Tag: lemon

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The Gunpowder of Middle Earth

The Story

Another amazing cocktail name. We must believe somewhere in Middle Earth they grew kiwi plants, right?! Perhaps not in the Shire or Helm’s Deep. But the sunny parts that weren’t found in the Hobbit or the Ring Trilogy. Well, geeky rant aside, this one is pretty fun.

You’ll be muddling the green fruit for this one, so get a muddler if you don’t already have one. You might also have noticed the name “Gunpowder” in the name. That’s not a flavor, it’s a BRAND. Don’t spoil this cocktail with Beefeater or even Hendriks. Get a good bottle of Gunpowder IRISH Gin, and enjoy every last drop in this cocktail and any others you make. Cheers!

The Recipe

1.5oz Gunpowder Irish Gin

0.5oz Fresh Kiwi (peedled and cubed)

0.5oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.5oz Simple Syrup

1 kiwi slice for garnish

The Build

Add the kiwi to a cocktail shaker and muddle into a paste

Add remaining ingredients to the cocktail shaker

Add ice and shake for 12-15 seconds

Double strain into a chilled coupe

Garnish with a slice of kiwi

Source: Palm Bay International cocktail recipe

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Midori Sour

The Story

One of the first cocktail I ever had over twenty years ago was the Midori Sour. It’s an often teased drink, but for this St Patrick’s Day, let’s give it a shot.

Here’s the key to a good Midori Sour, do not, I repeat, DO NOT use “sweet and sour mix”. One shot of midori and two shot of that does not a good cocktail make! You have to juice a lemon and a lime to get a good drink here, so do the work!

The vodka shot is extra, if you want a little extra kick in your melon flavored drink. I don’t make them often anymore, but the taste brings me back, and perhaps it might be the same way for you. Cheers!

The Recipe

1.5oz Midori Melon Liqueur

1oz Vodka

0.5oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.5oz Fresh Lime Juice

3oz Club Soda (or lemon lime soda if you want it sweeter)

Here’s a link for a hand juicer, if you don’t have one.

The Build

Add all ingredients (but soda) to a highball or collins glass filled with ice (build in glass!!)

Stir for 20 seconds to combine the elements

Top off with Club Soda and stir again to mix

Source: Delish Midori Sour Recipe

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Grace O’Malley

The Story

On the hunt for an interesting cocktail based in Irish Whiskey, the name of this one jumped right off the digital page. We were intrigued by the combination of Irish whiskey with coffee liqueur. Adding orgeat, a tiki staple, was eyebrow raising, and then just tossing lemon in at the end? We were skeptical.

The outcome is a very interesting cocktail. Almost a St Patrick’s Tiki Drink. All the flavors have somehow combined into something new, which we love about cocktails. So, if you are looking for an interesting way to add some Jameson to your Saint Patrick’s Day (or any day), check this one out! Plus, as it requires a straw to drink, it’s VR Enabled!!! Cheers!

The Recipe

1.5oz Irish Whiskey (Jameson)

1oz Coffee Liqueur (we used Tia Maria)

0.75oz Orgeat

0.5oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.5oz Simple Syrup

The Build

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker

Add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds

Strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice

Source: The Tasting Panel cocktail recipe

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Rusty Nail

The Story

Most people know me as a scotch drinker. When I first tried it, I did not like it a all. I learned that was mostly because I was drinking cheap stuff. Once I was introduced to high quality brands (Lagavulin is still my fav), I discovered the joy of sipping a Scotch Neat over the course of an hour or so. Now when I introduce people to scotch I use the Rusty Nail. This cocktail is as simple as it gets, just scotch and drambuie. The drambuie is sweet and mellows the scotch out. You still get the distinct scotch flavor, but the additional sweetness takes off some of the burn and pushes the peat into the background. So if you’re new to Scotch, try this one out!

Cheers!

The Recipe

2oz Blended Scotch Whisky

1oz Drambuie

1 lemon peel (garnish)

The Build

Add everything to a mixing glass, half fill with ice cubes

Mix for 30 seconds

Strain into a low ball glass over a large ice cube

Release lemon oil over the drink, and add the peal for garnish

SOURCE: Anders Erickson Rusty Nail Recipe

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Whiskey Sour

The Story

This is another “anybody can make this cocktail” option. This was the first “complex” cocktail I made that also turned into a showpiece. I say “complex” because it requires quality ingredients and careful attention to the steps. There are two keys to this cocktail. First, always use fresh lemon. I know juicing isn’t convenient, but canned lemon juice will make a bad cocktail. Second, be very careful during the “dry shake” portion of shaking. The key to a shaker (any style) is the cold will hold the shaker together. Without the cold, the shaker will try and expand while shaking, and I have a few experiences with blowing the seal and splattering my kitchen with cocktail ingredients. So pay attention when you dry shake!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1.5oz Bourbon

0.75oz Lemon Juice (fresh)

0.5oz Simple Syrup (rich demerara if you have it)

0.5oz Egg White (one egg, usually)

3 drops Angostura Bitters (garnish)

The Build

Dry shake all ingredient (minus bitters) for 20 seconds

Add ice to shaker and shake 20 seconds

Double Strain into low ball glass with fresh ice cubes

After the foam settles, Drip 3 drops of bitters on top of the cocktail

Source: Anders Erickson Whiskey Sour Recipe

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Why Not? – Death and Co. Original

The Story

This cocktail is an original, created at Death and Company by Devon Tarby in 2017. This is a twist on the classic sidecar, but adds in maple syrup to the mix. Perfect for the Winter Menu in 2024!

This cocktail features an herbal garnish of a sage leaf. We recommend not skipping the garnish on this one. Just like a Mai Tai just isn’t a Mai Tai without the bouquet of mint at the top of the glass, the “Why Not” mixes taste and smell perfectly here. And the bourbon called for in the recipe is not super expensive; so that’s great! Cheers!

The Recipe

1.75 oz Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon

0.5 oz Cointreau

0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.5 oz Dark Robust Maple Syrup

Garnish: Sage Leaf and Lemon Wheel

The Build

Shake all ingredients with ice

Double strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice cubes

Garnish with Sage and Lemon Wheel

Source: Cocktail Codex, a Death and Company book

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Blueberry Rosemary Smash (mocktail)

The Story

If you miss the complexity of cocktails then this one might be worth checking out. It is fruit forward, but with rosemary in the mix, the mocktail is far from boring.

Couple pieces of advice. Don’t be afraid to overdo the blueberries. If they are small, add more. We added simple syrup (2:1 ratio) to the original recipe because the first version was being overpowered by the citrus. Finally when you add the lemon juice, we recommend adding a splash of water (not sparkling) to the tin. Our first cocktail was hard to pour because there wasn’t enough liquid. Make sure to double strain to get rid of the fruit and the rosemary bits, and give the cocktail a gentle stir after adding the sparkling water. Cheers!

The Recipe

7-8 fresh blueberries

Sprig of fresh rosemary (cut in half)

1 tbls fresh lemon juice

1 tbls honey

0.5oz 2:1 Cane Sugar Syrup (aka rich simple syrup)

Splash of Water (for shaking)

Top with Sparkling Water

The Build

Add the blueberries, honey, and rosemary to a large shaking tin

Muddle everything into a paste

Add lemon juice, and a splash of water and the simple syrup

Add Ice and shake for 10-15 seconds

Double strain into a chilled nick and nora glass

Top with sparkling water

Source: Mistress of Cocktails Recipe (with slight adjustments)

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Tradewinds (VR-Enabled)

The Story

This tiki drink has a fun garnish that should not be optional. It’s pretty satisfying pushing a cocktail umbrella inside out, as if blow back by the wind. So don’t skip that step. Umbrellas are cheap.

This tiki drink is all about balance. Lots of citrus balanced against a couple of rums. Don’t use spiced rum, just because it is usually black in color. The rum in the link is also very cheap and easy to find. No need to overthink it. For lightly aged rum, I almost always go with Appleton 8 or 12.

Cheers!

The Recipe

1oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1.5oz Coconut Cream

1oz Apricot Liqueur

1oz Black Blended Rum

1oz Blended Lightly Aged Rum

The Build

Add all ingredients to a mixer tin (or blender)

Add 12oz crushed ice and 4-6 agitator cubes

Flash blend for 5-10 seconds

Open pour into a high ball or Zombie glass

Source: Smuggler’s Cove Cocktail Book

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Twelve Mile Limit (VR-Enabled)

The Story

This was a very popular cocktail during the Summer months. Make sure to make your own Grenadine (it’s too easy to go with store-bought options).

This is also one of the few tiki cocktails that doesn’t call for a Hamilton Beach blender. All you need to your handy cocktail shaker and you can be sipping in the sun in no time. Even if it’s freezing outside!

Cheers!

The Recipe

0.5oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.5oz Grenadine (homemade is best)

1oz Blended Lightly Aged Rum

0.5oz Rye Whiskey

0.5oz Brandy

The Build

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker

Add cracked or cubed ice and shake for 15 seconds

Double strain into a chilled coupe glass

Source: Smuggler’s Cove Cocktail Book

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Strawberry Booster – mocktail

The Story

This mocktail packs a few surprises, and the biggest is that it is complex. When we set out to make a mocktail menu for “dry January” the main goal was not to make a bunch of smoothies and Shirley Temples. While the Strawberry Booster is a blended drink, it has so many flavors that it feels like a cocktail and not a smoothie.

Sweetened with honey and sitting on a virgin hot toddy of lemon, hot water, and mint. The complexity arrives with the marriage of strawberry and balsamic vinegar. This isn’t as strange a combo as you might think, but not necessarily found in a lot of drinks. All combined it is complicated and an easy sipper. Definitely an elevated smoothie.

Cheers!

The Recipe

2 tbls Raw Honey

Lemon Juice of one lemon

Pinch of Salt

1.5oz Hot Water

4-6 Mint Leaves

4-5 Strawberries

Dash of Balsamic Vinegar

Garnish with Mint Sprig and use a short straw

The Build

In a blender add honey, lemon juice, salt, hot water, and mint (immersion blender works too)

Blend ingredients for 5 seconds

Chop strawberries into quarters and add to blender, blend until smooth

Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and blend again for 5-10 seconds

Prepare tulip glass with fresh ice and open pour mixture over ice, leaving 1 inch

Add cold water to top of drink

Garnish with fresh mint

Source: Dry Mocktail Recipe Book (modified slightly)