Santa’s Cough Medicine

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The time that is full of holiday cheer but often the time where the flu bug goes around.  Bah Humbug!  I was lucky enough to experience it recently and in my mountain of tissues and Netflix TV movies, I thought what if Santa got sick before Christmas!  What would be something delicious and medicinal for Santa to guzzle down so he can handle the holiday season with ease.  I love scotch in cocktails and one of my favorites is a Penicillin (made by the legendary mixologist Sam Ross) you get lemon, ginger, honey and scotch and if that isn’t a cure for all your ailments then I don’t know what is!?  To make Santa Claus satisfied with a cocktail,  we do know he has a bit of a sweet tooth and for some reason I can see him loving Lambrusco and of course some powdered sugar snow on top to do the trick. All these flavors combined makes a delicious and crushable cocktail that is perfect for all and will get everyone in the holiday “spirit”...so have yourself a merry little scotch drink.  Buon Natale! 

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice  
• 3/8 oz. Honey Syrup  
• 3/8 oz. Ginger Syrup  
• 1 1/2 oz. Aberfeldy 12yr. Single Malt Scotch Whisky  
• 2-2 1/2 oz.  Lambrusco  

Instructions:

First, lets prep the syrups I would do this a few hours or the night before serving this cocktail.  To make honey syrup super simple take 3 parts honey to 1 part hot water.  Stir honey and hot water together until it is all mixed in and creates a consistent consistency.  The  ginger syrup is a little tricker but so worth it.  Buy at least a pound or two of ginger depending if you want some leftover for other concoctions, highly recommend.  Chop the ginger root up into small cubes then take a juicer and juice all the ginger.  Once you have juiced the ginger take the ginger juice and fine strain it making sure you get all the little bits and pieces out.  Next, you will need to have a scale to measure the amount of ginger you have in grams.  Ginger syrup has a ratio of 3 parts ginger, to 2 parts sugar, to 1 part cold water.  Grab a container to measure the ingredients and another container to pour in and mix all the ingredients together.  Make sure to tare the scale to zero so that you aren’t measuring the weight of the container.  Measure the ginger juice, let’s say it measures to 300g, that means you need to put in 200g granulated evaporated cane sugar and 100g cold water.  I usually mix it up with an electric mixer because it really gets all the ingredients mixed up and faster!  Ok now we can make the cocktail!  Take out your shaker tin and add all ingredients listed above other than the Lambrusco.  Shake ingredients with ice for about 10 seconds and then add the Lambrusco and then pour out into a Collins glass with ice.  Lastly garnish with a few mints sprigs and then dust over the mint with powdered sugar making it look like snow! Cheers!

A little background on my preferred spirits and inclusions: 

 Aberfeldy 12yr Single Malt Scotch Whisky:  Aberfeldy 12 is a Highland Scotch and is part of the Last Great Malts series being put out by John Dewar & Sons who built the distillery back in 1896. Aberfeldy is often called the golden dram due to the “alluvial gold” water.  This particular scotch has beautiful tasting notes of honey, apple, vanilla, apple, nutmeg and a slight smoke.  Aged for twelve years in ex bourbon and sherry barrels. 

Le Grotte Lambrusco:  Lambrusco is an Italian Red Sparkling wine.  Any cheap Lambrusco will work.  I got this one at Trader Joe’s and it works perefectly.  Getting a drier Lambrusco will help the cocktail be a tad less sweet, but this cocktail is very balanced and not sweet so don’t worry. 

Death Becomes Her

“In one small bottle....The fountain of youth.  The secret of eternal life.  The power of an ancient potion.  Sometimes it works...sometimes it doesn’t.”  

This quote above from the 1992 iconic cult classic Death Becomes Her is something we all secretly are searching for, whether we want to admit it or not.  We all know what happened in this movie going to extreme lengths for eternal youth, but alas life is all about balance right?  We all want to look our best and why not do whatever we can in a healthy way to maintain our youthfulness.  Not to worry!  Here I have a balanced cocktail that in one small glass is the fountain of youth and the secret of eternal life and thankfully the alcohol will help with that too.  Wink wink!  Death Becomes Her is velvety smooth, delicious and a fun way to be festive for a birthday, Halloween or a Saturday night in.  Every cocktail consumed will make you say to yourself,  “Oh Madam!  You look younger every day!”

Ingredients:  

• 1 Egg white
• 1/2 oz. Lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. Simple syrup
• 1/2 oz. Aperol  
• 1/2 oz. Grey Goose  
• 1 capsule Hum Nutrition Collagen Love

Instructions:

Take out your shaker tin and all the ingredients.  Begin by cracking an egg and separating the white from the yolk.  Drop the egg white into the tin.  You can throw away the yolk or save for cooking or a flip style cocktail!  Next, take out your jigger and measure the rest of the ingredients individually and pour them into the shaker tin with the egg white.  Now get a Hum Nutrition Collagen Love capsule and carefully open and pour in.  Next, grab the tin and dry shake all ingredients for 10-15 seconds and then open the tin add ice and shake vigorously for another 10-15 seconds.  Lastly, grab you glassware, Hawthorne strainer and fine strainer and pour the cocktail out into the glass.  To make the cocktail extra pink on top I atomized some extra Aperol on top!  Enjoy!

A little background on the spirits and inclusions: 

Aperol:  Aperol was launched to the public in 1919 at the Padua International Fair in Italy.  Created by the Barbieri brothers and very quickly became one of Italy's beloved aperitvos!  Made from bitter orange peel, rhubarb, gentian root and chinchona bark.  Aperol is legendary and a staple at my home bar.  People usually enjoy in a Spritz but there are many ways to us it!

Grey Goose:  In 1996, founder of Grey Goose Sidney Frank had an idea to make a luxury Vodka for the American market.  He partnered with cognac producer Francois Thibault of France in order to transition his skills from cognac to vodka production.  They choose the location of France, due to the country's culinary history and to differentiate itself from other vodkas produced in Eastern Europe. The water used to produce the vodka came from natural springs in France filtered through limestone and made with locally produced French wheat.  Recently, I was lucky enough to stay at the Grey Goose Villa Le Logis in Cognac and be completely emerged in the brand.  Let me tell you they make no shortcuts and everything is done is the purest way.  Was very impressed with what they do and what they have accomplished, very inspiring!

Hum Nutrition Collagen Love:  Los Angeles based supplement brand that is sustainably sourced, non GMO, pure and potent ingredients, gluten free and no artificial colors or preservatives.  This particular product the Collagen Love helps keep fine lines and wrinkles under control by helping your skin produce more Collagen! Keeping it tight! Woohoo! 

Sogni D’Oro “Golden Dreams”

Inspiration can be sparked in any moment at anytime for me.  It is my favorite thing when creating cocktails because I never know when something will randomly inspire me!  I was fortunate enough to be sent to Italy for my job to research and tour wineries for the new restaurant opening of Rossoblu, rough life huh!  Luckily it isn’t hard at all to find inspiration when walking through a beautiful vineyard in Italy.  On one beautiful day in Alba, as we were getting a tour of the winery from the family of wine makers the Aunt was telling us how wine has always been around her, her whole life and it is in their blood.  The family’s wine making traditions and culture were so beautiful and very much still alive everywhere we turned.  She said that her grandmother used to give her as a child honey, milk and Moscato wine to put her to bed. Haha! Well yeah that will definitely do the job! Gotta love Italians!  Instantly, in that moment I knew that it would make a fabulous cocktail but for an adult!   A few changes were necessary to balance the cocktail so we added bourbon and switched out to a less sweet dry prosecco!  Behold one of my all time favorite and interesting recipes the Sogni D’Oro which translates to “Golden Dreams” in Italian.  It makes me happy that this cocktail was inspired from an old family recipe and tradition.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Heavy Cream
• 3/4 oz. Honey Syrup 
• 1 oz. Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon 
• 2 1/2 -3 oz. Prosecco  (Dry)
• 1 oz. Club Soda  

Instructions:

Grab you shaker tin and add the heavy cream, honey syrup, and bourbon to the tin, add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds.  Then add the prosecco and club soda and pour the cocktail out with a Hawthorne and fine strainer into your desired fizz style glass making sure you pour just the right amount to make a mound of foam and fizz on top!  Next, to be extra fancy I sprinkle edible gold dust on top!  Serve and enjoy! 

Honey Syrup: 3 parts honey to 1 part hot water, stir the hot water in the honey until mixed.  

Four Roses Bourbon:   The name Four Roses came from a story when the founder Paul Jones Jr. became infatuated with a lovely Southern belle.  When he saw her at the grand ball she was in a beautiful gown with a corsage of four red roses.  He later married the girl and named his beloved Bourbon "Four Roses" after that glorious night at the ball with his beautiful Southern belle.  This delicious Bourbon is an beautiful golden Amber color with notes of pear, apple, honey, flowers, and gentle spices.

Prosecco: Any brut prosecco will work! The drier the better!  

Hey Mambo!

"Hey Mambo!  Mambo Italiano!..." I know it's been awhile but I am glad you came!  I have been super busy opening up another awesome restaurant with Chef Steve Samson.  Rossoblu his Bolognese concept in downtown Los Angeles.  For the opening menu at Rossoblu I wanted to play around with some newer aged cocktails that are pretty simple.  I wanted to make an ordinary drink unordinary.  I often get inspired by a certain flavor in an Amari and this time it just so happened to be the kola flavor in Luxardo's Amaro Abano.  It immediately made me think of my "youth" and all the Cuba Libre's I used to drink when I was 21.  I thought how cool would it be to make a cocktail taste like it's has kola in it but it doesn't!?  So here you have it my rendition of an Italian Cherry Cuba Libre -No Kola just Amaro!  This is a perfect end of the summer sipper that is refreshing and that everyone will love!  Imbibe! Hey Mambo!   

 Ingredients: 

• 3/4 oz. Lime juice
• 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup  
• 3/4 oz. Angostura White Oak Rum 
• 3/4 oz. Luxardo Amaro Abano  
• 3/4 oz. Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco
• 1/2-1 oz. Club Soda  

Instructions:  

Add all ingredients besides the club soda to your shaker tin.  Next add some ice and shake for 2-3 seconds. Then add your club soda and then strain out into chilled glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and cherry and ENJOY! 

A little background on my preferred spirits: 

Angostura White Oak Rum:  Currently the leading standard rum brand in Trinidad and St. Vincent, White Oak remains one of the flagship products of Angostura's impressive rum portfolio. It's Light bodied, slightly sweet with tropical and vanilla notes.

Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco:  First produced in 1821, a cherry brandy made from the marasca cherry which is known to be more sour and tart.  The name Sangue Morlacco means Morlacco blood and was named by the poet, Gabriele D' Annunzio and represents the battle defending the borders of the Dalmatian people with the Republic of Venice in the 17th and 18th centuries. Dark red hue, sweet, sour, tart  and delicious!

Luxardo Amaro Abano:  A medium bitter digestivo made from the maceration of basil, cinnamon, orange peel, kola, condurango and cardamom.  Was first produced in 1952 in Veneto.  

American in Bormio

Cold months call for whiskey and with just a sip you can feel warm from the inside out!  Can you imagine what it would be like in the Alps in the winter!  Brrr!  I was inspired to make this cocktail "American in Bormio" from one of my all time favorite Amari -Braulio!  It is an Alpine Amaro from the quaint ski town named Bormio near the Alps.   I like to make a story when creating a cocktail and I pictured what would an American like me traveling to Bormio want to drink!?  I think something boozy, bitter, herbaceous made with a good ole American Bourbon whiskey!  Recently, I got the chance to sit down and chat with the amazing Alton Brown about myself and all things Amari on his podcast!  We actually sipped on this cocktail as we chatted, so listen for the shoutout!  Here is the link to the podcast below!   Cin Cin!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-alton-browncast/id925156477?mt=2&i=1000379202036

Ingredients: 

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 1/2 oz. Buffalo Trace Bourbon  
• 3/4 oz. Cocchi Americano  
• 1/2 oz. Braulio Amaro Alpino

Instructions: 

Take all ingredients and pour into a chilled mixing glass, add ice and stir for 10-15 seconds mixing all ingredients together.  Next, take your julep strainer and pour out the cocktail over fresh ice into a chilled single old fashioned glass.  Take a lemon and peel off a piece and express the lemon peel over the cocktail and then rim the glass with the peel.  Rubbing the lemon essence on the rim of the cocktail generously, then discard.  Lastly garnish with a lemon wheel, serve and enjoy!

A little background on my preferred spirits and inclusions:

Angostura bitters: Most commonly used bitters at the bar. (I am obsessed!)  Recipe developed as a medicinal tonic by German surgeon general, Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert in 1824.  Distilled in Trinidad and still made from the same 1824 recipe.  Flavor notes clove, gentian root, cinnamon, and tamarind. 

Buffalo Trace Bourbon Whiskey:  Founded in 1869 in Frankfort, Kentucky.  The Buffalo Trace company was renamed over the years but they still have been making the same bourbon for over 140 years!  Deep amber in color with elegant aromas of buttery caramel, and toasted nuts.  With flavors of candied fruits, vanilla, oak and brown spices.  

Cocchi Americano:  A fortified wine produced by Giulio Cocchi Spumanti who began making his wonderful products back in 1891.  Made in the Asti province, near the Piedmont region in Northern Italy.  Great for cocktails and meant to be an aperitivo with bitter notes of chinchona bark, gentian, citrus, and subtle notes of apricot, quince and oregano.

Braulio Amaro Alpino: An Alpine Amaro originating in 1875 and is produced in the town of Bormio located near The Swiss Alps.  One of my all time favorites!  Aged in sessile oak barrels for two years with notes of spearmint, gentian, yarrow, wormwood, juniper, sandalwood and chamomile.