It’s Still Summer: Cocktails to Cruise to an End of Season Happy Place

Red Almond Beetle Bliss Cocktail 

Red Almond Beetle Bliss*   

Recently, we were looking to enjoy a cocktail that was a little tiki; a bit of a favorite summer classic -- the Negroni and one that embraced Bill’s favorite fruit - the Red Jacket tart cherries.

So I played around with the ingredients and came up with a cocktail that we loved. Hope you do too.

Ingredients:

• 2 jiggers Nolet’s Gin
• 1.5 jiggers Orgeat
• 1 jigger Campari 

You can also do equal parts gin and Orgeat.

Method:

Put a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker; add in the ingredients; wait until all cold and shake. Add the frothy mix to a chilled coupe glass.

Garnish:

Add a few fresh cherries or true maraschino cherries as garnish. You can also add edible flowers that are plentiful this time of year. Red Hibiscus would be especially lovely.

Cheers!



* Did you know that until 2006, Campari originally colored with carmine dye, derived from crushed cochineal insects - beetles!


Vine-groni

Vine-groni, photo courtesy of Nitecap and Bulldog Gin 

Vine-groni Made by Natasha David, Nitecap

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Cucumber infused Bulldog Gin
• 1 oz Cinzano Bianco Vermouth
• 0.25 oz Campari
• 1 tsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
• 3 drops Salt Solution

Method:

Add to cocktail shaker; stir, strain

Garnish:

Quick pickled Persian cucumber slice, Tomolive & green pitted Castelveltrano olive on pick

Did you say Rum?

Our sun-filled days are numbered, so say goodbye to the summer with one last boozy hoorah by sipping on Ron Barceló’s Last Concho. Reedy and woody aromas of vanilla and toffee makes this refreshing taste not very unlike my orgeat infused Red Bliss... 

The drinks’ sunset coloring gives a nostalgic touch, while its combination of Ron Barceló Añejo, Triple sec, citrus pineapple mix, and grenadine gives it a sweet and sour zing for a symbolic finish.

Last Concho

Last Concho, photo courtesy Ron Barcelo 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Ron Barceló Añejo
• .5 oz Triple Sec
• 2 oz. Citrus Pineapple Mix

Method:

Combine all ingredients in shaker. Shake vigorously. Pour over crushed ice and top with a touch of grenadine. Pour into a small coupe glass

Garnish: 

Touch of Grenadine

New Exclusive Cocktails Featured at the Cove Lounge - and featured at their weekly Caribbean Thursday party.

Cove Rum Punch:  

Cove Rum Punch, courtesy of Cove Lounge

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Wray & Nephew
• 1/2 oz Meyers Dark Rum
• 1 1/2oz Pineapple juice
• 1 oz Cranberry juice
• 1 oz Orange Juice

Method:

Add Wray & Nephew, Pineapple, orange and cranberry juice. Squeeze a lime in and add ice. Shake, pour all ingredients into highball. 

Garnish:

Top off with Meyers Dark Rum float and blue edible flower.


Sweet Ting Mojito

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. Bacardi Banana
• 1 oz. Coco Lopez
• 3 strawberries (sliced into 3 or 4)
• 5-8 mint leaves (depending on size)
• 2 limes 
• 1/2 oz Simple syrup
• 1/2 oz Lime juice

Method:

Muddle the strawberries in lime juice and simple syrup in the highball, then add the lime and mint to muddle (not too much) Add the Bacardi Banana. Add the Coco Lopez. Add the ice, and top with club soda. stir all the ingredients to open it up.


Sweet & Spicy Margarita
Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 oz Herradura Silver 
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• 2 slices of jalepano (1 for garnish)

Method:

Rim the glass with salt & cayenne pepper mixed and put to the side. Muddle a small piece of jalapeno (the bigger the piece, the spicier it will be) with simple syrup and lime juice.

Add Herradura Silver, Cointreau, pineapple juice and lemon juice. Add ice. Shake. Strain over ice in the glass.

Garnish:

 Rim the glass with salt and cayenne pepper; Garnish with a fresh jalapeno pepper or a few slices (seeds removed!) and a slice of lime.

Cove Lounge is located on Malcom X Boulevard (at West 126th St), NYC.

Fabulous Finishing Touches!

Gin Mare is a Hand-Crafted, Light Botanical new Gin Perfect for Summer - Plus Cocktail Recipes

Gin Mare 

I’d heard the common stereotypes about gin: it’s a man’s drink, it’s a classy “old school” drink, and the devilish old adage, “gin makes you sin.” For whatever reason, gin was never even on my radar during a night out. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever ordered any type of gin drink. 

But then I discovered Gin Mare.

Distilled in a small fishing town near Barcelona, Spain, Gin Mare is a Mediterranean drink with a barley base and light botanical tones. The name itself, “Mare,” is derived from the Italian word for sea (“mar”). Gin Mare’s name reflects back to the Roman Empire’s Latin phrase “Mare Nostrum,” which means our sea, since the Romans relied on the Mediterranean Sea during their conquests. Gin Mare pays homage to the region’s rich resources, beginning with its moniker.

The Mediterranean spirit contains traditional gin ingredients such as juniper and citrus fruits. What sets Gin Mare apart, though, are unique ingredients -- all sourced from the Mediterranean region: basil from Italy, thyme from Greece, rosemary from Turkey, and Arbequina olives from Spain.

Another unique attribute of Gin Mare is that it is entirely hand-crafted. Each of the botanicals are distilled separately, which allows for a greater harmony in the taste. After three years of testing and refining the taste, Gin Mare released its first batch in 2010.



Guest blogger Shannon Ho at Gin Mare rooftop tasting event

Gin Mare made me recalibrate the way that I think about gin. My first sampling of Gin Mare was during a city rooftop party hosted by the distilled spirit. It was all first love romance … My drink was as light and breezy as my surroundings. The taste was versatile and refreshing. That first flirty cocktail lead to my crush on the beverage, an inevitable part of drinking this smooth, botanical gin. So, toss your preconceived notions about gin off the roof! Sit back and relax with a Gin Mare drink in hand.




    

JBF Award-winning Chef Michael White & Garden Glamour guest blogger Shannon Ho at Rooftop Gin Mare event


Here are some recipes that pair perfectly with a sunny, summer day.

(Side Note, Gin Mare’s cap is approximately 50 ml, and an ideal measuring tool for the below recipes.)

Summer

A contemporary revisit of a classic cocktail, such as it’s Tequila Sunrise, with a own twist to celebrate the season that you’re always dreaming of and you never want to end up.

40 ml. Gin Mare

15 ml. Aperol & Grenadine (pre mix at 50-50%)

10 ml. Gomme

15 ml. Limoncello

75 ml. Orange Juice

20 ml. 1724 Tonic Water

Method: Shake all the 4 first ingredients and double strain in a Collins glass filled with ice cubes. Let it settle and then add the Top it with 1724 tonic water and decorate with a half slice of orange, a slice of lemon and fresh thyme sprigs.

Perfect Martini

Or a Martini that is perfect...Using an advanced chemical analysis tool called “Gas Chromatography,” Gin Mare investigated the perfect vermouth for Gin Mare, and found the metric -- as well as a garnish that can compliment this mixture.

50 ml. Gin Mare

25 ml. Lillet Blanc vermouth

0.5 ml. of salt solution (25 g. sea salt dissolved in 100 ml.

Method: Stir over ice for 20-30 seconds until chilled and diluted properly and serve into a cold Martini glass and garnish with half strawberry.

Red Tonic

This drink is another great recipe innovation that pays homage to the classic Gin & Tonic. This is a refreshing drink with gentle spicy notes and because of its hot red color, you’ll want a beautiful glass to show it off. Think balloon glass, snifter, red wine glass...

60 ml. Gin Mare

10 ml. tomato juice

2 slices of fresh ginger

1 piece of rosemary

200 ml. 1724 Tonic Water

Method: Muddle lightly the Ginger, the Tomato Juice and the Rosemary at the base of the glass and then build your G&T in a normal fashion and garnish with a fresh basil leaf.





Nothing beats a Gotham rooftop event - capture the sunset - with Gin Mare



Chef Michael White's Gin Mare menu pairs with the lighter, more botanical Gin Mare. Chef Michael White is the head chef and owner of the Altamarea Group. Especially love his Ai Fiori restaurant. (Check out his the others in chef's culinary constellation.)










Me/Leeann with superstar/super-nice Chef Michael White at Gin Mare event

This feature was prepared and written in conjunction with Shannon Ho, Garden Glamour guest reporter and intern.  Thank you!