Spring Cocktails with Jägermeister

2015-05-072015-10-30 / Dani DeLuna / 3 Comments

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, 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!

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

1 1/2 oz Jägermeister
3/4 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
2 dashes Dale Degroff’s Pimento Bitters (amazing bitters btw)
Garnish: Orange peel

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”.

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)

Little-Red-Jacket-3

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.

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.

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 – 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.

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.

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!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

2015-05-052015-05-05 / Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

May your Cinco de Mayo be filled with friends, freshness, more friends and tasty Tequila! I’ll be having some combination of the above ingredients in my Tequila cocktail today. What about you?

Salud!

Drinking with Mad Men Season 7: Bloody Mary

2015-05-032015-05-09 / Dani DeLuna / 4 Comments

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:

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.

Image couresy of AMC.com

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!

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

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

2015-05-012015-04-30 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

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!

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.

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.

Stacks of Citrus, Tomato Juice and Jalapeño.

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!

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

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

Take one sip of Sangrita
Then a sip of Casa Noble Crystal
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.

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!

Drinking with Mad Men Season 7: Tiki Cocktails

2015-04-192015-05-09 / Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

Blue Hawaii & Mai Tai

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 different cocktails from the show, so we can all drink along with our favourite Madison Avenue Ad-men and women.

By now, y’all should know that my love for Mad Men is deeeeep. It’s a meticulously filmed show with fabulous fashion, the story has me in the grip, and the cocktails are beauuuuutiful!

Don’t you just love Megan’s hat? Beach hat perfection!

In the opening scenes of S6E1, Don and Megan are in Hawaii. (I want to be in Hawaii RIGHT NOW!) As Don reads an incredibly ominous passage from Dante’s Inferno, Megan’s second (third, fourth?) Blue Hawaii is delivered by one of the Hotel Staff. It’s almost like Don and Megan are in totally opposite worlds in these scenes. She, lost in her tan and tropical cocktails, Don in a brooding haze.

If I had to choose between those two temperments, I would totally be #TeamMegan in this scene. Give me the next Blue Hawaii!

When it comes to making classic Tropical and Tiki drinks, I like to be accurate! I use the Beachbum Berry Total Tiki app to look up recipes and then make them as closely to the original as possible. Blue Hawaii was created in 1957 by Harry K Yee of the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki to promote Bols Blue Curaçao. Personally, I like to use “The Genuine” Senior Curaçao cause this shit is tastyyyyyy.

Blue Hawaii

3/4 oz White Rum
3/4 oz Vodka*
1/2 oz Blue Curaçao
1 oz Sweet & Sour Mix**
3 oz Pineapple Juice
Garnish: Not specified but usually Pineapple & Maraschino Cherry

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a glass filled with Cracked, Crushed or Pebble ice. Garnish with fruit.

*I’m a Gin Gal and ususally swap the Vodka for Gin. Ginny, Gin, Gin. This drink is even tastier with Gin. (shocking!)

**Sweet & Sour Mix is 1 part Simple Syrup and 2 Parts Lemon Juice. Make your own, never ever buy it pre-made. Freshness is key.

RIP Rachel Menken, you were such a serious lady.

Now let’s go back to the beginning. Yes y’all, there is a Tiki drink all the way back in S1E1!

Don has made a mess of things with Rachel Menken and is asked by the partners to patch things up. They go for drinks that same evening. Don orders a Whiskey Neat while Rachel orders a “special Mai Tai” and what a Mai Tai at that! Look at that Pineapple “Firebird” garnish! It’s totally fabulous! Someday I will achieve such garnish greatness. However, I’ve noticed that the Mad Men props people forgot one key element to a Mai Tai garnish, the Mint sprig.

If it be a Mai Tai, there shall be a Mint Sprig in the garnish!

Once again, I’ve referenced the Beachbum Berry Total Tiki app for this Mai Tai. The original Mai Tai was created by Trader Vic in 1944 for his famous Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. According to legend, Trader Vic created the drink for some friends of his who had just flown in from Tahiti. One of the friends tasted the drink and exclaimed: “Maita’i roa ae!” or “Out of this world!”

Mai Tai (Trader Vic’s Original Recipe)

1 oz Jamaican Rum
1 oz Aged Martinique Rhum
1/2 oz Curaçao
1/4 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice
Garnish: Mint Sprig

Now, I’ve had to make some substitutions because I don’t have clear Curaçao or Martinique Rhum. I also would rather have a bit more Orgeat in my drink than add 1/4 oz Simple Syrup.

Mai Tai (this is what Home Bar Girl has in her apartment Recipe)

1 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum
1 oz Denizen Aged White Rum
1/2 oz Cointreau Triple Sec
1/2 oz Orgeat
1 oz Lime Juice
Garnish: Mint Sprig, Pineapple, Maraschino Cherry

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into Double Rocks glass on Cracked, Crushed or Pebble ice. Garnish with Mint Sprig, Pineapple and Maraschino Cherry.

As far as the Mai Tai goes, there are a million variations so, have fun! I just recommend that you start with two kinds of Rum, some kind of Curaçao or Triple Sec, Orgeat, Lime Juice and a Mint sprig. Once you’ve got a feel for how these things taste together, get creative!

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed these Tiki drinks from the Mad Men series. I’ll be doing this until the bitter end. See you next week!

#RumForTheHills: Or-zah Gabor

2015-04-132016-07-19 / Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

Y’all, for real, this might be the greatest name of all time for a Daiquiri variation and I didn’t come up with it! My friend Eleni Crush and I were talking about the wonders of Orgeat and she said, “Orgeat Gabor would be a great name for a cocktail.” It stopped my heart! So perfect! We decided to change the spelling to “Or-zah” and I started searching for the right ingredients.

Now, the thing about Orgeats is that they all taste differently. BG Reynolds’ Orgeat is a tad toasty and not quite as sweet as some of the other ones I’ve tasted. You will probably have to adjust the ratios of the drink depending on the Orgeat you have. For example, I was working on this drink with KJ Williams at Flatiron Lounge and they use a homemade Orgeat. We totally had to toss the Falernum and decrease the Lime because their Orgeat was sweeter than mine.

Fair Warning: this drink will knock you on your ass, Navy Strength Rum is no joke. 🙂

Or-zah Gabor

1 3/4 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
3/4 oz B.G. Reynolds Orgeat
1 oz Lime Juice
No Garnish

Combine ingredients over ice and vigorously shake until your body feels like a thunderclap. (jkjkjk, don’t give yourself a heart attack.) Double strain into coupe. Sip slowly and dream of sunny days and fabulous times.

You will want to guzzle this Daiquiri, don’t do it! I want you to live!

Don’t forget to join in the Rum fun with #RumForTheHills on Instagram.

#RumForTheHills: Don’s Special Daiquiri

2015-04-062015-04-06 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

A few of us on Instagram have started a #RumForTheHills hashtag and so I thought I’d start with a really fabulous Daiquiri recipe from the 1970s. I got this recipe from the Beachbum Berry Total Tiki app and it’s a knock out! If you don’t have this app (or one of his books) you need to get on it!

This Daiquiri is a version of Don the Beachcomber’s 1934 Mona Daiquiri. Now, of course I made a couple of modifications, namely, 1/4 oz more lime juice and 1/4 oz more Rum cause I like my Daiquiris tart and boozy.

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.

Hope you enjoy and if you wanna join in the party, use #RumForTheHills on Instagram!

Drinking with Mad Men Season 7: the Gimlet

2015-04-052015-05-09 / Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

I’m very emotionally invested in Mad Men. The characters are so well written, the fashion and attention to detail are unparalleled. It’s witty, charming and so so serious. I’ve watched the entire show multiple times and am looking forward to/nervous about the last Season!

For S7 E8 I’ll be drinking one of mine and Betty Draper’s favourite cocktails, The Gimlet.

Doesn’t Betty look magnificent? Stunning. Image courtesy of AMC.

Traditionally Gimlets were made with Rose’s Lime juice with the following specs.

Traditional Gimlet

1 oz Gin or Vodka
1 oz Rose’s Lime Juice
Garnish: Lime wedge

Shake over ice and strain into Martini Glass or Coupe. Garnish with Lime Wedge.

Betty likes her drinks with Vodka but I’m a Gin Gal and this is how I like to make my Gimlet.

Fresh Gimlet

2 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Demerara Syrup
Garnish: Lime Wheel

Shake and strain over ice. Lime Wheel Garnish.

If you want to make really tasty variation on a Gimlet, add a couple of dashes of Chartreuse Vert, Absinthe or both.

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

West India Docks

2015-03-052016-03-16 / Dani DeLuna / 5 Comments

As part of #IrishWhiskeyMonth, I wanted to repost one of my favorite Teeling Whiskey drinks from last year: West India Docks. This tropical sipper combines Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum and Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey in what I consider to be the best split base of all time.

If you wanna join the party, use the hashtag #IrishWhiskeyMonth on Instagram and I’ll repost your photo! The only rule is that you have to include Irish Whiskey in your cocktail.

Smith-&-Cross,-Teeling

Are you a bartender/cocktailier/Home Bar Gurrrrl? Have you combined these two spirits? Nope? GET ON IT.

Teeling Whiskey = Honey, Smoke, Apple, Woody, Rum
Smith & Cross = Pineapple, Banana, Tropical, Funky, Honey, Grasses, Spices

I split the base equally, sipped it, died and went to heaven and then made a truly terrific tropical drink. I really tried to keep it at 5 ingredients but this cocktail needed a bit of Angostura Bitters for honesty.

West India Docks

1 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
1 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaica Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
4 Pineapple Chunks
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Garnish: Two Pineapple Chunks

Combine Lime Juice, Grenadine and Pineapple chunks in tin and muddle. Add Teeling Whiskey, Smith & Cross Rum, Bitters and Ice. Shake and double strain into coupe. Garnish with two Pineapple Chunks.

No lie, this is truly fantastic. If you’ve got Teeling + Smith & Cross, you need to try these two together. #TropicalTeeling

DP Daiquiri, Duke’s Liquor Box and some Funky Rums

2015-02-27 / Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

Tears. Tears of happiness.

This magnificent wall of Booze is at Duke’s Liquor Box. I hate to say the phrase “well curated” cause it makes me sound like the next Trondy Hipstar but good god y’all, this shop is SO WELL CURATED! Just gaze into the photo and note that there are almost zero major labels in there. And what do you get when you aren’t selling Fireball and Jose Cuervo? You get really phenomenal bottles. This shop is where I’ve acquired things like: Cocchi Americano Rosa, Bonal, Dolin Blanc, El Buho Mezcal and Delaware Phoenix Bourbon.

Well, yesterday I was after Rum. I was after El Dorado 12, but when I arrived they only had the El Dorado 8. This was actually super fortunate because then I was able to go in a totally different direction, Funky Jamaican Rum.

Smith & Cross Navy Strength Jamaican Rum, Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum

WOAH. So funky, funky, funky! I did a side by side taste test and Imma tell you about it.

Ministry of Rum Collection Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum:

Nose: Molasses, banana, pineapple, tobacco, grasses, super wide nose
Tongue: Dry, citrus, caramel, molasses, allspice and other spices, chocolate, FUNKY, super long finish, super wide finish, 46.1% ABV
Impression: Honestly, there was so much happening that I was overwhelmed (in a good way). This Rum will stand up to anything. If i were to make a Tiki drink with 10 ingredients in it, what would stand out? Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum. So serious, so impressive, so bold, so challenging! I love it!

Smith & Cross Navy Strength Traditional Jamaican Rum:

Nose: Caramel, pineapple, banana, strawberry, tropical fruit (guava?), grasses
Tongue: Honey, spices, brown sugar, tropical fruit, FUNKY, direct finish, smooth short finish, to the point, 57% ABV
Impression: This is a really approachable, versatile and user friendly Jamaican Rum. Smith & Cross Rum’s combination of high proof, tropical fruits and short finish make it perfect for mixing with. I shall be using it in loads of Tiki/Tropical drinks.

Hello new Funky Friend of mine.

What do we do when we get a new Rum? We make a Daiquiri. Since this is a Funky Rum, I decided to make a Funky Daiquiri. Enjoy!

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 (this is called a Dirty Pour**). Garnish with one of the Lime halves you used when you juiced the Lime.

*If you’re going to serve this garnish, be sure to serve the drink with a straw so no one gets whacked in the face.

**I always like to use mason jars when I make Dirty Pour drinks.

Tropicaaaaaaal, tropical breezes. Tropical sneezes.

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