Cinnamon Whiskey Sour

The whiskey sour is my favorite drink right now. I love the way the egg whites bring a touch of stability to the always battling sweet and sour elements of a cocktail. Whiskey sours are also very fun to play around with as you can try so many different flavors in the simple syrup. For this drink I went with cinnamon. I had this combo at Craft & Commerce (our best restaurant/bar for cocktails in San Diego) and I fell in love immediately. It brings a little bit of holiday spirit but can totally be served any time of the year. Plus, cinnamon is a wonderful health aid…so…bonus points!!!

For those who are wondering about the raw egg white, don’t worry. If you get your eggs from a local farm who is taking care of their chickens the way they should, raw egg whites are totally fine. If you are super nervous about this idea and still want to try the drink, then you can buy pasteurized egg whites at whole foods if you have no other options and NEED to have whiskey sours in your life. I would still recommend that you look into fresh eggs anyway, for the sake of your overall health. Did you know that America is one of the few countries who refrigerate their eggs? That’s kind of a scary thought when you beg the question why. Something to ponder…

Local Hint: San Diego, you can find amazing pasture-raised chicken eggs from farms like Spur Valley Ranch. Doesn’t get much better than them unless you are raising chickens yourself! ;) Check here for market availability.

Cinnamon Whiskey Sour:

2 ounces rye whiskey (preferably Bulleit or your favorite small batch)

3/4 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 ounce cinnamon simple syrup (recipe below)

1 egg white

a few dashes of bitters

For the syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon bark in a small pan. Cook over medium heat until boiling and the sugar is dissolved. The cinnamon bark from Ceylon cinnamon, as opposed to Cassia, is what you’re looking for. Ceylon is known as the “true” cinnamon that was bartered and traded so long ago in the days of Marco Polo and beyond. Obviously, you can make a syrup with a cinnamon stick but I threw that little bit in there in case you are the type of person who wants to know such things and make the best cinnamon syrup possible. ;)

For the drink: Fill your cocktail shaker with ice and add all of the ingredients besides the bitters. Shake for at least a minute so that the egg white can get a nice foam in the shaker. Pour into a glass without ice and throw a few dashes of bitters on top. If you find the drink to be too sweet, try substituting all or half of the lemon juice for lime juice. Enjoy!

Best way to separate the white from the yolk is with your hands!

Click below to follow us on:

F a c e b o o k // T w i t t e r // P i n t e r e s t // I n s t a g r a m // E m a i l

Classic Cocktails: The Presbyterian

(glassware from West Elm)

This is my favorite drink right now.

I first had it at Craft and Commerce, a local Bar and Eatery that makes the best cocktails in San Diego….no contest. I simply asked for a bourbon-based cocktail using ginger and this drink is what I got. Yes, they are that good at C&C that you can have them make drinks to your taste. After a little Google search, I discovered it was an old-time cocktail that’s been around for a loooong time. Pretty cool. I quickly made it, adding my own touch.

I love ginger so very much. I have served this to many people who don’t prefer bourbon and they still seem to love it. The ginger beer really mellows the bourbon but doesn’t crush it, which I love. For my friends who do not like sweet drinks (*waving* Hi, Joanna!), trying adding a bit of lemon juice or use half ginger beer and half club soda.

I think this is a perfectly wonderful drink to bring in the new year with or to have any day, for that matter!

The Presbyterian

(Bon’s way)

2 ounces of Bourbon

4-6 ounces of ginger beer

4 dashes of bitters, like Angostura

candied ginger, for garnish

Fill a highball glass with ice, then add the bourbon. Fill the glass almost to the top with the ginger beer and add a few dashes of bitters to the top. Stir and serve!

Do you have any big party plans?

If you liked what you see, stick around and find me on:

F a c e b o o k // T w i t t e r // P i n t e r e s t // I n s t a g r a m // E m a i l

Holiday Cocktail: Maple Bourbon Twist

You have no idea how excited I am about this drink. My friends and family know me by now as a crazy cocktail dabbler. I can’t help it. I just love mixing flavors and following trends of my own changing taste in food and drink. When I pick a flavor, I pretty much stick to it for a while and it will appear EVERYWHERE!

Grapefruit:

I made a cocktail, cookies, and soap.

Honey:

replacing every sugar product I can with it.

Ginger:

I made many different cocktails (some with grapefruit), cookies, and also just ate it candied.

Five spice:

It went in chicken, soup, and cookies.

The next one is definitely bourbon. I have had this trend in the past, but I am definitely using bourbon whenever I can at this point.

I love it so.

This cocktail is very special to me because I really love it. If you asked my husband if I am happy with the food and drink I create, he would say no way! I can’t help but want to improve upon things and make them better. This drink, however, I just really love as it is. The maple syrup really holds down the bourbon, making it nice and smooth. I love the sweet finish of apple brandy and our homegrown apple slice on top.

Introducing my Holiday 2012 cocktail:

Maple Bourbon Twist

(thanks to Brianne and Kristin for helping me name it)

1 oz. Bourbon (I prefer Knob Creek or a small batch bourbon)

3/4 oz. maple syrup

3/4 oz. lemon juice, fresh squeezed

2 small splashes of apple brandy

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake for 1 minute. Serve in a martini glass with an apple slice. This can easily be made into large batches. Add a little club soda if it’s too strong for you!

C H E E R S !

If you liked what you see, stick around and find me on:

F a c e b o o k // T w i t t e r // P i n t e r e s t // I n s t a g r a m // E m a i l

Cocktail: Elderflower + Limoncello

We are gearing up for school around here. I have been slowly cleaning out every area of my house to get a fresh start. I don’t want anything hanging over my head when I start teaching my baby-girl mid-August. I know I will have less time for projects and for doing my crazy organizing of thing constantly, but I’m excited! I am learning from myself in the past and getting a jump on it now. I know we will have a blast and now that I’m mostly done with my lessons plans, I’m not quite sure why kids go to school for 8 hours. This was one of those things that bothered me during the school year when I sent my baby girl to school for the whole day and only saw her for a few hours. Even in those few hours, she was exhausted. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about Charlotte Mason’s methods over the last few years and am really pumped to open up the eyes of my wee ones to the wonders of God in every day life…math and writing included! I’m even more pumped that they aren’t confined to a desk and they can learn the way they were meant to…through experience. Plus, they can learn the ay that is best for just them and not the way an entire class full of kids does. Hooray!

Today, I went on a date with my sweet girl to get her school supplies! I love walking into Target and seeing the organized rows of supplies. Huge breath in…and…enjoy (think Meg Ryan in “You’ve Got Mail” about her “bouquet of sharpened pencils”). I just love Target in the Fall…er…summer (thank you year-round schools!). It made me think of how much I loved getting my annual see-through binder to then later stuff with pictures/stuff and my row of Ticonderoga pencils. My mom was reminding me of my Hello Kitty trashcan I used to have on my desk in elementary school. Awesome. I saw a little red metal one and I REALLY wanted it. Would that be weird?

Either way, I made a summer drink to keep your summer going…ready for school?

This drink is a perfect summer drink because it’s super simple to mix up for friends and uses white wine which is usually always open, right?

Elderflower Refresher

(adapted from Mix Shake Stir)

3 oz white wine

1 oz Elderflower Liqueur

1 oz limoncello

soda water to fill glass

ice

mint for garnish

Add all ingredients to glass of ice and add mint.

Sit down, turn some awesome music on, and enjoy whoever is next to you.

Cocktail: Blood Orange Margarita

Hello, Summer. You have been quite lovely of late. You are lovin’ on my garden with sweet sun kisses and my tomatoes and strawberries are therefore becoming more awesome every day. If you could just slow down a little that would be great, too.

Blood Orange Margarita

(adapted from Mix Shake Stir by Danny Meyer’s-love this book!)

1 1/2 oz Tequila

3/4 oz Orange Liqueur

3/4 oz Lemon juice

3/4 oz Lime juice

3/4 oz blood orange juice

2 oz simple syrup

ice

salt, flakes (I used kosher because that’s all I had)

slice of blood orange for garnish

Run a lime around the rim of the glass and dip in salt. Add all ingredients to your shaker with ice. Shake for a few then pour in your glass. Add garnish and hand over to a friend with a smile.