Red Sunset with Templeton Rye

2016-01-172016-01-18 / Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

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Happy National Bootlegger’s Day to all you scoundrels and scallywags. To celebrate, I’ve made a Tiki The Snow Away drink with Templeton Rye and yes, it’s REALLY DAMN TASTY.

If you want to share a tropical drink during the month of January, use the hashtag #TikiTheSnowAway on Instagram and Twitter, or tag u/homebargirl on reddit.

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Today, January 17th marks the birthday of Templeton Rye and its most famous patron, Al Capone. Back during Prohibition, an enterprising group of farmers from Templeton, Iowa began secretly making some really killer Whiskey. Soon afterwards, “The Good Stuff” as it was called by those in the know, made its way into the hands of Al Capone whose bootlegging network helped Templeton reach many a dry mouth.

Since it’s Winter and I’m in total-Tiki mode, I thought I’d pay homage with a Tiki-Rye drink. The inspiration for this cocktail comes from Blood Oranges (SEASONAL Y’ALL) and how well they pair with Rye Whiskey.

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The sun sets in a vibrant hue, enticing us to drink up and celebrate the night.

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Here are your cast of characters: Templeton Rye, Jägermeister (such excellent spice), Cinnamon Bark Syrup (goes really well with Blood Orange), the aforementioned Blood Orange, Lemon Juice, and of course a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

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Since this is the reddest drink I’ve ever made, and I’ve got the Cherry positioned like a setting sun in the circular sky, the name “Red Sunset” hit me like a flash. If only all drink names were so easy and so…obvious.

Red Sunset

2 oz Templeton Rye
1/4 oz Jägermeister
1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
1 oz Blood Orange Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice*
Garnish: Blood orange wheel, Luxardo Maraschino Cherry speared with Tiki Umbrella.

Combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Strain into double rocks glass or short Tiki mug over crushed ice and garnish.

*Needed the extra tart-acidity to balance the sweetness of the Blood Oranges.

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Cheers to you and yours on National Bootlegging day! May your Templeton Rye drinks be tasty!

DD’s Spiced Rum

2016-01-012016-01-01 / Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

DD's-Spiced-Rum-1

Since we’ll be using this Rum a fair amount during Tiki The Snow Away 2016, I thought I’d create a separate post for it. Thanks again to Denizen Rum for creating the truly spectacular Merchant’s Reserve that makes up the bulk of this mix.

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DD’s Spiced Rum

6 oz Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum (sub Jamaican Rum)
2 oz Plantation Barbados 5 Rum (sub a smooth aged Rum)
1 1/2 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup

Combine ingredients in a bottle and agitate gently so all ingredients are integrated.

Happy Spiced Rum making!

Cinnamon Bark Syrup

2015-10-302016-01-06 / Dani DeLuna / 14 Comments

Due to an overwhelming number of requests for the Cinnamon Bark Syrup, I’ve decided to give it a solo post for easier searching. Happy syrup making y’all!

Cinnamon Bark Syrup

1 oz or approx 0.06 lb Cinnamon Bark (7 or so sticks should do it)
2 Cups of Water
2 Cups of Sugar (Demerara used here)

Muddle Cinnamon Bark until it is in shards. Throw it in a sauce pot.
Add Sugar & Water, and slowly bring to just barely boiling on loooow heat.
Reduce and simmer for 4 minutes.
Let sit overnight.
Double strain into container. Smell it. Think of the possibilities!

*Edit: Please note that this is a living document. if something has changed slightly since the last time you visited this recipe, it’s cause I’ve been tinkering and found a better method!

Blackberry Rum Bramble

2015-09-022015-10-30 / Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

When I was a youth back in Marin County, California, my family and I used to go to a nearby creek and pick Blackberries from the bushes in late Aug – early Sept. Every year, I think about those hilarious times of fumbling through the brambles, trying not to get too many cuts, and gathering as many berries as we could hold. Then we’d take our treasured fruit back to my mom, who would cook them into a cobbler. (Wow, I sound really provençal right now.)

Ahhhh, childhood.

Anyone up for a late season Blackberry Bramble? Yes? Not just any Bramble though, a Rum Bramble in a Mule cup!

I got this nice Mule cup from my friend Drinks and Ink at my birthday, thanks dude!

Blackberry Rum Bramble

2 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
3/4 Lemon Juice
1/2 Cinnamon Bark syrup
7-8 Blackberries
2 dashes Angostura Bitters (optional)
Garnish: Lemon Peel

Combine Blackberries, Lemon juice, and Cinnamon Bark syrup and muddle. Add Rum and shake over cracked ice. Dirty pour contents of shaker into Mule cup.

Scrumptuousness in a mug y’all. Cheers!

National Daiquiri Day with Brugal Extra Dry

2015-07-192015-10-30 / Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

Woo! Did y’all know that there is a National Daiquiri Day? Yessssssss there is and it’s today! Like we even needed an excuse to celebrate this most magnificent of Cocktails. Daiquiris have actually been my fave drink this summer and are always my go to for testing out Rums.

Well, today we’ll be making a few recipes with an excellent Rum for Daiquiris, Brugal Extra Dry.

Brugal Extra Dry, you’re simply irresistible! So well dressed too.

My fave way to make a classic Daiquiri is in a 2:1:3/4 format cause I like things to be TART!

Brugal Extra Dry Daiquiri

2 oz Brugal Extra Dry
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
Garnish: Lime wheel

Combine ingredients over ice and shake like a rocket. Double strain into coupe and garnish.

Next we’ll make a Pineapple Cinnamon Daiquiri cause why not? Right? Pineapple and Cinnamon go extremely well together in tart Rum filled cocktails. Add a lil Tiki umbrella and we’ve got a real crowd pleaser!

Brugal Extra Dry Pineapple Cinnamon Daiquiri

2 oz Brugal Extra Dry Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 Cinnamon Bark Syrup*
Garnish: Pineapple + Tiki Umbrella

Combine ingredients over ice and shake it baby, shake it. Double strain into coupe. Garnish with Pineapple and a Tiki Umbrella.

*Cinnamon Bark Syrup

1 oz or approx 0.06 lb Cinnamon Bark
2 Cups of Water
2 Cups of Sugar (Demerara used here)

In sauce pan, muddle Cinnamon Bark until it is in shards.
Add Sugar and Water and slowly bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
Turn heat off and set sit for around 8 hours covered.
Double strain into container. Smell it. Try not to drool.
Keep in fridge.

Lastly, we’re going into deep freeze mode for this Banana Ginger Daiquiri. Look at its creamy goodness, behold those cherries! Get excited!

Quick note on this one: If you find that 1 1/2 oz Lime is too much, feel free to reduce it to 1 or 1 1/4. Remember, I like my Daiquiris tart!

Frozen Banana Ginger Daiquiri

2 1/2 oz Brugal Extra Dry Rum
1 1/2 oz Lime
1 1/4 oz Ginger Syrup*
Around 1/2 a frozen Banana
5-6 oz Ice
Garnish: Maraschino Cherries

Combine ingredients in blender and blend for just about 7 seconds, or until frothy but not too whipped. Pour into double rocks glass and garnish.

Ginger Syrup*

Approx 1 Cup of chopped ginger
1 cup Turbinado Sugar
1 cup of water

Combine ingredients in saucepan and heat on lowwwwww until liquids begin to simmer.
Try not to let boil, but simmer for around 30 mins.
Turn off heat, let cool a bit and taste. If it’s gingery enough, let it sit in the pan for 8 hours covered.
If not, turn the head back on lowwwww and simmer for another 20 mins, then repeat step 3.
Fine strain syrup into container making sure to press the Ginger and extract as much goodness as possible.
Keep in fridge.

Well, that was tasty.

Thanks to Brugal for making the perfect Rum for all our National Daiquiri Day needs! Thanks to MBooth for the delicious Rum!

4th of July Daiquiri Party

2015-07-032015-07-03 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

Happy 4th of July Weekend to everyone! I’ve been thinking about what I really want to drink/serve at my 4th of July party and honestly, I just want a Daiquiri! Daiquiri Prrrrrrrrrty!

If you want to join in the fun on Instagram and Twitter, use the hashtag #4thOfJulyDaiquiriParty.

That being said, “I just want a Daiquiri” means so many things to me, and there are many variations one can make by adding one or two ingredients to the Rum + Lime Juice + Sweetness formula. I mean, just by switching out the Rum itself or changing from refined sugar to turbinado sugar can have a profound effect on the flavours of the drink.

First, let’s start with the basics. Flor de Caña 7 Year is my all time fave aged molasses Rum. It is viscous as hell, creamy, with caramel smoothness for DAYYYYYYYS. It will make the best damn Daiquiri you’ve ever had. No lie.

Flor de Caña 7 Year Aged Rum Daiquiri

2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Demerara Sugar Simple Syrup (1:1)
Garnish: Lime Wheel

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into coupe and garnish with Lime Wheel.

Now that we’ve got a nice basic Daiquiri down, we can get a little more creative. For this one, we’re going to use a funky Rum from Jamaica that has been aged in the UK: Smith & Cross Navy Strength Rum. Our sweetners are going to get more complex with the addition of Falernum and some of my patented (I wish! Soon!) DD Mix. The spice set will come from the funkiness of the Smith & Cross, DD Mix, and one dropper of Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki Bitters. Highly recommend these bitter’s y’all!

DP Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/4 oz DD Mix
1 oz Lime Juice
1 dropper Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki Bitters
Garnish: hollowed out Lime half*

In tin combine ingredients over ice and short shake. Pour entire contents of shaker into mason jar. Garnish with one of the Lime halves you used when you juiced the Lime.

For this next one we’re going to go to the books and use a totally fabulous recipe from the 1970’s, Don’s Special Daiquiri. This variation was created to commemorate Don the Beachcomber and use his 1934 Daiquiri recipe while adding a couple of modifiers. I altered the recipe a tad because I felt it needed to be a bit more tart.

Don’s Special Daiquiri

1 oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Aged White Rum (Denizen Aged Rum)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
Garnish: Maraschino Cherry

Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with Maraschino Cherry.

Lastly, we’re going to use three different Spirits in a Daiquiri that I named after my family. It uses two kinds of Rum and one of my all time favourite infusions, Pineapple Plymouth Gin.

DeLuna Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz Denizen White Rum
1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Rum
1/4 oz Pineapple infused Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice
Garnish: Pineapple Chunks

Combine ingredients in over ice and shake. Strain into coupe. Garnish with Pineapple.

Well, that’s it for this roundup. If you’re looking for more recipes, you could always try Or-zah Gabor or a classic Hemingway Daiquiri. Happy Independence Day USA!

The Arborist’s Nightcap

2015-03-132015-10-30 / Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Here’s a nice slow sippin’ Friday night Nightcap with Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey. My girlfriend had a taste and said it tastes like “climbing a tree”. I think she’s right! It also tastes smoky, seductive, raisin/prune/grapey, saline-y, briney, fig, nutty. Enjoy!

The Arborist’s Nightcap

1 3/4 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
1/2 oz Inocente Fino Sherry
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
2 dashes Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters
Garnish: Maraschino Cherry

Combine ingredients over ice and stir until proper dilution has been achieved. Strain into coupe, garnish with Maraschino Cherry.

Thanks again to The Baddish Group for the delicious bottle of Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey!

Be Mine, Clementine

2015-02-242015-10-30 / Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

If January 2015 was spent in a #TikiTheSnowAway denial of Winter, then February is me embracing the cold. It’s so damn frigid in NYC. Everyone East of Colorado has been prisoner to bone crushing temperatures and an endless blanket of snow. I love snow and am a total Winter sports person (Skier 4Lyfe) but could the temperatures just be above 32° F?

So, I did it, I made a Hot Whiskey Punch. My girlfriend wanted something warm when she got home from a hospital shift and I wanted to use up some of the 2 dozen Clementines which come in a box of “Cuties”. Why are there so many Cuties in a box? Why? I’d really be happier if there were like 10. Two dozen are too many Cuties. Just TOO MANY.

Anyway, tl;dr: I’m cold, this drink is Hot & Delicious, Whiskey, Clementines, Spices, Punch. Bang.

Be Mine, Clementine

4 oz Bourbon
1 oz Domaine de Canton or other Ginger Liqueur
1/2 oz Santa Maria al Monte Amaro
2 oz Clementine Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
6 oz Water
7 drops Scrappy’s Cardamom Bitters
Garnish: Clementine Wheel

In pot combine ingredients and heat on LOW. Like really really LOW. Stir continuously until liquids are swimming nicely together but don’t boil. Nooooooo boiling. When it’s ready to go, strain into Mugs. Should make two Mug sized servings or four Espresso Cup servings.

This delicious Hot Whiskey Punch was named by my girlfriend. Thanks Baby!

DeLuna Daiquiri

2015-01-152015-10-30 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

It’s not exactly Tiki…but it is TROPICAAAAAAAL! Whilst making all of these January Tiki drinks, I really had a hankering for a Daiquiri. But not just any Daiquiri, a tropical Daiquiri! I’m still counting this as #TikiTheSnowAway. Mhmm. Can’t be stopped!

DeLuna Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz Denizen White Rum
1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Rum
1/4 oz Pineapple infused Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/4 oz Cinnamon Bark Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice
2 Pineapple Chunks

Combine ingredients in shaker. Strain into coupe. Garnish with Pineapple.

P.S. I gave this drink my family name cause it’s my fave way to have a Daiquiri.

Nog-A-Thon + Montenego Nog

2014-12-222015-11-05 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

Yesterday I was in an Egg Nog contest at our neighborhood bar, Bearded Lady. I love that bar. They have a really amazing cocktail program, great oysters and it totally has that chilled out neighbrhood bar vibe. Bonus, the bartenders are extremely nice dudes.

This was the second year that Bearded Lady has held the Nog-A-Thon and the entries were really really tasty!

Look at these garnishes and varying types of nog! Mine was the one in the top right, fluffy and with nutmeg on top.

I wanted to share the recipe for my Nog with y’all! This recipe amount was for the contest and serves around 20 people. Also, metric system is better.

Montenego Nog

The Nog Base:

375 ml Whole Milk
375 ml Heavy Cream
75 ml Cinnamon Bark Syrup
50 ml Vanilla Bean Syrup
6 Eggs

The Alcohol:

120 ml Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
90 ml Calvados
60 ml Santa Maria Amaro
30 ml St Elizabeth allspice dram
18 dashes Angostura Bitters

Garnish:

Freshly grated Nutmeg

Combine Nog Base ingredients in blender and blend until a nice foam has appeared on top of the liquid.
Pour Nog base into container and add Alcohol.
Stir until liquids are combined.
Pour Montenego Nog into cups or coupes.
Garnish with freshly grated Nutmeg.

Hope you enjoy and have a glorious holiday!

Home Bar Girl

Just a grrrrrl making fabulous cocktails

cinnamon bark syrup

Red Sunset with Templeton Rye

DD’s Spiced Rum

Cinnamon Bark Syrup

Blackberry Rum Bramble

National Daiquiri Day with Brugal Extra Dry

4th of July Daiquiri Party

The Arborist’s Nightcap

Be Mine, Clementine

DeLuna Daiquiri

Nog-A-Thon + Montenego Nog

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