Mint + Coffee cocktail for the weekend

If you've got a forest of mint growing in your backyard right now, you're probably looking for any excuse to use those sprigs. Cardinal bartender Andrew Wind is here to help. Here's his recipe for a refreshing summer drink that calls for a bunch of mint leaves ... you'll love this tasty, unexpected combo of mint, vanilla, coffee liqueur and coffee this weekend. Bottles of our Songbird Coffee Liqueur are sold at the distillery for $25.
 

Up and Attem
 

Makes 1 cocktail

10-12 mint leaves
 2 oz. Songbird coffee liqueur
1/4 oz. vanilla simple syrup (recipe below)
Espresso/cold brew/coffee, to taste

Add mint, coffee liqueur and vanilla simple syrup to shaker and muddle until mint leaves are slightly crushed.

Add ice and shake.

Strain into glass over ice.

Add cold espresso, cold brew, coffee of your choice!

Garnish with fresh mint

Vanilla Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean

Add sugar and water to a pot.

Split vanilla bean down middle, scrape out seeds, add to pot.

Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar begins to dissolve and mixture comes to boil, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and store in glass jar.

3 important questions for Andrew:

What do you like about mint?
It is so versatile. It can freshen up any meal or drink so easily.

Why should someone make this cocktail at home?
It takes no time at all and it is the perfect morning pick-me-up. It's summertime — who says you can't add a little booze in the morning?

If you could be any superhero...
Can I be a villain? Then I'd be Dr. Mischief... you know exactly what you're getting...

Whiskey-rita with White Oak Whiskey

Our White Oak Whiskey made its debut this weekend, and today we're sharing a recipe that shows just how versatile this spirit is — a tart, refreshing spin on a margarita. It has a very clever name: Whiskey-rita. 

A really tasty triple sec or dry curacao is key here. We make our triple sec from scratch at the distillery — at home, we absolutely love and worship Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao.

Whiskey-Rita

Makes 1 cocktail

2 ounces Cardinal Spirits White Oak Whiskey
3/4 ounce triple sec or dry curacao
3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. 
Shake, then strain into a coupe glass. 

4 awesomely easy ways to use our coffee liqueur

Till the one day when our vodka met this coffee...

Our coffee liqueur launches today and when you bring a bottle home, you might be wondering what to do with it.

First, you should know that this is not the weird, old coffee liqueur that sat in your parents' cupboard for like three decades. You'll actually want to use this ... in everything. We use Hopscotch Coffee to make it — that's the excellent roaster and coffee shop just up the street from us.

Here are 4 easy and delicious ways to drink our coffee liqueur:

1. Splash some in your coffee. No need to measure. You'll know when.

2. Make a quick little coffee soda. Pour 2 ounces of coffee liqueur into a glass, add ice and top with club soda. That is refreshing.

3. Make a White Russian. It's classic recipe that's worth committing to memory: Pour 1 ounce of coffee liqueur and 2 ounces of vodka into an Old-Fashioned glass. Add ice. Stir. Float heavy cream on top.

4. Pour it over a couple scoops of ice cream. This is dessert at your next dinner party, where your guests declare you the most amazing host ever. Yay, you!

Bourbon-berry smash: A cocktail for a cookout

Chances are you've got a cookout in your future for Memorial Day weekend. Before you fire up the grill, make this Bourbon-Berry Smash, an easy-drinking cocktail from Cardinal's bar manager Logan Hunter.

Bourbon-based cocktails are perfect with grilled and barbecued meals. Add a couple of favorite summer flavors — strawberries and mint — and splash in prosecco for a lovely bit of fizz, and you've got a most pleasant drink to sip outside.

Bourbon-Berry Smash

By Logan Hunter

Makes 1 cocktail

3 strawberries
4 mint leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1.5 ounces bourbon
1.5 ounces prosecco

Muddle strawberries, mint and sugar together until berries are good and smushy.
Add bourbon and a few heaps of ice.
Top with prosecco.

Secret ingredient: Chamomile

The ins and outs of our favorite cocktail ingredients.

Secret ingredient:
Chamomile

A favorite of:
Andrew Wind, bar manager at Cardinal Spirits

Why it's worth it:
Chamomile is light and floral, with a wonderful fragrance, Wind says. It's a simple, subtle way to change things up.

How to use it:
Wind makes a chamomile-honey syrup for a Bees Knees, a classic cocktail with gin, lemon and honey (recipes below). The syrup tempers the tartness of the cocktail, and the chamomile is the little twist that makes the drink taste special. You can easily adjust the syrup's sweetness.

The syrup is also awesome in:
Hot or iced tea (especially green tea)
Any dessert/treat you would want to add a nice floral touch to
On top of pancakes and waffles!
 

CHAMOMILE HONEY SYRUP
Makes 1 cup

2 ounces chamomile (ours comes from Bloomingfoods)
1 cup cold water
1 cup local honey (more or less to taste)

Add chamomile and cold water to a mason jar.
Cold infuse for 3-4 hours, lightly shaking jar every 30 minutes or so.
Strain off liquid into another jar, removing chamomile (it will become too bitter if kept for too long).
In a saucepan, combine chamomile water and honey.
Heat on stovetop until melted and incorporated, then let cool. Keep refrigerated.

BEES KNEES
Makes 1 cocktail

2 ounces Cardinal Spirits American Gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce Chamomile Honey Syrup
Lemon peel, for garnish

Add all ingredients to shaker over ice.
Shake shake shake.
Strain into glass.
Garnish with lemon peel.