Vanilla Citrus Cocktail

We’re excited to announce that we’ve started writing a new cocktail column for Whole Foods, called Locally Mixed.  We’ll focus on seasonal cocktails made with fresh local flavors.  Here’s our first one – the Vanilla Citrus Cocktail!

The winter seasonal staple of citrus is mellowed and sweetened with fresh vanilla bean flecks and high quality (local) vodka in this lovely and simple cocktail.

We use a locally made vodka that is a favorite of ours - 303 Vodka.

Check out the full recipe here, in our Whole Foods column!

Winter Sun Cocktail

Here's a little cocktail confection to brighten even the most dreary winter day. Clementine juice and a touch of lemon combine with vodka for a bright and happy drink. A sprig of rosemary adds a whiff of wintry evergreen.

We added some lemon zest to a few tablespoons of sugar to create a citrusy sugared rim. The rosemary is almost entirely for the benefit of your nose (and eyes). I was surprised by how much I enjoyed its herbal, piney scent!

This is one of our favorite cocktail creations. Sweet, tart, a little herbal. It goes down really easy (too easy?) Hmmm... I might need to head to the store for another crate of clementines.

Winter Sun Cocktail

• juice of 2 clementines (about 1/4 cup)

• juice of 1/2 small lemon (1/2 oz)

• 1/2 oz triple sec

• 1 1/2 oz vodka

• sprig of rosemary

• lemon zest

• sugar

1. Moisten the rim of your glass with some fruit juice. (The juice helps the sugar to adhere better than water does.) Combine zest and sugar in a shallow bowl or plate. Turn the glass over onto plate and coat with sugar. 2. Fill your glass with ice, and then add juices, triple sec, and vodka. Stir. Garnish with rosemary sprig. (Makes 1.)

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.

Vanilla, Pear, and Vodka Cocktail

After bidding adieu to summer with a frosty mint julep, we wanted to try something new for fall. I've been getting many pears in my local organic delivery box, so that lovely fall fruit was the jumping off point for our latest cocktail.

While at first we considered juicing the pears themselves, I feared I wouldn't get enough juice to make a proper round of drinks. So off I went to the store where I found some pear nectar. If you have a bunch of ripe pears and a juicer, I'd love to hear how the drink turns out.

All those little black specks you see are vanilla beans that we scraped straight from the pod. We also opted to use vanilla sugar for the drink's rim, which gives the drink an extra aromatic lift.

Vanilla, Pear, and Vodka Cocktail

• 12 oz (1.5 cups) pear juice
• 6 oz vodka
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• vanilla sugar, for rim
• 1 cup ice, plus more to serve over

Mix pear juice and vodka in a pitcher or shaker. Split open the vanilla bean, and scrape the seeds into the juice and vodka. Add 1 cup ice, then give it a good shake. Pour into cocktail glasses over more ice and serve with sugared rim. Makes 4 drinks.