In A Nutshell

Oh yes... you will be stung! And it will feel oh so good..... 2 oz. bourbon 3/4 oz. lemon 3/4 oz. honey syrup (recipe follows) Combine in a cocktail shaker filled with ice; shake for a good 15-20 seconds and serve over ice with a lemon slice or straight up. Makes one small but mighty drink. Honey Syrup: Combine equal parts honey and water in a small pan; heat until honey is dissolved. 

Dainty and pretty but oh so mighty! A beautiful drink for the holidays; I bought some hibiscus flowers in syrup and used that for the garnish. The recipe comes from Martha Stewart magazine- I swapped out the habanero for a fresno pepper because I think the habanero has an overpowering flavor. I love the very light, almost indistinguishable heat and balance that the fresno pepper brings to the cocktail. Fresno-Hibiscus Syrup: 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 oz. dried hibiscus flowers 1 fresno pepper, sliced down the middle and seeded Combine all the above ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; lower heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let steep for 10 minutes and then strain into a jar. Chill in the refrigerator until cold. Syrup keeps for a month in the fridge. Pisco Hibiscus Sour: 6 oz. pisco 2 oz. fresno-hibiscus syrup 2 oz. fresh lime juice 1 egg white Cranberry bitters Put all the ingredients except the bitters into a shaker with NO ice; dry sh

Remember the  apple and pear galettes  from the previous post? This is a way to use those cores for a gorgeously infused bourbon cocktail. I made sours but you can do an old-fashioned or on the rocks. Infused bourbon : Peel from half a grapefruit Peel from 1 lemon 1 pear core 1 apple core 375 ml of bourbon or whiskey Combine all ingredients in a jar and let steep for one to two days. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a clean jar. For the cocktail:  2 oz. infused bourbon 3/4 oz. lemon juice 1/2 oz. simple syrup Shake in an ice-filled cocktail shaker and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a grapefruit peel.