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.
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.
Royal J
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.
Slam Dunk Da Funk
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.
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.
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.
Cafecito Cocalero
Today’s post is featuring a new spirit for me— Cocalero Negro, a delicious South American-inspired liqueur. It is herbaceous, peppery, spiced, with slight floral and citrus notes with a touch of heat on the back-end without being overtly spicy. It has 29% ABV, so it holds up well in a cocktail, and while there's some sweetness, the bontaical profile reads almost like a light amaro to me. Needless to say, it's a versatile spirit.
Still On Vacation
Last week you saw a pre-vacation drink: something super tropical to get into the mood for the beach. This is the drink to have once you're back from vacation-- something boozy to sip while relaxing on the couch, with enough tropical-ness to keep those vacation vibes going for a *little* bit longer.