It wasn’t until I was developing the watermelon feta milk punch recipe, that it dawned on me to fat wash the spirit! Fat washing is a technique that used to extract ethanol and water-soluble flavor compounds from fat and infuses them into a spirit. The most common way to fat wash is to add liquified fat to a spirit, freeze the mixture, and extract the spirit from the fat.

The Zucca Brasi is a whiskey-based cocktail that combines Rye, Zucca amaro and my homemade strawberry shrub. It’s a very unique cocktail that really packs a punch. This recipe utilizes a strawberry shrub that I made using local strawberries from the farmers market, Demerara sugar and strawberry infused malt vinegar.

While I can’t just hop on a plane anytime soon, I can recreate that feeling at home with this cocktail that I’m calling Breakfast in Paris. It is a Kir riff that is reminiscent of a French baguette smothered with butter and jam- a classic Parisian breakfast that I enjoy frequently when I am in France. The fat washing of the cognac takes this simple Kir to the next level.

If you guys have been following me on YouTube or Instagram, you know that I am obsessed with butterfly pea flowers. When I first got them, my very first idea was to try and make an all-natural Blue Curaçao. I don’t like using food coloring in my baking or liqueur making because honestly, it feels like cheating! There is also lots of very unnatural things in food coloring too that I would rather steer clear from.

Falernum is a must have ingredient for any tiki enthusiast. It hails from Barbados and has been used in cocktails since at least the 1800s. Just by using a tiny bit, Falernum offers depth and just an almost imperceptible spice that really balances out the sometimes cloyingly sweet and overly boozy tiki cocktails. There is no real definitive recipe for Falernum, but each recipe I’ve seen calls for over proof rum, sugar, lime, almond and clove.

Spring is here, and all the wonderful things that come with it - Picnics in the park, warmer weather, pretty flowers, but there is one thing about spring that is not so wonderful - at least not for me, and that’s pollen. For all you seasonal allergy friends, this infused honey will have you back outdoors in no time!

This might be a polarizing opinion, but I just love floral flavors. I don’t get the soapy vibe that a lot of people often associate with rose water and other floral flavors. I mean have you ever tried candied violets?! They’re incredible! I came up with this recipe for lavender liqueur when developing my Rusty Nail riff - The Manicured Nail. The floral notes blended beautifully with the Drambuie and really highlighted the floral notes of the scotch itself.

Boozy, smoky and floral? Delicate florals are not typically commingled with boozy stirred cocktails, but the lavender in this cocktail really breathes new life into the Rusty Nail. The subtle smoke from the earl grey tea add an air of sophistication and the grapefruit oil gives just a hint of bitterness and accentuates the floral character of the Drambuie and lavender liqueur. It makes a wonderfully elegant night cap. One of my favorite scotch cocktails has to be a rusty nail - which has sadly fallen out of fashion.

Orgeat is an almond syrup typically used in tiki style drinks, most notably in the Mai tai. You can buy this in the store, but it’s never as good as homemade, and the ones that are are quite expensive. It’s really simple to make and you only need 2 ingredients aside from water. There are several ways to go about making orgeat, but this is by far the easiest and least time-consuming way. I only use almonds, sugar and water to make my orgeat, you can add orange blossom water or rose water, as well as almond extract, but those ingredients are optional.

I know its officially summer when I start to see fresh picked berries at the farmers market. The star of the season for me are these beautiful, tiny Tristar Strawberries. For their size, they pack the most intense strawberry flavor. I always want to bottle up that bright, sweet flavor so I can enjoy a bit of summer anytime of the year.