O.M.G., FLORA MACARONS

So, there we were, thumbing through Instagram, when we came across this:

Those pretty little French macarons are flavored with our Songbird Flora, a lovely liqueur that we make with fresh raspberries, elderflower, jasmine, and hibiscus. We knew that Flora made delicious cocktails, but we hadn't thought to use it in a dessert, let alone macarons. 

Holy moly, best idea ever. We had to know more from @ashleyem. So we got in touch. How did the Flora macarons taste? And would she share her recipe?

From Ashley:

We were having friends over for a dinner party, and I wanted to end the meal with something extra special. Since they are also huge fans of Flora, I knew they'd love these!

These macarons really showcase the flavors of Flora. They have a nice, light floral flavor to them. Using the Flora, I think, adds some fun dimensions to the naturally sugary macaron cookie — the floral notes from the sweet elderflower and tangy hibiscus work really nicely with the sweet raspberry.

This macaron recipe is modified from Brave Tart’s recipe (which is accompanied by very useful tips and detailed instructions!). I flavored the macaron cookies with Flora, and then I filled them with a buttercream featuring Flora alongside rhubarb bitters. It’s best to prepare these cookies in advance so they have a day to sit in the fridge.

Cardinal Flora Macarons

Recipe by Ashley Palmer; macaron recipe adapted from Brave Tart

FOR THE MACARONS:
5 ounces egg whites  
2 ½ ounces sugar
1 vanilla bean (split and scraped; you can save the pod for another project)
¼ teaspoon salt
4 ounces almond flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
8 ounces powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Cardinal Spirits Flora liqueur
pink food coloring

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM:
1 stick salted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk  
2 tablespoons Cardinal Spirits Flora liqueur
1 tablespoon rhubarb bitters (I use Fee Brothers)
pink food coloring

BAKING SUPPLIES:
2-3 cookie sheets (depending on size)
Parchment paper
Pencil
Circle cookie cutter for tracing (1 ½-inch diameter)
2 large pastry bags (18-inch) with a wide, round tip (I use Wilton’s #12 tip)
Stand mixer with both whisk and paddle attachments
Kitchen scale (for measuring macaron ingredients)
Spatula (for mixing macaron batter)

DIRECTIONS

PART 1: PREP

These are all things you can do a day or so before you start baking, if desired. 

1. Draw (1 ½-inch) circles onto parchment paper, and place pencil-side down on cookie sheets. You can draw circles on 1 sheet and, using it as a template, tuck it underneath new sheets of parchment paper to pipe your cookies. This way you can save it and reuse it for future projects.

2. Fit a large (18-inch) pastry bag with a tip.

PART 2: BAKING THE MACARONS

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. Combine the almond flour and the powdered sugar; whisk together. 

3. Put the egg whites in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Begin mixing on medium speed (4 on a Kitchen-Aid). As they begin to froth, add the sugar, salt, and vanilla bean. After 3 minutes on medium speed, raise the speed to medium-high (7 on a Kitchen-Aid) for 3 minutes and then a little higher (8 on a Kitchen-Aid) for 3 more minutes. 

4. At this point, your meringue should be almost ready. Add the Flora and pink food coloring (for a light pink tint). Then, whip on the very high speed  (9 or 10 on a Kitchen-Aid) for a final minute. The goal here is to build a fluffy meringue that you will then incorporate into the dry ingredients in the next step. 

5. Pour half of the almond flour/sugar mixture into the meringue. Gently fold it into the meringue with your spatula, making a light circular motion around the bowl. You don’t want to deflate or over-handle your meringue just yet—the goal here is to incorporate the dry ingredients into the meringue before adding more. 

6. Add the remainder of the almond flour/sugar mixture. Fold in using the same gentle circles you used in the previous step until mostly incorporated. Then, begin pressing the mixture against the side of the bowl as you fold (if you think of the mixing bowl as a clock, press the spatula against the bowl when you get to the 3-6 range). This step will largely determine the shape your macarons make when they bake (whether they rise a bit and get feet or stay too tall, etc.). You want to be sure not to over- or under-mix the batter. After about 15 strokes, lift the spatula out of the batter and watch it drizzle back into the bowl: you want it to achieve a lava-like texture where it drips like a ribbon back into the bowl and reincorporates into the batter within a few seconds. Some people compare the desired consistency at this step as lava-like. If it doesn’t drip off the spatula, the batter is still too thick and will not form nice flat cookies (it needs more folding/pressing); if it drips off the spatula like liquid, it will be over-mixed and not form nice cookies when you pipe. If you’re nervous about this step, Brave Tart has great directions about how to successfully do this!

7. Once your batter is ready, pour it into the mixing bag. 

8. Pipe your batter onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets. Try to stay within the lines you’ve drawn, as the batter will spread a bit once it sits. If you do notice points at the top of your piped macs, you can lightly dip your finger in water and press down. Rap your cookie sheets on the counter once or twice to eliminate air bubbles.

9. Allow macarons to sit on the counter for the tops to form little shells. When they dry out enough that you can touch the tops without getting batter on your fingers, place the first sheet in the oven. Depending on the humidity that day, drying times may vary.

10. Bake macarons for 16-18 minutes at 300 degrees, turning once halfway through. The macarons are definitely ready when you can gently lift one off the parchment. Allow to cool on cookie racks. As they cool, you can prepare the buttercream.

PART 3: MAKING THE BUTTERCREAM

1. If you’re using a Kitchen-Aid mixer, switch to the paddle attachment for the frosting. Put the butter, vanilla, milk, Flora, and rhubarb bitters in the mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly, add the remaining sugar, continuing to beat until icing is the desired texture. Add food coloring to achieve desired hue.

2. Place in the second pastry bag to fill the cooled macarons.

PART 4: ASSEMBLING THE MACARONS

1. If your piping skills are anything like mine, you may need to arrange your individual macaron cookies by size. Wait until they have cooled, and then pair like-sized macarons together. Designate the prettier macaron to be the top and use any less-perfect macs for the bottom of the sandwich. If I have any macarons that have cracked or otherwise disappointed, I like to pair them together and use them for sampling! 

2. Pipe a dollop of buttercream onto the bottom cookies. Place the top cookie over the buttercream and press down a bit. You might want to try a sample one before filling them all to gauge the right amount of frosting for your taste.

3. Place macarons in a tupperware. You can stack them between layers of parchment. Refrigerate overnight. The flavors and textures will be at their best after congealing in the fridge overnight-- these are great next-day desserts. 

4. Enjoy with a Flora Spritzer! (Pour 2 ounces of Cardinal Spirits Flora into a tall glass with ice. Top with club soda, then squeeze in juice from a big lemon wedge.) 

TRY THIS AT HOME: AN OLD FASHIONED, 3 WAYS

Let's go on a cocktail expedition. First, we'll start with a classic: An Old Fashioned. Then, we'll twist it a bit. Then we'll twist it again, into something new and exciting, but with classic roots.

A lot of people won't stray from the classic recipe for an Old Fashioned, but Cardinal bartender Andrew Wind says we shouldn't be so reverent.

"As long as you keep the foundation the same — meaning a base spirit, a touch of sugar and bitters — you can take the Old Fashioned anywhere," Andrew says.

But first, we have to learn that foundation.

OLD FASHIONED

Makes 1 cocktail

2.5 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
2 teaspoons rich syrup*
3 dashes aromatic bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange and lemon peels, for garnish
Brandied cherry, for garnish

1. All all ingredients, except garnishes, to a shaker or pint glass, then add ice.
2. Stir gently, then strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, preferably one large cube.
3. Garnish with orange and lemon peels twisted together, and a brandied cherry.

*To make rich syrup (a sweeter simple syrup): Combine 2 cups demerara sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.

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OK, here comes the first twist to the Old Fashioned. The foundation is still in place — spirit, sugar, bitters — but Andrew adds in alderwood smoked salt, which smells just like a campfire and gives the cocktail an intense briney and smokey profile.

KUMBAYA

Makes 1 cocktail

2.5 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
Heft pinch of alderwood smoked salt
2 teaspoons rich syrup*
3 dashes aromatic bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange rind, for garnish

1. In a shaker or pint glass, muddle whiskey and smoked salt. Add rich syrup and both bitters, then ice.
2. Stir gently, then strain into an old-fashioned glass with ice, preferably one large cube. 
3. Garnish with the orange rind.

*To make rich syrup (a sweeter simple syrup): Combine 2 cups demerara sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.

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Ready to twist again? The Old Fashioned foundation is still here — spirit, sugar, bitters — but Andrew has swapped bourbon for rum and simple syrup for blackstrap molasses syrup. It's like a pirate's take on an Old Fashioned, with a delightful depth for having just a handful of ingredients.

BLACK PEARL

Makes 1 cocktail

2.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
.5 ounce blackstrap molasses syrup*
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Lemon rind and brandied cherries, for garnish

1. Add all ingredients except for lemon rind and cherries to a shaker or pint glass, then add ice. 
2. Stir gently, then strain into a coupe class.
3. Garnish with lemon rind and brandied cherries.

*To make blackstrap molasses syrup, combine 2 ounces simple syrup with 1 ounce blackstrap molasses. 

TRY THIS AT HOME: COFFEE LIQUEUR-CARAMEL MILKSHAKE

Recipe and photos by Shelly Westerhausen

Each time we hear about a new way to use Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur, it seems like the best idea ever. But this. THIS is the one that tops them all. A boozy milkshake spiked with coffee liqueur is one of the most decadent, otherworldly things you can sip through a straw. 

What makes this milkshake so special is a couple of divine homemade extras. The first is a cocoa-shortbread crumble, which, when tucked into the bottom of the glass and heaped on top, adds a perfect crunch. The second is caramel sauce, which winds throughout the shake to give it even more flavor. If you're short on time, you can substitute store-bought cookies and sauce, of course. But, trust us: making it all from scratch is totally, completely worth it. 

Coffee Liqueur + Caramel Milkshake With Cocoa Shortbread Crumble

Serves 2

For the Cocoa Shortbread Crumble:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cornstarch
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup sugar
Dash of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of coffee extract (optional)
3 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
¼ cup water
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt

For the Milkshake and assembly:
¼ cup whole milk
3 tablespoons caramel sauce, plus more to taste for garnish
3 cups vanilla ice cream
1 ounce Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur
2 tablespoons cocoa shortbread crumble, plus more to taste for garnish

For the Cocoa Shortbread Crumble:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix until combined.
3. Add in the vanilla extract, coffee extract (if using), and butter and beat until the dough has formed into small clusters. 
4. Transfer the clusters to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer. The dough should be crumbled into pea-size pieces (or smaller). Bake for 15 minutes, stirring the crumbs around halfway through. Remove from heat and let cool. The crumbles will harden as they cool.

For the Caramel Sauce:

1. In a small saucepan, cook the sugar, corn syrup, and water over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once bowling, DO NOT STIR (this makes the caramel grainy) cook for eight minutes, swirling the pan around occasionally, or until it has formed a deep brown color.
3. Remove from heat, immediately add in the cream, and stir. Next, add in the butter and salt and whisk until smooth. Set aside and let cool slightly before using. 

To assemble:

1. Combine the milk, caramel sauce, ice cream and Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
2. Place a tablespoon each of the cocoa shortbread crumble in the bottom of two glasses and drizzle a little caramel sauce around the inside of each glass.
3. Divide the blended shake between the glasses and top with more caramel sauce and cocoa shortbread crumb. 

NOTE: If you'd like, you can add more coffee liqueur to usher this milkshake into cocktail territory— just cut back on some of the whole milk so that the shake stays nice and thick. 

More recipes for Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur:

Cafe a l'Orange  |  Coffee and tonic  |   Up and Attem  |   White Russian

TRY THIS AT HOME: BRAMBLE COCKTAIL RECIPES

Did you grab a bottle of Bramble, our newest spirit, over the weekend? Flavored with local black raspberries, blackberries and hibiscus, this vodka is a summer essential. It goes great with so many flavors, from green tea to ginger, and it plays well with gin and our coffee liqueur, too. The best part is that you don't need a ton of ingredients to make cocktails with it. Try these easy Bramble cocktail ideas:

BRAMBLE MARTINI

2.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Bramble Vodka
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Blackberries, for garnish

1. Add vodka and lemon juice to shaker with ice. 
2. Shake vigorously and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a blackberry.

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BRAMBLE ICED TEA

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Bramble Vodka
4 ounces iced tea

Combine Bramble and iced tea in a glass with ice. Garnish with a big mint sprig and lemon wedge. 

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BERRY BRAMBLER

2.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Bramble Vodka
1/2 ounce Cardinal Spirits Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur
1 dash orange bitters

1. Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. 
2. Shake vigorously, then strain into a coupe glass. 

CAFE A L'ORANGE COCKTAIL RECIPE

Our amazing Cafe a L'orange cocktail is deceptively simple. Just coffee liqueur, vodka, ice and an orange peel. The magic is the oil in the orange peel, not the juice. Give the peel a squeeze to release the oil, the wipe the peel around the rim of the glass. Watch Logan Hunter and learn. 

CAFE A L'ORANGE

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Songbird Coffee Liqueur
1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Vodka
Orange peel

1.  Combine coffee liqueur and vodka in a shaker with ice.
2. Shake vigorously, then strain into an ice-filled glass.
3. Squeeze an orange peel above the drink to release orange oil. Wipe the peel around the edge of the glass and use for garnish.  

SUMMER DRINKING: 5 new cocktails at Cardinal

Our summer menu is loaded with Cardinal favorites plus five new cocktails crafted by our outstanding bar crew: Logan Hunter, Chris Resnick, Andrew Wind, Baylee Pruitt and Jake Cifuentes.

There's a little bit of everything: tart, sweet, herbal, bitter. The common thread is how refreshing they all are. Perfect for taking the edge off on these dastardly hot days.

The Apothecary (pictured): Dry vermouth, our house-made Redbird Elixir, tonic and aromatic bitters. In three words: Rustic. Bitter. Balanced.

River City Ransom: Tiki Rum, vanilla-allspice syrup, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, cinnamon bitters. In three words: Citrusy. Savory. Seasonal.

Pineapple Bottom Jeans: Tiki Rum, habanero syrup, pineapple juice, lemon juice, fresh mint. In three words: Hot. Tropical. Fresh.

Uppers and Downers: Standard Dry Gin, Cobra Verde (an iced green-coffee bean drink from Hopscotch Coffee) ginger syrup, black walnut syrup. In three words: Earthy. Refreshing. Spicy.

Beso de Ginebra: Standard Dry Gin, pineapple juice, lemon juice, ginger-allspice syrup, dry vermouth. In three words: Light, Crisp. Sweet.

TRY THIS AT HOME: COCKTAILS WITH GRILLED FRUIT

Summer meals are all the about the grill. While you're at it, why not throw some fruit on there to use in cocktails? The heat intensifies the sweetness and adds that tell-tale summertime char that brings new flavors to classic drinks.

Midwestern Aloha

Pineapple is one of the easiest fruits to grill because it stands up to heat well. Long spears rest on the grill with ease, and allow for some sweet burn lines.

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
2 tablespoons grilled pineapple
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
5 to 7 mint leaves
Seltzer

1. Muddle mint leaves and lime juice in a shaker. Add grilled pineapple and muddle until mashed.
2. Add rum and ice to the shaker. Shake for about 30 seconds, then strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with seltzer, a grilled pineapple spear, and mint.

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Fuzzy Julep

Drink No. 2 begged for peaches. I used charcoal rather than open fire for this drink. After about 8 minutes of facedown time on the grill, the peach halves were soft and lightly charred.

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits White Oak Whiskey
1 slice fire-­roasted peach, peeled
1 teaspoon honey
1 fat lemon wedge
5 to 7 mint leaves

1. In the bottom of a shaker, muddle mint and lemon juice until fragrant.
2. Add peach and honey, and mash thoroughly.
3. Add whiskey and shake, shake, shake.
4. Strain over crushed ice and garnish with a slice of grilled peach and mint.

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Ageless Fashioned

With whiskey so young, this riff on an Old Fashioned is anything but old. First, I hollowed out an orange. With the guts out of the way, it's the perfect vessel for a quick simple syrup. I poured about 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar and 1/4 cup water in the orange shell, and placed it on the grill alongside some halved bing cherries. Once again, I utilized the heat of charcoal for this drink, rather than a fire. After 10 minutes, the orange-infused simple syrup will fizzle and steam to let you know it is ready to go. The cherries need about 30 seconds of heat.

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits White Oak Whiskey
2 teaspoons orange-­infused simple syrup
2 dashes bitters
1 fire-­roasted cherry for garnish

1. Measure whiskey, followed by simple syrup and finally bitters into an old-fashioned glass. Stir lightly and add 2-­3 large cubes of ice.
2. Float 1/2 of a cherry and a swizzle of orange rind from the simple syrup cup on top.

TRY THIS AT HOME: PIECES OF EIGHT WITH TIKI RUM

We see a tall, frosty, tropical cocktail in your future. This weekend, try a classic tiki drink called Pieces of Eight with our new Tiki Rum. Cardinal bartender Chris Resnick shows us how to shake it:

PIECES OF EIGHT

Makes 1 cocktail

2 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce passion fruit syrup (1:1 passion fruit juice and simple syrup)

1. Add everything to shaker with ice.
2. Shake, then pour everything from the shaker, including ice, into a tall glass.

 

MORE DELICIOUS TIKI RUM RECIPES

Mojito // Daiquiri

SECRET INGREDIENT: AROMATIC BITTERS

House-made aromatic bitters and a Cardinal Sling cocktail. 

At some point, we've all left bitters out of a cocktail recipe, right?

Well, all of us except for Cardinal bar manager Logan Hunter. He wouldn't ever skip bitters, and he doesn't think you should, either.

The case for bitters is simple, he says: they magically perk up and bring balance to a cocktail.

Bitters are high-proof alcohol that is intensely infused with botanicals: herbs, spices, bark and roots. Aromatic bitters — known as a bartender's salt and pepper — are steeped with fall and winter spices and are found in classic cocktails like Sazeracs, Singapore Slings and Manhattans. Because it's usually called for in such small quantities — a dash or two at a time — bitters might seem like a throwaway ingredient. Poor bitters! Do not make them feel sad.

"Bitters are so strong and so concentrated that a few drops can make a big difference," Logan says. "It's packed with so much flavor."

Angostura is the quintessential brand of aromatic bitters, but there are dozens of options out there. At Cardinal, Logan and the rest of the team make a slew of bitters in-house to use in cocktails. Varieties include walnut, lavender, cinnamon, orange and aromatic.

If you're wondering why the drinks you make at home aren't tasting like the ones you get at the bar, bitters might be your answer. A bottle is a home-bar essential. It won't go bad. It doesn't need to be refrigerated. And, if all else fails, you can use it to cure hiccups.

Alright, let's practice with bitters. At Cardinal, we make a cocktail called the Cardinal Sling, which was by far our most popular drink when we first opened. Its delightful sweet and sour balance is achieved with — you guessed it — bitters.

CARDINAL SLING
 

1/2 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 dash aromatic bitters
1 1/2 ounces Cardinal Spirits vodka
1 1/2 ounces club soda
Lemon wedge, for garnish

1. In a shaker with ice, add simple syrup, lemon juice, sweet vermouth, bitters and vodka.
2. Shake vigorously, then strain into an old-fashioned glass.
3. Add ice and top with club soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge. 

TRY THIS AT HOME: MOJITO WITH TIKI RUM

Need a cocktail recipe for tonight? Tomorrow? Right this minute? In the middle of summer, you can't go wrong with a refreshing mojito. Cardinal bartender Baylee Pruitt shows us how to make this classic: