A mezcal popsicle cocktail for you with a little smoke, a little citrus and a whole lotta flavor. Your new grilling cocktail is ready for you. When playing with ideas for this cocktail, I originally wanted to use a whiskey with a vanilla syrup and some bitters, then top with that tangerine popsicle. But the […]
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Bomb (Pops) Away – Bourbon Margarita
A box of Bomb Pops fell into the grocery cart last night, and I wanted to do something that played with the colors of today, Independence Day and I came up with a bourbon margarita. I mixed up my take on a bright red bourbon margarita and topped the cocktail off with a Bomb Pop. […]
Hot as Pop Outside – Peach Mango Popsicle Sipper
It’s hot as %#$&* outside, and I made a cold, refreshing Peach Mango Popsicle Sipper. How about a cocktail that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a fresh, fruity, summery drink? What about a cocktail you toss a popsicle in? Do I have your attention? I’ll be quick. I’ve got a sweet, bourbon-peach sour […]
Strawberry Gin Bubbles – Travel Brunch Cocktail
Another travel cocktail, this time for brunch on the lake or after a sunrise hike, the beautiful Strawberry Gin Bubbles. Bring a couple of gin minis and bitty champagne bottles with you to the beach or lake and you have an afternoon to look forward to. I’m using Storied Goods flavored sugar cubes to dress […]
Travel Mocha Old Fashioned
International travel may now be out, but road trips and isolated beaches, lakes and cabins are in so you’ll need this recipe for a Mocha Old Fashioned you can easily make on the road. Bring along some flavored sugar cubes, your chocolate bitters and all you’ll need is a little whiskey and coffee to make […]
Don’t Tart with Me – Grapefruit Hibiscus Highball
This Grapefruit Hibiscus Highball is only tangentially a highball – it’s served in a Collins glass and topped with soda. It doesn’t have whiskey, and adds a few things besides spirit and soda. But, it’s a wonderful combination of bitter and sweet. And oh, so tart, just so the name – what Mom used to […]
Oleo Sazerac – Sagamore Spirit Rye Saz
Let’s talk Sazeracs – specifically this orange-chocolate Sazerac I put together for the Whisky Wars Cocktail contest using Sagamore Spirit Rye. I’m called it the Oleo Sazerac. My original cocktail for the first round of judging was the Chocolate Lavender Sour which was an amazing combination of lavender floral notes, sweet chocolate liqueur and the […]
Pineapple Peach Smash
What do you do when you’ve got two ripe pineapples and pounds of peaches ripe on your counter? Start smashing up this Peach Pineapple Smash. It’s a delectable cocktail with pineapple-infused rhum, peach simple syrup and, of course, fresh peaches and pineapple to muddle into the cocktail. While smashes generally use mint, my basil plant […]
Peach Lavender Old Fashioned – My Peach of Mind
Let’s talk peaches for peach week on the blog with this Peach Lavender Old Fashioned. Quick to make and it tastes just like summer. Toss a few grilled or bruleed peaches in for garnish and you’ll wish you’d made a pitcher instead of one. When I get a huge box of Peach Truck peaches my […]
Grapefruit Beaut – Bourbon Grapefruit Sipper
You wouldn’t think grapefruit and bourbon belong together, but after you taste this Bourbon Grapefruit Sipper, you’ll agree. It’s fruit forward, hiding the bourbon in the finish, but you’ll know you had that cocktail once you try to stand up. Natalie’s Orchid Island Fruit Juice sent me a box of fresh fruit juices to play […]
Watermelon Sour – the Meloncholy
What better way to take your mind off the heat than a cold drink that tastes like fresh watermelon: the Watermelon Sour. While summer continues to heat up, I’ve got watermelon on the brain, and a simple syrup of fresh watermelon imparts a bright, fresh taste to this sour. While it might be more watermelon-forward […]
Dolce and Banana Manhattan Riff for Bardstown Bourbon Company
Make your bourbon elegant and approachable with Dolce & Banana Manhattan – this riff based on the full-bodied fruity flavors of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Fusion #2. It’s always fun with a spirits company gives you a bottle of their newest release and says, “Let’s collaborate.” And off you go. In this case, I was working […]
Blueberry Old Fashioned – Blueberry Hill Thrill
I’m repeating flavors from earlier this week, but since I’m trying to use up odds and ends of my syrups and infusions, and just started back up to my day job, I’m taking it easy on myself with this Blueberry Old Fashioned. Again, I’m pairing blueberry and rhubarb simple syrups. Both are favorites of mine. […]
Bougie Boulie – Bourbon Women June Cocktail
Fruit infusions are the slow simmer of bourbon cocktails, and this Pineapple-infused Boulevardier is just the ticket for a slow sipper during hot weather. It’s not summer until you’ve started infusing your cocktails. Boulevardiers are one of those cocktails that work best over ice for me. Composed of bourbon, sweet vermouth and Campari, they’re both […]
Can’t Stop the Signal – Blueberry Rhubarb Smash
Blueberry Rhubarb Whiskey Smash is your new favorite smash. We’ve all seen the many variations of strawberry and rhubarb but I wanted to mix up something a little different, but that would still accentuate the color from the rhubarb. Enter blueberries. If you know Firefly and Serenity you know the quote I’m referencing and in […]
Exit Strategy – Black Licorice Manhattan
Another one for you anise-curious out there – and this Black Licorice Manhattan is one you’ll tip back far too easily. It’s a strong one, so you’ve been warned. I wanted to use up some oleo saccharum I’d made a few weeks ago for some other cocktails and was surfing through the Flavor Bible for […]
Riding with the Top Down – Strawberry Pineapple Tiki
Warm enough that I’m Riding with the Top Down with this strawberry pineapple tiki cocktail. Weather has definitely warmed up this week and I needed something bright and sweet to pick me up. If I had a toy car I’d be driving about town with the top down. And lots of sunscreen. It’s Use It […]
Rhubarb Aperol Spritz – That Escalated Quickly
The last rhubarb cocktail for the week is going to be a Rhubarb Aperol Spritz because a) it’s the weekend and b) you can make this as strong as you like by swapping out the soda for a sparkling wine. All this week I’ve been playing with some rhubarb peppercorn syrup I made and today […]
Strawberry Rhubarb Smash – Wake Me Up When I’m Famous
I’m still on my rhubarb kick, so I’m showing off the vibrant color today in a Strawberry Rhubarb Smash. Two days after making the rhubarb peppercorn syrup I’m still obsessed with it and it’s transformation. It’s slowly developing more and more of the rhubarb flavor and the peppercorn is subsiding (much to my dismay), but […]
Pink Eye – Rhubarb Peppercorn Old Fashioned
Tart, spicy and sweet all at the same time, this Rhubarb Peppercorn Old Fashioned will be your new best friend this summer. Although it’s not as pink as I’d prefer because I’m using whiskies instead of clear spirits, use a lower proof or lighter in color bourbon and you’ll have a little of the pink […]
Chocolate Lavender Sour – As You Wish
This chocolate lavender sour proves it – chocolate and lavender are secret lovers. You’d never know they meld in such a magical way since they seem so opposite. Chocolate’s earthy bitterness stands apart from the high floral notes of lavender, and you’d think they hated one another. But secretly. . . I’m telling you, they’re […]