Cocktail Friday: Cranberry Gin Fizz

WHAT IS HAPPENING. Two recipes in one week that have been reviewed by members of the Set the Table community?? Yep. It is happening.

This Cranberry Gin Fizz is a new favorite for me. It is more of a weekend, special-event kind of cocktail as it has a few steps. But if you’re looking for a little simplification, just make the simple syrup during the week so it is at the ready for your weekend cocktail hour.

This pretty in pink drink is perfectly delicious. A couple things to note: the type of gin you use will make a difference. Bombay is what I used and it can seem quite strong to anyone who isn’t already a gin fan. Prairie gin is a touch milder and if you just can’t do gin, go for vodka!

Things I love about this cocktail: the color! the flavor! the frothy egg white top! Honestly, it is just a fun and festive drink that makes you want to stick your pinky out when you drink it (even if you’re wearing your finest 2020 sweats).

A couple notes from testers:

-If you want a strong cinnamon flavor, add another stick to the syrup recipe

-Seems like a lot of steps for a weeknight cocktail but 100% would make it again as a special event cocktail

-YUM!

I mean, how can you say no?

Here is the recipe, friends. Cheers to another weekend!

Cranberry Gin Fizz

Makes 2 cocktails

• 4 oz gin (I used Bombay Sapphire) 

• 2 oz cranberry simple syrup (recipe below)

• 1/2 oz lemon juice 

• 1 oz clementine juice

• 1 egg white

• Club soda

Cranberry simple syrup:

• 1 cup fresh cranberries

• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary or 1 sprig fresh

• 1 cinnamon stick (add another cinnamon stick or use some ground if you want a stronger flavor)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 cup water

1. Make the cranberry simple syrup by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. The cranberries will burst as the heat of the syrup rises, so covering the saucepan with a lid offset may be a good idea to avoid splatters. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the syrup is a deep pink color and has thickened slightly. Strain into a glass jar and allow to cool completely before using.

2. To make the cocktail, combine all ingredients except the club soda in a shaker WITHOUT ice. (This is call dry shaking.) Dry shake for 20-30 seconds or until the egg white is frothy. Add a couple ice cubes to the shaker and shake until well chilled.

3. Strain into two cocktail glasses and top with club soda. Enjoy!

*Alternative if you don’t have a shaker or want to make a larger batch: combine all cocktail ingredients except the club soda in a blender. Blend for about 5 seconds until frothy. Transfer to a glass measuring cup with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into cocktail glass(es) and top with club soda. Cheers! 

Cocktail Friday: Gin & Tonic

One of my favorite cocktails is the classic gin & tonic. It isn't fussy or complicated and it always makes me think of sitting outside in the sun, leaves rustling in the trees overhead and birds darting back and forth in the blue skies. There is something so wonderful and peaceful about these first few weeks of spring and early summer. Everything is new and fresh, just begging to be enjoyed. Kind of like a gin & tonic, yes?

A good G & T starts with a good quality tonic water. I didn't used to feel like the difference was great enough to warrant anything but the typical grocery store brand. While there is nothing inherently wrong with using what's most available, I find searching for something of better quality results in a less sugary, subtle flavor allowing the gin and lime juice to shine through. On that note, make sure you use a good gin. My favorites are Heritage Distilling's Elk Rider Gin & Prairie Gin.

I've mentioned before that having a few crunchy, salty bites during cocktail hour and sweet potato chips are at the top of the list. Their lovely color and light crispness works beautifully with a light, refreshing gin & tonic. I've also been known to enjoy a few classic potato chips...the saltier the better! I know- I'm judging myself a little too. But everything in moderation, right?

Gin & Tonic

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz tonic water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a short cocktail glass with ice.
2. Add the gin, tonic water, and lime juice.
3. Stir gently to combine.

Cocktail Friday: Japanese Bloody Mary

I started planting some seeds yesterday. San Marzano tomatoes, basil, bibb lettuce, chard, kale and radishes, to be exact. Last year, though my intentions were good, I had to buy starter plants for every single thing we grew. The reason, you ask? Our beautiful, obnoxious, and far too curious black lab decided to tear up my seed trays last spring. Twice. So I eventually gave up and decided seeds were not in the cards for us just yet. I planted 28 tomato plants. No, I don't know where they will all go just yet. I think I'll cross that bridge when I come to it since there's no guarantee all the seeds will become actual plants. Some will go to better homes but I hope to have several to keep to myself so I can make lots of sauce and can it. I'm not going to get too excited just yet. While I don't think my thumb is black, it is not bright green. Gardening does not come easily to me and I've had quite a few mishaps. Baby steps, right?

Not only is it the season for gardening, we are heading into prime brunch season. Mimosas, Bloody Marys, various cheesy, hot sauce speckled, buttery egg dishes, bacon, and cinnamon rolls galore. Oh...healthy things too. None are coming to mind though.

I first made a version of these Japanese Bloody Marys in 2009. We were in Tokyo, Japan and had survived our first 6 months living a world away from all the things we knew and all the people we loved. Fortunately, we had quickly developed a Tokyo 'family' with whom we celebrated Easter. We spent the day on the banks of the Tamagawa, a river not far from the school where we all taught. We grilled, drank, laughed, and got minor sunburns. It was a fantastic day.

I've taken the recipe I used that day and fixed it up a bit. I added spicy shichimi togarashi, a blend of red pepper flakes commonly used in Japan, along with some wasabi for a horseradish-like bite, and salty-sweet soy sauce in place of worcestershire sauce. The result is a perfectly balanced Bloody Mary that has hints of its classic counterpart but adds a nice change to the world of Bloody Mary creations.

Cheers to Friday and brunch and gardening and Spring!

Japanese-Inspired Bloody Mary

Ingredients

• 2 cups tomato juice, low sodium
• 1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi paste
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon shichimi togarashi
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 oz vodka or gin
• celery salt
• Garnishes
• celery stalks
• thick cut applewood smoked bacon, cooked
• lemon wedges

Instructions

1. Put some celery salt on a plate. Using a lemon wedge, line the rims of two tall glasses. Gently dip the rims in the celery salt before filling each glass with ice.
2. In a large glass measuring pitcher, combine the wasabi paste, soy sauce, shichimi togarashi and lemon juice. Whisk until combined.
3. Pour the tomato juice over the wasabi mixture and stir to combine.
4. Put 1 1/2 oz of vodka in each ice-filled glass. Top with the tomato juice mixture and garnish with celery, bacon and lemon.

Cocktail Friday: Blueberry Thyme Gin Fizz

We had a truly wonderful spring day on Wednesday. The sun was full of enough warmth to take away the need for a sweater or jacket. The moment I felt the heat hit my skin I felt instantly rejuvenated. Riley and I went to the park where he discovered the joy of watching bugs crawl on the sidewalk. As I watched him discover new things that only come with the changing seasons I realized how much he has grown. Last year at this time I was watching him clumsily walk around as he discovered that moving one step in front of the other brought him from here to there and back again. Those sweet baby legs are now little boy legs. He has grown faster than I'm willing to acknowledge most of the time.

Luckily, each new stage brings even more sweetness than my heart can hold (even in the midst of the toddler mood swings that come with being 2 years old).

So, I'm saying goodbye to one season and hello to a new one by celebrating the things that I love most. Today, it's all about fresh thyme and bright blueberries. Muddled together they create the perfect beginning to a spring cocktail. Gin, vermouth and bitters are given a little life with a splash of club soda. Sweetness comes from my date simple syrup (which makes this a no-sugar-added cocktail).

And just like that it's time to say cheers to the weekend. And spring. And change.

Life become more beautiful with change, don't you think?

Blueberry Thyme Gin Fizz

Ingredients

• 15 fresh or frozen blueberries
• 3 large thyme sprigs
• 1 oz gin
• 1 oz vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1/2 oz date simple syrup
• club soda

Instructions

1. Combine the blueberries, thyme sprigs, gin, bitters and simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass filled with ice.
3. Top with club soda and garnish with a thyme spring and a couple blueberries.