summer cool down

as most of the people living back east already know, its been hot hot hot for too many days in a row...and for those in other parts of the world, you have no doubt heard all of us complaining about it, and we promise, its justified!  here is a drink we cant stop sipping and one that we think is a perfect cool me down treat on a hot summer weekend.  

we have started to get some amazing produce from our local csa in the last few weeks, and recently received some strawberries that were to die for.  we quickly remembered this great strawberry cup recipe from gourmet in print a few years ago.  we made the shrub syrup (the gourmet recipe without adding the soda water and ice cubes), added a little adult enhancer and a bit of cucumber and we think it pretty delicious, let us know what you think!

strawberry cucumber cocktail
makes 1 drink

1 oz. strawberry shrub syrup (recipe)
1.5 oz. quality vodka
2 oz. soda water
garnish with persian cucumber ribbons

combine with ice and stir

all images ©andrewpurcell 2013

spring!

sometimes it take a little nudge from a friend to get things going. we've been a bit absent from this space, figuring out how to balance everything - we've still been cooking and eating, just not shooting and sharing. our good friend jen, gave us that push when she asked for a guest post on her blog, nectar. check out the recipe for pea & feta crostini, our 46 & mint cocktail and a spring mix playlist here!

now that spring has sprung, we have a fresh outlook and are feeling inspired! check back soon for new posts, recipes and work.

nor'easter

the last few weeks, and months to be honest, have been a little nuts. we have been shooting and shooting, being exposed to all sorts of great food related items. but with these busy streaks, we really get on a roll with trying to seek out all the good eats we can find. last night we went to dinner at public. chef brad farmerie is truly amazing with his food. i had the pleasure of photographing him last week with martha stewart for a grilling special, and all he cooked was so tasty we decided to go eat his everyday food. we actually sat in their newer monday room, attached to public. it has the same menu as public, just with a few additions. we really enjoyed all he had to offer, all the way down to the great service. you need to check it out when in manhattan.

we also recently had dinner at char no 4 in brooklyn with some new friends on their weekly summer bbq night. every wednesday in the summer, for $22 you get 3 kinds of meat, 2 sides, a beer and a shot of whiskey! it was really good fun and great food. I believe that each month it changes food, and we had great slow roasted lamb shoulder, and an amazing cheddar sausage among other things. while we were waiting for a table, we were introduced to one of char no 4's signature cocktails, the nor'easter. it is adapted from a dark and stormy, but with bourbon instead of rum...it was truly delicious. you can also find the recipe in this great book of brooklyn's best food and drink.

nor'easter

from char no 4

makes 1 drink

1.5 oz bourbon (char no 4 uses old crow)

.5 oz fresh lime juice

.5 oz pure maple syrup

1.5 oz ginger beer

1 lime slice garnish

in a cocktail shaker, combine the bourbon, lime juice, and maple syrup with some ice cubes. shake well. strain into a glass filled with new ice. top with ginger beer and garnish with a lime wedge. enjoy!

behind the bar

just wanted to share a quick link to a guest post we were asked to do on design sponge for their behind the bar series. we came up with a blackberry smash and you can find the recipe over here. thanks to alissa & ryan and everyone at design sponge for letting us be a part of their amazing blog yet again!

if you love oysters and the new amsterdam market, hopefully you're going here on saturday. also, don't forget to go here and help nominate us for best food photography blog!

happy friday!

behind the bar

we wanted to give you a sneak peek to a guest post that will be up in april on behind the bar, a design sponge monthly cocktail feature. we were lucky enough to share our gin & ginger a while back, and were thrilled to be asked to do another. we're really on a whiskey kick right now, and created a drink that we hope everyone can enjoy...we'll share the link to the recipe for our blackberry smash as soon as it's up! in the meantime, these simple cocktail nuts are perfect to go with almost any cocktail - cheers.

spicy maple almonds

makes 2 cups

2 cup dry roasted unsalted almonds

2 tbs maple syrup

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground chipolte chili

toss all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. spread on a sheet pan and place in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. let cool completely and enjoy!

apple brandy

here's a quick and refreshing cocktail inspired by a drink from jg domestic that i tasted on a recent trip to philly. it went perfectly with the hickory smoked georgia pecans with maple & bacon! we used apple brandy from harvest spirits for this libation - they are located in the hudson valley and apparently give tours and tastings at their distillery. sounds like we need to take a road trip soon!

The Philadelphia

makes 1

1 oz high quality gin

1 oz apple brandy

1 tbs meyer lemon juice

2 tsp maple syrup

3 1/2 oz club soda

1 sprig thyme

1 slice of apple

in a cocktail shaker, combine gin, brandy, lemon juice and maple syrup with ice and shake well. pour into a high ball glass, top with club soda and stir. garnish with thyme and apple. enjoy!

bitter

here's a quick summer cocktail for you to try this weekend and for the rest of those warm evenings we have left as summer fades to fall. it's a guest recipe from our good jenae in boston - she said the inspiration was the need for a refreshing summer libation after discovering chinotto at a little italian market around the corner. chinotto adds a bitter citrus flavor similar to campari (which is delicious like this!) and is popular in certain regions of italy. this cocktail would definitely be nice on a beach under a colorful umbrella somewhere on the coast of italy! we found a few other cocktail inspirations wandering around the isles here - always one of our favorite places to get lost when we're in town. enjoy!

A Bitter End

makes one

1 1/2 oz vodka

3 oz san pellegrino limonata or sparkling lemonade

1/2 oz chinotto

orange wedge

mix all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice and garnish with a squeeze of orange.

bloody mary

just a beautiful image and no bulky recipes to give you some inspiration for your weekend libation. i know we've already discussed bloody mary recipes here but if you don't feel like whipping up a batch from scratch, these guys make a delicious spicy mix that we just discovered and adore! like we said before, don't forget the mean beans from rick's picks and a dash of our homemade worcestershire. can't wait to start cooking out of this cookbook that we just picked up - maybe we'll be sharing some of our favorites very soon. just bought one of these today and we're so excited to make our first cup of siphon brew with some blue bottle retrofit beans!

pimm's

here's a quick cocktail to get your holiday weekend started off just right! pimm's no. 1 cup is a gin based liqueur and the drink of choice if you're headed to any polo matches this summer. we love the pimm's cup so much it was one of the signature drinks at our wedding! there are several different versions - some with lemonade, some with sliced apple, some with mint or basil, and they're all equally delicious but this is our favorite right now. have a wonderful & safe memorial day weekend!

Pimm's Cup

serves 1

fill a highball glass with ice. add 2oz pimm's no. 1. top with ginger ale and stir. garnish with 2 slices of lime, 2 slices of tangerine, a slice of english cucumber and a small sprig of lemon thyme. enjoy!

it's five o'clock somewhere

as i'm sure you've heard, old school handcrafted cocktails with traditional ingredients are back in style. there's something so classy about the art of drink, respecting the cocktail and bringing it back to what it was. we're reminded of this tradition at places like this while sipping a dark & stormy and listing to jazz as the subway gently shakes your booth. the cooper's union cocktail has an old fashioned taste and is an elegant drink we discovered in an old issue of bon appetit - it comes from this restaurant in minneapolis. serve it in a beautiful champagne flute like this marc jacobs for waterford crystal coupe we got for our anniversary in october. happy friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Cooper's Union Cocktail

serves 1

1 oz pink grapefruit juice

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

1 oz st-germain elderflower liqueur

3 drops orange flower water

1 oz vodka

champagne or sparkling wine to top, chilled

in a mixing glass, stir all ingredients, except bubbly, together. pour into a champagne flute and top off with champagne.

grape crush

concord grapes are still in season and covered in bees at the local greenmarket. we've seen lots of great inspirations of how to use them around town - jellies, sorbet and a wonderful cocktail at Gramercy Tavern. we used these delicious seasonal grapes last year in an amazing grape tart. this year we decided to try a cocktail, The Grape Crush. make the grape concentrate and simple syrup ahead of time and keep it in the fridge so you can whip up a cocktail whenever you feel the urge! hope everyone has a great weekend and a happy halloween!

The Grape Crush

serves 1

2 oz Hendricks gin

1 oz fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)

1 oz grape concentrate, see recipe below

2 tbs lemon simple syrup, see recipe below

4 oz soda water

in a cocktail shaker, combine gin, lime juice, grape concentrate, simple syrup and ice. shake well and strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice. top with soda water, stir and enjoy.

Concord Grape Concentrate

1 lb concord grapes, stems removed

2 tbs lemon juice

combine grapes and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over high heat. cook, stirring frequently, until grapes release their juices, about 7 minutes. strain through a fine mesh sieve and cool completely.

Lemon Simple Syrup

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1-inch zest of lemon

combine sugar, water and lemon in a small saucepan over high heat. bring to a boil and cook just until sugar is dissolved. remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. discard lemon zest and let syrup cool completely.

oscar mayer

just saying hi on this hot southern california day.  it's a little too hot to turn on the oven, but maybe it will inspire a new drink of the week.  we'll keep you posted on that front.  we came across the oscar mayer wiener mobile last week on the same day mr. mayer died.  if you're craving hot dogs, maybe this time you can enjoy one as a tribute to a classic!?!  this hot dog on wheels feels like the perfect polaroid inspiration, almost like the camera was made to photograph the vintage feel of the mobile.  enjoy your summer monday & we'll see you soon...

tea time

if you haven't noticed, summer is here! summer solstice is around the corner, stone fruit is ripe and sweet, and evenings are warm enough to sit outside and enjoy a cocktail. so we came up with a tasty beverage that you can sip all summer long - perfect for picnics, bbqs, the beach or just lounging in your backyard or front porch. hope you enjoy this spiked peach tea as much as we did! on a non-alcoholic note, check out this great new website for moms and kids - i'll be a regular contributor in the nourish section and already have a pizza party article running.

Spiked Peach Tea

serves 8

8 darjeeling tea bags

1 lemon, sliced

4 cups boiling water

1 1/2 cups peach vodka, such as absolut apeach

1 cup simple syrup

3 peaches, pitted & sliced

10 sprigs fresh mint

in a pitcher, steep tea and sliced lemons in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. remove tea bags and lemons and cool completely. stir in vodka, simple syrup, peach slices and mint. serve over ice.

midweek drink

i know its only wednesday but our need for a tasty cocktail is here.  i was shooting a wine/liqueur store for a story yesterday in orange county and the temptation was just too much.  over the weekend we had a little taste of st-germain elderflower liqueur so at this store we jumped all over it.  it has a sweet slightly floral taste.  we knew at first gulp we needed to add it to a new drink of the week.  and although we know we have over flooded you with mint recently, we couldn't overlook the fact that we have it growing so well in our garden boxes right now.  so we used the mint.  we made a orange flavored mojito accompanied by a little bit of that st-germain flavor which can replace the need for simple sugar.  the finished product can be a little bit on the sweet side for some, so add a dash of your favorite bitters if you so desire.

st-germain orange mojito

2oz white rum

2oz st-germain liqueur

2oz fresh squeezed orange juice

10 mint leaves 

2oz or so soda water to top

dash of bitters(optional)

place mint and st-germain in a cocktail shaker and muddle until mint is slightly bruised.  add rum, orange juice and ice and shake to mix.  pour all contents into glass and top with soda water.  if slightly too sweet, add a dash of bitters. enjoy

for the love of root beer

help!!!  well not really help in its dramatic emergency sense, but in the can you help a friend out.  we have been on the search for the perfect bottle or can of root beer.  we dont even really have a deep life long obsession for the drink, but we have always loved it.  i think the desire to find our favorite came from a thought at hadleys in cabazon, ca on a road trip stop.  we were looking in the drink case and I wondered why out of all the soda like drinks we consume in the world, why root beer has so many more varieties than all the others.  there is only really coke and pepsi, 7-up and sprite and all the others with their limits.  but root beer has so many more.  so, in pure indulgent fashion, we bought all the different kinds they had(and a date shake, when at hadleys, you have to).  

so that gets us to here, we have had about 12 different ones and are looking for help to find the worlds best root beer.  we would love your suggestions.  it has to be in a bottle or can, as we have a hard time traveling to drink it out of a tap.  I know that some people like it sweet and some with more of a bite, but being husband and wife, we already have our his and hers favorites.  I love the sprecher the best and she loves the virgil's, each lovely in their different ways.  please leave a comment and we will try and track it down.  we will keep you updated as we go.

gin & ginger

a few weeks ago before going to see this wonderful author & chef speak in santa barbara (which was great!), we spent a little time in the kitchen creating a new cocktail with our friend jen. she dubbed our refreshing discovery the giny gin gin and you'll see why once you take a look at the simple list of ingredients. i'd love to be snobby and tell you to make this cocktail with a fancy spicy ginger beer or ginger brew but we've tried it both ways and good old Vernors ginger ale is best. does anyone recognize where we collected these great orange stir sticks from? i'll give you a hint - sand on our feet, salt water on our skin and many many mai tais.

The Giny Gin Gin

1.5 oz top shelf gin, such as Hendricks

1 oz domaine de canton ginger liquer

4 oz ginger ale

juice of 1/2 lime

pour all ingredients over ice in a highball glass and mix well. garnish with additional lime wedge if desired.

cubalibre

in my family the first sign of summer, or even spring in our case now, is a call for getting on the water and having a great relaxing time.  we actually had some sun in l.a. this week and it really put us in that mood.  this drink is really one that i hold close to my heart.  my grandfather and father are my ambassadors to rum, which is what our boat usually has in stock.  as rum comes in many variations and almost mixes with anything, it is something that can't be beat for its affordable price.  now as much as I respect my grandpa and dad's love for all things myers rum, and even just some mount gay rum on the rocks, i have to put a little different twist on things.  the cubalibre, which is spanish for "free cuba," is a drink that most of us tag as the u.s. form of rum and coke. although very similar, this drink requires much more lime and the additions of two very necessary ingredients, mount gay extra old rum and a mexican coke.  these are essential in the right flavor, as they will make you wonder how you really drank all those captain morgan and cokes in the first place.  we like to combine the coke and rum in a pitcher and pour over ice and the lime juice for a group.  the recipe below is for a single drink. cheers!

cubalibre

1oz lime juice, fresh squeezed

5oz mexican coca-cola

2oz mount gay extra old rum

pour all ingredients over ice in a highball glass.  mix well, garnish with additional lime wedge.

domaine de canton

after a month or so of complete libation mode, full of heavy reds, great scotch and a few hot toddies, it's time for a drink that blends a little of the winter with a little of the summer.  this drink combines the cooling flavors of lime and grenadine and brings in the nice warming flavors of ginger and bitters.  we have been wanting to try this canton ginger liqueur since we sampled it in napa a couple months back.  we came up with this slightly sweet tasty little number.  i hope you enjoy!

the ginger

2 oz. canton ginger liqueur

5 oz. orange flavored soda water

1/2 oz. grenadine

3 dashs peychauds bitters

add all ingredients to a glass filled with ice and garnish with a squeeze of lime

single malt

an obsession of mine for some time now is collecting and learning as much about scotch as much as i can.  the collecting part is well on its way, and the learning part is still with its training wheels.  every trip to hi time wine cellars in orange county when i am visiting back home brings me back with a new bottle or two.  a few days ago i came back with the japanese scotch yamazaki, which was well worth the purchase.  and recently, good friends gave me the other two bottles pictured above for a recent birthday, a cask strength macallan and a 25 year talisker, both absolutely amazing in completely different ways.  the other pic is from the morning after a big night out in san fran, the evidence on our hotel window sill.  last night we had a small scotch tasting at our house, tasting about 12 different scotch's which was a blast.  i believe the only way to truly enjoy a prized scotch is to enjoy it with friends.  and although i can't tell you all i've learned quite yet, i can tell you this is the only way to learn...taste, taste, taste...

chambord and ginger ale

our new drink is a tasty one.  even though the weather in most parts of the country is nearing winter, out west, its still hot as can be.  so here is a cool you down cocktail that can be enjoyed any time of year.  we made this with vodka, but if your a gin person, it will work as well.

glass with ice

2 oz vodka 

1 oz chambord

juice from 1/2 lime

top with ginger ale (about 4oz, but more if you please)

garnish with a lime

using top shelf vodka is always a must.  and this drink really tastes better if you can get your hands on a nice bottled ginger ale.  we used boylans, and its make such a difference. 

enjoy!