JULY 4 GIN PUNCH RECIPE

It's Punch + Pitcher week on The Drop.
Every day, we'll share a recipe for a drink to make for a crowd this July 4 weekend.

This is a no-fail punch — a delicious crowd-pleaser that's incredible easy to make today and all summer long. Happy 4th! And don't forget that all bottles are $17.76 each through the end of the day at Cardinal Spirits. 

JULY 4 GIN PUNCH

1 part Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
1 part soda water
1 part cranberry-raspberry juice
Raspberries, for garnish

Chill all ingredients before serving. Pour Standard Dry Gin, tonic water and berry juice into a punch bowl or pitcher. Float raspberries in bowl or use as garnish. 

rosé can you see punch recipe

It's Punch + Pitcher week on The Drop.
Every day, we'll share a recipe for a drink to make for a crowd this July 4 weekend.

This little beauty pairs rosé with our American Gin, which has floral and citrus notes. Those two are delicious on their own, but then you add a little blackberry jam, and, whoa. This is the kind of thing you could sip all day long. 

Using jam in cocktails is a sneaky way to mimic simple syrup without any of the work. 

As far as rosé goes, you can use either still or sparkling. Can we make a suggestion? Right now, we're loving Chambourcin Rosé from Olivery Winery in Bloomington. Adjust the soda water depending on the type of rosé — if you're using still, add soda water, and if you're using sparkling, you can go easy on the soda water or omit all together.

rosé, can you see

Serves 6

3 tablespoons blackberry jam
3 ounces Cardinal Spirits American Gin
24 ounces rosé, chilled (3 cups)
Soda water, optional
Blackberries, for garnish

1. Combine jam and gin in a pitcher, and stir until jam dissolves. Strain off seeds if desired.
2. Add chilled rosé; stir.
3. Add soda water, if desired, and garnish with blackberries.
    

BLOOD ORANGE PUNCH RECIPE

It's Punch + Pitcher week on The Drop.
Every day, we'll share a recipe for a drink to make for a crowd this July 4 weekend.

Today's cocktail for a crowd comes from Cardinal bartender Chris Resnick, who combines vodka with blood orange and lemon juices for an immensely refreshing punch that goes a long way. A splash of vanilla extract is a surprising twist that rounds everything out — don't skip it! — and soda water keeps things light and bubbly.

Fresh-squeezed juices are so worth it, but if you can't find blood oranges for this recipe, substitute bottled blood orange juice or soda. Keep in mind that blood orange soda is carbonated and sweetened. If you're using it, omit the simple syrup and go lighter on the soda water. Fresh grapefruit juice would also work in place of the blood oranges.

BLOOD ORANGE PUNCH

Serves 10-20

1 bottle Cardinal Spirits vodka
18 ounces fresh blood orange juice (about 9 oranges)
13.5 ounces fresh lemon juice (about 9 lemons)
9 ounces simple syrup
1/4 ounce vanilla extract
1 bottle soda water, more or less to taste
Citrus wheels, for garnish

1. Combine vodka, citrus juices, simply syrup and vanilla in a punch bowl and stir. 
2. Add ice and soda water to taste.

Summer of Love punch recipe

It's Punch + Pitcher week on The Drop.
Every day, we'll share a recipe for a drink to make for a crowd this July 4 weekend.

Our first recipe for Punch + Pitcher Week comes from Cardinal bartender Andrew Wind, who created an incredible punch around Flora, our newest liqueur. Flora is part of our Songbird series of low-proof spirits that are made with botanicals — Flora has hibiscus, elderflower, jasmine and fresh raspberries.

Andrew's punch combines Flora with fresh citrus juices and a little fizz for the perfect daytime drink. We'll timestamp this one at about 1:15pm Saturday. And, can we talk about how pretty it is? A beautiful blush hue, dressed up with some nasturtiums from the garden.  

SUMMER OF LOVE PUNCH

Serves 4

9 ounces Cardinal Spirits Flora liqueur
6 ounces fresh orange juice (about 2.5 oranges)
3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice (about 1/2 of a grapefruit)
6 dashes Angostura bitters
4 ounces club soda
Leftover citrus, for garnish
Edible flowers like nasturtium or orchids, for garnish

1. Combine Flora, orange juice, grapefruit juice and bitters in a pitcher with ice. Stir for 15 seconds.
2. Strain off ice, then top with 4 ounces club soda.
3. Garnish with citrus and edible flowers.

Basil + Balm Mojito Recipe

Have you ever used lemon balm in a cocktail? This herb is in the mint family, but it's definitely lemon-y and a stellar aromatic addition to drinks.

This week, we're infusing vodka with lemon balm and basil for a Basil + Balm Mojito, which has this fresh-picked, garden vibe. Can't get your hands on lemon balm? Try lemon thyme, lemon basil or lemongrass instead.  

We'll be making the refreshing, fizzy Basil + Balm Mojito at Mother Hubbard's Cupboard's fifth annual Garden Gala this Saturday. The fundraiser benefits the food pantry, an incredible place that provides free, fresh food and education to low-income folks in Bloomington. The pantry is set up like a small grocery store, and is stocked with seasonal produce, often from the pantry's own community gardens, plus dairy, meat and dry goods. Workshops and classes teach people how to cook, can, garden, bake and more, and there's even a library of kitchen tools and equipment that people can borrow.

Tickets for the Garden Gala are still available, and we hope to see you there! 

BASIL + BALM MOJITO

Makes 1 cocktail 

1 1/2 ounces Cardinal Vodka infused with basil and lemon balm (recipe follows)
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Tonic water
Sprig of lemon balm or basil, for garnish
Lime, for garnish

1. Add the infused vodka, lime juice and simple syrup to a glass with ice. 
2. Top with tonic water and garnish with lemon balm or basil, and lime.

BASIL AND LEMON BALM VODKA

1 big sprig of lemon balm
1 big sprig of basil
1 bottle Cardinal Spirits Vodka

Add lemon balm and basil to the vodka. Infuse at room temperature for three to five days.
 

3 things to do for dad on Father's Day

How to celebrate your dad, your kids' dad, your grandpa, your uncle who is like your dad,
or any great dad that you know.

 

1. Make him a proper gin martini.

Proper martinis are made with gin, not vodka, and they're stirred, not shaken. We didn't make the rules, but we do make the gin. Two gins, in fact! American Gin, a modern gin with lavender and citrus — and starting Saturday, we'll also have a Standard Dry Gin, which has that classic juniper character. 

Speaking of which ... (now we're totally commandeering our #1 thing to do for dad with #1.1) ... if you're looking for something cool to do together, bring him to the Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin release, happening this Saturday and Sunday at the distillery. He will love it, you will love it, and there's a special deal on bottles. It's what we like to call a win-win-win. Through this weekend, buy one bottle of any spirit at the distillery, and get 25 percent off any second bottle. One for him, one for you.

OK, back to the real #1. 

Proper Gin Martini

Makes 1 cocktail

3/4 ounce dry vermouth
2 1/4 ounces Cardinal Spirits' American Gin or Standard Dry Gin
Green olive, for garnish

1. Chill a cocktail glass ahead of time by filling it with ice or sticking it in the fridge.
2. Add dry vermouth and gin to a mixing glass. Fill glass with ice. 
3. Stir for 30 rotations to chill. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an olive.

2. Cook him an amazing piece of fish. 

The entire Internet is telling you to cook a steak for Father's Day, but we know a lot of dads who are avoiding red meat. Find a fish recipe that has an interesting preparation and intriguing flavor, and the dish will feel just as special.

A few of our favorites:

Salmon en Papillote from A Couple Cooks

Snapper Escabeche with Chiles, Garlic and Oregano from Bon Appetit

Whole Fish Roasted in Salt from the Splendid Table

3. Tell him how you feel. 

Send a text, mail a card, write an email or say it to him in person. Be funny or serious, but either way, be genuine. If you can't find the words, start with "I love you" and "thank you" and maybe "my favorite memory of us is..." and go from there. 

For a little inspiration:

How Do You Thank Your Parents?

New Yorker Father's Day Cartoon collection

Excerpts from kids' entries in a Father of the Year essay contest

24 Wonderful Things to Thank Your Dad For

Mint + Coffee cocktail for the weekend

If you've got a forest of mint growing in your backyard right now, you're probably looking for any excuse to use those sprigs. Cardinal bartender Andrew Wind is here to help. Here's his recipe for a refreshing summer drink that calls for a bunch of mint leaves ... you'll love this tasty, unexpected combo of mint, vanilla, coffee liqueur and coffee this weekend. Bottles of our Songbird Coffee Liqueur are sold at the distillery for $25.
 

Up and Attem
 

Makes 1 cocktail

10-12 mint leaves
 2 oz. Songbird coffee liqueur
1/4 oz. vanilla simple syrup (recipe below)
Espresso/cold brew/coffee, to taste

Add mint, coffee liqueur and vanilla simple syrup to shaker and muddle until mint leaves are slightly crushed.

Add ice and shake.

Strain into glass over ice.

Add cold espresso, cold brew, coffee of your choice!

Garnish with fresh mint

Vanilla Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean

Add sugar and water to a pot.

Split vanilla bean down middle, scrape out seeds, add to pot.

Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar begins to dissolve and mixture comes to boil, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and store in glass jar.

3 important questions for Andrew:

What do you like about mint?
It is so versatile. It can freshen up any meal or drink so easily.

Why should someone make this cocktail at home?
It takes no time at all and it is the perfect morning pick-me-up. It's summertime — who says you can't add a little booze in the morning?

If you could be any superhero...
Can I be a villain? Then I'd be Dr. Mischief... you know exactly what you're getting...

Whiskey-rita with White Oak Whiskey

Our White Oak Whiskey made its debut this weekend, and today we're sharing a recipe that shows just how versatile this spirit is — a tart, refreshing spin on a margarita. It has a very clever name: Whiskey-rita. 

A really tasty triple sec or dry curacao is key here. We make our triple sec from scratch at the distillery — at home, we absolutely love and worship Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao.

Whiskey-Rita

Makes 1 cocktail

2 ounces Cardinal Spirits White Oak Whiskey
3/4 ounce triple sec or dry curacao
3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. 
Shake, then strain into a coupe glass. 

4 awesomely easy ways to use our coffee liqueur

Till the one day when our vodka met this coffee...

Our coffee liqueur launches today and when you bring a bottle home, you might be wondering what to do with it.

First, you should know that this is not the weird, old coffee liqueur that sat in your parents' cupboard for like three decades. You'll actually want to use this ... in everything. We use Hopscotch Coffee to make it — that's the excellent roaster and coffee shop just up the street from us.

Here are 4 easy and delicious ways to drink our coffee liqueur:

1. Splash some in your coffee. No need to measure. You'll know when.

2. Make a quick little coffee soda. Pour 2 ounces of coffee liqueur into a glass, add ice and top with club soda. That is refreshing.

3. Make a White Russian. It's classic recipe that's worth committing to memory: Pour 1 ounce of coffee liqueur and 2 ounces of vodka into an Old-Fashioned glass. Add ice. Stir. Float heavy cream on top.

4. Pour it over a couple scoops of ice cream. This is dessert at your next dinner party, where your guests declare you the most amazing host ever. Yay, you!

Bourbon-berry smash: A cocktail for a cookout

Chances are you've got a cookout in your future for Memorial Day weekend. Before you fire up the grill, make this Bourbon-Berry Smash, an easy-drinking cocktail from Cardinal's bar manager Logan Hunter.

Bourbon-based cocktails are perfect with grilled and barbecued meals. Add a couple of favorite summer flavors — strawberries and mint — and splash in prosecco for a lovely bit of fizz, and you've got a most pleasant drink to sip outside.

Bourbon-Berry Smash

By Logan Hunter

Makes 1 cocktail

3 strawberries
4 mint leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1.5 ounces bourbon
1.5 ounces prosecco

Muddle strawberries, mint and sugar together until berries are good and smushy.
Add bourbon and a few heaps of ice.
Top with prosecco.