Arsenic Lace

Cocktails

Hibiscus Gin-Gin Mule

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With all the recipe developing for menus and blog posts, my refrigerator becomes a graveyard for fruit, herbs and miscellaneous syrups. I try my best to eat and repurpose most of it for cooking, smoothie bowls, or other recipes throughout the week but sometimes there’s a little waste. I’m implementing a new rule that if I make it, I have to use it! I made syrups for posts on A Beautiful Mess and Palm Springs Style last week and was wondering what my next cocktail would be on my own blog. Fresh ginger and hibiscus, does that work? You bet it does!

One of the first cocktails that came to mind was one that I learned when I worked behind the bar at Flatiron Lounge, the Gin-Gin Mule. It was created by Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club in 2000 and was a milestone drink of the 21st-century cocktail renaissance. It has inspired countless spin-offs and heavily influenced the use of fresh ginger and homemade ingredients in cocktails. It’s a drink that I still find myself making for people at Dutch Kills when they request a bartenders choice, “I’ll have something with gin that’s refreshing”, I pretty much immediately make a Gin-Gin Mule.

This cocktail is essentially a fusion of two classics, the Mojito (rum, lime, sugar, mint) and a Gin Buck (gin, lime, fresh ginger, soda). I’ve replaced the call for simple syrup in this recipe with hibiscus syrup. You can find out how to make ginger syrup here and my hibiscus syrup here.


Hibiscus Gin-Gin Mule, serves 1

2 oz. Gin

1 oz. Lime Juice

1/2 oz. Hibiscus Syrup

1/2 oz. Ginger Syrup

Mint

Club Soda

Add lime juice, hibiscus syrup, ginger syrup, and mint to your shaker and muddle. Lightly tapping the mint is sufficient. When muddling a good rule to follow in the words of Sasha Petraske is “bruise don’t abuse”. Add gin, ice, and then shake. Strain into a highball glass over ice and top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and ginger candy.

I’ve always loved this cocktail but the hibiscus syrup adds a tart, fruity, and floral element that makes this drink even more perfect for summer (if that’s even possible). The sweet floral element of the hibiscus blends perfectly with the spiciness of the ginger and freshness of the mint. More than 10 years later and this cocktail is so good it still influences how I develop cocktails. Some of the most delicious drinks are so perfect just because they’re simple. Less IS more. What’s your favorite modern classic? Do you ever put your own spin on it? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Boozy Matcha Latte

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I love matcha A LOT! Last year I made a matcha piña colada and that kind of sparked my obsession with this green powdered goodness. Matcha smoothie bowls, matcha lattes, matcha soft serve, matcha ice cream, matcha brownies…okay you get it! After indulging in an iced latte last week I had an epiphany – this would be really good with rum in it. I often think that though. We can agree that basically everything would taste better with a little rum in it. Period. Okay, I also have a large obsession with rum as you might have noticed. Moral of the story: Do what you love.

I’ve been trying to eat cleaner but I guess drinking cleaner might be counter productive. You can still of course indulge and make smarter choices that are less impactful on your body, mind, and your whole next day. I struggle with really bad hangovers so I try not to push my limits anymore. You’d expect because of my blog and my profession that I’m a BIG drinker. In fact, I pride myself on moderation, and above all things, drinking and serving responsibly. I love to incorporate healthy elements into cocktails by always using the freshest ingredients and using things like teas, ginger, turmeric, etc. All of these things are good for you and of course make you feel a bit less guilty about having another. Check out this article about healthy(ish) cocktails on Supercall where my Yellow Line cocktail is mentioned.


Boozy Matcha Latte, serves 1

2 oz. white rum (I used Plantation)

1 cup milk of your choice ( I used Almond)

2 Tsp. matcha

1 Tbsp. orgeat

ice

float of coconut cream

Add the rum, milk, orgeat, and matcha to your cocktail shaker, add ice and shake. Strain into a highball glass over ice and top with whipped coconut cream.

To make the coconut cream: refrigerate your can of coconut cream for a few hours or over night. When you open the can, drain the liquid and then scoop out the solid cream. You can add sugar if you’d like to sweeten it but I left it as is. I actually over whipped mine by accident, so don’t “whip it good”. 😉

Matcha is high in antioxidants, calming, boosts memory and concentration, increases energy levels, burns calories, detoxifies the body and strengthens your immune system. As if you needed more reasons, the other great thing about this matcha latte recipe is you can, by all means, leave the booze out. If you decide to use a plant based milk this recipe is 100% Vegan. I loved the addition of orgeat as a sweetener to enhance the almond flavor of this drink. If you’re not familiar with orgeat, it is an almond syrup made from almond milk. I enjoyed how this boozy interpretation of a latte came out and it would be great as a brunch cocktail, dessert cocktail or if you’re just in the mood for something sweet. The coconut whipped cream is easy and I actually prefer to use it over real heavy whipped cream because the flavor is amazing! I hope you get to try this at home and if you do, chime in on the comments below. I love you a matcha for reading this post. Until next time. xo

6 Cocktails to Celebrate National Tequila Day

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Happy National Tequila Day! I decided to celebrate with rounding up my favorite tequila cocktails on the blog and sharing some facts about the spirit itself. I’m sure you know that tequila is a spirit made from agave. Just like french wine or spirits, it can only be made in a specific region; the Mexican state of Jalisco and surrounding areas. That area is perfect for growing the agave plant because the soil is mostly volcanic. The agave plant has sharp thorns, long thick leaves, and takes between 8-12 years to reach maturity before it can be harvested. After the plant is harvested, it is peeled, roasted, crushed, and the juice is fermented and distilled. Tequila is usually made from 100% agave and distilled twice.

There are four main tequila categories:

  • Blanco – also called silver, plata or platinum, is aged for less than two months and is clear.
  • Reposado – aged between two and 12 months and is golden-colored.
  • Añejo – aged between one and three years and is a whisky-like brown.
  • Extra-añejo – a new category introduced by the Tequila Regulatory Council in 2006, is aged more than three years. Tequila is typically aged in used bourbon casks.

And

  • Mezcal – this is the cousin of tequila, which is also made from agave in a different region of Mexico. Tequila is made in the Jalisco region and only from blue Weber agave, while mezcal is made in Oaxaca. Legally it can be made anywhere though and can be made from different types of agave. The other difference is that the agave is slow roasted in pits with hot rocks which gives mezcal its signature smokiness.

Fun Fact: Contrary to popular belief agave is not a cactus. It is in the asparagales botanical family which makes it a relative to the Yucca Plant or the Joshua Tree. Okay, now I’m done being a crazy plant lady.

You can drink tequila many ways. As a shot, served neat or on the rocks, or in cocktails (MY favorite). Here are some of my favorite recipes that I have created to help you celebrate National Tequila Day.

Prickly Pear Margarita – Blanco Tequila, fresh juice of lime and grapefruit, cinnamon, fresh prickly pear, and pink himalayan salt.

The Country Village – Reposado Tequila, fig infused sweet vermouth, Licor 43, and chocolate bitters.

Frozen Watermelon Margarita– Blanco Tequila, fresh lime juice, agave, fresh watermelon, and smoked sea salt.

Sunny Side Up Fizz– Reposado Tequila, coffee liqueur, cinnamon, whole egg, soda, and cayenne pepper.

Avocado Margarita – Blanco Tequila, fresh lime juice, agave, fresh avocado, hot sauce, and salt & chili pepper.

Mezcal Paloma – Mezcal, fresh juices of lime and grapefruit, agave, soda, and sea salt.

I hope you find some time today to enjoy your favorite tequila cocktail. What’s your go-to tequila drink to make at home? If you decide to make one of the cocktails above, don’t forget to chime in on the comments and let me know how it turns out.

Cheers and Happy National Tequila Day! xo

Cucumber Lemongrass Gin and Tonics

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I’ve been really wanting to do a gin and tonic recipe ever since I came back from Spain and for some reason, I just haven’t gotten around to it. A Spanish-style gin and tonic are usually made with a premium gin and the best quality tonic water, combined with your choice of bitters and various herbs, vegetables and fruits. I had some lemongrass syrup leftover from my national piña colada day post and I thought this would be the perfect time to make one. Gin and tonics are supposed to be crisp, dry, herbal and refreshing which makes them thirst quenchingly perfect for the very hot weather in Spain and the current summer temperature we’re experiencing here in NYC (or wherever you might be). The lemongrass syrup is super easy to make (you can find the recipe here) and when combined with gin, cucumber, Meyer lemon juice, and bitter lemon fever tree tonic water creates an effortless drink that is fragrant and full of flavor.


Cucumber Lemongrass Gin and Tonic

2 oz. Botanist Gin

3/4 oz. Meyer Lemon Juice

3/4 oz. Lemongrass Syrup

4 Cucumber Slices

Bitter Lemon Fever Tree Tonic Water

Cucumber ribbon and lemon wheel for garnish

Add cucumber, lemon juice, and syrup to a tin and lightly muddle. Add gin and then fill with ice and give a quick shake.

Strain into desired glassware, top with tonic water and garnish with cucumber ribbon and lemon wheel.

The Botanist is a highly distinctive, complex, floral gin which mixes perfectly with the fragrance of the lemon grass syrup, and citrusy herbal freshness of the tonic water. The sweet Meyer lemon juice evens out the slight bitterness from the quinine in the tonic as well. This drink was clean, bright, wonderfully balanced and very easy to put together. They’re also very easy to drink, so be careful! After witnessing how serious they take their ‘gintonics’ in Spain, I have a new found love and appreciation for this cocktail. Do you ever experiment with different types of gin and tonics at home? Is there a favorite tonic you like to make them with? Special herbs, fruit, or bitters you like to include? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

I’m finally editing the hundreds of photos I took on my trip to Madrid, Jerez, Cadiz, and Seville, Spain. So stay tuned for that blog post very soon. I have so much to say about brandy, sherry, and the wonderful trip I took to the Cardenal Mendoza distillery and winery.

Cheers everyone and happy weekend!

 

Frozen Watermelon Margarita

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The temperature keeps rising and I find myself only wanting to make frozen drinks around here. Central AC is something I dream of one day having but for right now the bedroom is the only room that’s tolerable. So if I’m in the kitchen the drinks have got to be COLD! Plus, frozen drinks are super easy to make. You put all your ingredients in a pitcher and then let the blender do the work for you. No shaking or stirring, which also means less sweating. The result at the end? Mountains of icy-cold slushy goodness. Is your mouth watering? I’ve made a pretty simple variation on a tommy’s margarita (tequila, lime, and agave) and added fresh watermelon for a fruity and more refreshing summer version.


Frozen Watermelon Margarita

2 oz. Blanco Tequila (I used Omeca Altos)

1 oz. Lime Juice

3/4 oz. Agave Nectar

4-5 pieces of fresh watermelon

mint for garnish

Add all your ingredients to your blender pitcher, add ice (about a cup), and blend on smoothie setting. I love margaritas with salt, so don’t forget to salt the rims of your glasses and be generous! Garnish with a sprig of mint for fragrance and for pretties!

Check out my watermelon manicure! Check out my watermelon manicure!

Boom – it’s that easy! Now you can relax and enjoy the frosty, fruity goodness of this cocktail. It’s so good you can eat it with a spoon like sorbet and forget about the straw. Margaritas are such a versatile and simple cocktail you can basically make it with whatever fruit and herbs your heart desires. Depending on what you make it with it can be seasonally appropriate anytime of year. They also go perfectly in the company of tacos, a match made in heaven. I think next to my Avocado Margarita that I did for A Beautiful Mess, this watermelon version is up there on my list of favorites. It cooled me off and is the perfect summer time drink. Hope you’re all enjoying your summer. What have you been drinking at home? 🙂

Lemongrass Pina Colada with Bai

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If you’ve been following my blog over the past year, you know my favorite cocktail is a piña colada. That’s why I’m excited to announce that I’ve teamed up with Bai for National Piña Colada Day to bring you something delicious with their Molokai Coconut flavor. It turns out Bai is just as crazy about coconut as me!

What’s the great part about using their Cocofusion flavors in your drinks? They are super low in calories and sugar (only 5 calories & 1 gram of sugar per serving) and are filled with antioxidant goodness. We’re basically using this to add coconut flavor but taking out the guilt, which is A-OK with me! Any objections? I’ve paired this wonderful fruit juice with homemade lemongrass syrup, pineapple, and rum to bring you a fun and interesting variation on the much loved classic, the piña colada.


Lemongrass Pina Colada

1 1/2 oz. white rum

1 1/2 oz. Bai Molokai Coconut (any of their other cocofusions will work too)

3/4 oz. pineapple juice

3/4 oz. lemongrass syrup

For the lemongrass syrup, first remove the leaves on your lemongrass until you’re left with the white core (about 5 stalks). Chop it up and add it to a pot with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.

Bring to a slight bubble and then turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool on stove for a few hours and then strain out lemongrass.

Now to make the cocktail! Add all your ingredients to your blender pitcher, add ice, and blend on smoothie setting. It’s that easy! Pour into your serving vessel and garnish with a pineapple wedge, pineapple leaves, and a piece of cooked lemongrass.

I love how all the flavors compliment each other perfectly. The replacement of coconut cream for the Bai Molokai Coconut, makes the drink less creamy but doesn’t sacrifice flavor. The lemongrass is sweet and fragrant and blends together with the coconut to make a very crisp and refreshing drink. We couldn’t celebrate National Piña Colada Day without a giveaway, so head over to my Instagram for a chance to win 2 cases of Bai. All you have to do in order to be entered to win is make sure you’re following me @arseniclace, @drinkbai, and tag a friend in the comments you want to share a piña colada with! I will reach out to the winner on Instagram on 7/15. Cheers, good luck and thank you for reading this sponsored post here on Arsenic Lace.

Cherry Whiskey Sour

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Watching the produce change at my local farmers market is probably my favorite part of every season. I was super excited to see a variety of cherries available this past week and really wanted to make a pie. Instead, I’ve brought you cherry pie in a glass with this fun and easy twist on the classic whiskey sour. I’m not sure what’s better, the pie or the drink? I’d still like to get around to making a pie and maybe some homemade brandied cherries too before summer ends.  The depth and color the cherries bring to this classic cocktail is wonderful, and it wouldn’t be a traditional sour without egg whites, so let’s get cracking!


Cherry Whiskey Sour

2 oz. bourbon

3/4 oz. lemon juice

3/4 oz. simple syrup (1:1)

1 egg white

5 cherries

Peychaud’s bitters for garnish

In the larger side of your tin, crack your egg and separate, only using the egg white and discarding the yoke. In the small side of your tin add the lemon juice, simple syrup, cherries, and muddle. Add the bourbon and dry shake your cocktail to aerate and incorporate all ingredients. Add ice and shake again. Strain into a coupe and dash your Peychaud’s bitters on top. I drag a straw through my dashes to create a little design.

I love the way this cocktail came out. It’s super lush from the cherries and creamy from the egg white. It’s a really nice cocktail to serve after dinner, and like most egg cocktails, also a great brunch drink. But let’s be real – it’s any ANYTIME drink! I hope you can whip a few of these up over the long weekend. If you do, enjoy them and let me know how they turn out.

Is there a certain egg white cocktail you love to make at home? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Cheers everyone!

Boozy Blackberry and Mango Lassi

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Well hello there Summer! There’s nothing I love more than a fruity and creamy drink to cool me down on a hot day. I whipped up my version of a mango lassi, my favorite beverage when indulging in Indian cuisine, except I added some rum. Because rum goes with just about everything. Right?

Right!

Okay.

Now that we’re aggreeing on that, let’s talk about using yogurt in cocktails. I have always wanted to try to play around with it but admitedly have only ever used it in smoothies. Shame on me because I have been missing out. I took fresh mango, lemon juice, greek yogurt, and a little bit of salt and served it in a rumble (bramble with rum) style with muddled blackberries over crushed ice. The results are magnificent.


Blackberry Mango Lassi

1 1/2 oz. white rum

3/4 oz. lemon juice

3/4 oz. honey syrup

2 tbsp. greek yogurt

pinch of salt

freshly diced mango

5 blackberries

Chop up your mango and then add your rum, lemon, honey, yogurt, salt, and mango into a blender pitcher. Flash blend for about 10 seconds just to incorporate the ingredients and puree the mango. In your glass add the blackberries and give them a light muddle. Add crushed ice to the glass ontop of the blackberries and then pour your drink ontop. Garnish with a blackberry and a few pieces of mango.

This drink is everything I need for breakfast, brunch, dinner or dessert. It’s boozy, fruity, creamy, sweet, savory, but most of all refreshing in a bright and delightful way. I love the addition of salt just like a traditional lassi. For a more savory version I would love to add some spices next time like cumin or cayenne pepper. This can also be a frozen cocktail if you wish but I really loved the idea of serving it on crushed to get that layered effect. Have you ever experimented with yogurt in cocktails? If you haven’t you should try this one and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Negroni Mini Cupcakes

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As Negroni Week continues, I thought I’d bring you another tasty treat. This time in cupcake form! I deconstructed the classic Negroni and made gin and sweet vermouth cupcakes with a Campari buttercream. I really have tons of fun thinking of ways I can turn cocktails into sweets and so far I’ve been pretty successful. They aren’t too complicated to make and if you’ve already been mixing up this cocktail at home, you’re halfway there with having all the ingredients. If you are anything like me, I usually have a full pantry, so I didn’t have to run out for much to whip these up just in time for hump day!…

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Frozen Strawberry Negroni

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The negroni is by far one of my favorite classic cocktails. It doesnt hurt that it’s super easy to make as well (equal parts gin:sweet vermouth:campari). This coming week is Negroni Week, which is presented by Imbibe Magazine and Campari in efforts to raise money for charities around the world. There are so many variations on this drink but one that sticks out to me the most is by a co-worker of mine, and it’s the bicycle thief. This is a collins spin on the negroni, excluding the vermouth and adding grapefruit, lemon, simple and topping it with club soda. It still fits the bill – bitter, sweet, and herbal. So I took it a step further and threw it in a blender to make this Frozen Negroni. Because why not? I also added strawberries because they’re in season which compliment the campari and gin perfectly.


Frozen Strawberry Negroni, serves 1

1 oz. Gin

3/4 oz. Campari

3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth

1 oz. Grapefruit Juice

1/2 oz. Lemon Juice

3/4 oz. Simple or Demerara Syrup

3 strawberries

Add all your ingredients to your blender pitcher, add ice, and blend on smoothie setting. Pour into desired glassware and garnish with an orange wedge and whole strawberry.

This Frozen Strawberry Negroni was really delicious and easy to make. I always wonder why people are so afraid of blenders? They totally take the work out of making cocktails. You can make yourself a negroni at home or your favorite variation but don’t forget to go out to your local bars and support them for Negroni Week! Participating bars donate a portion of their negroni sales to charity. The only thing better about drinking is drinking with a cause! You can find bars near you participating here. Happy Negroni Week everyone!