Contest: Durham Distillery Mix Maven 2017!

Sorry folks, the contest is over!  Thanks to everyone who submitted photos and recipes, there were some awesome ones!   Alright folks, here’s a great contest for a chance at some free Durham Distillery stuff!  I love their gins, and have been working this week with their liqueurs, which are also outstanding, tasty products.  Here’s…

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Cocktail: Beatnik Manhattan

The Brothers Vilgalys also make a liqueur called Beatnik that includes the flavor of Beets, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Fennel Seed, & Orange Zest.  It has a great sweet,  earthy taste that lends itself well to some fall cocktails. To start us off I made a version of a classic Manhattan,  with a rooty beet kick!…

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Cocktail: The Beatbox

This beautiful looking drink is another concoction using Brothers Vilgalys Beatnik liqueur.  The sweet and earthy taste of the Beatnik pair perfectly with the Rye and Aperol.  There is just something to me in the beet flavor that asks to be paired with a little grapefruit-like bitterness,  which the Aperol provides.  A splash of mint…

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Cocktail: The Zaphod Deshler

This is a minimalistic cocktail that subs in the Brothers Vilgalys Zaphod liqueur for Dubbonet Rouge in the original Deshler recipe.  I also use orange bitters instead of Peychaud’s just because I think it pairs better with the Zaphod. This is a pretty easy drink that an Old-Fashioned lover should easily enjoy.   Ingredients: 1…

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Cocktail: The Beatniski

I really couldn’t come up with a good name for this,  simply because this experiment doesn’t fit into any good category.  This started off as a crazy experiment in a mixing glass, and I kept going with it until I found the taste I was looking for.  This drink tastes like a negroni,  but has…

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Cocktail: Zaphod Marquee

This weekend I had the opportunity to tour the Brothers Vilgalys production facility and taste some of their Krupnikas as well as some of their delicious cordials. This drink is made which the their Zaphod cordial,  which is a mix of flavors of Guava, Starfruit, Mint, Sage, Lemongrass & Peppercorns. Of course my favorite sage…

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Cocktail: Pomelo Acapulco

One more pomelo cocktail for the week!  This is a spin on the classic Acapulco, a tropical drink with a full bodied pineapple fruit taste.  This was an easy substitution with grapefruit juice.  No crazy diversions from the original recipe (for now),  but great option for that last bit of pomelo juice that you squeezed…

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Cocktail: Hemingway Pomelo Special

Since Pomelo juice is a great one-for-one substitute for grapefruit juice I mixed it into one of the simplest grapefruit cocktails out there: the Hemingway Special.  Obviously a famous twist off a sugarless Daquiri,  and a favorite of its namesake author, it’s an easy drink to make with just a handful of ingredients.  If you…

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Cocktail: Ginger Pomelo

The pomelo craze continues in today’s cocktail!  The ginger blends perfectly with the pomelo juice,  and the aperol brings out the grapefruit flavors so it’s not overpowered by the ginger.  This is an absolutely delicious drink! Ingredients: 2 tablespoons chopped ginger 2 oz Raleigh Rum Company spiced rum 1 oz lime juice (keep half a…

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Cocktail: Pomelo Paloma

To add to my mezcal trend recently I picked up a few pomelos at the local grocery store.  These are large grapefruit-like fruit that have a juice and inside that is a good substitute for grapefruit. For this cocktail I found an interesting Chili Paloma cocktail online and decided to use my pomelo to make…

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