Ginger Root

This week, the Cocktail Artists took a break from blogging and decided to give their youngest daughter (that's me!) a go at mixology. Due to my parents' impressive knowledge of cocktails, I've become a bit of a mixed-drink aficionado as well. However, because of my clumsy tendencies and talent for kitchen spills, my parents usually don't let me mix my own drinks. That being said, they took a chance on me and gave me full reign of their blog. Here's to hoping I do them justice!

This holiday season I've been particularly drawn to ginger. Ginger snaps have always been a favorite holiday cookie of mine, as I tend to favor spicy treats over sugary ones. Every Christmas, our family creates a new structurally ambitious and aesthetically impressive gingerbread model. I suppose I'm the driving force behind the lofty gingerbread designs (three years ago we created a scale gingerbread model of our house). But don't get me wrong, my architect parents and structural engineer sister are always up for the challenge.

After a week of planning, assembling, and decorating, our gingerbread house is finally completed - as are the holidays. For this drink, I wanted to prolong the holiday spirit with its festive flavors, while also creating a cocktail to curb the post-holiday exhaustion. After all, ginger is known for its rejuvenating effects, something we could all probably use after an indulgent Christmas dinner.

When crafting the drink's recipe, I wanted to make sure that it didn't become to sweet. In order to elevate the drink's spice, I added both ginger syrup and ginger bitters - but the real kicker in my opinion is the Allspice Dram. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is a fragrant liqueur with hints of allspice and brown sugar.

The Ginger Root Cocktail and its painting (by the Cocktail Artist daughter)

As the daughter of the Cocktail Artists, I've had a behind-the-scenes view of their blogging process, but this was my first time trying my hand at the craft. I began the process fairly confident, but quickly realized I had a lot to learn.

First of all, cocktail blogging requires a LOT of patience. From my novice perspective, creating a cocktail recipe seemed easy enough. I knew that I wanted to create a ginger-inspired drink, and figured, how hard could it be?

I was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of decisions to be made. Bourbon or Rye? Orange bitters or walnut bitters? What about Grand Marnier or Benedictine? After much trial and error, I settled on a recipe. Creating artwork proved to be the easiest part of the process, and I felt like I was really hitting my stride.

Like my gingerbread designs, my concepts for drink photography may have been a bit too ambitious. After struggling with unsatisfactory backdrops and shadowy light, I finally managed to snap some photos that I was happy with.

More than anything, guest-blogging on the Cocktail Artists has given me a new respect for the content that my parents continue to deliver week after week. I'm looking forward to trying the new recipes that they create (and am happy to return to my role as cocktail taste-tester). For now, I think I'll pour myself a Ginger Root and take some time to unwind before plunging into 2018.

The Ginger Root Cocktail and art by the Cocktail Artist daughter

Ginger Root

1 1/2 ounces Rye (Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye)
3/4 ounce Dark Rum (Appleton Estate 12 Year)
1/2 ounce Allspice Dram (St. Elizabeth)
1/2 ounce Ginger Simple Syrup (Keep it Simple Syrup)
3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
dashes of ginger bitters (Hella Bitters)
dashes of orange bitters (Scrappy's Bitters)

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake well for 20 seconds and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist and a piece of candied ginger.

The Ginger Plant: original artwork by the Cocktail Artist daughter


The Ginger Root: original artwork by the Cocktail Artist daughter


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