Use Peach Simple Syrup for cocktails, drinks, teas, cakes. I like to take flavored simple syrup and brush in on cake that comes out of the oven.  My most popular simple syrup is a strawberry simple syrup which people use for cocktails like the strawberrysangria.

It all started with my desire for a refreshing Peach Sangria.

Peach Simple syrup will turn  my favorite winter drink (an old fashioned) into a summery splash.

How to Make Peach Simple Syrup (with sugar free option)

The key to peach sangria is ripe peaches, which aids to extra flavor and sweetness.

Typically, for a simple syrup I use a one to one ratio, meaning one cup sugar to one cup water.  If I’m making it sugar free using a powdered erythritol, I use one cup water with about 1/2 cup of the of Swerve. I give you recipes for both. I add in one peach per one cup water, but it must be a very ripe peach. I cut the peach in half and squeeze in the juice and place the remaining peach, skins and seed.

Bring to boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. It will reduce,  thicken and gain flavor. It’s ready for cocktails or baking.

You can play around by adding in fresh herbs at the end and allowing them to seep for ten minutes. Basil works well, but this year I found lemon basil and lime basil, which are currently growing in my garden and are so nice for garnishing.

Cool and store in refrigerator in jars like these. (affiliate).

If I’m using this for drinks, I’ll take some of it to make ice cubes.

Disclosure: This site has affiliate links which earn a small commission, but does not increase prices.

More Peach Recipes from Spinach Tiger

How to Freeze Peaches and My Favorite Peach Recipes

How to Peel Peaches

Print

Peach Simple Syrup with Sugar Free Option

Peach Simple Syrup, easy and so good for cocktails or baking.

Course Simple Syrup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cup

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 extra large or 4 very ripe peaches or nectarines
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar or 1 cup powdered erythritol for a sugar free version

Instructions

• Cut peaches in half and squeeze juice into the water.
• Put all remaining parts of peach and sugar into the water.
• Bring to boil. As the fruit is heating up, smash with fork to extract more flavor.
• Simmer for 30 minutes until thick and flavorful.
• Remove the fruit, strain, Cool.
• Store in refrigerator in mason jar.

Notes

You can cut this recipe in half, but I make double to make ice cubes.

The post How to Make Peach Simple Syrup with Sugar Free Option appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Earlier this summer, I got to fly in the Hendrick’s Flying Cucumber, over the city of Nashville.

It was just as much fun as it sounds. The Flying Cucumber is a dirigible (a blimp), and I took a short video.

When we stepped out of the cockpit a Hendrick’s Gin Basil Smash was waiting. It was the perfect ending to a unique experience, as Hendrick’s gin is not just any gin.

Hendrick’s distills in small batches of 500 liters, which is part of their gin-making artistry. Their presentation is whimsical and vintage.

Hendrikc’s gin has it’s own unique gin flavors. Distilled in Scotland, in small batches of 500 liters, it may change your mind if you think you’re not a gin person. They use flowers, roots, fruits, and seeds from all over the world before infusing with rose and cucumber.

The Gin Basil Smash was refreshing,  balanced, and not too sweet.

I meant to write about and time went by and then I ran into the Hendrick’s Gin booth at the Music City Wine Festival. I was able to meet up again with their brand ambassador who was there mixing the basil gin smash. I was with a few other food bloggers, and we agreed that this was one of the highlight cocktails of the day!

I thought you might like it as much as we did.

Here is one of the more unique cocktails I recently made with Hendrick’s Gin.

Elderflower Gin Cocktail

More Cocktails from Spinach Tiger

The post Gin Basil Smash and Lemon Simple Syrup Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

An Autumn Cocktail made with butternut squash-infused vodka is just the thing to help us gleefully put the summer sandals away, get out our warm sweaters and turn on our ovens to roast butternut squash. The squash is not for soup which warms the tummy; it’s for vodka which warms the spirit.

While this might sound a little bit out of the ordinary, I have two sets of party guests to tell you that the Winter Squash Cocktail from the Savory Cocktails cookbook is such a charmer for all types of drinkers, and will become our Fall tradition, and our Thanksgiving signature cocktail.

When asked to review a copy of Savory Cocktails, I jumped on it, not because I needed a free cookbook, but because, the author, Greg Henry, is my friend and a fellow food blogger. I’ve eaten his food and his cocktails.

The book, Savory Cocktails, follows his success with his first book, Savory Pies, but I think this is so much more him.

While I know he’s good at what he does, he’s even better at what he writes. He’s whimsical, sophisticated, understands that it’s 2013, but has a great respect for retro food, vintage cocktails and where his good taste comes from. He’s also a food and beverage geek, passionately researching ingredients, recipes and culinary history. He not only knows how a cocktail should taste, he knows how it should look, which is presented through his exquisite photography.

Savory Cocktails is right in step with the cocktail movement of the last few years which has resurrected many old time cocktails and has found new uses for  various bitters in combination with fresh ingredients and artisan salts. Greg will walk you through the basics of bar tools and proper glassware, and then will stroll you through cocktails by his chosen savory categories. Take your pick.

SAVORY COCKTAILS:   Sour. Spicy. Herbal. Umami. Bitter. Smoky. Rich. Strong.

He pays attention to what people are drinking, but he also nudges us all along in the book by introducing us to some very unique cocktails, and the Winter Squash was one such drink.

I needed something fun for a party and this was a much bigger hit than I had expected.  While Greg doesn’t include a sweet category, this particular cocktail has some sweetness from simple syrup, but not so much that the vodka and spices can’t be enjoyed for what they are.

The vodka is infused with roasted squash for five days, and then mixed with lemon, lime, simple syrup.  and the Autumn spices we love….cinnamon and nutmeg. Even the non-cocktail lovers loved this drink, and several people asked for the recipe.  I used Putinka vodka, which is a very decent Russian vodka at a good price. Go ahead and infuse the whole bottle. Maybe two bottles. Halloween and Thanksgiving are perfect opportunities to treat your guests to a special cocktail.

Greg used a sage leaf as a garnish.  It’s a nice touch for an Autumn Cocktail made with butternut squash-infused vodka.

The next cocktail I want to try is the Beetle Juice, which uses beet-infused vodka or gin, and the Smoke Jumper, if I find some lampsang souchgong tea, which will be mixed with some Chartreuse that I already have on hand. The tea is a black tea (smoked) as it dries over a burning pinewood. That recipe tells you just how interesting the cocktails are.

So tell me, do you like to serve cocktails during the Fall holidays and have you ever infused your own vodka?

Print

Autumn Cocktail with Roasted Butternut Squash and Book Review for Savory Cocktails by Greg Henry

Roasted butternut squash-infused vodka creates the Winter Squash Cocktail adapted from Savory Cocktails by Greg Henry, where it was adapted from Phoebe Wilson of the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Butternut Squash-Infused Vodka

• 1 small butternut squash about 1 pound
• 1 750 ml bottle vodka

Autumn Cocktail

• 1/2 cup squash-infused vodka
• 2 tablespoons/ 1 fl. ounce simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon / 1/2 fl. ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon / 1/2 fl. ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 big pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 big pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 sage leaf as garnish

Instructions

Simple Syrup

• Bring sugar and water to boil together in saucepan, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low until a syrup is reached, about 4 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
• Store in a airtight container in refrigerator, up to 30 days.

Butternut Squash-Infused Vodka

• Roast squash at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the skin blisters.
• Allow to cool. Peel skin off, remove seeds, cut into chunks.
• Place in a mason jar or glass container with a bottle of vodka.
• Set in a cool place for five days.
• Remove the squash from the vodka. Strain with mesh strainer into a clean jar.

Autumn Cocktail

• In a cocktail shaker combine vodka, simple syrup, ice cubes, lemon juice, lime juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Shake vigorously until well chilled.
• Strain into cocktail or martini glass.
• Garnish with more cinnamon if desired and a sage leaf.
• The original recipe calls for cinnamon and nutmeg to be used as a garnish only, but I liked mixing it all together. This makes one serving, but the entire recipe will make 8 or more.

Disclosure: An advance copy of Savory Cocktails was sent to me for review from the publisher.

The post Autumn Cocktail with Roasted Butternut Squash-Infused Vodka appeared first on Spinach Tiger.