Texans have long reached for something quick and simple to provide relief from the summer heat. While plenty of cocktails are popular in Texas, only a handful get to call themselves Texan. The Chilton and Ranch Water are two drinks that were created right here in Texas, starting out as regional favorites and quietly growing into national staples. Both are shaped by local … [Read more...]
From Garden to Glass: Bottling Spring with Tinctures
Spring has arrived, with all of its bright flavors and smells – aromatic herbs, blooming flowers and the natural sweetness of fresh fruits. While spring is the perfect opportunity to use them at their peak of flavor and freshness, it’s also the ideal time to preserve these flavors for the months ahead. That’s where tinctures come in, giving you an excellent way to bottle up … [Read more...]
The Bee’s Knees
It was the winter of 2020, and I held my new Christmas present, the late Sasha Petraske’s book, Regarding Cocktails. I flipped through the pages and found a recipe that looked interesting, and I happened to have everything on hand for it. The Bee’s Knees, a Prohibition era cocktail that calls for just 3 simple ingredients, gin, lemon juice and honey syrup. I mixed up a couple … [Read more...]
Gimlet
It’s a question I get asked often…how did you get into this? And the answer is actually pretty simple…Gimlets. A classic cocktail I fell in love with many years ago. Its origin and namesake, like many old cocktails, is up for debate. Perhaps named after ‘the gimlet’ a tool that was used to bore holes into barrels of spirits aboard naval ships, or the more widely accepted story … [Read more...]