Luckie: Gin, St. Germain and Grapefruit Cocktail

I'm in Atlanta this week enjoying all things coffee with the Specialty Coffee Association of America's annual symposium, expo and the US Coffee Championships! There's a street here in Atlanta named Luckie, which I thought would be a fun name for one of my favorite spring cocktail combinations that I've been excited to share with you. I love pairing gin and grapefruit. Adding St. Germain elderflower liqueur to the mix is a nice way to celebrate the spring season as everything is bursting with life. The acidity and sourness of the lime reign in sweetness, the bitters help tie it all together and the touch of smoked salt is both a nod to warmer weather and time spent outdoors grilling and a way to bring even more depth to the drink. I hope you enjoy it. Cheers! -Mallory

Luckie
2 ounes gin
1 ounce St. Germain
3/4 ounce grapefruit juice
1/4 ounce lime juice
2 dashes angostura bitters
1/8 teaspoon smoked salt

Combine gin, St. Germain, grapefruit juice, lime juice, bitters and smoked salt in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for about a minute. Strain into a coupe glass. Peel a twist of lime to garnish, but before garnishing squeeze the lime peel over the drink to express oils on the top surface of the drink. Garnish and enjoy. 

Let's Make Jungle Birds

The Jungle Bird might just be my desert island cocktail. I had it for the first time this past year at Scotch and Soda when I ordered the bartender's choice option. Is that something you're into? Bartender's choice? I tend to love it when it's built into the menu because I'm steered into flavor directions that I might not normally take myself and there's something really satisfying about bellying up to the bar and letting the bartender do their thing. With the risk of ending up with a drink less than thrilling is the chance of discovering a new love affair.  

The Jungle Bird traces back to the Aviary Bar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the late 1970s using Jamaican rum as the base. Modern versions swap in blackstrap rum, full and molasses-forward, giving this tropically-inspired cocktail a wonderful complexity when meshed against the beautiful bitterness of Campari and pineapple and lime juices. I love it, I love it, I love it. I'll swap in roasted or grilled pineapple with the cold and warm seasons, letting the concentrated fruit sweetness and smokiness amplify the drink even more. Also, that color! 

Jungle Bird
Makes 1
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 ounce Campari
1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice, muddled from fresh pineapples (optional: roast or grill pineapples first)
1 1/2 ounces blackstrap rum
1/2 ounce simple syrup

Combine lime juice, Campari, pineapple juice, rum and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Strain onto a large ice cube in a mule mug or a rocks glass. 

The West Central Sour

The West Central Sour is a seasonal take on the New York Sour, a whiskey sour traditionally made with rye whiskey with dry red wine floated on top. The color gradient makes it a stunner! We're swapping out the rye whiskey for small-batch whiskey from Copper Run Distillery, the rich simple syrup for a honey-roasted pear puree, adding a few dashes of black walnut bitters and a rosemary sprig garnish.

We're making this drink at the upcoming Cocktails on the Farm workshop at Urban Roots Farm using a Honoro Vera Garnacha, a beautiful dry red wine with an aroma of hard herbs and deep cherry and notes of rich fall flavors like juicy plum and red currant. We're sourcing the wine from Cherry Picker Package + Fare, a brand new cornerstore in Springfield's Rountree neighborhood featuring a specialty coffee and wine bar, seasonal small plates menu and bottle shop. 

The West Central Sour
1 1/2 ounces Copper Run whiskey
1 ounce honey roasted pear puree*
1/2 ounce lemon juice
2 dashes black walnut bitters (homemade or Fee’s black walnut)
1/2 ounce Honoro Vera Garnacha, or other dry red wine
rosemary sprig, for garnish

Combine whiskey, pear puree, lemon juice and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Add a scoop of ice, cover and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Hold a spoon upside down over the glass just above the drink’s surface and gently pour the red wine over the back of the spoon. Garnish with rosemary.

*honey roasted pear puree
makes about 1 cup
3 ripe pears, sliced lengthwise and cored
3 tablespoons honey
juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together honey with 1 tbsp hot water. Brush the honey syrup across all sides of the pear, then place them cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, or until the pears are tender and velvety. Let cool, remove the skins, and process the pear in a blender along with lemon juice until smooth.

Grapefruit Margaritas

I made a quick batch of these last night for dinner and wanted to share them here to kick off the weekend (thank you iPhone camera). Super easy and delicious. I hope you have a great weekend! -Mallory

Grapefruit Margaritas
Serves 2
salt, for the glasses
1/2 grapefruit, juiced
3 ounces tequila (100% agave)
1 1/2 ounces Cointreau 

Find your favorite rocks glasses or any kind of small tumblers. 

Wet the rim of your glasses with water (or grapefruit juice) then salt the rims by dipping them into a small bowl or plate of salt. Fill the glasses with ice and set aside.

Place grapefruit juice, tequila, and Cointreau in cocktail shaker. Add ice until the shaker is half full. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain into prepared glasses and enjoy.

Rhubarb Strawberry Sorbet & Champagne Cocktail

I had it in my head that once graduate school classes finished for the semester life would slow down just a bit. Ha! Rookie mistake. That said, lately has been really lovely and I'm quite grateful as I consider the weeks ahead. Next weekend I'll be heading to Monterey, California to be part of the barista team at TEDWomen 2015. I'm fortunate for the opportunity to work alongside some amazing women of the coffee industry for this event, and to serve coffee to incredible women leaders who will be sharing their words and inspiration. The focus of this year's TEDWomen is momentum. 

"TEDWomen 2015 will explore how change begins: with innovative thinkers who share big ideas and catalyze action toward them. In others words: with momentum. In this year’s program we’ll hear from scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, artists and activists with the kind of ideas that ignite imaginations. What will happen from there? TEDWomen 2015 is a chance for you to be a part of the story."

I find the second part of that equation to be the most challenging; not just having big ideas, but also catalyzing action toward them. I look forward to learning from women who've brought their big ideas to life to better the world around them. 

Now, let me ease into a lighter subject and share a cocktail recipe with you. This one is a celebration of the warmer weather. Plants are bursting up from the soil, the parks and walking trails full of activity, and the evening air smells like barbecue. Sorbet and champagne are well-suited for this time of year. This cocktail works well for a group and won't have you tied to the kitchen or the bar when you're hosting. Make the sorbet in advance and the cocktail is as simple as scooping and pouring. -Mallory

Rhubarb Strawberry Sorbet & Champagne Cocktail
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup cane sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2 cups strawberries, tops removed

Add the chopped rhubarb, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and 1 cup of water to a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Gently stir as it heats up to dissolve the sugar. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the rhubarb softens, then remove from heat and let cool. 

Once the rhubarb and simple syrup have cooled, puree them with the strawberries in a blender or food processor, making sure that the mixture completely liquifies. If you'd prefer to strain out the strawberry seeds, use a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. I rather like them as part of the texture, so I left them in. Next, transfer the soon-to-be sorbet to a glass container and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

Pour the chilled sorbet into an ice cream maker to churn and follow the manufacture's instructions from there.

Transfer the churned sorbet to a lidded container and store it in the coldest part of the freezer for a few hours before serving. 

For the cocktail, add a generous scoop (or two! - yes two) of sorbet to a champagne flute and top with champagne. As with any float, the effervescence requires slow pouring. I found it hard to be patient, but it's worth it. Drink like a float or stir to incorporate the sorbet into the champagne. If you're the person who stirs your ice cream into your root beer float, I'd imagine you'll prefer the latter. Both are delicious. 

Lavender Margarita

Graduate school has wrapped up for the semester. I'm officially enjoying summer break and my, oh my am I ready to celebrate. I'm a bit sad to see (some of) the coursework come to an end. I really enjoyed the Collection Development course I took where I spent the semester building a special collection (Food and Cookery, what else!) for a public library setting. I envisioned a collection like that might be housed in the Free Library of Philadelphia to supplement their incredible Culinary Literacy Center, where they work to improve the city's literacy levels through culinary classes and programs in their library demonstration kitchen. The project further sparked my interest in integrating culinary programming into public libraries. More on that soon, but in the meantime, I'd like to celebrate the semester's end by sharing one of my favorite margaritas. 

In my mind, margaritas are synonymous with slow, sunny days where there isn't much to do except spend time with people you love surrounded by great food and drinks. This lavender margarita is a go-to recipe for me in the summer, but I thought it would be fun to share today since Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow. If you're looking for a simple twist on the classic margarita, this recipe doesn't stray too far; it just uses a lavender simple syrup and salted rim dusted with ground pistachios. I generally opt for a bit of lemon in the margarita because it does so well with lavender--that's where the pistachio rim comes in, too--but using only lime is just as delicious. I hope you enjoy! -Mallory 

Lavender Margarita 
ground pistachios + salt for the glass
2 ounces tequila (100% agave)
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce lavender simple syrup*

Find your favorite rocks glass or any kind of small tumbler. 

Pulse a handful of roasted pistachios in a food processor until finely ground. Make sure to pulse, not grind, so that it doesn't turn into butter. Mix in equal parts salt and transfer to a small bowl that is wider than the glass you're using. 

Wet the rim of your glass with water (or citrus juice) then salt the rim by dipping it into the small bowl of ground pistachios and salt. Fill the glass with ice and set aside.

Place tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, lemon juice, and lavender simple syrup in cocktail shaker. Add ice until the shaker is half full. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain into prepared glass and enjoy.

Lavender Simple Syrup
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup dried lavender buds 

Bring water, sugar and lavender buds to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the boil begins to roll, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for an additional 10 minutes. Strain out the lavender buds and store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to one week.

Blackberry and Lovage Cocktail

Mark and I spent last evening at the farmers market. Not too much is growing yet in the midwest, so the booths were mostly filled with beautiful plant starters, a few early spring vegetables, mushrooms, and year-round staples like eggs, meat, and dairy. We happened upon PT Gardens who sells packaged herbs at the market year-round and as always were tantalizing the area with compact aromatics. I can't not stop to smell each one; it's like a candle store or perfume aisle. We brought home some lovage, a hardy herb with a strong celery taste and a bright lime aroma. It's by no means subtle, but that's the beauty of herbs. I'm looking forward to using it in a few savory dishes soon, but in the meantime, I couldn't resist the change to muddle it up with fresh blackberries for a cocktail. Cheers to Friday and glorious weather! -Mallory

Blackberry and Lovage Cocktail
1/4 cup fresh blackberries
1 sprig lovage
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 lime, juiced
4 ounces ginger beer 

Muddle together blackberries, lovage, and gin in a glass until all of the blackberries are fully crushed. Stir in ice and lime juice. Top with ginger beer, stir, and garnish with a new sprig of lovage and a few blackberries. 

Blueberry Daisy & Homemade Orgeat Syrup

This Blueberry Daisy is made with homemade orgeat, a sweetened almond syrup best known for its role in the Mai Tai. Making orgeat syrup from scratch is a painless measure and the added effort delivers stunning results. A batch comes together in about half an hour and keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Orgeat Syrup
Makes 1 cup
1 cup almonds
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon orange blossom water
1 ounce vodka

Bring 2 cups water to boil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat. Once boiling, add almonds and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let steep for 20 minutes. 

Reserve 1 cup of the liquid and drain the rest. Combine almonds and 1 cup of the cooking liquid in a food processor and process until well blended. Use a cheese cloth to strain the liquid into a small saucepan. At this point you can discard the almond pulp and cheesecloth, however the almond pulp can be used for other recipes like smoothies, cookies, cakes, crackers or even ice cream. 

Place the small saucepan with almond milk over medium-high heat and add sugar and salt. Stir over the heat until the sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let cool completely. Stir in orange blossom water and vodka. Refrigerate until ready to use. The orgeat syrup will keep for up to a keep. It naturally separates, so be sure to give it a shake before using. 

Blueberry Daisy
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 ounce maple syrup
1 ounce orgeat syrup
2 ounces vodka
splash of soda water
fresh mint, blueberries and lemon slice for garnish

Combine blueberries and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Muddle, making sure to mash all of the blueberries. Add maple syrup, orgeat, vodka and ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds and strain onto fresh ice in a 10-12 ounce glass. The blueberries will likely clog the cocktail strainer, so create a small gap between the lid of the cocktail shaker and the shaker base to let the drink strain through. Top with a splash of soda water, give it a quick stir, and garnish with mint, blueberries and lemon. Enjoy! -Mallory

Cold Brew & Tonic Cocktail

Have you come across coffee and tonic drinks on the menus of your favorite coffee bars? As I understand it, Cold Brew + Tonic has delicious roots in Sweden on the summer menu at Koppi, the stunning microroaster and coffee bar in Helsingborg. Saint Frank in San Francisco serves it's delightful variant, Espresso + Tonic, which they call Kaffe Tonic. I love the idea of pairing coffee and tonic, and I think cold brew is a great place to start when making cocktails at home since the process mutes acidity and can elevate the perceived sweetness in a coffee. As coffees change with the seasons, have fun experimenting with different coffees as a cocktail ingredient. 

I made a batch of cold brew for the purpose of a coffee and tonic cocktail using a coffee sourced and roasted by the lovely crew at Square One Coffee. This season they offered a few beautiful coffees from Ethiopia, including Ethiopia Limu, a fully washed and nectarous coffee from the Yirgacheffe region with soft notes of clementine, honeysuckle and nutmeg. 

Making cold brew coffee at home doesn't necessitate using a brewer designed for the cause, although having one around does make it more convenient. A few excellent and affordable options include the Toddy, the Hario Mizudashi or the Filtron. In the absence of a cold brewing device, use any glass or plastic container that can hold a few quarts of water. Grind 1/2 a pound of coffee at a medium grind, similar to what would be used for a Chemex. Add the ground coffee to your chosen container and slowly add 6 cups of cold water, pouring in a circular motion as you add it. Once all of the water is integrated, use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to submerge the grounds. Cover the container loosely with a towel and let sit undisturbed for 12 hours. Remove the towel and filter out the grounds using a paper coffee filter or large sieve lined with a cheesecloth. Refrigerate and enjoy within one week. 

Cold Brew & Tonic Cocktail
Serves 1
3 ounces cold brew coffee
1 ounce soda water
3/4 ounce tonic, I used Jack Rudy Small Batch Tonic
1 1/2 ounces white rum
flamed grapefruit peel for garnish

Combine cold brew coffee, soda water, tonic and white rum in a rocks glass over ice.

Flame the peel of a grapefruit by holding it about 4 inches away from the rim of the cocktail. Hold it with the pith side facing toward you. Light a match between the grapefruit peel and the cocktail then give the peel a gentle squeeze, expressing the peel oils through the flame toward the glass. Place the peel in the drink for garnish and enjoy.  -Mallory

G & G Cocktail: Gin, Grapefruit and Rosemary

Gin and grapefruit are a lovely pair and the addition of fresh rosemary is even better. Try this gin and grapefruit cocktail with rosemary simple syrup. Bonus - you can make this ahead for a group, just leave out the club soda until serving time. 

G & G Cocktail
Serves 1
cane sugar and salt for the glass 
1 1/2 ounce gin
1 ounce rosemary simple syrup*
1 ounce grapefruit juice
1 ounce club soda
grapefruit wedge and rosemary sprig for garnish

Decorate the rim of a high ball glass with cane sugar and salt and set aside.

In a shaker filled with ice, combine gin, rosemary simple syrup and grapefruit juice. Shake vigorously for at least a minute.

Strain into the sugar and salted glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda and garnish with a wedge of grapefruit and a sprig of rosemary. 

*Rosemary Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup Demerara or Turbinado sugar 
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Heat water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves then add rosemary sprigs. Once it reaches a rolling boil, lower to medium heat and let lightly boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place a lid on the saucepan to let simple syrup continue to infuse for an additional 10 minutes. Strain into a clean glass jar or container and store in refrigerator for up to one week. 

Interested in other cocktails using rosemary simple syrup? Try this Sparkling Roasted Pear Cocktail. 

Hope you're having a great week! -Mallory

Coffee Tincture, Cardamom Lemonade & The Lovely Lady Cocktail

Hey there! I'm delighted to be sharing this post over at Say Hey Girl today to celebrate our shared love of coffee and libations. Check out Maria's fun-loving space and, if you haven't already, her Hey Girl Guide to Coffeeing. 

Today's post is all about making a coffee tincture for cocktails and beyond. 

Tinctures are made with a botanical (in our case we’re using roasted coffee beans, but the sky’s the limit) and a high proof alcohol that acts as a solvent to concentrate the flavor. Tinctures differ from bitters in that they focus on one flavor, rather than a combination of flavors. As you can imagine, tinctures make for fun and delicious experiments in the kitchen. 

The first drink, Cardamom Lemonade, is a great way to use tinctures outside of the cocktail realm. That said, you could spike it with vodka if you’re looking for a great group cocktail recipe for your next brunch, dinner gathering or book club. The second drink, The Lovely Lady, is a gin-based cocktail that uses coffee tincture to balance the sweetness of raspberry preserves and elderflower liquor and the acidity of the lemon. The silky texture is aided by an egg white (if you’re leery of drinking an egg white, look for pasteurized eggs, but the alcohol takes care of the bacteria). My favorite part about this drink is the deceptive pink color—this drink is far from frilly. You’ll love smelling the lavender garnish with each sip.

What are your favorite ways to use tinctures?

Coffee Tincture
4 ounces rye whiskey, 100 proof or higher
2 tablespoons whole coffee beans, cracked using a mortar and pestle or pulsed a few times in a food processor 

Combine ingredients in a clean glass jar or container and add a lid. Shake once daily. Infuse for at least one week, but ideally up to a month. Strain using a coffee filter.

If you’re in a time pinch, you can substitute Angostura bitters in the following two drinks, but the coffee tinctures is really worth it. 

Cardamom Lemonade & Coffee Tincture
Serves 6
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cardamom pods, cracked
8 lemons, juiced
coffee tincture
fresh mint leaves 

Combine sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add cracked cardamom pods and their contents and lightly boil for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat, place a lid on it and let the simple syrup continue to infuse for an additional 10 minutes. Strain out cardamom using a sieve and store the cardamom simple syrup in a glass jar until ready to use.

Combine cardamom simple syrup, lemon juice and 24 ounces of water in a pitcher. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve lemonade over ice and give each glass a few dashes of coffee tincture. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint leaves.

The Lovely Lady Cocktail
Serves 1
1 1/2 ounce Gin
3/4 ounce Elderflower liquor
1 egg white
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves or jam
1 ounce lemon juice
6 dashes Coffee tincture
fresh lavender leaves, for garnish 

Combine gin, elderflower liquor, egg white, raspberry preserves, lemon juice and coffee tincture in a cocktail shaker.

Dry shake (sans any ice) the ingredients for a full minute to give the cocktail a great froth. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh lavender leaves.  

I'd love to see how you're using coffee tinctures. Tag your drink pictures with #coffeetincture. 

Cheers to a great week. I'm heading out to the United States Coffee Championships today. Follow along with the event #uscoffeechamps. 

Midnight Mule

Next week I'll be in Long Beach, California for the United States Coffee Championships. Each competitor in the barista competition will prepare three drink rounds to be evaluated by the sensory judges: espresso, cappuccino and his or her signature beverage, which combines espresso and any myriad of ingredients except alcohol or controlled substances. Each drink round is wonderful in it's own right, but there's something really spectacular about experiencing a barista's signature beverage. The flavor combinations, techniques employed and drink builds are often as polished and beautiful as they are delicious and in sync with the coffee used. 

It hasn't made it's way to the United States yet, but there's an international competition dedicated to coffee + alcohol called Coffee in Good Spirits. I look forward to it's arrival (fingers crossed). 

I'll be decorating Chase the Flavors with coffee-infused recipes over the next few weeks. We'll start with something fun and simple today, a variation of the beloved Moscow Mule (lime juice, vodka and ginger beer).

Midnight Mule
Serves 1
1/2 ounce Meyer lemon juice
2 ounces vodka
6 ounces coffee stout

Combine Meyer lemon juice and vodka in a copper mug. Add ice and top with coffee stout. Garnish with a wedge of Meyer lemon.

Happy Valentine's Day, lovebirds. 

-Mallory

Three Ways to Pisco

There's a lot to love about Pisco, the grape-based Peruvian spirit well-known for it's role in the Pisco Sour. Pisco has a velvety body, clean finish and a mild fruitiness about it, beyond the juiciness of grapes and into sweet citrus and the softness of apple and pear. The flavors fluctuate between growing regions and makers, sometimes into nuttiness, herbs or even warming spices. Naturally, Pisco is a wonderful addition to cocktails and the Pisco Sour is no exception. 

This Saturday happens to be Peru's National Pisco Sour Day, an annual celebration that takes place on the second Saturday of February, not unlike National Pisco Day on the fourth Sunday of every July.

Let's celebrate the occasion with three Pisco-based cocktails: a traditional version of the Pisco Sour along with a Pisco Daisy and a Pisco Smash.

Pisco Sour 

Pisco Sour
Serves 1
3 ounces Pisco
1 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 egg white
Angostura bitters

Vigorously shake Pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and the egg white in a cocktail shaker for one minute. Add ice and shake an additional 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe and add a dash of Angostura bitters. 

Pisco Daisy

Pisco Daisy
Serves 1
2 ounces Pisco
1/2 ounce rum
1/2 ounce cointreau or other orange liqueur
1/2 ounce tangerine juice
soda water

Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with soda water.

Pisco Smash

Pisco Smash
Serves 1
5-7 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1/2 of a meyer lemon
3/4 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces Pisco

Muddle together mint leaves, meyer lemon and simples syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add Pisco and ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with a sprig of mint. 

I hope you enjoy!  -Mallory

Winter Revival Cocktail

I made a basic black pepper tincture a few weeks ago inspired by Dave Arnold's Liquid Intelligence. Dave explores a number of homemade bitters and tinctures throughout his book, where he also introduces his method of rapidly infusing bitters or tinctures using the pressure of a whipped cream charger. He whittles down the week-long wait for bitters to mere minutes, a bartender's dream come true. Today's cocktail makes use of the steep-and-wait method, but I look forward to exploring rapid bitters for upcoming cocktails. 

This cold-weather cocktail is meant to mimic the refreshing cucumber coolers of summertime in taste and mouthfeel. The blood orange fits the bill for sweetness and color and the black pepper tincture brings in a hint of winter's spice. It will be a sad farewell when blood oranges fall out of season. In the mean time, cheers to a few more flavorful weeks of winter. 

Black Pepper Tincture
4 ounces vodka, 80 proof or higher
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns

Combine vodka and peppercorns in a small glass jar. Put a lid on the jar and let steep in a kitchen cupboard for at least a week, but up to a month, gently shaking once a day. Strain through a sieve and store at room temperature in a clean glass jar or tinctures bottle. 

Winter Revival Cocktail
Serves 1
6 slices of cucumber
1 blood orange
6 dashes black pepper tincture
2 ounces gin
1 ounce simple syrup
dash of salt

Place 4 slices of cucumber in a cocktail shaker and muddle it. Reserve a slice of the blood orange for garnish and juice the rest of the blood orange into the cocktail shaker. Add black pepper tincture, gin, simple syrup and ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass onto fresh ice. Add a dash of salt, give it a single stir then garnish with remaining cucumber slices and blood orange slice.

-Mallory

Charred Blood Orange Negroni

This is a simple variation on my favorite classic cocktail. The Negroni is equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, served up or on the rocks. I love barrel aged gin for the Negroni and generally turn to Ransom's Old Tom gin. Often, it's garnished with the twist of a navel orange, but blood oranges are in season and are perfect for the occasion. Charring the blood orange heightens it's sweetens and complexity. It makes for a really lovely Negroni, and a good looking one, too. 

Charred Blood Orange Negroni
Serves 1
1 ounce gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari
Half a slice of charred blood orange, for garnish

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Slice a blood orange into 1/4 inch slices. Lightly brush a slice with grapeseed oil, or another neutral oil, and place onto the hot skillet. Heat until charred, about 4 minutes on each side. 

Gently stir together gin, sweet vermouth and Campari in a highball glass. Add an ice cube, if using, and garnish with one half slice of the charred blood orange.

Happy Friday and cheers to a wonderful weekend!

-Mallory

Sparkling Roasted Pear Cocktail

Happy New Year! What's on your list for 2015?

I hope that your upcoming year is inspiring, delicious and infused with laughter. 

It's pear season, a considerable upside to the onslaught of winter weather, and I love to serve them in dishes sweet, savory and from the bar. Any pear will work for the slow-roasted pear puree, but I used Bartlett for their mild sweetness and hint of citrus. 

The prep work for this cocktail takes less than an hour and involves making the roasted pear puree and rosemary simple syrup ahead of time. It's best to let the puree and simple syrup refrigerate for at least a few hours. There is no ice involved in the drink build, so keeping the ingredients cold, sans the Brandy, will ensure a perfectly chilled cocktail. 

When I roast pears for puree, I make an extra to slice over ice cream or peppery greens if I'm better behaved. The roasted pears melt with each bite and the caramelized sweetness is really lovely. 

Roasted Pear Puree
2 ripe pears, halved and cored
2 tablespoons clove honey
juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Cut the pears and remove their cores. Whisk honey with 1 tablespoon of hot water. Drizzle a quarter-sized dab of honey syrup onto the cut side and into the core area of each pear, then place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle remaining honey syrup on the skin side of the pears, then roast in oven for 45 minutes until the skins are wrinkled and the pears are tender and velvety. Let cool, remove skin, then place the roasted pears into a blender or food processor. Add lemon juice and puree until smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to one week. Enjoy leftover puree by the spoonful.

Rosemary Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup Demerara or Turbinado sugar 
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Heat water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves then add rosemary sprigs. Once it reaches a rolling boil, lower to medium heat and let lightly boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place a lid on the saucepan to let simple syrup continue to infuse for an additional 10 minutes. Strain into a clean glass jar or container and store in refrigerator for up to one week. Add to cocktails, sparkling water, tea, lemonade, etc. 

Sparkling Roasted Pear Cocktail
Serves 1
1 ounce roasted pear puree, chilled
1/2 ounce rosemary simple syrup, chilled
1 ounce brandy
1 1/2 ounces ginger beer, chilled
fresh rosemary sprig for garnish

Add roasted pear puree, rosemary simple syrup and brandy to a champagne flute and stir until well mixed. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a rosemary sprig. Cheers to 2015!

-Mallory