NUEVA NEW YORK - A TWIST ON THE MANHATTAN

Out of the three cocktails Barrel Aged Dad has taught me to make this one is my personal favorite because it involves wine and tequila (my alcohol of choice usually). Jason took the classic Manhattan and give it the wild west treatment by swapping whiskey for tequila and vermouth for wine. Yowza! The classic cocktail originated in New York City, but it's far from home in taste while the appearance and beauty remains classic.  This is a great cocktail if you want to wow your special guy for Father's Day with presentation and bar skills because it requires a bit more technique (two things that I don't have, but I will totally look like I have with this cocktail). 

NUEVA NEW YORK COCKTAIL
2 oz Anejo tequila (Kirkland brand at Costco is a great bargain, $20)
1 oz Lillet Rouge
1 barspoon agave nectar (about 2 teaspoons)
2 dashes Scrappys Bitters Chocolate Bitters

Add ingredients to mixing glass with ice, stir, fine strain into a cold coupe glass. Express the oils from an orange peel over drink, discard peel. Garnish with Luxardo cherries. 

Add ingredients to mixing glass with ice

Stir briskley. 

fine strain into a cold coupe glass

Garnish with Luxardo cherries

Be sure to check out our other cocktails for more ideas for what to serve on Father's Day,  as well as my gift guides. Follow Barrel Aged Dad for additional cocktail inspiration. 

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

COLD BREW NEGRONI

If there is one drink I know Ryan LOVES it's a Negroni. I call it the hipster cocktail because almost every time we go out he orders this drink at a hipster spot. I think it has become is favorite cocktail of all time, and it's a safe bet for a Father's Day treat. So, since I'm a novice when it comes to cocktail making, I asked expert cocktail maker, Jason of Barrel Aged Dad, to create the perfect Negroni with a twist, and oh - my - gosh did he deliver. I want to drink this just as much as Ryan does. 

The twist that Jason incorporated is adding cold brew (Ryan's favorite non-alcoholic beverage). So, really, I'm just guaranteed a win now. Ha! When I tasted it I particularly loved the aroma of the orange with the coffee. It made me wonder why we don't pair those two together more often. Below you will find the recipe and some expert comments from Jason on the cocktail creation. 

“When thinking about my hipster friends and what they like to drink, two things came to mind: coffee and bold, unconventional spirits. Ergo, the Cold Brew Negroni was a match made in hipster heaven. The Negroni is the kind of cocktail your order if you want immediate respect from the bartender or any cocktail aficionado. It’s made up of equal parts gin (in this case swapped for the coffee), Campari and sweet vermouth. The Campari and coffee mix very well together, with the bitter notes of the Campari playing off the dark, earthy flavors in the coffee. This is a low ABV, bitter cocktail that is sure to please any trendy fella.”

— Jason, Barrel Aged Dad

Cold Brew Negroni

1 1/2 oz cold brew concentrate (I used Trader Joe's)

1 oz Campari

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Express orange peel oil over cocktail and drop it into the glass. 

Combine ingredients with ice and stir briskly for 15 to 20 seconds. 

Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. (Jason made his own ice cube, but whiskey rocks can work for amateurs like me. ;)

Express orange peel and then rub around the rim of the glass for that tasty aroma. 

FINISHED!

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

PORTER & BOURBON BOILERMAKER

Father's Day is fast approaching, so I invited Jason of Barrel Aged Dad to share with us some cocktails and drinks dads will want to enjoy on their special day. Ryan loves handcrafted cocktails and beer, but I can't say I know much about them. The only cocktail I have ever made is a margarita. Ha! I'm a wine girl, mostly, so I'm way out of my league when it comes to knowing what liquor to buy and what pairs well together. If you're in the same boat, have no fear, because Jason is going to share with us a variety of drinks sure to please any guy. Our first one is for the beer lover...

We're starting out simple with boilermaker. This is the perfect, simple drink for beer lovers. In Jason's words, "Simplicity doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor however. Shot and beer pairings are now a "thing" from trendy east coast cocktail bars to upscale sports bars in LA. The rich, oaked caramel notes of the Bulleit bourbon are a perfect compliment to the dark chocolate and roasted nut flavors of the Vanilla Porter. Alternate sips of each to see how the flavors compliment one another.

Boilermaker:

12 oz Breckenridge Vanilla Porter 

1 shot of Bulleit Bourbon

Make sure to check back next week for another drink idea to serve for Father's Day. Also, be sure to follow Jason on Instagram for more cocktail ideas. 

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

LEMONADE GRANITA

If you're looking for a refreshing summer treat for you and your kiddos consider making a lemonade granita. It's like a slushy except you don't have to worry about all of the flavor going to the bottom. It's incorporated throughout. Levi and I are dairy-free as well, so it's a good alternative to ice cream. 

LEMONADE GRANITA

½ cup of sugar

1 cup of water

3 cups of lemonade made from Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade Concentrate

9 x 13 pan

Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes. Cool down your saucepan to room temperature. Meanwhile, make your lemonade by following the directions on the back of the Minute Maid frozen lemonade concentrate can. Pour three cups of the lemonade into the 9 x 13 pan. Add the cooled simple syrup mixture and gently stir. Cover with plastic wrap and place in your freezer. Every 30 minute give your mixture a stir. After about 2 hours you’ll notice a nice crystal texture. Serve in bowls or glasses garnished with a lemon slice or with some lemon zest. Enjoy!

ARIZONA OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING

This post is sponsored by Hayneedle.

The best thing about living in Arizona is the weather. It's dry and sunny almost every day of the year. Even during our high temperatures we find ourselves outdoors because we have a pool, and also because we have a backyard that feels like a sanctuary. Last year, we got patio furniture so we could enjoy the space more, and this year we finished decking out our outdoor grill area thanks to Hayneedle. 

Hayneedle offers the best outdoor decor and entertaining essentials and great prices. You better believe we will be enjoying some margaritas and carne-asada this week for Cinco de Mayo. We love using our grill, and we are able to sit and enjoy each other's company while we cook using these woven bar stools. I selected these because they appeared durable, more heat resistant than metal, and brought texture to the space. I freshened them up with some color using outdoor pillows with blues and aqua. 

We also put up a living wall to cover the ugly block wall we have, as well as to have a space to plant herbs and spices. Since the area gets sun all day long and the hot days are coming, I planted lavender and rosemary for now. They will grow in almost any weather. 

We also added some green with our big planters and covered some of the boring beige stucco with our log hoop. It's functional and it adds some interest to the space.

I thought adding some lanterns to the area was a pretty way to make the bar come alive. It's also functional for evening entertaining, and the lanterns won't blow away (something to think about for outdoor styling). 

Shade is important in Arizona, so we ordered an umbrella for the bar. I like the striped pattern for interest, but I stuck with the white and tan so it didn't over power the space.

Being able to eat poolside is amazing, but safety is important too. I ordered some durable plastic plates and other entertaining essentials. You can see the rest of my selects on the Hayneedle's blog. 

Photography by Rennai Hoefer