Tag: Honey

Introducing My *Summer Crush* – a Tantalizing Late Summer Cocktail!

It’s Labor Day!  The official End of Summer!  But, are you ready for summer to end?  Because I. Am. Not!  With Covid restrictions and travel bans, it feels like this summer never even got off the ground.

Luckily for us there is still a ton of great summer produce at your local Farmers Market – perfect for cocktail making!

This week at my Market I picked up some beautiful sunflowers, amazing tomatoes, and the stars of this cocktail – a new jar of Honey (local honey is amazing! If you haven’t given it a try yet, you need to!) and a perfect Watermelon! 

This cocktail combines some of my favorite summer flavors – it is perfect for sipping in the shade on a hot July day or enjoying with friends while watching a mid-September sunset.  You will need fresh juiced watermelon, blackberries, honey, lime juice, Club Soda, and the vodka of your choice.  I used one of my favorites, Ohio’s own Buckeye Vodka.  This is super simple and absolutely delicious – I hope you enjoy!

  • *Summer Crush*
  • 1.5 oz Buckeye Vodka
  • .5 oz Lime Juice
  • .75 oz Blackberry-Honey Simple Syrup*
  • 3-4 oz Watermelon Juice*
  • 2 oz Club Soda

In a 16 oz Mason Jar, fill with ice and combine Buckeye Vodka, Watermelon Juice, Lime Juice, and Blackberry-Honey Simple.  Place the lid on the jar and shake to combine.  Top with Club Soda and garnish with blackberries, mint leaves, lime wheel, or whatever you have on hand. 

I love making cocktails in mason jars, you can build the drink and serve in the same glass – no extra dirty dishes!  Plus, if you have guests coming you can prebuild the cocktail then ice and garnish just as your company arrives! 

And you know that I am all about versatility!  This drink is delicious with vodka – but also amazing with your favorite tequila (maybe add a salt rim, for a little extra oomph) and also delicious with rum!  Remember, recipes are just guidelines, tweak to make the final product your very own masterpiece!

*Blackberry-Honey Simple Syrup – In a pot over medium heat combine 6 oz Blackberries with 6 oz of local Honey and 6 oz of water, stirring occasionally to help honey dissolve.  It should come to a low simmer for about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool 15 minutes.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use.  (This is also amazing in ice tea or over ice cream!)

*Watermelon Juice – Load up your blender with chunks of de-rinded watermelon, and pulse until it is liquified.  Pour through a fine sieve into a pitcher and refrigerate.

Rubus y Sol

I’ve really been enjoying entering all of these cocktail contests. It’s been nice to challenge myself, use new ingredients, and learn new techniques. Below you will find my entry for the Diageo World Class Competition. The challenge was to show off my Bubbly Personality and create a Highball or a Spritz. I chose decided on a Spritz; a compact, effervescent cocktail that can pack quite a punch of flavor! I hope you’ll enjoy reading the story of how my Rubus y Sol came to be.

The summers of my childhood were spent outside, soaking up the sunshine and fresh air.  We’d pick honeysuckle vines and twist them into necklaces and crowns.  The July the grass would tickle then crunch under our dusty, bare feet.   White puffy clouds in a bright blue sky, a slight breeze rustling the leaves of the trees behind me; carrying with it the scent of the newly bloomed chrysanthemums and hint of pine.  The low buzz of a nearby bumble bee punctuated with the occasional bird call drifted through the humid air.

Guided only be our imaginations we would spend the afternoons on grand adventures, wandering through the woods behind my house and if we were lucky, we would stumble upon an undiscovered briar patch.  Before long, our mouths and fingers would be stained purple from the sun ripened blackberries.  I’d reach deeper and deeper into the prickly thicket, earning another scratch in the process, to be rewarded with the perfect berry.  The sweet juice would explode across my taste buds and I’d chase it with a sip of perfectly chilled lemonade; a flawless blend of sweet and tart.

My cocktail Rubus y Sol, is inspired by those never-ending, sweltering midsummer days.  The bold, full bodied citrus and chamomile notes of Tanqueray No. Ten are brought to life with fresh blackberries, turmeric, fresh lemon and a bit of heat from the ginger liqueur; topped with a splash of perfectly chilled prosecco, for a crisp and refreshing libation.   

The Rubus y Sol is adventurous; familiar with a hint of mystery, which is what I hope to convey to my guests.  Just as the prosecco carries notes of orange blossom and lemon throughout my cocktail, the whimsical and joyful parts of my character begin to sparkle at the chance to create sip-able experiences.  When you pull a stool up to my bar, I’m inviting you to join me on an adventure; a wander down the path less traveled, and perhaps, if we’re lucky, we’ll stumble upon a secret briar patch of our own. 

  • RUBUS y SOL
  • 1.25 oz Tanqueray No. Ten
  • .5 oz Lemon Juice
  • .25 oz Ginger Liqueur
  • 4 Blackberries
  • 2 tsp Local Honey
  • 5-6 drops Orange Flower Water
  • 1 2-inch sprig Rosemary
  • 1 Pinch Turmeric
  • 1 oz Dry Prosecco
  • 1 oz Soda Water
  • *Garnish- 1 Sprig of Rosemary, Lemon Peel and Orange Peel (cut into flower shapes, if desired)
  • In a shaker tin add Blackberries and Honey and muddle until berries are crushed and honey is fully emulsified.  To the tin add, Tanqueray No. Ten, Lemon Juice, Ginger Liqueur, Orange Flower Water, Rosemary, and Turmeric.  Add a small scoop of ice and shake vigorously for 12-15 seconds. Double strain through a fine mesh strainer into a 5.5oz coupe glass.  Top with Prosecco and Soda Water.  Garnish by attaching sprig of Rosemary, Lemon Peel and Orange Peel to the rim of the glass with a mini clothespin. 

Winter Warm-Ups

 So, this post is delayed by a few days.  I was going to make a nice post about some of my favorite winter warm-up drinks, like hot toddies and how they are not only delicious, but also medicinal… I made my drinks, I took my pictures, and then my throat started to hurt, I began to feel achy and chilled, and before I knew it, I was hit with a cold/flu/nastiness.  I have been sleeping as much as possible and drinking lots of hot water/lemon/honey/ginger and I’m already feeling much better. 

So, what is a hot toddy?  A mixed drink, served hot traditionally made with whiskey, lemon, and honey. 

I enjoy a traditional toddy when the weather starts getting chilly but by December, I’m ready to shake it up a little bit.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I love pairing blackberry and whiskey.  So, I made a Hot Blackberry Ginger Toddy… it just what I needed.  The blackberry and honey mix so well, and with the fresh lemon juice it doesn’t get too sweet.  Beam Black is my go-to for a drink like this- big enough flavors to stand up through the blackberry/ginger, but it still blends well into the cocktail.  The ginger is absolutely necessary for me, but feel free to leave it out if you don’t have any or don’t like it.  I need the bite of fresh ginger to balance the other flavors, but I understand fresh ginger is too much for many people. (ps – sorry for the not-great phots… this is all that I got before I accidentally drank it in my haze of oncoming sickness.)

  • Hot Blackberry-Ginger Toddy
  • 1oz Honey (locally sourced is best, thank you Don Popp’s Honey Farm)
  • .5oz Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 4 Blackberries
  • ¼ – ½ inch piece of fresh Ginger, peeled and rough chopped
  • 1.5oz Beam Black
  • 5oz near boiling water

In a heat proof measuring glass combine Honey, Lemon Juice, Blackberries, and Ginger.  Muddle the blackberries into the honey and lemon.  Add Beam Black. Top with water and carefully stir to combine.  Cover the top of the glass and let steep for 4 minutes.  Pour through fine mesh strainer into your favorite mug and enjoy.

Do you have a favorite take on the Hot Toddy?

Up next… my Favorite White Christmas Hot Chocolate….