Five Keys

We were out to dinner at a nice restaurant with a good cocktail bar, and we opted to pass on a cocktail there and have one at home instead. The $60-75 saved could be invested in specialty ingredients, like the unusual Cynar found in this cocktail! Five Keys 1.5 oz bourbon .25 oz luxardo .25 oz Cynar .75 oz sweet vermouth Stir with ice, strain into coupes To quote my spouse, who makes all the cocktails in my house: "This is one of the most delicious cocktails I’ve made this year; perfectly balanced; a keeper!"

Bar Hill, Montpelier, Vermont

Bar Hill makes award winning gin, and they have the unique starting ingredient of honey as the source of fermented sugar. They started off in the Northeast Kingdom, a rural part of the state, even by Vermont standards, but with success they expanded their operation and are now located in a facility of thier own making on Gin Lane on the outskirts of town in Montpelier. There is a restaurant, craft cocktail bar, and most appealing to us, a tasting room. We very much enjoyed tasting the variety of gin and vodka products they make, and because we were flying and hoping not to check bags, they have 100cc bottles available to take home in a carry on bag. The facility is as lovely as what they make and I would recommend adding this as a stop if you are in central Vermont or driving through. It is easy to get to off I-89 and well worth it. Montpelier has a lot to offer besides Bar Hill, and is also recommended. The independent bookstore, Bear Pond Books, was featured in a recent New York Times article on independent book stores and the resident animals they have--in addition to books, there is a store cat as well.

La Louisiane

We are rolling into the second Christmas season without my dad. I do not know why this cocktail reminds me of the holidays or him, because he wasn't a man who much enjoyed a cocktail, and he wasn't one to take a lot of responsibility for holiday celebrations, beyond the turkey, which even when he didn't much cook he tackled that twice a year. But somehow it does. The heart is funny that way, often not makingmuch sense. In any case, it is time to get serious about celebrating all the end of the year holidays with family and friends, and this cocktail is not a bad place to start. 2 oz. rye whiskey (Rittenhouse) 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth (Antica Formula) 1/2 oz. D.O.M. Bénédictine 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters 3 dashes absinthe (we subbed Herbsaint) Stir with plenty of ice for 45 seconds and strain into a chilled stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with 1-3 cherries.

Gin et Gingembre

I have been remiss in posting cocktails, it is true. This one is a keeper, and well worth laying in a bottle of the Domaine de Canton (which is a flavorful liquor all on it's own). 2oz Gin 1oz Domaine de Canton 3/4 oz mint simple syrup 1 oz lemon juice Shake with ice; strain into coupe; garnish with mint sprigs. Enjoy!

Chile Margarita

In the lead up to the wedding for one of my kids, I sent my spouse to Trader Joe's to get a few things that I needed (or at least preferred to get there) for the food. We had a monumental undertaking and I wanted all the do ahead pieces to be accomplished in that time frame (no, that did not 100% happen! But enough of it happened that it wasn't terrible to be in my house or in my shoes the week of the event). One silver lining to that stop was that he bought these dried oranges and the chili lime salt mix and decided to pair them with some of the voluminous chiles in our garden and make a cocktail. Tequila 2 1/4 oz Mezcal 1 1/2 oz Ancho Reyes 1 1/4 oz Lime juice 1 1/2 oz Chocolate bitters 5 dashes City’s bitters 5 dashes Shake with ice; strain over fresh ice into glasses rimmed with Chile-lime (I used Trader Joe’s, but could use Tajin), garnish with dehydrated citrus wheel.

Between The Sheets

THis is a bittersweet day in our household--while the rest of the country remembers the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001, we also remember this date, 22 years ago, when our youngest son got his last dose of chemotherapy, and as we now know but did not know then, it was curative for him. So we raise a toast to the lifetime that we have with him, and remember those who were lost that day. This scales up for a batch cocktail and is delicious, balanced and beautiful. It is equal parts: rum, coiuntreau, cognac, and lemon juice.

Reina Punch

This comes from a fun cocktail book called Batch Cocktails, which are recipes that make more than 1-2 drinks and can be scaled up for a pre-mixed cocktail at a party. Ever since we redid our outdoor eating and cooking area, we have enjoyed having the occasional bar menu, and this cocktail was featured at a recent party to thank ICU workers for their service during the pandemic and beyond. 2 1/2 cups chilled blanco tequila 1 1/4 cups Pinot Noir 1 1/4 cups chilled hibiscus–bell pepper syrup (recipe follows) 2/3 cup water 1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice To Serve 8 lime wheels 13 rosemary sprigs (optional) Hibiscus-Bell Pepper Syrup 1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded 1 cup sugar 1 hibiscus tea bag (such as Traditional Medicinals) 1 cup boiling water For the Hibiscus-Bell Pepper Syrup Using a very sharp knife, slice red parts of bell pepper into the thinnest strips you can manage. Place in a heat-safe bowl along with sugar and use a muddler to bruise slightly. Let macerate for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When time is almost up, steep tea bag in boiling water for 3 minutes, then discard tea bag and pour hot tea over bell pepper mixture. Stir to incorporate sugar. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a resealable container and let cool. Refrigerate until chilled or for up to 2 days. For Reina Punch At least 2 hours and up to 12 hours before serving, make the batch. Pour chilled tequila, Pinot Noir, chilled hibiscus–bell pepper syrup, and water into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate. Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare lime juice and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately. To serve, stir mixture well and add lime wheels to pitcher. Pour into ice-filled rocks glasses and garnish each glass with a rosemary sprig.

ABCDEF Cocktail

The taste is complex as expected with these ingredients. The gin functions as the base, with a slightly modified flavor, in a way somewhat malty, almost like Genever, probably due to the addition of pisco. The main bitter component, Aperol, is lighter than the typical bitter cocktail, making for a nice color and lighter flavor which goes well with dry Dolin vermouth. The Campari and Fernet serve almost more as bitters, although they add significant flavor to the cocktail, vying for your attention, over the light Martini like undertones of this cocktail. Aperol 0.5 oz Gin (traditionally Beefeater) 1.5 oz Campari 0.25 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth 0.75 oz Pisco (traditionally Encanto) 0.5 oz Fernet-Branca 1 barspoon Stir with ice, strain into cocktail glasses

Yellow Jacket

Happy Birthday to my eldest son, and Happy Anniversary to me as a parent! I would not have guessed that this was a tequila drink, and I continue to be happy about the decision to buy two bottles of yellow chartruese when I had the chance in the pandemic. Yellow Jacket: dances like a butterfly 2 oz Reposado Tequila 1 oz Elderflower Liqueur-St. Germain 3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse 1 dash Orange Bitters Stir down with ice for 20-25 seconds. Serve up in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Lemon Twist

Ancient Mariner

May the fourth be with you! We got these wonderful Tiki glasses as well as a Ticki drink book and off we go! 1/2 oz Plantation Overproof Rum 1/2 oz Koala Dark Hawaii Rum 1/2 oz Mount Gay Barbados Rum 1/2 oz Bacardi Rum 1/4 oz Allspice Dram 3/4 oz lime juice 1/2 oz grapefruit juice 1/2 oz mint simple syrup Shake with ice, pour over crushed ice

Vegan Whiskey Sour

The pace of new cocktails at my house has slowed down considerably from the peak in the summer of 2020, but it is still pretty great. We had a Korean inspired dinner with crisped chickpeas, and used the left over liquid to substitute for an egg white in this drink. Delish! (Makes 3 drinks ) 3 T aquafaba (drained chickpea liquid); shake vigorously 30 seconds. Add ice and: Bourbon 5 oz Simple syrup 4 oz Lemon juice 5 oz Reshake and strain into cocktail glasses

Prince Harry Cocktail

Ok not a royal fan, but this cocktail was delicious! Ice. 3/4 ounce dark rum. 3/4 ounce King's Ginger. 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice. Dash Angostura bitters. 1 ounce ginger beer, or more to taste. Lime twist for garnish.

Nearly Naked, Almost Famous

Loved this! I cannot believe it took me this long to really embrace Aperol, but I have! 3/4 oz Mezcal 3/4 oz Tequila 1 1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse 1 1/2 oz Aperol 1 1/2 oz lime juice Shake and strain into chilled coupe Smoky, herbal, sweet and sour. Perfect summer even sipper.

Luxardo Derby

The pandemic saw a lot of making things at home that we might otherwise gone out for, and one of the things that has continued to be a lot of fun is the cocktail menu! This is a cross between the Aviation and a Paper Plane, and every bit as delicious as it looks. 2 oz bourbon 1 oz Aperol 1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino 1/2 oz lemon juice two splashes of orange bitters Get yourself a fancy shaker, put this in with ice, shake and serve.

The Mosquito

One cocktail hurdle that I am deftly leaping over these days is appreciating (at least a little bit) the bitter/sweet balanced drink. This is one such example, which also has spicy and smoky notes. 1 oz Mezcal (Luminar) 1 oz Campari, 1 oz Ginger Syrup 1 oz Lemon Juice. Shake & Strain

The Little Devil

Early in the pandemic my spouse was creating craft cocktails at a staggering level. I thought I might never go to a bar again! In truth, I do not have a deep or wide experience in bars, especially those without live music, so that was probably not much of an insight. Now it is a rarer but still enjoyable experience. It features a French liqueur that we made at home, which is something that I love about French cuisine--make use of everything good that life has for you. 1 1⁄2 oz. Ancho Reyes liqueur 1⁄2 oz. mezcal 1⁄2 oz. tequila 3⁄4 oz. cherry liqueur(homemade Guignolet , which he made last summer) 3⁄4 oz. lime juice 1⁄4 oz. agave 1⁄2 oz. simple syrup Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass over one or two large cubes, garnish with Luxardo cherries

Celery Gimlet

Long gone are the early days of the pandemic where the craft cocktails coming out of our home bar were both numerous and exceptional, and our only other goal in the kitchen was to perfect homemade pizza. We are a family of health care workers and there was super charged stress on offer at work. Now things have largely into the haves and the have nots, the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, and while COVID and long COVID are still possible, it isn't at the level it once was. Be that as it may, the occasional great cocktail can be had and this is one such cocktail. 1 small rib Celery muddled with 3/4oz simple syrup; add 3/4oz lime juice 2 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin 2 dashes of celery bitters. Shake with ice and strained into cocktail glass.

Golden and Delicious Cocktail

The fall is upon us and therefore it is time for cocktails that feature apple cider, the fresh pressed kind that you can only get this time of year. This one requires some specialized (and some are also pricy) ingredients, but the result is both complex and interesting. 1oz Applejack .5oz cognac .5oz allspice dram .5oz apricot liquor .75oz fresh lemon juice .25oz simple syrup Shake with ice and strain into a coupe.

Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail

We are deep in the heart of fresh apple cider season, and what with the delta variant still keeping us mostly socializing outdoors, this is a nice seasonal cocktail to have on offer at your outdoor bar. 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) bourbon 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) apple cider 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) sweet vermouth ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) lemon juice 1 dash orange bitters For the garnish: Apple slices (optional), sprig of thyme Combine the bourbon, cider, sweet vermouth and lemon juice in mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain it into cocktail glass. Add a dash of orange bitters and garnish with apple slices (if desired, spritz them with a little lemon juice to prevent browning).

Cherry Crush

My husband always enjoyed making cocktails, but during the pandemic, a time when we could not go out for a drink at all, was a growth season for his bartending skills. He has always had a deep and wide spirits, liquor and bitters collection, and I have made a flavored simple syrup or two in my time, but we took the opportunity to really expand our horizons. In May we had to go to a big city for a car exchange and we did a curb side pick up at an extraordinarily large liquor warehouse, and we have now gotten to the point wherre there really is no reason to go out for a drink because what we have going on at home is really top notch. This is just one example, utilizing the fresh cherries we have going on. My spouse thought this was a bit too sweet but I thought it was just right. You could back down on the agave syrup if you like a less sweet beverage. 2 oz bourbon 3 pitted cherries 2 T lemon juice 1 T agave syrup 2 dashes cherry bitters Blend with 1 cup ice; garnish with mint sprig and a cherry.