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Here’s The Perfect Cocktail To Bid Adieu To Summer

Perfect Cocktail

The FreshToast, Julien Perry

For many, Labor Day weekend signals the last hurrah. The end of summer. The beginning of fall. The start of a new school year. For the rest of us, it signals another reason to drink.

 Thankfully, author and cocktail maestro Warren Bobrow, a good friend of The Fresh Toast, has created a cocktail that will give summer a proper sendoff, along with your sobriety.
 The cocktail, which Bobrow calls “Syncopation,” is anything but sweet. If you didn’t get the memo, we are done with sweet summer drinks. “Our palates call out for depth, balance and flavor,” says Bobrow. “With a little help, it will be fall in the glass.”
Syncopation
  • 2 oz Mezan XO Jamaican rum
  • 4 oz coconut water
  • 2-3 dashes Peychaud bitters – bright red in color
  • Splash seltzer
  • Fresh mint
  • Coconut water ice (frozen coconut water)
DIRECTIONS
  • Add coconut water ice to a tall glass
  • Add coconut water
  • Pour Mezan over the top
  • Add Peychaud’s
  • Slap mint (to release the fragrant oils) and garnish
  • Serve

If you drink a few too many of these, Bobrow has just the cure — New Orleans style. It’s a milk punch that could not be quicker to pull together. Here’s what you do: mix together equal parts brandy, simple syrup, vanilla, heavy cream, milk, ice, and nutmeg. Shake. Serve. And then remember that your hangover is proof that you lived up the last days of summer like someone who was  never going to see the sun again.

PLEASE READ MORE @ https://thefreshtoast.com/drink/heres-perfect-cocktail-bid-adieu-summer/amp

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Millennial Pink Gin

The Newest Craze That’s Not New At All! The current obsession was invented in the 1800’s.

Pink Gin
Photo by Flickr user Stuart Webster
Invented by millennials? Yes and no. The original incarnation of the Pink Gin was developed in the mid-1800’s in England and in the Colonies (Princeton University comes to mind) by collegians (millennials) dissatisfied by the flavor of their home-made ‘distilled’ gin. The classic preparation for a pink gin would have involved a heavier variety of gin. In this case it would have been the higher proof (sometimes called Navy strength, which is usually made to be bottled a bit north of 50% abv., or 100 Proof.) Plymouth Gin was a style made popular in Plymouth, England. The very name, Plymouth- is a protected name by provenance alone. No one else can make Plymouth Gin.
Angostura Bitters- the pink component date back to the 1800’s so it’s completely plausible that these healing bitters were added to the high proof (i.e. Navy Strength) gin was originally used to kill an acute belly-ache or lessen the ravages of seasickness while battling the oceans of the earth. This higher proof gin, also known as a Plymouth Gin or a Tom Cat style (like the brilliantly made Barr Hill from Vermont), would have been aged for a period of time in a barrel that may have held some kind of whiskey. This flavor of the strong grain based spirit would have deeply colored the inside of the cask and added deep sweetness from other ingredients like molasses in certain historic versions to the modern day, potent Navy-style gin.

 This trend of making pink gin cocktails died out for about a hundred years due to changing tastes. The Pink Gin cocktail magically reappeared during the Roaring Twenties. The period known as the Jazz Era was a high living time during Prohibition. The rage during the 1920’s and 1930’s, involved drinking large quantities of ‘bathtub’ or cheaply made gin mixed into fruity concoctions, created or recreated as it was, to kill the foul taste of the intoxicating liquids.
 READ MORE AT: 

https://thefreshtoast.com/culture/millennial-pink-gin-the-newest-craze-thats-not-new-at-all/

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Weed Recipes: Top 10 Best Cannabis Cookbooks

I’m so very honored!

Edibles are a fun, convenient and covert way to consume cannabis, whether for recreation or medical purposes. Edibles are yummy treats infused with marijuana, that deliver the medicinal and psychoactive ingredients to your system without having to smoke anything. They can take the form of anything from brownies to borscht, with the help of infused oils like cannabutter. You can make savory cannabis foods like spaghetti, sweet treats like cookies and candies, or even drinks like cocktails and marijuana tea. If you want to get started making your own edibles at home but do not know how, don’t worry – there is a cannabis cookbook out there for you! In this list we will go over our top 10 favorite edibles cookbooks, featuring recipes for all tastes, budgets, and skill levels. You will find omnivorous and vegan treats, sweet and savory, complex recipes and some that take as little as five minutes to prepare.

If you want a more in-depth look on how to make cannabutter and other cannabis oils, check out our How To Make Pot Brownies post where we cover all of the steps. Make sure to follow all local laws when growing, processing, or eating your cannabis!

1. ‘Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations’ by Warren Bobrow

'Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations' by Warren Bobrow, best weed cookbook, marijuana cooking

One of the newest ways people are enjoying cannabis is by combining it with cocktails and mocktails. This is especially popular at dinner parties in the any states where cannabis has recently become legal for recreation. But, with a strong taste and a particular method of infusion necessary, beginners may not know how best to make cannabis cocktails. This book has a collection of 75 cannabis drink recipes by “The Cocktail Whisperer” Warren Bobrow. It also includes a full history of cannabis as a social and medicinal drug. You will find recipes not only for cocktails but for shrubs, bitters, butters, oils and even coffee, tea and milk-based drinks for the morning hours. This is a really fun book for anyone who loves drinks and cannabis.

Price: Kindle $2.99 Hardcover $17.57

Buy Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics here

READ MORE AT: http://heavy.com/garden/2016/06/weed-recipes-top-10-best-cannabis-cookbooks/

 

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Recipes

STROH SNOWPUNCH

HOT DRINKS WITH STROH

http://www.stroh.at/en/recipes/hot-drinks/stroh-snowpunch/

STROH SNOWPUNCH

A DELICIOUS ALTERNATIVE DRINK TO THE CLASSICAL PUNCH WITH STROH

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cl STROH Rum
  • 250 ml milk
  • 2 table spoons brown sugar
  • 100 ml whipped cream
  • ground cinnamon

PREPARATION

  • Heat the milk in a pot.
  • Add the sugar and melt it.
  • Beat the milk with a whisk.
  • Fill in a cup and add STROH rum.
  • Garnish with whipped cream and ground cinnamon.
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Articles Books Recipes

Sip The Magazine!

PARTY TIME! It’s the theme of our HOT new issue full of FROSTY drinks. How about Warren Bobrow’s SUNSET OVER THE GANGES or one of 200 others from his new book The Craft Cocktail Compendium, featured in our new issue:

http://www.sipthemagazine.com/

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Recipes

Tropical Sugar Cane Cannabis Cocktail

Take this tropical sugar-cane mocktail to a ‘higher’ level  – Cannabis recipe

 

Vietnamese sugar-cane juice with cannabis-infused milk is the perfect elixir for a gloomy day.

 

I’m a huge fan of hot-weather beverages. Right now, it’s anything but hot out, but this little mocktail will transport you. This time of year can be warm and sunny, or it can be thanklessly cold and rainy. It may officially be spring, but we are experiencing the occasional icy wind that goes right through you. That’s where Vietnamese-style, freshly crushed sugar-cane juice comes in. This scintillating liquid — extracted from the stalk using a machine that resembles a sausage grinder — is refreshing, and come summer, it’ll stave off the heat and humidity with alacrity.  To take my iced sugar-cane juice to a higher level (so to speak), I use condensed milk for the infusion. The condensed milk takes to decarbed cannabis beautifully, and you can use it in a plethora of concoctions — from the obvious caramel, by cooking it very low and slow until it caramelizes, or as the aide-de-camp to a Vietnamese iced sugar-cane juice, which is the topic of this article.

READ MORE AT: http://www.seattletimes.com/life/take-this-tropical-sugar-cane-mocktail-to-a-higher-level-cannabis-recipe/

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Recipes

Punch For The Late Summer Season

Punch is an easy way to show your appreciation to your guests and what better way than with the brightest and freshest of fruits of the season?

Warren Bobrow late summer punch

May I suggest first empowering your bar-backs. What? Aren’t they more concerned with making your fresh juices and polishing the glassware? Well, they should be doing that- and then some. When you truly want to raise the bar, and promote from the bottom up, the best way that I know how to find talented future bartenders is through the art of a late summer punch. 

It takes an understanding of the classics, starting with Jerry Thomas. Mr. Thomas for all intents and purposes is our inspiration for what we consider the classic cocktails. He was plying his craft a hundred or more years before you disappointed your grandparents by pitching that law degree in favor of slinging Ramos Gin Fizzes to thirsty hordes of newly minted revelers. 

Jerry Thomas wrote the famous book named the Bartenders Guide (also known as “how to mix drinks” and sometimes known as: The Bon-Vivant’s Companion).  His work is as relevant today as it was in the 1840’s and maybe even more so now- with the rediscovery of classic cocktails and nostalgic methodology.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  I think the first thing a bar owner or restaurant owner should do is get a copy of “how to mix drinks” and start working out of it. 

 I think a good place to start is by explaining what a wise bartender named Chris James once taught me.  He said don’t throw it out. Don’t throw what out? The last ¼ inch of a bottle. Work with flavors- save it for punch- it’s liquid money and it doesn’t go down the drain. I never forgot this lesson- just like I never forgot the lessons that I learned when I worked as a cook.  There are things that we can do to save the house money, and other things that will get us fired.  I’d rather keep my job and make money for the house than have to search for another one because I was foolish and poured ‘that’ bottle down the drain.  Save it for Punch!

Jerry Thomas Brandy Punch

As interpreted by myself with seasonal embellishments… like Cognac over plain brandy and the use of Champagne instead of plain water.

Warren Bobrow late summer punch

Ingredients

  • 1-750ml bottle of Champagne   
  • 1-750ml bottle Camus XO
    Cognac
  • 375ml Jamaican Rum- find a natural one without added sugar or caramel color 
  • 2 cups Double Simple Syrup (2:1 Turbanado Sugar to boiling water) 
  • 10 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice 
  • 4 oz. Grand Marnier or Cointreau
  • 3 oz. Grenadine 
  • Whole pineapple sliced and grilled until nicely caramelized 
  • 2 oranges sliced into rounds and grilled 
  • 1 package of organic raspberries

Prep:

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a large punch bowl
  2. Add a block of ice to dilute and add coolness to the punch
  3. Serve in tea cups with a smile

 

Another great Professor Jerry Thomas drink is known simply as the Gin Punch.  I think it’s a must do in your repertoire because gin is a very popular drink- there always is some left to use in punch.  Quite refreshing and thirst quenching during the hot months in the late Summer. 

Classic Gin Punch- influenced by Professor Jerry Thomas Gin Punch

Ingredients:

  • 1-750 ml bottle of Barr Hill “Tom Cat” Gin (distilled by hand from Raw Honey and local grain and aged in a whiskey cask) 
  • 375ml Champagne
  • 1 cup raspberries- pureed
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice- un-strained but seeded
  • 1-12 oz. bottle of cane sugar based Ginger Beer (like Q-Ginger Beer)

Prep:

  1. Shake with a Boston Shaker until frothy and serve with about a cup of fresh raspberries and orange/lemon pinwheels
  2. Serve in a large punch bowl with plenty of ice

 

The final cocktail of this series is made with a combination of rum and rye whiskey.  I’ve chosen to use the magnificently made Barrell Rye Whiskey #001 and their equally salubrious Whiskey Barrel aged Jamaican Rum.  Pretty amazing stuff together, the interplay of wood against smoke and char surrounding the dry coffee tinged sweetness of the rye whiskey. 

Rum and Whiskey Punch

Ingredients:

  • 1 750ml Bottle Barrell Rye Whiskey
  • ½ 750ml Bottle Barrell Rum (Jamaica)
  • 1 cup Double Simple Syrup (as above)
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Crushed Ice
  • Grilled Orange Pinwheels

Prep:

  1. Fill Glasses with the Crushed Ice to cool
  2. Into a cocktail mixing glass, fill ¾ with bar ice
  3. Add the liquid ingredients
  4. Stir, stir, stir
  5. Strain over freshly crushed ice in the glasses and garnish with grilled orange pinwheels
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5 Superb And Refreshing Summer Drinks Containing Grapefruit

5 Superb And Refreshing Summer Drinks Containing Grapefruit

And as an extra bonus, cannabis!

 

refreshing
Photo by Flickr user Wine Dharma

When the temperature rises above 90 degrees for what seems like days on end. When the swamp that is slowly running down your back makes a beeline for your brow- burning on the way down… you know that it is time for a refreshing little cocktail. One that smacks of tart and slightly acerbic flavor- a touch of smoke- a hint of sweet- the peel of citrus, the oil of grapefruit. I think I known what I love to drink is none other than the Hemingway Daiquiri. Here are five riffs on the classic Hemingway mind eraser. Two have medical grade Cannabis in the mix- I’ll suggest the strains too.

Decarbing is essential to my method of making cocktails that have the good stuff in them. THC. I don’t work with CBD, so please- don’t ask. I know nothing of it- and quite frankly think most of it is a shameless money grab. Hemp is rope, building materials, cosmetics- not carefully crafted cocktails made with non-commercial spirits. I’ve been pretty clear on this one from day one. I suggest looking at that snake-oil (CBD) being dripped into your gin and tonic then ask what exactly is this going to do? Absolutely nothing- because the product has nothing psycho-active in it. My late step-father was always dismayed when he couldn’t buy Hemp lines for his yacht. He’d say- cut a piece and smoke it.

 READ MORE AT:  https://thefreshtoast.com/culture/5-superb-and-refreshing-summer-drinks-containing-grapefruit/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=5%20superb%20and%20refreshing
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6 Cocktail Recipes

This Fourth of July, we hope you’re inspired to invite some friends over to your apartment for a holiday celebration. It’s a perfect time to try out that new grill or mix up some festive cocktails. From spritzers to shooters to coolers, here are some of our favorite Fourth of July cocktail recipes.

cocktail-recipes-fourth-of-july_IG

  •  

    Download the printable Cocktail Recipes for an Epic Fourth of July here!

     

    Star-Spangled Raspberry Spritzer

    Made in a highball glass, the spritzer is cool and refreshing. The lime pairs oh so smoothly with the gin, adding a cooling bite to your cocktail. The fresh raspberries give the drink a sweetness and a vibrant red color that’s perfect for a star-spangled holiday.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 ½ oz gin
    • 1 oz simple syrup
    • 1 oz fresh lime juice
    • Seltzer
    • Fresh raspberries
    • Lime slice

    Instructions:

    • Muddle 2 raspberries at the bottom of the glass
    • Add gin, simple syrup and lime juice
    • Fill each glass with ice and top with seltzer
    • Garnish with a raspberry and lime slice

     

    Red, White and Blue Shooters

    These tri-colored shooters are perfect for the Fourth of July. Unlike a red, white and blue jello shot, these shooters need no advance preparation. However, the key to getting three distinct color layers is a smooth, steady pour for each ingredient. If you pour too quickly, you’ll unfortunately end up with a purple shooter.

    Ingredients:

    • 4 oz coconut rum
    • 3 oz Kinky Blue liqueur
    • 1 oz grenadine

    Instructions:

    • Add grenadine to the bottom of the glass
    • Slowly add Kinky Blue so it forms a layer
    • Top by slowly adding coconut rum

     

    Firecracker Margaritas

    If you’re looking for something that will pop like a firecracker, these sizzling margaritas combine jalapeño, lime and honey. The recipe is an adaptation from a blended margarita recipe that was included in our Ultimate Guide to Summertime Drinks. If some of your guests aren’t too keen on a spicy cocktail, just cut back on the jalapeño to make a milder version.

    Ingredients (Makes 2):

    • 4 oz silver tequila
    • ½ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
    • ½ of a large green jalapeño, sliced thin
    • 2 oz honey
    • 2 Tbsp sea salt
    • 2 lime wedges for garnish

    Instructions:

    • Muddle jalapeño slices and lime juice
    • Add tequila and honey, then stir to combine
    • Rim each glass with salt by dipping the glass into the margarita mixture and then in a small dish of salt
    • Fill each glass with ice and pour in margarita mixture
    • Garnish with lime wedge

     

    Blueberry Breeze Cooler

    If you’re looking for a summer cocktail that’s easy to make and easy to drink, this Blueberry Breeze Cooler is the perfect combination of summertime flavors. Starting with refreshing lemonade, the addition of fresh mint, blueberries and vodka make this cocktail a delicious way to enjoy Independence Day.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 oz blueberry vodka
    • 3 oz lemonade
    • Club soda
    • Blueberries
    • Fresh mint

    Instructions:

    • In a cocktail shaker, mix lemonade and blueberry vodka
    • Strain into an ice-filled highball glass
    • Top with a splash of club soda
    • Garnish with a mint leaf and a toothpick skewered with blueberries

     

    Lady Liberty

    What better way to celebrate Lady Liberty than with a glass of spiked iced tea. Combining bourbon with peach schnapps, this Southern classic instantly evokes the feeling of old Southern front porches, even if you’re sitting on the balcony of your two-bedroom apartment in the city. It’s an easy cocktail to make, and the recipe can easily be scaled for one glass or an entire pitcher.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 parts bourbon
    • 1 part peach schnapps
    • 3 parts sweetened iced tea
    • Lemon to garnish

    Instructions:

    • Combine ingredients and pour into an ice-filled tall highball glass
    • Garnish with a lemon slice

     

    Watermelon Ginger Sparkler

    Watermelon is a classic summertime flavor, and it pairs perfectly with the sharpness of ginger and the buzz of vodka. The key to this drink is picking the best watermelon. When choosing your melon, be sure to tap it and listen for that deep hollow thump so you know it will be ripe and juicy. And for a glimpse into what the insides of your melon might look like, check the store’s pre-cut fruit to make sure the cut watermelon looks red and juicy. It’s likely that chopped melon will be similar to the one you’re about to buy. Now mix up your ingredients and you’re set for a perfect Fourth of July with this tasty summer cocktail.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 oz Grey Goose vodka
    • 1 chunk watermelon
    • 1 slice peeled ginger
    • ½ oz simple syrup
    • ½ oz fresh lime juice
    • Ginger ale

    Instructions:

    • In a shaker, muddle watermelon, ginger and simple syrup
    • Add vodka and lime juice, then fill with ice and shake
    • Strain into an ice-filled glass
    • Top with ginger ale and garnish with a tiny watermelon wedge

     

    Sources:
    http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes/a4552/raspberry-gin-rickey-recipe-clv0612/
    http://www.jimbeam.com/en-us/bourbon-drinks/kentucky-sweet-tea
    http://www.liquor.com/recipes/basil-watermelon-cooler/#gs.fzJQCN4
    https://growingupgabel.com/red-white-and-blue-shot/
    http://fedandfit.com/2015/05/28/fresh-lime-jalapeno-margarita/
    http://www.annsentitledlife.com/wine-and-liquor/blueberry-breeze-cooler/

https://www.forrent.com/blog/food-entertaining/cocktail-recipes-fourth-of-july/

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Three Hot Weather Gin and Tonics Made With Real Cane Sugar

Gin and Tonic

With the last couple of heat waves, I’ve resigned myself to drinking lighter and more savory drinks for the foreseeable future. With that said, I’ve done a few mixology sessions in private homes recently and have found that the classic Gin and Tonic has made a comeback, and in a big way!

You see that Gin is a perennial favorite when the temperature ekes its way past ninety degrees. The refreshing element of the botanicals stimulate the taste buds and the crisp aromatics of the tonic water bring these liquids to a much higher level. Of course, your hot weather gin and tonic will be ruined if you are still using the old standby- the drink gun to supply the tonic water. Unless you’re pouring craft-style soda from your drink gun you’d better take your Gin and Tonic off your cocktail menu. Why?

Because your tonic water is not something that I want to praise. Far from. If it’s made from high fructose corn syrup you aren’t helping with the good health of your guests.  It’s not great stuff, packed with artificial ingredients and those I couldn’t even spell if I wanted to.

So, what is a bar or restaurant to do?  Stop serving Gin and Tonics altogether? 

NO, you should make this Summer relaxer, the G&T cocktail- the shining star of your bar program.  The one drink that screams Summer in a Glass.  Try these three fabulous Gins available in the New York, NJ and CT areas with these three different CANE SUGAR Tonic waters. One of which is a tonic syrup!

 May I suggest starting with Barr Hill Gin from ever-verdant Vermont?  This gin is unlike any other on the market because it is made with raw honey and locally grown grain. There is a subtle sweetness in Barr Hill that doesn’t go unnoticed against the bitter herbs inherent in the tonic water.

In this case, I’m leading with one of my perennial tonic water favorites. The one from Q-Drinks.  They make a delicious tonic water with all natural ingredients- including the most important one, the cane sugar! 

Q-Tonic is crisp, aromatic and highly refreshing.  There are notes of Peruvian quinine, agave syrup and a touch of citrus making for a flavor packed mouthful of dry and bitter. Each element cuts the inherent sweetness of the raw honey gin and truly raises the bar.

A Vermont Styled- Gin and Tonic

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Barr Hill Gin
  • 6 oz. Q-Tonic Water
  • Fresh ice (not smelling like garlic or anything like old eggs)

Prep:

  1. Add the fresh ice to a Collins glass
  2. Top with the Q-Tonic water
  3. POUR OVER the Barr Hill Gin- yes. over the tonic water
  4. Squeeze a quarter of fresh lime juice over the top
  5. Garnish with a fresh wedge of lime

 

The next gin that I chose is more London Dry style in demeanor.  It starts dry and finishes dry. (just like a stiff upper lip) It’s named Martin Miller’s Gin and it is made with water from Iceland, perhaps the purest and softest water in the world.  I’m a huge fan of their Pot Still gin for the rich depth of flavor.  I believe that it is the classic combination of crisp to aromatic to bodacious.  My choice of tonic water for Martin Miller’s namesake gin would be the Fever Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water.  This very European styled fizzy liquid speaks a different language than the one that most off the shelf tonic waters can never do.  It is not cloying, nor overly rich.  Fever Tree is dry on the finish and it stands up to the potent, pot-still gin with alacrity. 

Continental Gin and Tonic

Ingredients:

Prep:

  1. Add the ice to a Collins glass
  2. Add the Martin Miller’s Gin
  3. Top with the Fever Tree Tonic Water
  4. Add 1 tablespoon of Fresh Lime Juice
  5. Add 3-5 drops of the Angostura Bitters
  6. Garnish with a freshly cut lime wedge
  7. Serve!

 

The final gin that I chose for this cocktail primer is probably the most classic in the purely Botanical format.  Hendricks’s Gin is my choice for the final slurp.  This gin is bursting with flavors of cucumber and roses.  Quite remarkable really. 

The tonic water is no less rambunctious either because I picked one made right here in New Jersey named TomR’s Tonic.  Their handmade product is perfectly geared to the explosive aromatics of Hendricks’s gin because you can adjust the bitterness of the final drink just by adding more- or less of this amazing tonic syrup.  I love the 1,2,3, method described on their website.

Tomr’s Classic Tonic and Gin

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz. Tomr’s Tonic Syrup
  • 2 oz. Hendricks’s Gin
  • 3 oz. Seltzer Water
  • My addition of a pinch of sea salt

Prep:

  1. Add ice to a Collins Glass
  2. Top with the Tomr’s Tonic Syrup
  3. Add the Hendricks’s Gin over the syrup
  4. Top with the Seltzer Water
  5. Add a pinch of sea salt
  6. Serve!
 https://totalfood.com/hot-weather-gin-and-tonic-made-real-cane-sugar/