Rhubarb Anise Cocktail

Sarah's new house came with a robust crop of rhubarb, and the young stalks were ripe and ready to be juiced into a cocktail. We combined it with the sweet anise liqueur pastis and a splash of grenadine for our new drink.

The drink is a little sweet, a little tart, and a little herbal. And it just tastes like springtime. The recipe is over here at our column for Whole Foods Market.

Clementine, Bourbon, & Clove

This wintery drink features fresh squeezed clementine juice, which is shaken vigorously with three whole cloves and a measure of bourbon. The whole cloves are what is special here - they give off the perfect tiny amount of their essence without overwhelming the drink.

Cloves and citrus are such a perfect winter combo, but cloves can be too overwhelming. We came up with the idea to shake a few cloves with the drink in an effort to rub off the best of their warmth and spice while keeping the source of this aromatic hint unobtrusive and a little mysterious.

And let me say a little something about the bourbon.  I’ve always been a little freaked out by bourbon, imagining it to be a sickly sweet version of whiskey.  I’m not sure where I got that idea, but it was crazy.  Here’s a more accurate & delicious description of nice bourbon from tastings.com:
“Flavor descriptors such as toffee, pralines, vanilla, and dried fruit to describe the initial rush of flavors in a good, well-aged Bourbon. The charred oak barrels give Bourbon a distinctive spicy oak firmness that is unique to American whiskeys.”

The bright little clementines were so simple to cut in half and juice – I used my citrus juicer to make it go even faster. We needed about 2 clementines per drink.


Here’s our recipe:

Clementine, Bourbon, & Clove Cocktail

• 1/4 c. fresh squeezed clementine juice (about 2 clementines)
• 1 oz. bourbon
• 3 whole cloves

Combine all ingredients, plus ice, in a shaker.  Shake vigorously, the strain into a sugar rimmed martini glass.  And don’t worry – these would be excellent over ice in a cocktail glass as well.

Lemon Anise Cocktail

At our recent house-warming slash cocktail party, we decided it’d be fun to serve a signature cocktail.  We wanted something citrusy and complex, a little herbal, and not too sweet.

The result was this pale yellow beauty – the Lemon Anise.  It’s made with lemon, gin, and just the tiniest bit of pastis which is a French anise flavored liquor. 

For the final touch, the Lemon Anise can be topped with a champagne float.  I loved the slight fizziness & complexity the champagne added, but Dulcie preferred hers straight up.

Lemon Anise Cocktail

• 2 oz gin
• 2 oz lemonade
• 1/4 oz pastis (we used Ricard Pernod) or other anise liquor
• float of champagne on top, about 1/2”. optional

Combine the lemonade, gin, and pastis – pour over ice.  Top with the 1/2” float of champagne.