Cocktail Friday: Meyer Lemonade with Roasted Strawberries & Vodka

There are a few smells from my childhood that immediately transport me to the days when I would run around the backyard in my bare feet. I vividly remember the way it felt to run in the velvety soft green grass, stopping every so often to watch a grasshopper bounce effortlessly between slender blades on its way to the neighboring lawn. By the end of the day, my feet would be black with dirt. I remember getting into the shower and watching my muddy footprints disintegrate and drift down the drain with the warm water. With my face pink and freckled from the sun and my hair still wet, I would bound down the stairs the way children do and into the kitchen where the smells of whatever my mom had been making that day still hung in the humid summer air.

These memories came flooding back to me this week while I roasted strawberries and watched Riley sit next to our black lab in the back yard. He sat there caressing the grass with his wonderful, chubby toddler fingers while Decorah chewed on her bone. It was one of those strange moments when my childhood collided with his for a brief moment. The roasted strawberries smelled just like my mom's strawberry jam. That concentrated sweet smell is one of my very favorite things.

Today's cocktail Friday is dedicated to childhood memories like lemonade stands with little paper cups and a hand-written sign saying '25 cents', or gazing at the sky for who knows how long because it's the most important item on your 'to-do' list.

This Meyer lemon cocktail with vodka and roasted strawberries is the best way to use the last of the season's Meyer lemons and the first strawberries of the year. It is sweet, slightly tart, and sure to remind you of all the things to savor during these tender spring days.

*Full disclosure: I was given products from Heritage Distilling to use for Set the Table cocktail recipes. My opinions are 100% my own.

Meyer Lemonade with Roasted Strawberries & Vodka

Ingredients

For the strawberries:

• 1 lb strawberries, hulled and cut in half lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

For the Meyer Lemonade:

• 1 cup Meyer lemon juice
• 1 cup honey-thyme syrup (recipe [here|http://rachaelwhite.me/bourbon-thyme-cocktail-recipe/)
• 4 cups water

For the cocktail:

• 2 oz vodka
• 12 roasted strawberry halves
• 2 mint leaves, plus additional for garnish
• Meyer lemonade

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the strawberry halves, cut side down, on the paper.
3. Roast for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and drizzle the strawberries with the balsamic. Roast for another 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
6. Combine the lemon juice, syrup and water in a large jar or pitcher. Stir to combine.
7. In the bottom of 4 tall glasses, muddle 3 strawberry halves with the vodka and mint leaves.
8. Fill each glass with ice and top with Meyer lemonade.
9. Garnish with mint leaves and an additional strawberry half if desired.

Cocktail Friday: Spring Fling

This time last year, I was organizing all of our things so that they could be packed and shipped from our Tokyo apartment to our new home in Denver. Riley was only 3 months old and I was still trying to figure out what it meant to be a mother (still working on that one), let alone what it meant to move my family back to the United States. Needless to say, life was a bit crazy. The only respite from it all was walking at Kinuta Park, which was within walking distance of our apartment. The trees lining the path had to have been hundreds  of years old and there was always this kind of mist over everything.

Kind of like in the computer game Mist.

Did you ever play that? I always got stuck. Somewhere misty.

Anyway, I remember the serenity of being amidst ancient nature in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world. There was something about that feeling that I haven't been able to capture yet here in Colorado. It took me 3 years to find it in Tokyo, so I guess I still have time.

There is a path near our house that I am getting acquainted with. It runs parallel to a stream and through the branches, at least now when there are no leaves, I get the occasional glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. An added bonus is that there is a park just off the path where Riley loves to swing and take hand fulls of wood chips and drop them over his head. Someday soon I hope that I'll be walking down that path feeling the same peace that I did at my park in Japan.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to warm days with bright sunshine, green grass, colorful flowers and nights with friends spent watching the sky turn from blue, to orange and pink, to starry and black. When I think of days like that, I also think of bubbly, citrusy drinks. Typically I reach for a gin and tonic when the temperatures rise, but it's fun to mix things up a bit. This cocktail, made with a floral-flavored whiskey, sparkling raspberry juice, and fresh lemon and lime juice, is the perfect way to introduce something new into the mix. It isn't super sugary like a Margarita or Piña Colada, but still has the appeal of drinks we dream of sipping in the summer sun all winter long.

So, no matter where you find yourself this weekend, take a moment to sit back and think about what gives you a sense of peace and serenity in the midst of a very busy time of year.

Sometimes peace can be found in the most unexpected and obvious places.

Spring Fling

Makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 oz whiskey (Stranahan's and 2 Gingers work well)

Sparkling raspberry juice

Fresh lemon and lime juices

ice

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour the whiskey over the ice. Fill the rest of the glass with the sparkling raspberry juice and top with fresh lemon and lime juices. Stir lightly and serve.

Cocktail Friday: Rosemary Infused Cosmopolitan

For those of you who followed Tokyo Terrace, you will remember Cocktail Friday. Every Friday, I'll share a cocktail recipe with you all just in time for your Friday night shenanigans or weekend entertaining.

Before I get into this Cocktail Friday post, I have to say that I am humbled at the response to Set the Table. It is amazing knowing how many of you stuck around while I sorted things out. Between moving away from Japan, moving into and renovating a house, and everything that goes along with a huge life transition, I needed that extra time. The past few months have been strange and full and overwhelming. But the support you all have shown has been the silver lining. So, thank you.

Alright. On to the much anticipated Cocktail Friday!

Once in a while, I am blessed with an afternoon that is filled with nothing but a couple free hours, bright sun, and a good book. It’s not often that all of these factors align, but when everything falls into place, it's pure bliss. If it's warm, which I'm realizing is not unusual this time of year in Denver, I sit outside in my backyard soaking in the deliciously warm sunshine. The only way an afternoon like that can get better is with a cocktail to sip on. Usually I’m imagining that I am tall and impossibly elegant, sipping daintily from my glass. In reality I’m still my short self, wearing jeans and a sweater and most likely spilling a drop or two...or three...of my drink.

I’m awesome that way. 

Rosemary

While I’m a fan of classic cocktails, I also enjoy creating my own recipes. Sometimes, inspiration strikes and I can create something from the bottom up. But the most successful concoctions are simple and sometimes based on tried and true recipes already in existence. If you’re new to cocktail-creating, it’s best to start out with something familiar, adding a little twist to make it your own. My rosemary- infused cosmopolitan is one example of how an iconic cocktail can be changed ever so slightly to make a new, personalized invention.

The only thing I did here was add a dash of rosemary simple syrup. And here’s the deal with me and simple syrup: I don’t like to use too much because of the additional sugar.While developing this recipe, I figured out how to infuse the simple syrup with a strong rosemary flavor so that I only needed a small amount. It seems obvious, but it took some time for me to figure it out. Here’s what I did: I added 2 big sprigs of rosemary to the simple syrup while it simmered on the stove and then...here’s the secret...I took two more sprigs of fresh rosemary and added it to the finished syrup. Then they got all cozy...or chilly I guess...in the refrigerator overnight. The result was a wonderfully fragrant, woodsy, piney flavor.

Cocktails should appeal to all your senses. So, of course, this drink is garnished with rosemary. It’s beautiful. But wait! Before you add that final sprig of rosemary, slightly bend or crush a few rosemary leaves to bring out the herbal aroma. As you bring the glass to your mouth, take a deep breath through your nose before the first sip. It really is cocktail perfection.

Rosemary Garnish 1

Rosemary Infused CosmopolitanMakes 2 cocktails

• 4 oz. cranberry juice (I prefer the unsweetened kind, especially since there is simple syrup in this recipe, but you can use either)
• 4 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 4 teaspoons rosemary simple syrup (recipe below)
• Ice cubes
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish

Combine the ice, cranberry juice, lime juice, vodka and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Cover and shake for about 30 seconds until thoroughly chilled. Pour into chilled martini glasses.

Take the rosemary springs and bend 5 or 6 of the leaves, not enough to break them but just enough to release their scent. Place one sprig in each glass. Serve immediately.

Rosemary Simple Syrup Makes 1 cup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large rosemary sprigs

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add 2 of the rosemary sprigs and barely simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the remaining 2 rosemary sprigs and allow to cool. Once cooled, transfer the syrup with the rosemary sprigs to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Strain before using the syrup.

*Syrup will stay fresh for 1 week in the refrigerator.