May Day Recipe // May Wine

Happy May Day, everyone! I hope someone reading this is having a bright, sunshine filled day. Unfortunately our May Day is filled with rain, so we won't be dancing around a maypole or making flower crowns. As much as I enjoy a good excuse to hide under a quilt and watch old movies, I would have preferred to spend today laying in the sun drinking may wine.



I learned about may wine from Martha Stewart, obviously. Before bed I like to watch Murder, She Wrote and 1990's Martha Stewart on YouTube. If there were DVD's of her original show, I would buy them all up immediately. When you've watched as many episodes as I have you realize just how much she recycles ideas. She usually updates them or adds some twist, but a traditional German may wine makes an appearance in every spring special.



Traditional may wine is made by infusing Riesling with sweet woodruff, which is a super aromatic flower. For a few reasons, I didn't go the traditional route. I'm personally not a fan of sweet white wine. When I drink white wine, I want it to be light and crisp with subtle flavors. I decided to use Robbie's and my favorite Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa. I didn't get to use sweet woodruff, because it's impossible to find unless you're growing it yourself. Instead I added the dried elderflower from the April birthday cake I made a few weeks ago. If your looking for elderflower, check out the post; there are a few tips on where to find it!



To make sure the wine doesn't oxidize, it's best to infuse the wine cold. This also allows you plenty of time to control how floral you want the wine. After one week, you'll taste the subtle flavors on the back end. A second week of rest will give you much stronger flavors. Once you've made it, step away from the computer, put the phone down, step outside, and marvel at nature.




May Wine:

1 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
1/4 c dried elderflower

Combine wine and elderflower in an airtight container. Refrigerate. After a week, taste the wine. If it has reached the desired floral flavor you like, enjoy! If not, refrigerate another week. Go outside, and enjoy!






XO
Pat!

COCKTAIL // Valentine's Day Sloe 75

Happy [almost] Valentine's Day! I hope everyone has something fun planned with their sweeties, whether that's a boyfriend, girlfriend, or obese cat. Robbie and I will both be working this Valentine's Day, but we decided to celebrate our own way a few days early. Rather than going out to a swanky restaurant, we decided to spend the day doing yoga and pampering ourselves before going to a hole-in-the-wall pho restaurant.  Somewhere between downward facing dog and slurping up rice noodles, I made Robbie a cocktail to say "I love you!"

It was Robbie's idea to have a champagne cocktail; a bottle of Vueve is always a nice treat, but we thought it would be hilarious to use pink cans of bubbly. The cocktail we made is a twist on a French 75, which normally has gin, lemon and champagne. Ours uses Greenhook Beach Plum Gin, the American cousin of sloe gin. This summer, when Robbie would walk on the beach before he went into work, he would find secret spots where beach plums grew. It was my dream to forage them and make my own version of sloe gin, so I was pretty happy to find out that someone else had done just that.



Pink and fruity aren't usually words that describe my favorite cocktails, but I'm pretty sweet on this plum flavored champagne cocktail. I especially loved how easy it was to throw together; you don't want to ever let your ambitious V-day plans take time away from cuddling with your loved one. After making this, snuggle on your sheep skin together surrounded by beeswax candles, and enjoy your night.



Sloe 75:

2 oz of Greenhook Beach Plum Gin
.75 oz of lemon juice
2 sugar cubes
Sparking wine (canned or bottled)

Combine gin, lemon juice and sugar cubes in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously to incorporate the sugar. Strain into two champagne flutes, and top with sparkling wine.

Enjoy!
Pat

DRINK // Chai Spiced + Port Spiked Eggnog

This December I've spent a lot of time thinking about how anyone living in a southern state is able to celebrate Christmas. It's currently 65 degrees in New Jersey, and I can't bring myself to listen to White Christmas or Baby, It's Cold Outside. It feels like a lie. I don't even need a white Christmas at this point; I'll take anything below 50 degrees! My solution to the problem is to fill this month with my favorite Christmas traditions. If I drink enough eggnog, maybe I'll be able to fool myself into thinking its cold.



As a kid I drank so much eggnog. For a while it was the Christmas ritual I looked forward to the most, but back then it was just the out of the carton variety. A few years ago I learned to make it from scratch, and now I don't want anything else. Making it at home also let me have fun with the flavors (and booze) that I added. I chose to spike this chai eggnog with a tawny port for a few reasons. I love it but a lot of people don't know that it exists; it is slightly fruity but intensely oaky; its lower in alcohol content that bourbon, so you don't need to worry (much) about getting everyone drunk on Christmas.



Chai-spiced, Port-spiked Eggnog:
1/2 cup chai tea
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
6 eggs, separated
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 1/2 cups of 10 year old Tawny Port (for less fruit and more oak, try a 20 year old!)

In a saucepan toast the chai tea over medium heat until fragrant. Add the milk and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat and allow to stand for ten minutes. In a bowl whisk the egg yolks and brown sugar until completely incorporated. Strain the chai tea from the milk, and then slowly  add the warm milk to the eggs, tempering them. Warm the port in a saucepan and whisk it into the eggnog. In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Then gradually add the white sugar and continue to whisk until firm peaks form. Fold the meringue into the eggnog, and serve warm.

Enjoy!
Pat XO

DRINK // Snap and Cider

November is my favorite month for so many reasons. The leaves are just barely hanging on to their branches, and their hues are at their most beautiful. The air is cold enough that I can start wearing my favorite cabled sweaters without hiding them under winter coats. I've finally have the time to make apple everything from pie to hard cider. In a few days we will celebrate Robbie's birthday, and in a few weeks it's also my birthday! Both followed by Thanksgiving. Conceptually I love this holiday; family and friends gather around for a cozy feast without any of the stress or expectations of Christmas, ensconced in gratitude. In reality the traditional Thanksgiving dinner is my least favorite holiday meal (give me an Easter ham any day). So this month, I've decided to share some recipes that I'll be using to make our Thanksgiving dinner a little more enjoyable. Feel free to use them to make yours even more enjoyable, if you're already enthusiastic about this meal.





I personally believe any great meal should start with a great cocktail. Whether you and your family sip on these while you cook, or you have one before you move to the dinner table, this is a great cocktail to start your autumnal feast. The base of the cocktail is Art in the Age's Snap liquor. At this point I've made it pretty clear that I'm obsessed with their products; I used Sage this past spring and Rhubarb in the summer. I've been dying to get my hands on Snap for quite a while, but I held off until it was more seasonally appropriate. Snap is distilled with all of the flavors of a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch ginger snap; molasses, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and clove give this spirit a dark, spicy flavor.





The red wine float that tops this cocktail was as much an aesthetic choice as it was a decision about taste. I loved the plum red dissolving into burnt orange in a way that mimicked autumn foliage. Pinot Noirs from the Pacific Northwest work best for this cocktail. They tend to be smoky and spicy with flavors of dark stone fruits. Don't worry about all the extra wine left over, no one will turn it down on Thanksgiving.





Snap and Cider:
2 oz Snap
2.5 oz apple cider (unsweetened and with no spices)
1 oz red wine

Combine Snap and apple cider over ice and shake. Strain into a coupe. With a spoon face down over the glass, pour the red wine over the back of the spoon. This will spread the wine over the cocktail, lessening the impact and allowing it to float on top of the drink.



Enjoy!

XO
Pat

Cocktail: Boozy Cherry Milkshake

After a cherry picking adventure in Mullica Hill, our house has been full of tart cherries. Fresh tart cherries are difficult to procure, so I may have gotten a little overzealous. They are the best cherries to use for desserts, as they balance the sweetness of the rest of the dish. Instead of a pie or a tart, my mind immediately went to an alcholic milkshake. Oops!





I always see recipes for bourbon milkshakes floating around the internet, and I don't know why I haven't made one yet. If old fashioneds have taught me anything, it's that cherries and bourbon go well together. This milkshake only proved my theory.





As for ice cream, I went with Three Twins Madagascar Vanilla. I wish I could say I chose this because it was organic, but in reality I was drawn to the higher grade vanilla they used. If you can find this brand, I would definitely use it. If not, go for the ice cream you think will add the best vanilla flavor to your shake. I hope this milkshake helps you cool down on the hotter days of summer!

Boozy Cherry Milkshake:
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup milk (feel free to add more to reach the desired thickness)
1 scant cup tart cherries
4 oz bourbon

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until its is as smooth as you like. Split between two glasses. Garnish with skewered cherries. Enjoy!

XO
Pat and Robbie

Classic Cocktail: Pimm's Cup

A common question I get as a bartender is "What is Pimm's?" Pimm's Cups appear on a lot of specialty cocktail lists, but its dark color and complex taste make this liqueur mysterious. Many popular liqueurs have single note flavors such as orange, ginger and elderflower. Pimm's, however, falls into a category of European liqueurs flavored with a secret blend of spices, fruits and herbs.





More specifically, Pimm's is one brand of fruit cup, which is a botanical flavored liqueur intended to be mixed with a fairly neutral mixer to make a light summery cocktail. Most fruit cups are gin based, and Pimm's No. 1 is no exception. If you aren't a fan of gin, you shouldn't let that fact scare you off from Pimm's; the strong juniper taste of gin that many find off putting is subdued in the flavoring process. At one point there were six varieties of Pimm's all with different base spirits, from rum to scotch, but the only varieties left are the classic gin based No. 1 and the vodka based No. 6, made in small amounts.





In England, Pimm's is held in the highest regard. The Pimm's Cup has become one of the most popular drinks to enjoy during the events that make up England's social season, such as the Henly Royal Regatta, Wimbledon, and the Chelsea Flower Show. Peerage is by no means a necessity to enjoy this drink; whether you're at a polo match, or enjoying a sunny day out back, you can easily mix you and your friends a few Pimm's Cups.





Alone Pimm's has a flavor similar to that of cola, so the most commonly used mixers tend to have light flavors to balance it. Sparkling lemonade, gingerale and sparkling wine are the most popular ones. Most fruits will serve as an acceptable garnish (blackberries and cucumbers are my personal favorite additions).

Robbie and I ventured out to enjoy an afternoon of reading classics and sipping on Pimm's Cups using my favorite recipe. Although I hope you enjoy my recipe, I'm interested to hear what all of you are using to make yours. Make sure to share your own creations with us!

Pimm's Cup:
2 oz Pimm's No. 1
Canada Dry Green Tea Gingerale
Sliced Cucumber

Fill a glass with ice and a handful of sliced cucumber. Add Pimm's and top with Green Tea Gingerale.



Enjoy!

XO
Pat and Robbie

Cocktail: Rhubarb-Apricot Tonic

Ever since Robbie and I bought a bottle of Root, we have been obsessed with Art in the Age libations. You might remember that we used their Sage garden gin to make our own version of a Last Word on St. Patrick's Day. Most recently, we picked up a bottle of Rhubarb Tea and I immediately fell in love with its sweet, crisp taste. Enjoy this video from Art in the Age; it's so cute!





After a trip to the farmers market, I was very excited to use apricots in a cocktail with the Rhubarb Tea. Both have slightly delicate flavors, and neither would overpower the other. Keeping true to our roots, I pretended it would be simple; a Rhubarb-apricot tonic. We used a small batch tonic concentrate, and I highly recommend you buy yourself a bottle of Jack Rudy.





This cocktail is a light and refreshing, perfect for picnics and barbecues. We garnished ours with Tangerine Sage that we found at Terrain after taking a Garden Cocktail workshop. We bought a ton of hybrid herbs on our last visit, and I was so eager to use one with this drink. We enjoyed our drinks with Shredded Chicken Mole Tacos. The slight sweetness of the cocktail balanced the assertive spice of the tacos nicely.



Rhubarb-Apricot Tonic:
1/2 of an apricot, diced
4 ounces Rhubarb Tea
1.5 ounces Jack Rudy small batch tonic
Soda water

Muddle diced apricot with Rhubarb tea. Add tonic and ice. Shake and strain over ice in two rocks glasses. Top with soda water, and garnish with aromatic herb of your choice. Enjoy!

XO
Pat and Robbie

Cocktail: Sage Words

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! To celebrate my namesake holiday, I thought I would share a twist on one of my favorite cocktails, the Last Word. When Robbie and I visited Boston last summer, I had this cocktail at an amazing bar called Drink. I loved the way the botanicals in the gin worked with the herbal, floral, and honeyed taste of green chartreuse to create such a refreshing cocktail.

This beautifully green cocktail seemed like the ideal drink to distinguish yourself from the folks in shamrock shaped sunglasses. The classic recipe calls for equal parts gin, green chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice. In this variation, we used Art in the Age's Sage spirit; a garden gin featuring American botanicals. The Sage adds a fantastic handcrafted quality to the updated cocktail. Not only is this the perfect cocktail for Saint Patrick's Day, it's also a great cocktail to ring in Spring, with its vibrant herbaceousness.
Sage Words: 
1 oz Sage
1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 oz Lime Juice
Combine ingredients over ice. Shake and strain into a champagne coupe. Enjoy!

XO
Pat and Robbie