Butterfly Pea Blue Bitter Spritz

When I first read about Butterfly Pea Tea and its amazing color-changing properties, I knew it was just a matter of time before I had an idea for it.  Today is that day. 

I recently received a bottle of Luxardo Bitter Bianco, a clear, bitter liquor that omits the crimson color that we all know and love.  Its slightly ivory hue opens up a world of possibilities in the cocktail department, one that gets me extremely excited.  But what to make?  Seeing that it's Summer, a Spritz came to mind, but not just any Spritz however, a Blue Spritz!

I knew these were going to be a hit, so I simply placed the whole flowers into the bottle of Bitter Bianco, and let it sit for about an hour.  It quickly changed from white, to pale blue, to dark blue.  (It's a really pretty blue, too.) 

I filtered out the flowers using a sieve and a bowl, and poured the blue bitter liqueur back into the bottle.  Amazingly, the new color matched the logo perfectly.  Kismet.

If you don't know, part of the magic of the Butterfly Pea Tea is that it changes color when acid is added to it, thereby changing the pH balance.  Fortunately, I like spritzes with a big squeeze of lemon juice (because I'm a rebel like that), resulting in purple-hued spritzes. 

Perhaps what I love the most about this drink is that you can easily create a rainbow of drinks depending on how much bitter you add and how much acid you add.  If you like your Spritzes with the traditional 3:2:1 ratio, that works perfectly too. 

The tea added a slight floral note to the spirit - but I have found that Luxardo products have a lot of flavor happening in them already.  The fruity flavors of rhubarb and gentian are extremely evident, as is the dried orange peel, with a slight raspberry flavor.  The floral note of the tea adds a bit more complexity, which is wonderful for summer sipping. 

I hope you guys have fun with this variation on a classic, I know I sure did. 

Butterfly Pea Blue Spritz
Modified by Gastronomista

3 oz Prosecco

2 oz Butterfly Pea Tea Infused Luxardo Bitter Bianco

1 oz Soda Water

Garnished with an Orange Slice

Butterfly Pea Purple Spritz

Modified by Gastronomista

3 oz Prosecco

2 oz Butterfly Pea Tea Infused Luxardo Bitter Bianco

1 oz Soda Water

1/4 Lemon Wedge Squeezed

Garnish with a fresh flower and a lemon wedge.

Butterfly Pea Tea Infused Luxardo Bitter Bianco

1 Bottle of Luxardo Bitter Bianco

1/4 Cup Dried Whole Flower Butterfly Pea Tea

Add flowers to open bottle and infuse for 1 hour.  Strain tea through a sieve, and pour back into the bottle.  Shelf life: TBD.

Enjoy!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Anchor Distilling. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Very Cherry Cognac Punch

Summer is rapidly approaching, and with it, scorching hot days and fresh fruit straight off the farm.  What do the hottest of days call for?  Punch. 

Punches are great for the summer because you can pre-batch them, and leave your guests to help themselves.  Personally, I like punches that are boozy, fruity, and with a splash of bubbles, and this very cherry punch is all of the above. 

My Very Cherry Cognac Punch is made with H by Hine Cognac, a lovely cognac that is fruity and floral, Luxardo Sangue Morlacco Cherry Liqueur (a macerated cherry brandy and one of my favorite cocktail modifiers), Fresh Lemon Juice, Port, and Sparkling Cherry Juice - yep, the same stuff your grandma serves the kids for thanksgiving dinner instead of wine.  This punch is sweet and tangy, and has just enough bitterness from the cherry to balance out the booziness of the cognac.  The lemon is subtle but helps cut through all the sweetness, and adds a nice zippy flavor to the punch.   

Cherry Cherry Cognac Punch
Created by Gastronomista

1 part H by Hine Cognac
1 part Luxardo Sangue Morlacco
1 part Port
1 part Lemon Juice
1 bottle Sparkling Cherry Juice

Build over a large block of ice and garnish with fresh, edible flowers.  Garnish each glass with a fresh cherry or a Luxardo Cherry.

Cheers to the start of summer!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Anchor Distilling. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Saloon Box with Luxardo Maraschino

Learning about cocktails can be a costly endeavor - it can become quite a financial undertaking to stock one's bar with obscure spirits, liqueurs, and syrups (I should know!).  Fortunately, SaloonBox has it worked out for you - they send you monthly kits that have two cocktails in each kit - complete with boozy minis and all the required syrups and ingredients to make said cocktail.  It's a perfect way to figure out if you want to invest in a full bottle of an liqueur to make a particular cocktail and add it to your repertoire.

This month SaloonBox features a Luxardo Maraschino Vodka cocktail called "And the Cherry On Top Is..." made with Vanilla Syrup and Fresh Lemon juice that is simply to die for, and I couldn't help but share. 

And the Cherry On Top Is...
Created by SaloonBox

1-1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
3 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Vanilla Simple Syrup (3 Packets)
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Top with Club Soda

Garnish with a Cocktail Cherry

It's a simple cocktail that is even easier to make - shake the vodka, maraschino, simple syrup, and the lemon juice in a cocktail shaker, strain into cocktail coupes, top with soda water, and finish with a few cocktail cherries - et voilà - you've got a bar quality cocktail, at home! 

This week I am going to be taking over their Instagram Account - so follow their account to see some of my favorite Luxardo recipes!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Luxardo. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Unexpected Uses for Cocktail Cherries

Any cocktail enthusiast will tell you that a better cherry will seriously up your cocktail game, but how about your food game??  The answer is yes, and I'm here to prove it to you.


I'm a firm believer that Luxardo makes the best cocktail cherry on the surface of the earth, and so naturally, these cherries have been creeping into all sorts of other recipes.  Breakfast?  Yes please.  Ice cream?  Hell yes.  Cheese Platters?  Bring. It. On.

Today I will be showing you 3 unexpected ways to use cocktail cherries, and therein, change your life.

First up: The Cherry Ice Cream Float

Ice cream floats are insanely delicious to begin with - but when you add a heavy drizzle of Luxardo syrup, they become nothing less than pure bliss.  I love this recipe because it replaces any artificial sweeteners or flavorings, and it is incredibly simple to make.  I also appreciate that it uses the leftover syrup of the cocktail cherries themselves, which is a shame to waste.

Cherry Ice Cream Float
Created by Gastronomista

1 oz Luxardo Cherry Syrup (From the Jar of Cherries)
1 Scoop Vanilla Ice Cream
Soda Water
Luxardo Cherries to Garnish

Build syrup and ice cream in a low ball cocktail glass, and top with soda water.  Serve with a metal straw, a spoon, and garnish with a Luxardo maraschino cherry or two.

Another favorite place to use cocktail cherries?  Breakfast. 

Luxardo Cherries are fabulous on a bowl of Greek Yogurt, especially when loaded up with granola, fresh fruit, toasted coconut flakes, and spiced chickpeas.  Add a drizzle of the cherry syrup for more sweetness, and enjoy!

Sweet and Savory Yogurt Bowl

Greek Yogurt
5-6 Luxardo Cherries (whole or diced)
1 T Toasted Coconut Flakes
1 T Spiced Chickpeas
1 T Granola
2 T Fresh Fruit
1/2 oz Luxardo Cherry Sryrup

Scoop fruit into a bowl and top with fruit, granola, coconut, chickpeas, and cherries.  Drizzle with cherry syrup and enjoy!

Last, but certainly not least, I want to share another entertaining tip and an unexpected use for cocktail cherries: Paired with Cheese!  I sneak Luxardo cherries into my cheese boards and pair with elegant white creamy cheeses like white gouda, ripened goats milk cheese, and even a creamy blue cheese.

Creamy cheeses pair really well with the sweetness of the cherries, and it can replace any other sweetener you would typically serve on a cheese plate (honey, jam, quince...).  Just remember, presentation is everything: build a decadent cheese platter with loads of crackers, fresh fruit, meats, nuts, and a selection of a few different cheeses.

Here are a few cheeses I recommend that pair beautifully with the cocktail cherries:

Jasper Hill Harbison – A soft-ripened cheese with a rustic bloomy ring

Cypress Grove Midnight Moon – Goat’s Milk from Northern California

Cypress Grove Bermuda Triangle – Goat’s Milk Soft Ripened Cheese with an Ash Rub

Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue Cheese – Cow’s Milk Blue Cheese aged in Roquefort Modeled Caves

Président Triple Cream Brie - Creamy Brie that is easily found in any grocery store

Luxardo Sources
Cherries 400g Jar - $23
Cherries 6 lb Tin - $77

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Luxardo. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Luxardo Cherry Blossom Martini

 
For the last few months I have been working hard on a series of cocktail recipes for Luxardo, and today I am sharing the first of them with you!  First up is a cocktail I really love, a gorgeous cherry martini that is light yet boozy, and has a subtle sweetness of cherry maraschino - the Cherry Blossom Martini.

Luxardo Maraschino is a wonderful liqueur that has a place in many historical cocktails including the Aviation, the Last Word, and the Hemingway Daiquiri.  The distillery is now based in Padova, Italy surrounded by the rolling Euganean hills of the countryside, but it got its start in the city of Zara on the coast of what is now Croatia.  Today's recipe for the cherry liqueur is the original recipe that was created by Maria Canevari, the wife of Girolamo Luxardo, and is made by 6th generation Luxardo decedents.  It is a product that has been made year after year with love and care, and its recipe is a heavily guarded family secret.

Luxardo Maraschino is packaged the same way it has been for years - green glass bottles wrapped in paper twine to help insulate and protect the bottles in their travels.  Many recipes call for just a barspoon of Luxardo Maraschino - the liqueur is full of flavor and goes a long way.  This potency is exactly what inspired me to make a martini using the Luxardo Maraschino, using vodka to open the complex flavors of the liqueur.  The Cherry Blossom Martini is light, delicate, and floral in a subtle way - a welcome change to your usual martini.

I love this cocktail, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

Cherry Blossom Martini
Created by Gastronomista

2 oz Vodka
1 oz Bianco Vermouth
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
6 Dashes Miracle Mile Celery Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.  Garnish with a fresh Cherry Blossom if they are in season.


xo - Gastronomista, the Maraschino Maven

 

 

Styling Notes
Coupes - Riedel Veritas Coupes


Luxardo Sources
750 ml - $31.99
375 ml - $19.99

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Luxardo. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.