Garden Cocktails: Peach Bellini

It isn’t surprising news—peaches are in season until September. In the last throes of the summer, we’ll be looking back on these lush days and lush stone fruits a little wistfully. Peaches for every meal would be perfect…breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and cocktails. The trees grow best in full sun in a location where cold air or frost will not settle. Sounds like they grow well in California…Get yourself a tree!  But first, have a drink.

How many Bellinis have you had? Ever make it with fresh peaches?  Invite a friend and celebrate the summer with this easy garden cocktail.

Fresh Peach Bellini (for the two of you)

2 ripe but not squishy white peaches, seed removed, diced (they smell so good)
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ t honey
1 bottle Prosecco

Put the first three ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree. Press the mixture through a sieve.  Put 2 tablespoons of the puree into each champagne coupe and fill with cold Prosecco. Drink. Repeat.

Be full of praise for peaches, Prosecco and summer.

Photo Credit:

White Peaches, Creative Commons, White Peaches by Dave Parker, is licensed under CC by 2.0

Garden Cocktails: Winter Collins

Persimmons always remind me of little, even more colorful pumpkins. Sometimes, after all of the leaves have dropped from the persimmon trees in Autumn, they look like ornaments hung on a tree. If they didn’t get mushy, I might want to make Jack-o’-Lanterns out of them, or candle holders. This is the season, and whether you like the flat, solid Fuyu or the pointy Hachiya, they each have their perfect use. The Fuyu doesn’t need to soften, its crunch and sweetness is a fine complement to fall salads, but I think the softer, more astringent Hachiya really works in this cocktail.

Ingredients:

3 oz vodka; the finer, the better the cocktail
3 oz persimmon syrup (see below)
1 oz fresh Meyer lemon juice
Fizzy water
Persimmon slice and lemon slice for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker and two Old-Fashioned glasses with ice.  Combine vodka, persimmon syrup and lemon juice in the shaker.  Seal and shake, shake, shake for half a minute.  Strain into the glasses and top off with fizzy water.  Garnish with a lemon slice and a persimmon slice.

Persimmon Syrup

2 small semi-firm persimmons, chopped
¾ c sugar
¾ c water
3 2” strips lemon zest, NO PITH
¼ c lemon juice 2 star anise

Combine persimmons, sugar, water, lemon zest, lemon juice and star anise in a saucepan set over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for 20 minutes. Remove zest and anise, puree and pour into a container with a lid. Chill before using.

Photo Credit:

Persimmons, Creative Commons, hachiya by Robert Couse-Baker, is licensed under CC by 2.0

GARDEN COCKTAILS: DAISY’S TEQUILA COBBLER

2 oz Silver Tequila

.75 oz simple syrup

1 strawberry sliced

6-8 blueberries or blackberries

Club soda

Instructions:

1. Put the strawberry and simple syrup in a double old fashioned glass and muddle lightly
2. Add tequila
3. Fill glass half way with crushed ice and lightly churn
4. Add layer of blue or blackberries
5. Pack the rest of the glass of crushed ice
6. Top with Club soda
7. Garnish with a mint sprig

I’m picturing this in my hand on a lazy Sunday…or any Summer day, in fact.

Photo Credit: Daisy Ryan

I recently read that the official cocktail of the state of California is the Mai Tai, though who decided this, I do not know, but apparently it was invented in California at either Trader Vic’s or Don the Beachcomber. We would like to present, in our newsletter dedicated to California…

DAISY’S  MAITA’I

Makes one cocktail

1 oz Neisson Blanc (Rum Agricole)
1 oz El Dorado 8 (Aged amber rum)
1 oz Errand Curacao (Dry Curacao or substitute Triple Sec)
1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz Orgeat syrup
1/3 oz Hamilton 151 (Deep amber rum)

Add all ingredients except the Hamilton 151 to a cocktail shaker and fill with crushed ice.  Shake, shake, and shake until the shaker is frosty on the outside. Pour unstrained into a glass. Float the Hamilton 151 on top. Garnish with a lime wheel and a mint sprig.

NO PINEAPPLE JUICE OR MARASCHINO CHERRY, PLEASE.

Sit poolside and sip while you luxuriate with your Shrimp and Green Peach Salad

If you are so inclined, make your own Orgeat syrup:

Cover 2 1/4 cups of raw, sliced almonds with 3 1/2 cups of filtered water in a mixing bowl.  Let it sit for 30 minutes, then strain and discard the water.

Coarsely grind the almonds in a food processor then return to the bowl and cover with 3 1/2 cups filtered water and soak for 4 hours, stirring every once in a while.

Strain liquid through cheesecloth into a glass jar, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.  Discard the almonds. Add 1/2 cup of cane sugar, close the jar tightly and shake vigorously for 15 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved.  Add 1 oz. vodka and 1/4 tsp orange blossom water and stir thoroughly.

Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  WORTH IT!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of MMH Austin

And to continue in our floral spirit after enjoying the Nasturtium and Arugula salad, here’s a cocktail with spirit and a dash of rose water.

ROSE IN THE HAND

1 1/2 oz Junipero gin
Dash of rose water
3 oz Fever-Tree tonic water
Ice
Lemon wedge
Mint sprig
Straw

Add gin and rose water to a tall glass and stir.  Fill the glass with ice and stir well.  Top with Fever-Tree tonic and stir one more time. Garnish with the lemon wedge and mint and a straw.

Photo Credit: Pink Rose Petals by Catharina77 is licensed under CC0 Public Domain

After enjoying Suzi’s recipe for Pasta Meyer Lemon, use any leftover citrus juice to make this delicious cocktail.

Garden Cocktails: Meyer Lemon Sidecar

2 oz rye whiskey

1 oz triple sec

½  oz Meyer lemon juice

¼” wide strip Meyer lemon peel

Ice for shaking

Fill shaker with ice.  Combine rye, triple sec and lemon juice and pour over ice.  Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.  Serve garnished with the lemon peel.

Photo Credit: Cocktails, Creative Commons, Skylon, South Bank, London by Ewan Munro is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0