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.
Hope y’all are staying healthy! For those of you cooped up at home and have been asking for some easy cocktail recipes, I have some exciting news! I’ve yet again #partnered up with @cooperscraft to highlight some of the talented mixologists in Charleston, SC. In this five part series which I’m dubbing #CocktailsAtHome, each mixologist will be creating a bourbon cocktail from scratch that you can easily recreate at home. Now let’s get started shall we?
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First up on this series is Anna Lazaridis (@annathegreek83) of Charleston, SC with a classic Brown Derby cocktail, its strong, tart, and sweet - or as Anna puts it: “With the sweetness of the honey and the tartness of the grapefruit, the Brown Derby is an excellent example of a simply well balanced cocktail. I incorporated thyme into the honey because we seem to have a lot of that on our hands😉” #pungame💪🏼
You know I love a good collaboration - especially when it involves saving the bees. The @savannahbeeco recently partnered up with @dixievodka to produce “Dixie Wildflower Honey Vodka” using SBC’s wildflower honey. They’ve challenged me to come up with a recipe to incorporate this new product and to celebrate the launch of the new product in Charleston!
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A portion of the proceeds for each bottle sold will benefit The Bee Cause Project which works to support the health of honeybees in the Southeast by increasing the number of hives in the region and helping to educate the public on their importance. Now get out there and support the cause!
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Did someone say #happyfallyall?
In partnership with @laphroaig - Here's a simple recipe for those of you looking for a fall cocktail that's perfect for any occasion. It brings the traditional fall spices and combines them with a mix of a caramel apple and banana bread. Laphroaig is the star of the show here, the flavors pair perfectly with the smoky, peaty flavor of this famous Islay Scotch whisky
Y’all know how much I love to #partner with local spirits and I’m happy to bring you another original recipe with my good friends over at sutlerspiritsco- If you’ve never had it before, the gin itself is considered a contemporary or ‘western’ style gin which means its more citrus-forward than a traditional gin.
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This cocktail is a bit of a departure from my usual, spirit forward cocktails because wanted to bring something a little fruitier, vegetal and balanced to the palate, while still letting the Sutler’s Gin shine through all the other complex flavors. Really enjoyed making this one and hope you try it out. (FYI, the juice can be bought off the shelf, no need for a fancy juicer, unless you really want to)
The ultimate nightcap doesn’t exi……This recipe combines the base formula for an Old Fashioned combined with flavors inspired by sleepy-time tea, which contains a blend of herbs that include chamomile and lemongrass. I further enhanced that flavor with honey and ginger to create the ultimate simple syrup perfect for #BedTime.
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This ones inspired by my friends up north 🇨🇦
Throwback to a challenge by my friends to create a unique cocktail using ingredients local to Victoria, BC. Using the fruity flavors found in ‘Mountain Berry Tea’ by @tealeavesco (Elderberry, Hibiscus, and Black Currant) along with local smoked honey from countrybeehoney, I was able to create a cocktail that is delicious on its own. I was able to take this cocktail even further by experimenting with a black currant (cassis), elderflower and pamplemousse foam to compliment the drink itself. Not going to lie, either one could be enjoyed on its own but combining the two takes this drink to the next level.
What’s all the buzz about? 🥃🍯🐝
Up next on the #BartendersAndBoulevardiers series with @cooperscraft is Michael Leslie (@mikeyveo) with a Boulevardier riff that accentuates some of the natural honey notes inherited from the unique Coopers’ Craft barrels by incorporating local honey into the recipe. Michael was also kind enough to lend us a few words that inspired his recipe:
“Once there was a bee who flew up beside me and said,
‘Hey man, let me show you something.’
With a sweet honey pass and a dip in my glass I knew that little bee wouldn’t sting”
Here is the cocktail I made using aquafaba (liquid from chick peas). It is perfect for any occasion, whether you’re looking for an after dinner drink recipe or looking to dunk on the neighborhood basketball hoop... this one is for you... ok, maybe don’t try drinking and dunking.
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Just a honey inspired take on one of my all time favorite tiki classics - The Jungle Bird. Cheers y’all!
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