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! 

Bourbon Cider Fizz

I like simple, elegant cocktails. I don’t typically want my drinks to have lots of frills but I still want to feel a little fancy when I’m holding it in my hand. That’s why I love taking classic cocktails and dressing them up a bit. This particular cocktail was inspired by a French 75, but I swapped some things out. Instead of champagne or Prosecco, I used a dry hard cider for festive bubbles. Instead of gin, I used bourbon. Instead of lemon juice, a teeny teaspoon of my homemade cranberry sauce (could also use cranberry juice). A little orange zest ribbon and a couple floating cranberries later, the Bourbon Cider Fizz was born! Perfect for Thanksgiving or basically anything worth celebrating in 2020. I mean it. We need all the reasons to celebrate right now, am I right?

Bourbon Cider Fizz

Makes 2 cocktails

• One 12 oz can or bottle of dry hard cider, chilled

• 2 oz bourbon

• 2 teaspoons homemade cranberry sauce* OR a splash or two of unsweetened cranberry juice

• 2 teaspoons spiced simple syrup (recipe here)

• fresh cranberries and orange zest for garnish

1. In two low ball glasses or champagne flutes, combine the bourbon with the cranberry sauce and simple syrup. Stir until combined. Slowly pour the hard cider into the glass. Stir once or twice to combine. Add garnishes. Sip and enjoy!

Cocktail Friday: Winter Gin & Tonic

If ever there was a time to get Cocktail Friday back in gear, it has to be this stage of 2020.

With an election looming and a pandemic raging, we are all looking for solace and ways to mark the end of a long week. Happy hour at home has always been a favorite way of mine to simply sign off at the end of the week. No need to get all dressed up to go out (although that is something I miss). Instead, I splash my face with some water, put on some beautiful music, light a couple candles, and mix up a fun cocktail.

In different times, I would also occasionally invite friends over to partake in a beautiful beverage and some tasty snacks.

This year, unlike most for me, I’m having a hard time fully letting go of summer. So I’m bringing a little winter vibe to a traditionally summer cocktail that I think is going to become a favorite for a lot of you!

I start with a flavorful simple syrup that showcases flavors that conjure thoughts of cozy nights by the fire, like star anise, all spice, black pepper and cinnamon. Then, it is all about the garnishes. Thinly sliced wheels of citrus (anything goes here- lemon, lime, grapefruit, clementine, orange) float around amid the dancing bubbles from the tonic water. And suddenly I hear Billie Holiday singing in the background and I sip on this piney, spiced cocktail and all is right with the world.

Side note: did you know you can use spruce sprigs to garnish a cocktail? Yep. It’s true. I’m doing this forever and ever because it is gorgeous and the scent goes perfectly with gin! Can’t find spruce sprigs? Rosemary or thyme are both excellent as well.

Winter Gin & Tonic

Makes 2 cocktails

For the simple syrup:

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 cup water

• 2 star anise pods

• 4 whole allspice berries (or juniper berries if you can find them)

• 5 black peppercorns

• 1 stick cinnamon

For the cocktail:

• 4 oz gin

• 1 - 2 oz simple syrup (depends on how sweet you prefer your g&t)

• tonic water

• sliced citrus for garnish

• star anise pods for garnish

• allspice or juniper berries for garnish

• spruce sprig or rosemary sprig for garnish

1. Begin by making the syrup. Combine the sugar, star anise, allspice, black peppercorns, cinnamon, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Then remove from the heat and let steep for an hour. Transfer the syrup to a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use and up to 2 weeks.

2. To make the cocktail: in a cocktail shaker or pitcher filled with a some ice, combine the gin and simple syrup. Squeeze a little juice from whatever citrus you are using into the pitcher as well. Stir well with a long spoon or stir stick.

3. Pour the gin mixture into two cocktail glasses filled with ice (I like glasses with stems but they have to be large enough to hold ice along with the cocktail). Top with tonic water, then garnish with anise pods, allspice or juniper berries, and a spruce sprig.

*Note: this is VERY easy to make in larger quantities. Simply stir all the ingredients together, then strain into a pitcher WITHOUT ICE. Store in the fridge until ready to serve!

Kombucha Thyme

*I take my brand partnerships very seriously and will always tell you when posts are sponsored. This post is graciously sponsored by Health Ade, my absolute FAVORITE kombucha brand! All opinions are my own, as always.

Happy October! I’m thrilled to welcome cooler temperatures, cozier clothes, and more reasons to make soup and drink apple cider. Go ahead and call me basic or whatever word is used to describe total predictability, because I have ALWAYS loved fall, even before it was trendy, and I don’t plan on stopping that love affair anytime soon.

Yesterday, we went to Minneapolis with my brother and sister-in-law who were visiting from Colorado. We spent much of the day outside. It was hot and humid and pretty much my least favorite weather. There is something about heavy, humid air that makes me feel claustrophobic. So waking up this morning to cold, rainy weather was a huge relief. I’m sitting in front of the fireplace wearing a warm sweater and feeling thankful for my first fall in Minnesota in a very long time. To make up for lost time, I’m OF COURSE putting apple cider (not hard cider, just in case any of my UK friends are reading) in all the things! From cocktails to pancakes to donuts. And now in my kombucha!

Want to know how I like to mix up two of my favorite beverages?

This is less of a recipe and more of a suggestion for dressing up your daily kombucha to make it perfect for fall! Start with Health Ade Grape Vibes Kombucha poured over ice. Add a splash of apple cider and a sprig or two or thyme (rosemary also works beautifully) and sip away!

Fresh Peach & Tomato Salsa

Can we agree that chips and salsa is the best snacking combo on the planet?

Good. I knew we could be friends.

Since our move from Colorado to Minnesota at the beginning of the summer, we’ve consumed many bags of tortilla chips and many jars of salsa with friends and family because a) SO easy, and 2) YUM. I’ve mostly gone for the store-bought version because it turns out moving is completely exhausting and leaves me with little to no energy for cooking. But there have been a couple times when I’ve found myself with some random ingredients that come together to make a killer homemade salsa. This fresh peach & tomato salsa has to be my favorite.

One perfectly ripe fresh peach, one locally grown tomato, some lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, salt and pepper is all it took to make this bowl of beauty and you need to get on board immediately. It’s not hard and it is sure to impress your friends!

Fresh Peach & Tomato Salsa

• 1 medium fresh peach, peeled and diced

• 1 medium ripe tomato (or a handful of ripe cherry tomatoes), diced

• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced

• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

• juice of 1 lime

• salt to taste

1. Add all the ingredients in a medium bowl and toss gently to combine.

2. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

3. Enjoy immediately! This one is best fresh because it can get pretty watery the longer it sits.