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Labor Day Drinks Recipies pt2 | From The Garden

It’s day 2 of 5 for our summer wrap up of drink recipes in advance of Labor Day weekend. Today we are tackling recipes that you can spruce up with some of the things in your garden; should you have one unlike me. I promise this isn’t just three Bloody Mary drink recipes… although… never mind that, we can do better.

Here are a few drinks that range from hearty to light and refreshing for you to celebrate America’s unofficial end of summer.

Oh, Kale Yes!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco
3/4 oz Fresh Kale Juice
1/3 oz Fresh Ginger Juice
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
3/4 oz Agave Nectar
Chili salt for glass rims

How to make it: 
*Combine Tequila Don Julio Blanco, fresh kale juice, fresh ginger juice, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. 
*Strain contents into rocks glass rimmed with chili salt over fresh ice.
Garnish: Chili Salt

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr, Jan Gautro, Leigh Ann Ross

Gingered Pear and Brandy Cocktail

Ingredients
* 1/4 cup water
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 1/4 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger
* 3 cups pear juice
* 1 cup cognac
* 10 lemon rind twists

How to Make It:
*Combine 1/4 cup water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves. 
*Remove from heat. 
*Add ginger. 
*Cover and let stand 15 minutes. 
*Strain sugar mixture through a fine sieve. 
*Discard solids. 
*Chill sugar mixture 30 minutes or until ready to use.

**When you’re ready to serve this drink fill a large martini shaker half full with ice. Add sugar mixture, juice, and cognac; shake until chilled. Strain 1/2 cup mixture into each of 10 martini glasses. Garnish each serving with 1 lemon twist.

For this drink recipe, you can prepare the gingered sugar syrup in advance, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to shake and serve the cocktails. You can use simple syrup instead of the water and sugar but the ginger won’t fuse as well.

Photo provided by Kitchen Sanctuary

Gin and Cucumber Basil Smash

Ingredients:
* 2 tbsp granulated sugar for decorating the glass – optional
* 8 basil leaves * 8 slices cucumber about 5mm thick
* 2 tbsp sugar syrup 
*** if you want to make your own syrup boil 2 parts cold water with 1 part granulated sugar, stir constantly for 3-4 mins until the sugar dissolves
* 1 3/4 oz gin (Tanqueray or Hendricks work well)
* 1 tbsp lemon juice
* Crushed ice
* Splash of tonic water
* Strips of cucumber (use your vegetable peeler)
* A few basil leaves to decorate

Instructions:
* Make a sugar rim on the glass by dipping the rim of the glass in a sauce of water. Spread the sugar on another saucer and dip the rim of the glass in the sugar.
* Place the basil leaves and cucumber in a cocktail shaker and muddle (or gently bash) with a muddler or wooden spoon until the basil and cucumber are bruised and the scent is released.
* Add the sugar syrup, gin, lemon juice, and ice. Shake vigorously until frost forms on the outside of the cocktail shaker.
* Fill your glass with ice and strain the cocktail into the glass.
* Top up with tonic water. Decorate with strips of cucumber and basil leaves.

Make sure you check out part 1 of the recipe series.

Big shout out to the Jesse, Dave, & Johnny for submitting drinks for this collection. In Part 3 we will be talking melons… yup.. the good kind.

Stay tuned.

Written by Rashad Pleasant

Photographer // Writer // Speaker // Passionate about people... generally barefoot...

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