Title: Edible Cocktails: From Garden to Glass – Seasonal Cocktails with a Fresh Twist Author: Natalie Bovis of TheLiquidMuse.com Subject: Farm to Glass mixology, Grow/Muddle/Serve/Do-it Yourself bartending Synopsis and Review: Love cocktails with seasonal and local ingredients (who doesn’t)? Natalie Bovis takes readers on an epicurean tutorial to make amazing cocktails from start to finish. The book covers everything from gardening tips to planting your own cocktail garden to picking the best produce from a local farmer’s market to create your favorite libations. Bovis’ guide contains over 150 recipes to make your own cocktails, liqueurs, jams, bitters, infusions, mixers and garnishes that are sure to impress any guest. Why we love it: Sure there are millions of cookbooks and cocktail recipes out there, but Bovis’ book is a new twist. Her eco-conscious and organic focus helps the aspiring bartender within us to understand what is going into the cocktails we [...]

Basically, if you’ve never tried a Negroni, you’re missing out.  Get yourself these 3 simple ingredients, stir them up, and you have pure deliciousness.  There’s so many different variations on the Negroni today, but stick with the classics.  They’re always better right? Negroni 1 oz London Dry Gin 1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth 1 oz Campari Stir the ingredients in a mixing glass. Strain into a coupe or a glass of your choosing. Garnish with an orange peel.  

A delicious libation consisting of dark rum, lime and some ginger beer.  It’s got rich molasses, tropical fruits, white pepper and spicy ginger notes.  All you need is a collins glass, some booze, and ginger beer, really…. Dark & Stormy: 2 oz Goslings Rum 1 oz Lime Juice 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters Ginger Beer to fill (Bundaberg or Fever Tree work well) Add ice to a tall collins glass.  Add rum, lime, bitters, and ginger Beer and stir.  Garnish with a lime wheel if you like. Sometimes I’ll build the cocktail in the glass without the Rum and save some room at the top.  I like to float the Rum on top and have it slowly trickle into the cocktail so it looks “Dark & Stormy” before it hits the guest who’s about to enjoy it!  

Seeming how Pisco has been getting so much attention lately, I figured we might as well post a little something for you to sip on.  The Pisco Sour is an extremely easy cocktail to make and is just as delicious to drink.  Yes it’s got an egg white in it, yes you’ll need to dry shake it……but trust me, it’s going to be worth it. 1.5 oz Pisco (I like using Torontel or Acholado) .75 oz Simple Syrup .5 oz lime juice .5 oz lemon juice 1/2 of an egg white Angostura bitters as a garnish Combine all of the ingredients except bitters in your shaker.  Dry shake (without ice) for about 8-10 seconds to work up the egg white.  Add ice and shake for another 8-10 seconds. Double strain your efforts into a glass of your choosing and garnish with a few small drops of Angostura and enjoy!  

Well, I figured it was time for a cocktail with some bubbles in it, seeing how it’s New Years Eve this weekend and all.  The French 75 is perfect for toasting with a little extra kick!  It’s another creation from Harry’s New York Bar located over in Paris.  It got its name from people drinking it saying it had the kick of a French 75mm Field Gun. 1.5 oz London Dry Gin .5 oz lemon juice .25 oz simple syrup 4 oz Champagne Lemon Twist for garnish  

Personally, I think prohibition was one of the worst and best times in U.S. drinking history.  Yes, you weren’t legally allowed to drink, which totally sucked, but at the sametime, some of the best cocktails creations came out of the drought.  The Scofflaw Cocktail is one of them.  It was created over at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the mid 1920′s and the name was intended to coin someone who enjoyed ducking into a Speakeasy or two to get away from the law. 1.5 oz Rye 1 oz Dry Vermouth 3/4 oz lemon juice 3/4 oz Grenadine Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and add ice.  Shake and strain into a fancy martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Note:  Make sure you don’t use the syrupy grenadine.  Pomegranite-based grenadine is what is meant for this cocktail.  There’s plenty of recipes online, but Small Hands sells [...]

The Hop Toad Cocktail is a cocktail I was pretty apprehensive toward drinking when I first saw it on the menu at Comstock Saloon.  I had seen a few different recipes for it, and some only use Apricot Brandy as the main ingredient, while others use Navy Rum as a base.  At Comstock, they do use Rum in their cocktail and that’s how I like to drink mine. 1.5 oz Navy Rum (Smith & Cross is readily available) .75 oz Apricot Liqueur .75 oz fresh lemon juice 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Sometimes i’ll add a bar spoon of Jamaican Rum into mine as well for a little bit more of that cane and pirate scent! Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake.  Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy.   Cocktail is courtesy of Mr. Jamie Boudreau

One of those cocktails that I have been personally making more of lately is the Southside Cocktail.  It’s a classic cocktail that originated from the historic  21 Club in New York City that opened in 1922.  I’m not sure when the first publication of this cocktail was, but it’s in my Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930.  My assumption is that it was made during prohibition at the speakeasy and Mr. Craddock decided to include it in his book after he journeyed to London.  My recommended proportions for this cocktail are as follows: 2 oz Gin 1 oz lemon juice Bar Spoon Granulated Sugar 2-3 Leaves of freshly picked mint Add the mint and sugar to a glass and lightly muddle to extract oils from the mint.  Add the remaining ingredients, add ice and shake.  Strain into a Martini glass or put into a collins glass and add an ounce or [...]