Cucumber Ribbons and the G&T G&T There is an elegance in simplicity. Cucumber ribbons are an easy example of this. May I present my cucumber ribbons in the G&T. Cucumber Ribbons and the G&T Ingredients 1 medium size cucumber 2 oz of gin of choice 1 bottle of Fever Tree tonic water Method For the cucumber Using a (paring) knife, slice off the bottom pointy end of the cucumber making it easier (and safer) to use the vegetable peeler. Then stand the cucumber on diagonal securing its stance at the top with one hand. The hand you won’t be using to hold the peeler. Starting from top to bottom carefully pressing the vegetable peeler away from you peeling along the length of the cucumber. Make several thins of cucumbers. Trim to tidy any jagged or unclean edges and line your glass. Add ice. Add gin and top with tonic. For the drink: 2 oz Hendrick’s gin. Add ice. Top with tonic water. Glass: bucket glass Garnish: cucumbers (obviously) Cucumber ribbons garnish Please drink responsibly. Yes, the skins look great and can be used as ribbons too. Remember the videos above? Where to buy the OXO peeler and a bucket glass? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront. ** * I may receive commissions from eligible purchases
My Orange Juice Just look at it. Isn’t it beautiful. Up close and last looks before the gulp.. It’s light bright sweet slightly savory and energizing. Perfect for a cool early morning or midafternoon pick me up as the season changes. It’s autumnal colors certainly signaling fall is here and hinting Halloween is around the corner. No matter the season, drink happy. My Orange Juice 1 1/2 cups of baby carrots 1 medium knob of ginger 2 Granny Smith apples 1/2 naval orange Fresh ground black pepper, dried turmeric powder and manuka honey for the rim of the glass. Method Paint or roll your glass rim with PRI Manuka honey 10+. Set aside. Add dried turmeric powder and several turns of the fresh pepper from the grinder to a saucer. Mix together using your finger or a fork. Twist and roll the honey coated rim of the glass into the pepper turmeric mixture. Refrigerate while you juice. Wash fruit. Add all to a juicer. I use Omega. If you don’t have a juicer use a blending machine and strain with a cheese cloth or coffee filter. Add juice to the prepared glass and enjoy. Glass: bucket glass Garnish: black pepper and turmeric Where to buy? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront *** I may receive commissions from eligible purchases
The CCTB Infuse your Campari with cacao nibs. This I call chocolate Campari. Recipe available on the home page under category bitters extracts and syrups.. The CCTB Cocktail 2 ounces of Campari cacao nibs infusion 1 ounce of Bauchant orange cognac liqueur 10 small ice cubes from an ice tray 5 dashes of angostura bitters (optional) Method: Mix all ingredients in a blender. Pulse until the ice melts, giving froth to the cocktail. Pour into a glass. Peel the orange with a peeler to create what is called the horse’s neck. Use a lighter to burn the orange peel. The heat will release the oils from the orange skin. Express and rub the peel on the edge of the glass, then add the finished cocktail. Enjoy. Please drink responsibly Where to buy the goods? Bucket Behind the Bucket Storefront. *I may receive compensation from eligible purchases. Thank you.
Chocolate Campari Soaking cocoa nibs in Campari is a method of infusion rather than flavoring, providing an enhancement to the alcohol’s flavors, that Campari needs it. Chocolate Campari Ingredients: 1 cup of cocoa nibs 12 ounces of Campari Method: Add ingredients to a jar. Pour with your heart but if you need a recipe. Cover the jar with a lid or plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature or refrigerate. Wait two days to two weeks, depending on the desired chocolate taste. Add to your favorite cocktail or drink over ice. An orange twist is optional but certainly recommended. Where can you buy the goods? Cocoa nibs, glass jars, jiggers, photo equipment, and other items? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront, of course! Please note that I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you so much. Please be of the legal drinking age and enjoy responsibly.
Matchatini Ok, what is matcha? It’s an earthy tasting powder made from shade-grown green tea plants. Typically a chasen is used to create a uniform consistency when mixing the matcha with water or milk.. I broke tradition? Instead of using a chasen, aka a bamboo whisk, I use a Kitchen-Aid whisk attachment to mix my matcha water mixture to make a paste after dumping two heaping demitasse spoons (only clean spoons I had at the moment) into a bowl made from a coconut shell. It is possible if you don’t have a chasen. Don’t tell anyone. This one can be a Machatini or a Matcha Mocktail. Foam is optional. Vodka or Kikori (rice grain spirit) both work—different drinks, equally as good. It’s quick and easy. The more earthy matcha flavor, the better, as far as I am concerned; it is the main ingredient, after all. Don’t tell the alcohol. All measurements are with a demitasse spoon and jigger. Oh, and one eyeballed tablespoon of my vanilla extract. Sometimes I pour with the heart (Wink, wink). Cheers! All ingredients listed below are quantities for mixing the matcha and Matchatini. Ingredients 2 ounces of vodka or Kikori 2 tablespoon of vanilla (from my homemade batch as seen in the syrup extract category on home page of this blog) 1-2 ok maybe 3 large drip drops of orange flower water 6 ounces of unsweetened vanilla almond milk 2 demitasse spoons of Manuka honey (Manuka Doctor multifloral 80+MGO) 2 heaping demitasse spoonfuls of NAOKI matcha powder (ok, let’s face it’s; I eyeballed most of this) 2 teaspoons of warm water to blend matcha and prevent excess clumping Chef note: The hotter the water, the more bitter the matcha. It’s also excellent for what I like to call the un-clumping. This was supposed to be a test recipe. I decided to post anyway. It’s a goodie. Method For the matcha milk Add two demitasse spoonfuls of matcha powder to a bowl. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of hot water. Whisk matcha until a paste forms. Next, add Manuka honey. Proceed with a little more water and whisk until smooth. Then add 6 ounces ounces of unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Let mixture cool before you refrigerate. After the matcha milk has chilled add 2 ounces of vodka (or a Kikori whiskey substitute) and 3 ounces cooled matcha milk to a mixing tin. Add ice. Shake to wake and strain (strain not really necessary) into a martini glass. Glass: martini glass Garnish: dust with matcha powder and honeycomb Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket please know I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you. Please drink responsibly
a semi classic Whiskey Sour Creating sours for a contest produces drinks like this. I stray from my usual sweet tart version. This is a slight alteration of the classic whiskey sour. Gentleman Jack the base. I add gold to a clunky lemon and a red cherry. I don’t use either in my sours, clunky or not, 90% of the time. They sure are pretty though. You will want to try this one at home. Whiskey Sour Ingredients 2 ounces of Gentleman Jack 1/2 ounce simple syrup 1/2 ounce agave 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice 2-3 dashes of angostura bitters 1 egg white from a chicken egg 1 lemon wheel 1 cherry gold leaf for the garnishes Method Place gold in a bowl of water. Look at this foam Secure your fruit garnish to the end of a bamboo skewer and place it on the gold in the water and swirl. The gold will stick. Separate the yolk from the whites. Add the whites to the mixing tin. Save the yolk for something else or toss. Up to you. Remove the coils from the Hawthorne strainer. Dry shake the whites first. Add all other wet ingredients. Dry shake some more. Add ice. Shake some more. You can double fine strain the cocktail. I don’t. Strain over ice in a bucket glass. Squeeze a bit of lemon over the settled cocktail from the rest of that lemon. A couple of dashes of angostura bitters for the stirring. Add your gold lemon and cherry. That’s it. Creamy, smooth sour. Glass: bucket glass Garnish: gold lemon wheel and cherry Cheers! Please drink responsibly Where to buy the goods and stuff? You know glassware, jars of cherries, strainers and pre made egg white foams because you can’t be bothered? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course! Please know I may receive compensation for eligible purchases. Thank you!
Rosemary Smokes Did you know that smoking dried rosemary can add incredible uniqueness to cocktails? Smoking dried herbs, like rosemary, can enhance the flavors of mezcal, tequila, bourbon, rye, Campari (yes, I am forever on a Campari kick), and gin cocktails. This technique, known as glass smoking, not only adds depth of flavor but also creates a visually captivating experience for onlookers. After preparing your cocktail, relight the dried rosemary, blow out the flames, then place the smoking herb stick in the glass as a garnish. Make sure the sprig is long enough to continue smoking once inserted into the cocktail for an added effect. It also smells really great! 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 from the condensation. Method Place your chilled glass on the fire safe surface, up right. Light the dried rosemary. Blow out the flame. Once it starts to smoke place 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 glass drinking side down on top of it. Leave for a few minutes. Turn the glass upright again and build your cocktail. Voilà . Where to buy the goods? You know, bucket glasses, lighters, and other supplies? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront, of course *please know I may receive compensation from eligible purchases, thank you
June 25, 2022 Smoothie June 25, 2022 Protein Smoothie Ingredients 1 scoop Vega Vanilla Protein and Greens protein powder (comes with a scoop) 1/2-1 cup of water (desired fluidity) 1 cup of frozen yellow peaches 1/2 cup of frozen watermelon chunks 2 1/2 tablespoons of cacao nibs (2 Tablespoons for the mixing and 1/2 for the garnish) 1 1/2 tablespoons of hibiscus collagen powder 1 whole frozen banana broken into pieces Method Add all ingredients to a blender except 1/2 tablespoon of cacao nibs. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bucket glass and top with cacao nibs. Glass: bucket glass Garnish: cacao nibs Where to buy: Blonde Behind the Bucket Amazon Storefront I may earn commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.
Cacao the Dragon Cacao the Dragon Ingredients 1 whole chopped frozen banana I cup of Whole Foods 365 brand frozen black cherries 1 frozen packet of PITAYA Dragon Fruit 1 scoop of VEGA Vanilla Protein & Greens powder 2 tablespoons of Vital Proteins hibiscus beauty collagen powder (this one contains 120 mg of Hyaluronic Acid, which is great for your joints – confirmed by my running coach). The hibiscus flavor adds a unique taste and flavor to the mix. That certain something. 1 cup of 365 Whole Foods unsweetened vanilla almond milk 10+ PRI Manuka honey for the rim of the glass or any honey will do. Manuka has that extra extra. 2 Tablespoons Navitas Organics cacao nibs for the rim of the glass and to blend into smoothie. A little more doesn’t hurt though. These are considered nature’s dark chocolate chips and a superfood. Add a great texture and earthy flavor to the smoothie. Method Take a tablespoon of cacao nibs and grind them in a coffee grinder. Alternatively, you can place them in a zip-lock style bag and crush them with a mallet. Then, pour the crushed cacao nibs onto a plate. Roll the rim of the glass in manuka honey (scoop some honey with a spoon – use plastic or wood as metal can affect the enzymes in the honey) and then roll it in the cacao nibs. Place the glass in the refrigerator to chill until needed. In a blender, in my case the Cuisinart To Go cylinder, add all ingredients. Blend until smooth. Remove the glass from the refrigerator and pour smoothie inside to enjoy. Where To Buy: *This is an affiliate link and I may receive commissions from purchases.* Blonde Behind the Bucket Amazon Storefront
milk washed India tea Milk washed India tea What you will need: Jar, cocktail mixing glass, spoons, fine weave cheese cloth (worked best for me) or several coffee filters, jigger for measuring, glass for cocktail, fruit vegetable peeler, lemons for the twist, one medium blood orange and two small medium limes, Brother’s Bond Bourbon, Sukhi’s mango curry chutney, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, ice, a couple of small bucket glasses, several medium and large sized rubber bands Cocktail Ingredients: 10 ounces Brother’s Bond Indian Bourbon (7 ounces for the milk citrus juice and 3 ounces for after clarification) 9 Ounces of goat milk 3 Ounces of fresh citrus juice (this recipe 1 medium blood orange and 2 small limes) with pulp strained out 3 Tablespoons of Citric Acid powder 1/2 Ounce of Vanilla Extract (easy recipe to make it here) 1/2 Ounce Sukki’s Mango Chutney Coconut sugar for the syrup to taste For the Milk Wash: In a mixing glass add 7 ounces of Brother’s Bond Bourbon and the room temperature juice of one medium blood orange and two small limes. Then slowly pour in 9 ounces of goat milk. Whisk with a whisk or fork as you pour. Once milk bourbon mixture combined, cover, label, and refrigerate for 3-24 hours. Once a visible separation, start the filtering. A few passes for me. The coffee filter broke the first time. I switched to cheese cloth for the next pass. Once again I filter as there were still some particles present after the second pass. The liquid should be crystal clear. After 24 hours in the refrigerator Overhead view Simple rubber band and plastic wrap until ready to filter Label and date Separation indicates readiness First drip coffee filter What is left behind Coffee filter broke a couple of times and I switched to a cheese cloth Give the cheese cloth a good squeeze to remove all liquid into the batch in the jar My first coffee filter broke and I had to start again. I tried another coffee filter and ripped the second coffee filter and decided to switch to fine weave cheese cloth. Leave the mixture alone and let it drip as slow as it needs to drip. Patience. Pass bourbon milk mixture as many times as you need to in order to produce a crystal clear liquid. Three or four times worked for me. After clarification, add 3 ounces of the remainder bourbon 3 Tablespoons of Citric Acid and 1/2 Ounce of Vanilla Extract. Give the mixture a good stir. Cover, date, and refrigerate until ready to use. For the Mango Curry Syrup 4 heaping Tablespoons of Mango Curry Chutney 2 Ounce of Still Water In a bucket glass, mix chutney and water. In a second bucket glass fasten a cheese cloth or coffee filter with rubber band. Pass the chunky chutney liquid through the filter to remove larger pieces of fruit. Store your new mango curries syrup the refrigerator until ready to make the cocktail(s). The start of straining. To speed up the process, stir with a demitasse spoon. In one glass mix 3/4 water to 1/4 chutney. Strain mixtures through a cheese cloth. Secure the cloth with a rubber band This recipe only needs a small amount for one mango curries syrup. For the Coconut Sugar 1/2 Cup of Coconut Sugar 1/2 Cup of Water Combine equal parts water and coconut sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Occasionally stirring. Once dissolved remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, store in refrigerator until ready to use for your cocktail. For milk washed India iced tea 2 Ounces of Clarified Bourbon 1/ 2 Ounce of Mango Curries Syrup 2-3 Bar Spoonfuls of Coconut Sugar Syrup (if you like it sweeter add more to taste similar to a regular iced tea) In a bucket glass add a large ice cube or several cubes and set aside. Ice choice, a personal preference. Pour all measured all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and mix about ten stirs of the spoon. This is a stirred not shaken situation. Pour into bucket glass over large ice cube. Express the lemon and toss into glass. Glass: bucket glass Garnish: expressed blood orange, orange, or lemon peel. I like the lemon for this one. Please make sure that you are of legal drinking age and enjoy responsibly Where to buy the goods? Mixing glasses, glasses, cheese cloth, rubber bands, and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront. **Please know that I may received commissions of eligible purchases. Thank you so much.