Let's take a minute to pretend that you're not going to spend your time cleaning the rain gutters, but instead will be unwinding with an elegant cocktail or two. Better yet, an organic cocktail or two! Here are a few recipes to dream about.
wassail
Ingredients
- 6 cups orange juice
- 2 cups cranberry juice or apple cider
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 7 whole cloves or a pinch of ground cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks, or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Recipe
Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over very low heat and serve.
CRANBERRY AND SAGE SHRUB
A shrub is a sweetened vinegar-based syrup, also sometimes referred to as a "drinking vinegar." It can be served in a variety ways. You can drink shrubs straight, mixed with club soda or in cocktails. Here's a recipe for a crackin' cranberry sage shrub. To make a delicious cranberry shrub cocktail, try this:
- Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full of ice.
- Add 3/4 ounces of shrub and 2 ounces of bourbon, along with 1 teaspoon maple syrup and three drops of a favorite cocktail bitters.
- Shake until well-chilled, then pour in a cold glass.
- Garnish with leftover cranberries skewed on a toothpick or a strip of orange zest.
the summer sage
Ingredients
- 6 slices red plum, as ripe and juicy as possible
- 4 to 5 sage leaves, stems removed
- 1/4 to 1/2 ounce simple syrup (more for a sweeter drink, less for a more pronounced whiskey taste.)
- Splash (about 1/8 ounce) fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
Recipe
Add the plums, sage, and simple syrup to the bottom of a shaker, and muddle (or smoosh vigorously with the back of a spoon) until the plums form a nice mush.
Fill the shaker with ice and add the lemon juice and whiskey. Shake and then double strain into a cocktail glass.
more cocktails
- Kiwi Banana Cocktail Smoothie (non-alcoholic)
- Rosemary Lime Cocktail
- Mint Julep
- Basil Lime Gimlet
- Tomatillo Bloody Mary
- Cucumber Basil Mojito
- Watermelon Cucumber Cooler
- Honey Lemon Thyme Cocktail
- Hot Blooded Cocktail
- Vodka Cran(berry Sauce) Cocktail
