#cardinal spirits

[earlhamclassics]

Approved.

[whiskingmylifeaway]

White Claw Jello Shots

White Claw Jello Shots

By no means am I a mixologist. In fact, this is my first time making jello shots. But I never shy away from a recipe challenge — and lets face it, who isn’t bored in quarantine?

To start I had a variety pack of White Claw, a handle of Tito’s, and a box of unflavored gelatin. I then took each flavor of the alcoholic sparking water and scrounged my pantry to find ingredients that would help…

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[bighairandfoodiefare]

"Thanks Champagne"- Two simple and delicious holiday Champagne cocktails and the BEST SNL skit of all time

“Thanks Champagne”- Two simple and delicious holiday Champagne cocktails and the BEST SNL skit of all time

Ohhhh, champagne- you old rascal. How I love thee. Let me count the ways. In the bath, at a show, on a bus with a stripper pole. (That’s about as good as my poetry skills get- Thanks champagne and thanks Dr. Seuss)

Let me start of by saying, this post was made possible by Luc Belaire’s generous donation of several bottles of GLORIOUS bubbles. I know I talk about bubbles  quite often, but “I…

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[drinkdistiller]

The Long Haul // Cardinal's Building

It's been a little while since we've had the chance to catch up with the folks at Cardinal Spirits as they continue their work towards completing their brand new distillery. In part 3 of 'The Long Haul', the construction is coming along nicely, ever-nearing completion, with a video tour of the new facility.

"We had delays, and we’re over budget." said every building owner, ever. I’ve learned that delays and budget overruns are pretty much the rule rather than the exception for construction projects. Luckily, we planned for them, and are still pretty much on schedule for starting initial production in October.

We’ve learned a lot during the process of designing and building our distillery - it seems like we learn about a new concept every day, only to quickly move on to the next. It reminds me a little of the Matrix, where they can just learn to fly a helicopter by downloading the knowledge, and can fly away in a matter of seconds. 

Going into this thing, we didn’t know anything about the glamorous and sensual world of municipal waste water treatment. So we read books, worked with environmental engineers, hired water analysis firms, and met with lots of city officials. Eventually we came up with a good strategy for treating our stillage. So, now we know how to do that. Will we ever use that knowledge again? Maybe, if we build another production facility someday. But as soon as that hurdle was crossed, we had to learn about HVAC system design, then we had to learn about state and municipal health codes for beverage service… it’s never-ending. And it’s a hell of a lot of fun if you love solving problems.

Everyday we are making steady progress on the building. It's exciting to see our new home coming together. There are a lot of pieces in motion and it's a slow process, but we are at the stage where you can start to see how everything will look when it comes together. Soon we'll have doors and windows instead of holes in our walls, and soon after we'll have a working distillery that we can be proud of.

[whatiwore]

Holiday Spirits | Pink Lady Fizz

My Holiday records have been spinning since Friday morning (She & Him Holiday! I love it!) and I can't wait to host a little cocktail hour with friends later this month.  One of our favorite Holiday cocktails is super easy to make - just flavored soda, gin and a beautiful garnish. We're calling this raspberry drink a Pink Lady Fizz. Here's how to make it! 

The Pink Lady Fizz is a gin based cocktail that's on the sweet side and can be diluted by adding more flavored soda for a lighter effect.  We used:

1 Part Dry Gin (measuring with a jigger is helpful!)

Half a can of Raspberry Soda

Fresh Rosemary and Raspberries to garnish.

To add extra appeal, add a metal straw and use novelty ice (we love making ours with distilled water - it makes it more clear - in large and small spheres and cubes). Easy and delicious! 

This cocktail is intended for adults 21+. Please drink responsibly!

What I Wore readers can use a 30% discount on their Cardinal Spirits orders over $30 from now until Christmas Eve (use code: whatiwore) 

[whatiwore]

Holiday Spirits | Cranberry Ginger Martini

The Holidays are just around the corner! Adam and I spend a lot of time gathering together with friends and family and entertaining in our home this time of year. And one of our favorite parts of a party? The craft cocktail! 

A little background first!  Most of you know Adam has been taking the photos on What I Wore for the past 4 years, but what you may not have heard about is that he’s opening a craft distillery in Bloomington in 2014! Cardinal Spirits will be starting production on gin, vodka, whiskey and fruit liqueurs with local ingredients next spring! 

Adam and I have worked together to create a quartet of craft cocktails to enjoy as you entertain this Holiday season. Stay tuned for a new drink each week! 

First up - a sweet and spicy cranberry cocktail perfect for Thanksgiving dinner! 

The Cranberry Ginger Martini is a ginger liqueur based cocktail made extra special with a fresh cranberry and candied ginger garnish.  Here's what you'll need:

1 Part Ginger Liqueur (we love Domaine de Canton)

1 Part unsweeted Cranberry Juice

1 Part Vodka (optional, to make a stiffer cocktail)

Fresh Cranberries and Candied Ginger to garnish

When it comes to martinis, employ the shaken, not stirred method.  We used a Boston Shaker to make our cocktail, as they're big enough to mix up two at a time.  Combine all liquid ingredients into the metal portion of the shaker and fill with ice. Pop the  glass on top and give it a good shake. This will chill the ingredients and add a nice little froth to the top of the cocktail. Next, using a Hawthorne strainer, pour into a coupe martini glass. The size we've used here is more traditional for pre-Prohibition era cocktails, but you can also use a larger sized martini glass if that's what you have! 

To garnish, use a bamboo cocktail skewer with fresh cranberries and candied ginger (available in most bulk aisles).

This cocktail is intended for adults, 21 and older. Please drink responsibly!