Cocktail Hour: Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence Day to America!!

I hope you are with your family enjoying some barbecue, good times and laughter. Today, I’m keeping it short and sweet with two stellar cocktails that would be perfect for your 4th of July celebrations.

The first libation from our Independence Day cocktail duo is a riff off our ice cube making from last week. You are going to make a blueberry puree cube and place a whole strawberry into the tray before you freeze.

Start your day off with a bang with this independently delicious twist on a mimosa.

My Sous chef for this assignment was Brooks. I promise he only assisted with the non-booze related parts of this recipe.

The sparkling rosé was not cracked open until the Sous chef went down for his afternoon nap. About a week ago we showed you how much DIY culinary fun you could have with making flavored ice cubes. Now we want to use that inspiration for our next act by making a blueberry orange and strawberry frozen fruit cube as the perfect accessory for your glass of champs.

Blueberry Puree

Ingredients:

• 10 oz blueberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 12 whole Strawberries to place in each ice cube slot

Directions:

• Place all blueberries into the blender and add Orange Juice and pulse until smooth. Our Sous chef was very meticulous with his blueberry placement and finds the noise of the blender the most hilarious and best part of the recipe!
• Our blueberry mixture was held to the highest quality control standards thanks to our diligent Sous chef. He approves!
• Pour the mixture into your ice cube trays. Do not overfill. Fill to approximately ¾ full.
• Last step is to add one strawberry to each space. If your Strawberries are large cut them into smaller pieces to fit your tray. Freeze and then add to your glass of champagne as the perfect firework to start your day.

For our second cocktail we have a pinch hitter on deck. Richard Swan, the national head mixologist for The Grand Bevy, a craft cocktail catering company. He is also head bartender at Cliff’s Edge Restaurant in Silverlake. Trust me when I say we hit the big leagues with this fellow’s caliber of cocktail making skills!! You should check out his Tumblr. It will make you thirsty.

Take it away Richard…

Here’s the lowdown on the cocktail. I call it the “Triple Bogie”, as it’s kind of a spin on an Arnold Palmer, but with booze! I like it with bourbon or rye whiskey, but you can easily substitute in vodka, rum, or even tequila if you’re not a whiskey fan.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz bourbon
• 2 oz chilled black tea
• .5 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 oz peach syrup

Directions:

• Shake everything together with cracked ice and pour into a glass over fresh ice
• Garnish with a slice of peach and a sprig of mint

Chilled Black tea

• Steep 3 black tea bags (I use loose leaf assam teabags) with 16oz of near boiling water for at least 20 minutes. The stronger the better!
• Chill and keep in the fridge for use.

Peach syrup

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pitted and sliced peach (2 peaches should do)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water

Directions:

• Stir the peaches and sugar together over low to medium heat for 10 minutes, allowing the sugar to dissolve and break down the fruit.
• Add the water and let simmer for another 10 minutes before removing from heat and letting it cool.
• Once it’s cool enough strain the peach solids and discard.
• Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.