Posts in Cocktails
Near & Dear (Batched Recipe)

Here’s your new favorite “Freezer Door” cocktail.

Just wanted a quick second to feature my dude Joey Goetz of lastsaintchs. He’s doing us a favor by showing us how to make a batch of SIX bottles of liquid gold - aka a chocolate + coconut-fat washed Negroni. My god, this was so good.

“Coconut and Chocolate visit a classic Negroni in an updated take on everyone’s favorite gin cocktail.

We build our standard house negroni, add Cacao Nibs and Coconut Oil to fat wash and infuse the entire cocktail. Freeze it and then strain everything off. It give you a classic negroni backbone but with wonderful notes of coconut and chocolate to compliment.”

Cheers y’all!

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Tequila Desert Bird

All the Jungle Bird vibes… in the Desert…

We're in Palm Desert, California. Everyone knows how much I love a Jungle Bird, but I wanted to create a version fit for the desert, which of course involves using #Tequila1940Blanco. This recipe combines two techniques, a stir and a shake. The latter to product a salted pineapple tiki foam that perfectly compliments the Rosita-like cocktail underneath. It's light, tropical and absolutely delicious for any occasion but just so fitting in this desert heat. Let me know what y'all think! Pro-tip: Fresh pineapple juice produces the frothiest results, if you're using canned pineapple juice, add agave nectar instead of orgeat to get a creamier foam. Cheers y'all!

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La Lousiane

Meet the Vieux Carré’s American Cousin, La Lousiane.

Here’s another stirred cocktail with roots in Louisiana. This recipe first appeared in 1937 and was the house cocktail at the historic New Orleans restaurant of the same name. It’s a rye-forward cousin to the Vieux Carré and still maintains the delicate balance despite the addition of rye and absinthe.

This is one you’ve got to try, cheers y’all.

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Salted Chocolate Oaxacan Old Fashioned

Ever paired salted dark chocolate with an ańejo? 🤯

We’re here in Palm Desert and together with my friends at tresgeneracionestequila, I’ve created a take on a modern classic in the Oaxacan Old Fashioned by adding elements of dark chocolate
and sea salt. #TresGeneraciones Añejo stands well on its own but since we’re making an Old Fashioned here, I figured chocolate would pair well with the rich toasted oak notes in the ańejo as well. Adding just that pinch of salt also accentuates the flavors of chocolate + citrus and brings out more of the roasted agave with each sip. If you’re looking for an Old Fashioned recipe for the summer, this might just be your new go-to.

Cheers y’all.

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The Vaporetto

This Venetian twist on a Bicicletta - The Vaporetto 🚤

It’s #spritzszn so today we’re making some with my friends at bonterra. Unlike a Bicicletta, this one will use a base of Bonterra’s Rosé, which uses 100% certified organic grapes that give this wine a dry, crisp but fruity palate with an acidic finish. The addition of Cappelletti enhances the grapefruit notes in this wine and is accentuated by the hint of Meyer lemon in the soda water.

It’s light, refreshing and very crushable.

Cheers y’all!

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Luxardo Basil Limoncello Spritz

The lemon-forward spritz you’ve been looking for 🍋

Together with my friends at luxardousa we’re making a Limoncello Spritz to soak up all the #AperitivoHour vibes this summer. This one uses #Luxardo Limoncello which is made the old-fashioned way in Italy, using the traditional method of infusing alcohol with lemon peels, pulp and juice with REAL lemons harvested in southern Italy. Their Limoncello isn’t just great in a spritz, it can be enjoyed straight up and chilled, or on the rocks with soda or tonic water as well.

As with any spritz, keep it easy and fun! I encourage you to add a fun garnish to add a fun garnish of your own. I used basil to keep with the Italian flavors but also because we know how well basil pairs with the brightness of lemon.

Anyways, I hope you give this one a try this summer!

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Burnt Sugar Old Fashioned

As the old saying goes: When life gives you “burnt” syrup, make an Old Fashioned?

What happens when you leave your rich demerara syrup on the stove for too long? Yup. You’re left with a sticky mess to clean up for about an hour. But the byproduct is this amazingly rich, dark, bittersweet syrup that has notes of toffee and dark roast coffee. I know I didn’t invent this and burnt sugar syrup is used widely in other cuisines. My mom and grandma would even make something similar to coat their decadent flan but WHY did it take me this long to make it myself and use it in a cocktail? It’s so dang good. Up next: a Daiquiri.

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Clarified New York Sour

Let me make this clear…

Together with my friends at @bonterra, I’ve clarified one of my favorite cocktails, The New York Sour. Traditionally made with bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup then topped with red wine. In this case, I’m clarifying this cocktail using the milk punch technique where we use the acid in lemon juice to bind with the milk solids to produce a crystal clear, delicate and delicious whiskey sour. Today I’m using Bonterra’s Pinot Noir to compliment due to its rich and bold notes that is the perfect floater for this cocktail.

Cheers y’all!

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Watermelon High Sea

It’s watermelon szn and #WorldBeeDay? Let’s cook 🐝🍯🍉

This recipe combines a couple of my favorite things: gin, honey, basil, watermelon with an addition of a bitter aperitif in Select and a pinch of smoked sea salt just to bring out more of the fruity flavors in this cocktail. Of course this is going to be served over crushed ice which will let the drink evolve a bit as you drink it.

Cheers y’all.

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Classic Paloma

Today we’re making classic Palomas for #WorldPalomaDay

Everyone’s out here trying to complicate a Paloma when it couldn’t be simpler. If you can make a Batanga, you can make a Paloma. The addition of salt with the slight bitterness of the grapefruit brings out more of the sweet citrus notes of the grapefruit and rounds this cocktail. Combined with a blanco tequila (I used tequilaocho ), this is one of the most simple cocktails you can make, especially for this #MDW.

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