Hoppy Seltzers.....

A “Hoppy” Seltzer turns out to be the perfect thing to feature this week not only because it was just Easter, but because ever since vacation and a weekend in Nashville, I feel the need to hydrate but still have something festive to drink! IPA’s have been the driving force of the craft beer industry for sometime now so it’s not surprising that some breweries have figured out a way to make zero alcohol, zero calorie sparkling hop-infused water. This Sierra Nevada Hop Splash is non-flavored but the beauty of that is a fresh squeeze of citrus, a tsp of a simple syrup or a splash of fruit juice can transform it into a refreshing cocktail that still has the flavor of an IPA because of the flavor from the hops. if you asked me a few years ago to drink this I would have passed but the hops add a bitter component to the seltzer that to me is quite refreshing. I'd love to her what you think!

Here are some other Non-Alcoholic Hop Infused Seltzers:

GhostFish Brewing Company in Seattle:

https://ghostfishbrewing.com/ghostfizz/

Hopwater:

https://hopwtr.com/pages/our-story

Bubble Hop from Treehouse Brewery: You can order directly from their website for pick-up or go to one of their many locations.

Cheers to another new non-alcoholic option and a new mixer to create some summertime cocktails. You will be seeing those on my blog and here soon!

Sunset over Caneel

This sweet and tart tasty drink was a cocktail that I had at Zozo’s Restaurant in Caneel Bay in St. John. Although I know the ingredients I didn’t ask for their recipe because I wanted to make my own version. It has a distinctly different taste likely due to the Hendrick’s Gin that I used, but it is just as tasty as their version. The color reminds me of the orange in a sunset so that and the location are the inspiration for the name. Feel free to use another gin if you don’t have Hendrick’s at home. I think both Bombay Sapphire and Tanguerey would lend themselves to this as well.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Hendrick’s Gin 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice 3/4 oz Aperol 3/4 oz Elderflower liquor Garnish with a slice of orange or a dehydrated orange

Combine all 4 ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well combined and cold. Strain into a martini or coup glass. They garnished this cocktail with a dehydrated orange but a thin slice of orange would be beautiful as well. Check out some recipes on-line to dehydrate your own oranges. The pulp of different types of oranges is a different color so drying a few different types of oranges is a really great way to “dress up” your cocktail.

A sip of sunshine.....

No, this post is not about one of Lawson's well known IPA, Sip of Sunshine. It is about being transported to the Caribbean with a taste of the iconic Soggy Dollar, "Pain Killer. "

I am so fortunate to be spending a week on St. John. It is without a doubt my favorite warm destination place. We have been here a handful of times and each time we come back it feels like home. One of our favorite things to do when we come here is to travel to Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands to visit the Soggy Dollar Bar for their iconic Pain Killers. Just a sip of one of this cocktail can bring me back to sunshine, sand and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. We weren't able to go there 2 years ago when we were in St. John because of Covid restrictions. That made yesterday's trip to the Soggy Dollar even more exciting!

The Pain Killer was said to have been created in the 1970's at the Soggy Dollar Bar on White Bay in Jost Van Dyke by either Daphne Henderson or George and Marie Myrick previous owners of the bar. It was originally made with 2-4 parts of Cruzan Rum, 4 parts of pineapple juice, 1 part of orange juice and 1 part cream of coconut shaken well and garnished with fresh grated nutmeg. In 1989 Pusser's Rum filed a trademark on the Pain Killer's name and recipe. In 2011 when a bar in the Lower East Side of NY opened as Pain Killer, Pusser's filed a cease and desist order to the owners of the bar for the name and making the cocktail with a rum other than Pusser's. An out of court settlement was reached but many NY bartenders boycotted Pusser's Rum.

The Soggy Dollar Bar and most of the bars in the British Virgin Islands and the Virgin Islands still serve the Pain Killer. They even sell a frozen version at Longboard in Cruz Bay. I think that was the favorite Pain Killer of the week!

We have been making our own Pain Killer's while we are here, but when we ran out of pineapple juice the other day I had to pinch hit. I decided to substitute the Pineapple Juice with 2 oz lime aid and 2 oz of coconut water and a squeeze of fresh lime. I am calling it, Stress Relief. It is all Lime and Coconut and quite refreshing but the nutmeg makes you think of a Pain Killer!

Stress Relief

2 oz Aged Rum

2 oz limeade

2 oz coconut water

1 oz orange juice

2 tbsp coco Lopez

Nutmeg

Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake until frothy and cold. Strain into a glass with ice and sprinkle with nutmeg. Enjoy this sip of sunshine!