THE THIRSTY CROW COCKTAIL

Sometime late last year when COVID cases were surging in Maine and there appeared to be no end in sight to all of this madness, I became very nostalgic of my favorite bars. Without knowing when I would again step foot into a loud, busy bar on a Saturday night, I wanted to recreate one of my favorite cocktails from a beloved bar of mine. The place that I had in mind at the time was The Thirsty Crow, an awesome spot located in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. I had spent many a night at The Thirsty Crow, whether sitting at the horseshoe-shaped bar, or outside on the patio looking out onto Sunset Blvd, and sadly couldn’t remember the last time I had gone.

It was at this bar where I discovered my love for a whiskey cocktail that shares the same namesake as the bar itself. Like I’ve mentioned before, I am genuinely not a fan of whiskey and will always be a tequila/vodka person through and through. On the other hand, Alex loves drinking an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, and actually prefers to drink it straight on the rocks, which looks very unappealing to me. So, years ago when Alex and I went to The Thirsty Crow for the first time, we were told by my sister that we had to order their signature cocktail because it was an absolute favorite of hers. Without being aware that there was whiskey in the cocktail until after I had ordered the drink (I’m too trusting sometimes), I was highly skeptical on whether I’d enjoy it or not, but *spoiler alert*, I really liked it.

The cocktail is pretty basic and consists only of rye whiskey, lemon juice, ginger beer, maraschino liqueur and “magic” - according to their website. On the particular night in Maine when I had a hankering for The Thirsty Crow, I happened to have most of the ingredients to make the cocktail and pretty much improvised the rest: instead of rye whiskey, I used the Bulleit bourbon that was sitting on our bar cart (bourbon has a sweeter taste than rye whiskey); I didn’t have maraschino liqueur but instead had a jar of maraschino cherries for when Alex makes Manhattans; and just for fun, I added Angostura bitters because I honestly just felt like it would round out the drink and maybe make up for the bitterness that was lost when replacing rye whiskey with bourbon. Oh, and no magic was added because I’m not exactly sure where I would purchase that. Maybe Costco sells it in bulk?

Needless to say, the drink was a success and I had never been more proud of myself for 1) actually enjoying a whiskey drink (other than a hot toddy!), let alone one that I had made at home and 2) successfully creating a cocktail that tasted pretty damn close to the original. I know this cocktail requires zero skill level and no crazy ingredients, but the whole point was to recreate the feeling that I had while at The Thirsty Crow, and I think I did just that. So until I can walk into that bar and experience a night that feels like pre-COVID times, I will gladly make these cocktails at home.

The Thirsty Crow Cocktail (Whiskey Ginger)

Makes 1 cocktail

Recipe inspired by The Thirsty Crow bar in Los Angeles, CA

Ingredients

• 2 oz. bourbon whiskey

• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice

• 1-2 dashes of Angostura bitters

• 4-6 oz. ginger beer (Reed’s or Fever Tree are my favorite brands)

• Maraschino cherry/juice

Directions

1. Add ice to a rocks glass (or whichever glass of your choosing - a mason jar works too) and pour in the bourbon and lemon juice. Top the drink off with ginger beer: start with 4 ounces, but you can add 1-2 more ounces if you want a weaker cocktail. Stir with a spoon.

2. Finish with a couple dashes of the bitters and a maraschino cherry. I like to add a bit of the liquid from the maraschino cherry jar to give the drink a bit more sweetness as well, but that’s optional.

3. Drink immediately and enjoy!

STRAWBERRY BASIL MOJITOS

If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been on a strawberry kick lately and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. From the frozen strawberry margaritas recipe from April to my last post containing the most beautiful (and delicious) strawberry buttermilk sheet cake, I have yet to grow tired of the popular berry. Although my last cocktail recipe also highlighted strawberries, I just had to do another strawberry cocktail purely for the reason that I tried today’s recipe while I was in Vermont last weekend. The cocktail is a strawberry basil mojito and it’s by far my favorite way to enjoy a summery drink at the moment.

If you’re wondering why I was in Vermont last weekend, it’s because I went to visit my aunt, Katia. Katia very recently moved to the state to stay with one of her oldest friends, and once we realized that she was only a short drive away (about three hours), we planned a weekend getaway as soon as we could. Vermont isn’t Katia’s permanent home since her ultimate plan is to get to our family in the Czech Republic, but because European borders are closed to Americans indefinitely due to Covid-19, she’ll be calling Vermont home for the foreseeable future. The town she’s staying in is North Pomfret, near Woodstock, and it is honestly one of the most beautiful places that I’ve visited in the US, and I feel like this statement has some clout considering I just road tripped across the entire country. The gorgeous house she is staying in is a converted farmhouse complete with a towering silo and cow feeding stalls located in the basement. The house sits on acres of farmland surrounded by rolling hills and dense woods, and is just as picturesque as it can get. Needless to say, the trip was very memorable and we had the best time hanging out with my aunt and her friend. The picture below is of her garden, just to give you a taste of the beauty of her property.

One of the days we were visiting, Alex and I took a trip into Woodstock and decided to get cocktails while sitting in the patio at the very cool restaurant, Dr. Coburn’s Tonic. While Alex settled for a Mai Tai, the Strawberry Basil Mojito caught my eye because I had never thought to use basil in place of mint in a mojito before. Obviously, the drink was perfect and refreshing enough to make me forget about the heat and humidity we were experiencing that day. After finishing my drink in record time, I told Alex that I needed to share the recipe for it on my blog. Fortunately for me, I was able to produce a recipe that tasted exactly what I had at Coburn’s.

Unlike my previous mojito recipe (a watermelon version that is also extremely delicious!) where I used granulated sugar in the drink, I decided to make a simple syrup but kick it up a notch by infusing it with fresh basil. The simple syrup takes no skill whatsoever (hence the name) and the addition of basil really accentuates the bright, herby flavor. To further the basil flavor, you’ll also muddle some basil leaves along with chopped strawberries - so there’s definitely no shortage of fresh and vibrant flavors. After the muddling, it’s just a matter of measuring out the rum and lime juice, adding some ice and topping off the cocktail with a good pour of soda water. I personally think it’s easier to make one mojito at a time, especially since the traditional method calls for you to make the drink in the actual glass in which you’ll be drinking from; but if needed, you can of course do a bigger batch. In this case, I would recommend doing the muddling in a large mason jar and then evenly divide between the glasses, and then add the rum, lime juice and soda water. But do whatever you think is best!

Strawberry Basil Mojitos

Yields 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 3 fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

• 4-5 basil leaves

• 1 oz. basil simple syrup, recipe below

• 2 oz. silver rum

• 1 oz. fresh lime juice

• 2-3 oz. soda water (depends on the size of your glass)

Directions

1. In the bottom of your desired drinking glass, preferably a highball, muddle the strawberries, basil leaves and simple syrup together. You don’t need to completely muddle every strawberry - a couple can be left more chunky.

2. Pour in the rum and lime juice, then add ice and top off the drink with soda water. Depending on how watered down you want your cocktail and/or the size of your glass, the amount of soda water will vary.

3. Garnish with a strawberry and drink immediately. Enjoy!

Basil Simple Syrup

Yields 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup basil leaves

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it hits a boil, turn the heat down and allow the mixture to simmer for a couple of minutes.

2. Remove the pan from the stove and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, so the basil flavor can properly steep into the syrup.

3. Pour the syrup through a strainer and discard the basil. Transfer to an airtight container like a mason jar or a bottle with a swing top and store in the fridge for up to a week.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY MARGARITAS

This past weekend, Southern California saw its first signs of summer with temperatures reaching 90°F and higher. Although I was looking forward to working on a new bundt cake recipe (I’m thinking lemon-raspberry), I could not make myself or my family suffer by turning the oven on, and decided to forgo baking altogether. Since it’s been quite some time that I’ve shared a new cocktail recipe - it’s been a YEAR since I posted my Tangerine Margaritas recipe - I figured there was no better time than the present to share another margarita recipe that is very near and dear to my heart: frozen strawberry margaritas.

I have a long history with frozen strawberry margaritas in that my love for them comes from my mom’s side of the family. Growing up, when my mom, her three sisters and my grandma would all be together, which was usually once a year during Christmas/New Year’s Eve time, they would celebrate by making tons of food, dancing like crazy, and most importantly, making batches of blended strawberry margaritas. Those memories, of when my whole family was together and having such a great time, are some of my most cherished from my childhood. So when I was of legal age and finally able to try my very first frozen strawberry margarita, I was brought back to those happy memories where I was playing with my cousins, dancing with my aunts and watching my grandma (who sadly passed away when I was 11) cook and bake up a storm. I guess it’s funny to associate a cocktail with my childhood because obviously I didn’t drink them then, but to me it symbolizes a time when life was easy and fun, and I had no worries in the world. And I don’t know about you, but I think we could all use a reminder of that right now.

And so that’s why I’ve taken it upon myself to continue the tradition of making frozen strawberry margaritas whenever I have a big group of friends around. Over the years, I have lugged my blender with me (yes, I always bring my own blender with me on mini-trips… never trust that an Airbnb has a good one!) to birthday celebrations in Big Bear, bachelorette parities in Palm Springs and our countless Fourth of July vacations in Scottsdale, Arizona. I am that person who will immediately get into the kitchen upon arrival and get straight away to blending up a big batch to pass out to everyone. And when I notice people are running low, I’ll make another batch (and another). It isn’t about getting drunk (well, maybe that’s what it’s about for some people); it’s about creating memories with the ones you care about and the margaritas just so happen to be there when it all goes down.

But if I’m being perfectly honest, I had always made my frozen strawberry margaritas using Costco margarita mix, which is equal parts cheap, convenient and delicious. I have no shame in using margarita mix, but if I were to share a recipe with you that said “go to Costco and buy a mix”, I would consider myself a huge phony. So, I figured out the right ingredients and measurements to make your own mix and I gotta admit, it’s much more delicious and fresher than the store bought version (like that should come as a surprise to no one). The only thing that is kind of a hassle is the squeezing of limes, since fresh lime juice is vital to a good margarita. To fix that problem, I suggest investing in a citrus squeezer, which I actually included in my Gift Guide for Christmas last year.

Frozen Strawberry Margaritas

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 oz. tequila (your choice on what kind, but I prefer blanco)

• 6 oz. fresh lime juice

• 4 oz. Cointreau or triple sec

• 2 oz. agave nectar

• 8 oz. frozen whole strawberries

• 3-4 cups of ice

Directions

1. Salt the rims of your desired glasses and set aside (this is optional but recommended to counter the sweetness of the margarita).

2. Add all ingredients to a large blender and blend until smooth. Pour into prepared glasses and enjoy immediately.

3. If you have extra margarita, store it in the freezer. If it becomes too frozen over time, simply re-blend to break it up.