Mardi Gras and the Home Bar
Laissez les bon temps rouler! The snow is coming down in Minnesota and we are bracing for a 3-day snow storm — but we are honoring Fat Tuesday and the Mardis Gras spirit with two renditions of our personal favorite classic cocktails, the Sazerac and the French 75. Our hidden kitchen corner bar is the perfect spot to whip up something to warm our bones. We wouldn’t be Stockwell Homes without mixing it up, switching ingredients, and making these cocktails our own design. Join us in a toast and enjoy your extra celebratory Tuesday.
If you’re a cocktail aficionado planning a kitchen remodel, this type of open shelving and a concealed under-counter beverage fridge is a great solution to bring a touch of the home bar into your kitchen and allow for hosting without relocating to another area of the home. Whether you choose to fill it with booze, cookbooks, or other functional items, open shelving in a corner alleviates blind corners and otherwise difficult-to-reach space.
Ben’s House Sazerac
The Sazerac cocktail has a special place in our hearts. Jen’s husband Ben has cultivated his own signature version of this cocktail over the years as a personal favorite to enjoy with a little Netflix-and-chill, or as a nightcap with neighbors or family. He has made this cocktail his own by stirring it over a large cocktail ice cube and adding a decadent Luxardo Maraschino cherry. For those who enjoy absinthe more than others, what is traditionally a true rinse can be fortified with a small pour (but tread lightly — it can quickly overwhelm the drink!) Enjoy as a before-dinner aperitif or a late-night nip with nuts and pretzels. Grab a friend, co-worker, or even your cat, and get in the spirit with this robust and heartwarming drink.
Ingredients:
Absinthe rinse (Absinthe Ordinaire)
Large cocktail ice — the clearer the better!
2 oz. Rye whiskey (We heart Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey)
1 tsp of sweetener, we like to use agave syrup but simple syrup will do
3-5 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
Lemon Peel
Luxardo Maraschino Cherry
Directions:
Rinse lowball glasses with Absinthe
Place ice in glasses
Pour rye, agave syrup, and bitters into each glass and stir
Peel a lemon twist and express the oil from the peel into your glass, place in the glass if desired
Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry
Classic French 75
We are pouring a bright and bubbly sipper for our second cocktail. The French 75 packs a punch with a combination of liquor and bubbles. We love to spice up this classic by substituting a violet simple syrup or tone it down by replacing the Champagne with bubbly water.
Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. gin or Cognac
¾ oz. lemon juice
¾ oz. simple syrup
2 oz. Champagne or dry sparkling wine
Garnish: lemon peel or dehydrated citrus wheel
Directions:
Place ice in a cocktail shaker
Measure and pour Gin or Cognac, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and simple syrup over ice and shake.
Strain into Champagne coups or flutes and top with your choice of bubbly (classically Champagne but we used Borgoluce Prosecco for a crisp, herbal brightness)
Garnish with a lemon twist and sip
