A little time has passed, since my last entry, which showcased our upcoming infused vodkas and the iced tea recipe. I enjoyed a lovely five days, frolicking in the Sonoma and Napa wine regions of California. That has been the only thing on my mind’s forefront the past few days… Back to the routine and reality: One of our newest libations, the Bacon Bloody Mary has fallen upon parched, Colorado lips and has been requested, by name, on multiple Sundays. Mad props out to Savory Spice Shop for providing the dried spices found along the rim of this requisite Sunday concoction. These spices are complemented by finely ground, dried herbs from my garden.
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| At Coohills…Bacon Bloody Mary, made with house-infused bacon vodka, garnished with cornichon, olive, onion, bacon, and lime wedge. Spiced and peppered rim made especially by the Savory Spice Shop in Denver, Colorado |
The infusions developed quite perfectly. To infuse vodka with bacon, it only takes about a week, in order to fully infuse the vodka with bacon intensity. As far as infusing vodka with jalapeño peppers, it only takes a day or two; be sure to taste along the way, for different peppers vary with intensity.
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| The close-up of our much-talked-about Bacon Bloody Mary, the brunch cocktail of the summer! Photographed, along the Platte River Trail, in Lower Downtown Denver… |
We are about two weeks along in our process, creating house-made bitters. This is my first endeavor, making bitters; we started with five bottles, filled with bitter substances: apple rinds, orange peel, lemon peel, coriander seeds, and lavender seeds. My partner-in-crime, Dave Glasscock, well-accustomed to bitters-crafting, assisted me with this arduous process. We added Everlcear to each container, and we are waiting, as each bitter component integrates with the alcohol. We will create a cuveé, or house-blend, that combines bits from each of the five flavors, hopefully achieving a balanced bitters blend. This blend can then be added to Manhattans, Old Fashioned cocktails, or any drink that needs a dash of bitterness.
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| Our house-made bitters beginnings…apple, orange, lemon, coriander, and lavender. Each of these bottles contains Everclear, infused with a bitter ingredient. We’ll see what unfolds! |
We are also releasing our summer cocktail list this week! I am so excited to see the collective effort that our bar team has shown. This is one of my favorites, the Cumbersome One. To make this summery treat, combine in a shaker tin:
2 ounces Square One Cucumber Vodka
2 slices cucumber, muddled
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce Chase Elderflower liqueur
1/4 ounce agave nectar
Shake these ingredients vigorously with ice, and double strain them into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a thinly sliced piece of cucumber.
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| “The Cumbersome One,” one of the newest editions on the summer cocktail list at Coohills Restaurant. Albeit cumbersome to compose, it is delightfully easy to consume. Come thirsty – these are quite session-able! |
I am exited to have the summer cocktail list finished. Only finely-tuned details need to be tweaked tomorrow. This will leave time for myself, to forage edible weeds and dry herbs from the garden. More to come on the edible weeds! I have learned so much lately about the nutrients that abound in “weeds” that are routinely discarded here in my state. I’m excited to actually compose some recipes that include plants that you’d usually trash! Some of these well-known “weeds” actually contain more Omega-3 Fatty Acids than your fortified cereal, more than any other vegetable, and more than most fish. It is going to surprise you…
[…] can read more on my initial foray into the infusion world, here, when I infused vodka with…drum roll, please…bacon. Combined with muddled jalapeño […]