A Life, Lived

Blackberry Bramble

A refreshing summer drink, featuring fresh muddled blackberries, gin, lemon juice  and soda or ginger beer, this is called the Blackberry Bramble Cocktail.

A spin-off the classic drink- the Bramble, first created in London in the 80’s, made with dry gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and Crème de Mûre, a blackberry liquor – here I’ve added a handful of fresh juicy ripe blackberries, muddled and served over ice, topped with soda or ginger brew for a flavorful twist.

This could easily be made into a very refreshing “mocktail”, sans alcohol –becoming Sparkling Blackberry Lemonade, without the gin or liquor, by adding muddled blackberries into lemonade and adding a bit of soda or ginger ale. The colour is beautiful.

Enjoy

Blackberry Bramble

½ cup fresh blackberries
2 ounces Dry Gin (or sub vodka)1-ounce Blackberry Liquor
1 ounce simple syrup
1 1/2 ounces fresh lemon juice
Gingerale or ginger beer
Garnish with fresh blackberries and a lemon twist

In a cocktail shaker, muddle blackberries with gin, blackberry liquor (optional) lemon juice, simple syrup or agave, until broken up and they release their juice.

Double strain, using a fine mesh strainer, to remove seeds.

Fill 3-4 rocks glasses with ice. Divide blackberry -gin mix among the glasses, and top with soda or ginger brew.

Garnish with a blackberry and lemon zest.

Rhubarb Martini

This Rhubarb Martini is made with a simple rhubarb syrup that is mixed with vodka and lime juice. Make this easy summer cocktail by shaking the the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker for a refreshing pink vodka drink.

Once the syrup is made, it can be stored in the fridge and taken out to make individual martinis as desired!

This martini was so tasty that even Jake wanted a piece of the action . . .

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Martini

Rhubarb syrup:

2 cups diced rhubarb
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar

Add the water, sugar, and rhubarb to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes or until the rhubarb is softened and stringy.

Strain the rhubarb using a cheesecloth or strainer into a large glass jar. Discard solids. Cool and refrigerate syrup.

Martini:

2 ounces rhubarb syrup
1½ ounces vodka
1 ounce lime juice
thin slice of rhubarb soaked in ice water (I used a vegetable peeler)

Combine vodka, rhubarb syrup, lime juice, and ice in a shaker. Shake until frosty.

Pour into a martini glass.

Garnish with the slice of rhubarb.

Orchard Martini

This is one of our favourite drinks of all times. I thought I'd re-share it with Canadian Thanksgiving coming up this weekend this would be a perfect addition to the menu.

It came into our lives in an unsuspecting way - a dingy hotel bar in the middle of nowhere on an unplanned weather related stop when we should have been in California. Cranky and dejected about being stuck in Cincinnati when San Diego would have been a much better stop we went to the hotel bar for a drink and a snack. This was the featured martini. We loved it and have consumed plenty over the years - one good thing to come out of it.

You won't find a better fall beverage than this.

 

 

 

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« National Grouch Day! | Main | Harvest Pear Galette »

October 16, 2008

Orchard Martini

I've posted about this martini twice in the past few weeks. Lots of folks have asked em for the recipe - lord knows I am happy to share! I think that for Paul and I this our new favourite martini - perfect for this time of year. It tastes of apple cider - what says fall better than that?

On Monday we officially ran out of both vodka AND Pucker liqueur . . . time for a run to the liquor store!

Orchard Martini

1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz sour apple liqueur (we use 'Pucker')
3 oz apple cider

Mix ingredients together with ice, shake. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple wedge or a thin cross-section slice of apple.

I've posted about this martini twice in the past few weeks. Lots of folks have asked em for the recipe - lord knows I am happy to share! I think that for Paul and I this our new favourite martini - perfect for this time of year. It tastes of apple cider - what says fall better than that?

On Monday we officially ran out of both vodka AND Pucker liqueur . . . time for a run to the liquor store!

Orchard Martini

1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz sour apple liqueur (we use 'Pucker')
3 oz apple cider

Mix ingredients together with ice, shake. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple wedge or a thin cross-section slice of apple.

Orchard Martini

I've posted about this martini twice in the past few weeks. Lots of folks have asked em for the recipe - lord knows I am happy to share! I think that for Paul and I this our new favourite martini - perfect for this time of year. It tastes of apple cider - what says fall better than that?

On Monday we officially ran out of both vodka AND Pucker liqueur . . . time for a run to the liquor store!

Orchard Martini

1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz sour apple liqueur (we use 'Pucker')
3 oz apple cider

Mix ingredients together with ice, shake. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple wedge or a thin cross-section slice of apple.

The Sage Beekeeper

It's been some time since I featured a cocktail on the blog. This is a good one to break that run.

There isn't a lot happening in this cocktail - honey, OJ, gin, and some sage.

Don't be fooled. The flavour is outstanding! So much that shaken up this cocktail a few times in the past few weeks.

The Sage Beekeeper

Honey
Ice
3 ounces gin
2 ounces orange juice
3 fresh sage leaves
Two 1-inch strips orange peel

Combine equal amounts of honey and water and stir until dissolved. 

In a shaker filled with ice, add the gin, orange juice, 1 ounce honey syrup and 1 sage leaf. Shake vigorously and pour into 2 up glasses. Garnish with each glass with1 sage leaf and 1 orange peel.

Dillon's Distillery

It is unlikely that any spirits drinker in Niagara, or even southern Ontario, is unfamiliar with Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers.

Founded in 2012, long before craft distilling became a thing, Dillon’s has been serving up fine spirits for almost a decade, beginning with a grape-based gin they produce to this day, the gentle, ‘New World’ style Unfiltered Gin 22. That gin was soon joined by another spirit distilled from grape rather than grain, Method 95 Vodka.

Geoff Dillon is a master distiller with degrees in biochemistry and economics and planned all along to use the bounty of natural botanicals, herbs and fruit sourced from Niagara. The distiller has always focused squarely on small-batch spirits, hand-crafted at the production facility in Beamsville on the north side of QEW.

The location in Beamsville, in the heart of Niagara wine country, was chosen in part for its proximity to the local ingredients. They take advantage of the rick niagara soil to grow many of the botanicals needed for their products on their site.

The first products from Dillon’s were made from a base of Niagara grapes that would otherwise have been thrown to the ground during the annual thinning process. Instead, they are dropped into baskets, fermented and distilled at Dillon’s.

But the backbone of Dillon’s product line is its Canadian rye whisky.

“Most people don’t know that Canadian rye whisky can be (and often is) made with as little as zero per cent rye then coloured and flavoured,” says Dillon. “Our whisky is made with 100% Ontario grown rye (eventually 100% Niagara-grown), and I know people will be blown away when they taste it,” he said in 2012.

A big part of the program at Dillon’s is the use of seasonal spirits made from fresh Niagara fruit including peaches, pears and cherries, purchased and processed at Dillon’s with the pure juices added straight into the still for blending. The distillery also makes its own bitters, tonics, sodas and pre-mixed, high end cocktails.

On Sunday we travelled to Niagara for our first real outing in months. Dillons had a pre-order special - you reserved a spot at a covered table on the property and received a cocktail and charcuterie box. To us this sounded like the perfect way to celebrate an easing of the COVID and a return to 'sort of normal'.

I ordered the Cucumber G and T and Paul the strawberry Lemonade.

Both were perfect.

Not long after our charcuterie box was delivered. It was a great combination of nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, bread, meats, cheeses and a grape spread.

All in all, a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Niagara.

Strawberry Basil Bourbon Smash

How about another refreshing strawberry cocktail?

This one is unusual because it involves bourbon - most of the drinks I have seen use rum, gin, or vodka. Of course I had to try this version.

The other thing with this drink is that it combines strawberries and basil. You'll find that that is a classic flavour profile.

I had strawberry juice leftover from when I made the Strawberry Tiramisu the other day and I am loath to waste things so this drink just came together.

Cheers!

Strawberry Basil Bourbon Smash

2 ounces strawberry juice (or make a strawberry puree)
3 basil leaves
2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
pinch of ground black pepper

Fill a large rocks glass with ice.

Combine the strawberry juice, basil, and bourbon in a cocktail shaker. Muddle until the basil is crushed and has released its juices.

Add the lemon juice and pepper, and fill the cocktail shaker with ice. Cap and shake.

Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker over top of the ice in the rocks glass.

Garnish with a strawberry slice and a basil crown.

Strawberry Rhubarb Mule

This recipe is adapted from the Strawberry Rhubarb Mule cocktail recipe on Dillon’s website. Dillon’s is a Canadian distillery that sells flavoured bitters. I’ve recently started experimenting with bitters to take my cocktails up a notch! During a recent visit to Niagara I picked up their Rhubarb bitters. I can’t wait to experiment with more recipes, but for now, this one is worth sharing.

Normally a mule is served in a copper mug but our mule mugs have gone into hiding.

Cheers!

Strawberry Rhubarb Mule

2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 1/2 oz Pureed Strawberries
3 dashes Rhubarb Bitters
4 oz Ginger Beer
sliced strawberries and rhubarb ribbons for garnish

Start by pureeing your fresh strawberries in a blender.

Add ice to a cocktail glass, and top with vodka, strawberry puree, lime juice and bitters.

Top with ginger beer.

Garnish with sliced strawberries and rhubarb ribbons.

Strawberry Mojito

The Strawberry Mojito, a fun twist on the classic Cuban cocktail, is a refreshing mix of strawberries, rum, simple syrup, fresh lime juice, mint, and bubbly club soda. Whip one when the day is hot and you have some fresh, local strawberries on hand.

Strawberry Mojito

8 fresh mint leaves
1/2 lime - sliced into 4 wedges, plus more for serving
2 large strawberries - chopped
2 tsp simple syrup - or granulated sugar or hone
Ice
2 ounces white rum
club soda

Add the mint leaves, two lime wedges, and strawberries to a highball or collins glass. Use a muddler to gently muddle the mint, lime, and strawberries (but not too much as you don't want to break apart the mint leaves).

Add the two remaining lime wedges and simple syrup to the glass. Muddle gently to release the lime juice, again being careful not to smash the mint leaves and break them apart.

Fill the glass with ice and pour the rum directly over the ice. Top off each glass with club soda and stir just to combine. Serve garnished with a sprig of fresh mint, lime, strawberries, and a straw. Enjoy!

Rosemary Gimlet

It seems that COVID19 is giving rise to certain trends  . . . everyone is baking banana bread, bread, attempting scallion pancakes, and dalgona coffee. The Rosemary Gimlet is another popular item that has been invading Instagram, Facebook, and twitter feeds while people are self-isolated.

Created by cookbook author and food blogger David Lebovitz, this refreshing take on the classic Gimlet will leave you wanting more.

I made this yesterday and both Paul and I felt it was a winner. The most difficult thing is making the rosemary infused syrup (and there is nothing really difficult about that). The syrup does make enough for about 8 cocktails so your wish for more beverages will be granted . . .

Even though Lebovitz says that this is a winter cocktail (cocktails have seasons . . . who knew) I think it would be a great addition to your Easter menu.

Rosemary Gimlet

Rosemary Syrup

1/2 cup (125ml) water

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

2 tablespoons (4g) coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Rosemary Gimlet

2 ounces gin

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

3/4 ounce rosemary syrup

Make the rosemary syrup by heating the water, sugar and chopped rosemary leaves in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool completely. Once cool, strain the rosemary syrup into a jar, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chill a stemmed cocktail glass in the freezer.

Measure the gin, lime juice and rosemary syrup into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker halfway with ice, cover, and shake the gimlet mixture about twenty seconds, until very cold. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary or a slice of fresh lime.

Canadian Old Fashioned

I am sure that I am not alone in my struggles to adapt to life in a COVID-19 world. Paul and I are both the type of people who prefer being alone or in a small, select group so the self-isolation hasn't been a challenge. It is the other things that are unsettling - the lack of traffic and people out and about . . . new social distance requirements in stores . . . the inability to get a hair cut . . . the inability to visit my mother who is 79 and has a number of the conditions that COVID-19 wreaks havoc with . . . the fact that people continue to hoard. I know, all of these are first world problems.

We remain healthy. We have a roof over our heads. We have heat, hydro, and the internet. We have food.

I'll stop whining right now.

On Friday we decided that we needed a stiff drink in order to help cope with the changes in our world (plus long-repressed sadness from having to cancel the vacation we should just be returning home from). This version of the old fashioned is quick to prepare and delicious. We made doubles . . . it is a hefty amount of alcohol so sip . . . don't guzzle! :-)

Enjoy!

Canadian Old Fashioned

2 OZ Whiskey
1 TSP Maple Syrup
1 dash of Angostura bitters (we used locally produced orange bitters)
1 Orange zest for garnish

Mix Whiskey, maple syrup, angostura bitters with 1 tsp. water.

Add ice. Stir lightly.

Garnish with Orange Peel.