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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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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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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The Irish New York Sour

Another classic - The New York Sour.

We’re recreating some classic whiskey-based recipes utilizing the #TheQuietManIrishWhiskey. It provides for a flavorful; yet, well balanced base spirit for any whiskey-based cocktail.

Today we’re going to be making a classic New York Sour with Irish Whiskey - Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think, cheers y’all.

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Charred Orange Ranch Water

I’m over here swiping ingredients from other creators 😬

Since I wrapped earlier this morning I figured I’d make an easy ranch water sourced from one of their ingredients and of course Chantelle (@she_thebartender) was generous enough (she’s from Utah - makes total sense) to lend me her charred orange from her Cinnamon Charred Orange Margarita (coming soon!). In the meantime, check out this easy Ranch Water recipe for your next pool party.

Cheers y’all.

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