cocktail

INGREDIENTS:
—7-10 blueberries
—3-4 basil leaves
—2.5 oz. blanco tequila (Casamigos)
—1 oz. agave nectar
—1.5 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
—splash of soda
—lime wheel for garnish
—sugar or salt

Bremen's Wine & Tap in Denver opened its doors on Wednesday, June 21, serving brunch starting at 10 a.m., following with lunch, happy hour and dinner service, closing at 10 p.m. The team at the LoHi restaurant was very excited to open its doors, after months spent doing construction, training and tasting. Encompassing their excitement, the staff at Bremen's Wine & Tap listed their Top 10 reasons why they love Bremen's.

INGREDIENTS
—1.75 oz. CapRock Gin
—.75 oz. Lillet Blanc
—.5 oz. rosemary simple syrup
—.5 oz. lemon juice
—4 sugar snap peas, muddled, and extra for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Muddle snap peas with ingredients in a Boston shaker.
2. Shake vigorously.
3. Double strain into a rocks glass over ice.
4. Garnish with sliced peas. 

Courtesy of The Pig & The Sprout, Denver

Sweet can mean two things: tastes great or stellar experience. There is a lot of sweetness in the U.S. Mountain West and western Canada, but I’ll limit this to talking about the new “Buzzed at Bernardus” experiences at Bernardus Lodge & Spa in Carmel Valley, California.

Hotel Indigo Denver is set to open in Denver’s Union Station neighborhood in mid-January of 2017. It will be located at 1801 Wewatta Street and will have 180 guest rooms and 1,188 square feet of meeting and event space.

INGREDIENTS
—1 oz. marshmallow vodka
—1 oz. Richardo’s Decaf Coffee Liqueur
—1 oz. cream
—chocolate syrup
—graham cracker crumbs
—toasted marshmallows

DIRECTIONS
Dip the rim of a martini glass in a shallow dish of chocolate syrup and then in a dish of fine graham cracker crumbs. Combine marshmallow vodka, Richardo’s Decaf Coffee Liqueur and cream in a martini shaker with ice. Pour into glass and garnish with toasted marshmallows.

INGREDIENTS
—3 oz. bourbon, scotch or cognac
—2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar
—2 sprigs fresh mint —crushed ice to fill one widemouthed pint Mason jar or julep cup

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending a mixology class at coup d’etat in Uptown Minneapolis. The class was held in one of their semi-private dining areas, where 18 of us had the pleasure of creating five signature cocktails with our mixologist Alex.

INGREDIENTS
—.75 oz. Monin cucumber syrup
—8-10 mint leaves
—1.5 oz. Hendrick’s gin
—.5 oz. St-Germain (elderflower liqueur)
—1 oz. lime juice
—splash Sierra Mist
—mint sprig and cucumber spear to garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Muddle mint and cucumber syrup.
2. Add gin, St-Germain and lime juice and shake with ice.
3. Pour into glass, and then top with a splash of Sierra Mist, mint sprig and cucumber spear.

INGREDIENTS
—1.25 oz. Lillet Rose
—.5 oz. Bombay Sapphire East
—1 oz. lemon simple syrup*
—1 oz. bottled flat water
—splash Crème de Viollette

DIRECTIONS
1. Add all ingredients into a martini shaker.
2. Stir and strain into a martini glass.
3. Garnish with an orange twist.
4. Serve and enjoy!

* Make lemon simple syrup by bringing 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil. Take off heat and add one cup lemon juice. Let cool and run through a strainer.