{friday cocktail: mezcal mule}

I was first introduced to mezcal at downtown Los Angeles' tequila-only bar, Las Perlas, and I definitely did not care for it at first- it tasted as if someone put out their cigar out in my drink.  Over the years I have tried it out in different drinks and now I even prefer it to regular tequila (this is the bottle we keep on our bar currently).   When mixed correctly, I find I appreciate the smokey taste and depth of flavor this interesting spirit adds.  I found this cocktail recipe for a Mezcal Mule in one of my favorite cocktail books that I have mentioned here and actually got the chance to meet the author at during this event.  This cocktail might just the perfect balance of spice and smoke - perfect for a hot summer night fiesta!

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: a trio of sugar rimmed recipes}

At first when Fresh Origins offered to send me over a pack of their crystal cocktail rimmers I didn't exactly jump at the idea since sugared glasses remind me of bad cocktail bars, but then when I took closer look at the intriguing flavor line-up they have I couldn't resist!  I enjoy the chance to add flavor elements to otherwise simple cocktails through the use of bitters and I figured these herbal/floral sugar crystals in flavors like fennel and cilantro could serve a similar purpose.  

For this Friday's cocktail post, I whipped up three different drinks using the rose petal, fennel and basil crystals.  Of course I love how all of these turned out, but the refreshing Garden Tonic using the basil crystals was by far my favorite.  You could easily substitute champagne in the place of the tonic for this one if you wanna get a bit more fancy with it.

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: the prism}

This past summer I got the chance to dream up a fun cocktail to be served as the signature drink for one of our clients at Bliss Weddings & Events.  Ashley & Johnny worked with Cheree Berry Paper to create a beautiful coral colored prism pattern that adorned their invites, welcome bags and day of paper goods which is what prompted the name for their signature cocktail.  They also wanted something colorful, refreshing and vodka-based.  The recipe we ended up with isn't the quickest cocktail to make, but it is well worth the effort!

{photos via Avery House}

Cheers and congrats to the newlyweds Johnny & Ashley!

{friday cocktail: spicy paloma}

A while back I posted a recipe for a refreshing Dill Paloma recipe that was my go to recipe at one of our fave bars in downtown Los Angeles and believe it or not I haven't had a Paloma since the last time I was there!  Seeing this recent party on The Glitter Guide inspired me to try out a new Paloma recipe, but this time I put a spicy twist on it:

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: summerside}

This friday's cocktail reminds me of the smell of driving down PCH highway along the beach on a summer night with the smell of evening bonfires travelling into the window.   This recipe is inspired from a mix of a classic caipirinha and a southside, but with a smokey twist from the mezcal.   It's the perfect refreshing recipe for an outdoor get together this summer. 

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: cucumber basil caipirinha}

You know what we do when the temperatures in Chicago hit near 20 degrees?? We act like it's summer by whipping up a batch of Caipirinhas!  Yep- because not dealing with the reality of winter is the only way to deal with it as far as I'm concerned.  And one sip of this cucumber basil caipirinha will make you feel like you are sitting poolside at a summer BBQ. (If this cocktail doesn't make you feel just like that then you aren't trying hard enough.)  I have had this bottle of Monin Cucumber Syrup forever and had yet to break it open until this Friday's cocktail post.  Many flavored syrups are over-powering or sickly sweet, but this cucumber one tastes and smells just like fresh cut cucumbers with just the right amount of sugar to sweeten this cocktail recipe.  This syrup would even be great splashed in with glass of sparkling water or fresh lemonade!

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: the last word}

Green Chartreuse liqueur, a herbal green hued liqueur, has always been a favorite after dinner drink for Chris, but we have never stocked it in our bar since I haven't felt there were enough recipes I would actually make with it.   Recently, I gave in purchased a bottle and we spent a Friday evening last week with friends trying out different cocktail recipes.  One of my new favorites is The Last Word which is another cocktail that uses only 4 ingredients each with the exact same proportion just like last week's cocktail recipe.  The Last Word is very similar in taste to an Aviation, but the green chartreuse gives it a really interesting herbal flavor  as well as an electric green hue.

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: fennel delight}

One of my favorite things about growing up in southern California is the smell of bonfires on the beach while driving down PCH; it's a very specific smell that conjures up memories of s'mores and summer nights.  You would think given my affinity for that smokey scent that I would love drinking cocktails with the ultra smokey flavor that Mezcal tequila has, but try as I might I just cannot get into it.  To me it's like candy corn- every year it comes around and you try one thinking you might like this time around, but its still gross and makes you reach for a glass of something to wash the taste away.  Anyways Chris loves Mezcal, so I made this cocktail as a labor of love just for him.  It might appear to be fruity and pink, but the heavy smoke taste of the Mezcal mixed with the licorice flavor of the fennel makes this cocktail quite manly.  You can see the original recipe here which I have modified slightly to make it a little less sweet.  

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: side of ginger}

Inspired by the tequila cocktail at The Cream Event, I came home and searched around our cocktail ingredients for something I thought would pair well with honey and tequila.  Chris suggested we try adding Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur to the recipe and garnish it with a bag of candied ginger we had lying around.  The resulting cocktail was very similar to a margarita, but definitely made a little more interesting by the snappy flavor of the ginger.

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: gingered pear}

While I am not a big vodka drinker, I do love the spot on pear taste of Grey Goose La Poire.  We picked some up a few weeks ago and it has been great as an ingredient for champagne cocktails, but I was looking for somewhere to use it.  I came across this recipe and thought I could modify it perfectly to suit my tastes.  If you are curious about that huge ice cube in that glass pictured, it is made using this mold which I highly recommend, especially for all you Old Fashioned drinkers.

Cheers!