What an exciting week it’s been! First of all, a big hello to new readers who are coming over from Saveur, where I was nominated for best recipe for my zuchinitini cocktail. What a lovely surprise!
As if that’s not awesome enough there’s more fun in store. I quit my job! Whoa! Beginning in May, I will officially be self-employed, doing the things I love—blogging here and at Serious Eats, publishing my magazine, Remedy Quarterly and working towards getting my catering business, The Good Cheer Co., up and running with my friend Caroline. I’ve been doing all of these things on the side for a while now and I finally got enough guts to try to make it work. I couldn’t be more excited!
In honor of all this fun, I whipped up a cocktail that tastes like a party in a glass, hence the name. A little coconut, lime and ginger teamed up with rum—what’s not to like?! Let me tell you, this little number goes down easy… you’ve been warned.
I hope you have an awesome weekend!
Cheers! To taking the leap, partying and tasty cocktails!
Party in a Glass
makes 1 cocktail
for the ginger syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup ginger, chopped
for the cocktail:
1 ounce ginger syrup
1 1/2 ounce unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 ounce light rum
1/2 ounce lime juice
……………………………………..
To make the ginger syrup
Combine the water, sugar and ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain ginger and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To make the cocktail:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime slice. Enjoy!
happy hour: rhubarb, basil + ginger cocktail
Hellllooo, happy hour! Whew, it’s been a busy week around here. Between launching The Good Cheer Co web site and my awesome partnership with Food52 my head is spinning! Just in case you haven’t heard, Food52 will be selling my magazine, Remedy Quarterly for the next 2 weeks at a discounted price. If you haven’t picked it up yet, there’s no better time than now!
But let’s get back to drinks already! Rhubarb is finally showing up at the markets around here, so of course I’m kind of hoarding it. I’ve got a jar of rhubarb simple syrup in the fridge, ready to make cocktails or flavored sodas on a whim. This little number is tasty and refreshing, with an underlying, slightly tart rhubarb flavor accented by bits of basil. And just to jazz things up, I added a splash of ginger ale. Yeah, it’s kind of awesome.
Cheers! To making it happen, rhubarb and tasty drinks!
rhubarb, basil + ginger cocktail
makes 1 cocktail
For the rhubarb syrup:
2 cups rhubarb, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
For the cocktail:
1/2 ounce lemon juice
3 basil leaves
1 ounce rhubarb syrup
1 1/2 ounce light rum
1-2 ounces ginger ale
1-2 basil leaves, for garnish
To make the rhubarb syrup:
1
Over medium heat, combine the rhubarb slices, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until the rhubarb is completely broken down. Remove from heat and let cool.
2
Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the rhubarb from the syrup. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To make the rhubarb syrup:
1
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lemon juice and basil leaves until the basil leaves are totally broken down.
2
Fill the shaker with ice and add the rhubarb syrup and light rum. Shake for 10 seconds.
3
Strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with ginger ale and garnish with basil leaves. Enjoy!