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campari

Easy 3 Ingredient Quarantine Cocktails

April 30, 2020 by Natalie Leave a Comment

While we’re all stuck at home it’s nice to have a few easy cocktail ideas up your sleeve. I’m sharing three of my favorite easy 3 ingredient quarantine cocktails. These are the three cocktails I drink the most of so I made sure I had all ingredients on hand to make these classic staples. Classic cocktails are great for at-home mixing because most of them are simple as well as delicious. My three must-have cocktails for quarantine is an Aperol Spritz, a margarita and a negroni. Shall we make some drinks? It’s been a while.

Quarantine Cocktails

Aperol Spritz, serves 1

2 oz. Aperol

3 oz. prosecco

1 oz. soda water

orange wheel, for garnish

Firstly, add all ingredients into a wine glass filled with ice and stir. Garnish with an orange wheel. Suns out spritz out!

Margarita, serves 1

1 1/2 oz. tequila

1 oz. triple sec (like Cointreau or Combier)

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice.

lime wheel, for garnish

salt, for rimming (optional)

You can either serve this up or down but I prefer my margaritas up with salt. Salt is also optional here. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Then shake and strain into a salt-rimmed glass. Or not. Finally, garnish with a lime wheel. Or not. You don’t have to be fancy with garnishes. You’re home so you can take it easy. If you feel like being more adventurous try this hibiscus margarita recipe that I made!

Negroni, serves 1

1 oz. gin

1 oz. sweet vermouth

1 oz. Campari

orange twist, for garnish.

Add all ingredients to a double rocks glass with ice. Stir and express the orange twist on top of the drink. Lastly, place the twist in the drink. Sip and enjoy! If you’re into tequila like I am you should try a Rosita instead.

Most people with a decently stocked bar should have these items on hand. These quarantine cocktails are easy and quick to make and there’s something for everyone. If you’re in the mood for something light and refreshing, obviously an Aperol Spritz. Do you want something that’s crisp and sour? Well then, have a margarita! Or would you rather have something bitter and boozy? Then a negroni should do the trick.

I hope you’re all staying home and above all else staying safe. In the meantime, fix yourself a drink. After all, it’s almost the weekend, if that means anything anymore. I’ve linked all my favorite product picks to Drizy just in case you needed to get anything delivered to make some cocktails. Cheers, everyone! xo

Filed Under: Amaro Cocktails, Bitter, Champagne Cocktails, Classic Cocktails, Cocktails, Fizzy, Gin, Gin Cocktails, Low ABV, Stirred, Tequila Tagged With: aperitif, aperol, boozy, campari, classic cocktails, easy entertaining, fizzy, gin, prosecco, quarantine cocktails, sour, stirred, tequila

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

December 30, 2018 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

Can 2018 get the hell out of town already? Sending this year off with something bitter and sparkling because it only seemed appropriate. I took a popular classic champagne cocktail, the French 75 (gin, lemon, simple, champagne), and changed it up a bit by adding fresh blood orange juice and Campari. My bitter blood orange riff on the French 75 is the perfect cocktail to send 2018 packing.

The original French 75 was created by Harry Macelhone at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in 1915. The cocktail was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm Howitzer field gun. The cocktail was popularized in America at The Stork Club in NYC and with its publication in the Savoy Cocktail book in 1930. It also makes an appearance in one of my favorite Humphrey Bogart movies, Casablanca.

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

Bitter Blood Orange French 75, makes 1 serving

1 oz. gin

1/4 oz. campari

1/2 oz. blood orange juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

Champagne or Prosecco

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

First add all ingredients (except champagne) to a cocktail shaker, fill completely with ice and then shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass and top with champagne. Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

The changes that I made to this classic cocktail were so simple yet made such a huge impact on the flavor. Blood oranges have deep red flesh and the flavor is much more intense than a normal orange. This fruit is sweet, bitter, and has a slight hint of raspberry flavor. They pair perfectly with Campari, which is also crimson red and has a bittersweet taste with distinct notes of cherry, cascarilla, clove, rhubarb, cinnamon, and orange peel. As a result of the color of both of these ingredients, and their delicious flavors we are left with a delicious and stunningly hued cocktail.

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

While many great and positive things happened in my life during 2018, unfortunately, it has come to a bittersweet ending. It only felt right to make a bubbly and bittersweet cocktail to coincide with that. I’m looking forward to the future, continuing to grow my business, and making some big life changes in 2019. But most of all I am most excited for a fresh start and a chance to be happy again. I’m raising my glass and wishing you all a very Happy New Year! xo

 

Filed Under: Bitter, Champagne Cocktails, Classic Cocktails, Cocktails, Fizzy, Gin, Gin Cocktails Tagged With: blood orange, campari, champagne, champagne cocktails, classic cocktails, cocktails, craft cocktails, gin, gin cocktails, holiday cocktails, new years eve

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

June 4, 2018 by Natalie 2 Comments

Celebrate Negroni Week with the RositaWell 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.

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

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!

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

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

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

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.

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

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.

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

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!

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

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!

Celebrate Negroni Week with the Rosita

Filed Under: Bitter, Classic Cocktails, Stirred, Tequila Tagged With: bar cart, campari, classic cocktails, cocktails, negroni, negroni week, tequila

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

February 5, 2018 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

Until February 14th everything will be Valentine’s Day themed because in my house we are not anti-Valentine’s Day! Any day about love, sweets, and pink is A-OK in my book. I’m celebrating this year with these Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets. Also, who doesn’t love a Negroni? Blood oranges? No. One.

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

I found an easy recipe for grapefruit tartlets on Pinterest from Sugar Coated Inspiration. So I adapted her recipe to make these Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets. These tarts are sweet, slightly tangy from the blood orange, bitter from the Campari, and have a natural dark pink hue from the Campari, sweet vermouth, and blood orange juice. Did I mention just a tad boozy too? You know much much I love taking my favorite classic cocktails and turning them into sweets!

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets, makes 4 mini tarts

For the blood orange negroni curd:

1 1/2 cups blood orange juice

3/4 cup honey

3 tbsp. cornstarch

3 egg yolks, whisked

5 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. gin

1 tbsp. sweet vermouth

1 tbsp. Campari

For the crust:

2 sleeves of your preferred cookie for making the crusts (I used Milk & Honey tea cookies from Trader Joe’s)

6 tbsp. butter, melted

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

Start by making the crust. Pulse the cookies in a food processor or blender until they are fine crumbs. Then add the melted butter and stir the mixture until it resembles wet sand. Press and pack the mixture tightly into the bottom and sides of four mini tart pans. Bake the crusts at 350°F for 10 minutes or until they are a golden brown.

As the crusts cool, make the blood orange curd. Whisk your egg yolks in a bowl and set aside. In a saucepan whisk together the honey, cornstarch, and blood orange juice on medium heat until the mixture is thickened and slightly bubbly. Very slowly, stream in half of the hot blood orange mixture into the whisked egg yolks, whisking quickly, to temper the eggs. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly, until the curd thickens. Remove the blood orange curd from the heat and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until melted. Add a tablespoon each of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari and stir until incorporated.

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

Fill the tartlet crusts up to the top with warm blood orange negroni curd and chill in the fridge until set. Once set, garnish them with edible flowers. Enjoy your special Valentine’s Day treats!

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

These Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets exceeded my expectations. They are so delicious and on top of that were quite simple to make. I had never made curd before and it was such a breeze I can’t wait to experiment and make other flavors. The best part about the curd was there was some left over. You can make a larger batch of crust and use the rest of the curd to make two more tartlets or you can store it in a jar. I’ve been spreading my leftover blood orange negroni curd on toast and it is the best! I really hope you decide to make these because they are currently my favorite dessert to date. As always if you decide to please let me know how they turn out in the comments below. I can’t wait to make another batch of these! xo

Blood Orange Negroni Tartlets

Filed Under: Baking, Boozy Treats, Dessert, Gin, Sweet, Valentine's Day Tagged With: baking, blood orange, boozy treats, campari, classic cocktails, dessert, gin, negroni, Sweets, tartlets, Valentine's Day

Blood Orange Sangria

December 8, 2017 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Blood Orange Sangria

Happy hour time? After a few days with children at Walt Disney World, I’m in need of a drink. TGIF everyone! I found blood oranges at the market and I can’t even contain my excitement. I decided to make this easy Blood Orange Sangria so I can enjoy it over the weekend. If you can get your hands on blood oranges already this would be great to make for an upcoming holiday party or gathering. Large format drinks are perfect for the holiday and entertaining season.

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria, serves 4-6

1 bottle Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup blood orange juice
1/2 cup Lairds Apple Brandy
1/4 cup Campari
1 cup club soda
2 blood oranges sliced into wheels or chopped
12 oz. strawberries, sliced
1 pint of raspberries
1 apple, chopped

Blood Orange Sangria

First things first, juice your blood oranges. In a large pitcher combine the wine, apple brandy, campari, blood orange juice, club soda, apples, raspberries, strawberries, and blood oranges. Stir well to combine. Fill your glasses with ice then spoon some fruit from the sangria on top.Pour into each glass and serve.

Blood Orange Sangria

This sangria gets better as it sits, so you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It serves 4-6 people or just you all weekend. 😉

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

I added the Campari as a last minute idea but I’m so glad I did.  Campari is an Italian bitter aperitif and is a blend of fruit, herbs, and spices. Its prominent flavor is strong bitter orange so I thought it was a great ingredient to use in the addition of fresh blood oranges. I wanted to use a Brandy that added some seasonality and thought using Lairds Apple Brandy was the perfect option. Its fresh apple taste complements the other ingredients in this Blood Orange Sangria plus enhances the flavors of the freshly chopped apples. I used a Honeycrisp apple because those are my favorite. Their creamy white flesh is exceptionally crisp and aromatic and they have a pleasant sweet-tart flavor.

Blood Orange Sangria

I hope you enjoy your weekend. Are you doing anything fun? I’m excited to finish decorating for Christmas and to work on some new holiday posts. Oh, and I’ll be drinking this Blood Orange Sangria. Let me know if you will be too in the comments below. xo

Blood Orange Sangria

Filed Under: Apple Brandy, Entertaining, Home Entertaining, Wine, Winter Cocktails Tagged With: apple brandy, blood orange, campari, classic cocktails, craft cocktails, easy entertaining, fall cocktails, home entertaining, sangria, winter cocktails

Elderflower Concord Grape Cocktail

October 13, 2017 by Natalie 34 Comments

Concord grapes are a true sign of fall. With thick, sour skins and a luscious, sweet interior, they’re harvested in September through late October. When I see them at the market I know exactly what I’m making — an Enzoni! If you’re not familiar with this drink it is a citrusy and fruity Negroni variation invented by Vincenzo Errico of Milk and Honey in NYC c. 2003. You can use any grape but my favorite is the Concord due to its rich flavor and vibrant hue. I’ve replaced the sugar with elderflower liqueur for a slightly more floral take for this Elderflower Concord Grape Cocktail….

Read More

Filed Under: Cocktails, Fall Cocktails, Gin Tagged With: campari, concord grapes, elderflower, fall cocktails, gin

Easy Negroni Floats

February 10, 2017 by Natalie 2 Comments

I bet everyone is ready for Valentine’s Day…I know I sure am! Whether you’re spending the weekend with you gal pals or getting ready for a romantic night out, a cocktail is always in order. That’s why I’m here! I’ve whipped up these super easy Negroni Floats that are perfect for your Galentine’s Day party or a romantic evening spent at home. They’re boozy, but with the addition of freshly whipped cream, they become a delicious alcoholic creamsicle. Now who doesn’t want one of those?


Easy Negroni Floats (makes one serving)

1 oz. Gin

1 oz. Sweet Vermouth

1 oz. Campari

Add all your ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, and stir. If you’re making multiple drinks, double up or consider building in a pitcher. Strain into a coupe glass.


For the cream:

Add 4 ounces of heavy cream to a tin with two sugar cubes and a very small piece of ice. Shake, shake, shake! You want to shake it till the sugar has dissolved and the cream is slighly thick but not pie topping thick. You want it to slide right over the top of the drink. I do this at work all the time with no trouble, with these the cream started to sink at a pretty fast rate. No problem! Just give it a little stir, it will only enhance the creamsicle effect. Garnish with a little zest of orange on top. Enjoy! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Filed Under: Cocktails, Entertaining, Gin Cocktails, Valentine's Day Tagged With: campari, dessert, easy entertaining, galentine's day, gin cocktails, recipes, Valentine's Day Cocktails

The Enzoni Cocktail

October 1, 2016 by Natalie Leave a Comment

We’re finally celebrating the arrival of fall! Although I am writing this from my bed where I’m currently laid up with a cold. It never fails, I always get sick when the seasons change abruptly. The temperature gets cooler, the nights get darker, there is a brisk breeze blowing, the leaves are falling and changing color. It’s time to cozy up with your favorite jacket and scarf and drink something even cozier. It’s not hot drink weather yet so calm down!

During fall I love drinks with darker flavors with in season fruits, spices, teas, cognac, whiskey and darker aged rums (I always love Rum). I’m so excited about having the blog this fall because I get to explore some interesting and fun drink creation that I wouldn’t normally do at work. I’m in the middle of changing two menus right now (which has been hectic) but once they’re out I will get to share some of those cocktails here with you and post some other stuff that doesnt work for a menu but will certainly work for playing around at home.

I was at the market last week and spotted one bundle of concord grapes and almost jumped for joy. I decided to post the recipe for the Enzoni cocktail which was invented at Milk & Honey here in NYC back in 2003. This cocktail was inspired by the Negroni, but is a citrusy and fruitier version, and is super easy to recreate. The recipe calls for grapes, so you can make this with all different kinds anytime of year, but my favorite is Concord Grapes. When they are in season I just go nuts and this is the only drink I want to make. I also shot this in pretty blue glassware I bought at Brimfield!

Enzoni

1 oz. Gin
1 oz. Campari
3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup (1:1)
5 Concord Grapes

Add juice, syrup, and grapes to your tin, muddle, and add the rest of your ingredients. Shake with ice, and strain into a double rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a grape.

Filed Under: Cocktails, Fall Cocktails, Gin Tagged With: campari, concord grapes, fall cocktails, gin

Stiggin’s Fancy Old Fashioned

August 3, 2016 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Greetings everyone! It’s finally August, and by now everyone is trying to beat the heat. The summers are always a bit slower for bars here in New York, as everyone vacates the city to go upstate or down the shore on the weekends. People are slowly going back to their local watering holes, tired of rooftops and patios, searching for some cold AC and an even colder drink. I have whipped up another strong, and spirit forward cocktail, inspired by the rum old fashioned and colder nights to come.

Last year I was lucky enough to be one of the few bartenders to get their hands on Stiggin’s Fancy Pineapple Rum by Plantation, as originally it was not being produced for sale. Due to overwhelming popularity they decided to keep making it, and this year it won Best New Spirit at Tales of the Cocktail 2016. So don’t fret because you should be able to get your hands on some!

“This rum was created by Alexandre Gabriel, cellar master at Plantation and David Wondrich, author of the book Imbibe! It is a tribute to the esteemed Reverend Stiggins whose favorite drink was the “pineapple rum” in the Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. Not intended for sale, the rum was created to share among colleagues and friends at Tales of the Cocktail 2014. “Victim” of its own success, it is now available in the United States. The manufacturing process of Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple is complex.”

This rum is delicious and rich, with slight smoke and aromas of tropical fruit like ripe banana, pineapple, citrus peel, and a touch of spice. This spirit is so versatile, you can drink it neat, on a rock, shaken in a daiquiri, or in a spirit forward cocktail, all will yield amazing results. Plantation not only puts out some of the best and most unique rums on the market, it is brought to you by Alexandre Gabriel and the team behind Maison Ferrand, one of the oldest spirits brands in the Cognac Region of France. They are responsible for Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Citadelle Gin, and Ferrand Dry Curacao, all staples for your at home bar.

The Plantation Pineapple Rum will pair well with other tropical fruits, citrus, spices like nutmeg, clove, and allspice, others rums, cognac, and so on. I paired it with Campari, allspice liqueur, and macadamia nut. I made orgeat and will include that recipe and instructions for making your own at home, or you can buy your favorite store bought almond syrup.

Stiggin’s Fancy Old Fashioned

1 1/2 oz. Plantation Pineapple
1/2 oz. Campari
Barspoon Allspice Liqueur
Barspoon Macadamia Nut Orgeat

Add all your ingredients to a single old fashioned glass, add ice, and stir with your barspoon until all the ingredients are incorporated and the cocktails is cold. Spray and discard a lemon twist, and garnish with a pineapple leaf.

Macadamia Nut Orgeat

Ingredients:
1 cup macadamia nuts (either raw or dry-roasted)
4 cups filtered water or boiled water
pinch salt (if nuts are unsalted)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  1. Preheat a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the macadamia nuts in a single layer. (If they’re already toasted, we’re just re-toasting them for a minute or two to add a bit more flavor).
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring very frequently, until the macadamia nuts are just starting to turn golden brown and smell fragrant. For pre-roasted nuts, this will only take a minute. For raw nuts, this will take around 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Immediately transfer the toasted macadamia nuts to a blender (I use a Blendtec because they are awesome) and add the water. Let the nuts and water soak together in the blender for 30 minutes or longer if you are able.
  4. Blend together the macadamia nuts and water until the mixture appears very smooth.
  5. Strain the mixture through a nut milk bag, squeezing out as much excess liquid as you can. If you don’t have a nut milk bag you should get one. JK, just use a fine mesh sieve, layered with cheesecloth. Then later purchase a nut milk bag via amazon, it’s easy.
  6. After you have successfully strained all excess liquid, whisk in your salt and cinnamon.
  7. We want to make a 2:1 almond syrup, the 2 being the sugar and 1 being the almond milk. Measure the almond milk, if there are 4 cups of milk you will be adding 8 cups of sugar. I split the sugar half and half with white and demerara, so 4 cups of each. If you want a much richer syrup do all demerara.
  8. Add the almond milk and appropriate amount of sugar to a pot and simmer on stove over low heat until all sugar has dissolved.
  9. Add 1 oz of Faretti Liqueur (my fave), Amaretto, or Brandy, and a 1/2 tsp. of orange flower water, stir.
  10. Use a funnel to portion your orgeat into bottles or jars and keep in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  11. Make yourself a Mai Tai later after you have the Stiggin’s Fancy Old Fashioned now that you have orgeat in the house.

 

 

Filed Under: Cocktails, Rum, Summer Cocktails, Tiki Tagged With: campari, cocktails, craft cocktails, old fashioned, recipes, rum

Drinking American: Lairds Applejack and the Liberty State Park Swizzle

July 2, 2016 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Photo by Matt Taylor-Gross

Photo by Matt Taylor-Gross

There is no better way to celebrate your Fourth of July weekend than by drinking and mixing with American Spirits. One of my favorites has always been Lairds Applejack.

The Lairds have been producing Apple Brandy in Monmouth County, New Jersey for almost 300 years, passing down their recipe from generation to generation. They are the oldest commercial and family owned distillery in the country holding license number 1. In fact, historical records show that in 1760 or before, General George Washington wrote to the Laird family requesting their recipe for producing Applejack, which the Laird family supplied. George Washington is the only other known person besides the Laird family to have the recipe. Abraham Lincoln also served Applejack in his New Salem, Illinois tavern. It doesn’t get more American than that.

Photo courtesy of Laird & Co.

Photo courtesy of Laird & Co.

Apple Brandy fell out of popularity somewhere in the mid century, only being a favorite of old timers sipping on it at their local watering holes. This all changed with the craft cocktail boom of the early 2000s which ushered in a renaissance of enjoying classic cocktails like the Jack Rose again. Suddenly a rather obscure spirit became a cocktail bar staple with a cult following. Nowadays you’re lucky to get your hands on a bottle of it, as bars all across the country struggle to keep it in stock. Laird & Company has been the sole producer of this spirit category since the end of prohibition with only recently some small craft distilleries releasing their own version of apple brandy.

Photo from Liquor.com

Photo from Liquor.com

In 2013 I was lucky enough to visit the distillery, which you can read all about here in my article that was featured in Edible Magazine. I have always placed this spirit on all the menus I have put together because of its importance, as well as included it on the menus of establishments I have worked at over the years. In 2011 my recipe for the Hamilton Park Swizzle was in the Summer of Tiki issue of Imbibe Magazine. It was also on the menu at Lani Kai, a now shuddered modern tropical bar owned by Julie Reiner in the Soho section of Manhattan.

Since then it has always been my project to create variations on the Queens Park Swizzle cocktail and name them after parks in Jersey City, NJ where I am from and still reside. I have also created the Van Vorst Park, the Lincoln Park, and now in honor of the holiday weekend that is upon us I have put together the Liberty State Park Swizzle. For those of us that will be spending the fourth there watching the fireworks in the shadows of the Statue of Liberty herself, this is what you should be drinking.

I used Lairds newest product, Jersey Lightning, a clear, un-aged apple distillate. It is boldly flavored with super crisp and fresh apple notes, a moonshine-esque liquid that’s a wonderful candidate for mixing in drinks. It’s also 100 proof. You were warned.

Liberty State Park Swizzle

1 1/2 oz. Lairds Jersey Lightning
3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Honey Syrup
1/4 oz. Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz. Float of Campari
Handful of mint and blueberries

In your serving vessel put your handful of mint and blueberries. In your mixing tin add all your ingredients except the Campari, dry shake, and pour a splash in your serving vessel. Muddle the mint and blueberries, add ice, and pour the remainder of your cocktail into the glass, float Campari. Garnish with a lavish bouquet of mint, blueberries, and dusting of powdered sugar. I love powdered sugar!

Filed Under: Apple Brandy, Cocktails, Summer Cocktails Tagged With: campari, cocktails, craft cocktails, Lairds Applejack, Liberty State Park Swizzle, summer cocktails

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My name is Natalie Jacob and I'm a bartender, author and beverage + creative consultant drinking, honky tonkin and making a home in Nashville, TN. Learn more ->

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