ANNIE VANDERMEER : Designer / Writer / Narrative
(a.k.a. Murderblonde)
Summer Sips
When AJ was going to be working at the smoker, crafting a tasty smoked pork shoulder for dinner, and on an unusually hot October day, I wanted to make him a drink to his tastes that he could sip for a while and wouldn't be too strong. The Beatles' "Day Tripper" soared up in my mind, and I started mentally putting this one together.
NOTE: rum recommended is Plantation 5 Year or Appleton Estate 12 year (although a nice Plantation Dark might be delicious too)
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0.5 oz passion fruit syrup
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1 oz lime juice
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2 oz gold rum
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6 drops Elemakule tiki bitters
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1 oz pineapple juice
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3 oz ginger ale
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grapefruit wedge (garnish)
1. Add crushed ice about 1/3 way up a tall highball or hurricane glass.
2. Add syrup, fruit juices, bitters, and rum to a shaker with ice and shake until chilled, about 20-30 seconds, and strain into glass.
3. Place a barspoon into the glass, as close to the bottom as possible, and pour in the ginger ale along the stem of the spoon.
4. Stir very gently, garnish with grapefruit wedge, and serve.
The previous iteration of this drink was created specifically to taste as much like key lime pie as possible, and this iteration swaps out some more artificial ingredients with some more custom elements for a snappier, brighter flavor.
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1 oz limoncello
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0.5 oz triple sec
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0.5 oz lemon juice
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0.5 oz lime juice
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0.25 - 0.5 oz simple syrup (OPTIONAL)
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1 oz lime cordial (I recommend making Jeffery Morganthaler's superlative recipe)
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whipped cream
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lime wheel (for garnish)
1. Add ice to a shaker, then add all liquors and juices and shake until chilled.
2. Strain into a cold martini glass, and top liberally with whipped cream. Garnish with a thin lime wheel.
A sweet treat with a flavor punch but less boozy bite. Named for all ingredients (except bitters) coming from prickly or thorny plants - it's highly recommended you make you own blackberry syrup, but even crushed blackberries (double strained) and simple syrup might be a decent replacement!
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2 oz lemonade (American-style)
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0.5 oz blackberry syrup
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1 oz pineapple juice
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2 dashes Angostura bitters
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2 oz tequila blanco
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0.5 oz lemon juice
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lemon twist (garnish)
1. Add crushed ice about 1/3 way up a tall glass.
2. Add all liquid ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake until chilled.
3. Strain into glass, & garnish with lemon twist.
Inspired by the mojito experiment episode of "How To Drink," this beverage blends the sweetness of mojitos with the bite of a margarita, and the cool herbaceousness of sage to bring it all together. It's sweet, sour, salty, and herbal all in one go - try to sip slowly, or this one might disappear in a hurry!
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3 large sage leaves (plus a sprig for garnish)
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1 oz lime juice
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0.25 oz simple syrup
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2 oz tequila blanco
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0.75 oz Italicus (bergamot liqueur)
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2 oz club soda
1. In a tall glass, add sage leaves and muddle well, taking care not to tear them up.
2. Add lime juice, Italicus, citric-saline solution, tequila, and simple syrup to glass and stir gently.
3. Add a handful of ice cubes and club soda and stir until chilled. Garnish with a small sprig of sage.
A riff on the classic Old Fashioned - employing sloe gin in the place of bourbon - the smoky element of this beverage is not to be overlooked, as it adds an impressive breath of richness to cut through the tart sweetness of the sloeberries.
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1 oz sloe gin
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1 oz dry gin
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1 sprig fresh rosemary
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3 dashes lime bitters
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0.25 oz simple syrup
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1 spritz grapefruit oil
1. Carefully light a sprig of rosemary on fire, and make sure that it catches flame. Immediately blow it out and trap it under a rocks glass to gather smoke. (NOTE: be sure the surface you're doing this on is NOT FLAMMABLE and will not pick up too much smoke scent, such as the cork trivet in the picture above)
2. Add ice to a mixing glass, and combine bitters, both gins, and syrup, stirring until chilled.
3. Flip over rocks glass and add rosemary sprig, then quickly strain drink into glass. Add a large ice cube, and finish with a spritz of grapefruit oil (or a fresh grapefruit peel, expressed over the glass & brushed on the rim)