Blame it on the Monkeys

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Have you ever had one of those days? One of those days where you feel like you’re living in a cartoon? A cartoon with Monkeys, ships made out of Lime halves, and paper sails? Maybe? Hmmm, never mind.

The inspiration for the next two Tiki drinks were literally these lil Monkeys I got from Zombie Hut in Brooklyn. Some friends and I went for a Tiki night back at the end of winter and we got these monkeys with our Scorpion Bowl. It was awesome. Now the Monkeys roam throughout my kitchen, scurrying up bottles of Giffard Banane and drinking all the Rum. They helped me make these cocktails, so they get at least some of the credit.

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Blame the Monkeys No. 1

  • 1 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
  • 1 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
  • 1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Corralejo Añejo Tequila
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/4 oz Orgeat
  • 1/4 oz DD Mix
  • Garnish: hallowed out Lime half, Maraschino Cherry wrapped Orange peel Rose, Monkeys

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into specialty glass over cracked, crushed or pebble ice, and garnish.

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Blame the Monkeys No. 2

  • 1 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7
  • 1/2 oz Bonal Aperitif
  • 1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
  • 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
  • 1/2 oz Orgeat
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • Garnish: Maraschino Cherry-speared Paper Sail, Monkeys

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into specialty glass over cracked, crushed or pebble ice, and garnish.

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Thank you lil Monkeys!

#TequilaSeason: Rothko 1961

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The heat has officially hit NYC and I am now drenched in sweat every time I leave my apt. We’re fully into #TequilaSeason and all of the refreshing cocktails that go along with it. Give me shaken fruity drinks on the rocks and give them to me fast!

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Allow me to say a few words about this garnish: Several months ago, I thought the hallowed out lime half was sort of a lame garnish but then I realized something. People aren’t usually going to eat a Lime Wedge and whenever you’ve got a Lime half, you’ve already added Lime juice to the drink. Therefore, the Lime half is actually the best garnish cause it’s like a little bowl! A little bowl that delivers things you really want to eat with your drink! GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT! They want fruit!

Rothko orange red yellow

Oh and as far as the name of this Cocktail goes, perhaps the most famous (or at least the most expensive) Rothko painting is called Orange, Red, Yellow and was painted in 1961. The thing about that painting though, the Yellow looks Green. So I was either going to name the drink Orange, Green, Yellow or Rothko 1961. The latter sounds better.

Bonus: This is the second drink that I’ve named after a Rothko painting. The first drink is Rothko 1957 with Bourbon, Fino Sherry and 18.21 Saffron Bitters.

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Y’all know I have a love affair with Casa Noble Crystal Blanco Tequila cause of the Banana and Grassy notes. In this cocktail, those notes play so very well with the Orange Curaçao flavour & Grassy notes in CioCiaro and bitter Orange from Aperol. Let’s get crackin!

Rothko 1961

  • 1 1/2 oz Casa Noble Blanco Tequila
  • 1/2 oz Amaro CioCiaro
  • 1/2 oz Aperol
  • 1 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1/4 oz Lime Juice
  • Garnish: hallowed out Lime half, two salted Pineapple chunks

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into double Rocks glass over ice and garnish. For the salted Pineapple, just sprinkle a few grains of salt onto each Pineapple chunk.

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Refrescando, a bit bitter, grassy and totally fruity. Salud! Feel free to tag all of your #TequilaSeason drinks on Instagram!

Thanks to the Baddish Group for the Casa Noble Tequila and MBooth for the Aperol.

Drinking with Mad Men Season 7: the Martini

Martini-Olives

To celebrate “The End of An Era”, welcome to a series of drinks from the television show Mad Men. Each week I’ll be featuring a different cocktail from the show, so we can all drink along with our favourite Madison Avenue Ad-men and women.

You guys, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE LAST TWO EPISODES!?! Will Don drive to California for that “golden state dream” that he’s always had? Will he go to the family farm and encounter something terrible? Will he go back to Manhattan and jump out of the window at McCann? You know he’s always had a thing about death…

OMINOUS!

As we near the end of the show, you knew that one of these posts had to include Martinis and so here we are!

Mad Men Roger Martini

Look at Roger’s Casual but serious Martini with an Olive. Image via AMC.

Mad Men Jim Martini

And here Jim is looking very sharp with his Martini with an Olive. Image via AMC.

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I like to drink my Martinis in the following format:

Martini

  • 2 1/4 oz Plymouth Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Dry Vermouth
  • Garnish: Lemon peel or Olives

Combine ingredients over ice and give it a nice long stir. Strain into chilled coupe and garnish.

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Here it is again with a Lemon peel. If you’re going to add the lemon peel, perhaps add two dashes of Orange Bitters.

Mad Men PPL Gibson Martini 2

Here are the PPL chaps and Duck having a Gibson Martini which is essentially a martini with more Gin, less Vermouth and a cocktail Onion. Image via Netflix screen grab.

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I don’t have any Cocktail Onions at home but I do have some delicious pickled Red Onion that my girlfriend made so we’ll go with that! This is quite tasty by the bye, definitely onion-y but certainly tasty.

Gibson Martini

  • 2 3/4 oz Dry Gin
  • 1/4 – 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
  • Garnish: Cocktail Onion or (in this case) pickled Red Onion.

Combine ingredients over ice and give it a lonnnnnng stir. Strain into chilled coup and garnish with Onion.

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Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed Martini Time! May your drinks be delicious and our Mad Men viewing not give us all heart attacks! Cheers!

I’ll be doing this series until the end of Mad Men, so see you next week!

Mother’s Day with Rosa Regale

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Happy Mother’s day to Mom’s everywhere! My Mother and I have a very silly, fun, and hilarious relationship. I always try to treat her like the Queen that she is but especially on Mother’s Day. What do all Queens love to drink on their special day? They love Sparkling Wine! How do I know this? Because when my Mom and I party, there is always sparkling wine. Let’s celebrate this Mother’s Day with Rosa Regale Sparkling Red!

Rosa Regale is a unique Brachetto sparkling wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. It offers a palate of fresh strawberries, wild raspberries and Bulgarian rose, complemented with crisp acidity and a round, dry finish. Sounds tasty right? Yup! Sounds like something your Mother would truly love on her special day, right? Yesssss.

Let’s get into a few ways we can celebrate with Rosa Regale.

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To start, you could chill the Rosa Regale and pour your Mother a glass. I’d recommend pairing it with some fresh strawberries and/or chocolate truffles.

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You could serve it as a fruity and fabulous Mimosa with your Mother’s Day brunch. You are making your Mom brunch right? Thought so.

Rosa Mimosa

  • 2 oz chilled Rosa Regale
  • 1 oz Cointreau, Grand Marnier or other Triple Sec (If too sweet, use 1/2 oz Triple Sec)
  • 2 oz fresh Orange Juice
  • Garnish: Strawberry

In glass combine Triple Sec and Orange Juice and stir until they’ve combined. Double strain into coupe, float Rosa Regale on top, and garnish with Strawberry.

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If you or your Mother are a fan of the Aperol Spritz, then this variation would be perfect!

Rosa Regale Spritz

  • 2-3 oz chilled Rosa Regale
  • 3/4 oz Aperol
  • 1/4 oz St-Germain
  • 1/2 oz fresh Orange Juice
  • Garnish: Strawberry halves + Orange wedge Sandwich

Combine Aperol, St-Germain and Orange Juice over ice and shake. Double strain into coupe, float Rosa Regale on top, and garnish with fruit.

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And for those Mothers who like their drinks a bit bitter or who are really fond of the Negroni, here’s a bubbly variation!

Negroni Rosa Regale

  • 2-3 oz chilled Rosa Regale
  • 3/4 oz Plymouth Gin (or other smooth English gin)
  • 3/4 oz Carpano Dry Vermouth (Sweet Vermouth will also work)
  • 3/4 oz Campari
  • 3/4 oz fresh Red Grapefruit Juice
  • Garnish: Orange wedge

Combine Gin, Vermouth, Campari and Grapefruit Juice over ice and short shake. Double strain into Rocks glass over ice, float Rosa Regale on top, and garnish with Orange wedge.

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Once again, to my Mom and all of the other moms, Happy Mother’s Day with Rosa Regale!

Thanks to M Booth for the Rosa Regale and Aperol.

Spring Cocktails with Jägermeister

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Yes, you read that right! Spring Cocktails with Jägermeister!

Do you know who had no idea how versatile Jägermeister is? ME! I had no idea but oh my goodness, I’m so into it!

When I was initially approached about this campaign, I was a tad hesitant because when I thought of Jäger, I thought of shots (and y’all know i’m averse to shots). But then I read about some of the ingredients in Jägermeister: Cinnamon, Star Anise, Orange peel, Ginger root, Cardamom, Lavender, and I got really excited!

Bonus: as a part of this campaign, I have been given a couple of recipes from one of my fave bartenders, none other than Sother Teague from Amor y Amargo! If Sother endorsed Jägermeister, then I most definitely wanted to give it a try!

Jägermeister

Jägermeister, a fantastic combination of herbs and spices.

If we’re going to make recipes with Jägermeister, then we should start by treating it like we should treat any good Amaro/Aperitif/Digestif and break down the flavors.

Tasting Notes:

  • Nose: Ginger, Licorice, Spices, Anise, Root Beer, Citrus,
  • Tongue: Mint, Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom, Honey, spices, earthy, robust
  • Finish: long and wide, full bodied

Exciting right? Totally totally exciting! Let’s dive into some recipes!

Precision-Timepiece-1

We’ll start with one of Sother’s Recipes, Precision Timepiece. This recipe feels like a Negroni variant, albeit one full of flavour and spices.

Precision Timepiece

Combine ingredients over ice and stir. Strain into double Rocks glass with ice. Express Orange peel and garnish.

Bonus: if you add a little Club Soda, you suddenly have spirited “Root Beer”.

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For the next recipe, you’re going to want to keep that bottle of Aperol handy but also get some Strawberries cause what says spring like Strawberries? (The answer is: nothing)

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To the Jäger and Aperol we add Chartreuse Jaune which has a mille-fleurs + honey aroma and is magical in spring cocktails.

Little Red Jacket

  • 1 1/2 oz Jägermeister
  • 1/2 oz Aperol
  • 1/4 oz Chartreuse Jaune
  • 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
  • 2 Strawberries
  • Club Soda
  • Garnish: 1 Strawberry, Lemon Wheel, Rosemary sprig

Muddle Strawberries and Lemon juice in tin. Add Jägermeister, Aperol, Chartreuse and ice. Shake and double strain into Collins glass over ice. Top with Club Soda and garnish with Strawberry, Lemon Wheel and Rosemary sprig. Sensational.

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And now it’s time for perhaps the most exciting formula yet: Jägermeister + Aged Rum = spiced Rum. I mean, why isn’t everyone all over this? I don’t have any Spiced Rum in My Home Bar but by combining these two together, I NOW HAVE SPICED RUM.

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Again, we’ll start with a recipe from Sother Teague cause this recipe is BRILLIANT.

German Vacation

  • 1 oz Jägermeister
  • 1 oz Flor de Caña Aged Rum
  • 3/4 oz Ginger Syrup*
  • 3/4 oz Orgeat
  • 3/4 oz Lemon Juice (Lime Juice works really well too)
  • Garnish: Heavy dashes of Peychaud’s bitters. I added the Hollowed out Lime half, Maraschino Cherries and Sail. Really, as long as you add the Peychaud’s, use whatever garnishes you want! (Candied Ginger would be amazing btw)

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into Collins or Tiki Glass over Cracked or Crushed ice. “Paint” the top of the drink with Peychaud’s bitters and garnish as you please.

Ginger-Syrup

*Ginger Syrup – Combine 1 cup of Sugar (Demerara or Turbinado), 1 cup of water and 1 cup of roughly chopped Ginger root in a Saucepan. Heat on low until just before liquids start to boil, then remove from heat. Cover and let sit for around 8-9 hours. Strain into jar and refrigerate. **If you are going to keep this syrup for several weeks, add around 1 oz aged Molasses Rum (like Flor de Caña) to syrup to preserve. Will make approx 2 cups of Ginger Syrup.

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The Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears are back again!

For the last Spring Cocktail with Jägermeister,  I’ve got a total West Indian Tiki cocktail for y’all!

Gamekeeper’s Grog

  • 1 oz Jägermeister
  • 1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
  • 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
  • Garnish: Hollowed out Lime half, Grapefruit peel Rose, Maraschino Cherry, Pineapple Spear Bunny Ears

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into double Rocks glass and garnish.

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Wasn’t that totally delicious? Yes, it totally was! Don’t worry, this isn’t the end of my relationship Jägermeister as a cocktail ingredient. I’ll keep posting recipes as I come up with them.

Note: I cannot emphasize how thrilling of a discovery it was that Jägermeister + Aged Rum = spiced rum. YAAAAAAAAS Kween!

Thanks to M Booth for including me in this exciting campaign and sending the bottles of Jägermeister, Aperol, Amaro Montenegro and Dale Degroff’s Pimento Bitters!

Cocktail Crate Sriracha Margarita

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Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow! Get ready to shake it up with Sriracha Margarita!

Once again, I have the IMMENSE pleasure of doing a post about a Cocktail Crate Craft Mixer! If you recall, I’ve written several posts about Cocktail Crate Mixers because they are THE BEST! Alex Boyd does not cut corners on the ingredients and you can totally tell! I’m not sure exactly what magic he uses to get such freshness out of a bottled Mixer, but seriously this Sriracha Margarita is FRESH and flavourful!

Obviously the first thing I did was to follow the instructions on the back and make a Margarita. Always follow instructions y’all.

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Cocktail Crate Sriracha Margarita

  • 1 Part Mixer
  • 1 Part Tequila
  • Garnish: Lime wheel

Shake Vigorously with ice. Strain into glass over Ice.

Well, it’s totally delicious and refreshing. I could seriously drink a million of these and I have made one for nearly every person who’s come to hang out at my apartment.

HINT: BUY THIS MIXER FOR ALL YOUR #TEQUILASEASON PARTIES!

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If you feel like you wanted to spruce up the Cocktail Crate Sriracha Margarita or if you are missing the taste of Orange in your Marg, I recommend the following recipe.

Cocktail Crate Sriracha Margarita No. 2

  • 1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila
  • 1 1/2 oz Cocktail Crate Sriracha Margarita Mixer
  • 1/4 oz Cointreau
  • 2 dashes Regans’ Orange Bitters
  • Garnish: Lime wheel, pinch of Salt

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into double Rocks glass over ice. Garnish with Lime wheel and drop a pinch of Salt into the glass. Salud!

Wasn’t that easy and tasty? Head over to Cocktail Crate now and order several bottles of this delicious mixer! Thanks to Alex Boyd for the bottle!

Drinking with Mad Men Season 7: Bloody Mary

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To celebrate “The End of An Era”, welcome to a series of drinks from the television show Mad Men. Each week I’ll be featuring a different cocktail from the show, so we can all drink along with our favourite Madison Avenue Ad-men and women.

As you’ve guessed by now, I’m obsessed with Mad Men. The tension is killing me, Joan’s outfits are unparalleled (absolutely undeniably unparalleled) and the drinks are classic. For this week’s Mad Men post, I nearly chose the title “Eye Openers” cause so many of the characters on this show drink in the morning. Don and Pete drink Whiskey neat or on the rocks as soon as they get to the office, Roger drank a Screwdriver several times and let’s not ever forget this:

Mad Men Roger Vodka Milk

Roger – “Mona, I AM drinking my milk right now.” (Hahaha, gross!) Image courtesy of AMC.com

Often though, in the conference room, at formal or informal meetings the Mad Men and Women are drinking a Bloody Mary.

Mad Men Joan Roger Bloody Mary

Image couresy of AMC.com

Mad Men Roger Bloody Mary

Image couresy of AMC.com

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Bloody Mary, the original drink of the #GarnishKween.

There are loads of Bloody Mary recipes out there with garnishes ranging from celery stalks, lemon wedges and pickled vegetables to strips of bacon and shrimp. If you’re looking for a place to start, I’d recommend the Wikipedia article about the IBA version of the Bloody Mary. Once you know what traditionally goes into “the most complicated cocktail in the world”, you can play around with it!

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Home Bar Girl’s Bloody Mary

  • 2 oz Vodka, Gin, or Tequila
  • ~4 oz Tomato Juice (Amount depends on your glass)
  • 1/2 oz fresh Lemon & Lime Juice*
  • 1/2 oz Olive Brine
  • 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 dashes Cholula Mexican Hot Sauce
  • 1 tbsp prepared Horseradish
  • 1 dash Celery Salt
  • Cracked Pepper to taste
  • Garnishes: Celery Stalks, Cherry Tomato, Cucumber Slices, Lemon Wheel, pitted cocktail Olives, sprig of Rosemary

Build in Collins glass, add ice and stir. Garnish like a Kween.

*Lemon & Lime Juice: juice both citrus and combine so they are approximately equal parts

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Hope you enjoy your Bloody Mary! Cheers!

I’ll be doing this series until the end of Mad Men, so see you next week!

Cinco de Mayo & The Casa Noble Ritual

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Where to even begin with this post? Where? Casa Noble Crystal Blanco Tequila + Sangrita + Corona Extra, are you kidding me? YAASSSSSS PLEASE.

I’m really pumped to be a part of The Casa Noble Ritual because it is 1. now officially #TequilaSeason, 2. I am so happy to be talking about how Mexicans drink Tequila, 3. it’s not very often that I talk about beer, let alone a Mexican beer, 4. Cinco de Mayo!

Casa-Noble-Cinco

Hello lil bottle of Casa Noble Crystal, you are so very tasty.

A great ritual must begin somewhere and in this case it begins with Casa Noble Crystal Blanco Tequila. If you’ve been reading my blog for a few months you know how fond I am of this particular Tequila. I think it’s truly one of a kind with tasting notes such as:

  • Nose: Pineapple, Strawberry, Grasses
  • Mouth: Banana, Citrus, Chocolate, Nutty, Agave
  • Finish: Smooth and velvety, low amount of “Tequila burn”, short, wide finish

Totally into it, totally ready to sip it all day on Cinco de Mayo.

Sangrita-Cinco

You may be asking the question, “What is this Sangrita business and where are the salt and lime wedges for my Tequila?” Well, that’s a great question! Often in Mexico when people drink Tequila, they don’t take it in chilled shots with salt and lime like we do in the USA, they either sip it alone at room temperature or they have it along with a glass of Sangrita.

So what is Sangrita? It’s the best chaser in the history of chasers if you ask me.

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Stacks of Citrus, Tomato Juice and Jalapeño.

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Don’t forget Cholula (or other Mexican Hot Sauce), Salt & Pepper.

Sangrita

  • 16 oz Tomato Juice
  • 6-8 oz fresh Grapefruit Juice
  • 6-8 oz fresh Orange Juice
  • 2 oz fresh Lime Juice
  • 1 Jalapeño, halved, seeds and all
  • 1-2 oz Cholula (or other Mexican Hot Sauce)
  • Salt & Pepper

Combine ingredients in large jar (32 oz or more) and stirrrrrrrr until everything has combined nicely. Let the Jalapeño sit in the jar for 1-2 hours (depending on how spicy you like it), then remove Jalapeño. Refrigerate. Sip with Tequila or use in place of Bloody Mary Mix for a totally killer Bloody Maria!

Corona-Cinco

Hello delicious, golden, wheaty Corona Extra. You’re just perfect for this tasty Ritual.

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Now that we’ve talked about the ingredients, what is The Casa Noble Ritual? Simply and in this order:

  1. Take one sip of Sangrita
  2. Then a sip of Casa Noble Crystal
  3. Finish with a sip of Corona Extra

The sip sizes are up to you but try not to get too tipsy on the first round, you’re going to want to repeat these steps many, many times. 🙂

Totally, totally fabulous right? It’s literally the best liquid flavor pairing I’ve tasted and here’s why:

  • Sangrita: Acidic and Citrusy with spice from the hot sauce and Jalapeño bring a vibrance to your mouth which can only be described as sensational.
  • Casa Noble Crystal Blanco Tequila: The sharpness of the Tequila burns just a bit, then slowly and widely leaves incredible flavours of citrus, grasses and banana, chocolate and agave in your mouth.
  • Corona Extra: The golden wheatyness of this beer is the perfect way to finish all of those bright flavours bouncing around your mouth and prepare your palate for another round.

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FYI, I’ve been enjoying the Casa Noble Ritual the entire time I’ve been writing this post.

The Casa Noble Ritual is an excellent way for any group of friends to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Salud!

Thanks to the Baddish Group for including me in this excellent tradition! 

I’m on a Podcast + The Other White Negroni

Smock Podcast HBG 1

Woo! Y’all, it’s me, my new fave Hawaiian Shirt and The Other White Negroni at Smock Podcasting for the show Strong Takes! That’s right, I’m on a podcast! (Episode 10 – Dani DeLuna) A very nice dude named Corey Smock interviewed me and asked me all sorts of questions about being a Home Bar Girl. I brought a drink for us to share called The Other White Negroni and we chatted about various topics.

Topics like:

It was loads of fun and Corey is the nicest man in the world, so head over to iTunes and check it out!

Smock Podcast HBG 2

Recording gear and The Other White Negroni

If Corey liked it, I’m sure y’all are going to love The Other White Negroni. (Corey used to be a bartender and he knows what’s up.) The inspiration for this drink is my total obsession with White Negronis aka, Negroni Bianco. I actually have an entire post dedicated to several White Negroni Variations and since then I’ve probably created five or six more. For this particular cocktail, I used Fennel infused Dolin Blanc cause it’s divine.

Dolin-Blanc-&-Fennel

Fennel infused Dolin Blanc

  • 300 ml Dolin Blanc
  • approx 1/2 Fennel Bulb

Roughly chop Fennel Bulb and combine in jar, stirring every hour or so. Infuse for around 5.5 hrs, then fine strain.

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The Other White Negroni

  • 1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum (Banks 5 Year Rum would also be awesome)
  • 3/4 oz Fennel infused Dolin Blanc
  • 1/2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin (Plymouth Gin would also be awesome)
  • 1/2 oz Salers Aperitif (Suze Aperitif would also be awesome)
  • Garnish: Lemon peel

Combine ingredients over ice and stir. Strain into Double Rocks glass over ice. Express Lemon peel and garnish.

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Damn. I cannot get enough of these Negroni Bianco and I cannot tell you how excited I am to be on this episode of Strong Takes!

Cheers!