Most of the drinks I make with Empress 1908 gin get high marks and this one is no exception.

Cocktail Scale (out of 5*)
James 5*
Mellissa 4.75*​

Summer Sunset
▫︎ 2oz Empress 1908 Gin
▫︎ 1oz Lemon Juice
▫︎ 1oz Simple Syrup
▫︎ 2oz Soda Water (to top)
2 Strawberries (muddled)

METHOD: Shake all ingredients but gin on ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with fresh ice, and layer gin on top. Garnish with a fresh strawberry, stir and enjoy!

When you buy fresh BC peaches from the farmer's market, you have to make a cocktail with them.

I found a recipe on line and adapted it a bit. The peaches and ginger beer are a perfect combination. I think it would be even better with a bit of fresh ginger blended in to the puree. I didn't have any in the Airstream - next time.

This cocktail tastes like (late) summer in a copper mug!

Every good glamper must have a blender on hand. You never know when you need peach puree for a cocktail!

Cocktail Scale (out of 5*'s)
James 5*
Val 5*
Mellissa 5*
This drink was a hit!

Ingredients (for two cocktails)
1 peach (I left the peel on), pit removed
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon of sugar (approx. - I just sprinkled a bit in) with the same amount of water You could do a teaspoon of simple syrup instead. 
200 - 250 ml Ginger Beer - my fav is Great Jamaican 
2 oz. vodka
Ice
Lime wheel and peach slice for garnish

Add peach, lime juice, sugar, water (or simple syrup) to a blender and blend until smooth.

Fill glasses or copper mugs 2/3 full of ice. Then fill about half way with ginger beer. Add vodka and scoop (or pour) the peach puree on top. Add another splash of ginger beer. Garnish with peach and lime if you like. I served it with a straw because it needs to be mixed up a bit before drinking. Enjoy!

A beautiful spring day deserves a cocktail on our patio! We have been staying in and around the house for weeks now as we adhere to the public health measures for COVID-19. Luckily we have plenty of cocktail supplies!

Since I had blackberries and basil in the fridge I thought I would give this mojito a try.

Cocktail Scale (out of 5*)
James 3.75*
Mellissa 3*

​I found the rum taste to be overpowering perhaps, more basil or blackberries would make a better drink. Or making blackberry syrup instead of just muddling them. 

Ingredients
1 Tbsp cane sugar
1/2 medium lime (quartered)
3 ripe blackberries (plus more for garnish)
6-7 basil leaves (plus more for garnish)
1.7 ounces white rum (such as Bacardi)
1 cup crushed ice
1/4 cup soda water (aka club soda) Instructions

Add lime segments, blackberries, and sugar to a cocktail glass and gently muddle 7-8 times (use a muddler or anything with a blunt edge, such as the handle end of a spatula). Add basil and gently muddle again 4-5 times to infuse flavor.

Add white rum and gently stir/fold with a spoon to combine.

Follow with crushed ice, gently stir, and top with a splash of club soda. Gently stir/fold once more. Then garnish with a bit more crushed ice and garnish with basil

Recipe is from Minimalist Baker can be found here 
.

A trip out to see Charlotte on the Easter weekend inspired me to get out my shaker and try a new martini - the Cottontail Martini.

​It was a fun drink to mix up. Overall the drink was good, a strong coconut flavour and quite sweet. The recipe calls for whipped vodka but I didn't have enough so I substituted vanilla vodka for most of the drink. 

Cock Tail Scale (out of 5*)
James 4*
​Mellissa 4*

Ingredients
1.5 ounces whipped vodka (or vanilla vodka)
1.5 ounces coconut rum
2 ounces half and half
1/2 ounce cream of coconut
Splash of pineapple juice
Honey, chopped sweetened coconut, and marshmallow to garnish

Begin with two shallow dishes. To one, add a teaspoon of honey. To the other, add the sweetened coconut. Rim the edge of the martini glass first in the honey and then in the coconut. Set aside.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the whipped vodka, coconut rum, half and half, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice. Shake vigorously; then strain into your prepared martini glass.

Using a knife, make a small slit in a marshmallow. Slip the marshmallow on the side of the martini glass.
Recipe from Inspired by Charm 

I started this cocktail "season" with the goal to use some of the spirits that have accumulated in the cupboard that have been haunting me. One of those is Jagermeister. Last fall we did a river cruise from the Netherlands through Germany, Austria and we ended in Budapest. On that trip a German glass blower, Karl Ittig from Wertheim, joined us for an entertaining demonstration of his craft. As a bonus the demonstration included a lesson in the medicinal benefits of Jagermeister. Karl apparently takes a shot every morning and doesn't get sick. He does not agree with the Jager bombs (a shot glass of  Jagermeister dropped in to a cup of Red Bull) - popular among a younger demographic.

Jagermeister is made from 56 botanicals and does kind of taste like a strong cough syrup. We haven't adopted the "shot every morning to keep the doctor away" routine so the Jagermeister sits in the cupboard. Until today!

Today, I made the Surfer on Acid. It is a simple recipe of equal parts Jagermeister, coconut rum and pineapple juice on ice. 

It has a sweet, botanical flavour. James said it kind of reminded him of rootbeer. I found it a little too sweet. It might be better with a splash of soda water. 
​
Cocktail Scale (out of 5*)
James 4.0*
Mellissa 3.5*

Ingredients:
1 oz Jagermeister
1oz Coconut Rum
1 oz Pineapple Juice

Pour ingredients over ice and stir. 

If you are interested about our river cruise, you can find my blog about it here 

I was perusing the aisles of the Italian Centre Shop and came across Great Jamaican Spicy Pineapple. I was intrigued so I bought it. My next task was to figure out what to do with it. I found the Spicy Spritz recipe on The Great Jamaican website. 

I followed the recipe as per the website except for the grapefruit slice - I am not a fan of grapefruit. We loved this drink. It is really refreshing and would be great for a sunny day - if we ever get one. 

Cocktail Scale out of 5*
Val 5*
James 5*
Mellissa 5*

Ingredients
1 oz Aperol
0.5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 oz Spicy Pineapple
2 oz Sparkling Wine

In a cup filled with ice mix Aperol and and lemon juice. Pour in sparkling wine and Spicy Pineapple. 

We used all the Aperol so I will need to replenish my stock. 

Saturday evening we were able to sit outside and enjoy the yard after a pretty rainy week. I'm definitely not complaining about the rain - the trees, lawn and flowers are well watered. 

This drink is a twist on the original Tom Collins and it has a botanical blend of flavours. Super refreshing - the perfect summer drink.

I prepared the lavender syrup earlier in the week with culinary lavender buds. 

Cocktail Scale (out of 5*)
James 5*
Mellissa 5*

We both LOVED this drink.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ ounces gin
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• ½ ounce lavender syrup (see below)
• club soda

For Lavender Syrup

• ¼ cup dried lavender
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons water

Garnishes (optional)

• lemon slices
• lavender sprigs 

Instructions
To make the Lavender Syrup

1. Add ½ cup water and ¼ cup lavender to a sauce pan, bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain out flowers and discard.
2. In a clean saucepan, add ½ cup of sugar and 3 Tablespoons water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, then stir in lavender liquid. Whisk until fully combined, remove from heat and transfer to a storage container.

To make drink

1. Add gin, lemon juice and lavender syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until cold, then strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with a splash of sparkling water, then gently stir. Garnish with lemon slices and lavender sprigs.

​Recipe from Fox and Briar 

As we inch toward summer solstice, I decided to make a light, refreshing drink. 

Even though rhubarb is in abundance in the back alleys of our 'hood, I bought rhubarb because I don't trust back alley rhubarb. I have seen our dogs use it for target practice many times!

​I made the rhubarb syrup at home and brought it out to the trailer. I have a mint plant at the trailer so I used fresh mint snipped from the plant. Ummm...fresh mint!

Cocktail Scale (out of 5*)
James 4.25
Val 4.25
Mellissa 4

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 cups rhubarb (2 large stalks)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Lime (sliced)
• 1/4 cup mint, loosely packed leaves torn
• 2 cups strawberries
• Club soda or seltzer
•  Ice
• 1 bottle Rose wine

To make the rhubarb simple syrup combine rhubarb and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup sugar and stir until dissolved. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for about 30 minutes. Strain in to a bowl or jar. Can be refrigerated for a week.

To prepare the drink, combine rose wine, rhubarb syrup, sliced lime, torn mint leaves and strawberries in a pitcher. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 

When ready to serve, fill a glass with ice, pour in sangria and top with club soda. Don't forget to scoop in some of the fruit from the pitcher. Garnish with mint and strawberry.