feeling thankful

My mom always insisted that we go around the dinner table at Thanksgiving and share a thought or two of gratitude. As a kid, I felt embarrassed  and didn't know what to say except that I was thankful for my family and for the beautiful table full of food in front of us. It seemed too obvious, almost a cop out. Most years in my adult life have not put me in this public position of expressing thanks, but I do always find myself taking a minute or two to think about how I have been blessed in my life. This year has been one full of big changes and I cannot express enough how much the support around me (especially from my wife) has helped ease me into new things and given me courage to go out on a limb. Thank you dear readers for another year of sharing with me!
And now, a special recipe I will share with you. Cranberry Ginger Cocktails for all!
First you will need to make a cranberry puree. In a medium sauce pan, combine 1 bag of cranberries, 2 1/2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. If you want to make it extra tasty, grate in a heaping tablespoon of fresh ginger. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for a few minutes as the cranberries pop. Turn off the heat, and cool for at least a few minutes, or until cool. Pour the cranberry mixture through a sieve and push through all the pulp with a spoon. Discard skins. (This makes amazing granita by the way.)

In a shaker, combine:
3 oz either gin or vodka (I prefer gin)
1/4 c fresh tangerine juice
1/4 cranberry puree
juice from 1 lime
Shake well. Pour into 2 martini glasses and top off with ginger beer-the spicier version the better
Enjoy.

girls night out

One of the many jobs I have is working for Natalie Bowens Designs, a florist here in San Francisco. We became friends years ago at Rose and Radish, so working for her is more like hanging out with a friend. This week she took all of us assistants out for dinner at Coco500. We were treated like royalty and I waaay overdid it with glass after glass of amazing wine. But 4 hours of chatting with the ladies is like that. You lose track.

infused syrup

Infusing simple syrup with fun flavors is easy peasy. I've been experimenting with it for the last few weeks as part of preparing for the workshop at Prairie Collective, which was a total success by the way. Usually simple syrup is made by heating 1 part sugar to 1 part water until the sugar has dissolved. What I found though is that getting a strong enough infusion for cocktails but not making it overly sweet required a proportion of 2 parts water to 1 part sugar. Here are the three "recipes" I used on Saturday.

Kaffir Lime Lemongrass Gin Tonic

Mix 4 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in a pot. Add 6-8 kaffir lime leaves and 2 stalks of lemongrass sliced. Bring just to a boil over medium low heat. Turn off the heat and allow to cool fully. Using a sieve or slotted spoon, take out the lemongrass and leaves.
To make the drink, fill a cocktail glass (double old fashioned) with ice. Add 1/4 c infused syrup, 1/4 c gin (tanqueray was just right) and top with tonic and a slice of lime.

Star Anise Ginger Whiskey and Ginger Ale
Mix 4 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in a pot. Add 2 whole Star Anise and thumb sized piece of grated fresh ginger. Bring to almost a boil over medium low heat. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Using a sieve or slotted spoon, take out the ginger and anise.
To make the drink, fill a cocktail glass (double old fashioned) with ice. Add 1/4 c infused syrup, 1/4 c whiskey (we though Crown Royal was good) and top off with ginger beer.

Tarragon Grapefruit Drop
Mix 4 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in a pot. Add the peel of 1 grapefruit (no pith!) and 2-3 stalks of fresh tarragon. Bring to almost a boil over medium low heat. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Using a sieve or slotted spoon, take out the peel and herb.
To make the drink, fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in 1/2 c infused syrup,  1/2 c vodka (absolut citron was perfect) and juice from 1 whole grapefruit. How about using the same one that you just peeled? Shake it up good and pour into 2 martini glasses. A sugar rim is excellent here!
Drink and be Merry!

workshop

My friends over at Prairie Collective asked me to lead a workshop this month, and I decided a little diy cocktail mixers seems like fun. So I hope you'll come join us this Saturday. We provide all the ingredients, plus cute bottles, labels and instructions. You put it together and give as a gift, or use to host your own party. It'll be easy, and tasting is suggested!