Beergarita

September 13, 2014 1 Comment A Well Crafted Pantry

Disclaimer: I was sent beer to try in a few cocktails for my Saturday Spirits series. So Beertails for all! All content is my own!

Last weekend the family and I enjoyed our last camping trip of the season. I happy to say that we tried to take as much advantage of summer as possible by going out and enjoying the great outdoors many weekends this year. Most years we just end up looking back over the Summer and going, “where did it go?!” This year we can safely look back at a bunch of memories of beach trips, camping trips, and more. I am already looking forward to NEXT year’s camping trips and have been filling my Amazon wish list with fun new camp gear I want to buy!

My friends joke that if anyone would bring the bar to a campfire it would be me… and, they aren’t wrong. Last camping trip I made a tasty little bourbon and iced tea sipper. This time around I chose to do a Beergarita!

What is a beergarita you ask? Well, it is a Margarita with BEER in it! Beer can give an extra little something to a classic margarita by adding in more flavor and by giving it some carbonation. I like to make beergaritas when I am making big batches of margaritas.

We made this Beergarita with Tecate Light. While any style of lager will work well, I liked that this is a full flavor lager that reminds me of Mexcio. Check out my favorite way to drink Tecate that I posted WAY back when the blog began.

Beergarita Recipe

Makes a pitcher of drinks… or if you are camping like us, this makes 44 oz of cocktail put into a 48oz sealable container. This works to continually mix the cocktail without needing to stir it.

Ingredients:

1 lager style beer – you’ll use an entire can or bottle (we used Tecate Light)
8 oz Tequila
8 0z Triple Sec
8 oz Simple Syrup
2 oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (approximately 2 lemons)
3 oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice (approximately 2.5 limes)
3 oz Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice (approximately 2 oranges)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a pitcher or sealable container (with a little room)
Sitr mixture well to combine (or shake)
Serve over ice in a glass with a salted rim and a squeeze of lime!

Other Margarita recipes you might like:

Apple Cider Margarita (perfect for Fall!)
Jalapeno Margarita
Tangerine Thyme Margarita

And, if you love a good margarita as much as I do then you’ll want to snag this beautiful printable from A Fabulous Fete “Know when to Give Up and Have a Margarita“—it is framed on my desk at work for nice reminder!

What do you think about the Beergarita?

A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Frozen Wine Cocktail

September 6, 2014 2 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Update: So, this is a really simple cocktail that I was super excited to make… a few days after making this and posting it I was going through my Pinterest boards and realized I pinned a cocktail recipe nearly exactly like this… I must have thought I dreamed it up after pinning late at night! When something is two ingredients it isn’t quite a recipe, but I don’t like the idea of taking someone else’s idea without credit. So, while I’m keeping my list of ingredients I used and ideas for other frozen wine cocktails, I’ve removed my “directions” and instead you’ll find a link to the blog that I must have originally gotten the idea from. You’ll want to check out their blog anyways… it is awesome!

My camera broke this week as I was in the middle of a Halloween photo shoot. I’m sorta crushed. My camera is my friend! Thankfully, I have this lovely cocktail to get me through the pain.

These photos don’t really do this little cocktail justice at all. I’ll have to fix that… It won’t be hard, this simple cocktail will now be a staple in my home. It takes only two ingredients! So, grab yourself a bottle of wine and a bag of frozen fruit and get to work!

Two Ingredient Frozen Wine Cocktail

Ingredients:
– 6 oz wine (I used Sokol Pinot Gris)
– approximately 2 cups frozen fruit (I used strawberries for the pictured cocktail- I also tried a version with peaches. Peaches in the drink were the best, but both were great!)

Directions:
Check out the post by Dessert for Two “Peach Wine Slushies”

That’s it!

Some combinations I’d suggest:
-Pinot Gris and Frozen Peaches
-Moscato and Frozen blueberries with a little lemonade
-Lambrusco with frozen mixed berries
-Sweet Riesling with frozen strawberries

What combination would you make?

A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Lemon Ginger Drop Cocktail

August 30, 2014 4 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Disclaimer: I attended a tasting of Raft Syrups and received a sampling of their syrups. This post is not sponsored by Raft. I happened to really enjoy the syrups and have created a recipe (or few!) using their syrups. Enjoy!

Botanical Syrups and Kindred Spirits

A few weeks ago I was invited over to the home of the creators of Raft Botanical Cocktail and Soda Syrups with a few blogging friends for the opportunity to try some of their syrups and cocktails made with them. I was incredibly inspired by the passion and dedication of the women behind Raft Syrups. They spoke about their syrups and the process of creating and selling them with such authentic enthusiasm.

If you’ve ever read Anne of Green Gables then you’ve read the term ‘kindred spirits.” That is exactly how I felt sitting down with a few of my blogging buddies and Sook & Roslynn of Raft. I was reminded of the line:

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables.

Anyways, we tried SEVERAL tasty drinks that night. (Many of which you can actually find the cocktail recipes over on the Raft website. ) Admittedly, the tasty drinks might have contributed a little to the warm fuzzy feeling that I got from the evening. However, I’m going to think now and forever that I’ve found another pair of kindred spirits out there.

Lemon Ginger Drop Cocktail

Upon tasting their Lemon Ginger Syrup the first thing I thought was…. wow, this would make for an AMAZING lemon drop. And, because I like to toot my own horn, I WAS RIGHT.

The lemon drop is a funny drink for me. Typically they are too sickly sweet for me to enjoy. However, when mixed with just the right proportions of sweet and sour, I am in love. The ginger syrup gives the lemon drop just the right mixture of sweet and sour… and, as a bonus, a fun little kick of ginger at the end. If you like a little spice in your cocktail then definitely try this drink.

Lemon Ginger Drop Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients:

1 3/4 oz Vodka
1 oz Limoncello Liquer
1/2 oz Lemon Ginger Raft Syrup
Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 slice of lemon for rimming your glass
Ice
Shaker
Martini Glass
Granulated Sugar mixed with lemon zest for rim
Candied Ginger for Garnish

Directions:

Using a sliced lemon, rub lemon juice around the edge of your cocktail glass. Dip the glass onto a plate covered in granulated sugar mixed with lemon zest. Set glass aside.
Pour the vodka, limoncello, lemon ginger syrup, and juice of the lemon into a cocktail shaker full of ice. SHAKE! Strain liquid into the rimmed martini glass.
Garnish with a candied ginger.

Enjoy!

More about Raft Syrups: Raft Botanical Cocktail and Soda Syrups are made in Portland, Oregon. The syrups are not only just about quality ingredients and great flavor… but, also about a healthy well-being! Check out the Raft About page to learn more about why they are creating these syrups. It is a good read, I promise! They currently stock three different syrups: Hibiscus Lavender, Lemon Ginger, and Smoked Tea Vanilla. The syrups are stocked in some stores throughout Portland and can be purchased ONLINE! These would make a fantastic gift for anyone building their bars.

Want even more recipes using Raft syrups? Check out these links:

GORGEOUS photography and awesome Raft recipes shared over at PDX Food Photographer
Evening Cocktails with Raft Syrups from The Spicy Bee
Lollipop Sparkling Cocktails from me!