Cuke Cooler
John Berens John Berens

Cuke Cooler

It’s August… which just means More Summer here in Texas. It’s oppressively hot, which calls for refreshing drinks like this one. Think cucumber margarita, subbing out tequila for poítin. I love tequila but the clean and slightly funky taste of poítin works beautifully with cucumber and makes for an incredibly refreshing drink.

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Jaiquiri
John Berens John Berens

Jaiquiri

Two words: jackfruit daiquiri. Combining words is a big part of my pun repertoire, probably my wife’s favorite type (jk it’s definitely not). But this drink is more than just a clever word play, it’s a fabulous daiquiri that celebrates jackfruit— which is a delicious fruit with a healthy dose of tropical/banana and an almost floral-like quality. It’s also versatile and can be used as a meat substitute!

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Malt & Brick
John Berens John Berens

Malt & Brick

This delicious Old Fashioned riff was created to feature a 100% rye whiskey that was kindly sent to me by @dentedbrickdistillery. I love playing with unusual split bases and I’ve used whiskey/genever before, but not specifically rye whiskey. This works super well— the maltiness of the genever is an awesome complement to the spice of the rye. Apricot and ginger fit the profile just right, and a bit of lemon oils make it pop.

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Tom Kha Gai
John Berens John Berens

Tom Kha Gai

It’s been far too long since I’ve had a food-turned-cocktail post, so I’m really excited to share this one. This drink is my submission for the @bestcocktails @bluestembotanicals contest, where we got to choose three of their awesome products to incorporate into a cocktail. I chose savory-leaning ingredients (lemongrass syrup, savory bitters, and lions mane mushroom tincture), initially not quite sure what I wanted to make.

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Tiki Underworld
John Berens John Berens

Tiki Underworld

Today I have a boozy, stirred, tropical-leaning cocktail. It brings a rum blend, 3:1 aged rum and unaged rhum agricole, bringing rich sugar notes and some grassy funk for a diverse rum presence. The sweetness and spices come from delicious golden falernum and aromatic bitters (gifted to me by @thebittertruthcompany) tie it all together. I wanted to highlight some of the darker notes from the rum and balance out the sweetness with just a touch of Cynar.

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Vacation MacGyver, pt. 1
John Berens John Berens

Vacation MacGyver, pt. 1

Today I'm continuing Highball Happy Hour with a summer-y, tropical-leaning, and absolutely crushable drink featuring the one-and-only Jaisalmer Gin. The recipe for this one came about during a recent vacation. It's a funny thing about being the self-elected vacation bartender-- when you're used to a very... expansive bar at home, it's a big change to suddenly have very limited options. But as I always say, constraint is the catalyst of creativity, so here is the first of two drinks I created with what I had on hand.

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Caf & daq
John Berens John Berens

Caf & daq

I’m keeping the tropical vibes going today with a tasty daiquiri riff. Is that redundant? I feel like most daiquiris are awesome (if made with good ingredients, I suppose). This one is a caffeinated riff, including a delicious coffee liqueur kindly sent to me from @misceoliqueurs.

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Mr. Rice Guy
John Berens John Berens

Mr. Rice Guy

So far my #sponsored content with @JaisalmerGin includes riffs on a gin & tonic and a martini. Both fun, easy, and delicious. Let’s keep the fun and delicious part but turn up the complexity with a gin-based tiki delight featuring an unusual cocktail player: rice. Please refer to my post on 5/20 for a discussion of the infusion.

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