stirred

Home Bar Gurls: Grace’s Secret

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This is Home Bar Gurls, the segment where another Home Bar Girl or Dude sends a recipe!

Grace's-Secret

Today’s recipe comes from Belinda Martin, Stylist to the stars! No really, she recently styled The First Lady of New York City, Mrs Chirlane McCray, for a Halloween Party! Belinda likes, Whiskey, Gin, Rum, Tequila and a good spicy Bloody Mary.

Grace’s Secret

  • 1 1/2 oz Whiskey
  • 1/2 oz Fernet
  • 4 dashes of Walnut Bitters
  • 2 barspoon Maraschino Cherry Syrup
  • Maraschino Cherry

In tin, combine Whiskey, Fernet, Walnut Bitters and Cherry Syrup over ice and stir. Strain into rocks glass, add ice and garnish with cherry.

Have a recipe you would like to be featured? Please send a recipe, photo of the cocktail and a bit about yourself to homebargirl@gmail.com.

You’re So Kind: Berentzen Bushel & Barrel

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Bushel-&-Barrel

The very kind people at Berentzen USA have sent me several bottles to taste and review: Icemint Schnapps, Pear Liqueur and Bushel & Barrel. They’re so kind. Aren’t they kind? BERENTZEN, YOU’RE SO KIND! Each bottle is fabulous and totally bursting with flavour but I’m going to start with Bushel & Barrel cause this is America and nothing screams AMERICA more than Bourbon and Apples.

I’ve gotta be honest, this is truly delicious stuff! Upon opening the bottle, crisp, clear Apples come through, then the more complex spices from Kentucky Bourbon settle into your nose. It’s an awesome experience.  First taste also begins with Apple, fresh juicy Apple from Berentzen’s Apple Liqueur and then a bit of spicy kick from Bourbon. Again, awesome. At 60 proof, it’s neither too strong to use in cocktails, nor too weak to drink on the rocks. In fact, everything about this liqueur is super smooth and just right.

If this is the future of flavoured whiskey, then I am so happy to be taking part in the revolution. Bushel & Barrel is by far the best one I’ve ever had and honestly, everything Berentzen makes is outstandingly tasty. (This is the part of the post where you throw that nasty cinnamon flavoured whiskey out the window. There, I said it.)

And now, some Bushel & Barrel cocktails:

American-Rose-1

American Rose (Jack Rose Variation)

  • 1 1/2 oz Bushel & Barrel
  • 1/2 oz Applejack
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • 1/2 oz Grenadine
  • Lime Wheel

In tin, combine Bushel & Barrel, Applejack, Lime Juice and Grenadine over ice. Shake and double strain into coupe, garnish with Lime Wheel.

Obstacle-Three-2

Obstacle Three

  • 1 1/2 oz Rye
  • 3/4 oz Averna Amaro
  • 1/2 oz Bushel & Barrel
  • 1/2 oz Carpano Antica
  • Maraschino Cherry

In tin, combine Rye, Averna, Bushel & Barrel, Carpano and stir over cracked ice. Strain into coupe, Maraschino cherry garnish.

People-Watching-2

People Watching

  • 2 oz Cocchi Americano
  • 1/2 oz Bushel & Barrel
  • 1/2 oz Cynar
  • 1/4 oz Lemon Juice

In tin, combine Cocchi Americano, Bushel & Barrel, Cynar and Lemon Juice over ice. Shake and double strain into coupe. Splash of Soda or Champagne on top.

Julian-Franco-1

Julian Franco

  • 1 1/2 oz Bourbon
  • 1/2 oz Bushel & Barrel
  • 1/2 oz Raspberry Liqueur
  • 1/4 oz Chartreuse Vert
  • Apple Peel

In tin, combine Bourbon, Bushel & Barrel, Raspberry Liqueur and Chartreuse. Stir over cracked ice and strain into coupe. Apple Peel garnish.

Well, that’s it for now! I’ve definitely got more recipes for Bushel & Barrel and will post them in the future! As for the Pear Liqueur and Icemint Schnapps, I’ll be reviewing them soon! This has been You’re So Kind, the post where someone nice gives me a bottle and I review it!

The Terroir Martini

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Terroir-Martini-1

I know we’ve talked about St. George Spirits but have we specifically talked about their Terroir Gin? This is the Gin that started it all. The Gin that got me hooked on Gin. The Gin that made me sob for 30 minutes in my Brooklyn apartment. You see, this Gin, THIS GIN, is from Marin, the Mt Tamalpias Gin. The botanicals in the Gin were selected on Mt Tam and when you open this bottle of Gin, you actually SMELL Marin County, California.

mt tam

Mt Tamalpias, Marin County. Photo via Summit Post. Don’t you just want to die? I do. Prettttttty.

For me, it was just too much. Just too TOO much. I’d spent over 10 years living somewhere that wasn’t Marin County, California and smelling those smells brought my entire childhood back to me. I saw myself walking in the hills, going to Stinson Beach, running cross country, hiking, riding bicycles, going to high school, the whole thing.

I smelled the Eucalyptus, Bay Laurel, Sage, Pine, Grasses, Sunshine, Ocean air. And I cried. I’ve never cried after opening a bottle of Napa Valley or Calistoga Wine before, but I started crying as soon as I smelled this Gin.

Therefore, I consider St George Terroir to be sacred and as a sacred spirit, I add little to it. Often I drink it neat or on the rocks. Sometimes I have it as a Fizz with Mint Simple Syrup and Lime juice. On even rarer occasions, I make it into this martini.

It is the greatest and most complex Gin that I’ve ever tasted and with absolute reverence I present to you:

The Terroir Martini

  • 2 1/2 oz St. George Terroir Gin
  • 1/2 oz Pear Eau de Vie (a dry Pear Eau de Vie is best)
  • 1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
  • Basil leaf garnish

In tin, combine Terroir Gin, Pear Eau de Vie and Dolin Dry over cracked ice and stir. Strain into chilled coupe, slap basil leaf between your hands and use as garnish.

Terroir-Martini-3

Classic Cocktails: Black Manhattan

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Black-Manhattan-1

So dark, so smooth, so rich in flavor, so Manhattan. Wait, what am I saying? There is NOTHING smooth about Manhattan, NOTHING. Sorry, are we talking about the Burrough or the Cocktail? As far the Manhattan Cocktail goes, there are as many variations as there are neighborhoods in NYC: Perfect Manhattan, 1920 Cocktail, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, Red Hook, Bronx, Slope, Greenpoint, Carroll Gardens, to name a few. Even the Rob Roy is essentially just a Scotch Manhattan!

The Black Manhattan or Averna Manhattan is excellent variation on a Manhattan, in fact it might be my favourite. A classic Black Manhattan stays true to the 2:1 ratio of Rye to Averna but I really enjoy a bit of Carpano Antica in this cocktail as well. Remember to sip slowly and feel the Averna. Let its velvety richness guide you into the winter months.

Black Manhattan

  • 2 oz Rye
  • 3/4 oz Averna Amaro
  • 1/2 oz Carpano Antica
  • 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
  • Maraschino Cherry

In tin, combine Rye, Averna, Carpano and Angostura Bitters over cracked ice. Stir and strain into coupe. Garnish with Maraschino Cherry. Cheers!

Black-Manhattan-2

Copa de Oro

/ Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

Copa-de-Oro-1

My love of Calvados continues here at Home Bar Girl with a stirred Aperitif cocktail. We named it Copa de Oro after my girlfriend suggested that the drink resembled a California Poppy.

California Poppy Copa de Oro Cup of Gold

“Poppies, poppies will put you to sleep, sleeeeep, now they’ll sleep.” -The Wicked Witch of the West

ummmmmmmm. Perhaps we shouldn’t have named the drink after Poppies. This is not a sleepy drink, it’s a before dinner/start the night out kind of drink! Don’t listen to that Wicked Witch!

Copa de Oro

  • 2 oz Calvados
  • 1 oz Cocchi Americano
  • 1/4 oz Cynar
  • 2 Dashes Angostura
  • Orange Peel

In tin, combine ingredients and stir over cracked ice. Strain into coupe. Express Orange Peel and garnish.

Cheers to you all!

Classic Cocktails: Diamondback Cocktail

/ Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

Diamondback

I’ve got a couple of things to say about this drink:

1. With the exception of Old Fashioneds and Sazeracs, “Build-In-Glass” drinks should ALWAYS be in Mason Jars. If you’re just gonna pour everything into the drinking glass, stir it a few times and serve it, don’t use a fancy glass. Use a Mason Jar! Same goes for any drink with a Dirty Pour (everything from the shaker goes straight into the cocktail, ice and all), or any type of Smash. I know that living in the deep South for ten years may have influenced this point of view, but I stand firmly in my beliefs!

2. The Diamondback Cocktail packs a particularly powerful punch! It’s a knock out for sure! Especially if you were to use a spicy rye like George Dickel Rye. Well, WOO! You just might shoot off like a rocket! This drink is a great slow sipper due to its boozy boozy qualities. Remember kids, Chartreuse Vert is 110 Proof.

3. In keeping with my current obsession for Autumnal Cocktails, well, the Applejack is HAPPENING in this drink. Diamondback Cocktail

  • 1 1/2 oz Rye
  • 3/4 oz Laird’s Applejack
  • 3/4 oz Chartreuse Vert
  • Maraschino Cherry

Build in glass with ice. Stir a few times and garnish with Maraschino Cherry. Easy peasy, definitely NOT breezy. Good luck! You’ve been warned.

“The Lord’s Been Good To Me”

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The-Lord's-Been-Good-To-Me

You may be thinking, “ummm, this Home Bar Girl is a little obsessed with Bourbon.” Well, now that it’s Autumn I sort of can’t help myself! I want to use bourbon all the time, errrry day, errrry night.

The name for this drink is from a song in Johnny Appleseed, a Disney animated short released in 1948. As a child, I watched Johnny Appleseed countless times and loved to sing along to this song. Upon taking the first sip of the cocktail and tasting the apple notes, the cartoon rushed back to me. Ah, memories.

“The Lord’s Been Good To Me”

  • 1 oz Calvados
  • 1 oz Bourbon
  • 1/2 oz Honey Syrup
  • 1/4 oz Cynar
  • 2 dashes of Orange Bitters
  • Maraschino Cherry

In tin, combine Calvados, Bourbon, Honey Syrup, Cynar and bitters. Stir and strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with Maraschino Cherry.

It’s A Long Shot

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

It's-A-Long-Shot

So, are you ready?  Are you ready for that “get up and go feeling”? Are you ready to run screaming out of the building?

The inspiration for this coffee cocktail comes from St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur. It’s a phenomenal blend of chicory root, vanilla and dark coffee. Hands down the best coffee liqueur I’ve ever tasted. To this I added bourbon, espresso, half n half and a little dust of cinnamon. BOOM.

It’s A Long Shot

  • 1 1/2 oz Espresso
  • 1 oz St George NOLA Coffee Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Bourbon
  • 1 oz Half n Half
  • Cinnamon

In tin combine Espresso, Coffee Liqueur, Bourbon, Half n Half and stir. Pour into rocks glass over ice. Dust cinnamon on top. Hold onto your hat!

Maxime

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

Maxime

There are a wide array of botanicals and a touch of bitterness in Maxime and I’m in love. Does this make me an old lady with old lady taste buds? Am I actually Maxime? Are we all Maxime? Perhaps.

Dorothy Parker Gin and Calvados play well together along with Bonal and Dolin Rouge making this the perfect Aperitif Cocktail with an autumnal flair.

Maxime

  • 1 oz Dorothy Parker Gin
  • 1 oz Christian Drouin Calvados
  • 1/2 oz Bonal
  • 1/2 Dolin Rouge Vermouth
  • 1 dash Regans’ Orange Bitters
  • Orange peel

In tin combine Gin, Calvados, Bonal, Vermouth and bitters over cracked ice. Stir and strain into chilled coupe. Express orange peel and garnish.

Bull Hill

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Bull-Hill-1

It’s fall y’all. A couple of weeks ago I took the train up to Cold Spring and hiked at Bull Hill. Excellent hiking with truly stunning views, like “oh my god so amazing, how is this view so amazing?” type of views. All of that Hudson Valley goodness, the changing leaves and fresh air really put a fire in my belly for some Pumpkin Ale.

Bull Hill

  • 1 oz Rye
  • 1 oz Applejack
  • 1/2 oz Domaine de Canton
  • 2 dashes Regans’ Orange Bitters
  • Pumpkin Ale float (I used Brooklyn Brewery’s Post Road and it was perfect)

Combine Rye, Applejack, Domaine de Canton and bitters in tin with cracked ice. Stir and strain into rocks glass with one big rock. Float Pumpkin Ale on top.