The Great Spotted Woodpecker – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

A nice little fall cocktail...

Into a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled w/cracked ice add:

- 2 1/2 oz. good bourbon
- 1 oz. of Nocello Walnut liqueur
- 1/2 oz. of Trader Joe's vanilla bean infused Maple Syrup

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.  Makes one sweet and warming little drink.

Apparently, the Great Spotted Woodpecker can crack open a walnut.  I watched a video on YouTube.

Cheers!

The Black Redstart – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

Hello, I'm back after a summer hiatus with a nice little spicy and refreshing cocktail.  The only special ingredient you need is the Averna Amaro Siciliano liqueur.  To build this one in a shaker 1/3 filled with cracked ice add:

- 5 oz. good quality white or golden rum
- 1 oz. of the Averna Amaro Siciliano liqueur
- fresh squeezed juice from one small orange
- fresh squeezed juice from one lemon
- a good squeeze of agave nectar

Shake and strain into two ~6 oz cocktail glasses with two or three small ice cubes.  Garnish with one orange and one lemon peel.

The Black Redstart is a bird that can be found in Sicily as well as other parts of Europe.

Enjoy!

The White-cheeked Turaco – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This little cocktail is herbal and a bit bitter and also very refreshing.  To build this drink:  muddle about (6) 1-2" chunks of grapefruit with (6) fresh sage leaves.  Pull out the grapefruit husks and pour into a cocktail shaker - you should have about 2 ounces of juice with the sage leave pieces and pulp.  

To the 2 ounces of grapefruit juice add

• 4 ounces of good gin (I used St. George 'Botanivore' - that said I want to experiment w/other gins to see how the flavor changes).  
• 1 and 1/2 ounces of Chartreuse
• two drops of bitters (Bittercube Bitters 'Jamaican #1 if you can find it).

Shake with ice and strain into two small (4 to 6 oz) cocktail glasses.  Garnish with a slice of grapefruit skin and a small sage leaf.

The White-cheeked Turaco is a beautiful, flamboyant bird that makes its home in the horn of Africa.  

Cheers!

The Cardinal – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This is basically a cosmo made my favorite way - very dry.  You have to follow the ingredients exactly to get one this dry.  Just in time for National Cocktail Day!

To a shaker 1/3 filled with cracked ice add:

5 oz. good quality plain vodka
1 oz. dry curacao
1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
3 oz. 100% juice cranberry juice (no sugar added)

Shake and strain into 2 cocktail glasses garnished with a nice big piece of fresh lemon peel.

Cheers!

The American Goldfinch – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This being winter, the warming cocktails are more on my mind.  So Kentucky bourbon it is!  This is a nice and simple cocktail that you can enjoy while watching an early winter sunset or admiring your first lily bloom of the season.  In this cocktail I used a small batch bourbon called "Bird Dog".  I have to admit, I tried it because I love bird dogs and the dog on the label reminded me of my German Shorthaired Pointer a bit.  To my delight, it turned out to be a lovely bourbon that I plan to keep in the barmoire cabinet for cool night nips.

To build this cocktail with a shaker 1/3 filled with cracked ice add:

4.5 oz good quality bourbon
1.5 oz Dry Curacao (I used Pierre Ferrand)
1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 oz apple juice (I used an organic Gravenstein juice)

Rub the inside rim of two cocktail glasses w/pinched lemon rind.  Rim w/brown sugar.  Shake and strain into cocktail glasses.  Makes two drinks.

Cheers!