Farm Fresh
Sometimes the inspiration for a drink comes from the glassware you’re using. We picked up a couple of smaller uniquely shaped Nick and Nora’s recently, and Dana asked me to make a cocktail in that glass with a flower garnish from my garnish garden. We picked up the Habondia Peach Brandy at Planter's House in STL- a great craft bar with a world-renowned bartender. The brandy is locally made, and it's excellent!
Recipe
1-1/2 oz Habondia Peach Brandy
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
1 Bar spoon Uncle Kevin’s Honey Syrup
3 drops Uncle Kevin’s Plum Bitters
3 drops Uncle Kevin’s Persimmon Bitters
Stir with ice in a beaker, strain, and serve in a chilled Nick and Nora
Garnish with a French Marigold
Simon's Sweet Summertime
We created something a little different with this one. It's a bit of a riff on a gimlet with a twist and a perfectly refreshing cocktail on a hot summer day.
Recipe
2 oz Starlight Bottled in Bond 8 Year Barrel Aged Simon’s 1794 Dry Gin
1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
3/4 oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
7 drops Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters
1 Tbsp Egg White
Shake in your Elevated Craft Shaker, serve up in a chilled coupe and garnish with a lime wheel.
Vieux Carré
The Vieux Carré is my favorite cocktail and was created at the Carousel Bar in NOLA. If you haven’t heard of the Carousel Bar you owe it to yourself to check it out. There are many variations on this spirit forward cocktail, but I’ve made my riff for lots of folks, and it’s always a hit. We used Starlight Distillery Double Oaked Rye Whiskey for this week’s Vieux Carré, and it’s phenomenal! Starlight is located in southern Indiana just across the river from Louisville, KY. It's our favorite distillery, family owned and operated with great folks who make everyone feel like family and the spirits are amazing!
Recipe
1 oz rye whiskey barrel strength preferred
1 oz Cognac
1 oz sweet vermouth
¾ oz Benedictine
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a lemon peel
Sazerac
The Sazerac is Aunt Dana's go to cocktail, and our recipe is a riff on The Vandy's Sazerac. If you're not familiar with The Vandy, you need to check it out the next time you're in STL. The Sazerac is the official cocktail of New Orleans. It began in the 1830s when Creole apothecary Antoine Peychaud mixed his family's Peychaud's Bitters with Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils French cognac in the French Quarter. By the 1850s, the drink was popularized at the Sazerac House bar.
Recipe
2 oz rye whiskey barrel strength preferred
1 oz Cognac
3/4 oz demerara syrup
10 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Chill a coupe, discard the water and ice then 3 spritzes Absinthe
Stir with ice, strain into the prepared coupe, garnish with a lemon peel