Try these drinks at home!

SMOKE & MIRRORS

Ingredients:
1-1/2 oz Casa Noble Reposado Tequila
1-1/2 oz Stolen Fruit Cocktail Mixers Hibiscus Grenache Mixer
1/2 oz Fresh lime juice
Fresh pineapple sage
Ice
Fresh garnish – edible flower, fennel frond, etc.

Directions:
Take a couple of fresh pineapple sage leaves and muddle them in a cocktail shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients. Shake well and pour into festive rocks cocktail glass OR strain into a coupe shaped cocktail glass. Garnish & enjoy!

CUPID'S ARROW OF REDEMPTION

Ingredients:
2oz Redemption High Rye Bourbon
1/2 oz Fresh Blood Orange Juice
1/2 oz Fresh Meyer Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Root Simple Syrup
4 dashes Aztec Chocolate Bitters (Fee Bros)
2 dashes Orange Bitters (Regan's)
1 egg white

Garnish:
3 dashes Barrel Aged Bitters (Peychauds)
Blood Orange Peel

Directions:
Add egg white to a cocktail shaker, shake well for a minute. Add a handful of ice, shake again to integrate. Add the rest of the ingredients, shake vigorously to chill and get that egg white foamy. Strain into a vintage coup glass and garnish!

Let It Snow

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Korbel brandy
3/4 oz coconut milk
3/4 oz fresh ginger & star anise syrup
1/2 oz lemon juice

Ginger & anise syrup:
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup water
8 whole star anise pods
3 inch piece of fresh ginger

Directions:
Make the ginger & anise syrup: Peel and chop fresh ginger into small pieces. Add sugar, water, anise and chopped ginger into a sauce pan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Let simmer for 10 mins, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cooled, strain out ginger and anise.

Combine all drink ingredients with a handful of ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake well until chilled. Strain into a coup glass & garnish with a piece of star anise!

Falling into Fig

Ingredients:
2 Fresh Figs, soft & ripe
3/4 oz Lairds Apple Brandy (Oldest continuing distillery in America since 1851)
1/2 oz Figcello
1/2 oz Lemon juice
* Prosecco
Garnish with an edible flower - (Basil gone to seed is pretty too)

Directions:
Muddle ripe figs and lemon juice.
Add ice, Apple Brandy and Figcello.
Shake vigorously and strain into a coupe style glass.
Add Prosecco, stir once around and garnish!

Cupid's Courage

Ingredients:
oz Chopin '2012 Single Young Potato' Spirit (if you are unable to find this limited production spirit substitute Chopin Vodka)
1oz Dorda Double Chocolate Liqueur
13 drops of Aztec Chocolate Bitters
1/4 oz Torres, Gran Torres Orange Liqueur
1 egg white
Thin slice of fresh Blood Orange for garnish


Directions:
Add egg white and a hand full of ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake well for a minute. Next, add the rest of the ingredients and shake hard until cold. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a thin slice of Blood Orange and a few pieces of shaved chocolate. If you have an edible flower to float on top too that looks nice! I love Viola's and Borage for this as they float nicely on egg white foam. (Try not to over shake the ingredients to avoid a watered down cocktail)
Enjoy!

SECRET SANTA

Ingredients:
2oz Square One organic Bergamot vodka
1oz G-Joy Saké
Touch of Agave Syrup
Splash of fresh lime juice
1 slice of orange + peel to garnish
small handful of fresh organic cranberries


Directions:
Muddle one slice of the orange with the cranberries.
Add ice and the remaining ingredients into the cocktail shaker. Shake well.
Prepare a julep glass or stemless wine glass with a thin slice of orange on the bottom add crushed ice layered with a few whole cranberries.
Strain cocktail into glass, top with fresh lemon thyme and a wide twisted orange peel.

PRETTY IN PISCO

Ingredients:
2 oz Encanto Moscatel PISCO
1 1/2 Beet Shrub*
3/4 oz mixture of fresh lime and lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
fresh pineapple sage leaves
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BEET SHRUB:
5 large red beets
Vinegar
Sugar

Peel skins of the red beets. Chop in a food processor until a rough chop has been achieved. Measure your pulp. Measure equal parts of white sugar. Add both to a mixing bowl. Stir so the sugar is well integrated. Remember the measurement as you'll add equal that amount of vinegar eventually.  Set bowl of sugar/beets in the refrigerator. Stir once a day for 3 days. After 3 days strain through a chinois or fine colander. Pour your vinegar (equal amount to sugar) over the pulp in the chinois and press through any remaining liquid. Stir liquid.... end result is your shrub!
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Directions:
Muddle four pineapple sage leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add all ingredients & ice. Shake quickly to chill. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an edible flower.

SANTA'S STOCKING

Ingredients:
1 egg white
2 oz. Four Roses Bourbon
1/2 oz. Allspice Dram
1/4 oz. lime
1/4 oz. vanilla bean simple syrup
2 dashes Aztec Chocolate bitters

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except bitters in shaker with ice. Shake hard 1 minute - no less!
Strain into coupe or martini glass.
Add 2 dashes of Aztec chocolate bitters.
Garnish with lime zest or cinnamon stick.

AUTUMN FIRE

Ingredients:
1 oz. Bluecoat Gin
1 oz. Persimmon Purée (Muddled fresh persimmon, maple syrup, kosher salt and a dash of cayenne) 
1/2 oz. lime
Top with Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir

SECRET GARDEN

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Bluecoat Gin
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Honeydew Melon Juice*
2/3 oz Bergamont Simple Syrup**
4 slices garden fresh Cucumber
1 garden fresh Fennel sprig
edible flower for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, muddle fennel & cucumber. Add all other ingredients plus some ice. Shake well to blend. Pour into tall or collins style glass that has fresh ice cubes. Garnish the top with a nice edible flower.
 *Honeydew juice is easy! Take ripe melon slices and push them through a strainer to make the juice.
**Add drops of Bergamont essential oil to homemade Simple Syrup to make your Bergamont Simple Syrup.

THE HOT SONOMAN

Ingredients:
3 Cups Pear Nectar*
1 Cup Casa Noble Silver Tequila
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons Chopped Candied Ginger
Fresh Whip Cream
Fresh Grated Nutmeg
1 nice piece of Candied Ginger per drink

Directions:
Place all ingredients (except Whip Cream & Nutmeg) in a 3 quart sauce pan and heat slowly until hot. In a small bowl whisk the cream until it is thick but not stiff. Stir and ladle the drink mixture into heat proof glasses and pour a fine layer of non-sweetened fresh whip cream over the top. Now grate nutmeg on top of each cocktail, garnish with a slice of candied ginger! *note if you use pear nectar without sugar add 2 tablespoons of agave nectar & use only 1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Juice.

ENCHANTING ENCANTO SOUR

Thanks to Westside Road friends Erin and Walter Moore, I've had a chance to whip up something pretty-in-pisco!.
Ingredients:
3oz Encanto Pisco
1oz Fresh Lime Juice
1oz Agave Nectar or Simple Syrup
1 fresh egg white
Coupla dashes of Angostura Bitters (or the artisan bitters of your choice)
Directions:
First, place egg white and pisco in a cocktail shaker, shake a bit. Next, add lime juice and agave nectar or simple syrup, shake again. Final step, add ice then shake well. Strain into a festive cocktail glass. Add a couple of dashes of bitters on top and garnish. I like to place an edible flower and/or lemon verbena as garnish

MERRY MILLIONAIRE

This cocktail is a classic! It not only makes for a great stand alone cocktail but also makes a terrific party punch! Dust off the old punch bowl and pull out the holiday vinyl.
Ingredients:
3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
3/4 oz Apricot Brandy
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 oz Agave Nectar
1/4 oz Pomegranate Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Directions:
Add all liquid ingredients to an empty mixing glass. Fill the glass up to the top with ice. Seal, Shake hard for 10 seconds. Double strain into a martini shaped glass or fun vintage cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel or festive edible flower.

Doing the math on larger batches of cocktails for punch bowls.
One 750 ml bottle has 25 oz's in it or enough to pour 16 standard one and a half ounce shots. A liter bottle has about 33 oz's in it or enough to pour about 22 standard shots. Think about these numbers when you're deciding how many cocktails you want to make and always be aware of which size bottle you are buying. Most popular spirits come in both of these sizes.
Always chill and mix all of your liquid ingredients beforehand and dilute your punch by one third with chilled water. Always use block ice! You can cut it into smaller pieces by using a serrated bread knife. Try making a festive solid block of ice at home by using a bundt cake pan as your mold. I usually add cranberries to the water before I put in the mold in the freezer. This makes for a gorgeous ice block in your punch bowl. Try your local second hand stores out for a great punch bowl. There are some vintage treasures out there! Don't forget the ladle and punch cups too.

BEATTIE BASIL GIMLET

Created by mixologist Scott Beattie and featured in Basil Magazine, this gimlet is best enjoyed with friends in the garden!
Ingredients:
4-5 live Basil Leaves (preferably from your home garden)
1 1/2 oz. Blade Gin (or your favorite London Dry Style Gin)
3/4 oz. Freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz. Tres Agaves agave nectar (or 1-1 simple syrup)
Directions:
Gently muddle basil leaves in your cocktail shaker. Add the liquid ingredients followed by a full measure of ice. Cover shaker.
Shake hard for a good seven seconds. Double strain the cocktail into a lovely cocktail glass. Garnish with basil flower, a basil leaf or your favorite edible flower. Enjoy!

Please check back regularly for more of my favorite recipes.

Cheers! Ziggy