Phoenix Tears

After going on a nostalgic binge of all the Harry Potter movies during the pandemic, I knew I wanted my Halloween cocktail to be Harry Potter-themed. It was easy coming up with initial ideas but not so easy to bring them to fruition (others I considered were something Lemon Drop related for Dumbledore’s favorite candy and a drink evoking the Pensieve). Ultimately, I landed on a concept that was timely given the pandemic and fun to embellish: Phoenix Tears.

If you’ve read the books or have general fantasy knowledge, you know that Phoenix Tears have magical healing properties. While this cocktail won’t magically heal you, it is packed with powerful immune boosting ingredients that will help keep you healthy: honey, ginger, calendula and grapefruit. I took a chance hoping that the flavors would play well together and was pleased that it paid off!

The cocktail is built on a base of my favorite British gin (because thank you for Harry Potter, England), Sipsmith London Dry Gin. Aside from having a stunningly beautiful presentation, this gin is such a solid juniper-forward variety for mixing cocktails. I often gravitate toward American gins with more varied botanicals but always come back to this one when I want a classic gin.

Next, I built a syrup from honey and calendula. Calendula has a mild lightly tart and somewhat nutty flavor that I optimized by letting the syrup steep for 2 hours. If you’re working with any dry botanicals in your cocktails, I recommend getting them in bulk and storing them in air-tight containers. This will save you money and give you more flexibility for future creativity. I found my dried calendula flowers on Etsy, but you can also grab them on Amazon or at a local bulk health foods store. The excess will make for a great herbal tea to get you through winter.

I added the ginger component through one of my favorite bitters and used fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice to balance the sweetness of the honey and add a bit freshness. The resulting cocktail starts with rich nutty smoothness finishing with the brightness of juniper and citrus. It’s unexpected in the best possible way.

If you’d like to go all out and replicate the garnish, you can pick up orange feathers and food-grade gold spray paint at Michael’s (I used food-grade paint instead of spray paint to avoid any unpleasant smells). I lightly misted the feathers, then connected three with some orange electrical tape and used a small bubble of the same tape to connect the feather trio to the glass. This was pretty fast to do for a couple of drinks and would be equally efficient for a larger gathering!

Phoenix Tears

  • 1.5 oz London Dry Gin

  • 0.75 oz honey calendula syrup*

  • 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice

  • 3 dashes ginger bitters

  • Gilded orange feathers, for garnish

Shake ingredients with ice until chilled, then double strain into a tall coupe glass. Garnish with feathers and enjoy among magical folk and muggles alike.

* To make syrup, pour 1 cup nearly boiling water over 1 cup of dried calendula flowers and 0.5 cup honey in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve honey, they cover with lid and allow to steep for 2 hours. Drain and store excess in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Thanks to Belen Aquino for the stunning cocktail photography.

The Witching Hour

I love Halloween because, more than any other holiday, it gives us an excuse to be unapologetically imaginative through costumes, décor, food and drinks. I’ve particularly enjoyed parties with some sort of theme and cannot wait to see what my friends do for this year’s suggestion: 90s and early 2000s musicians. Can you guess who I’ll be dressing as?

One of my big goals with holiday drinks is to capture the mood without relying on gimmicks. I wanted this year’s Halloween cocktail to be mysterious and enchanting, perhaps even eerie. Everything clicked when I fortuitously stumbled upon this cloche at Target.

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A few years ago, I got my hands on a smoking gun, but I struggled with devising an elegant process for smoking my cocktails. My typical solution was to cover a mixing glass with plastic wrap and squeeze in the smoking gun nozzle. That worked fine for flavor but didn’t quite do the aesthetic of the smoke justice. If you’re going to use a smoking gun, it’s fun to get as extra as possible. This cloche was the perfect find because it has a caned bottom which can allow the smoke in when the cloche is slid slightly off the side of a surface. Once the desired amount of smoke fills the cloche, it can be moved back entirely onto the surface to trap the smoke for as long as you wish. When you’re not using it for cocktails you could use it to trap in humidity for a picky plant or, as a friend suggested, protect your plants from your cat!

Having found this fun new toy, I decided to play with witchcraft imagery and channel my inner sorceress. I thought it would be fitting to create a deep red cocktail with hints of exotic spice and so The Witching Hour was born. Pomegranate juice served as the perfect base ingredient to give me both the color and depth of flavor I was looking for. When looking for pomegranate juice at the store, try to get one that doesn’t have any additives and is not from concentrate – the flavor will be much more potent, and the natural tartness of the juice will save you from having to add citrus for balance. I typically use this one, which you should be able to find in the unrefrigerated juice aisle or natural foods section.

I chose cardamom as my exotic spice because I adore that it’s both warming and fresh at the same time. It’s easy to incorporate as a simple syrup, and the syrup works for multiple uses (seriously, try it in your latte). To build more of a spice profile, I added some orange bitters and used rye whiskey as the spirit. Heaven’s Door shared some of their Straight Rye Whiskey with me recently, and I’ve really enjoyed mixing with it. Somehow it manages to be simultaneously smooth and spicy which worked very nicely in this cocktail.

The resulting drink is tart, full-bodied and intriguingly spiced with the intoxicating aroma of sweet applewood smoke. It’s fairly straight-forward to make (other than the smoke) but so interesting in flavor profile and friendly for batching. If you don’t have a smoking gun, consider presenting it with dry ice (you should be able to find some at a local grocery store). Just be sure to allow the dry ice to entirely dissolve before consuming the drink.

The Witching Hour

  • 1.5 oz rye whiskey

  • 1.5 oz pomegranate juice

  • 0.75 oz cardamom syrup*

  • 10 drops orange bitters

To make cocktail, shake all ingredients vigorously with ice until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. If smoking, cover the cocktail and fill the enclosure with applewood smoke. Wait for 2-3 minutes, then remove the enclosure and serve immediately, cackling over your impressive show of sorcery.

*To make syrup, bring 1 cup of water to a simmer, then add 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cardamom seeds. Allow to steep for 10 minutes, then strain and allow to cool. Store excess in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Thanks to Belen Aquino for the stunning cocktail photography.

Electrify Me

A great lesson I learned from planning my wedding is that traditions are what you make them. In any celebration, we have the choice of which traditional components to accept and which to set aside in favor of more personalized practices. The same applies to Valentine's Day. My husband and I are always open to another excuse to celebrate our relationship but we don't entirely play by the rules. We try to do a staycation and a nice dinner sometime during the month of February because we've found experiences to often be more meaningful than possessions.

Instead of giving your partner or galentine flowers this week, consider sharing an experience with them by putting your effort into a beautiful, aromatic, and memorable cocktail. This drink takes inspiration from a timeless bouquet of roses, but I wanted to take the floral element in a different, surprising direction and to break the stereotype of floral drinks being a feminine enjoyment. 

I knew I wanted to build the drink on a base of gin but chose a more complex option - St. George Dry Rye Gin. I love that this gin is less Juniper forward and offers the rich grain finish of warm spice, similar to a rye whiskey. If you're weary of gins but haven't tried this one yet, it may just change your mind with its smooth yet peppery flavor. I further enhanced that electrifying kick with a 24 hour infusion of black peppercorns. The infusion is quite easy to achieve - simply add gin and cracked peppercorns to a glass jar in the proportions detailed below, then strain with a fine mesh strainer when finished. 

The peppery spice provided an excellent juxtaposition to the other key ingredient in this cocktail - hibiscus rose syrup. This syrup is made with dried hibiscus flowers and rosebuds (find these on Amazon or at a nicer grocery store) and is both tart and delicately floral. Both the hibiscus flowers and rosebuds also give the syrup, and the resulting cocktail, a stunning deep pink hue.

I finished the drink with egg white to smooth out the pepper to a palatable level and added some fresh lemon to enhance the tartness and help develop the egg white foam. To finish the cocktail, you can garnish with either fresh rose petals or the dried rosebuds you used for the syrup. The resulting drink is tart, pleasantly floral with an electrifying touch of peppery spice. 

Electrify Me

  • 1.5 oz black peppercorn-infused Dry Rye Gin*
  • 1 oz hibiscus rose syrup**
  • 0.5 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 egg white

To make cocktail, shake all ingredients without ice for about 10 seconds, occasionally releasing the pressure built up in the shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled. Double strain into a coupe glass and garnish with fresh flower petals or dried rosebuds. Enjoy with mood lighting and good company.

* For black peppercorn-infused Dry Rye Gin, add 1/2 tbsp freshly cracked black peppercorns and 1 cup of Dry Rye Gin to a glass jar and allow to sit for 24 hours, shaking occasionally. Strain with a fine mesh strainer.

*To make hibiscus rose syrup, add 1 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers, 1 heaping tbsp rosebuds and 1/4 cup sugar to a small saucepan with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, then strain and allow to cool. Store excess in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Thanks to Belen Aquino for the stunning cocktail photography!

Sunlit Reverie

The creation of this cocktail started with a very wonderful gin-centric adventure. London-based Sipsmith Gin sent me their London Dry Gin along with a beautiful collection of upcycled glass and copper tools adorned with their iconic swan. They then invited me to join them for an unforgettable, cocktail-filled evening at one of Chicago's top rooftop bars, DrumBar.  

Photo by Azuree Wiitala

Indisputably, the highlight of the evening was getting to meet Sipsmith Founder and Master Distiller, Jared Brown. Have you ever been able to tell instantly upon entering conversation that your partner is overflowing with knowledge, enthusiasm, and creativity? The opportunity to speak with Jared and hear about his journey in the world of spirits was both humbling and inspirational. He emerged into the industry spotlight with his website and book celebrating the martini and has since then continued a journey of lifelong learning while graciously sharing his wisdom. I took a chance at royally embarrassing myself when he offered to teach me how to "throw" a martini behind the bar but somehow managed not to spill! 

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Given the art and history behind Sipsmith's London Dry Gin, my gorgeous newly acquired tools, and the passion I felt from their entire team, I knew I wanted to create a truly special cocktail with vintage flair. I started with the idea to use an intricate crystal coupe, lemon cordial, and a fruit and herb component. Lemon cordial makes a great alternative to fresh lemon juice as it's thicker in texture like a limoncello yet preserves the brightness of the citrus. It's an excellent ingredient to take a cocktail from flat to multi-dimensional. If you whip up a batch for this cocktail and have some left over, give this delicious Rosé punch a try.

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To enhance the European roots of this cocktail, I decided to feature woodland strawberry tea as the fruit component. You've likely never had woodland strawberries if you're in the U.S. as they're native to Europe, but you can luckily still find them in tea form. Woodland strawberries are smaller, sweeter, and more fragrant than garden strawberries, and the tea luckily captures their vibrant flavor. You can typically find the tea at Eastern European food stores (woodland strawberries are called zemlyanika in Russian and poziomka in Polish).

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I cold brewed the tea overnight to get a more concentrated flavor and added fresh thyme from my rooftop for the herbal component. The pairing was absolutely delightful and transported me to being in a sunlit forest grove at the height of summer. Use the excess tea mixture to spice up lemonade or simply enjoy it chilled on its own. 

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I've found it best to stir rather than shake drinks with cold-brewed tea to avoid over-dilution. Stirring this cocktail chilled the ingredients while maintaining the potency of the flavors. To finish it off and enhance the sensory experience, I added some flowering fresh thyme garnish. The resulting drink was unbelievably smooth with a light fruity sweetness enhanced by a bouquet of herbal notes.

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Sunlit Reverie

  • 50 ml Sipsmith London Dry Gin
  • 100 ml woodland strawberry thyme cold-brew*
  • 25 ml lemon cordial**
  • Fresh thyme, for garnish

Stir first three ingredients with ice until chilled then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme and enjoy while dreamily watching a spectacular summer sunset. Note that the ingredients for this cocktail are listed in metric units as Sipsmith provided me with a lovely metric measuring tool. If you don't have metric tools on hand, use a ratio of 1.5:3:0.75 fluid oz. 

* To make cold-brew, add 24 oz of water, 4 teabags of woodland strawberry tea, and a bunch of thyme to a glass jar. Shake to incorporate and leave to infuse overnight. Strain and store excess in the fridge for up to 1 month.

** To make lemon cordial, heat the peel of 3 lemons, 3 cups of water, 2 cups of sugar and 1 tsp citric acid in a saucepan for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add the juice of 7 lemons. Allow to cool, then strain. Store excess cordial in a glass container in the fridge. 

Thanks to Azuree Wiitala for the event action shot, Belen Aquino for the stunning cocktail photography and to Gather Vintage Tablescapes for the beautiful vintage glasses and tray.

Campfire Tale

Lovers of bitter flavors rejoice - this cocktail is the first (and most potent) in a three part series covering my exploration of bitter spirits! Not a fan of bitter cocktails? You're probably best off avoiding this one - but I have some more manageable options coming your way. My goal was to find a spectrum of bitterness that everyone could enjoy so the two recipes to follow this one will be less booze/bitter forward and lighter in flavor profile. 

I was inspired to create this cocktail after a trip to Fonda Frontera in Wicker Park. They offered a modern take on the classic Vieux Carré cocktail with Añejo tequila replacing the cognac. I loved the smoky, bitter feeling of the drink and wanted to give it a try with the ingredients I had on hand in my home bar. 

I'm not much of a tequila drinker but I tend to love all forms of aged spirits for the richer, woodier taste they take on through barrel aging. Añejo tequila is aged in small oak barrels from 1 to 3 years and features an amber color and pleasantly smoky flavor and aroma. I recently received a bottle from Grand Centenario, and it's hands down the best tequila I've ever tried in terms of flavor and mouthfeel. 

I used Koval Distillery Rye but Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye could be an alternative if you're looking to limit your costs. For the bitter element, I chose St. George Bruto Americano. I first discovered this delightful spirit when looking for a natural alternative to Campari (which uses red food coloring). I had a lot of faith in the St. George brand for their diverse line of gins and Spiced Pear Liqueur. Their take on an aperitivo liqueur certainly left an impression. The Bruto really packs a punch and can be used sparingly to add citrusy, woody and bitter complexity. 

I finished the drink off with a few dashes of orange bitters and an orange-peel wrapped Amarena cherry garnish to emphasize the citrus in the Bruto. The resulting cocktail is wonderfully deep in wood and smoke flavors yet surprisingly smooth given that it's 100% alcohol!

Campfire Tale

  • 1 oz Añejo tequila
  • .75 oz Rye whiskey
  • 0.5 oz St. George Bruto Americano
  • 3 drops orange bitters

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice to chill, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist, cocktail cherry, or both and enjoy while sharing gripping tales around a campfire. 

Thanks to Belen Aquino for the stunning cocktail photography and to Gather Vintage Tablescapes for the tray and hollow stemmed coupes.