using up leftovers...

Jenny came over to watch cable, and I crushed up some strawberries, shook some leftover coconut cream with some gold rum, and poured it in a glass. No name, no frills, but Diego the kitten thought it was tops.

tarragon buck BUCK!

It seems fitting to have cocktails with fresh tarragon with Kathie B. and Nikki, as it was housesitting for them a couple of years ago where I first fell in love with the herb. I admit that I sliced a lemon for this one, on the side, and that those of us who are not allergic to it indulged for the first round. Due to the fact that we couldn't taste much liquor in these, we were too buzzed by the second round to remember about lemons.

This cocktail also gave us the opportunity to debut the pony set in its entirety -- our first use of the pitcher. Achy & I stumbled upon this little gem last winter driving back from Iowa (we had to make a purchase to use the bathroom).

The recipe was loosely as follows, but in reality I was a little more cavalier with the measurements to fill the pitcher...

Tarragon Bucks (adapted from marieclaire.com)
1 sprig of fresh tarragon, clapped between your hands to bruise, then rubbed on the inside of the glass (I also just jammed a little bouquet in the pitcher to steep; the longer the pitcher sat, the more delicious the cocktails got.)
1 shot vodka (I used the rest of the bottle of Effen in the pitcher)
1/2 shot dry vermouth
topped off with organic ginger beer

mmmmmmmm.....

Lil Filly

Yum.

The fixin's.

Ach w/ Fillies.

Me, chillin' in some rolled up Crazee Wear.

I discovered DRY Lavender Soda when Achy and I were in L.A. for her book tour a few months ago. It’s pretty much the most delicious beverage I’ve ever put in my mouth, combining two things I love: bubbly water and lavender. It’s really subtle, not very sweet, pretty perfect.

The same could be said for St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur.

And so was birthed my new fave/signature cocktail, which I’m calling a ‘Lil Filly,’ both in honor of the vintage pony glasses/pitcher that we’re debuting this summer, and as an ode to the light fresh taste with a little bit of frill.

2 shots vodka (I used Effen)
~1/2 shot St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
dash of Angostura Bitters
fill ‘er up with DRY Lavender Soda
garnish with a coupla blackberries or other pretty thing of your choice

Rum Cream

Our version.

A sweating plastic cup of Sangster's Rum Cream on our balcony (kind of like the back deck) at the Sunset Beach Resort.

Achy has a tradition of drinking a ‘White Witch’ shot at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant in the Montego Bay airport whenever she goes to Cuba via Jamaica. This trip, my first, we had an additional surprise layover after being turned around midair en route to Havana. (Air Jamaica told us that the Havana airport was closed, the result of a ‘hole in the runway.’) Long story short, we were put up overnight in the Sunset Beach all-inclusive resort and stuck on a flight the next day. Meanwhile, we discovered Sangster’s Rum Cream, which to our surprise and delight/dismay was an identical taste match to the White Witch.

In our desire to make the customs process go as smoothly as possible upon entry in Miami, we didn’t bring any liquor back with us. We did, however, whip up a little batch of homemade stuff when we got home.

[recipe modified from this]

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Bacardi Select or other dark rum
1 cup heavy whipping cream
5 Tbsp espresso, freshly brewed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut cream

Blend ingredients in blender and serve over ice or in coffee.

Note: This recipe is toooooo cinnamony. Next time we’re going for a pinch to 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Otherwise, it’s pretty delicious.

prepping for a summer of cocktails

we're gonna drink well this summer. the boozing is citrus-free because achy's horribly allergic, which is cool because it's a good challenge: summer cocktails sans-citrus.

things we need: lavender simple syrup, chipotle simple syrup, angostura bitters, elderflower liqueur, agave nectar

i want to make all our own syrups, infusions, and purees. this is a much bigger undertaking than december's vodka infusion project (see above).