Seersucker

Well, strawberries are back in season but you'd never know it, here in LA, as it is currently 56 degrees outside and I am literally sitting in front of the fire.  Let's call this an experiment, kind of R & D, getting ready for the inevitable summer.  Because it will get hot, or even warm, soon.  And I like to be well prepared.

Lavender Mojitos

The mere hint of lavender sends me into a world of utter and complete bliss. It invokes such an overwhelming calm that I generally forget everything else momentarily and I am suddenly able to just BE IN THE MOMENT. In Southern California, lavender grows happily and aggressively, (sometimes into the size of a VW Beetle!). I doubt that there could be anything better than combining the inherent calming properties of lavender with the equally relaxing properties of alcohol, (booze), making for the quintessential pool-side lazy-day drink. A match made in lavender colored heaven.

Ginger - Vodka Spritzer

Well, another weekend gone by and another cocktail has been tried, tested and filed under, AWESOME. I came up with this on a whim and was pleasantly surprised with the end result. The goal, other than the obvious, was to make use of the all the ginger in our fridge (left over from my homemade ginger ale experiment) - and what better way than to turn it into some sort of alcoholic elixir? Since I am in a simple-syrup craze recently, I am discovering that by taking the time, (all of 5 minutes, plus cooling time), to make a flavored syrup opens the door to stand out, unique cocktails. The only problem that I ran into was that I didn't have enough ginger to yield the amount of syrup I had hoped for. (Meaning, we only had enough for a few drinks, *sniff, sniff*). The 3 oz that I had only amounted to about 1/2 cup of syrup. It's best to use about 12 oz and you will yield about a cup and a half to have on hand. It will last a few weeks, covered tightly in the fridge.

Ginger Syrup

Yields about 1 1/2 cup of syrup

12 oz. fresh ginger, sliced thinly

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

In a small sauce pan, bring water, sugar and ginger to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine mesh stainer, discard ginger. Cool syrup completely before using.

Ginger - Vodka Spritzer

Makes about 2 cocktails

8-12 fresh mint leaves, plus a few for garnish

4 oz. ginger simple syrup

4 oz vodka

juice of 1-2 limes (1 - 2 oz)

4 oz of club soda

In a shaker, muddle mint and add vodka, lime juice and ginger syrup. Add a few ice cubes and shake vigorously. Pour over 2 cups with ice, or martini glasses, without ice and finish off with club soda.

*Note - I'm thinking that candied ginger would be a fun garnish, as well. Try it!

MMMojito

Many parts of the country are bidding farewell to summer as it becomes a fading memory. In Southern California, however, Santa Ana winds are driving through the canyons and temperatures will still be blazing for a few more weeks. Making this Indian Summer all the more manageable, are the ample mint and limes in my fridge and the alluring bottle of rum in my liquor cabinet. I have to thank my lovely friend, Sara, who helped me kick off a weekend bender of mojito magic - I can now say that this has emerged as my fave drink for the summer, crisp, refreshing and slightly sweet. Take time to juice your limes in advance and make a simple syrup, (equal parts water and sugar, simmer until dissolved, cool).

Classic Mojito

Makes 1 cocktail

8 mint leaves, plus a few sprigs for garnish

1 TBLS simple syrup

1 -2 oz light rum

2 oz fresh lime juice

club soda

powdered sugar

Place mint in the bottom of a tall glass, with a wooden spoon, muddle the mint gently. Add ice cubes and simple syrup, lime juice and rum. Stir well.

Top each drink with a little club soda and garnish with a sprig of mint and dust top of glass with powdered sugar.

Home Made Ginger Ale

The New York Times published this article a few months ago about a new trend of artisanal ginger ales gaining popularity around the country. Intrigued, I tore it out and saved it - forgot about it - then found it once again. And today, I made it, and.... it was great! Ginger ale has been around for ages, as a home remedy for aching stomachs and nausea. It's zippy bite can quench almost any degree of thirst.

To make one 16 oz drink for myself, I ventured down two different gingery paths - first by hand grating ginger root against a micro-plane and then squeezed the juice from the pulp. The flavor, once everything was added, stirred and poured, was weak. (Not to mention it's kind of a royal pain!).

My second attempt, suggested by the article, was to make a ginger syrup. (I have recently discovered the beauty of making different syrups and keeping them on hand for quick and easy use. See my post on making rose water syrup for other types of delicious drinks).

I found that this way makes a better, more authentic ginger ale. The gentle heating of sugar and ginger juice deepens the flavors, the end result being zingy, spicy and slightly syrupy. Keep ginger syrup in fridge and it's ready for your next craving of that certain zippy fizz we all have every now and then.

Note: You will need a juicer in order to extract large amounts of juice from the ginger root. If you don't have one, a health food store with a juice bar can sell you fresh squeezed ginger juice. Be sure to ask them to run water through the juicer before starting on your order, otherwise you will get muddled ginger juice.

Ginger Ale

Adapted from The New York Times.

Makes 1 (16 oz.) drink

4 tsp fresh ginger juice (see note)

1-2 TBLS sugar

2 TBLS fresh lime juice

1 1/4 cup club soda

Stir ginger juice, sugar and lime juice until sugar dissolves. Add ice and club soda.

Make a ginger syrup by dissolving 3/4 cup sugar into 1 cup ginger juice. I did this combining the two ingredients and heating just until a simmer, then shut off the heat, and stir often, until sugar is dissolved, cool completely. Add ice, lime juice and club soda to 2 TBLS syrup just before serving. Bottoms up!

July 4th, a Retrospective...The Finale

It seems only fitting to bookend my July 4th trilogy with one last cocktail recipe. I mean, it is a party-prone weekend, and now that I have completely fallen for yummy specialty drinks, I have saved the best for last. If you are going to go through any trouble - whatsoever - to serve something different for your closest friends, do this and you will go down in history as the best drink-maker this side of the prohibition. I saw it on one of my most beloved sites, Design Sponge, and the photos alone got me feeling somewhat giddy. I tried it out with some close friends the day before the big day and I would have made a second batch for the 4th, but it was so good, so unbelievably good, it was long gone before the sun set on the eve of Independence Day.

For someone who isn't fond of gin (me), you'd be surprised at how delightful the gin actually tastes here. Hendrick's Gin is infused with cucumber and rose, so you can see why this drink is a marriage made in booze-y heaven. Take the time to prepare everything in advance and when you're ready, it's just as simple as measuring and shaking and then drinking!

Cardamon-Rose Cocktail

This makes 1 drink:

1.5 oz. Hendrick's Gin

.75 oz. rose syrup

.25 oz. fresh lime or lemon juice

.75 oz. fresh grapefruit juice - ruby red

2 dashes Peychauds Bitters

1 cardamon pod

club soda

Lightly muddle cardamon pod in bottom of shaker, not too much as the flavor could over power.

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Add ice

Shake for 20 seconds

Pour into glass

Add a splash of club soda on top

Garnish with rose petals or lemon wedge.