DIY Collins (Cocktails for a Crowd)

Making cocktails for a crowd? Consider this build-your-own cocktail idea, a simple spin on the classic Tom Collins. 

Set up a drink-making station with fresh citrus, a variety of herb-infused simple syrups, soda water, white rum (and/or the traditional gin), fresh herbs for garnish, and a large bowl of ice. Make a display card with the basic recipe (see below) and let each person create their own collins. Try grapefruit, oranges, lemons, and limes for the citrus paired with rosemary, thyme, lavender, and mint simple syrups. 

It's a beautiful display and your guests will discover new combinations as they mix and match ingredients. 

DIY Collins
Makes one 8-ounce drink
1 1/2 ounces Copper Run White Rum
1 ounce citrus juice
1/2 ounce herb simple syrup*
soda water to taste
herbs, for garnish

Combine rum, citrus juice and simple syrup in an ice filled glass and stir. Add soda water to taste then garnish with fresh herbs.

*Herb Infused Simple Syrup
Makes about 12 ounces simple syrup; use
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
herbs (8 thyme sprigs or 4 rosemary sprigs or 1/4 cup dried lavender buds or 1/3 cup packed mint leaves)

Combine sugar, water and herbs of choice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir frequently until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cover and let cool to room temperature. Strain into a clean glass jar or bottle. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

CSA Smash - Moonshine Herb Cucumber

Smash cocktails bring together small batch spirits, fresh herbs, sugar, and the best fruit of the season, smashed to oblivion and shaken with ice. I recently shared this Whiskey Peach Basil Smash, so today I'm sharing a contemporary: Bright Lightning. 

This drink feels like a summer salad with it's mix of garden cucumber and herbs dressed with moonshine and lemon. It's wonderfully herbaceous and more than anything, refreshing.  

What are you in for when you drink moonshine, anyway? The Ozark Mountain Moonshine produced by Copper Run is a 20 percent wheat mash blend touting notes of delicate caramel, malted tones: 

"Our flavor captures all the smooth complexity from the earthy root through the citrus green to the buttery sweetness of the corn kernel." 

Fresh and juicy summer cucumber and garden herbs are a beautiful pair with moonshine, with a bit of lemon and salt to pull out the sweetness. This cocktail uses thyme, mint and basil for the herb mix, but try it with other hardy herbs like rosemary, sage or oregano. 

Bright Lightning (Moonshine Herb Cucumber Smash)
Makes 1 drink
1 1/2 ounces Copper Run Ozark Mountain Moonshine
1/4 cup fresh herbs (mint, thyme, basil)
1/2 ounce lemon cane simple syrup*
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/4 of a cucumber (about 1/3 of a cup)
dash of maldon or flakey sea salt
herbs, for garnish

Muddle together moonshine, herbs, simple syrup, lemon juice and cucumber in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain onto fresh ice and garnish with a sprig of herbs. 

*Lemon cane simple syrup
Makes 8 ounces syrup
1 1/2 cups raw cane sugar
1 cup water
zest of 1⁄2 lemon

Combine sugar, water, and lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir frequently until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cover and let cool to room temperature. Strain into a clean glass jar or bottle. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

CSA Smash - Whiskey Basil Peach

Today I'm sharing one of the cocktails from a recent Ladies' Cocktail Night at Urban Roots Farm. I plan to share the remaining cocktails next week, along with a recap of the cocktail night soon after. Last week I shared You're Going to Shrub This: Beet Shrub & Beet Lemon Whiskey Cocktail.  I'm back today with another whiskey-based cocktail, this one a variation of the classic smash using small batch whiskey, basil, and peaches--either grilled or fresh.

I love the versatility of the smash, which uses spirits, fresh herbs, sugar, and the best fruit of the season. The ingredients are muddled together then shaken vigorously with ice to dilute the spirit a bit (you can also achieve this by adding a splash of soda water after shaking). 

CSA Smash - Whiskey Basil Peach
Makes 1 drink
1 1/2 ounces Copper Run Small Batch Whiskey
2-3 basil leaves
1 ounce simple syrup
1/2 grilled or fresh peach*
basil, for garnish

This recipes yields an 8 ounce (1/2 pint) drink, which is perfect for any extra canning jars you might have lying around. You can replace with any rocks glass or similarly sized tumbler. 

Fill your serving glass with ice and set aside. 

Muddle together whiskey, basil leaves, simple syrup and the peach in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for up to a minute. The longer you shake, the more ice will melt and fill the glass. Shake the entire minute for a full drink (and a nice arm workout). Strain onto fresh ice in your serving glass and garnish with basil. 

*Grilling the peaches imparts a bit of smokiness in the drink and brings out a denser sweetness in the peaches. If grilling, slice peaches in half, remove the core, and lightly brush each side with olive oil. Grill over medium-high heat for two or three minutes, face down, then flip and grill a remaining minute.