Drinks for Two

"There cannot be good living where there is not good drinking." - Benjamin Franklin

[drinksfortwo]

Honey basil brandy smash

1.5oz cognac

.75oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.75oz honey syrup (.5oz warm water to two heaping bar spoons honey)

Two big basil leaves

Mix honey and water in shaker. Add cognac and basil. Muddle basil well. Add lemon juice. Shake with ice. Strain into coupe glass, garnish with basil leaf.

[drinksfortwo]

Manhattan Blood Moon

1.5oz Bourbon

.5oz Noily Pratt Sweet Vermouth

Splash Of Maraschino

1oz Pinot Noir

2 Dash angostura bitters

Stir all ingredients accept wine with ice, strain into glass, use back of spoon to gently pour wine into glass as float. Garnish with brandy cherry.

[drinksfortwo]

Oil and Spice

1.5oz dark rum (blackstrap or the darkest you can find)

.5oz Averna

.5oz falernum syrup

Juice of 1/2 lime

Shake with ice, serve up with orange twist

[drinksfortwo]

She’s summery. She’s tiki. She’s spicy. She’s liquor forward. She’s May in Manhattan.

May in Manhattan

1.5oz aged rum

.5oz Montenegro

.75oz falernum

Stir with ice, serve up with orange twist.

[drinksfortwo]

First Day of Spring

You know that smell of the first warm day of the year and your neighbor grills for the first time? That sort of springy smelly smell? That’s what this cocktail TASTES like. 

1.5 oz Bowmore 12 Year (or other scotch)

1 oz Tenth Ward Distilling Conservation Cordial (or other herbal forward liqueur)

1 teaspoon honey

Stir ingredients without ice and serve. Or stir a second time with ice and serve.

[drinksfortwo]

Almond Daquiri

2oz spiced rum

.75oz amaretto

Juice of 1 small lime.

Shake with ice and serve up

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Caffe Manhattan

2oz repasado tequila

2oz cinnamon infused cold brew coffee

.75oz simple

2 dashes orange bitters

Stir and serve up, garnish with orange twist

[drinksfortwo]

Key Daiquiri

Our take on a Hemingway Daiquiri but make it Frederick style. Frederick, Maryland that is. All the liquor featured in this drink are from a local distillery that we are getting married at next year!

Here is how to make:

1 oz Ragin’ Rum

1 oz Attabrandy

1/2 oz Summertime Liqueur

1/2 oz orange juice

1/2 simple

Juice of 1/2 lime

Splash Pawpawmaro

Shake shake shake. Garnish with lime wheel.

[drinksfortwo]

Montenegroni

The culinary traditions of Italy are vast and influential, but there are few as unique and truly irreplaceable as the nation’s cocktail culture. A long-standing favorite of mine and many is the Negroni; a classic combination of one parts each gin, Campari, and vermouth. The ingredients come together as a pungent, bitter potion of complex and delicious flavors. Perfect for settling a stomach bursting full of hard cheese and pasta, the Negroni’s stomach-calming properties have earned near mythical status. It’s like Pepto-Bismol in ruby-red slippers. 

For many, the signature bite of Campari can be a bit much. It’s alluring red color makes sweet promises of cherries and grenadine, but that first sip instead storms the palate with earthy notes of gentian and bitter orange. It can be a fun game at cocktail parties to watch as the face of an Amari virgin transforms into a knot of disbelief after their first sip of a Negroni. 

Despite her refined palate, H is not a Campari lover. Being the Negroni enthusiast that I am, I sought out ways that she could enjoy the cocktail with me. A common tradeoff is subbing Campari for its softer, more orange like brother, Aperol. It’s a great substitute, though much of the signature bitterness is lost in the conversion. Here’s where we come to the oh-so-cleverly named Montenegroni, a concoction H and I collaborated on to bring some signature bitterness back to the Negroni, while doing something interesting with the flavor.

Montenegro is a delicious Amaro with a spicy, clove-like flavor. Lovingly known as Monty to those who enjoy it (side note: Monty is also the name of our adorable orange tabby cat, so bonus points for Montenegro there), it is an incredibly agreeable amaro to most people, even those who aren’t big fans of bitter drinks. That clove flavor makes it a natural pair for the orange forward Aperol. For the Montenegroni, mix equal parts Montenegro, Aperol, and Gin in a mixing glass, then pour into a rocks glass with ice, or serve it up in a coupe if you prefer. Normally I like a few dashes of orange bitters in my Negronis, but in this case, I feel the Aperol takes care of that flavor profile so any orange bitters I add just get lost. Feel free to toss some in if you want though.

This Negroni-like concoction opens with a fragrance of sweet citrus, clove, and a hint of cinnamon. The flavors scream Christmas to me, but I’m not sure if that’s a universal feeling. On the tail, you’ll get a gentle, stomach-calming hug of bitterness from the Montenegro and Aperol, but it doesn’t hang on past its welcome. I hope you enjoy this one, I certainly do, and it is as tasty as it is simple.

Montenegroni Recipe 1oz Aperol 1oz Montenegro 1oz Gin (We used Bombay Sapphire)

Place all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Using a julip spoon or hawthorne strainer, strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube, or serve up in a coupe. Garnish with a twist of orange.  

[drinksfortwo]

Cinnamon Darkened Manhattan

A perfect winter spin on the classic cocktail, this spicy but smooth concoction is perfect for cold days in watching movies or listening to music. Most cinnamon whiskeys are sugar bombs, deeply inspired by candy store treats like Atomic Fireballs. For those of us who prefer something a bit more refined—without the refined sugar—try making your own cinnamon infused whiskey (instructions below) for an even more special treat; even better, it couldn’t be easier! Manhattans have always been a hit or miss cocktail for me but this lightly sweet and deeply satisfying drink gives just about everyone something to love about it! 

1.5oz Cinnamon infused whiskey .75oz Noilly Prat Rouge Vermouth (or substitute your favorite sweet vermouth) .75oz Coffee liqueur 1 dash aromatic bitters (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Serve up in a martini or coupe glass, or on the rocks. 

To make your own cinnamon infused whiskey: Fill a mason jar or long term storage vessel with about 375ml (roughly half a bottle) of whiskey (we use regular Jim Beam because it’s inexpensive and takes to the flavor well). Add two long cinnamon sticks, broken in half. Let sit for about 1 week (I know, I know, but trust me, it’s worth the wait!), agitating daily. Pour into a bottle through a fine mesh strainer to catch the bits of cinnamon bark, and it’s ready to go!. 

[drinksfortwo]

Spiced Apple Daiquiri

No, we’re not talking about the frozen daiquiri you have at a swim up bar in Florida. We’re talking about a spiced rum in one of it’s truest forms. If you’re looking for a drink that tastes like what apple picking in crisp October air feels like, look no further. Hannah’s secretly calling it the Dapper Apple, but we can keep that between us. 

1.5 oz spiced rum

.25 oz lime juice

.5 oz simple syrup

1.0 oz spiced apple cider

2 dashes ginger bitters

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Serve up in a coupe glass.

Garnish option: cinnamon stick

[drinksfortwo]

Rum Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned, the very definition of a classic, but more than that, it is a template on which to build. I personally enjoy modifying the traditional recipe, subbing in various syrups, bitters, and liquors. The rum old fashioned is one of my favorite variations, and this rendition is potentially the most delicious of the ones I’ve tried. Enjoy when you want a sweet spin on a classic. 

2 oz of Zaya rum (You can use any aged or blended dark rum, but Zaya is my preference.)

0.5 oz Simple syrup

3 dashes orange bitters

1 dash aromatic bitters (angostura preferred, feel free to do two instead, but I like to keep the orange bitters dominant).

Garnish with an orange peel. 

Mix the bitters and syrup in a chilled old fashioned glass. Add one large ice cube. Add rum, stir until cold. Fold and press the orange peel between your fingers to release the oil from it, run it along the edge of the glass then drop it in.  

[drinksfortwo]

This seems as good a place as any to jot this lil idea nugget down:

Start a cidery called Belly Laugh and inside the label print jokes (a la Laffy Taffy) and call them incider jokes.

[drinksfortwo]

“Virgin” Old Fashioned

Recently, my dad has not been able to enjoy drinks with a lot of alcohol. Being the cocktail-making couple Hannah and I are, this has obviously meant that he gets left out when we’re making drinks for the rest of our guests when he’s here. I started to think more about our “What to Drink When You’re not Drinking” category. Enter the “Virgin” Old Fashioned; a mocktail which replicates the color, presentation, and much of the taste of the classic cocktail. It’s mostly non-alcoholic, as bitters contains alcohol, but you use very little of it. The look of this drink allows the drinker to enjoy a special beverage, while not having to answer a lot of questions about why they’re not drinking. 

5-6 dashes aromatic bitters (such as Angostura) 

0.5 ounce simple syrup

2 ounces club soda 

Mix bitters and simple syrup in an old fashioned glass. Add one or two ice cubes and slowly stir in the club soda. There will be a lot of head on the drink when you first make it, due to the soda mixing with the sugar, but give it a minute or two and it will be a convincing flat head. Garnish with an orange peal (before dropping it in the glass, fold it long ways and press it between your fingers to release the flavorful oils). 

[drinksfortwo]

When we go on vacation we NEVER leave empty handed. While in Charleston, South Carolina a few weeks ago we made stops at the Savannah Bee Company and the Charleston Distilling Company. From left to right we have Sting Session Mead, Tupelo Blossom Mead, Tolerance Liquor, Jasper’s Barrel Aged Gin. 

We’ve purchased the Sting Mead from a previous trip to Savannah and the ginger flavor is out of this world! One the favorites around here.

The Blossom Mead is one we tasted in the store and fell in love with. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet and still has a dry finish. I’m looking forward to trying it in our Weak in the Bees Knees!

We are currently obsessed with the Charleston Distilling Company right now. The Tolerance Liquor is a ginger cinnamon liquor and is basically heaven. So excited to share some recipes with it that we have been working out.

The Jasper’s Barrel Aged Gin has an unmistakeable taste of orange that is just so smooth and unique. I’ve been enjoying making martinis with it, but I have a feeling that we will find it very versatile. 

[drinksfortwo]

Old Oak

Something new and something, well, also new. Made with our new Jasper’s Aged Gin, homemade Earl Grey infused vermouth and a few dashes of orange bitters, this twist on a classic martini blends flavors of orange and bergamot in a smooth, playful way.

1 part aged gin (we used our new Jaspers gin because we like the orange flavor, but any aged gin should do the trick)

1 part earl grey vermouth

2 or 3 dashes orange bitters

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Garnish with orange peel or brandied cherry. 

[drinksfortwo]

And the infusions are complete!

Left: Earl Grey Vermouth

Right: Black Pepper Gin

Earl Grey Vermouth:

5 bags of Earl Grey tea

750 ml sweet vermouth (we used Martini Rossi)

Combine ingredients. Let steep for several hours to taste.

Black Pepper Gin

1/4 cup black peppercorns

750 ml dry gin (we used Amsterdam)

Combine ingredients. Let steep for 3 days or to taste (not smell!). We got this beautiful dark tea color.