I've never made a martini like this before…

Sometimes its not about the ingredients but the technique and the quality of the gin that makes for a good martini. I recently hopped on a call with Stephen Evans-Freke, the owner/founder of Castle Freke Gin and he recently showed me a new way to make a martini and its unlike anything I've ever made before.

The process that Stephen described is called the 'In and Out' method where you flavor the ice you're shaking with by adding a blend of vermouths and bitters to the shaking tin, straining it out, then adding the gin to shake again to just give a kiss of those elements that remain on the surface of the ice. Combined with the citrus zest, the result is a unique and refreshing martini that deserves a spot in your martini rotation. As a bonus, you get a gin-infused cucumber snack after you finish your martini.

Cheers y'all.

This October I'm pouring something a little haunted. The Green Ghost is bright, herbal, and eerily green, built on Citadelle Original Gin and the botanical power of Green Chartreuse. A quick absinthe rinse, flamed in the glass, adds a wisp of smoke that makes it made for the season. Shaken hard with fresh lime and served up. Cheers, y'all!

What if we made an apple pie with vanilla ice cream into a drink?

#ad21+ Today with my friends at @traegergrills, we’re going to find out what happens when you take a classic southern dessert and turn it into a tasty fall cocktail. It all starts with the smoked apple pie syrup. For this recipe, I used the Traeger Woodridge Elite since it has a built-in infrared side burner so I could make the syrup while smoking some juicy honeycrisp apples dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Of course we’re using apple wood pellets at 375 for about 45 minutes just to give them that kiss of smoke and concentrate their flavors a bit before adding it to our baking spices, brown sugar to make our syrup.

The topping is a non-negotiable, a salted maple, vanilla cold foam to really drive home that vanilla ice cream on top of an apple pie. That smokiness from the apple gives this recipe a one-of-a-kind, but familiar flavor profile and you’ll want to make over and over again. Just make sure to make enough of that syrup.

Cheers y’all!

#TraegerGrills #TraegerPartner

WEEKLY COCKTAIL ROUNDUP: Maple Cocktail Recipes! 🍁


What do you want to see on the next roundup of recipes? 😬 just drop a suggestion below and I’ll make it happen.

Catch you on next week’s cocktail round-up.

Cheers y’all.

I’m gonna keep on dancin…

The Pink Pony Club comes from Leandro DiMonrova (@theeducatedbarfly), and it’s built specifically for Waterloo Gin’s Prickly Pear & Rose expression. This gin starts with their award-winning No. 9 Gin base and infuses it with prickly pear fruit, citrus, rose petals, and soft floral botanicals. Those flavors don’t just sit in the glass—they anchor the whole cocktail. Strawberry syrup, Campari, fresh lemon juice, and an egg white create brightness and structure. The result is pink, balanced, and genuinely delicious. Plus, during October, Waterloo Gin supports Susan G. Komen, so this drink means something beyond the coupe.

Cheers, y’all!

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a Vieux Carre was actually made in France instead of New Orleans… by a Scottish bartender #ad21+

Together with my friends at @theglenlivet, I’m making a cocktail recipe uses some elements from the classic but with some French Ingredients. This has elements of honey, thyme, rosemary and apricot, but the star of the show is Scotch. Today we’re using The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Provence Edition.

This offering brings notes of ripe apricot, citrus, honey, and vanilla, which it gets from finishing the 12 year old Scotch in combination of French wine casks ranging from Rivesaltes, and Sauternes to white wine casks from Château Sainte Marguerite. Give that a quick stir and pour of a big cube then finish with a thyme skewered honey comb. Its an aroma bomb and snack all at once.  If you’ve never been the Provence region in the south of France, this recipe will take you there.

Cheers y’all.
—
#TheGlenlivet #TheGlenlivetPartner

WEEKLY COCKTAIL ROUNDUP: Coffee Cocktail Recipes! 🍹


What do you want to see on the next roundup of recipes? 😬 just drop a suggestion below and I’ll make it happen.

Catch you on next week’s cocktail round-up.

Cheers y’all.