Strawberry Rhubarb Martini

Even though it is not strawberry season yet as soon as I see Rhubarb at our local farm stand I can’t help but think about all of the Strawberry Rhubarb cocktails and fun things I want to make before the season is over. Glenn just shared a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe with me. If it is good I will make sure to share it for a June Blog!

Ingredients:

2 oz Hendricks Gin

1 oz Limoncello

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1 oz strawberry puree

1 of Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup

1 Strawberry or a sliver of rhubarb for garnish

Combine all of the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well combined and cold. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a strawberry or a small sliver of rhubarb.

Strawberry Rhubarb Fizz

2 oz London Dry Gin or Vodka

2 oz Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Juice from 1/2 lime

Seltzer

Strawberry Slices and mint

Shake the gin or vodka, the simple syrup and the lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Top with seltzer and garnish with strawberry slices and mint.

Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup:

1 cup strawberries

1 cup rhubarb

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

Bring ingredients to a boil . Simmer for 15-20 minutes on low-medium. Let cool for 30 minutes. Strain and refrigerate. Use within 2 weeks. To get the maximum flavor from the fruit you can express the liquid from the fruit but it will cause your smile syrup to be cloudy. Personally I prefer the extra flavor and I overlook that.

The Halfway

For some reason I was struggling to come up with a cocktail the week. My friend reminded me that I just sent her an idea for a cocktail a few days ago. As I was pulling the ingredients from my liquor cabinet I got an idea for a modification. Green Chartreuse is a liqueur made by monks in Scotland from over 130 herbs and other ingredients. It has a very unique fresh taste of citrus, cloves cinnamon etc. Since the color is halfway between yellow and green and we are almost halfway between Spring and Summer I have called it The Halfway. Normally this liqueur lends itself to gin drinks because of the herbal components in gin. But, I have decided to add it to a lemon heavy vodka martini to elevate the flavors.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz lemon vodka

1 oz limoncello

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Mint

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake until well mixed and icy cold. Strain into a coup or martini glass and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. If you prefer a heavier herbal flavor you could increase the Green Chartreuse to 1 oz.