The Akeke'e – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This drink is like a dirty martini but made with dill pickle juice  It comes out mild with a hint of sweetness and is really refreshing.  Now you know what to do with all that left-over pickle juice...

In a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled with cracked ice add 3 ounces of vodka (I used Ocean brand organic vodka from Hawaii) and 1 ounce of dill pickle juice.  Shake and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a piece of dill pickle topped with a spring of fresh dill (just stick a toothpick in the pickle to create a small hole for the dill).

The Akeke'e is a small, and endangered, green bird native to Kaua'i.

Cheers!

The Meijiro – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

I've been wanting to make this drink since I returned from a trip to Japan back in February.  I'm not a fan of Shochu but decided to try a cocktail that's made with it on a whim at a traditional Japanese restaurant in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the drink!  This is my attempt to recreate it.  It's got a subtle flavor and is very refreshing served over crushed ice.

To make it add 2 ounces of Shochu to a long drink glass about 2/3 filled with crushed ice, top with fresh-made (but cool) Jasmine green tea.  If you happen to have a jasmine vine nearby that's in bloom you can garnish the cocktail with a jasmine flower as I did here.

You can find Shochu in Japanese markets or larger well stocked liquor stores.  It's typically lower in alcohol than most other liquors so is a good choice when you want to have an afternoon drink with a little less kick during the warmer months.

Kampai!

Power to the Pink Robin – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This little cocktail packs a punch just like all those fierce, smart and beautiful women who marched in support of Women's, and Human, rights on 1/21/17.  This cocktail is dedicated to the women, and wonderfully supportive men, who marched in those peaceful demonstrations worldwide.  We will not go back to the 50's quietly!  

To build the cocktail to a shaker 1/4 filled with cracked ice add:

2 oz raspberry flavored vodka (I used Stoli)
2 oz Grand Marnier No2 (raspberry peach flavored liqueur)
2 oz of Simply brand Lemonade with raspberry

Shake and strain into two small cocktail glasses.  Add 1 tsp of maraschino cherry liquid to each glass (this will create a layered look) and garnish with one maraschino cherry that you let float to the bottom.

The pink robin is a beautiful little bird that makes its home in the rain forests of Australia...

#fightback

Cheers!

The Ruffed Grouse – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

For this cocktail I wanted to use a warming alcohol to ward off the cooler winter temperatures so this is a bourbon-based drink.  To keep the cocktail from being too apple-flavored I added a touch of lemon juice.  We have a Meyer lemon tree in our backyard that is producing some nice fruit right now so I used one in this cocktail.  If you don't have Meyer you can use a regular lemon.  Perfect for après-ski or to keep you warm as you are toasting marshmallows on the beach bonfire (mountains to sea!).

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

• 4 oz. Kentucky straight bourbon (I used Eagle Rare 10 year aged bourbon in this cocktail)
• 2 oz. Faretti biscotti famosi liqueur (a beautiful liqueur with a very slight anise flavor)
• 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice (meyer if you can find it)
• 5 oz. apple cider (regular, not hard!)

Shake or stir and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist (rub the lemon twist between your fingers gently to release the aromatic oils prior to deploying to the cocktail).

Makes (2) warming and smile-inducing drinks.

Enjoy!

The Snow Bunting – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

We didn't live in snowy climates growing up, but occasionally we'd get a big enough snow event that my Dad would make snow cream. We kids loved it of course and thought it was a big treat.  This cocktail isn't made from snow though it reminds me of the snow cream my Dad made when we were kids (minus the alcohol, of course).  

To make the cocktail add to a blender:

4 oz. vanilla flavored vodka (I used Absolut)

4 oz. Godiva white chocolate liqueur

4 oz. half-n-half

1/2 tsp of vanilla paste (or scrape some vanilla from a pod)

~1 cup of ice

Blend and pour into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar and maraschino cherries.

A nice 'snowy' little holiday cocktail.

Cheers, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The Juniper Thrasher – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

 
This is a dry cocktail and I love it!  You'll have to find some good ingredients for this one - including a fairly pricey soda and some very good quality olive oil.  For some reason this cocktail seems to bridge fall and winter nicely and makes me think of a nicely roasted pheasant served with a juniper berry sauce and roasted potatoes with rosemary - but I digress.

First - crush about 2 tsp of whole juniper berries.
Add the crushed berries to the Gin and let stand for about 15minutes. 

To build the cocktail to a shaker 1/3 filled with crushed ice add:

• 4 oz. Bombay Sapphire East Gin (lightly infused with crushed juniper berries as noted above)
• 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 oz. Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used California Olive Ranch brand)
• 4 drops of Bittercube Bitters Jamaican #1

Shake and strain into two cocktail glasses.  Top with Dry brand Sparkling Juniper Berry flavored soda.  Garnish with a slice of fresh fruit (preferably pineapple guava if you have it - the scent compliments the herbally nose of the drink).

Option:  If this drink is too dry for you, make a juniper berry simple syrup and add about an ounce to the shaker or else a good squeeze of agave nectar.  

Makes 2 refreshing and warm cocktails. 

Cheers!

The Red-crowned Crane – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

For some reason, Fall is the season when I most want to visit Japan.  This year is no exception, though I won't be going there in 2016.  A friend recently gave me some 'fuzzy lychee' that he picked up at a local Asian specialty market so I wanted to create a cocktail with lychee as the garnish.  As you can see, I didn't peel the fruit for the garnish - this is to create the look I was going for in honor of the bird this cocktail is named for.  Look it up on the internet and you'll figure it out!  FYI - You have to peel the lychee it if you want to eat the sweet and yummy fruit.  

At any rate, this cocktail is in honor of my good friend Mayumi.  I had the honor of being a guest of Mayumi, her Mom and her Grandmom on more than one occasion as they took me to several wonderful places including very traditional Japanese Onsens, a famous baker where we had some lessons in making traditional Japanese sweets, the best (and spiciest) Ramen I've ever had, a famous traditional lunch spot, and the list goes on!  I hope to pay a visit to Mayumi next year.


This little cocktail packs a punch!  To build the cocktail to a shaker 1/3 filled with crushed ice add:

• 2 oz. Absolut Pear vodka
• 1 oz. unfiltered or coarse-filtered Nigori Sake (I used Sayuri brand from Kobe, Japan)
• 1 oz. Ume liqueur (I used Iichiko brand) 

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lychee.  Makes (1) little cocktail.  

Notes:  

• I lived in Kobe Japan for about 3 months some years ago.  It's a nice port town not too far from Osaka.  I recommend a tour of the old Hakutsura Sake factory, which is now basically a museum, if you ever find yourself there.  
• You may have to find a grocer that carries Japanese goods for the Ume liqueur - it's very low in alcohol so mostly it is for flavoring.  
• Ume is a kind of plum with a sour taste.  
• The Red-crowned crane is a very revered bird in Japan and other parts of Asia.  It's a symbol of longevity and other positive attributes.  You can read about it on Wikipedia or other internet sites.

Cheers!

The Fruity Flamingo – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

A restaurant in downtown Paso Robles where we dined last weekend, La Cosecha, had a watermelon-thyme martini on the menu which I had a taste of and really liked.  This is my attempt to recreate that cocktail.  The mixologists there are into Pisco at the moment and also have a selection of home-infused liquors which they use in their cocktails.  The food at La Cosecha was good too - I particularly enjoyed the Pastelitos Catracho (Honduran beef empanadas) and my steak salad was really good too - no leftovers!  For this cocktail you need to make a simple syrup or the flavor of the thyme won't be strong enough.

To make the thyme simple syrup to a saucepan add:

• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 good size sprigs of fresh thyme

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Strain into a glass jar (I use one of those salad dressing jars).  Leftover simple syrup will keep in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.

To build the cocktail to a shaker 1/3 filled with crushed ice add:

• 4 oz good quality vodka (I used Belvedere)
• 2 oz good quality gin (I used Bombay Sapphire)
• 4 1/2 oz watermelon juice (I used Trader Joe's cold pressed juice)
• 1 1/2 oz of the thyme simple syrup

Shake and then strain into two cocktail glasses.

Makes two refreshing and colorful cocktails.  Cheers!

Pearakeet - a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

Super easy!

Add 2 oz Pear flavored vodka (I used Absolut), 1 oz Midori and 3 oz of pear nectar to a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled with ice.  Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.  Makes one sweet chartreuse-colored cocktail that reminds me of a parakeet.  

Thanks for helping me with the name, Charlotte!

Cheers!

Jules Cockatiel - a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This cocktail is dedicated to one of my best friends who is celebrating a Big Birthday this weekend.  I had some very fresh ginger leftover and decided to make a simple syrup with it.  I used peaches, because they are in season and super yummy right now, for the garnish.

To make the ginger-vanilla simple syrup add below ingredients to a small sauce pan, bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, woody skin removed, and sliced
• 1/2 tbsp of vanilla paste or 1/2 vanilla bean

Strain into a bottle.  Unused syrup can be kept in the refrigerator

To build the cocktail to a shaker 1/3 filled with ice add:

• 2 1/2 ounces of good quality amber rum (Trader Joe's Rum of the gods or Mount Gay Black Barrel)
• 1/2 ounce of the ginger-vanilla simple syrup
• 3 ounces of Kern's peach nectar

Strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with Jamaican ginger sugar (or brown sugar); garnish with a slice of fresh juicy peach!

Jules, here's to you and Happy Birthday!

Cheers

Toucan Ben - a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

If you've read enough of this blog's posts, then you know that I prefer to create cocktails that are served chilled but without ice.  This is because it preserves the flavor of the drink while you sip. My husband Ben came up with this one and served it to me one Friday evening after I got home from work - what a nice tropical surprise!  I really love it because it has the flavor of a pina colada but without as many calories.  Now if only I were enjoying this somewhere in the Caribbean...

Here's the recipe (makes 2 cocktails):

6 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice

4 oz pineapple rum
2 oz coconut rum (I recommend Malibu or Parrot Bay)
and a good squeeze of agave nectar

Shake or stir over ice and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lime or pineapple wedge.

Cheers and Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!

A match made in cocktail heaven:

The Korean Magpie - a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This cocktail is dedicated to my friends and work colleagues in South Korea that I had the pleasure of meeting in person just last month.  I enjoyed the fantastic Korean food, wonderful hospitality, and discovered a new Korean beer called "Kloud" that I also really enjoyed.  In the small amount of time I had there when not working, I took this picture of a Korean Magpie (it's small, you call find better pictures on the web) at the World Heritage Site Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty not too far from the Intercontinental Coex in Seoul (a hotel I can highly recommend - the staff are incomparable).  I hope you enjoy this refreshing cocktail.


Here's the recipe:
2 oz. of gin (I used Bombay Sapphire)
1 oz. of Violette (Violet flower liqueur)
1 oz. of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.
Add a splash of cold tonic water (I used Fever-tree brand naturally light)
Garnish with:
a lemon twist and a sprig of lavender flower

May this cocktail bring you good luck and fortune, just like the Korean Magpie.  

I'm looking forward to my next visit to South Korea!

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak - a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

We happen to have some beautiful and very aromatic heirloom roses in our yard that one of the previous homeowners planted.  They are fantastic and just one rose fills the den with a gorgeous scent.  We don't spray our roses so they are organic.  I thought it would be fun to make a cocktail that used the petals.  

This cocktail is tasty and elegant.  You have to make a simple syrup which is really easy.

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

4.5 oz of Vodka (I used Napa Valley Distillery - Napa Reserve - it's distilled from sauvignon blanc grapes (so basically a brandy))
2 oz of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1.5 oz of rose simple syrup (recipe follows)

Shake or stir and strain into a small cocktail glass.  Garnish with a small and thin slice of lemon and a rose petal.  Makes (2) cocktails.

Optional:  Add a splash of cold club soda


To make the 'rose simple syrup':

Harvest a big organic rose or two.  You need about a cup (un-pressed) of very fresh rose petals.  Add the rose petals to a sauce pan with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 3o minutes.  Strain into a a glass jar or bottle that has a lid.  I used one of those dressing jars.  Let cool.  You can store the left-over 'rose simple syrup' in the refrigerator.

Here is the finished simple syrup product - look at that deep rose color!

The rose breasted grosbeak is a beautiful bird.  Unfortunately California is not part of their territory.  Learn more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose-breasted_grosbeak

Cheers!