BRANDY BUSTER

I don't know about you, but I am getting pretty excited for the spring and summer. The days are getting longer and the temp is getting warmer. Therefore, it's time to start experimenting on some new summer cocktails. The bar has been fully loaded with fun new liquor and mixers. I must say I've tried a few and this has been the only success so far. Now go make a cocktail, sit back, relax, and pretend you are on a sunny, warm beach! Just looking at this drink makes me thirsty!

Brandy Buster
1 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Lime Juice
Ginger Ale
Slice of Lemon

Fill your shaker with ice and pour in the brandy, vermouth, and lime juice. Stir, then strain into a highball filled with ice. Top off with ginger ale and stir again. Decorate with a lemon slice. Take a sip, close your eyes and enjoy!

{Recipe courtesy of The Cocktail Directory}

HOMEMADE BEER... HOW REFRESHING!

IT'S A SUCCESS! Matt being the beer lover that he is decided to take his dad's old beer making equipment and put it to good use. I cheer with excitement because Matt's first attempt at making beer ended up all over the basement floor about 2 years ago (my gift to him). Needless to say we were both unhappy. His Brother and Sister-In-Law very nicely gave him a second chance by giving him the ingredients to create his brew again last Christmas.  It only took him about a year to muster up the courage and do it again. Alas, a Success! It is a refreshing Belgian White summer beer (I know wrong season) and the best part is it tastes like beer! Now that he is 1-1, he is looking to improve his record. I am sure we will be seeing more from this lad shortly! I see Brown Ales and Porters in the near future.

 Images:
1. The Black Ant Belgian White requires a spice potion of ground coriander and dried orange peel steeped in vodka.  This sits in a fashionable mason jar until it's pitched in at bottling time.
2. Flaked oats are placed inside cheese cloth (or muslin bags if you've got them) and boiled in water to begin the cooking process.
3. The fermented brew after several weeks isn't much to look at; but, once the barrel is opened, the aroma of wheat and hops fills the air.
4. Siphon the desirable liquids from the fermenting bucket into a secondary bucket fashioned with a spigot for an easy bottling process.  Strain through a sieve to rid the superfluous solids created during the fermenting process.
5. The second bucket assures that no unwanted dregs will be lurking within the individual bottles.
6. Using a coffee filter and small funnel, add the liquid portion of the spice potion and the priming sugar to the bucket.
7. Crouch down, and pour each beer one by one with a big smile on your face!

FRIDAY IN FRANCE

What language did you study in high school? My fellow francophile and friend of over 15 years, Jill, joined me for an evening of Parisian treats! On order were some petit lemon madeleines (my new pan's maiden voyage) and Lillet on ice with orange.

For those of you new to Lillet, it is an aperitif wine with hints of citrus. Traditionally served over ice with a slice of orange or lemon, it has a slightly thicker consistency than white wine with a gentle sweetness.

My attempt at madeleines was not as daunting of a task as one might assume. To add depth I browned the butter but other than that I kept to the detailed recipe found in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours cookbook. The result were dainty, cake like cookies that are a perfect pop-able size, best served along side a cup of tea, coffee or glass of Lillet!

{Madeleine recipe via: doriegreenspan.com}

BEACH TREATS

The acclimation back into the daily grind is never easy after a low-key week at the beach. As you already know, the Talbot Family Vacation in RI was a smashing success; there were plenty of books read, skin burned and salt water unintetionally ingested.  But what is a vacation without a few treats?! So as we loaded up the car with towels, chairs and enough clothing to dress the entire town I made sure there were some sweet (and potent) treats packed as well.

LEMON SABLES: France's version of a sugar cookie, these are delicate and light, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Dorie Greenspan (just bought her gigantic Baking cookbook, uhoh!) has an ingenious method of working the zest into the raw sugar with your fingertips to pull out just enough essence of lemon without being over powering.

{Dorie Greenspan's Lemon Sables via: The NY Times} 

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE COFFEE CAKE: I know, the title's a mouthful... and so is this decadent cake! Essentially a coffee cake base toped with cheesecake filling covered in a blueberry compote and finally sprinkled with almond crumb, this treat is both decadent and delicious. The real confusion though is with it being so rich (yet surprisingly not as dense as one would assume), is this a dessert or a breakfast item?  

Well just eat it twice, problem solved! 

{Recipe via: Sugar N' Flour}

GIN & TONICS: A Summer Staple. This year we made them with fragrant Hendrick's Gin, a splash of tonic and a slice of cucumber. The perfect pre-lobster dinner cocktail.

ROOT & GINGER BEER

For some it's the scent of sun screen. For others it's the taste of a creamsicle or the sensation of wet sand, clumped in your bathing suit bottom. Everyone has something, be it a specific place, taste or smell, that is evocative of childhood summers. For me it's the cold, painfully-bubbly, first sip of a Stewarts root beer, straight from the long-neck bottle. Summertime at Grandpa's condo meant an exception to the long standing rule that all beverages were to be enjoyed from a glass.  You can imagine the thrill when Jess and I were able to sit on the deck next to our pickle jar full of fireflies, bottle in hand, feeling at least ten year's older!

Although there's a more adult brew being sipped from a long-neck these days, the appeal of the spicy-sweet treat still brings me back. So when I discovered ROOT, a new liquor with the kick of birch beer but without the sickly sweetness of a schnapps, I had to give it a go for nostalgia's sake. With the bubbly punch of a ginger beer and the earthy spice of ROOT, this cocktail has the sharp, full-bodied flavor of a grown up root beer.  Perfect accompaniment to a humid, lazy afternoon. 

ROOT & Ginger Beer

pour 1 part ROOT liquor over ice

top with 2 parts Ginger beer

sit in sun and enjoy

{To read more about ROOT or to purchase, click here} 

REFRESHING WATERMELON GIN FIZZ

Yesterday I was craving a refreshing summer cocktail. I wanted to try something new so I began my hunt for a new cocktail recipe online. My only requirements were that I had to have all the ingredients already in the house and the recipe needed to have more than 2 ingredients. I finally stumbled upon a Watermelon Gin Fizz! The recipe only requires 5 simple ingredients including watermelon, gin, lime juice, ginger-ale and ice. It is simple, delicious, refreshing, and beautiful. The finished cocktail looks like a gorgeous summer sunset! I highly recommend you try this recipe this summer. You won't be disappointed!

{Recipe courtesy of www.delish.com}