Fall In Love with 3 Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin Cocktails This Valentine's Day!

Instead of gifting a bouquet of roses this Valentine’s Day - consider a bottle of roses. Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin is a rose-colored, handcrafted gin is made with nine botanicals, including red rose petals – a match made in V-Day heaven!

Whether you’re spending the holiday of love with your significant other or you’re planning to party it up with your girlfriends, here are 3 delectable cocktail recipes that you will absolutely swoon over. Here’s my tutorial on IG for how to make all 3!

ELDERFLOWER ROSE 75

Sparkling and celebratory, our Elderflower Rose 75 takes a well-loved staple and adds a special floral touch.

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin

• ¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice

• 0.5 oz Simple Syrup 

• Sparkling Wine

Method: Shake on ice, fine strain into a chilled flute, top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

GARDEN GIMLET

Enjoy the effortless elegance of our Garden Gimlet. Add a sprig of lavender to garnish and take in the aromas of a flower field in bloom!

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin

• ¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice

• 0.5 oz Simple Syrup

Method: Shake ingredients on ice. Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a lavender sprig for aromatics.

BLOSSOM & TONIC

Blossoming with subtle floral notes and citrus essence, this vibrant Gin & Tonic can't be beat!

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin

• 3 oz Premium Tonic Water

• Garnish: Orange Slice 

• Method: Fill a copa glass with ice, add Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin and premium tonic water. Garnish with an orange slice.

Celebrate America's Birthday with These 4th of July Cocktails

Bringing back an old picture for this one! :)

4th of July is my all time FAVORITE holiday. Anyone who knows me knows that I wait all year for this day. Something about the patriotism, the warm weather, the BBQs and that all around feel good feeling you get on Independence Day with all the festive activities just creates immaculate vibes. It’s unbeatable and always the highlight of the summer. Now that we have somewhat gotten over the pandemic hump, I’m hearing a bunch of people are making plans to celebrate (lots of people voted YES to needing some great July 4th cocktail recipes this weekend on my IG story!) and these recipes here will surely get you in the mood to party. Whether you’ll be at the beach or behind a BBQ, you’ll stay cool and refreshed with these easy-to-mix drinks full of bright summer flavors.

PINEAPPLE FIZZ COCKTAIL

also available as a cocktail kit, here

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Belvedere Vodka

• .5 oz Fresh Lime Juice

• .2 oz Pineapple Juice

• Top with Hella Bitters & Soda

Method: Place all ingredients, except Hella Bitters and Soda, into shaker and shake with ice. Strain into collins glass and top with Bitters & Soda.

SUNSET ROSE COCKTAIL

also available as a cocktail kit, here

Ingredients:

• 3 oz Whispering Angel

• 1.5 oz Belvedere Vodka

• .5 oz Lime Juice

• .25 oz Honey Water

• 3 Blackberries

• Garnish with Mint Sprig

Method: Place Blackberries into shaker and muddle. Add remaining ingredients into shaker except the Rosé. Shake with ice and strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with Rosé and garnish with Mint.

MEYER LEMON SPRITZ

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Bottle Betty Buzz Meyer Lemon Club Soda

• 1.5 oz Vodka

• Mint Leaves

• Lemon Wheel or Twist

Method: Bring it all together in a wine glass over ice. Stir gently and garnish.

Glenmorangie X Blackcurrant

Ingredients:

• 2 oz X by Glenmorangie

• 1 oz Lemon Juice

• ½ oz Blackcurrant Cordial

• ⅓ oz Agave Syrup

Preparation: Fill highball glass with crushed ice. Add X by Glenmorangie, lemon juice and agave syrup. Stir, then top with blackcurrant cordial. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a blackberry.

LA VALOMA

Ingredients:                                                                                                                                       

• 2 oz Volcan Blanco Tequila

• ¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice

• 1.5 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice

• ¾ Oz Agave Syrup

• A pinch of salt

Method: Combine Volcan Blanco, fresh lime and grapefruit juice, salt and agave syrup in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain over ice in a highball glass. Top with soda water and garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

Cupid-Approved Sips for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day has to be one of my favorite holidays of all time, solely for how bright and colorful it always is. Growing up, I actually used to have Valentine’s Day parties every year - I became known for it! I’ve always had a soft spot for the day of love, and now in my adult years I can take it up a notch and celebrate even more with festive Valentine’s Day cocktails!

Whether you’re in the mood for something pink, something bubbly, something potent or even chocolatey, here are a few recipes I am loving this year that are so delicious, even Cupid would approve.

Photo Credit: Katie Stryjewski

Mumm Napa Raspberry Rosé Fizz

4 parts Mumm Napa Brut Rosé

2 parts Lime juice or Limeade

1 part Gin or Vodka

Fresh Raspberries

Method:

Muddle ~12 raspberries in cocktail shaker. Add gin/vodka, lime juice and ice, shake

until mixed. add large ice cube to a rocks glass and strain mixture over top. Add Mumm Napa Brut Rosé; stir gently to mix. Skewer three raspberries on toothpick and lay across side of

the glass for a beautiful garnish.

Photo Credit: Claire Mallett

OM ESPRESSO MARTINI

By Claire Mallett, OMbassador, Organic Mixology

1 ½ oz Mulholland Vodka

1 oz Mr Black Coffee Liqueur

1 oz Organic Mixology Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Liqueur

Garnish, Dirty Sue Whiskey Cherry

Method:

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with ice,

Shake and pour into a cocktail glass or coup

Garnish with Dirty Sue Whiskey Cherry

Hey, Honey

2 fl oz Four Roses Small Batch

1 ½ fl oz Honey Simple Syrup

½ fl oz Lemon Juice

5 drops Angostura Bitters

Method:

Mix all ingredients. Serve and enjoy.

Photo Credit: Katie Stryjewski

Mumm Napa Grapefruit Spritz

3 parts Mumm Napa Cuvée M

1 part elderflower liqueur

1 small grapefruit

Fresh mint

Dash of soda water

Garnish with grapefruit slice and florals etc

Method:

Add ½ of cup-up grapefruit and mint to a cocktail shaker. Muddle. Add elderflower liqueur, splash of soda water and ice. Shake. Strain mixture into glass. Add Mumm Napa Cuvée M. Garnish with grapefruit slice and florals.

Continue the Spooky Spirit with the Zesty Rambutan

Has Halloween really just graced us with its presence in 2020 already? How are we so far into the year? I can’t be the only one who feels like time is completely whizzing by but is so slow at the same time. Not to mention, since Halloween wasn’t really a true Halloween this year, I feel like we have to keep the spooky spirit going throughout this week. The holiday deserves more than just one day! One of my favorite things about Halloween each year is having fun with cocktails and putting different spins to make something truly “chilling.” I’m starting off the post-Halloween week with one tequila concoction I’m really excited about with Espanita Tequila. Recipe for the spicy, spooky libation is below!

The Zesty Rambutan

INGREDIENTS

2 oz Espanita Blanco Tequila

6-7 Rambutans

1-2 Jalapeño slices, seeds removed

0.25 oz Fresh ginger juice

1 oz Triple sec

1 Tbsp frozen concentrated Limeade

GARNISH

Lemon wheel

METHOD

Grate a piece of ginger and squeeze the juice out. Measure 0.25 oz in a jigger. Peel the skins from rambutans, remove the seeds and slice the fruit. Place sliced rambutan flesh and jalapeño slices in a Boston shaker and muddle. Add Espanita Blanco tequila, fresh ginger juice, triple sec, limeade and a handful of ice. Shake vigorously and strain through the fine mesh strainer into a cocktail glass filled with fresh ice.

My Cider Skull Sangria with Campo Viejo for Dia De Los Muertos

Happy Dia De Los Muertos! In celebration of the colorful holiday, I created a specialty cocktail to sip on today - what I like to call the Cider Skull Sangria using my favorite Campo Viejo Tempranillo wine. Because Campo Viejo encourages everyone to live more colorfully and vibrantly, I thought it was the perfect fit.

Check out my recipe for this tantalizing festive concoction!

The Cider Skull Sangria

INGREDIENTS

· 1 bottle Campo Viejo Tempranillo
· 1 ½ cups apple cider
· 3 oz. brandy
· 2 honey crisp apple, sliced, plus more for garnish (optional)
· 2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for garnish (optional)
· 1 star anise, plus more for garnish (optional)

FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR RIM

· 2 Tablespoons cane sugar
· 1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon
· pinch of salt


METHOD

For the cinnamon sugar rim, stir together cinnamon, sugar, and salt on a dish.
Wet the rim of the glasses by running a slice of lemon around each one.
Dip the rims into the mixture and then fill glasses with sangria.

Add all ingredients to a large pitcher and stir to combine. Cover pitcher and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Fill glasses with ice then pour sangria over top. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, star anise, and apple slices, if desired, and serve.

Photography by: Grace & Light Photo