Lemongrass Saturn

I find inspiration for cocktails: in food, in deserts, but most often, I find inspiration in the spirits themselves.  Whenever I'm getting acquainted with a new spirit, I taste it neat, and identify the primary flavors.  I then try to think about what other flavors will either compliment or contrast against the dominant flavors in that spirit and build a concept around that.  Lemongrass is a flavor that struck me in the new Bowling & Burch gin, the small batch gin made from 17 botanicals grown on the Limestone Branch Distillery grounds.  I was surprised to see Lemongrass as an ingredient in their gin, because it is an ingredient that I love and use a lot when I'm cooking.  I wanted to try an unexpected cocktail playing up the lemongrass flavor - and immediately thought about a Saturn. 

The Saturn is a classic Tiki drink, invented in 1967 that uses gin, lemon juice, passionfruit, orgeat and velvet falernum.  They are delicious, and even more delicious when made with lemongrass infused gin.  I made mine with passion fruit syrup, but I always recommend using fresh juice whenever possible.  

Enjoy!

Lemongrass Saturn

Created by Gastronomista

1-1/2 oz Lemongrass Infused Bowling & Burch Gin

1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

1/2 oz Orgeat

1/4 oz Velvet Falernum

Shake with ice and strain into a Tiki mug filled with crushed ice.  Garnish with a fresh lemongrass stalk, a fresh flower, and a cocktail cherry.

Lemongrass Infused Gin

3 Stalks Lemongrass

1 Cup Gin

Combine in a non-reactive container and let sit for one week before serving.  

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bowling & Burch Gin.  All opinions are 100% mine.

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Jungle Bird Milk Punch

I posted this delicious Milk Punch on Instagram a few weeks back, but I thought it needed a more permanent place to live, the internet!

The world is shut down and it's a great time to hone some new skills - like Milk Punch! I've been wanting to make Milk Punch since I got these gorgeous milky-white Little Tomato Glass hand-blown rocks glasses. They have a lip on the inside of the glass to prevent an ice cube from smacking you in the face: #genius. Hope you enjoy this little vacation in a glass!

Jungle Bird Milk Punch

• 1-1/2 oz Blackstrap Rum
• 1-1/2 Pineapple Juice
• 3/4 oz Campari
• 1/2 oz Demerara Syrup
• 1/2 oz Lime
• 1-1/2 oz Whole Milk

Scale up based on the # of servings required.

Add milk in a sauce pan on medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Once boiling, remove from heat. Add the other ingredients, and let the milk curdle, stirring frequently. Let sit for an hour, and strain through a fine mesh sieve and a cheese cloth into a jar. Place the jar in the refrigerator overnight. The next day strain again through a coffee filter, being careful to not disturb the cloud on the bottom of the jar. Transfer the into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Cherry Mai Tai

I don't know what it is, but there is something about Tiki that makes my heart sing.  Maybe it's the creative glassware, maybe it's the garnishes, or maybe it is the rum - all I know is that every time I have a well made (and properly adorned) Tiki cocktail I'm immediately whisked away to a tropical island where the sun is shining and all my day-to-day problems seem to melt away.  Like I said, maybe it's the rum.

This cocktail is a rift on a classic Mai Tai, but with a very cherry twist (I have a bit of a long standing cherry obsession going on).  The recipe follows the structure of the Mai Tai from Chicago's Hale Kahiki Tiki Lounge, but adds a few fresh cherries and a splash of Luxardo Sangue Morlacco, one of my favorite modifiers. 

The Sangue Morlacco has such a velvety cherry flavor - it is a macerated liqueur so it maintains a nice fresh cherry taste, which I love since it's nearly impossible to get cherries year round.  It's such an easy way to add a surprising flavor to cocktails.  This product is made from the same cherries as the Luxardo Cocktail Cherries, so if you're a fan, you're going to love this liqueur!!

The orgeat on the other hand, is either expensive or a pain to make - but it's worth it.  There are no substitutions for orgeat - it adds a level of richness and nutty complexity to every drink it touches.

I really love this cocktail, and I had such a fun time styling it.  The glass is a vintage find (a planter bookend, perhaps?) but one of my most treasured tiki vessels.

Enjoy!

Cherry Mai Tai
Modified by Gastronomista

1/2 oz white rum
1/2 oz gold rum
1/2 oz blended rum
1/2 oz aged blended rum
1/2 oz Luxardo Triplum Triple Sec
1/2 oz Luxardo Sangue Morlacco
1 oz lime juice

Shake with ice and strain into a tropical vessel. Top with crushed ice, and garnish with orchids, pineapple leaves, and three Luxardo cocktail cherries.


Orgeat Syrup

1 Cup Almonds 
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Sugar

In a food processor, pulse almonds until coarsely ground.  In a pot, boil sugar, water and almonds until fully mixed.  Line a sieve with cheese cloth and place over a large bowl.  Pour the almond mixture into the cheesecloth and let sit.  Occasionally squeeze the cheese cloth to extract more of the syrup.  Transfer the syrup to a non-reactive container and store in the refrigerator.  

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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.

Watermelon Frozé

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the heat has broken and we are moving from the dog days of summer and into fall.  I hear you.  I'm going to keep drinking Watermelon Frozé anyway.  (And I know you want some, too). 

This recipe is extremely easy, and is wonderful when you serve it in those cute little mini watermelons.  Seriously, there is nothing I love more than drinking boozy beverages out of fruit vessels.  Nothing.

But I digress.  The trick to froze greatness is selecting a fruit-forward rosé - one with a darker color (and a lower price point).  After all, each rosé has its place in the world: some deserve a place in a wine glass un-tainted by fruit and additional booze, and some deserve a place in a blender with sugar, mint, and frozen watermelon. 

The day before, open that bottle of $9 rosé (seriously, don't spend more than that) and pour it into a large vessel such as a pie dish or a casserole dish and stick it in the freezer.  Carefully, cut the tops off of your mini watermelons, and scoop out the fruit making sure not to puncture the watermelon rind.  Place the fruit in a bowl and freeze overnight.

Day of, add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend with ice.  Garnish with fresh orchids and a sprig of fresh mint! 

Cheers!


Watermelon Frozé

1 750ml Bottle of Rosé, Frozen Overnight
2 Mini Watermelons, Fruit Removed and Frozen Overnight
1 Cup Mint Simple Syurp
1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

Add frozen rosé, frozen watermelon, simple syrup and lemon juice to a blender.  Add ice and blend until smooth.  Pour into carved out mini watermelons, and garnish with a fresh orchid and a sprig of mint. 

Mint Simple Syrup

1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Fresh Mint

Add water and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.  Add mint and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Remove mint, and let cool.

Also - big thanks to Imbibe Magazine for featuring my Watermelon Frozé photo in their summer #imbibegram round up! 

Pineapple Margarita with a Coconut Popsicle Garnish

 
Summer is coming and (thank goodness) so is Margarita season!  Margaritas are a perfect libation choice when you want something sweet, savory, and refreshing, and let's be honest, Margaritas taste great just about anywhere and at any time.

This cocktail is inspired by a recent drink I had, which was essentially a fruit popsicle dunked in a goblet of pink prosecco.  I kept thinking, why should prosecco have all the fun?  Our friend the Margarita deserves a popsicle garnish!!

This cocktail is essentially a Pineapple Margarita topped off with a coconut popsicle, and as the popsicle melts into the cocktail it becomes a salty and sweet Coconut Pineapple Margarita, a bastard cousin of the Piña Colada.

Before

After

I like to take bites of the popsicle as it melts into the drink, drizzled in pineapple-tequila goodness, and then mix up the coconut into the rest of the drink.  For this cocktail I did a half rim of salt, which helps cut through the sweetness of the fruit, and jives oh so nicely with the Altos Plata Tequila.

These are amazing for entertaining because you can batch the cocktail part of the drink ahead of time.  To serve, you pour into a glass, and top it off with the pop which cools the drink for you.  Easy. Peasy.  I imagine there are many other flavor combinations that would taste great - Mango, Lime, Passion Fruit....the possibilities are endless!!

Enjoy!
 

Pineapple Margarita with a Coconut Popsicle Garnish
Created by Gastronomista

3 oz Altos Plata Tequila
3 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 Coconut Popsicle

Shake with ice and strain into a low ball glass.  Top with a Coconut Popsicle and a straw.

Styling Notes
5" Copper Straw - W&P
Glasses - Vintage

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

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

Party Tricks Part 2 - BACARDÍ Pineapple Pearl Daiquiris

Next up in my four-part series with BACARDÍ I'm sharing a recipe for a Pineapple Pearl Daiquiri, served with a bit of flair. This cocktail is a rift on a classic Daiquiri, but is prepared with homemade Pineapple Infused BACARDÍ Superior instead of regular white rum.

Daiquiris are a classic cocktail often associated with Ernest Hemingway, who notoriously drank them in mass volume. In subsequent years, the daiquiri has devolved into a store bought saccharine sweet mix, usually in faux flavors of strawberry and banana and consumed poolside.

Do not fear fellow imbibers, there are better (and healthier!) ways to bring fruit into your cocktails - actual fruit! It is painfully simple - fill a bottle with your fruit of choice (in this case, pineapple), fill with rum, let sit for a few days, and presto - flavored rum (sans chemicals and artificial flavoring!)

The Daiquiri is an equally simple recipe - rum, lime, simple syrup, shaken and enjoyed. It's perfect for brutally hot days when you're craving something piquant and refreshing, or on drab snowy days when you desperately need to mentally transport yourself to a tropical island.

Speaking of the tropics, I always like to add a little flair to my drinks, and nothing does it quite like a fresh orchid. I've been playing around with freezing things in ice lately, and I thought frozen Orchid Ice Spheres would be a perfect addition to this Tropical Daiquiri, in this case the Pearl. (Again, this is really simple, but looks really fancy). Most flower stores carry stems of orchids for pretty cheap - place one flower in a sphere ice mold and freeze.

Even though this cocktail looks really fancy, your guest don't have to know just how easy it is - we will just keep it as our secret (you're welcome).

Pineapple Pearl Daiquiri
Adapted by Gastronomista

2 oz Pineapple Infused BACARDÍ Superior Rum
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
¾ oz 1:1 Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a large cocktail coupe with an Orchid Ice Sphere.

Pineapple Infused Rum

2 Cups BACARDÍ Superior Rum
½ Fresh Pineapple Sliced
Add rum and sliced pineapple to a non-reactive container such as a flip-top glass bottle. Let sit for 2-3 days, strain and keep for 1-2 months.

Pro Tip: Slice the pineapple thin enough to it is easy to get in (and out) of the bottle. You will thank me when it comes time to clean out the bottle.

Orchid Ice Sphere
Place a fresh orchid into an ice sphere mold. Fill with water, and freeze for 1-2 days.

Making these at home? Tag me and BACARDÍ in your photos, we would love to see them!

Want more BACARDÍ? Me too!

Check out Part 1 - The Sexy Colada by Daniele Dalla Pola >>

#BacardiHouseParty


Styling Notes
Coupes - Riedel Veritas Coupes
Gold Japanese Seamless Jigger - Parched Penguin
Gold Baron Strainer - Parched Penguin
Silver Trays & Vase - Vintage

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

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

Party Tricks Part 1 - BACARDÍ Pineapples!

Today kicks off a four part series I am doing with BACARDÍ to share some of my favorite party tricks that are guaranteed to make your next party memorable and keep your guests talking for years to come. Including BACARDÍ in your holiday festivities is a great way to bring summer vibes to the colder months in the fall and winter.