Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Basil Honey Strawberry Smash

 

Strawberries and watermelon are the fruits of summer. Nothing says summer like a cool refreshing cocktail made from fresh strawberries and beautiful summer basil. With three types of basil growing in our garden our choices are plentiful and tasty. The honey in this drink is hot honey so it adds a kick of spice and a little sweet at the same time.

 

A key point for this drink is to muddle the strawberries, honey and basil until it’s almost liquid. This will help to mix the strawberries, basil and honey with the bourbon better once it is all combined. If you do not happen to have a muddler you can use a wooden spoon to break everything down.

 

Basil Honey Strawberry Smash

 

3-4 fresh or frozen strawberries

4-5 basil leaves

1/2 ounce hot honey

1 1/2 ounces bourbon or whiskey

Ice

 

Muddle together strawberries, basil and honey until liquid. Add in bourbon or whiskey. Mix well and top with ice. Garnish with strawberry and basil. These measurements are for one drink, add more for multiple drinks.

 

             

The hint of spice is just perfect in this drink for those who like an easy extra kick with their cocktail. Make this a mock tail by adding in club soda or sparkling water instead of bourbon. We selected a mix of purple basil and green basil for our drink to mix our basil flavors together.

 

This is a great drink to make as a batch to enjoy with friends on the upcoming holiday. As always enjoy responsibly by having a designated driver. Cheers!

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Ginger Rosemary Lemonade

 

    Ginger is widely used in Asian foods as a garnish for dishes, to add flavor and to aide in digestion.  As a root plant one would not think that ginger would have such a complex flavor, but in fact it does.  A little spicy, ginger is a compliment to sweet and savory dishes and make a wonderful addition to this cocktail. Although not an herb, but rather a spice, we find our herb for this particular cocktail is rosemary.  

    Rosemary is the garnish for this cocktail but if you let it sit in your drink for a small amount of time the oils from the fresh cut stem will seep into your drink and add a woodsy flavor.  Which is not at all unwanted.  

    The only part about this drink that is time consuming is the use of fresh lemons.  Make a big batch and save time that way.  If you do not want to use fresh lemons, that is up to you.  There is always store bought lemonade, just look for one with a low amount of sugar.  The smallest amount of sugar is best since we are making a ginger simple syrup to feature in this recipe.

Ginger Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup ginger slices

Ginger Rosemary Lemonade

1 cup fresh squeezed lemonade (5-8 lemons)

1/2 cup ginger simple syrup

2 cups water

4 oz bourbon

Fresh rosemary, for garnish

Cook the simple syrup and let it set for about 30 minutes.  In a large carafe, mix together the simple syrup, water, and fresh lemon juice.  Add the bourbon.  Pour into glasses over ice and garnish with a spring of fresh rosemary.  

    As summer approaches this is a great thirst quenching drink from after working outside or just taking sometime to relax after a day at work.  If you want to make this a mocktail, just leave out the bourbon and enjoy.  

    You might think the spicy ginger would make it hard to drink the but it really adds to the flavor, and helps to mellow the fresh squeezed lemons. Be sure to check out our

YouTube video on how to make this drink.   As always drink responsibly and have a designated driver.  Until next month Cheers, from the Oaks bed and breakfast.

P.S. we want to hear from you, drop us a line on social media or send us an e-mail to let us know how you are enjoying your cocktails each month.  Have a favorite you want us to feature, send it over and we shall put it together. 

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Rosemary Pomegranate Smash

    

    One of my all time favorite fruits is a pomegranate.  I know they are a lot of work to be able to enjoy but I truly feel like they are worth every bit of time it takes to help those seeds escape the hold of the shell.  I remember sitting on my grandparents back porch in California slowing making my way through the fresh pomegranate from the tree in their yard.  I was always too impatient to wait until all of the seeds were released to start eating, so I ate as I peeled away the membrane.  Now I take the time to put in all the work and then eat the fruits of my labor.  

    

    I could not pass up the chance to feature this wonderful fruit in my cocktail this month.  Even though we live in America and can seem to get any fruit or vegetable we want any time of the year, despite the season.  Pomegranates have stayed the course and maintained their seasonal insurgence to the grocery stores mostly in the fall.

    The great thing about this drink is how easy it is to prepare and how easily you can adjust the flavors to fit your taste buds.  If you want it to be a little more tart add a little more lemon juice and pomegranate juice.  A little more sweet, add a bit more of the rosemary simple syrup.  No matter how you choose to make this drink we think you will enjoy every sip.

Rosemary Pomegranate Smash

3/4 ounce Rosemary Simple Syrup

1/2 ounce Lemon Juice

2 ounces Pomegranate juice

2 ounces bourbon

Add everything to a shaker full of ice.  Shake everything up to mix and chill well.  Pour into a tumbler filled with ice.  Garnish with a bit of rosemary.  We also placed pomegranate joules at the bottom of the glass.  

    

    We hope that you enjoyed this simple and seasonal cocktail.   Our desire for you is to feature it at your next party and then share your enjoyment with us.  As always please drink responsibly and have a designated driver.  Cheers, from the Oaks bed and breakfast.  

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Pumpkin Old Fashion

 

    With all the crazy behind the big, orange squash, the pumpkin.  I figured we would jump on that band wagon and flavor up our drink this month with a little bit of pumpkin spice.  The Pumpkin Old Fashion is a little change up to a traditional Old Fashion but fits well with the season. 

    The addition of orange and pumpkin syrup help to enrich the flavor of the bourbon selection.  I probably should have chosen a bourbon that has a few more citrus notes, but since I sent the Husband to retrieve the bourbon, beggars can't be choosers.  

    I also chose to use a pre-made syrup for this drink to reduce the amount of sweetness, so more of the citrus flavor would pull through the end notes.  But to add a bit more sugar to the drink, a homemade syrup is easy and flavorful.  

    Here is how we put together the Pumpkin Old Fashion.

    Pumpkin Old Fashion

1/2 Ounce Pumpkin syrup

2 dashes of orange bitters

1 orange slice

2 ounces Bourbon

Splash of Club Soda (optional)

Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange slice

    Add the orange slice, bitters and pumpkin syrup to the bottom of an old fashion glass.  Muddle the orange and syrup together.  Once done, add in the ice and top with the bourbon.  If you want, we want, add a bit of club soda to finish off your drink.  Use the cinnamon stick to stir the flavors together. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange slice.  

    We let our drink sit a little while before finally consuming it and the flavors really melded together really well.  I think that muddling the orange a little more and adding a part of the cinnamon stick to the bottom would help to bring the flavors together faster.

    As always please drink responsibly and use a designated driver.  Until next month, enjoy your latest Herb Infused Cocktail from the Oaks bed and breakfast.  Cheers!

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Honey Rosemary Bourbon

 

    Welcome to this months addition of our herb infused cocktail series.  I'm so excited about this drink, because one of our previous guests are partners in the distillery, Still Austin, that makes the Bourbon we are featuring.  I have been waiting for the weather to cool down, which it has but not nearly enough for true fall feelings, to share this drink.  Needless to say I could not wait any longer.  

    The honey rosemary syrup is so simple and delicious to make for this drink, I want to find other ways to use it in the kitchen.  I think we might be baking up something special using this syrup.  The rosemary really pops in the honey, while the honey ads just the right amount of sweetness to this drink.  

    Of course if you like your drinks a little sweeter just add a little bit more of the honey syrup.  Not to much, otherwise the sweetness will become over powering.  Our goal is to meld all the flavors into one.

    Rosemary is such a strong flavor on its own, that the honey and the bourbon help to mellow it to just the right amount.  The garnish of a rosemary spring and an orange peel bring out the look of this simple cocktail, just in time for fall weather and sipping around the camp fire.

Honey Rosemary Syrup

1/2 cup Honey

1/2 cup Water

2-3 springs rosemary

All all the ingredients into a small pot and cook until boiling.  Let set for about 10 minutes to cool.  Then add to your drink.

Honey Rosemary Bourbon

2 1/4 ounces of Bourbon 

4 tsp. of honey rosemary syrup

2-3 shakes of bitters

Pour everything into a shaker filled with ice.  Shake until the outside of the shaker is very cold.  Add to your tumbler that is filled with ice.  Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and orange peel.

    Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for an easy to follow and quick video on how we made this drink.  As always please enjoy your drink responsibly and use a designated driver.  Until next time, Cheers from the Oaks Bed and Breakfast. 

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Mint Julep

     

    May has just started and with the beginning of May comes three amazing sporting events the combined, entitled the Triple Crown.  In recognition of one, the Kentucky Derby, our herb infused cocktail this month is a mint julep. 

    The mint julep is now know as the staple drink for the Kentucky Derby but truly had it's start in the south as a morning drink.  The light and refreshing flavor of the mint combined with the bourbon helped to carry people through the day right from the start.

    This drink is truly simple to make.  With just three ingredients you can make this drink more about presentation, and let the taste speak for it's self.  The use of a copper or silver cup, helps to keep the drink cold long after the ice has melted. 

Mint Julep

8-10 Mint leaves, muddled

1/4 ounce simple syrup

2 ounces Bourbon

crushed ice

    Muddle your mint leaves in the bottom of a silver or copper cup.  Add in your crushed ice to the top of the container.  Pour over your simple syrup and bourbon.  Add in additional crushed ice, then garnish with mint leaves.  Enjoy!

    The simplicity of this drinks makes it even more enjoyable with a crowd while watching the fastest two minutes in sports go by, while cheering for your favorite horse.  We used Evan Williams for our drink, but you can use your favorite bourbon to mix this cold and refreshing beverage for your next event.  

    We hope to hear about how you mixed your drink.  Drop us a comment on here or social media and tell us your mixing journey.  As always please drink responsibly and have a designated driver.

Cheers!