Author: corrie.pennington

vodka

Golden Pothos Cocktail| A tantalizing vodka or gin cocktail with turmeric & cardamom

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The Golden Pothos cocktail is a Girl & Tonic original. It’s a tantalizing (if I may say so myself) vodka cocktail with turmeric and cardamom. It’s a whole slew of adjectives: bright, effervescent, bitter, earthy. My husband, who is not a big cocktail fan, actually liked it. He liked it. He actually said “Hmm, pretty good.” If that doesn’t compel you to try making one, I don’t know what will.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

If you’re a fellow plant lover, you’ll recognize the name of this cocktail and know why I picked it, based on the color of the drink. Actually, I don’t know if I can call myself a plant lover. I think I’m verging on plant hoarder. I have 17 houseplants, a propagation station, a dozen outdoor plants, and a [humble] vegetable garden. Here’s a selection of some of my favorites (I actually say “This one’s my favorite” about all of them, but don’t tell them that):

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I may be a plant lover but I am NOT a plant expert. Many a plant has died under my care, but as the years pass I’m getting better at figuring out what each one needs. That, and I have a pretty awesome plant bestie that helps me with troubleshooting from time to time.

We frequently swap plants, give each other cuttings, go plant shopping together, and send each other detailed videos of our plants’ growth. For real. I’ve given her cactus cuttings, only to have to get a cutting from that cutting because my original died a sad death in an unexpected freeze. Plants are the gifts that keep giving.

The Golden Pothos is a tantalizing vodka cocktail with turmeric and cardamom. It's bright, effervescent, earthy, and a touch bitter. If you're a fellow plant lover, you'll recognize the name of this cocktail and know why I picked it, based on the color of the drink.

Actually, that plant bestie is also my cocktail bestie. She and I began exploring craft cocktails together in Reno years ago. We had our own special happy hour several days a week in her beautiful midcentury home. Yep, those were the days. Now we live in different cities but we still share pictures of our cocktails (and plants) frequently. Moral of the story: get you a plant/cocktail bestie.

If you’re looking to get into houseplants or you’re wanting to liven up your living space with some green, check out golden pothos (sometimes called Devil’s Ivy). It’s pretty hard to kill, does well in low and bright light, and is easy to propagate. Or just make yourself a Golden Pothos cocktail instead.

The first several times I made this cocktail, I made it with vodka. And it was great. Then one day I decided to use gin and wow. WOW. I also made it with a citrus tonic and that combination made all the flavors in this cocktail come. to. life. If you can find citrus tonic, please please please try it in this recipe. And try this recipe with both vodka and gin and then let me know which one YOU prefer in a comment or over on my IG.

The Ingredients for a Golden Pothos Cocktail

How to Make a Golden Pothos Cocktail

Combine all ingredients except the tonic water into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Pour into a lowball glass with ice and top off with tonic water. Alternatively, you could pour it into a coupe glass and add just a splash of tonic. It’s great both ways.

The Golden Pothos cocktail is a craft cocktail with cardamom, turmeric, and tonic. It's perfect for people who don't like sweet drinks.

Lemon Drop
vodka

Lemon Drop

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The Lemon Drop is a classic vodka cocktail best made with only 4 ingredients. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice makes all the difference in this simple cocktail.

I’m bringing you yet another classic cocktail that’s been abused and misconstrued. The Lemon Drop, commonly referred to as a martini riff, is actually not a martini at all in the technical sense. The only similarity a Lemon Drop cocktail and a martini have in common are the glasses they’re traditionally served in. Now honestly, I don’t care if you wanna call it a Lemon Drop martini but *some* people out there would be quick to correct you. I can respect their desire to protect the martini’s integrity but sometimes keeping your mouth shut protect’s your own.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

Keeping with the theme of integrity, I feel that I should be forthcoming with y’all and let you know this was my first time ever having a Lemon Drop. I’ve been on a kick with simple classic cocktails lately (thanks to the #2020pandemic) and was trying to think of another drink that required few ingredients. Lemons and limes are something I always have on my grocery list, pandemic or not. Utilizing fresh citrus juice & zest in cooking makes a world of difference and the same goes for mixed drinks.

This recipe uses vodka, orange liqueur, fresh lemon juice, & simple syrup. But truthfully you could skip out on the orange liqueur. Some recipes on the ~interwebs~ call for it, others don’t. You do you. I personally love adding orange liqueur to cocktails because it adds a layer of sweetness & boosts your drink’s flavor complexity. It is the liqueur I think every home bar should have on hand. You’ll use it in margaritas (wow, can’t believe I haven’t posted a margarita recipe yet), sidecars, cosmos, mai tais, sangria, and a bunch of other drinks.

The Lemon Drop is a classic vodka cocktail best made with only 4 ingredients. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice makes all the difference in this simple cocktail.

While we’re talking about orange liqueur, I’ll take this opportunity to teach you the distinction between liquor and liqueur. You might be rolling your eyes at such an elementary topic, but there was a time in everyone’s life where they learned the difference between the two words. Before I got into craft cocktails, I thought “liqueur” was just some peoples’ way of saying “liquor” in a fancy way. Hand-on-heart. I should be embarrassed to admit that, but I’m kinda known in my family for mispronouncing words so 🤷🏻‍♀️.

There are only 6 categories of liquors (whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, tequila, brandy) while there are countless liqueurs. Technically speaking, liqueur could fall under the title “liquor” because by definition liquor is a distilled spirit. The biggest distinctions between the two are that liquor typically has a higher ABV (alcohol by volume) and is not sweetened. Liqueur, on the other hand, is sweetened with sugar, oils, and extracts and usually has a lower ABV. Here’s a super helpful infographic from The Spruce Eats:

A helpful infographic from The Spruce Eats for distinguishing the difference between liquor and liqueur.

So if you’re looking to add, say, raspberry flavor to your drink but don’t want to make it super boozy, add a raspberry liqueur. If you’re wanting a slow-sipper, you can use two types of liquor, like gin & vodka, and utilize fresh raspberries to introduce the flavor.

Try making a Lemon Drop with orange liqueur and one without. You can see what your preference is. I think you’ll notice the difference.

Rim the glass of your Lemon Drop with superfine sugar and lemon zest.

Ingredients for a Lemon Drop

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka
  • 1/2 oz orange liqueur (*if you don’t have this, you can increase the vodka to 2 oz*)
  • 1 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice (Fresh. Please. For the love of all things holy)
  • 1/2 – 1 oz simple syrup, depending on how tart you want it
  • superfine sugar– optional

How to Make a Lemon Drop

First, pour your superfine sugar onto a plate or in a shallow dish. You can zest some lemon into it to make it even better. Rub the rim of a martini or coupe glass with a lemon. Then dip the rim into the sugar. The lemon juice will make the sugar adhere to the glass. Now put your martini or coupe glass into the freezer. It’s a small extra step that’ll make your drink colder & fancier. Ideally, you would do this step 15+ minutes before making the drink so that the glass had time to get super chilled. But a few minutes is better than none.

Juice your lemon. Pour the vodka, orange liqueur, lemon juice, & simple syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until your arm is burning and your hand is freezing. Take the glass out of the freezer and pour the Lemon Drop in. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Lemon Drop is a classic vodka cocktail best made with only 4 ingredients. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice makes all the difference in this simple cocktail.
Tom Collins
gin

Tom Collins | A Refreshing & Simple 4-Ingredient Gin Cocktail

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The Tom Collins is considered a classic cocktail. Some even consider it the classic gin cocktail. Its origin dates back to the 1860s (!!!) and has quite the story. Now, I just did a lot of internet reading about this drink’s history but I’ll do my best to pare it all down. Supposedly, a man named John Collins originally created the drink in a hotel in London in the 1860s.

Fast forward several years and jump the pond to New York in 1874. There was a popular joke going around, where an innocent soul would be told “someone named Tom Collins at such-and-such bar is saying all kinds of awful things about you”. The victim would then head off to the particular bar to find this slanderer; upon arriving, they would ask the bartender “Have you seen a Tom Collins?” and they would be promptly served this sour drink. There were even several newspaper articles about it, many initially reporting Tom Collins was a real person. Eventually, people caught on and it became known as the Tom Collins Hoax of 1874. What a time to be alive.

If you’re fascinated by this moment in history, you can read the full story here. There are some pretty awesome newspaper quotes in it.

The Tom Collins is one of my favorite cocktails for two reasons: 1) it’s easy to make, and 2) it’s easy to customize. Simply swap the simple syrup for a flavored one and bam, new drink! My favorite rendition is a Lavender Collins, made with lavender simple syrup. It’s bright and floral, perfect for spring. You could also use honey simple syrup, rose simple syrup, matcha simple syrup, or beet simple syrup. If you made one with beet syrup, you could call it Tom Collins’ Beetdown. Get it? Like, a bar fight? With Tom? For always talking smack? Too far? Sorry.

This drink is served in a highball or “Collins” glass. Yep. As in Tom Collins. This hooligan was so famous he got a cocktail AND glassware named after him. A Collins glass is just a tall glass but if you refer to it as a Collins glass, it can make even your tap water feel fancy.

The Ingredients for a Tom Collins

  • 2 oz gin (due to Covid, I’m down to my Opihr spiced gin– I’m not complaining, but usually I’d go for a more floral gin for a TC)
  • 3/4 oz freshly-squeeze lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup (try a flavored one- see a list of ideas below)
  • club soda

The How-To

Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top off with club soda. Stir to incorporate.

Modify & customize your Tom Collins with one of these simple syrups:

Cardamom simple syrup is an effortless way to add warmth and complexity to a cocktail, coffee, or tea.
simple syrup

Cardamom Simple Syrup

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Cardamom simple syrup is an effortless way to add warmth and complexity to a cocktail, coffee, or tea.

Cardamom simple syrup is an effortless way to add warmth and complexity to a cocktail. But what is cardamom?

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

Cardamom (also spelled cardamon) is a spice commonly known for its presence in Indian cuisine, although it’s used in traditional dishes throughout the world. If you’ve ever had chai tea, you’ve most likely tasted cardamom as it’s one of the key spices found in traditional chai. Cardamom comes in two varieties: green and black. Both have rich, distinctive flavors but green is more commonly seen.

Cardamom simple syrup is an effortless way to add warmth and complexity to a cocktail, coffee, or tea.

Cardamom is the third most expensive spice by weight, but thankfully you don’t need a lot to impart its unique flavor. Grocery stores will usually have bottles of it for about $5 but I’d turn to Amazon and spend a few extra dollars for much better quantity and quality.

Besides using your cardamom pods to make cardamom simple syrup, you can also lightly crush a pod or two and put them in your coffee or tea for a unique layer of flavor. Or, just pour in some of your cardamom simple syrup. You can also use the cardamom to make your own cardamom-infused vodka. Mmmm, imagine using that in a Moscow mule. Wow. Gotta remember that idea for later.

Cardamom simple syrup is an effortless way to add warmth and complexity to a cocktail, coffee, or tea.

Whenever I make any flavored simple syrup, I typically make smaller batches because I know I won’t use much before it goes bad. I’d say this stuff will keep for 1-2 months in the fridge. If your cardamom simple syrup starts looking cloudy, throw it out and make a fresh batch.

The Ingredients for Cardamom Simple Syrup

The How-To

Crush the cardamom pods with a mortar and pestle if you have one. If you don’t, you can use a bowl and the bottom of a glass. No need to obliterate the pods– just apply enough pressure to crack the pods and release the seeds. Add the crushed cardamom, water, and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring it to a light boil and leave it boiling for 3-5 minutes. Allow it to cool completely. You can either strain the pods & seeds out before pouring it into a glass container or you can store the syrup with some of the pods. I personally like leaving the pods in it to further infuse the simple (and because I think it looks cool).

Inspired by all the flavoring possibilities of homemade syrups? Check out these other options:

Cardamom simple syrup is an effortless way to add warmth and complexity to a cocktail, coffee, or tea.
Royal Rose - Organic Simple Syrup
Revolver | A bourbon and coffee cocktail with 3 ingredients
bourbon

Revolver | An Easy Bourbon and Coffee Cocktail

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The Revolver is a bourbon and coffee cocktail made with only 3 ingredients. It's a delicious and simple way to celebrate the unique flavors of bourbon.

The Revolver is a unique cocktail made with bourbon and coffee liqueur. It was created by a famous bartender out in San Fransisco named Jon Santer around 2003. It was originally made using Bulleit Bourbon, a rye-heavy & spicy bourbon, but since the nation is on lockdown due to COVID-19, just use whatever bourbon or whiskey you’ve got.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

If you’re curious about what the difference between bourbon and whiskey is, bourbon HAS to be: 1) made in America, 2) made of at least 51% corn, and 3) stored in new charred-oak barrels without any additives. So, all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Ya follow? There are a lot of interesting laws in place about how to properly name and create certain liquors, aren’t there?

The Revolver is a bourbon and coffee cocktail made with only 3 ingredients. It's a delicious and simple way to celebrate the unique flavors of bourbon.

I don’t have any bourbon in my bar cart at the moment but I DO have a corn whiskey. Baby Blue from Balcones is 100% corn, additive-free, aged for 6 months in oak barrels. But since it’s not stored in new or charred oak barrels, it’s not considered a bourbon. At least that’s my understanding. I eventually do want to try this recipe the way the bartender intended it to be made.

If you don’t have an old coffee liqueur in your bar cart (or maybe it’s real old… like, older than 2-3 years), I’ve got an easy and instant recipe for homemade coffee liqueur using either vodka or rum. If you are rationing your bar staples, halve or third the recipe.

The Revolver is a bourbon and coffee cocktail made with only 3 ingredients. It's a delicious and simple way to celebrate the unique flavors of bourbon.

I’m also out of orange bitters, which the recipe calls for, so I just used Angostura bitters and tried to squeeze a little extra oil from the orange rind to get a little more orange oil flav. We’re working with what we got here, Jon. Don’t hate me for having to alter your drink.

The original recipe also calls for a flamed orange peel. I followed the instructions in this video:

Here’s footage from my first-ever flamed orange peel attempt. Aside from the shoddy camera work, I did alright! I’ll admit, I was actually nervous (as evidenced by the recoil) but I survived. And with all body hair intact, too. I’d say that’s a win. Shout out to my nail polish! Death Valley Nails is a company owned by my friend out in LA. All of DVN polish is 10-free, vegan, nontoxic, cruelty-free, and hand-mixed. AND it performs better than any nail polish I ever used. Scout’s honor.

The Revolver is a bourbon and coffee cocktail made with only 3 ingredients. Jon Santer created this simple and unique cocktail. He serves his with a flamed orange peel- I suggest you do the same.

The Ingredients for a Revolver

The Ingredients I Resorted To

  • 2 oz corn whiskey (Balcones’ Baby Blue is 100% Corn so it’s gluten-free! Celiacs rejoice!)
  • 1/2 oz coffee liqueur
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • flamed orange peel

The How-To

Add bourbon, coffee liqueur, and bitters to a shaker or large glass filled with ice. Stir until very cold and blended. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass* or a coupe glass. You don’t have to flame the orange peel, but why not. I know “sheltering in place” has you anxious for some sort of entertainment and excitement.

Get a large swath of orange peel (1 inch by 2 inches). Warm the peel up by holding the flame of a match or lighter close to it. Then, carefully squeeze the peel. The oils from the peel should spray through the flame into the glass. It’ll be a small spurt of fire, nothing crazy. Rub the peel along the rim of the glass to get even more smokey orange goodness going. You can discard the peel or place it in the drink.

*A Nick and Nora glass is a small glass that looks like a mix between a wine glass and a coupe glass in my opinion. Totally adorable. They’re typically used to serve cocktails without citrus juice in them, but who’s to say you couldn’t drink chocolate milk out of one? Fun fact: these glasses get their name from the two characters in the movie The Thin Man. They sipped their cocktails out of this style of glass back in the 1930s and made the glassware popular as a result.

The Revolver is a bourbon and coffee cocktail made with only 3 ingredients. It's a delicious and simple way to celebrate the unique flavors of bourbon.