cocktails

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

June 20, 2018 by Natalie

Recently I teamed up with Red Bull to make some Summer mocktails to celebrate the release of their Red Bull Summer Edition Coconut Berry. The Coconut Berry might be my favorite flavor yet but I’ve also put together mocktails using Red Bull Green Editon and the Yellow Edition (my other two favorite flavors). The Green Edition tastes like kiwi and apples and the Yellow Edition tastes like a mix of tropical fruits with passionfruit shining through the most.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy Red Bull was to mix with. These flavors are fruity and absolutely perfect for topping off your drinks with for Summer. Because who doesn’t love a little energy boost in their drinks? I certainly need all the energy I can get! I loved how these mocktails turned out which is why I decided to share them with you here.

In Love with the Coco, makes 1 serving

4 oz. Red Bull Summer Edition Coconut Berry

1 oz. coconut milk

1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

1/2 oz. orange juice

4 strawberry halves

First add pineapple, orange, and strawberries to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Next, add coconut milk and then shake with ice and pour into your serving vessel over ice. Finally, top with Red Bull Coconut Berry. Garnish with coconut flakes, freshly grated nutmeg, and a strawberry wedge.

Lime So Fine, makes 1 serving

4 oz. Red Bull Green Edition

1 oz. lime juice

1 oz. cucumber juice

Splash Red Bull Lime Edition

mint, green grapes, green apple slices, for muddling

First add lime and cucumber juice to a cocktail shaker with a handful of mint, 5 green grapes, and 2 apple slices. Next, muddle and then add ice and shake. Strain into your serving vessel over ice and top with Red Bull Green Edition and a splash of Red Bull Lime Edition. Garnish with 2 cucumber slices and a mint sprig.

Hello Sunshine, makes 1 serving

4 oz. Red Bull Yellow Edition

1 oz. lime juice

3/4 oz. ginger syrup

club soda

5 mango chunks

First add lime, ginger, and mango to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Next, add ice, shake, and then strain into your serving vessel over ice. Top with Red Bull Yellow Edition and a splash of club soda. Garnish with a lime wheel and ginger candy.

I’m totally in love with all of these Summer mocktails that it’s hard to pick a favorite! I hope you’ll be giving these Summer mocktails with Red Bull a try at home. I’ll be enjoying quite a few myself. xo

Mango Kombucha Margarita + Bistec Mango Tacos

June 15, 2018 by Natalie 4 Comments

Did you think I would get sick of margaritas and tacos after my trip to Mexico? NEVER! Honestly, as a result of my trip, it’s all I want to eat and drink! I’m so happy to be teaming up with Exotico Tequila for this next post. I’m sharing recipes for my Mango Kombucha Margarita + Bistec Mango Tacos. After all, what is a margarita without a taco? It’s certainly my favorite cocktail and food pairing in this whole wide world!

Mango Kombucha Margarita, serves 1

2 oz. Exotico Blanco Tequila

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. agave

4-5 pieces fresh mango, muddled

top with mango kombucha (I used GT’s)

First, add mango, lime juice, and agave to your cocktail shaker and then muddle. Fill your cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and strain into a salt-rimmed glass. Finally, top with mango kombucha and garnish with a lime wheel and cilantro.

Bistec Mango Tacos, makes 6 tacos

1 lb. chuck steak, sliced into 1-inch strips

2 tbsp. olive oil

salt

tequila cayenne sauce

mango salsa

cilantro

corn tortillas

For the tequila cayenne sauce:

1/3 cup Exotico Tequila

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. pickled jalapeño juice

1 tbsp. brown sugar

salt

For the mango salsa:

1 whole mango

1/4 cup white onion

1 tomato

1 tbsp. pickles jalapeño

salt

pepper

lime juice

Slice the steak into 1-inch strips and then cook in a pan with olive oil and salt. To make the tequila cayenne sauce combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat until slightly boiling. Then prepare the mango salsa by chopping mango, onion, and tomato. Next, put your chopped ingredients in a bowl, then add remaining ingredients and toss. Finally to assemble tacos place your steak in a corn tortilla, drizzle with tequila cayenne sauce, top with mango salsa and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Exotico Tequila is handcrafted with tradition by the Gonzalez Distillery which is a family distillery spanning three generations and one of Mexico’s most respected makers of tequila. The tequila is made from 100% Blue Weber agave grown in the Highlands of Jalisco. The red clay soil in Jalisco produces a larger, sweeter agave heart thus gives Exotico its floral, well-rounded taste. The Exotico Blanco has notes of roasted agave and pepper which make it delightful to sip on its own but also perfect for mixing in drinks like the margarita!

I was inspired by a Tommy’s Margarita (tequila, lime, agave) when developing this Mango Kombucha Margarita. A few months back I made Kombucha Sangria on A Beautiful Mess and instantly fell in love with this ingredient in cocktails. It adds flavor, tang, and effervescence to drinks that yields such flavorful and interesting results. Once I knew what margarita I wanted to make, I based my taco recipe around it using similar ingredients.

I hope you will try my Mango Kombucha Margarita + Mango Bistec Tacos this Summer! They go absolutely perfect together and not to mention, are a winning combination. I love that both the margarita and tacos are savory but are also sweet and summery from using fresh mango. I think planning a taco night is in order!

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

June 4, 2018 by Natalie 2 Comments

Well hello there. I’m popping in to say Happy Negroni Week everyone! I’m celebrating with one of my favorite variations on the classic Negroni — The Rosita. The Rosita cocktail is basically a tequila Negroni and I’ve picked it to kick off Negroni Week because I’m currently on a plane to Mexico. That’s right, MEXICO!

A last-minute trip to Hacienda Patron came my way and there was no way I was letting that opportunity pass me by. Going to Mexico, especially Jalisco — where a majority of tequila is made, has always been a dream of mine. And you know me… always checking those dreams right off my list. Can you blame me? YOLO.

Anyways, back to The Rosita cocktail. I had to do some investigating about the spec of this drink because there are a few recipes and the origins of this cocktail are somewhat non-existent. The problem I was having is that some recipes call for Angostura Bitters and some do not. To ango or not to ango? That is the question!

My boss and friend, Richard Boccato, helped me by reaching out to Robert Hess who helped popularize this drink. Hess got The Rosita recipe from an article by Terry Sullivan in the August 1999 issue of GQ Magazine. Sullivan got it from Gary Regan’s Bartender’s Bible. And Regan got it from Mr. Boston’s 1979 edition. I’m not sure if I really got my question answered because again, each of those recipes is different, but I’m deciding to ango!

The Rosita, serves 1 drink

1 1/2 oz. reposado tequila

1/2 oz. Campari

1/2 oz. dry vermouth

1/2 oz. sweet vermouth

1-2 dash Angostura Bitters

lemon twist, for garnish

First, add all your ingredients to a double rocks glass. Add ice, I used a large format cube, and stir. Garnish with a lemon twist by pressing the peel gently and expressing the oils on top of the drink. Wipe the rim of the glass with the peel and then place in the drink. Alternatively, this drink can also be served up if you prefer. You will need to add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice, stir, and then strain into a coupe glass. Same rules apply for the lemon twist.

The Rosita might just be my favorite Negroni variation. I love tequila so much, and this is a much drier and complex spin on the classic. Using the ango adds a lot of depth, slight spice, bitterness and I can see why it is needed. A Negroni is equal parts making it a much more bitter drink because of the amount of Campari in it. The Rosita only has a 1/2 oz. of Campari so the dashes of Angostura really help the bitter element of this drink stand out.

If you’re not familiar with Negroni Week (June 4-10), Imbibe Magazine and Campari presents it in efforts to raise money for charities around the world. Participating bars donate a portion of their Negroni sales to a charity of their choice. So find a local bar near you that are celebrating and order a Negroni or whatever variation they’re serving up. The only thing better than drinking is drinking with a cause!

I hope you’ll give the Rosita a try as well. If you’re looking for some other fun ideas to celebrate Negroni Week with I have these Negroni Tarts, a Frozen Strawberry Negroni, Negroni Mini Cupcakes, and these Strawberry Negroni Popsicles. Make sure you keep an eye on my stories over on Instagram to see what I’m up to in Mexico and I will be updating the blog when I get back! Cheers and Happy Negroni Week!

A Spring Classic: Sensation Cocktail

May 21, 2018 by Natalie Leave a Comment

A less known but delicious classic is the Sensation Cocktail. It’s a cousin of the more popular Aviation cocktail but replaces the Creme de Violette for mint. If I’m being honest, I tend to love the Sensation Cocktail more so. Creme de Violette can be a little too floral for my preference and the Sensation Cocktail is dry, more tart, and super refreshing! It first appeared in a book by Robert Vermeire in 1922, Cocktails: How to Mix Them, and the recipe is credited to James Berkelmans, Paris.

There has been so much going on behind the scenes that it’s been a struggle to update the blog over the last week or so. I have a ton in the works that I can’t wait to share with you soon. On top of a crazy workload, right after finishing the One Room Challenge, I jumped into repainting the kitchen and starting on the bathroom. These lemons you see as my backdrop is actually a new accent wall. As soon as I shoot it I’m going to do a kitchen tour post. Oh — I’m also fostering 4 adorable 4-week old kittens. Make sure to keep an eye on my Instagram stories, and starting today I’m officially using the hashtag #cocktailsandkittens. If you want to find out why keep reading. 😉

Sensation Cocktail, serves 1

2 oz. gin

3/4 oz. lemon juice

3/4 oz. maraschino liqueur

small handful of mint

mint sprig and lemon twist, for garnish

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, fill completely with ice and shake. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnishing this drink with a brandied maraschino cherry is perfectly acceptable but I love to roll up a lemon twist and stick a mint sprig in it. It looks beautiful and adds so many aromatics. You can also double strain this drink if you don’t want mint in it. I prefer little mint floaters because I think it looks nice and adds texture but some people like a clean strain. To each their own!

I love making classics at home because, for the most part, they are fairly simple (3-4 ingredients). The Sensation Cocktail is one of my favorites to drink this time of year, especially on a warm day. It’s crisp, refreshing, and quenches my thirst immediately. Maraschino liqueur makes this drink sharp and dry. If you tend to like slightly sweeter drinks you can add 1/4 – 1/2 oz of simple syrup to this recipe to sweeten it up.

Okay, now it’s time to meet the kittens. Meet Elsie, Murray, Gertie, and Ethel! They were not cooperating very much on set so I will have to keep practicing. I had to hold them to get some shots of them. They. Are. So. Tiny.

A few years back I frequently fostered with a local rescue, Jersey Cats. For about 2 years my old apartment was a kitten hotel. I’d get kittens, keep them for a few weeks or months, they would get adopted, and then I’d get new kittens. My life was definitely full of sweet, cute, cuddly moments — but fostering is hard. It’s a lot of work and sometimes you get attached to cats. The number one question I always get about fostering is how do you not keep all the kittens? It’s REALLY HARD but I like to remind myself of the bigger picture. The more cats or animals I have the harder it is for me to help others. There will be more kittens, and they will all be cute. I just want to save the world one kitten at a time!

So why am I fostering again? I originally stopped when I adopted my Chinese Crested dog, David Bowie. Having a dog was much more work, my apartment was tiny, and it was just too much. After my cat Phil died in October there has been a void. Now that I have more space I thought it might be fun to start at it again and Jersey Cats needed a foster. So happy to help again!

I hope you guys like kittens because I’m hoping to include them in some of my posts until they find their forever homes. If you’re local please check out Jersey Cats to stay updated. I hope you enjoyed my silly kitten and cocktail photos and I hope you will try the Sensation Cocktail this Spring/Summer. As always, I would love to hear from you, so chime in on the comments below. Either about the cocktail or these sensational kittens! xo

Celebrate Easter Weekend with the Carrot Painkiller

March 30, 2018 by Natalie Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for the perfect Easter cocktail then look no further then the Carrot Painkiller. Did you really think I wasn’t going to give you something delicious to sip on this weekend? I’d never let you down and this Carrot Painkiller will surely not disappoint your taste buds.

If you’re not familiar with the classic Painkiller cocktail it is a riff on the Piña Colada. You know how much I love Piña Coladas and given a chance, I will basically turn anything into a Piña Colada. The original Painkiller was created in the 1970s by Daphne Henderson at the Soggy Dollar Bar on the Island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. It is a blend of rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and coconut. This cocktail is associated with tiki bars and tropical drinks, which as you all know, happen to be my favorite.

If you’re not aware I worked at a tiki bar in NYC called Painkiller (R.I.P). Pusser’s Rum has the Painkiller cocktail trademarked and we wound up having to change our name to PKNY to avoid a lawsuit. So while I love this cocktail, the Painkiller and I have a pretty tumultuous history. PKNY which was located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan shuttered in 2013 over the loss of our lease. A plague that struck a lot of bars in that neighborhood and in almost every neighborhood in NYC still to this day. Let’s just say, almost 5 years later, I still haven’t fully recovered from the closing of that bar.

Maybe that’s why I’m always developing variations on Piña Coladas. Homesick for a place that doesn’t exist anymore. Before I get sad let’s make drinks!

Carrot Painkiller, serves 1

2 oz. aged rum (preferably Pusser’s Rum)

1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

1 oz. fresh carrot juice

1/2 oz. orange juice

3/4 oz. coconut cream

First, make your juices. I juiced my pineapple and carrot juice with my Hurom Slow Juicer. I highly recommend owning a slow juicer if you don’t already have one. It has made my life so much easier and healthy. They do not sponsor me (yet, one can dream) so this is 100% my own opinion and recommendation. For the coconut cream I use a 2:1 ratio of coconut cream to coconut milk. After that, this drink is easy peasy to make. Assemble all your ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry shake. No dilution necessary because when you use crushed ice, dilution happens very quickly and immediately upon adding ice to the glass.

Dump your cocktail into your serving vessel. I used these cute clear tiki mugs from CB2 (now sold out). Then add crushed ice to your glass and garnish with a healthy dusting of nutmeg and a pineapple leaf or two.

Does anyone else adore making coconut themed things for Easter? I’m going to make this tart on Sunday for dessert. Coconut is one of my favorite ingredients to incorporate into this holiday. Also, I love carrots and so does the Easter bunny! I’m just so lucky that both of these ingredients are delicious together. If you’re looking for some other ideas, I also made this Carrot Orange Mimosa last year and shared some other Easter ideas. If you gave up drinking for lent, well then you’re crazy, but these will be such a treat to make and enjoy! Happy Easter everyone! xo

Easy Blackberry Basil White Port and Tonics

March 22, 2018 by Natalie 1 Comment

My go-to drink lately has been a port and tonic, especially when I’m cooking dinner. They’re so easy to make, are super refreshing, and bonus: they’re low ABV! The first time I had one was when Ethan’s mom made a recipe from The Kitchn over Christmas. I decided to take this drink a step further and made these Blackberry Basil White Port and Tonics.

Blackberry Basil White Port and Tonics, serves 1

2 oz. white port

1/2 oz. lemon juice

4 oz. good quality tonic (I used Fever Tree bitter lemon)

4 blackberries and a pinch of basil for muddling, extra for garnish

First, add the port and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with the blackberries and basil. Give it a quick muddle, just until the port has been infused with the blackberries and basil. There’s no need to shake this, so just double strain the mixture into the serving vessel of your choice. In this case, I used a double rocks glass. Add ice and then top with tonic. Garnish with a sprig of basil and a blackberry.

If you’re not familiar, port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine that is produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, though it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. A white port has the sweetness of a ruby port but is much lighter and fresher, which makes it perfect for this Blackberry Basil White Port and Tonic.

Traditionally, white port and tonics are a Summer drink but I love to enjoy them all year round. They make the perfect aperitif before dinner because they are sweet, but not too sweet, and awaken the appetite. I added a splash of lemon juice to brighten and help incorporate the use of fruit and herbs. Blackberry Basil White Port and Tonics are definitely my new favorite drink and I can’t wait to come up with more flavor combinations. I’ve always wanted to take a trip to the colorful city of Lisbon, so let’s take a sip and pretend we’re there! xo

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Colada

March 10, 2018 by Natalie 1 Comment

St. Patrick’s Day is hardly a celebration without a little imbibing. I wanted to come up with something green without being cheesy (no green beers please!) so I put together this Irish Colada, a spin on the classic Pina Colada but with Irish whiskey, matcha, and banana. This Irish Colada is perfect for celebrating the Emerald Isle and a cocktail I will be drinking long after St. Patrick’s Day comes and goes.

Irish Colada, serves 1

1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey (I used Jameson)

1/2 oz. banana liqueur

1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

1 1/2 oz. matcha coconut syrup

pineapple wedge, pineapple leaves, and toasted coconut, for garnish

First, make your matcha coconut syrup. I used equal parts (1 can each) of coconut cream and coconut milk. In a saucepan combine them with 2 teaspoons of matcha powder, whisking until combined over low-medium heat. I used a matcha whisk to help incorporate the matcha better. Let cool and store in a jar or bottle in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

I decided to make this drink shaken instead of frozen to mimic more of an iced matcha latte feel. Additionally, shaking it also doesn’t sacrifice the gorgeous green hue of the drink. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and strain over cracked or crushed ice in a highball or serving vessel of your choice. These adorable flamingo glasses are from my friend Meg over at Love & Victory. Finally, garnish your drink with a pineapple wedge, pineapple leaves, and toasted coconut. I toasted some coconut flakes with my kitchen torch but you can also do it over the stove.

The thing I miss the most about working in a tiki bar is an elaborately garnished drink. Each drink that went out was like a little piece of art. We had dozens of different straws, stirrers, and even little pipe cleaner animals! These sparkly palm tree stirrers remind me of those days and are from the Palm Springs Style Shop. I picked them up at the store while I was in Palm Springs for Modernism Week but they are also available here online if you need some fun garnishes at home!

Overall I really love how this Irish Colada came together. Whiskey and coconut complement each other surprisingly well and it was fun incorporating Irish whiskey into a tropical cocktail. The banana liqueur adds a touch more fruitiness and it’s one of my favorite ingredients to use with coconut in cocktails. In addition to the vibrant color, using matcha also adds health benefits to this drink. It’s packed with antioxidants/vitamins and is known to boost metabolism, relax the mind, increase concentration, and enhance the mood among many other things! Sounds like the perfect ingredient to pair with mood enhancing alcohol, don’t you think 😉 ? Matcha also adds sweet, vegetal, grassy notes that complement the other ingredients in this Irish Colada perfectly.

Do you have any special St. Patrick’s Day traditions? My mother always used to make corned beef and cabbage. I think my new tradition will be enjoying a few of these Irish Coladas. They certainly make the perfect boozy dessert. If you decide to make them, be sure to chime in on the comments below and tag a pic on Instagram using #ALinmyglass so I can see. I’d love to hear about what you’re doing this St. Paddy’s Day. Cheers everyone! xo

Hibiscus Margarita

March 5, 2018 by Natalie 1 Comment

It was really hard to get back into the swing of things last week. Do you ever feel like you need a vacation after you take a vacation? I decided to keep the vacation vibes going by recreating one of my favorite drinks that I had while in Palm Springs at The Saguaro — a Hibiscus Margarita. If I see the word hibiscus on a cocktail description the drink is as good as sold. I love the floral, sweet, and tart flavor of hibiscus and who can object to the hue it adds to drinks? No one! Also, we’re talking about margaritas here which are very high up on my list of things I love drinking. Who am I kidding? I would have drunk any margarita but the fact that it was pink and delicious is obviously a huge plus.

Hibiscus Margarita, serves 1

1 1/2 oz. Blanco Tequila

1/2 oz. Cointreau

3/4 oz. lime juice

3/4 oz. hibiscus syrup*

1/4 oz. agave

salt for rimming glasses

*I used the same recipe for the hibiscus syrup that I made for my hibiscus sour on A Beautiful Mess. Mix 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers, 1 cup water, and 1 cup sugar. Add ingredients to a small/medium size saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved and it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour. Strain mixture. Syrup should keep for 1-2 weeks in a refrigerator.

First, salt your serving vessels. I served these down on the rocks, so I used double rocks glasses. You could also serve them up if you’d prefer that more. When it’s hot go ahead and throw this recipe in a blender. I crushed a few dried hibiscus flowers and mixed it in with the salt. I really like the texture it gives to the rim of the glass but it also adds some flavor too.

Add all your ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake. Finally, strain into your salted rimmed glasses over ice and garnish with a lime wheel.

The best part about this cocktail is the color. Oh, my gosh, PINK! It’s sort of healthy too, right? We did use dried flowers in it. This Hibiscus Margarita is what dreams are made of which is why I consumed so many of them poolside. They also go great in the company of tacos and I’m guilty of enjoying quite a few of them in that circumstance too. Hi everyone! My name is Natalie and I love tacos, margs, and hot pink. You already knew that though!

I tweaked a standard margarita recipe (1 1/2 oz. tequila, 3/4 oz. lime, 1 oz. Cointreau) when developing this Hibiscus Margarita recipe. In addition to the hibiscus syrup, I added agave because I felt like it needed to be a touch sweeter. The hibiscus is more tart than sweet, so if you like very tart you can try it without the agave. Overall this Hibiscus Margarita is tart, perfectly sweet, floral, refreshing, and so delicious. Make them for friends this Summer alongside tacos and guacamole and I promise they will love you forever. Tequila has that effect on people! Happy Margarita Monday everyone! 😉

Healthy Drinks: The Bitter Beet Detox Cocktail

January 17, 2018 by Natalie 1 Comment

Can we drink and be healthy? I’m not quite sure but we can try! I made this Bitter Beet Detox Cocktail with Fernet-Branca that’s super herbal and refreshing. Fernet-Branca is made from bitters and herbs, and though it goes down relatively smooth, the aftertaste kicks and lingers. It is, as almost everyone describes it, an acquired taste.

The base of Fernet is made from grapes and includes generous helpings of the antioxidant saffron, as well as some rhubarb, chamomile, and ginseng. With the rumored herb count somewhere between 20 to upwards of 40, much more goes into Fernet, and other ingredients include peppermint oil, sage, bay leaves, gentian root, and even St. John’s wort. Almost all Fernet recipes are secret though!

The combination of herbs, whatever they all are, settles the stomach, aids digestion, and people often cite it as a hangover cure. Originally, people drank the liquor to cleanse the system, sipping it following dinner. Historically Fernet has been used for health reasons which made it perfect in this Bitter Beet Detox Cocktail.

Bitter Beet Detox Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. Fernet-Branca

1/2 oz. ginger liqueur

1 oz. fresh beet juice

3/4 oz. lemon juice

1/2 oz. honey syrup

thyme, for garnish

Cut your beets into small pieces and run them through your slow juicer. If you don’t have a slow juicer you can make juice in a blender and fine strain. You can also buy it at your local health food store. Add all of your ingredients to your cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Can I be honest with you guys? I’ve never been a huge fan of Fernet. I have drunk it on occasion to use it exactly what it was meant for — digestion, upset stomach, or hangover. I’ve never truly enjoyed it in a drink and it’s never my first choice. This Bitter Beet Detox Cocktail has kind of changed my mind though.

The earthiness of beets goes so well with all the herbal notes of Fernet. Ginger liqueur adds some nice spice and sweetness to this drink together with the honey. Honey is a great natural sugar and is full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. The lemon juice adds brightness and helps balance the cocktail. In addition, thyme is a great aromatic for garnish and also has many health benefits. Thyme can boost the immune system as well as aid in heart health, provide relief from stress, and is rich in anti-fungal and antioxidant properties.

Have I given you enough reasons to make this cocktail? YES! I hope you will give this healthy Bitter Beet Detox Cocktail a try. I can’t wait to make more fresh vegetable juice cocktails. Is there anything, in particular, you’d like me to use? Let me know below in the comments below. xo

Winter Pimm’s Cup

January 15, 2018 by Natalie Leave a Comment

I’ve been thinking about Summer a lot. Probably because it’s been so cold and I need to be reminded that there will be sunshine and warmth again someday. I’ve teamed up with Zevia to bring you a Winter Pimm’s Cup in honor of one of my favorite Summer classics. The first time I ever had a Pimm’s Cup was many years ago in the city of New Orleans. I think anything I’ve ever eaten or drunk in NOLA has become an instant favorite. It’s impossible not to fall in love with that city.

New Orleans has a way of taking things that you could find anywhere and re-engineering them so that they become so uniquely New Orleans, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything else that measures up. The Pimm’s Cup is one such example. While the classic drink was born in a London bar at the hands of a bartender named James Pimm, the Napoleon House in New Orleans has taken his creation, put a slight twist on it, and placed it down in one of the city’s most charming watering holes. If you ever get a chance to visit, going to the Napoleon House for a Pimm’s Cup and a muffaletta is a must!

I love to make my Pimm’s Cup like the Napoleon House does — Pimm’s, fresh lemonade, lemon/lime soda and a very elaborate cucumber garnish. For my Winter Pimm’s Cup, I’ve added Scotch for a cold weather spin on the classic. There’s no need to add the extra sugar of soda when you can make the perfect cocktail with Zevia Dry Lemon Lime.

Winter Pimm’s Cup

1 oz. Scotch

1 oz. Pimm’s

3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

3/4 oz. stevia simple syrup

1 can Zevia Dry Lemon Lime Mixer

cucumber, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and mint for muddling and garnish

Making stevia simple syrup is easy and a great way to make your cocktails a little healthier. Mix 2 tablespoons of powdered stevia with 1 cup of warm water and stir until completely dissolved. The consistency of this syrup will be much thinner than traditional simple syrup. Stevia simple syrup still works perfectly for adding sweetness and balancing out citrus in your drinks.

To make a Winter Pimm’s Cup add some berries, mint, cucumber, lemon juice, and stevia simple syrup to a tin. Give it a quick muddle and then add your Scotch and Pimm’s. Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass over ice and top with Zevia Dry Lemon Lime Mixer. Garnish elaborately with a bouquet of mint, berries, and cucumber slices.

This Winter Pimm’s Cup is a perfect variation on the classic — cool, light, tart, refreshing, and slightly smoky. The Zevia Dry Lemon Lime Mixer is a great substitute for regular sodas because it doesn’t add too much sweetness or sugar. A Pimm’s Cup is usually a low ABV cocktail but I like how the Scotch kicks it up a notch. I need some alcohol content to stay warm this winter. My favorite thing about this drink (besides drinking it) is the elaborate fruit garnish. It practically qualifies as a cocktail and a fruit salad snack which is A-OK with me! I hope you’ll be mixing up a few of these this Winter. xo

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cocktails

In Love with the Coco, makes 1 serving

Lime So Fine, makes 1 serving

Hello Sunshine, makes 1 serving

Mango Kombucha Margarita, serves 1

Bistec Mango Tacos, makes 6 tacos

For the tequila cayenne sauce:

For the mango salsa:

The Rosita, serves 1 drink

Sensation Cocktail, serves 1

Carrot Painkiller, serves 1

Blackberry Basil White Port and Tonics, serves 1

Irish Colada, serves 1

Hibiscus Margarita, serves 1

Bitter Beet Detox Cocktail

Winter Pimm’s Cup

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