gin

Down the Bunny Trail | A Spiced Honey French 75

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Down the Bunny Trail is the perfect Easter cocktail if you’re not in the mood for something too sweet. It’s essentially a spiced honey French 75. For some reason, when I think “Easter cocktail”, champagne comes to mind. Maybe because of the association of Easter brunch and mimosas, maybe because champagne feels bright and springy. Or maybe because of the association with celebration. And as a Christian, Easter is definitely a celebration of something more than candy-filled eggs.

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! 

Don’t get me wrong, though. I love me some candy and the nonreligious traditions of Easter. It was always one of my favorite holidays as a child. I remember anxiously waiting while my parents went and hid our Easter eggs and being stoked to FINALLY get to eat the Cadbury creme eggs I’d seen on the kitchen counter. I remember the distinct smell of egg-dyeing kits, and watching the egg teeter on the thin wire ladle as I dipped it down into the colored cups. Nowadays, egg dyeing is outta control. I’m glad my daughter is young and won’t be expecting anything extravagant this year. Because sheesh, with Pinterest these days, some holiday crafts are beyond me.

The color of Down the Bunny Trail comes from the combination of lemon juice and a pinch of deep magenta beet powder. Honestly, I was going for a pretty pink color for my Easter cocktail but I think the orangey coral result is gorgeous. It looks like Easter egg dye. I promise it doesn’t taste like that though. It tastes like spicy sparkling bliss.

Beet powder would also be a great way to naturally dye your Easter eggs. I use it to dye cakes and frostings. If you aren’t using too much of it, it really doesn’t affect the flavor of baked goods. You can also use it in smoothies for a boost of vitamins and minerals. Or make yourself a Passionfruit Paloma with beet syrup as the sweetener.

If you’re not a huge champagne fan or if you’re the only one in your house who’ll be drinking it, consider buying the mini bottles of sparkling wine. That way, you won’t be wasting an entire bottle of the good stuff.

Ingredients for a Spiced Honey French 75

  • 1 1/2 oz spiced gin (or regular gin)
  • 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz honey-ginger simple syrup**
  • pinch of beet powder-– mostly for color but it does add a slight earthy flavor that I dig
  • 1-3 oz champagne, depending on the size of your glass

How to Make A Spiced Honey French 75

Make your honey-ginger syrup first. To make this, I added a small amount of ginger paste (the size of my pinky nail) to my honey simple syrup recipe. If I had fresh ginger on hand, I would’ve used that instead. If you have fresh ginger root, simmer a 1/2-inch knob in the honey syrup for about 5 minutes.

Add your gin, lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup, and beet powder to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well to mix up the beet powder. Pour the now-coral elixir into either a champagne glass (the traditional way to serve a French 75) or into a lowball glass filled with ice. Top your Easter cocktail with champagne.

To make this feel more like an Easter cocktail, I garnished it with a bun-bun on a stick. I feel like that screams Easter, no? I got a pack of 4 at the Dollar Tree for–you guessed it–a dollar. I’m pretty obsessed with the little pom tail.

Looking for other springtime drinks? Check out the light & lemony Tom Collins, a tart Gimlet or Lemon Drop, or my current favorite, the Golden Pothos. All of these are super refreshing and perfect for porch-sippin’.

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