Velay 3-5 alpine strawberries 3-4 lemon verbena leaves 1 lemon wedge Reserve one small strawberry or a slice for garnish. Squeeze lemon wedge into a cocktail shaker and add the other ingredients. Gently crush the berries and herbs with a muddler. Shake over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a strawberry. This is a twist on a recipe from The Drunken Botanist that celebrates the contributions of Amédée-François Frézier, who introduced Chilean strawberries to Europe. Crosses between the Chilean strawberries...
Read MoreThe Berry Patch
1.5 oz white rum .5 oz simple syrup ‘Mojito’ Mint Strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries ½ lime, fresh-squeezed Optional: Soda or sparkling wine Reserve one mint sprig or berry for garnish. Squeeze lime into a cocktail shaker and add the other ingredients. Gently crush the berries and herbs with a muddler. Shake over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with soda or sparkling wine if desired, then add garnish. Watch a video about the Berry Patch...
Read MoreRhubarb and Rye
Rhubarb and Rye A delightful twist on the classic Manhattan from Adam Chumas at Tilth in Seattle. 1.5 oz rye whiskey .5 oz rhubarb-lemon verbena simple syrup .5 oz fresh lemon juice .5 oz sweet (red) vermouth Shake all ingredients over ice and serve in a cocktail glass. Rhubarb simple syrup 1 loosely-packed cup chopped rhubarb stalks 1 cup sugar 1 cup water Other fruits or herbs to taste (lemon verbena, strawberry, scented geranium, for instance) Combine all ingredients and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the stalks are soft, press them with a muddler or wooden spoon to...
Read MoreSloe Gin Fizz
Plymouth is distributing sloe gin again in the United States, and it’s a fine thing. To make a fizz, shake two ounces of sloe gin, a hearty squeeze of lemon juice, a dollop of simple syrup, and the white of one recently-laid egg in a shaker with no ice. Shake for 30 seconds, then add ice and keep shaking. Pour into a glass over ice and top with club soda. (and if drinking raw eggs freaks you out, don’t do it.) If you’d like to see me make a mess of a Sloe Gin Fizz, check this out. Oh, and my chickens guest star in this...
Read MoreBlueberry Smash
First, I have an announcement to make. Flavored vodkas are an abomination that should be stricken from cocktail menus worldwide. I am horrified to see one cocktail menu after another dominated by blueberry vodka, black cherry vodka, green apple vodka, and, I’m sorry to say, fluffed marshmallow vodka. Putting flavored vodka in a glass with some canned fruit juice or soda, artificially-flavored cocktail syrup, and sugar on the rim does not a cocktail make. These drinks look like they were invented by people who had their first adult beverage at Applebee’s and never looked back. Please,...
Read MoreChamomile Hot Toddy
Chamomile Hot Toddy 1-2 oz whiskey 1-2 oz honey-chamomile syrup (see note) Lemon wedge 6-8 cloves Note: Make honey-chamomile syrup by combining equal parts honey and hot water. Add fresh (or dried) chamomile blossoms and allow to steep for 1 hour, then strain. Pour hot water into a heat-proof glass. While you wait for it to heat the glass, press cloves into the rind of the lemon wedge and set aside. Empty the glass and coat the inside with syrup, then add the whiskey and top with hot water. Squeeze the lemon into the drink and drop it into the glass.
Read MoreBooks by Amy Stewart
The Drunken Botanist
Recent Comments