Wet Your Whistle
Hibiscus Margarita
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo like never before with this delicious cocktail. The hibiscus infuses a deep rich red color to this libation. Add a slice of lime and Sel de Mer to the rim of your glass and you have the colors of the Mexican flag! Almost cranberry in flavor, it’s got a “zing” that is enhanced by using silver tequila and the homemade spiced simple syrup. Tune in to the mariachi station on Pandora while you whip these up for an absolute fiesta!
Hibiscus Margarita
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a medium sized pot
- Bring to boil over medium-high heat
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes
- Strain and pour into jar. Allow to cool to room temperature
- Once cooled, place in refrigerator. Your syrup will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks
- Combine tequila, lime juice and Hibiscus Spiced Simple Syrup in a glass with a couple of cubes of ice.
- Stir well
- Drink
- Repeat
Rose 75 Cocktail
Blending the tart flavor of sumac and the heady sweetness of rose, this cocktail tickles the palate with a full spectrum of flavors. As is so often the case, we perfected the recipe by happy accident and now consider it the perfect cocktail to herald the coming of spring. Pretty, pink and refreshing, Rose 75 is perfect for special occasions, cocktail parties or intimate gatherings.
Rose 75
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine sumac and sugar on a small plate
- Rub rim of cocktail glass with lemon
- Dip glass in sumac/sugar mixture to coat rim
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake well
- Strain into cocktail glass
- Top with champagne
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring water to boil
- Steep roses, using a tea ball, for 3 minutes
- Remove roses, add sugar and stir to combine
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- Bottle and refrigerate until needed. Rose Simple Syrup will keep for approximately 3 weeks
Christmas in a Glass!
The first time I ever had a Lion’s Tail, I thought it tasted like Christmas in a glass, and it immediately became my go-to libation of the holiday season. This classic cocktail offers up the perfect, winter warming combination of bourbon, citrus and spice that dances on the palate. We’ve played around with many twists on the original theme and are including recipes for the “classic” and “spice-lover’s” versions for you to enjoy.
True Allspice Dram is sometimes hard to find. If its not available in your area, or if you love a great infusion project, look for our DIY version coming soon.
One more?
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Serve in a chilled cocktail glass with a twist of lime.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Serve in a chilled cocktail glass with a twist of lime.
Mayan Cocoa
Heavenly Mayan Cocoa
The delicious comfort of drinking chocolate is ancient ritual. Both the Aztecs and Mayans believed cocoa to be a gift from the gods. This recipe may have changed a bit in the last 500 years, but the taste is still heavenly. Our Mayan Cocoa mix rests on a deep chocolate base with a mellow chile warmth alongside the intricate flavors of almond, true cinnamon and allspice. Whisk together 2-4 tablespoons of Mayan Cocoa per cup of whole milk and heat to just below boiling. Hold at this temperature for a few minutes, then strain to remove any spice chunks. Sweeten to taste and enjoy!
More Than a Minute for Chai…
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The trains of India are legendary- they wind through the vast countryside and into the crowded cities, packing in locals and adventurers alike. Merchants selling traditional tea beverages- or chai wallahs- announce their wares at every stop, circulating through the cars to provide passengers with cups of steaming brew in low-fired clay cups (that you throw out the window when you’re finished!), jumping from the train as it pulls away from the platform.
Chai is such an integral part of the Indian culture that even if you’re miles away from food or potable water, there will always be someone to give you a hot cup of chai. The classic version is an aromatic brew centered around a black tea base, flavored with spices, and tempered with milk and a sweetener. Traditional chai beverages are brewed with different proportions of warm, sweet spices such as ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and clove.
World Spice offers a variety of original chai blends to suit most any palate. Our most popular Sweet Chai is most traditional, with a little orange peel added for a full, aromatic flavor. Our Roast Chai makes use of deeply toasted spices to produce a sumptuous brew reminiscent of cocoa- and is also fabulous infused in to alcohols, or ground and used in desserts. Northwest Chai is our Puget Sound twist on the chai theme, using sage to pay homage to the wild sage that grows in the Cascade foothills here. Our Chipotle Chai is the chile-heads’ dream- flavorful, smoky, and spicy. The heat of the chile warms from the inside-out, no matter how frigid the drizzle.
We like to brew chai in a 16 oz. french-press pot, because it allows us to steep in two stages, getting maximum flavor from the spices while preventing the tea from becoming bitter. Add two tablespoons (or more!) of freshly cracked chai spice, and fill the pot half way with boiling water. After steeping for three minutes, add two tablespoons of black tea- our favorite is Assam- and top off the pot with more boiling water. Steep another three minutes, press, then add warm milk and honey to taste. Feel free to adjust the spice to tea ratio for a perfect personalized cup. If you’re accustomed to processed, syrupy chai concentrates, this process will be a revelation. Though a bit more of a time investment, you’ll find the reward well worth the effort- both for the steamy and fragrant amber brew, and for those few minutes you’ll learn to delight in taking for yourself.
