Welcome to Our B(ooze) Log

Napa Valley Sazerac

Ingredients
1.5oz NVD Brandy Cordial
.25oz Herbsaint (or premium Absinthe)
3-5 dashes bitters (Berg & Hauck's Creole Bitters, Scrappy's Orleans, 5 by 5 Tonic's Aromatic)
Garnish: Lemon twist

Preparation
Pack an Old-Fashioned glass with ice and set aside. In a second Old-Fashioned glass, add Creole bitters and the Brandy Cordial and stir to mix. Emptly the ice from the reserved glass. Quickly add the Herbsaint and swirl the glass to coat. Discard remaining Herbsaint. Pour the brandy/bitters mixture from the second glass into the first glass and garnish with a swath of lemon peel. 

*Napa Valley Distillery always recommends drinking responsibly.

Dec 29, 2014 at 8:04 PM Permalink Comments (4)

The North Star

Ingredients
2oz NVD Pear Brandy
1oz Tait Farm Spiced Apple Shrub
2oz Sparkling Wine
1 Sugar Cube 
3-5 Dashes Berg & Hauck's Aromatic Bitters (Try Orange or Lemon).
Garnish: Orange Twist

Preparation
Place suger cube into a Champagne flute and douse with bitters. Set aside. Add Pear Brandy and Spiced Apple Shrub to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into reserved Champage flute. Top with 2-4 oz Sparkling Wine. Garnish with an orange twist. 

*Napa Valley Distillery always recommends drinking responsibly.

Dec 29, 2014 at 7:48 PM Permalink Comments (1)

The Genteel Pear

Ingredients
2oz NVD Pear Brandy
.75oz fresh lemon juice (Meyer if you have it!)
.75oz Ginger Gum Syrup
1 egg white*
1/8 tsp Orange Flower Water
3-5 dashes Berg & Hauck's Aromatic Bitters (Also try Orange or Lemon)
Garnish: a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Preparation
Add egg white to a cocktail shaker. Vigorously "Dry Shake" the egg white for 30 seconds untill it's good and foamy. Fill shaker with ice, add Pear Brandy, lemon juice, ginger gum syrup, and orange blossom water. Shake vigorously until thouroughly chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktil coupe. Carefully place 3-5 evenly spaced 'dots' of bitters on top of the cocktail. Lightly sprinkle with freshly ground nutmeg. Enjoy and repeat (responsibly).

*Napa Valley Distillery always recommends drinking responsibly.

**Napa Valley Distillery suggests using caution when consuming raw eggs due to the slight risk of food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend that you use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell. 

Dec 29, 2014 at 7:35 PM Permalink Comments (20)

Holiday Old Fashioned Simple Syrup

Cocktail Guru Jamie Boudreau aptly reminds us that "simple syrup doesn't always need to be simple...it can add robust flavors and create new opportunities for inspiring cocktails."

Try this adapted recipe for 'not-so-simple' rich simple syrup for your next Old Fashioned and other classic cocktails.

1 cup raw sugar (most minimally processed)
3.5oz Bourbon / Rye
1oz of your favorite winter bitters (Angostura will certainly work)
A large swath of fresh orange zest (white pith removed) sliced into matchstick pieces

Add all ingredients into a medium saucepan and set heat to medium. Stirr ingredients continuously with a non-reactive whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Do not let boil. Once sugar is completely dissolved turn off the heat. Allow to cool. Strain into a repurposed bottle or Mason jar. Use for all of your holiday / winter cocktail needs. 

Variations. Add some or all of the following to the saucepan to heat with the other ingredients. 8 whole cloves, 3 whole star anise, grated nutmeg, 10 crushed green cardamom, .5oz fresh or dried ginger.

Old Fashioned Cocktail
2 oz. bourbon or rye whiskey
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1/4 oz 'not-so-simple' rich simple syrup (recipe above)
Orange peel
Ice cubes

Tools: muddler, barspoon
Glass: old fashioned

Directions
In an Old Fashioned glass, add the syrup, bitters and orange peel. Use a muddler to gently press the orange peel to release the citrus oils. Add the whiskey and stir. Add ice cubes and stir again. Enjoy and repeat as desired.*

*Napa Valley Distillery always recommends drinking responsibly. 

Nov 22, 2014 at 12:48 PM Permalink

Old Hollywood Cocktail

Ingredients
2oz NVD Old Hollywood Ginn
.5oz Vaya - Vermouth (Red)
.5oz Small Hands Foods - Pineapple Gum Syrup
Garnish: Orange Twist

Preparation
Add ingredients to a glass filled with ice, stirr for 30 seconds, strain in to a chilled cocktail coupe. Rub the orange twist around the rim of the glass and set into cocktail. Enjoy and repeat. Cheers!

Herbal, exotic, sophisticated. 

*Napa Valley Distillery always recommends drinking responsibly.

Nov 19, 2014 at 4:58 PM Permalink Comments (8)