Category: Chilled Concoctions

Cherry Gin Rickey

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This summer, I’m basking in the daily slowness of life without school (even online school was an effort) and experiencing everything that we weren’t able to this past year. Seeing family, meeting friends for drinks, eating out, enjoying museums and parks; it all feels special. Though we’re still wearing masks and maintaining some sense of social distancing, this summer still feels so much different. I feel as if I have at least some of my life back.

To capture my summer mood, I needed a refreshing drink to sip on while enjoying the sunshine. My drink of choice couldn’t be easier: the Cherry Gin Rickey.

What is a Cherry Gin Rickey?

The Gin Rickey is a mixed drink that dates back to the early 19th century in Washington, D.C. It’s a combination of gin, lime juice, club soda, and ice for a tart, sparkling, and light drink. Sometimes simple syrup is added but my twist on this cocktail skips the syrup and uses a high quality maraschino cherry with a splash of cherry juice from the jar.

How to Make a Cherry Gin Rickey?

The Cherry Gin Rickey is made in this order: ice, gin, lime juice, club soda, maraschino cherry juice and finished with a maraschino cherry. It’s so incredibly balanced and refreshing. Perfectly chilled and sippable on a hot day.

Adding ice to the glass beforehand makes for a chilled drink that isn’t too watery. Trust me on this. I used to add the ice last and ended up using at least a quarter more club soda.

Best Ingredients for a Cherry Gin Rickey

Cherries & Cherry Juice – I do recommend buying a high quality maraschino cherry such as from Tillen Farms, which doesn’t include any artificial dyes or flavors. I find them to be perfectly plump, juicy, and fresh tasting. Just to be clear, this is not a sponsored post, I just really like these cherries!

Gin – I love Bombay for its floral notes but London Dry is also a great choice. Out of gin? It should be noted that the original Rickey was actually made with bourbon, so sometimes I replace the gin with an equal amount of Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Lime juice – It’s best to use freshly squeezed! Lime is one of the main ingredients and there is a significant flavor difference between fresh squeezed and bottled lime juice. If out of fresh limes use lime LaCroix instead of club soda. The lime isn’t as strong but it still works in a pinch.

Club soda – Club soda is carbonated water with mineral additives included. The minerals make the drink slightly saltier than a straight carbonated water (such as LaCroix) that doesn’t include added minerals. I buy whatever I can find on the grocery shelves. Fever-Tree or Schweppes are good options for brand name club soda.

That’s it!

I hope you are out making memories and sipping cocktails in the sun. Cheers to summer!

Cherry Gin Rickey

  • Ice
  • 1 ½ ounces gin
  • 1 lime, divided
  • 4 ounces club soda
  • 1 maraschino cherry
  • 1 splash of cherry juice from the maraschino cherry jar

Directions:

Fill a rocks glass half full of ice. Cut the lime in half and squeeze one half over the ice. Add gin, club soda, and cherry juice over the ice and stir. Slice the other half lime into rounds for garnish Add the maraschino cherry and enjoy immediately.

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Berry Coconut Freezer Pops

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Here we are at the tail end of the school year and I can tell you that I have been learning a lot lately. Take this week for example: I learned not to skip adding the potatoes to the skillet when roasting a chicken because the oven will become a grease covered, smoky mess. Coincidentally, I also learned how to clean my oven (steam cycle!) I learned that you can only say “yes” so many times before you have to say “no” to keep your sanity in check. Also, it is much harder to say “no” after initially saying “yes”. So hard! I’m also learning how to stand, which sounds even crazier than the first two, but while at a Pilates class, the instructor reminded us all to stand equally on both feet and not to lock our knees (room for air between the joints). This is called “active standing”. Locking the knees is called “passive standing” and I realized that I stand that way all the time. No wonder my hip joints and back hurt. So yes – I am learning how to stand. Lastly, I am learning how to create meals using what I have on hand and this is the most exciting of all the lessons. School is in session!

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I started volunteering at a cooking school down the street from us and one of the classes was called “Cooking by the Seat of your Pants” by Becky Selengut. I have basically talked about this class nonstop since that night. It was was one of those aha moments. She talked about how to taste food a

nd the different ingredients needed to make balanced food, which is the most satisfying. The food made in class contained ingredients she had on hand and she didn’t use any recipes. This is my dream way to cook.

When I started out cooking a few years ago, I didn’t know how to roast a vegetable and had to Google search EVERYTHING. I didn’t know how to cook a pork chop or what tarragon tasted like. I can’t even tell you how many times the smoke alarm went off while I was cooking. So, I’ve spent the majority of my energy on learning how to cook and keeping the seasonings to salt, pepper and olive oil. I also use recipes religiously. But after listening to Becky and hearing the different ingredients needed to create all these different flavors, I realized that I had all of them sitting in my cupboards. What I don’t have is the experience to put them together in satisfying interesting ways…..yet.

Which brings me to the other thing that I learned from Becky. Curry is one of those dishes that you can make using a variety of leftover vegetables and proteins. According to Becky, coconut milk and curry paste will be your best friend on a busy Wednesday night. Well, I have a real soft spot for curry and now seem to not be able to go a week without whipping up a pot. This week I didn’t use the whole can of coconut milk (another lesson I learned – don’t skimp on the coconut milk!) but no matter – I had another concoction in mind for the remaining.

Unlike curry, popsicles are one of the foods I have made quite often. chocolate pops,  smoothie pops, vanilla pudding pops – pretty much any recipe I see. We have had blue skies and sunshine this last week and I had my first after school request for a popsicle. I basically ran into the kitchen to comply and I encourage you to do the same. The coconut milk is sweet, smooth and creamy and the berries add that tart contrast that is irresistible.

Berry Coconut Freezer Pops

This recipe is so quick and versatile! Feel free to substitute any combination of frozen or fresh berries.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups organic strawberries, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups organic blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar (plus 2 tablespoons for coconut milk if layering popsicles)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk

Directions:

This recipe made 8 popsicles. Fill each mold half full of coconut milk and set aside. Combine berries, water, sugar and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Warm on medium-low, stirring and crushing fruit occasionally. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for a couple of minutes. I used a potato masher to really smooth out the fruit but you could keep the chunks. Pour mixture into a glass measuring cup and gently pour over the coconut milk to fill the molds the rest of the way.  Take a knife and gently swirl the two flavors together. Freeze for an hour and then add popsicle sticks. Continue freezing until firm (3-4 hours more). Enjoy!

Directions for layered popsicle:

In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the coconut milk and stir to combine. Divide equally among the popsicle molds. Continue as above. Omit swirling with knife.

 

Settling In & Hot Fudge

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We finally moved into our new house! The move went so quick and smooth that I really have no complaints. The other house is cleaned and ready for another family to enjoy. Our new house has pictures hung and the kitchen is organized. Everyone is settled into our new space.

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The part that is not settled yet are my routines. I almost went to the old house the other day on the way home from the grocery store and I keep forgetting where I stuck the garbage bags. This is the first week back to school for the kids so pick up and drop off are all a little different. In the midst of this (smooth yet exhausting) upheaval, I went looking for dessert.

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As the weather starts to warm up (70 today!) and summer is starting to feel sooner rather than later, I craved an old classic: Hot Fudge. Growing up in Iowa, summers were hot and humid. Full of thunder storms and fireflies. I remember mom making hot fudge to top the homemade ice cream dad had made out on a hot summer night. Then there were the hot fudge sundaes from the $1 menu that my husband and I ate while snuggling on the couch.

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But why should ice cream get all the hot fudge love? Frozen banana slices with hot fudge on top is the perfect afternoon pick me up. I used Ashley Rodriguez’s new cookbook “Date Night In” for my hot fudge recipe. It uses heavy cream and bittersweet chocolate, which makes for a perfect complement to the sweet bananas. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and let me know if you give it a try!

xoxo,

Rachel

Bittersweet Hot Fudge

This recipe is just slightly adapted from “Date Night In” from Ashley Rodriquez.

  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)
  • 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (just a pinch)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine the heavy whipping cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Give it a quick, vigorous stir every 1 minute or so. Remove the pan from hear and stir in chocolate, butter, salt, and vanilla. Refrigerate until ready to use and microwave in short increments as needed.