Night Swim cocktail recipe

One of our favorite cocktails this summer has been a rum Old Fashioned made with our Lake House Spiced Rum. This version by our bartender Kevin Hinkle combines our spiced rum with our White Oak Whiskey for a one-of-a-kind twist on an Old Fashioned.

NIGHT SWIM

By Kevin Hinkle of Cardinal Spirits

1 ounce Cardinal Spirits Lake House Spiced Rum
3/4 ounce Cardinal Spirits White Oak Whiskey
1/4 ounce vanilla demerara syrup (recipe follows)
2 dashes aromatic bitters
1 orange wheel, for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass or tin, then add ice. Stir several times to chill and dilute the cocktail. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, then garnish with an orange wheel.

To make vanilla demerara syrup: Combine 1 cup water and 2 cups turbinado sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Split 1 vanilla bean and add it to the saucepan. Let the syrup cool completely, then remove the vanilla bean.

Bramble Mule cocktail recipe

Bramble Mule is, without a doubt, the cocktail of the summer. This easy three-ingredient cooler is a twist on a Moscow Mule. Instead of regular vodka, we use our Bramble Black Raspberry Vodka, a flavorful spirit infused with whole black raspberries and hibiscus.

Lush black raspberry vodka meets zippy ginger beer and tart lime in a cold copper mug — when you make them with friends, you'll feel like you've nailed the whole easy, breezy summer entertaining thing.

Bramble Mules are a best-seller at the distillery, and here's how to make one at home:

BRAMBLE MULE

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Bramble
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
Ginger beer, to taste
Lime wedge, for garnish

Add vodka and lime juice to a copper mug, then fill with ice. Fill with ginger beer and garnish with lime wedge. 

Rassle Dassle Rose cocktail recipe

This is the summer cocktail you've been waiting for ... bright and smooth, with light, tropical flavors from our Tiki Rum, which scored 92 points and a "Best Buy" rating from Wine Enthusiast. This recipe by Cardinal Spirits bartender Kevin Hinkle is a must-try this weekend:

RASSLE DASSLE ROSE

By Kevin Hinkle of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce orgeat syrup
2 raspberries
2 dashes rhubarb bitters

Add all ingredients to a shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously, then double-strain into a coupe glass. 

McDoel Gardens cocktail recipe

Our light, tropical Tiki Rum meets green things from the garden, and it just works. Try this refreshing recipe by our bartender Chris Resnick this weekend:

McDOEL GARDENS

By Chris Resnick of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
2 slices cucumber
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce Cardinal Spirits Flora
Sprig of dill

Add all ingredients to a shaker, then muddle to release flavors of cucumber and dill. Add ice to the shaker, then shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Loosey Goosey cocktail recipe

While on the hunt for some fresh cocktail ingredients one Saturday morning, our bartender Kevin Hinkle spotted gooseberries at the farmers' market and brought them back to the distillery. These tart little berries are kind of obscure and old-timey and from the same species as currants. Definitely not something you'll find in the produce section at most grocery stores.

So if you see them at the farmers' market, scoop em up like Kevin did, and make this tart, zippy summer refresher. 

LOOSEY GOOSEY

By Kevin Hinkle of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce gooseberry syrup (recipe follows)
Ginger Beer
Lime wheel and gooseberries, for garnish

Add gin, lime juice and gooseberry syrup to a shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a tall glass with ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a lime wheel and gooseberries.

For the gooseberry syrup: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 2 cups gooseberries. Stir and cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Strain gooseberries from syrup before using. 

Riverboat Gambler cocktail recipe

Have you ever thought to infuse our Tiki Rum with tea? It's a brilliant little twist by our bartender Chris Resnick and you've got to try it in this cocktail recipe of his:

RIVERBOAT GAMBLER

By Chris Resnick of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum infused with Darjeeling tea
3/4 ounce Cardinal Spirits Flora
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
2 strawberries, one for garnish

Add 1 strawberry and Flora to a shaker and muddle to break up the strawberry. Add the tea-infused rum (recipe follows) and lime juice to the shaker, than add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a strawberry.

For the Darjeeling tea-infused Tiki Rum: Place two Darjeeling tea bags in a bottle of Tiki Rum (750ml) and let steep for two hours. Remove tea bags and discard.

Hoffman House Fizz Cocktail Recipe

 

This gin cocktail with roots in the early 1900s gets shaken into a rich, creamy, luxurious tizzy, then it's topped with a splash of soda to give it an ethereal fizz — and bring it back to just this side of decadence.

HOFFMAN HOUSE FIZZ

2 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
1/2 ounce grenadine
1/2 ounce heavy cream
Egg white
Club soda, about 1-2 ounces

Add all ingredients except club soda to a shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a tall glass (without ice). Top with club soda.

92 Points Cocktail Recipe

This 92 Points cocktail plays up all the best parts of Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum, a light, tropical rum that was just awarded 92 points and a “Best Buy” rating from Wine Enthusiast magazine. The recipe easily scales up to a punch — just add the ginger beer right before serving, or let guests top their drinks with ginger beer themselves.

92 POINTS

Recipe by Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
1 ounce pineapple juice
1/2 ounce ginger syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 dashes bitters
1 ounce ginger beer, more or less to taste
Mint sprig, for garnish

Add rum, pineapple juice, ginger syrup, lemon juice and bitters to a shaker, then add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, then top with ginger beer and garnish with mint.

To make ginger syrup: Peel several chunks of ginger, slice into thin rounds. Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir to dissolve sugar. Add sliced ginger to the saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain ginger slices from syrup before using.

Berry Brambler Cocktail Recipe

This cocktail tastes complex — like it has a bunch of ingredients and like you put a lot of work into it. The truth is, it couldn't be easier. You need just two spirits — our Bramble (black raspberry vodka) and our Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur — plus a dash of bitters. Both spirits are immensely flavorful, so they do the heavy lifting in cocktails like this. With berry and coffee flavors, you might file this away as a dessert drink, but we guarantee you'll enjoy it anytime. 

BERRY BRAMBLER

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

Combine ingredients in a shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a coupe glass.

3 ways to drink our new Lake House Spiced Rum

Our newest spirit is a celebration of all things landlocked — namely lakes and the people who frequent them.

Introducing: Lake House Spiced Rum.

Lake House Spiced Rum debuts this weekend at the distillery with bottle sales beginning at noon Friday, plus special rum cocktails and even free distillery tours on Saturday, as long as you RSVP.

Lake House Spiced Rum is made in small batches from natural, whole botanical ingredients like orange peel, vanilla, cinnamon, black pepper and cardamom — no flavoring extracts, no coloring.

It hits the spot when you're grilling out. It's part of the perfect boat cocktail for a Saturday on the lake. It's what you bring to your neighbor's pool party. It's your reward after cutting the grass. It's meant for nights spent around a campfire.

Here's how we'd drink it if we were you:

1. RUM AND COKE. 

Lake House Spiced Rum will make you fall in love with rum and Cokes all over again. Whether it's your go-to drink, or it's one you haven't had since college, our rum has a way of making this simple mixed drink something to savor. 

"The cardamom we use in our spiced rum really comes through," says our distiller Justin Hughey. "Some rums don't push through Coke. But ours does."

Hey, we are the first to admit that we love fancy cocktails with six ingredients that are made from scratch and fresh squeezed and what not ... but we cannot deny the bliss of a straightforward, no-recipe mixed drink like a rum and Coke. 

2. SERIOUS COCKTAILS.

Remember two seconds ago when we said we love fancy cocktails? It's a good thing we did not throw fancy cocktails under the bus just to make a point about rum and Cokes, because Lake House Spiced Rum is right at home in serious cocktails, too.

At the distillery this weekend, we'll be mixing two special rum cocktails. One will have our spiced rum, our Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur, honey syrup and lemon. And the other will have our spiced rum with ginger syrup, lime and bitters. Don't choose. Try both. And then ask our bartender for the recipes so you can recreate them at home.

(Also, try Lake House Spiced Rum in an Old Fashioned. You're welcome.)

3. TIKI DRINKS.

Lake House Spiced Rum likes a trip to the tropics just like any other booze. Try it in classic tiki cocktails like Pieces of Eight or a Daiquiri. You bet we'll be using it on Tiki Tuesdays around the distillery.