We frequently love hosting friends (and of course family) for meals & fun. However, with certain worldwide pandemics running loose we felt that we could share a few of our favourite cocktails that we make when people do come over to our home in Brooklyn.
So please stay home, raise a glass 🥃 and celebrate life.
HAVE A COCKTAIL - YOU DESERVE IT
charred lemonade + GIN
One of our favourites. A little complex, but worth the extra effort. We also like to do a slight twist of the original recipe and turn the rosemary mixer into a rosemary simple syrup.
INGREDIENTS
For the charred lemon juice:
12 lemons, halved
For gin rosemary mixer:
8 (5-inch) sprigs of rosemary, cut in half
6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups gin, such as a Hendricks or St. George Botanivore
1 cup charred lemon juice
For each cocktail:
1/4 cup gin rosemary mixer*
2 tablespoons sparkling wine
Ice
Rosemary sprig for garnish
Directions
For the charred lemon juice: Preheat a well seasoned cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat. Add lemon halves cut side down and cook until well charred, about about 2 minutes. Let cool then juice, straining out seeds.
For gin rosemary mixer: In a pitcher or quart jar, combine the rosemary and sugar, bruising it with the back of a wooden spoon until you can smell the rosemary. Add the gin and lemon juice and stir to dissolve the sugar. Refrigerate, removing the rosemary sprigs after one hour.
For each cocktail: Fill a glass with ice. Pour in gin rosemary mixer through a fine-mesh strainer. Top with sparkling wine. Stir once. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary and serve.
* If you want something even more special make the rosemary mixer into a rosemary simple syrup - Tim
Smoked OLD FASHIoNed
Tried and tested on many friends - this lightly smoked old fashioned with a touch of maple syrup (Canadian, if you can get it) makes for a wonderful cozy drink.
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Canadian whisky or dark rye/bourbon
1/2 oz dark no3 maple syrup (adds more flavour)
2 dashes of Angostura orange bitters
1 orange twist
1 sprig of rosemary
1 spritz Laphroaig - optional but amazing
Directions
Pour the bourbon, maple syrup, and 2 dashes of bitters (and the Laphroaig, if using) onto a large cube of ice straight into the glass and stir for a few seconds to mix the flavour. Garnish with the orange twist & rosemary and serve immediately.
Makes 1 drink.
* you can add more maple syrup if you like it sweet, I don’t - Tim
Empress
Gin & ToNIC
A match made in heaven – gin and tonic.
It also happens to be our signature drink here at the apartment. Tart, refreshing, and effortlessly tasty, the Empress and Tonic is an elevated take on a classic favourite.
Something pretty neat about this gin at first glance, you might think it's a blue-tinted bottle that gives this Canadian gin an indigo hue. In reality, the addition of butterfly pea blossoms late in the distilling process lends Empress its intriguing violet tone.
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Empress 1908 Gin - Christina’s favourite
4 oz premium tonic - we love Fever Tree
1 grapefruit slice
Directions
Fill a glass with ice, add Empress 1908 Gin, and serve with tonic poured over.
Garnish with a grapefruit slice.