The Queen Bees Knees

The Queen Bees Knees

Cocktail Ingredients:

1.5 oz Garnish Island Gin

.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.5 oz Barrows Intense Ginger

1 oz Cinnamon Honey Syrup (recipe below)

Cinnamon Honey Syrup ingredients:

9 oz Honey

3 oz Hot Water

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Cinnamon Honey Syrup Recipe:

In a heat proof container add honey and cinnamon.  Boil water and pour over honey.  Mix together ingredients before the hot water cools until it is fully incorporated.  Add additional water if necessary.  The syrup should be thick but still watery when it cools so that it is easy to pour from a container.  After fully incorporated and cooled, bottle and store in the refrigerator.

The Queen Bees Knees Instructions:

In a shaker tin combine gin, honey syrup, ginger liqueur and fresh lemon juice.  Fill the shaker with ice and shake for 15 seconds or until ice forms on the outside of the shaker.  Using a hawthorne strainer and a tea strainer, double strain the cocktail into a coupe or martini glass.  Using a microplane, finely grate nutmeg over the top of the cocktail. Garnish with a wedge of beeswax or lemon peel.

Currant Mood

Currant Mood

Cocktail ingredients:

1.5 oz Vodka

1 oz Lemon Juice

.5 oz Elderflower Liqueur

.75 oz Simple Syrup

Black Currant and Blueberry Spheres:

5-7 g Sodium Alginate

1 g Calcium Lactate

1000 g Distilled Water

.5 t Xanthan Gum

100 g Black Currant and Blueberry Spheres:

Tools:

Immersion Blender

Tea spoon

Bakers Scale

Shaker Tin

Hawthorne Strainer

Pippet

Fine Mesh Strainer

You will want to start with the spheres:

This recipe uses a process called reverse spherification.  It takes time as the following instructions need to sit for at least an hour before use.  You will first need to make a sodium alginate bath with distilled water and then infuse the juice with calcium lactate and xanthan gum.

Buckle Up!:

1. In a large bowl add distilled water and sodium alginate.  You need to use distilled water because it does not have calcium like tap or spring water.  The calcium that we add to the juice is what causes the reaction that we need to form the spheres that will pop in your mouth.  If there is calcium in the water the entire bowl will turn into a thicker gelatin which will not be usable.

2. Use the immersion blender to incorporate the ingredients entirely.  You will notice that it will thicken and have many air bubbles.  Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  The reason it needs to sit is that we do not want any bubbles in the liquid.  The bubbles will disturb the spherification process.  When using the sodium alginate bath it should become clear after sitting.

3. In a medium bowl add the black currant blueberry juice, calcium lactate, and xanthan gum.  Using a clean immersion blender, incorporate entirely.  Cover and place in the fridge for an hour or until there are no more air bubbles.

4. After the bubbles in both the sodium alginate bath and juice mixture dissipate, pull them out of the refrigerator to begin the spherification process.

5. Using a pipet draw up the juice and carefully squeeze out peasides spheres into the sodium alginate bath.  You will want to bring your pipet close to the sodium alginate bath, but do not fully submerge it.  Once you see the sphere starting to descend into the liquid, move onto your next sphere.  Make as many spheres as you want, just be sure that they are not touching each other.  Do not disturb the spheres for 2-4 minutes.  You can use a spoon to move the sodium alginate bath without touching the spheres to see if the out barrier has formed a strong enough layer.  The longer it sits, the thicker the gelatin wall so you will want to pay close attention as we are just forming an outer barrier while the inside remains liquid.

6. Once you are confident that your spheres have formed, strain the entire bath with the spheres into a fine mesh strainer.  Rinse the spheres with distilled water and place in a bowl with a little bit of black currant juice.  This should be fresh juice, not the remaining juice incorporated with the calcium lactate and xanthan gum.  The juice will keep the spheres from sticking together and will help them from breaking as we make the cocktail.

Assembling the cocktail:

1. In a shaker tin add the vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, and elderflower.  Add ice and shake vigorously.

2. Strain into a highball glass with a hawthorne strainer and add fresh ice.

3. Carefully top the cocktail with your black currant blueberry spheres.  Use a spoon with small holes so that you can rinse the excess juice off of the spheres before adding it to the cocktail.  Serve with a straw.

Pineapple Blackout

Pineapple Blackout

Ingredients:

2 oz Bulliet Bourbon

.75 oz Pineapple Reduction

.25 oz Lemon Juice

.5 oz Simple Syrup

1 Flavour Blaster Citrus Bubble

Tools:

Shaker Tin

Jigger

Hawthorne Strainers

Tea Strainer

Flavour Blaster Gun

Pineapple Reduction Instructions:

1. Pour a half gallon of pineapple juice into a sauce pan.  Simmer on low for 2-3 hours.  Do not boil.  The pineapple juice should reduce by 50-75%.

2. Once the reduction is complete, take off the heat and bottle.

Cocktail Building Instructions:

1. In a shaker tin add the bourbon, pineapple reduction, lemon juice, and simple syrup.  Shake with ice for 15 seconds or until ice forms on the outside of the container.

2. Double strain the cocktail into a rocks glass with a hawthorne and tea strainer.

3. Fill the glass with ice.  Use the Flavour Blaser gun to top the beverage with a citrus bubble.

4. Enjoy!

The Ghost of Summers' Past

The Ghost of Summers’ Past

Cocktail Ingredients:

2 oz Don Q Crystal

1 oz Funkin Passion Fruit Puree

1 oz Pure Mango Juice

2 oz Seltzer Water

6-8 Mint Leaves

Mint and Lime Air Ingredients:

36 oz Simple Syrup

16 oz Lime Juice

1 Large Bunch of Mint

2 Heaping Teaspoons Soy Lecithin

Tools:

Immersion Blender

Blender

Chinois

Teaspoon

Shaker Tin

Hawthorne Strainer

Jigger

Here is how to make AIR:

1. In a blender combine simple syrup, lime juice, and mint.  Blend until ingredients are incorporated.

2. Strain the mixture with a fine mesh strainer into a deep and wide vessel.

3. Add soy lecithin and blend with the immersion blender.  In terms of technique you want to partially submerge the blades so that air can be incorporated into the liquid.  It will take a little finesse, so pay attention to what is happening to the liquid.  Is it creating air or breaking it down (hint: you want to stick with whatever technique is making the air)?  If you need to, tip the vessel slightly to increase the depth of the liquid, but generally the more surface area the better.

4. Once you are satisfied with your air, set it aside and begin assembling your cocktail.

Building The Ghost of Summers’ Past is simple!:

1. In a highball glass add rum, passion fruit, mango, and seltzer water.

2. Take 8 pieces of mint and put them in the palm of your hand.  Slap the mint with your other hand.  The reason for this is that it allowed the oils, aromas, and flavor of the mint to release from the leaves without having to muddle.

3. Fill your glass with ice, but leave a finger's width of space at the top of the glass.

4. Fill the remainder of the glass with your mint and lime air.  Garnish with a sprig of mint and enjoy!

Home is where the Horchata is

Home is where the Horchata is

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups long grain white rice (dry uncooked)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 cinnamon sticks

1 Star Anise

4 cups cold water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups whole milk

2oz Kahlua

1oz Mezcal

Makes 2 Servings

Originally from North Africa this sweet treat migrated to Spain and Portugal, later finding itself in the homes of millions of Latin American families.  It is traditionally non-alcoholic, but we would not be here if that is what we wanted.  Am I right?!  Preparing for this class was the first time I had tasted and made Horchata and I am in love.  I know it is going to be a staple in our home especially during the holidays!

Here is how to make Horchata:

1. Add rice, sliced almonds, cinnamon sticks, star anise, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and whole milk into a blender.  Pulse until the almonds break apart but do not fully macerate.

2. Pour the ingredients into a larger pitcher and add the water.  Cover and let sit for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

3. After 24 hours remove from the refrigerator and strain with a cheesecloth.  You will then want to bottle the horchata for convenient storage.

Making the cocktail is super simple!

1. In a Collins glass pour 1oz of kahlua and .5oz mezcal.

2. Fill the glass with ice.

3. Top the glass with Horchata

4. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and star anise.