Sidecar Cocktail Recipe with Martell Blue Swift

August 18, 2017

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MARTELL BLUE SWIFT & FLOWER DELIVERY NYC.

Blue Swift the first-ever Martell VSOP matured in French Oak casks and finished in Kentucky Bourbon casks. Enjoy on its own, over ice, lengthened with a mixer or as a cocktail. Characterized by delicate notes of candied fruit and plum, now complemented by the subtle sweetness of vanilla and toasted oak from bourbon casks. On the nose, I first noticed gourmet aromas such as banana and caramelized pears. Then a subtle sweetness appears, and notes of vanilla & coconut mixed with spicy and menthol are revealed. In the mouth, it is soft, round and gourmand. I taste deep and fresh notes of ginger and white candied fruits such as plums. I then felt the ample, smooth and long toasted oak finish from Kentucky Bourbon casks. Today's post is on the classic take on the 'Sidecar' cocktail with a recipe in partnership with Martell Blue Swift. Continue on to check out the easy-peasy recipe!

Martell Blue Swift Sidecar Cocktail

photos + recipe by Suzanne Spiegoski — photos + recipe by **Suzanne Spiegoski**

Ingredients:

Sugar

1 1⁄2 oz Martell Blue Swift

3⁄4 oz Cointreau

3⁄4 oz Fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Coat the rim of a cocktail glass with sugar and set aside.

(Do this a few minutes ahead of time so the sugar can dry and adhere well to the glass.) Add the remaining ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.

Shake, and strain into the prepared glass.

Garnish with a slice of lemon.

And look at this truly original bouquet of lovely roses, daisy poms, stock, alstroemeria and monte casino in shades of pink and purple. I received these flowers from Flowers Delivery NYC and they are so beautiful! They totally made my day! And this Martell Blue Shift's VSOP finished in Bourbon Barrels is the perfect start to a great weekend! I have a classic recipe for the traditional sidecar cocktail above, so don't forget to take a peek and download! What are your plans for this weekend? Whatever it may be, hope it's a great one! Cheers :)

LOVE & XX'S,

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Rosemary Peach Gin Cocktail

April 30, 2017

Sponsored Post: Message for 21+. This post is sponsored by Seagram’s, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. Play it Smart. Drink Responsibly.

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Rosemary Peach Gin Cocktail

Cocktail recipe + photos by © Suzanne Spiegoski — Cocktail recipe + photos by © Suzanne Spiegoski

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Peach

4 Rosemary Sprigs

2 Tbsp Freshly-Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 20 oz. Ginger Ale

4 Tbsp. Rosemary Simple Syrup (1/2 Cup of Sugar, 1/2 Cup of Water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, add rosemary sprigs, stir, and let cool. Chill until ready to use.)

3 oz. Seagram's Extra Dry Gin

Directions:

Thinly slice half of peach. Make ice cubes with them by first adding the slice in each cube before adding water.
In a cocktail shaker, add ice, rosemary syrup, lemon juice, ginger ale and Seagram's extra dry gin. Shake well.
Pour over crushed ice evenly between two glasses.
Garnish with extra peach slices (optional) and rosemary sprigs. Serve immediately.

Happy Sunday, guys! I know I said I was going to post up a new cocktail recipe on Monday, but I was just too excited to wait until then! So here you have it, folks... a rosemary peach gin cocktail just in time for cocktail hour! It's always 5 'o clock somewhere, am I right? This recipe is so easy and delicious, let me tell you how to create this wonderful concoction! It'll be the perfect drink to unwind with for the rest of your weekend! Just peachy :)

I started with making ice cubes, but not any regular ice cubes, I put in some peach slices to bring a subtle flavor and fresh look to the drink. I've seen others use edible flowers, lavender, and other herbs when making ice cubes. And it's a great way to lightly infuse an adding taste while you drink it! The secret to the rosemary syrup is here: 1/2 Cup of Sugar, 1/2 Cup of Water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, add rosemary sprigs, stir, and let cool. Chill until ready to use.

When the rosemary syrup is ready to use, I added it into a cocktail shaker with regular ice, lemon juice, ginger ale and Seagram's Extra Dry Gin. Shake well (be careful when you open ha ha!) and pour over glasses with added peach cubes, (about 3 per drink). Garnish with peach slices (this is optional as I didn't do it as I felt it would've clutter the beautiful peach cubes) #foodphotography #problems #lol and rosemary twigs. Hope you guys enjoyed this recipe and will give it a try! It's the perfect spring/summer cocktail! Let me know what you think. Can't wait to start doing more cocktails in the future! Until next time, thanks for stopping by and I hope you all had a great weekend!

LOVE & XX'S,

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Lavender Soju Lemonade

August 25, 2016

Happy Thirsty Thursday, everyone! I'm delighted to share with you not only a new cocktail recipe, but my very first food & cooking video, made by yours truly! I literally did everything by myself! Just a quick mention: I know a lot of you have asked me in the past who does my photos, who edits them, etc.; when many have assumed they were strictly done by my husband (who, yes, is a pretty well-known and very talented photographer) but besides the editorial fashion shoots we try and do once a week, everything else is my own content! And when it comes to video editing, that's all done by me too. Interesting fact? I learned how to cut & edit music, plus video, from my childhood figure skating days! And with photos of myself, if it is not mentioned that it's a self-portrait photograph, the pictures of me are done by my love. :)

Now back to the lecture at hand... ha ha! I've been in a creative rut lately, feeling like my recent work has been flat. Something didn't fit quite right. Yes, I'm a perfectionist and am completely guilty of being hard on myself (too much at times). But as they say, 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!' I've never worked with lavender in terms of culinary use, and when the idea of a refreshing yet soothing cocktail came up on a 'last days of summer' drinks story, I knew these little enchanting flowers were the perfect choice! Plus, having the excuse to buy extra lavender is always a good one. My whole apartment smells inviting yet calming.

My favorite part was removing the flowers from its stems. The aroma is intoxicating, I couldn't get enough of it! You can steep it for less or more than the 10 minutes I did. For a lighter scent, I'd recommend 5 minutes. If you really want to kick it up a notch, I'd go for a little bit longer than the 10. Observe the coloring, as the more it steeps, the darker the color. I also really enjoyed watching the colors combine with each other. The dark purple with the bright, vibrant yellow from the lemon juice. You can also use a juicer if you're not a fan of squeezing 'em by hand.

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Lavender Soju Lemonade

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1c. lavender flowers
2c. boiling water
2c. cold water
1c. lemon juice
1c. sugar
5fl. oz. soju
1 tray ice cubes

Directions:

Place freshly cut lavender flowers in a pitcher; pour the boiling water over lavender; cover with plastic wrap and allow to steep 10 minutes; strain and discard the lavender from the water and return the water to the pitcher. Add cold water, lemon juice, and sugar to the pitcher and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add in soju, mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with a stem of lavender. Enjoy!

I also used pure organic cane sugar to be on the healthy side. (Even though I'm a sugar addict) And then the most important ingredient! I always use Charm Soju when it comes to this Korean liquor. It's my favorite and the quality is high. The secret is to add it last. You'll want the sugar to completely dissolve before mixing in the soju. I kept it light and simple when it came to serving the drinks. Over several ice cubes and a stem of lavender, I kept the garnishing straight-forward. But the idea of also turning these cocktails into a slushies did come to mind. Or perhaps Korean shaved-iced? Now that would be a fun cocktail to do! (Hint, hint!)

Korean Soju Fusion Lemonade Cocktails Recipe

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out the latest cocktail recipe I created! Be sure to check out the how-to video I also made down below! (Full steps included.) We hope you enjoyed the lavender Korean-fusion inspired lemonade we shared with you today and that you are soaking up as much fun in the sun before summer ends. Coming up on the blog, a brand spanking new travel diary (so excited to go!) and lots of NYFW coverage. It's gonna be a crazy, hectic next couple of weeks so brace yourselves! ;) Stay tuned...

Videography + photography, styling + editing by: Suzanne Spiegoski

Hey everyone! I got into a bit of a creative funk the past few days, so instead of whining about it I did this! It's my first food & cooking video! Better yet, it's how to make lavender soju lemonade! Cheers!

LOVE & XX'S,

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Korean Hawaiian Blue

June 13, 2016

Hey, guys! Happy Monday, or rather, more like, I've got the Monday Blues. And before I continue any further, I just have to mention the heartbreaking tragedy in Orlando. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and friends from this senseless, vicious attack. I've been moved by all the stories of the victims and wanted to dedicate my post to the vivacious, beautiful Floridians who have sadly passed. So, I made a tropical Korean fusion-inspired cocktail just for the ones who lived their last night on Sunday. Love + Light to you all.

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Korean Hawaiian Blue

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Korean Soju
2 oz. Blue Curacao
6 oz. fresh pineapple juice
.5 oz. melted coconut oil
Fresh pineapple chunk and Maraschino cherry for garnish

Directions:

Shake all together with ice and strain into a Daiquiri glass filled with ice. Garnish with pineapple and cherry. Feel free to add an umbrella for tropical vibes. Enjoy! :)

I wanted to honor the victims with a representation of Florida. When I think of Florida, I'm immediately immersed in deep blue waters and colorful bright skies. And palm trees. You see, before the events that occurred on Sunday, I was going to do a tropical kind of drink to begin with. Because my husband and I are planning a mini-getaway for our ten-year dating anniversary where it's 'tropical', I was already inspired to do a drink as such. But after what happened, I was even more inspired to dedicate this to the Floridians. So, I raise my glass to those who may be gone, but are forever with you. With us. You did not leave this world in vain. Each and everyone of you mattered, and we will continue to share your tales of glory, laughter, and most of all, LOVE. ❤️

LOVE & XX'S,

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Green with Envy

May 16, 2016

Happy Monday! I'm starting the week off with a bang and getting rid of those Monday Blues, pronto! Did you see last night's episode of Game of Thrones? If not, it's cool. I'm not going to give away any spoilers but I am going to talk about one of my favorite characters on the show, however, and how she came to be the inspiration behind this drink!

When I think of dragons, and more so, the Mother of Dragons, the first color that comes to mind is green. You'd think I'd go with a red, an orange; anything fiery. Passionate. But there's something cold and earthy about Khaleesi. She is a force to be reckoned with. AND she makes mistakes, regardless of what and who she's made up of. That's real, and the color green, to me, has a tranquil feeling but at the same time, there's something powerful within the palette of green. And that she is. Tell me a woman who watches GoT that you know of who isn't a little envious of her life. She's got pet dragons, for Pete's sake!

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Green with Envy

Ingredients:

2 oz cucumber, roughly chopped
A sprig of basil
1.5 oz Korean Soju
.5 oz lemon juice
.5 oz Limoncello
Sprite or club soda
Extra cucumber for garnish

Directions:

In a juicer, press cucumber and basil.
Shake ingredients together (EXCEPT carbonated drinks) with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with cucumber rose and top with limoncello and Sprite/club soda.

Mostly consisted of cucumber, then basil, lemon, Korean soju and a mixture of carbonated drinks, the Green with Envy cocktail is subtly sweet and refreshingly cool. Perfect for warmer weather. Have you heard of Secret Squirrel Food? She is an amazing food blogger based in Dubai who's been trendsetting the 'avocado rose' while also playing up on different fruits and vegetables incorporating the same style of plating like with the avocado. When I made my first avocado rose, it was so beautiful, that I didn't want to eat it! So as a final touch to my cucumber garnish, I recreated a miniature version of a cucumber rose Secret Squirrel Food did on her blog. At first, I thought it'd look super cute, like a water lily pad, within the drink, but then I figured it would be too big and in the way.

Which is why it's teeny-tiny and in my opinion, a nice modest touch to the cocktail. Especially when in a martini glass, the garnish should remain sleek and sophisticated just like the glass. What's your favorite drink in a martini glass? A classic martini? Gin or vodka? Maybe a Vesper like James Bond? I'd love to hear your favorites! Leave your comments down below. Thanks for reading! As always, you can download the recipe from the click-on button. And you can also find me on Yummly and foodgawker.