Tag Archives: Scotch Cocktails

Rainier Cherry Scotch Thyme New Fashioned

Posted on by July 1, 2015

I love Ranier cherries but I’ve had to wait a long “thyme” to finally enjoy this Rainier Cherry Scotch Thyme “New Fashioned” cocktail. The idea for my Rainier Cherry Scotch Thyme “New Fashioned” came to me sometime last fall. Oh the torture of having to wait for Rainier cherry season to get to finally make one. I have to say, this Rainier Cherry Scotch Thyme “New Fashioned” was absolutely worth the wait. Considering it’s made with Scotch, it’s still a very light and refreshing cocktail. It’s woodsy and herbaceous without being overwhelming. It’s quite perfect for the early summer late spring season during which it’s easiest to find Rainier cherries. Hint, this is no coincidence. The scotch you select will have a big impact on the flavor of the drink. I recommend that first and foremost, pick one you like. It seems obvious, but sometimes when reading a recipe it’s easy to forget the most important part of cooking and eating: your taste buds rule! I chose a medium/light peatiness so as not to overwhelm the cherries. Thyme is strong though, and it holds its own with the peat in my Rainier Cherry Scotch Thyme “New Fashioned” cocktail. … Continue reading →

The September Wedding: Pineapple Sage Cocktail

Posted on by May 8, 2016

The September Wedding: Pineapple Sage Cocktail is dear to my heart for a variety of reasons. A dear friend is getting married this month and she asked me to create a few signature cocktails for her. I have no clue if she’ll select this one, but I know when I drink The September Wedding: Pineapple Sage Cocktail, I’ll think of her. The September Wedding: Pineapple Sage Cocktail features smoky scotch, woodsy sage, and chartreuse and is paired unpredictably with pineapple juice- perfect for the marriage of summer to fall. But how did it come about? That’s a story in and of itself. My dad is a gardener extraordinaire and a couple of weekends ago, I came home to three huge boxes of herbs. Lemon verbena, thyme, and sage. I already had very specific plans for the verbena (I make this sheep’s milk lemon verbena ice cream that I’ve shared a version of here, and I served a more complicated version for my pop-up restaurant). The verbena and thyme where well on their way towards dry, so nothing had to be done right away, but the sage was still very fresh and lush and would rot if not preserved or used … Continue reading →

The Decoy Cocktail

Posted on by February 12, 2015

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, one and all. For your Monday night Happy Hour pleasure, I give you The Decoy Cocktail a.k.a. Duck, Duck, Drink. So what’s the trick behind The Decoy? Well first of all, it’s about as Irish as I am, which is to say, not at all. But it has whiskey (single malt Scotch) in it. I’m not going to lie, The Decoy Cocktail is going to be both a pain and an expense to assemble, but I’m pretty sure that I’m going to make you want to anyway, once you hear about the, wait for it, Mexican food that inspired it. The Decoy is both really cool, and it’s REALLY delicious. The smoky cocktail served “up” makes it perfect for another SNOW DAY (I just can’t make any more Snowstorm Hot Chocolate– it would break my heart) like the one we had in Philly today. Of course, a drink like this has one helluva back story. I mean, I don’t go out of my way to design the most expensive hard to assemble drinks possible. That said, I do keep a deep liquor cabinet and people buy me unusual ingredients as gifts so I did have everything … Continue reading →