Riesling

Steep, lush vineyards planted with Riesling vines were the predominate view on our bike ride along the Mosel river in Germany. We knew when we were ready to stop for the day that either a Biergarten or a chilled glass of Riesling awaited us.

Riesling in the states has a bad reputation of being a “sweet wine”, and of course, it can be. Germany has five classifications of Riesling. Trocken (fairly dry in the German classification) Riesling is anything but sweet!  Refreshing, slightly chilled, there were tastes of citrus, peach and minerals that made these crisp, dry wines a fantastic summer drink.

My iphone inspiration photo made me want to capture (in focus which is easier to control on a real camera) the chill and freshness of the Riesling. I wanted the image to be more intimate with the wine!

Thyme and Again Cocktail

While in Aspen, my friends and I took a break from the ski slopes to visit Woody Creek Distillery located in Basalt, Colorado.  The bar manager, Christian, took us on a quick tour of the distillery.  Very different from wine making!!  Our friends did a flight of bourbon, rye and brandy.  They loved it!!  Brian and I tried a gin cocktail called Thyme and Again and we loved it too.  So much so we want to share it with you.  We would also highly recommend a visit to their distillery.  There is a wonderful bar with a great seating area, it looked very relaxing.  During the summer there is outdoor seating and they said bring a pizza and enjoy their spirits.  Very hospitable and wonderful tasting!  Of course we all bought some bottles to take home.

Our original drink at Woody Creek Distillery.  Basalt, Colorado

Muddling behind the scenes.

Thyme and Again Cocktail Recipe

We did change the drink a little bit.  We changed the amounts of the drink to make a 4 1/2 ounces of liquid—so by the time you pour over three ice cubes we have a nice full drink in a old fashion glass.  First you muddle your rosemary, thyme and anise seeds in the simple syrup, fresh lemon juice and diluted ginger syrup in a glass that allows you to transfer liquid to a shaker with ice cubes.  You can double strain this but we preferred a bit of the particulates in the drink. So we did not strain carefully!  Once the muddled liquid is in the shaker, you then pour your gin in and shake.   Pour into a old fashion glass and  top off with ice and a bit of thyme garnish.  Now you have a delicious drink!

Gin                   2oz

Simple Syrup   1oz

Lemon Juice    1oz

Ginger Syrup-we felt it necessary to dilute (with water) this 1-4.  Then used the diluted ginger syrup. 1/2oz

Anise               1 pinch

Rosemary Gimlet

Speaking of Rosemary and Fall…

Last Fall, our friend whom we’ve coined “cocktail maestro” mixed up an incredible Rosemary Gimlet for us. Terriffic! A soul warmed by spirits to be sure… and a visually inspiring drink as well.

Sometimes the vision of a shot starts somewhere in your mind and finishes really differently. This was the beginning... We discussed the overall feeling and lighting and decided this was not it! Changed the background, lighting and props.

In the making...

#stgeorgegin #freshlime #crushinit

Our friend got the recipe from www.davidlebovitz.com

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/rosemary-gimlet-gin-cocktail-recipe/

To make 4 gimlets…

Rosemary Syrup

1/2 cup (125ml) water

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

2 tablespoons (4g) coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Rosemary Gimlet

2 ounces gin

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

3/4 ounce rosemary syrup

1. To make the rosemary syrup, heat the water, sugar and chopped rosemary leaves in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Once cool, strain the rosemary syrup into a jar, and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. To make the rosemary gimlet, chill a stemmed cocktail glass in the freezer.

3. Measure the gin, lime juice and rosemary syrup into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker halfway with ice, preferably slightly crushed, cover, and shake the cocktail mixture about thirty seconds. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary or a slice of fresh lime.

Amsterdam Refresher

No, it’s not pot!

With our 1000 lb. city bikes under us, we set out for the museum district of Amsterdam. Getting lost just outside of the last canal, we rode thru a quiet neighborhood and found a corner café… A perfect place for a snack on a warm day in May.  Before our Panini arrived we were served a simple, refreshing dink of sparkling water, fresh mint and lemon. It was served with a muddler! Fantastic idea. We squished the mint and lemon together and sat there thoroughly enjoying it along with the sunshine and the wonderful architecture.

This is a very simple drink to make.  Just some carbonated water, ice, a wedge of lemon and some mint.  What is different from what we get in the states is a muddler. The muddler allows you to continue to reactivate the mint and lemon flavor in the drink.

Our corner cafe.  And we really don't know where this is!  Somewhere in Amsterdam?

Our drink inspiration!

Fresh ingredients

Beverage set, obviously the camera sees differently than your eye.

#phaseone