I made this drink to celebrate #cleariceweek, using a homemade cube following the standard directional freezing method. I love the beauty and tastelessness of clear ice and find it to be a necessity in my home bar.

Journal Entry Day 13

We’re hot on the trail. Our guides expect us to catch up to the magnificent creatures tomorrow at last. Just past afternoon tea today we even heard their regal trumpet blast, beckoning us closer to our ultimate goal: simply to witness the majestic beauty of Loxodonta africana in their native home.

Grapefruit and black pepper? I can’t remember where I saw this combination, but it’s been circulating in my brain for a minute. After I recently made a batch of a delicious grapefruit-forward syrup (recipe by @sennzafinne_libations— see this post for the full specs), I knew I had to use the combo in a drink.

I really enjoyed this month’s @homebarawards theme: incorporating an ingredient three different ways. I chose tomato, in large part because there is a huge spectrum of flavor depending on the age and processing. On one end is the fresh, vibrant, tart green tomato; followed by ripe red tomatoes; and on the other end, the umami-laden flavor bomb, sun-dried tomato.

Pickles are really having a day, y’all. I’m glad I finally got fully on board the Pickle Train in the last several years so I can relish (ha) in this moment. Last night’s dinner was really a pickle extravaganza. For the meal, I made a couple recipes from @jodimmoreno’s new book, Simple Pleasures. First, pickle-brined chicken— juicy and absolutely delicious, and super easy to make. Second, pickle potato salad with peperoncini and crispy prosciutto. Oh. My. Goodness. Both of these dishes were outstanding and I’ll be making them again.

Fennel (the plant, and its seed) has many wonderful culinary applications, and I find it to be a gateway to the anise/licorice flavor profile if you’re not sold on the flavor in a more intense format. I made a “no waste” syrup using some leftover fennel fronds (15g) and some clementines that were about to go bad (50g, in coins). I combined those with 1tsp of darkly toasted fennel seeds and equal sugar by total weight. Muddle, refrigerate overnight, strain, bottle, refrigerate.

Fun fact I just learned: Granny Smith apples originate from Australia. I named the drink in honor of a great Australian phrase I also just learned (meaning “she’ll be alright”). The cocktail is my submission to the exciting return of the @homebarawards! A huge shout out to Chris for resurrecting this awesome competition. The prompt: create a sour without citrus. There are a few approaches I considered here (most of you know I love shrubs), but ultimately I decided to acid-adjust non-citrus fruit juice.

I love a good spicy margarita (I do live in Texas, after all). This marg riff is as delicious as it is vibrant. And no, it doesn’t taste like Mountain Dew though you could easily fool me!

I won’t lie, I absolutely love the color of this drink. The gorgeous purple mostly comes from the primary ingredient, a delicious plum liqueur. What’s interesting about this spirit is that it’s not especially sweet, and even has a delicious tart edge to it. This means we can use larger quantities and also create enjoyable lower ABV cocktails (it’s 17%).

It’s almost New Years! To celebrate the occasion with my last post of the year, I have this beautiful number in collaboration with my friends at @totalwine. Of course, there are bubbles involved— here I used an amazing cuvée rosé from @borrascawines. It’s dry yet approachable and delicious by itself. For the cocktail-inclined, we won’t stop there. First, we’ll add a bit of cognac. I used a lovely expression from @abk6cognac (Grande Champagne).

The temperatures are finally cooling a little bit (at least at nighttime…) so I tend to reach more for the stirred, boozy numbers. This one looks straightforward, but I was really happy with how it turned out. I often pick up on some stone fruit notes in Irish whisky, and this delicious option kindly sent by @writerstearswhiskey is no exception. As a result, it pairs beautifully with apricot.

Okay, okay, you didn’t really think I would go through Negroni week without posting something vaguely Negroni-esque, did you? Debates about what technically should be called a Negroni riff aside, the template is incredibly versatile and easy to play with.

Annnd we’re back with the second half of this week’s content, starting off with a “no-waste” syrup and now building a cocktail around it. I love bourbon and peaches (or nectarines), so this is my core. I split the base with aquavit for its botanicals— specifically, coriander, clementine, and anise. A bit of Montenegro elevates the orange-y notes and lends a bittersweet balance.

As promised, this post is a continuation of my last one, making a cocktail built around the syrup I discussed. While I highly recommend this syrup and the resulting drink, the bigger points here are 1) Consider making a syrup instead of throwing out overripe produce, 2) It’s not too complicated to make said syrup, 3) These spontaneous syrups can be a great launching point for new cocktails.