Fresh Basil Syrup Recipe Fresh basil syrup is bright, aromatic, and quietly useful. It adds that green herbal note to cocktails, sparkling water, lemonade, tea, fruit, and even the occasional smoothie. Simple ingredients. Strong payoff. If basil is thriving on the counter or in the garden, this is where some of it should go. And in pasta dishes, of course. Less aggressive than mint. More elegant than vanilla. Don’t tell vanilla. Unexpected in the right way. Basil Syrup Ingredients: 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 6–10 medium basil sprigs (mostly leaves + tops) Method: Add water and sugar to a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add basil sprigs and lightly press into syrup. A wooden spoon works best. Start with 8 sprigs of those 6-10, add more if desired. Cover and steep 20–30 minutes. Taste after 20 minutes. Remove basil when flavor is where you want it. Strain and cool. Store refrigerated. How to Use It Toast Add to gin and soda. Shake with vodka, lemon, and ice. Build into a tequila spritz. Add a touch to sparkling wine. Taste Spoon over berries. Brush onto cake layers. Add to fruit salad. Matcha latte. Goji tea. Train Stir into sparkling water with lemon and lime. Add a small amount to mango orange smoothies. Shop the Post This may be commissionable. Toast. Taste. Train.
Simple Orange Peel Garnish 1 For the orange peel garnish 1 Orange(s) Pairing knif Fruit Vegetable peeler Cutting board / nonslip surface or pad Paper towel Use a fruit vegetable peeler (I use OXO) to remove the outer layer of the orange which will be your garnish. This method helps avoiding the pif. Best if the orange is at room temperature and slightly firm. Condensation and softer skin may cause the peeler to slip and perhaps catch a finger. Peeler should be in great condition. Once you have several orange peels, place your cutting board on a non-slip surface. Use your pairing knife to trim the edges. What to do should you prepare more than you need? No biggie. Wrap your orange pieces in a damp paper towel and store in the refrigerator. Paper towel shouldn’t be too wet as the peels will become slimy. Peels will keep for a day or two. Same day use is recommended. Wash your tools after each use with soap and water. Citrus will cause the knife and peeler to become dull faster. Uniformity is best. These are the creative version. Keep the orange and use for juice. Where to buy the goods? You know peelers and glassware and stuff? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront. Please know I may receive compensation for eligible purchases. Thank you!
Iced Chocolate Garnish Almost ready. This is a fun one. Ok, I tested using semi-sweet chips with dark chocolate chunks (1:1) and I tested using a Belgium dark chocolate bar from the 99Cents stores. Both melting techniques using a Bain-Marie. Microwave a great second if you have one and don’t want to go through the extra steps. For the ice, I tested two ways. The first piping the chocolate into a bowl of water with ice cubes. The second filling a large ziplock plastic bag with water then freeze to have the now ice in a bag. Both work. Some of these chocolates came out a bit clunky. All are usable, even if only for the snacking while you watch the others set. Ingredients Chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, chocolate bars Water Ice Method For the ice both method 1. Over medium beat, place a heat safe bowl on top a pot of water on the stove. This technique is Bain-Marie. The bowl should be large enough as not to touch the water or fall into the pot. Water should not touch the chocolate. Example of Bain-Marie 2. Add chocolate to the bowl and let it sit. As it starts to melt stir slightly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula intermittently until smooth. 3. Once chocolate is melted, remove from the bowl from heat. Set aside. Let the chocolate cool slightly. Once cooled add to a zip locked bag for the piping. 5. Add ice and water to a bowl. If the zip locked bag method is the choice, roll the sides of the bag down over the ice or remove and float in water. 6. Snip the tip of your piping bag and swirl the chocolate. Make any shape you like. I practiced writing my name. 7. Once chocolate starts to lift from the ice, remove using an offset spatula or dinner knife. Place your chocolate shapes onto a chilled plate and refrigerate until ready to use. Remove using any knife. I call this one a butter knife. It’s not a butter knife but it does the trick. Place the bag into a glass making it easier to fill with melted chocolate. All the chocolate should settle into nicer of the bag. Once filled snip the tip Where to buy? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront *** I may receive commissions from eligible purchases
Candied Blood Oranges Summer is here, and you know what that means – Aperol Spritz time! Let’s upgrade that Aperol Spritz. How about giving the Lillet sisters a new accessory? Or just keep this recipe for that extra special cocktail, mocktail, or boozy smoothie. Extra special means anytime you have one. I dare you not to eat them all first though. Aren’t they pretty! Candied Blood Oranges Ingredients 2 blood oranges 1 cup of white granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups of water Method In a pan, add sugar and water over medium heat. Lately, I have been using my non-stick Le Creuset frying pan for everything! Let the mixture come to a boil. Add slices of blood oranges and reduce the heat to a simmer for 45 minutes. The sugar-water mixture will begin to thicken, and the oranges will start to become covered in a shiny sugary syrup. This is how you will know they are ready for drying. Transfer the sticky orange slices to a drying cooling rack. Dry them in the open air overnight. To speed up the drying process, placing them in an oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours will do the trick as well. First batch from the overnight drying. Where to buy the goods? Measuring tools, pans, knives and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I meat earn commission form eligible posts.
Gold Hibiscus Flower Garnish I have done this before and it still took me a couple of times. Testing garnish floating questioning placement Gold Hibiscus Flower Garnish Ingredients 1 jar of hibiscus syrup with edible flowers 1 package of edible gold leaf sheet 1 bowl of room temperature water 1 bamboo skewer or toothpicks Method Fill a bowl with room temperature water. Separate one tissue paper gold sheet from the other tissue papered gold sheets, handling with care as these gold sheets stick to almost everything. Face the single sheet of gold still attached to the tissue paper gold side down towards the room temperature water. Bend the tissue paper away from the gold sheet to release it. Carefully remove it until the gold floats. I was able to use my finger with one sheet, but the other needed the help of a bamboo skewer. Once the gold is floating in the water, remove a hibiscus flower from the jar and secure it on the tip of the skewer by poking it. After securing the flower, slowly lower it onto the gold leaf resting on top of the water. As soon as the flower touches the gold, it will stick. Scoop the gilded flower out of the water and set it aside. Repeat the process for each flower needed. It is best to use the gilded flowers immediately, but they will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. I placed each one separately into small spice silicone pinch bowls, wrapped them loosely, and placed them on the refrigerator shelf to test their shelf life. Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront * I may receive commissions from qualifying purchases. Thank you.
Gold Hibiscus Flower Garnish I have done this before and it still took me a couple of times. Testing garnish floating questioning placement Gold Hibiscus Flower Garnish Ingredients 1 jar of hibiscus syrup with edible flowers 1 package of edible gold leaf sheet 1 bowl of room temperature water 1 bamboo skewer or toothpicks Method Fill a bowl with room temperature water. Separate one tissue paper gold sheet from the other tissue papered gold sheets, handling with care as these gold sheets stick to almost everything. Face the single sheet of gold still attached to the tissue paper gold side down towards the room temperature water. Bend the tissue paper away from the gold sheet to release it. Carefully remove it until the gold floats. I was able to use my finger with one sheet, but the other needed the help of a bamboo skewer. Once the gold is floating in the water, remove a hibiscus flower from the jar and secure it on the tip of the skewer by poking it. After securing the flower, slowly lower it onto the gold leaf resting on top of the water. As soon as the flower touches the gold, it will stick. Scoop the gilded flower out of the water and set it aside. Repeat the process for each flower needed. It is best to use the gilded flowers immediately, but they will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. I placed each one separately into small spice silicone pinch bowls, wrapped them loosely, and placed them on the refrigerator shelf to test their shelf life. Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront * I may receive commissions from qualifying purchases. Thank you.
Candied Blood Oranges Summer is here, and you know what that means – Aperol Spritz time! Let’s upgrade that Aperol Spritz. How about giving the Lillet sisters a new accessory? Or just keep this recipe for that extra special cocktail, mocktail, or boozy smoothie. Extra special means anytime you have one. I dare you not to eat them all first though. Aren’t they pretty! Candied Blood Oranges Ingredients 2 blood oranges 1 cup of white granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups of water Method In a pan, add sugar and water over medium heat. Lately, I have been using my non-stick Le Creuset frying pan for everything! Let the mixture come to a boil. Add slices of blood oranges and reduce the heat to a simmer for 45 minutes. The sugar-water mixture will begin to thicken, and the oranges will start to become covered in a shiny sugary syrup. This is how you will know they are ready for drying. Transfer the sticky orange slices to a drying cooling rack. Dry them in the open air overnight. To speed up the drying process, placing them in an oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours will do the trick as well. First batch from the overnight drying. Where to buy the goods? Measuring tools, pans, knives and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I meat earn commission form eligible posts.
Rosemary Smokes Rosemary smokes. What does that have to do with cocktails? Smoke from dried herbs (yes, any herbs and many spices) adds depth of flavors to cocktails. In this case, a rosemary-smoked filled glass elevates many mezcal, tequila, bourbon, or rye cocktails to the next level. Let’s not forget Campari. And gin, here’s looking at you. Plus, this technique is called glass smoking, which looks cool for those watching. For added effect, after making your cocktail, relight the dried rosemary, blow the flames out again, plop the smoking herb stick into the glass, and present the smoking sprig with the cocktail as a garnish. Make sure the sprig is long enough to continue smoking once placed into the cocktail, though. What You Will Need Fire safe surface Dried Rosemary BIC lighter gas stove top or butane torch Chilled bucket glass for your cocktail. A chilled glass provides a sticky surface for the smoke. Method Place your chilled glass upright on a fire-safe surface. Light the dried rosemary and blow out the flame. Once it starts to smoke, place the dried rosemary sprig on the fire-safe surface and let it smoke. Then, turn the glass upside down and catch the smoke by placing the drinking side of the glass down on top of it. Leave it for a few minutes. Turn the glass upright again and build your cocktail. One more time .. a little slower.. Where to buy the goods? Glasses lighters and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.
Rosemary Smokes Rosemary smokes. What does that have to do with cocktails? Smoke from dried herbs (yes, any herbs and many spices) adds depth of flavors to cocktails. In this case, a rosemary-smoked filled glass elevates many mezcal, tequila, bourbon, or rye cocktails to the next level. Let’s not forget Campari. And gin, here’s looking at you. Plus, this technique is called glass smoking, which looks cool for those watching. For added effect, after making your cocktail, relight the dried rosemary, blow the flames out again, plop the smoking herb stick into the glass, and present the smoking sprig with the cocktail as a garnish. Make sure the sprig is long enough to continue smoking once placed into the cocktail, though. What You Will Need Fire safe surface Dried Rosemary BIC lighter gas stove top or butane torch Chilled bucket glass for your cocktail. A chilled glass provides a sticky surface for the smoke. Method Place your chilled glass upright on a fire-safe surface. Light the dried rosemary and blow out the flame. Once it starts to smoke, place the dried rosemary sprig on the fire-safe surface and let it smoke. Then, turn the glass upside down and catch the smoke by placing the drinking side of the glass down on top of it. Leave it for a few minutes. Turn the glass upright again and build your cocktail. One more time .. a little slower.. Where to buy the goods? Glasses lighters and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.
The Mint Basil Cucumber Drink Rated the best water. Don’t tell the others? Did you know there are water sommeliers? Doesn’t it look refreshing? With the weather being unpredictable these days, I am covering my bases. Yes, but who doesn’t want a refreshing, fancy water, especially if you struggle with meeting your daily recommended water consumption? Besides, I recently purchased a basil and mint plant, which are perched in my golden window box, basking in (seemingly) the only light in this apartment most days. The mint is growing out of control. This, a good thing. I can’t believe these little plants are still alive. I don’t have a green thumb. And now, please allow me to introduce, The Mint Basil Cucumber Drink. The Mint Basil Cucumber Drink Ingredients: 4-5 fresh basil leaves or 6 4-5 fresh mint leaves 1/2 lime, cut into wedges 1/4 peeled cucumber 1 small bottle of Topo Chico sparkling water Method In a glass or cocktail shaker, add the basil leaves, mint leaves, lime wedges and cucumber Use a muddler or the back of a spoon to gently muddle the herbs, lime, and cucumber together. This will release their flavors. Fill the glass with ice Pour the Topo Chico sparkling water over the muddled herbs and ice Stir gently to combine all the ingredients. Stirring release the bubbles Garnish with additional basil leaves, mint leaves, lime wedges, or cucumber slices if desired, I skip the cucumbers. Glass: Bucket glass Garnish: herbs lime Where to buy some of the goods from this post? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course! Please know I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Thank you so much.