Rye Mojitos

3 leaves of fresh mint
2 tsp sugar
1-3 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice (about 1.5 small limes)
1-2 oz. Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
Club soda
Ice

Tear one mint leaf into tiny bits and place in a high-ball glass with the sugar. Using the back of a spoon, smash, scrape and otherwise molest the mint until it is ground up by the sugar and smeared on the inside of the glass. Add the lime juice and rye spirit. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill the cup the rest of the way with ice. Top off with club soda and add the final two mint leaves for garnish.

---

Scott's Favorite Martini

2/3 Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1/3 fresh dry Vermouth
1 pepperoncini pepper
Ice

Place ice water in a martini glass to chill the glass before use. In a shaker full of ice, place gin and vermouth and shake well until ice cold. Dump the ice water from the glass and pour in the ice cold martini from the shaker. Garnish with one pepperoncini pepper.

---

Bloody Mosby

Like a Bloody Mary, but how about we let some of that rye grain flavor shine through?

Nature's Promise vegetable juice
1 oz. Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
Juice of one half fresh lemon
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Cholula hot sauce
Sprinkle or two of Old Bay seasoning
Dash of black pepper
1 tsp of good quality horseradish
½ oz. clam juice
Celery stick

Fill a large glass half way with ice. Cover ice with tomato juice. Add Mosby's Spirit, lemon juice, Worchestershire and Cholula, pepper, Old Bay, horseradish and clam juice. Shake vigorously for a minute, then pour into a tall glass and top with ice. Garnish with celery stick.

---

Pink Gin Cooler

A wonderful summer libation, combining gin and lemonade. The ‘pink’ comes from the addition of Peychaud’s bitters.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz dry vermouth
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters (you can substitute Angostura, but I prefer Peychaud’s)
2 oz lemonade (if you aren’t making it from scratch, I highly recommend Simply Lemonade^®)
Splash of branch water or soda

This goes well in either a highball glass or 6 oz tumbler. Mix bitters, gin and vermouth. Add ice cubes and swirl. Add 2 oz lemonade and a splash of either water or soda, depending on your preference.

Swirl again and enjoy a true summer refreshment!

Courtesy Larry Kilbourne

---

Rye Whisky Old Fashioned

This recipe is derived from the original recipes for a whiskey “cocktail” dating back to the early 1800s. Although the term “old fashioned” did not first appear until the 1880s, the earlier recipes for a whiskey cocktail constitute what we today call an Old Fashioned. Notice that orange slices, maraschino cherries and soda water are not found in the recipe.

½ tsp sugar
1 tsp water
3 dashes bitters (I prefer Peychaud’s, but Angostura may be used)
1 - 2 good sized lemon twists (try to avoid incorporating the bitter white rind of the lemon when peeling or cutting them)
2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
6 ice cubes

This goes well in 4 - 6 oz old fashioned tumbler. Mix sugar and water in the tumbler to thoroughly dissolve the sugar (you may substitute 1 tsp simple syrup for the sugar-water solution if you have it on hand). Add bitters, lemon twists and 4 ice cubes. Swirl with a swizzle stick to mix ingredients.

Add 2 oz rye whiskey and mix again, stirring to partially dissolve some of the ice cubes.

Add 2 more ice cubes, stir briefly.

Imbibe America’s original “cocktail.”

Courtesy Larry Kilbourne

---

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Manhattan

The use of the Carpano vermouth makes this cocktail. The vermouth itself is totally drinkable alone: I taste figs, dates, licorice, and delicious raisins. But when added to the Manhattan, the vermouth adds a wonderful herb aroma to the sweetness of the rye.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Carpano Anitca sweet red Italian vermouth (The absolute best!)
1 dash bitters (Peychauds or your favorite)
1 tsp cherry juice
Brandied cherry for garnish

Pour into a mixing glass with crushed ice, stir, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

---

The Ol' Klinglesmith Three Finger

For when you're really thirsty.

1 glass
1 ice cube
3 fingers of Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

Courtesy Dan Klinglesmith IV

---

Tom Collins

A classic cocktail served in a tall thin 10 oz glass that bears its name.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Juice of 1 lime or ½ lemon
1 tsp powdered sugar (may substitute 1 tsp simple syrup)
Soda water

Mix powdered sugar and lemon or lime juice until dissolved. Add ice cubes to fill Collins or highball glass. Pour in 2 oz rye and top up with soda water. Stir and enjoy.

Courtesy Larry Kilbourne

---

Gin Rickey

Another classic cocktail, named after a Washingtonian – Col. Joe Rickey. Remarkably similar to a Tom Collins, but without sugar.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ lime
Soda water

Fill a 6 oz tumbler half full of ice. Squeeze lime over it, and then add the lime and rind. Pour in gin and fill with soda water.

Courtesy Larry Kilbourne

---

Maryland Mint Julep

From a 1941 cocktail recipe book compiled and edited by W.C. Whitfield. The secret to a good mint julep (Maryland or Kentucky) is two-fold: 1 - use only shaved iced, never cubes or crushed, and, 2 – serve in a highball glass with a terry cloth material band that keeps the body heat in your hand from melting the ice (tennis wrist bands work wonderfully!). This is a superb--perhaps even a summer-defining--cocktail.

1 tsp sugar
1 tsp water
4 sprigs fresh mint
3 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (this is why it’s called a Maryland julep!)
Sipping straw

Place mint leaves, water and sugar in a 10 oz Collins glass and muddle until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved and the mint is crushed. Place glass in freezer for 10 minutes to chill.

While glass is chilling shave ice. Fill chilled glass with shaved ice and pour rye over it to top off. Put a terry cloth band around glass, insert straw and imbibe the julep through the straw.

Courtesy Larry Kilbourne

---

Catoctin Creek Sazerac

 

This classic cocktail is made with Delaware Phoenix absinthe, the very best absinthe in the United States. Made by master distiller Cheryl Lins, Delaware Phoenix create extremely limited micro batches of their absinthe. If you can find it, get some! My favorite of their absinthes is their Walton Waters.

3 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz simple syrup
4 dashes Peychaud bitters
Delaware Phoenix Absinthe
Meyer lemon twist, for garnish

Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling it with ice water and letting it sit while preparing the rest of the drink.

In a separate mixing glass, muddle the simple syrup and Peychaud bitters. Add the Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky and ice to the bitters mixture and stir to chill the mixture.

Discard the ice in the chilled glass and rinse it with the Delaware Phoenix absinthe by pouring a small amount into the glass, swirling it to coat all the edges of the glass, and discarding the rest of the liquid. (I'm stingy with my Delaware Phoenix absinthe, so I save the ""pour off"" for a later cocktail! I just can't waste any of that stuff!)

Strain the whisky mixture from the mixing glass into the old fashioned glass. Twist the Meyer lemon peel over the glass so that the lemon oil cascades into the drink, then rub the peel over the rim of the glass. Do not put the twist in the drink as this is a major faux pas.

Enjoy a truly eclectic beverage!

---

Catoctin Creek Rockin' Rye

This is an old American favorite for making a whisky liqueur at home. Folks in the hills have been drinking Rock and Rye for ages.

2 cups Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (or Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit, for a white version)
1 slice of lemon
1 slice of orange
6 oz. rock candy

Fill a mason jar with the ingredients. Let stand several days before using. When the jar becomes one third empty, refill it with Catoctin Creek.

Enjoy!

---

Loudoun Lemonade

A variant of the famous Lynchburg Lemonade, made with Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye or Mosby's Spirit.

1 part Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (or Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit, for a white version)
1 part sweet and sour mix
1 part triple sec
4 parts Sprite soda

Add ice and stir. Garnish with lemon slices and cherries.

Courtesy of Jennifer Akers Raab.

---

Red Hook

A delicious recipe from one of our Facebook pals. ""So good - the oak really comes through, but doesn't overpower the drink.""

2 oz. Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Punt E Mes
½ oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)

Combine in mixing glass with ice, stir 30 times, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Courtesy of Bob Stafford.

---

Mosby's Mule

2 oz. Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz. fresh lime juice
4 oz. ginger beer

Fill glass with cracked ice, add Mosby's and lime juice. Top off with ginger beer.

---

VirGINia is for Catoctin

2 oz. Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz. Catoctin Creek Pearousia
White cranberry juice
Meyer lemon juice
Rosemary garnish

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

Courtesy Daniel Seelbinder of ""Hotmixology""

---

Dead Simple Whisky Sours

 

2 oz. Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (or Mosby's Spirit for a 'white' version)
San Pellegrino Aranciata sparkling orange juice (or Limonata for a lemon version)
Ice

Fill a highball glass with ice, pour the whisky over the ice, and top off with San Pellegrino.

Dead simple to prepare, but refreshing and delicious!

Courtesy Chrissy and Ed Devinney

---

Pearousia Alexander

A new version of a classic cocktail popular in the 50's and 60's.

1.5 oz. Catoctin Creek Pearousia pear brandy
1.5 oz. Crème de cacao
1.5 oz. Half and half
Dash of grated nutmeg

Combine Pearousia brandy, crème de cacao, and half and half in a mixing glass with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and grate nutmeg over the top, to taste.

Photo credit Jason Lam, through Wikipedia

---

Mosby's Almond

A sumptuous winter cocktail, good for putting on that winter layer to keep you warm.

1.5 oz. Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1.0 oz. Amaretto
1.0 oz. Kahlua
3.0 oz. heavy cream (or half and half for a lighter version)

Combine all ingredients and pour into a cocktail tumbler with 2-3 ice cubes.

---

Lemon Dog

 

2 oz. Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
San Pellegrino Limonata
Ice

Fill a highball glass with ice, pour the whisky over the ice, and top off with San Pellegrino.

Dead simple to prepare, but refreshing and delicious!

Courtesy Chrissy and Ed Devinney

---

Maple Dog

1 part maple syrup (gotta be the real thing)
1 part Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 part Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 part lemon juice

Mix and pour over ice, or try warmed for a winter beverage.

Courtesy Jack Trethewey

---

Catoctin Cucumber Cooler

 

This one is my personal favorite. I like to call it ""Cool Hand Cuke"". It came to us from John Shope, who started out as a bartender at the now closed Food Matters in Alexandria. Since then, John has become our Virginia Sales Manager, and is the third longest serving employee after Scott & Becky, the owners. It is a fantastically simple, yet wonderfully satisfying drink that brings memories of summer and refreshment.

1 1/2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Freshly juiced cucumber
3/4 oz Fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz house made cucumber syrup
1 pinch Rosemary salt

Cucumber Syrup: Boil equal parts water and sugar with half of a peeled and sliced cucumber. Remove from heat, strain while still warm, pressing against the cucumbers to extract more juice and color. Allow to cool then refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Rosemary Salt: Simply chop fresh rosemary with kosher salt until rosemary blends with salt. Add rosemary to taste.

Glass: Rocks Glass (Also fantastic served up in a martini glass)
Garnish: Thin Slice of Cucumber and Rosemary Salt
Method: Mix all ingredients with ice, shake and serve

Courtesy John Shope of Food Matters of Alexandria, Virginia.

---

Sweet Cherry Rye

3 1/2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
5 fresh cherries
3 preserved cherries (Recipe? Contact http://www.foodmattersva.com)
4 Dashes Peychaud's Bitters
Splash house made maraschino syrup

Glass: Rocks Glass
Garnish: House made Maraschino Cherry (Recipe? Contact John Shope at http://www.thenextroundsonme.blogspot.com)
Method: Muddle fresh cherries with 2 oz Rye. Place glass and cherries in refrigerator and allow to fuse over night. Add ice, bitters, preserved cherries, syrup and 1 1/2 oz rye. Shake all ingredients then empty shaker contents into original glass.

Courtesy John Shope of Food Matters of Alexandria, Virginia.

---

Gin and Johnic

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1/4 oz Cointreau Orange Liqueur
1/4 oz St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
2 Dashes lemon bitters
1 Drop orange blossom water
Juice from half a lime
Q-Tonic Water

Glass: Rocks Glass
Garnish: Orange Twist
Method: Add all ingredients except last into shaker with ice. Shake, strain into glass with ice and top with tonic water.

Courtesy John Shope of Food Matters of Alexandria, Virginia.

 

 

---

Loudoun Whisky Sour

 

1.5 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 egg white (Farm Fresh Eggs from Crushed Cellars)

Shake together vigorously--normally garnish with lemon slice--I garnished with a cherry.

Soooo good.

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf.

---

The Catoctin Concoction

This cocktail is intended to be made using only local ingredients.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 Sprig fresh thyme (Remove the fresh herb from it's bitter stems and discard the stem)
3 Slices of tangerine
Splash of thyme simple syrup
1/2 of whole grapefruit

Thyme Syrup: Using a sauce pan or small cooking pot, stir 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water till sugar fully dissolves add two tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain leaves, syrup will be good to use for up to two weeks.

Glass Type: Rocks Glass
Garnish: Fresh Thyme Sprig
Method: Muddle gin with thyme and tangerines, add ice and thyme syrup. Using a reamer, juice grapefruit into glass. top with more ice, shake and stir.

Courtesy John Shope at Food Matters in Alexandria, Virginia

 

---

Catoctin Creek Hottie Totties

Apple cider
Spicy Saigon cinnamon
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

Snowy days are for warm @catoctincreek hottie totties... warm up some apple cider + spicy Saigon cinnamon then stir in some whisky.

Courtesy @iwritegourmet (Rebekah Pizana) on Twitter

---

Watershed Honey Bee

The very distinct Watershed Gin shines through in this simple cocktail.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz honey (use a local honey, like The Bee Folks, Mt. Airy, MD)
½ oz lemon juice

It is best to heat the honey, lemon juice and 1/2 oz of Gin and stir before shaking over ice. It blends better that way.

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf

---

Finding Bert's Perfect Manhattan

E. Bert Branham is a decorated US Air Force Colonel, celebrating his 94th birthday this year. Family tradition dictates that at 5 o'clock pm every day, it is Manhattan hour. His grandson, M. Bert Branham looks to keep the family tradition alive–testing the local stuff–in finding a Manhattan recipe that would meet the approval of his grandfather.

3 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¼ oz dry vermouth
½ oz sweet vermouth
teaspoon maraschino cherry syrup
cherry garnish

Serve in tumbler or hi-ball on ice, with a cherry garnish.

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf

---

Catoctin Cocktail

This is a variant on the classic ""Canadian Cocktail"" but is so much better when made with a 100% rye whisky. Mmmmm..... delicious, eh!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
1/2 oz Cointreau or triple sec
1/2 tsp superfine sugar
1 dash bitters (Peychauds is a good one)

In a shaker half filled with ice cubes, combine all the ingredients. Shake well, strain and pour into a cocktail glass.

---

Mosby's Girlfriend (Whisky Daisy)

2 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit Whisky
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/4 oz orange curacao
dash of grenadine

Shake over ice, garnish with cherries.

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf.

---

Virginia Grasshopper

I was concerned that you would lose the whisky with such a strong flavor in creme de menthe--but you don't--it smooths it out and brings a little more complexity to a very simple drink. (Regular Grasshoppers have just three ingredients (creme de menthe, creme de cacao, and cream). Enjoy!

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
1 oz Creme De Menthe
1 oz Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz Limoncello
1 oz cream or half and half

Shake over ice--shaking the cream gives it a nice frothy head.

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf.

---

Raspberry Collins

The raspberries and soda water really play off the botanicals in the gin! I might recommend straining out the seeds, as these can get a little crunchy in the drink.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup (or sweeter if you like--you can also replace simple syrup with raspberry syrup--so good)
6 raspberries (These were local and smaller so I used more)

Shake over ice, pour in tall glass... over ice top with soda water

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf.

---

Standard Watershed Gin Martini

2/3 Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1/3 fresh dry Vermouth
green olives
Ice

Place ice water in a martini glass to chill the glass before use. In a shaker full of ice, place gin and vermouth and shake well until ice cold. Dump the ice water from the glass and pour in the ice cold martini from the shaker. Garnish with green olives.

Photo credit BuBBy Oxide via flickr. Used with permission under CC license.

---

White Whisky Cranberry Spritzer Cocktail Recipe

This recipe is a variant of the White Cranberry Spritzer found in Cooking Light:

""White cranberry juice is made with young cranberries before they develop their tart flavor and red color—it's milder and sweeter than regular cranberry juice. Garnish with mint sprigs and whole fresh cranberries, if you like. Prepare the rosemary-infused juice mixture up to one day ahead, and chill.""

2 3/4 cups white cranberry juice drink (such as Ocean Spray)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
12 mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 cups club soda, chilled
1 1/2 cups Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
crushed ice

Combine cranberry juice, sugar, rosemary, and 12 mint leaves in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Strain juice mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Stir in lime juice; cover and refrigerate.

Combine juice mixture, club soda, and Mosby's Spirit in a large pitcher; stir well to combine. Serve mixture over crushed ice. Garnish with mint and whole red cranberries.

This is a variant of the White Cranberry Spritzer from Cooking Light, December 2010, by Maureen Callahan.

---

Hot Chaddy

A pleasant way to end a wet and rainy day...

1 bag Tazo Apple Red Tea
1 oz. Apple brandy
1 oz. Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz. Demerara simple syrup
water

Boil the water, mix the other ingredients in your mug and add the hot water on top. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Mokomandy Hibiscus 75

 

Created as an homage to the French 75, Virginia bartender Neill Blackwood [of Mokomandy in Sterling, Virginia] says Catoctin [Creek Watershed] Gin blends beautifully with the floral, citrusy flavors of this cocktail.

1½ oz. Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz. hibiscus syrup [see recipe below]
½ oz. elderflower syrup [Blackwood uses D'arbo]
½ oz. Harlequinn orange liqueur
1 dash Fee Bros. orange bitters
4 oz. sparkling wine
ice cubes

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: flute

Fill a shaker with ice. Add all ingredients except the sparkling wine. Shake well and strain into a flute. Top with sparkling wine, being careful not to let it overflow the glass.

Hibiscus Syrup

1½ cups hot water
1½ oz. dried hibiscus flowers
1 cups granulated sugar
Tiny pinch of salt

In a pot, add dried hibiscus flowers, hot water, sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer, stir occasionally, and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour. Strain through a chinois or cheesecloth. Cool and refrigerate. Will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Recipe and photo courtesy Neill Blackwood, Mokomandy, Sterling, Virginia. As found in the March/April 2011 issue of Imbibe.

---

Artist's Ambition

1.5 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz lime juice
.5 oz Chambord liqueur framboise
Egg white

Pour the ingredients into a shaker full of ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lime zest.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Prospectin'

This is a loose interpretation of a “gold rush” a bourbon, lemon juice and runny honey cocktail. The elements of this version really play well together. Mosby’s Spirit gives it a nice backbone, and the sweeter Kitncello and Barenjager provide a smooth sweetness, without being overkill. The cola gives it just a touch of caramel color and bubbly punch. (The cola is not the main flavor at all)

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby’s Spirit
½ oz Kitncello
½ oz Barenjager
splash of cola

Serve over ice and top with a splash of cola.

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf.

---

The Other Brandon Cocktail

Featured in Richmond Magazine, this cocktail was developed by Brandon Peck, bartender at Ipanema Café in Richmond. Delicious, fruity and refreshing.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 slice of orange
4 or 5 fresh blackberries
1 tablespoon of wildflower honey
6 fresh mint leaves
Soda water

Dilute the honey with a little hot water (you want to dissolve the honey or otherwise it will seize when the ice hits it). Add the berries, the mint and the orange slice. Muddle in a cocktail shaker. Add cracked ice and the rye whiskey. Shake, then pour over fresh ice that you’ve added to a cocktail glass, and top with soda water. Garnish with a skewered blackberry and orange twist or mint leaves.

Courtesy Brandon Peck and Kendra Feather.

---

Pearousia Sidecar

The Sidecar is often singled out as the only good cocktail to come out of the long national nightmare that was Prohibition. And when you're sipping one, you almost think it was all worth it.
- Esquire Magazine

2 oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia Pear Brandy
¾ oz Cointreau
¾ oz Meyer lemon juice
Meyer lemon slice for garnish

Shake well over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass that has been rubbed in lemon juice and rimmed in sugar.

Photo courtesy Evan Swigart and used under Creative Commons license.

---

Spring In Virginia

A variation of the classic Bee's Knees.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
¾ oz agave syrup*
1 dash (6 drops) The Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters

Combine the Catoctin Creek Gin, lemon juice and agave syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously (the colder, the better). Strain and pour into your glass. Garnish and add dash of bitters.

Garnish - A quarter-sized flamed lemon twist
Glassware - Preferably a traditional Nick and Nora glass, which is shaped more bowl like versus V-shaped. It looks similar to a cut-off wine glass. A coupé glass will also work.

*Make the agave syrup the same way you would simple syrup. In this case, one part agave nectar to one part water.

Courtesy Jason Burton of LAB 5702.

---

Rendezvous

A lovely spring cocktail from the good folks at the Kennedy Center.

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Cointreau
Orange juice
Calvados
Orange bitters

Combine the ingredients and serve in a cocktail glass.

Courtesy John Coco of the Kennedy Center.

---

Sweet, Sassy Susan

Originally featured in the article, ""Preakness cocktails with a twist"" from the Baltimore Sun:

His problem with the traditional cocktail is the way it's usually served at the track, with low-end whiskey and orange and pineapple juice from the guns.

For his recipe, he kept a similar taste profile to the original recipe, and the ingredients local, top-shelf, and strong. ""It's an up drink,"" he says. ""A little stronger than the classic.""

Reusing starts with a Virginia rye, Catoctin Creek, and follows up with a sweet aperitif, Cointreau, though any triple sec is also a good option.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Triplum triple sec or Cointreau, if that is unavailable
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
Dash of lemon bitters

Stir all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Do not shake. Strain into a martini glass that has been garnished with a whiskey-soaked cherry and three paper-thin orange slices to look like the petals of a flower.

Courtesy of John Reusing, Bad Decisions.

---

Citrus Frambrye

Best when fresh garden strawberries are used. The Mosby's provides a nice backbone that isn't too harsh. Provides a fuller mouthfeel than vodka.

1.5 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Limoncello
1 tsp simple syrup
0.5 oz Grand Marnier
Pureed strawberries

Combine all ingredients in an ice-chilled cocktail glass.

Courtesy of Stephanie Wolf.

---

Catoctin Bloodhound

The strawberries have gone bezerk in my garden so I've been on the hunt for strawberry cocktails. This cocktail was fun because it provided an adult alternative to the plethora of fluffy, sugary drinks.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz sweet vermouth
½ oz dry vermouth
Fresh local strawberry juice (pureed, strained for seeds and pulp)
½ tsp simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in an ice-chilled cocktail glass.

Courtesy of Stephanie Wolf.

---

Pearadise

Simple and elegant. The sparking wine helped express the pear notes in the brandy.

1 teaspoon fresh strawberry juice
3/4 oz honey liqueur (Barenjager is a good one, or make it yourself)
1 oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia
Top with sparkling wine or champagne

Combine all ingredients in an ice-chilled cocktail glass.

Courtesy of Stephanie Wolf.

---

Speckled Spirit

The apricot gives this cocktail a thick consistency, like a milkshake. Be sure to cool the warm apricot before combining with other ingredients. Expert chefs suggest that apricots are better when cooked; the cooking releases the flavor of the fruit more fully. This cocktail was lovely--the fruit is upfront and the Mosby's spirit is what lingers on the tongue.

¾ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz Vanilla vodka
½ oz Amaretto
One large apricot, oven roasted and then pureed
5 or 6 sweet cherries, pureed
1 tsp simple syrup

Courtesy of Stephanie Wolf.

---

Saged and Confused

James Horn and Mike Isabella are co-owners of Graffiato, a new restaurant in Washington DC. This cocktail will be a featured pour at the 2011 RAMMY's.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
¾ oz Thatchers Cucumber Liqueur
¾ oz fresh lime
½ oz sage reduction

All ingredients can be batched together. Serve over ice and give a quick stir. Garnish is compressed cucumber, with gin and sage.

Courtesy of James Horn.

---

Summer Bliss Wedding Punch

A cool, refreshing and festive punch from the wedding huppah company Huppahs.com.

4-5 lb seedless watermelon
1 bottle Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
18 oz pineapple juice
18 oz lemon juice
18 oz simple syrup
18 oz lemon/lime seltzer

Cut the watermelon in half and scoop out the fruit into very large bowl. Use an immersion blender to liquidate the fruit. Strain through a cheese cloth. You will end up with about 42 oz of watermelon juice. Combine all the ingredients. Add the seltzer and ice to the punch bowl just before serving.

Courtesy of Huppahs.com. Garland courtesy of FiftyFlowers.com. Photo courtesy Jason Weil and used with permission.

---

Sweet Peaches

 

This is sweet and citrusy, and then there is an essence of peach on the back palate a few seconds later.

¾ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
½ oz limoncello
½ oz honey liqueur
1½ oz pureed farm-fresh white peaches

Courtesy of Stephanie Wolf.

---

Monkey Gland

 

This is a delicious old standard with a rather dubious name. It is one of the cocktails invented by Harry McElhone, circa 1927, from Harry's New York Bar in Paris, France. The ingredients produce a wickedly lurid, but very tasty drink!

1¼ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1¼ oz freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ oz grenadine
1 dash absinthe
orange slice for garnish (opt)

Mix the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, strain and pour into the chilled glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

---

Kings Cross

This cocktail one of the Lansdowne resort Spectator Series Spirits Tasting at On The Potomac restaurant in Leesburg, Virginia.

1.5 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
.5 oz B&B liqueur
Dash sweet vermouth
Muddled lemon and sugar
Strain over ice, black cherry garnish

Courtesy Christian Reimer, Lansdowne Resort.

---

Missouri Mule

This cocktail one of the Lansdowne resort Spectator Series Spirits Tasting at On The Potomac restaurant in Leesburg, Virginia.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
.5 oz creme de Casis
Splash lemon juice
Strain over rocks, lemon garnish

Courtesy Christian Reimer, Lansdowne Resort.

---

Yankee Dutch

This cocktail one of the Lansdowne resort Spectator Series Spirits Tasting at On The Potomac restaurant in Leesburg, Virginia.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
.5 oz cherry brandy
Splash triple sec
Splash soda
Muddled orange
Cherry garnish

Courtesy Christian Reimer, Lansdowne Resort.

---

Casino

This cocktail one of the Lansdowne resort Spectator Series Spirits Tasting at On The Potomac restaurant in Leesburg, Virginia.

1.5 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Splash maraschino juice
Splash lemon bitters
Cherry garnish

Courtesy Christian Reimer, Lansdowne Resort.

---

Cool Hand Cuke

This cocktail is a simpler variation of the Catoctin Cucumber Cooler by John Shope.

1 1/2 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
Sliced cucumber, diced
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
Thin slice of cucumber, for garnish

Muddle the diced cucumber in a rocks glass and add ice. Mix the Mosby's Spirit, lime juice and simple syrup in a tumbler and pour over ice and cucumber. Stir well and garnish with a slice of cucumber.

---

The Old City

Plums everywhere!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz Averell Damson Gin Liqueur
½ oz Thatcher’s Elderflower Liqueur
½ Tbsp honey
¼ oz Tenneyson Absinthe
1 umeboshi
Dash of Fee Bros plum bitters

Add the gin, both liqueurs, the honey and the umeboshi to a pitcher or glass with ice. Stir it well, until most of the honey is dissolved. Coat one chilled cocktail glass with Tenneyson. Strain cocktail into glass. Add umeboshi (it should now be coated in honey). Add dash Fee Bros Plum Bitters.

• Averell Damson Gin Liqueur is a gin liqueur made with damson plums. If you can’t find this, substitute a sloe gin. I like The Bitter Truth’s sloe gin, or Plymouth.
• Thatcher’s Elderflower liqueur is just that. If you can’t find it, try St. Germain, but use half the St. Germain.
• Honey comes from bees. You should be able to find that.
• Tenneyson is a lovely white absinthe that is now as anise-y as some absinthes. It has some nice juniper and pepper to it. I would recommend finding another white absinthe (not green absinthe!) or leaving this out.
• Umeboshi are dried pickled ume fruits, which are like a cross between an apricot and a plum. You can get these at an East Asian food market. If you can’t find these, use a pickled or brandied cherry, as our dried apricots are nothing like this.
• Fee Bros’ Plum Bitters is not too difficult to find, but may be a challenge. I recommend using another fruit bitters in its place– Fee Bros’ Rhubarb tends to be more ubiquitous than the plum.

Recipe and photo copyright 2011, Tea Fougner, Nommable and used with permission.

---

The Ghost of Vesper Lynd

A Catoctin version of the real Bond cocktail.

3 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1/2 oz Lillet blanc
twist of lemon peel

Combine all ingredients... shaken, not stirred.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Latrobe Cocktail

This is the signature cocktail for the Tiber Creek Cabaret. The Divinitea™ Latrobe tea blends well with the Roundstone Rye to impart some complex citrus and ginger flavors. If you cannot find Divinitea in your area, use a good ginger black tea. Simply slightly increase the amount of orange simple syrup.

2 oz Divinitea™ Latrobe tea blend
1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¼ oz orange simple syrup
twist of orange peel

Shake and serve over ice.

Recipe courtesy Dora Hoyt. Photograph courtesy Quinn Dombrowski via Flickr, used with Creative Commons license.

---

Chuck Norris

This cocktail was the winner of a competition held at Church & State in downtown DC. The cocktail starts with a ""kick"" and ends nice and smooth, just like its namesake!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Koval Orange Blossom Liqueur
2 oz Ginger beer
Dash of Sriracha HOT chili sauce

Mix all the ingredients except the ginger ale in a shaker of ice, strain and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with ginger beer and gentle stir. Garnish with a slice of pepper.

Recipe courtesy Chrissy Schwen. Photograph courtesy Gideon Tsang via Flickr, used with Creative Commons license.

---

White Lady

 

I can think of no better cocktail to let the herbs and spices of the Watershed Gin shine. Think of this one almost like a gin daiquiri.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz Cointreau
1 egg white

Mix the ingredients in a shaker of ice, strain and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

---

Raspberry Vinegar Rickey

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on the Good Booze kitchen, you might be expecting us to break out the rum and passionfruit to make that classic New Orleans cocktail consumed by the gallon up and down Bourbon Street. However, we’ve decided to adopt a rawther British stiff upper lip and stockpiled gin instead.

The Gin Rickey was recently named as the official cocktail of Washington, DC; this classic combination of gin, lime juice, and club soda is native to DC, created in 1893 by Colonel Joe Rickey and bartender George Williamson at Rickey’s bar, Shoomaker’s, just a stone’s throw from the White House. DC drinks guru Derek Brown likes to call the Rickey “air conditioning in a glass”, as it is particularly refreshing in the midst of our swampy summers, but we think it’s pretty tasty in any weather.

This Friday’s Tipple, the Raspberry Vinegar Rickey, takes advantage of the abundance of late-summer fruit that we used in our recent Roaring Twenties Raspberry Vinegar. Raspberry pairs beautifully with gin, its tart sweetness combining with the gin’s juniper berry essence to create a cool pine forest freshness. We caramelized some lime wheels as a garnish, which add a slightly burnt sugar undertone to counter the acidity of the vinegar.

Mix up a Rickey anytime you’re caught in the middle of a natural disaster. It somehow makes it seem much more… civilized. Pip-pip!

 

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 Tbsp Roaring Twenties Raspberry Vinegar (didn’t make it yet? We have an alternative below)
Club soda
Lime wheels
Sugar

To make the caramelized limes: Dredge the lime wheels in sugar. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat; when the pan is hot, cook the lime wheels on each side until just lightly golden. They will be a little sticky; set aside to cool (they can also be refrigerated at this point for a day or two).

To assemble the drink: Place the caramelized lime wheel in the bottom of in a tall glass or a large wine glass and lightly muddle the fleshy center, then remove and set aside. Add one tablespoon of Raspberry Vinegar, 1.5 ounces of gin, and stir. Add several ice cubes and top with club soda. Stir well, then top with the reserved lime wheel.

No Raspberry Vinegar? Shame on you. Luckily, we are steeped in American ingenuity, just like old Colonel Rickey, and have a plan. Take four or five fresh raspberries, a 1/2 teaspoon of red wine vinegar, and a teaspoon of sugar and muddle together in the bottom of the glass (after you’ve muddled the lime wheel). Let the sugar dissolve, then complete the rest of the above recipe.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Watershed Gimlet

The Gimlet is a classic cocktail, and despite the modern trend to use everything fresh, this cocktail should really be made using Rose's lime juice for authenticity. Of course, if you don't have Rose's, you can substitute fresh lime juice and simple syrup.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz Rose's lime juice
2 lime wedges

Shake gin and Rose's lime juice over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Squeeze one lime wedge over the top and garnish with the other lime wedge.

Read more about the Gimlet at Esquire magazine.

---

Bibo Ergo Sum

Another delicious cocktail from our DC brand ambassador, Chad Robinson.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz fresh orange juice
2/3 oz Tuaca liqueur
2/3 oz sweet vermouth
Orange bitters

Mix all ingredients except the bitters in a shaker full of ice. Shake until it frosts. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Add two dashes of orange bitters on top and garnish with orange zest.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

The Hipster

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

Boozers, we know you’re hip. Whether you’re hitting the hotspots in Fishtown, Echo Park, or Montrose (and since you’re a hipster, we’re sure you’ve got the down-low on these hallowed hangouts), it’s critical that you have an ironic twist on a classic cocktail to complement those vintage “Revenge of the Nerds” eyeglasses. We’ve got it, and we call it The Hipster, a modern update on The Boulevardier (what they called the most elegant of cool people at the turn of the last century).

In DC, the hipsters will be heading in droves this weekend to H Street, hopping from the Palace of Wonders to Little Miss Whiskey’s while sampling the curried delights of Fojol Bros. Traveling Culinary Carnival and shoveling down blueberries at the Dangerously Delicious pie-eating contest — all during the hoopla of the annual H Street Festival.

With a resurgence of interest in the beverages consumed by our forebears, this Friday’s Tipple features rye whiskey — we prefer to go local and use Catoctin Creek’s Roundstone Rye, which has a rich caramel undertone perfect for that first crisp fall day when you get to pull on Grandpa’s argyle cardigan with your BDG cigarette jeans — and Italian sweet vermouth. And while we know that hipsters shy away from calling themselves by that moniker (because it would be, well, unhip), it’s okay: just have the drink. Your secret is safe with us.

Since the hip are always looking to spice things up, we muddled some peppercorns into the mix and added a smidge of our own Wicked Pickled Ginger Syrup. The result is a perfect sipping cocktail — sour, sweet, spicy, just like a real hipster.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Italian sweet vermouth (add more if you like a sweeter drink)
¼ teaspoon black or pink peppercorns, crushed
½ tsp Wicked Pickled Ginger Syrup (optional — we like the kick)
Juice of 1/2 fresh lime
Club soda
1 lemon wheel

Place first 5 ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a wineglass. Top with 1 or 2 ounces of chilled club soda and lemon wheel. Enjoy.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

The Wild Card

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

We’re heading into the last week of September, loyal Boozers, and that means that the Hunt for Late October is on. In other words, a handful of baseball teams are vying to make it into the playoffs, and Red Sox fans can’t believe their team is now fighting to maintain Wild Card status. Damn Yankees.

Hence, our Friday Tipple: The Wild Card. Because we’re still in love with Catoctin Creek’s Rye Whiskey (they really made us believers) and because we may need a stiff drink to get through the last few games, we’ve opted to riff on the Whiskey Sour, with a classic fall twist. On the side, we’re adding a shot of beer (we’re going for Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale) for every home run by our favorite team. But don’t worry — if you happen to be an Astros fan, you probably won’t even catch a buzz.

This cocktail has a few fresh elements, but they are worth the effort and don’t take a lot of time.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Crackerjack syrup (see recipe below)
Fresh apple cider (we made ours fresh, but you can use a commercial cider too)
Chilled club soda
Dash of bitters

Put three or four ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and add rye whiskey, 1/4 cup of fresh cider, and a teaspoon of Crackerjack syrup. Shake vigorously and pour into a glass (with or without ice, it’s up to you). Top with a splash of club soda and a dash of bitters. Enjoy!

To make fresh apple cider: Cut an apple into chunks and process into a fine pulp in a food processor with a few teaspoons of water and a dash of cinnamon or apple pie spice. Let sit for half an hour then squeeze pulp through a cheesecloth. Yields about half a cup.

To make Crackerjack Syrup: Set one cup of raw turbinado sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until sugar liquifies, being careful not to let it burn. Add 1 cup of water slowly and stir. Cut corn kernels off a cob, scraping the cob with the edge of the knife and put all kernels into the sugar syrup. Add a large pinch of salt and allow to simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Strain and cool completely. Yields about a cup; can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Johnny Appleseed

This cocktail was the featured cocktail at the Castle Hill Cider grand opening. Created by Scott Harris, owner of Catoctin Creek, it blends the tastes of the rye whisky with the fresh sparking apple cider, and a touch of bitters for a very delicious cocktail that highlights both beverages.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Castle Hill Celestial sparkling cider
Dash of Peychauds bitters
1 tsp superfine sugar

Fill a shaker with ice. Add the rye, sugar and bitters, and top off with cider. Shake well (holding tightly, since the carbonated cider will be under pressure!), and strain into a tumbler full of ice. Serve with a slice of apple.

---

Pear and Pimms

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

Somewhere in the world, loyal Boozers, it’s Pimm’s O’Clock. “What?”, you shriek in disbelief, “Surely not! We have packed away our summer whites and Wimbledon is only a faint memory.” True, the bloom of summer is fading here in the northern hemisphere, but we see no reason why we have to give up on Pimm’s; with its subtle notes of citrus and spice, it is a perfect accompaniment to fall flavors. This week, we’ve decided to pair it with pear.

Because we are overachievers in the Good Booze kitchen, we made our own pear nectar lightly infused with cardamom and lavender honey, but you can easily purchase pear nectar in the store — some common brands are Goya and Looza. However, should you choose to give it a go, it is embarrassingly easy to make, so you’ll have to remember to smile modestly when you are showered with accolades from impressed friends, saying “No, really it was nothing. Only too pleased to work my fingers to the bone for you.”

The lush and fruity Pimm’s can actually be drunk straight up as it is without any mixer, so it is important to have a light hand when using it in a cocktail — the pear should not overwhelm. We added in some extra gin (try the Juniper Green if you want to keep it all strictly British, but we also enjoy Catoctin Creek’s Watershed Gin). Draw your chair up closer to the electric fire, nibble a warm scone with clotted cream, and sip on your Pear & Pimm’s. Lucky blighter.

1 oz Pimm’s No. 1
1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
2 oz pear nectar

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple chip (optional, but delicious). Cheerio!

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Burns-erac

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

We’ve said it before, Boozers, and we’ll say it again: cocktails create community. Derek Brown, the hip mixologist of the Columbia Room in DC, waxes quite poetic about it, actually, and observes an old tradition when whipping up that classic cocktail, the Sazerac, requiring audience participation: a smidge of absinthe is poured into a chilled glass and the glass is thrown gently into the air, and, as the absinthe coats the inside of the glass during its flight, the assembled barflies all shout “Sazerac!” just before the bartender snatches the glass from mid-air. Now that’s what we call community.

We were reminded of this again while greedily lapping up the new Ken Burns‘ documentary “Prohibition”. Clearly, alcohol can create community in myriad ways — everything from temperance unions to drinking clubs to inebriate asylums — and leave it to the ever-youthful Burns (we suspect he still gets carded) to make it all completely enthralling.

So, we salute Ken Burns this week with the Burns-erac: a whisper of whiskey (apparently an old favorite), chilled Prosecco (he told Liquor.com that it’s his current drink of choice), and a colorful nip of Peychaud’s Gomme Syrup (a simple syrup we made with Peychaud’s Bitters — the addition of gum arabic gives a lovely mouthfeel that you get right in the last sip). Gather together a group of friends while enjoying this cocktail salute, and don’t forget to shout out: “Burns-erac!”

Chilled Prosecco
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Peychaud's Gomme syrup (recipe below)
Lemon twist

Fill a champagne flute with ice and water and allow to chill for a few minutes. Empty the flute and pour in a small splash of whiskey, then swirl it around quickly to coat the inside of the glass (you can shout “Burns-erac” here if you like). Pour a 1/2 teaspoon of the Peychaud’s Gomme Syrup (recipe and an alternative below) in the bottom of the glass, then carefully fill the rest of the glass with Prosecco. Garnish with a lemon twist. Burnserac!

Peychaud’s Gomme Syrup: Heat 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to boiling in a small saucepan, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Mix one tablespoon gum arabic with one tablespoon hot water and stir until dissolved into a sticky paste; add to sugar-water mixture and stir until dissolved. Add 2 tablespoons Peychaud’s Aromatic Cocktail Bitters and stir well. Allow to simmer over very low heat for another 15 minutes, still stirring occasionally. Cool completely before using.

No time to make this luscious syrup? Okay, then just place a teaspoon of simple syrup and several drops of Peychaud’s in the bottom of the champagne flute and mix together. Or use a sugar cube and soak it in the Peychaud’s, then loosen it with a cocktail spoon. It won’t have the same gorgeous mouthfeel as the Peychaud’s Gomme Syrup, but it will provide the right flavor!

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Horse's Neck

This cocktail was featured in Flavor magazine in the fall 2011 issue and is served at The Chesapeake Room on Barracks Row in southeast DC.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Splash of ginger ale
3 dashes lemon bitters
Lemon twist
1 large ice cube

Garnish ice cube with lemon twist. Drop into an old fashioned glass. Separately, stir together rye, ginger ale, and bitters with ice. Strain and pour over prepared glass.

Recipe courtesy Henry Lewis and Jay Davis at The Chesapeake Room, and used with permission.
Photograph courtesy star5112 on Flickr and used under Creative Commons license.

---

Pitcher's Revenge

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

This week’s tipple honors some popular cocktails from 1917, The Bronx Cocktail and the Cooperstown Cocktail, which we also felt seemed fitting for the World Series (oh, sorry, Yankees fans, but at least you can suck down a drink from the Bronx while you watch the Cards). We were also inspired by those bags of darling little Clementine oranges that are selling cheap at the grocery store now that fall has set in— they make a nice fresh juice that takes on a color very close to Gatorade. The pitchers might want to sneak this tipple into those big orange jugs in the dugout, and it should be just enough to get the opposing hitters to swing a little wide of the fences. Batter up!

The Cooperstown Cocktail calls for fresh mint, but we substituted basil because it imparts a slightly grassy flavor which is just about perfect when enjoying a rousing game of baseball.

3 or 4 Clementine oranges
1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
French vermouth (dry)
Italian vermouth (sweet)
2 fresh basil leaves
Dash of bitters (Bittermans' Boston Bittahs adds the right note)

Juice the Clementines. Lightly bruise the basil leaves in the bottom of a cocktail pitcher and add ice. Pour 3 ounces of juice, 1.5 ounces of gin, and a slight splash of each vermouth into the shaker. Shake vigorously and pour the contents into a large wineglass. Add a dash of bitters and garnish with a slice of Clementine.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Pumpkin Pimms

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

Happy Halloween, Boo-zers! You knew we wouldn’t forget. Actually, we started thinking about this Halloween cocktail several weeks ago, when we resurrected our summertime favorite, Pimm’s No. 1, for the Pear & Pimm’s. We may have even started thinking about it many moons before that when we visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and finally got our hands on a bottle of pumpkin juice. The empty bottle has been sitting on our kitchen counter for months, mocking us with delicious memories.

There are many recipes for pumpkin juice out there in the world of J.K. Rowling worshippers, and they are all pretty good, but we wanted something a little less sweet so that our Pumpkin Pimm’s would taste like a proper cocktail. Roasting a fresh sugar pumpkin (that’s the smallish variety that weigh just a few pounds, typically used for pies, not the big ones that are carved into jack-o-lanterns) did the trick, giving a slight smokiness to our housemade pumpkin juice.

Merlin’s Beard, that’s a good drink! Careful not to splinch yourself on the way home from that Hallowe’en Feast.

Pumpkin Pimm’s

It doesn’t take long to make your own pumpkin juice, but, if you’re desperate to try this drink before the Three Broomsticks fills up with tipsy witches, then mix a few tablespoons of canned pumpkin with the pear nectar and apple cider and strain — it should still give you a good flavor.

2 oz Pimm’s No. 1
1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
3 oz pumpkin juice (recipe below)
1 tsp of mashed pumpkin (reserved from juice recipe below)
toasted salted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional but worth it)

Place first four ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a glass. Top with pumpkin seeds and enjoy.

Pumpkin Juice

1 small sugar pumpkin (about 3 pounds), cut in half with seeds removed (save those for toasting)
½ cup pear nectar
⅓ cup apple cider
2 Tbsp Wicked Pickled Ginger Syrup (we like the kick from the ginger, but you can also use just a regular simple syrup)
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put cut pumpkin halves, flesh-side-down, on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, until soft. Let cool, then scoop out the flesh and wrap tightly in cheesecloth. Squeeze juice into a bowl, reserving excess pulp from cheesecloth. Add pear nectar, apple cider, simple syrup, and spices. Mix well and chill.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Frosted Catoctin

Inspired by the freak snowstorm in late October 2011! The snow on the pumpkins on the porch said to me...make a cocktail!

2 tsp pumpkin butter (we use locally owned Catoctin Popcorn Company)
1 oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia
Topped with ginger ale
Maple syrup and sugar to create the frosted rim.

Shake pumpkin butter and Pearousia over ice, pour in rimmed glass, over ice. Top with Ginger ale. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg over the ice.

Recipe and photo courtesy Stephanie Wolf.

---

Cain's Mutiny

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

It’s not easy being a presidential candidate, Boozers. One day you’re a mild-mannered millionaire singing about the glories of pizza, the next day you’re getting skewered by the left-wing bloggers for your fondness for Pokemon. But, really, what’s not to love about a guy whose campaign commercials feature smokin’ and drinkin’? Political correctness need not apply — as the world continues to shrink, Americans may be yearning to follow in the footsteps of our European brethren, who aren’t afraid of leaders who like to let it all hang out.

When you prefer to fly first-class, there’s nothing like having a chilled martini as your wingman. Cool and classic, the Cain’s Mutiny chuckles at convention, marrying absinthe with rosemary-infused gin or vodka — because we don’t believe in Big Government telling you what kind of liquor to drink — and then topping it all off with extra-salty olives stuffed with anchovies. Anchovies may be a long-shot with most Americans, but you can’t count them out — they could surprise us all by suddenly shooting to the top of the polls. Bottoms up!

 

We like liquors infused with herbs, but fresh rosemary can be oily and strong, so we do a quick infusion here that leaves just a subtle taste of rosemary that doesn’t overwhelm the clean flavor of the martini.

4 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Absinthe (or feel free to substitute dry vermouth, if you prefer)
4-inch sprig of fresh rosemary
olives stuffed with anchovies

Place the rosemary in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and bruise it with a muddling stick. Pour in the gin and let sit for 15 minutes. Splash a bit of absinthe into a chilled martini glass and swirl around to coat the inside of the glass. Add a couple of ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into the martini glass and garnish with olives.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Fizzy Friday

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

You’ve done it again, Boozers. You told yourself “I will not have a third helping of mashed potatoes” and you stuffed yourself on stuffing and then there were three kinds of pie. We know how you feel: bloated, bleary, and blubbery.

After sucking down a bottle of Grampa’s homemade dandelion wine and those shots of Wild Turkey with your cousin Gerry behind the garage, Black Friday is a bit of a blur. What you need to do is soothe your tum. Enter bitters. There are two types of bitters: digestive bitters and cocktail bitters. Both types are basically herbs and roots that are used to flavor alcohol, usually having a bitter or bittersweet taste. Cocktail bitters, like Angostura, Bittermens, Fee Brothers, and Urban Moonshine, are generally used sparingly to flavor cocktails, much as you might add salt and pepper to your food. Digestive bitters, like Campari, Pimm’s No. 1, and Cynar, can be drunk straight up or on the rocks as well as in cocktails.

We like to make our own cocktail bitters and just finished up a batch of what we call Chocolate Stout Bitters, featuring fresh hops, espresso beans, and cocoa nibs, but don’t be intimidated by our ingenuity. Drag yourself to the local liquor store and grab any bottle of either cocktail or digestive bitters, along with some tonic water or club soda. Down the Fizzy Friday in one go and you’ll be back in fine fettle before you can say ""Alka Seltzer"". Cheers!

There are as many ways to make a Fizzy Friday as there are recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers. You can choose to go the digestive route and pour a generous slug of Campari over ice and top it off with a splash of club soda. However, we’re going the other direction today, for reasons that will soon become clear.

Tonic water or club soda
Cocktail bitters
Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

Fill a lowball glass with ice and add 4 ounces of tonic water or club soda. Add 20 drops of bitters — yes, that’s right, we said 20 — and drink it down quickly. Then fill the glass with more tonic or soda, throw in some gin, and you’re good to go. Great Aunt Joan’s waiting for you to drive her to Walmart.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Pear Champagne Cocktail

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

TGIF, Boozers. We’ve had a long week and so we were already in a celebratory mood before we spotted this little message on Twitter: “Pearousia pear brandy is HERE!”. We may have even heard a choir of angels sing. Did we mention it’s been a long week?

‘Nuff said, Boozers, we need no more encouragement than that to crack open a bottle of bubbly. Our friends at Catoctin Creek Distilling Company make a luscious pear brandy known as Pearousia, and if you live in the DC area, we suggest that you run, not walk, to snag one of the 402 bottles now available. We already have a bottle, and in fact had planned a different Pearousia cocktail coming to you in a couple of weeks, but we pulled this together today because we couldn’t wait another minute.

If you can’t get Pearousia, don’t despair. As you know, we encourage you to buy local, and our loyal Boozers are spread far and wide; pear brandy pops up in small distilleries across North America, so we suggest that you check in your local area. Also known as an eau-de-vie, pear brandies are made at Clear Creek Distillery in Oregon, Harvest Spirits in New York, and Bartlett Winery in Maine. However, most liquor stores will carry a bottle of pear brandy, perhaps just slightly dusty, somewhere on their shelves. Grab it.

We like to use a little turbinado sugar with this, borrowing from an Italian tradition of dropping a sugar cube into a glass of champagne, symbolizing the sweetness of life. Steal a few packets of Sugar-in-the-Raw the next time you’re buying a pricey cup of coffee and keep them at home for this tipple.

Chilled champagne
Catoctin Creek Pearousia® pear brandy
Fresh pear, chopped (remove the skin first, if you like, but we don't)
Turbinado (raw) sugar

Drop a few pieces of pear into the bottom of a champagne flute and sprinkle some sugar over the top. Let sit for a few minutes while the sugar softens, then pour 1 ounce of pear brandy over the pear. Allow to macerate for 15 minutes, then top with chilled champagne. Salut!

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Farmhouse Lavender Lemonade with Hot Gin

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Inspired magazine:

Nothing could be more civil than a proper hot drink by the fireplace when the wind is whipping across the meadows and a case of the sniffles is threatening tomorrow's snowy hike around Willow Lake. Call it medicinal if you like, but there's nothing like Catoctin Creek's Watershed Gin warmed with lavender-infused lemonade to take off the chill while giving the promise of a good night's sleep.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3 Tbsp local honey (add more or less to taste)
½ cup water
lavender sprig, fresh or dried

To make the Lavender Lemonade: combine lemon juice, water, and honey in a small saucepan, stirring over low heat. Add one 3-inch lavender sprig and bring lemonade to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, but do not bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Taste for sweetness/tartness and adjust to your preference. Remove lavender sprig before serving.

Pour 6 ounces of hot Honey-Lavender Lemonade into a large mug and add 1.5 ounces Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin, stirring to combine. Garnish with lemon wheel (optional).

Courtesy Kristen Hartke, photo courtesy Molly McDonald Peterson, and used with permission.

---

Willowsford Whisky-tini

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Inspired magazine:

Strictly speaking, a martini made with whiskey is called a Manhattan, but such urban references fall flat when surrounded by the glories of the Virginia countryside. In a decidedly rural twist, the Willowsford Whisky-tini uses Catoctin Creek's brilliantly clear Mosby's Spirit in place of more traditional fare--it's an unaged whiskey that pairs beautifully with a little spice to warm your bones. Even James Bond would enjoy hanging out at The Lodge with one of these chilled beauties.

4 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz dry vermouth (If you prefer sweet vermouth, then substitute ½ ounce)
1 fresh jalapeño, cut in half
Lemon twist

Pour Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit, vermouth, and jalapeño into a cocktail shaker and allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Add several cubes of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a fresh twist of lemon.

Courtesy Kristen Hartke, photo courtesy Molly McDonald Peterson, and used with permission.

---

Sycamore House Spiked Mocha

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Inspired magazine:

You've just returned from sledding, covered in snow and with a grin as wide as the village green. The kids are clamoring for hot cocoa, so why not make a little treat for yourself? Riffing off the traditional Irish coffee, the Sycamore House Spiked Mocha features Catoctin Creek's Roundstone Rye Whisky and is topped with a brandied whipped cream--use Catoctin Creek's 1757 Brandy, if your lucky enough to have some on hand, but its Pearousia Brandy will also work well.

1 Tbsp unsweetened ground cocoa
1 heaping tsp sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
6 oz hot coffee
½ cup chilled whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
½ oz Catoctin Creek 1757 or Pearousia Brandy
¼ tsp grated nutmeg

Place cocoa, sugar, and cinnamon in a large coffee mug; add 1 ounce Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye and combine into a paste. Add coffee and another ounce of the Roundstone Rye and stir well.

Put the whipping cream, sugar, and brandy into a bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks (this may take less than a minute with a stick blender). Spoon a generous amount onto the hot mocha and top with grated nutmeg.

Courtesy Kristen Hartke and used with permission.

---

Piedmont Winter Sangria

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Inspired magazine:

Great-Aunt Audrey's annual fruit basket from Florida has arrived, and those bottles of Loudoun's best wines are beckoning. Time to gather together around the fire pit with neighbors for a fresh take on mulled wine that celebrates crisp moonlit nights, when the frost crackles beneath your boots and the bunnies race around the hedgerows. A generous slug of Catoctin Creek's Pearousia Brandy will add an extra glow to your rosy cheeks.

2 bottles Fabbioli Cellars 2009 Chambourcin red wine
4 oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia Brandy
2 cups oranges, cut into wedges (clementines are particularly nice, but any will work)
1 cup cherries (thawed frozen cherries are perfect for this, as well as preserved cherries)
1 lemon, sliced thinly
½ cup local honey (if you use preserved cherries with liquid, omit the honey)
1 cinnamon stick

Place all ingredients except brandy into a stockpot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove cinnamon stick. Add brandy and serve warm, making sure to include some of the fruit in each glass.

Courtesy Kristen Hartke and used with permission.

---

Snow In Loudoun

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Flavor magazine.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Drambuie
½ oz house-made orgeat (an old-school syrup made from almonds, sugar and rose water)
Lemon juice to taste
Splash of tonic

Shake first four ingredients and serve on the rocks in a Collins glass. Top with tonic and draw up.

Courtesy Zinc restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Flavor Magazine, photo courtesy Andrea Hubbell, and used with permission.

---

Robinsoni

A new take on a classic Negroni.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Dolin blanc
1 oz Aperol
2-3 dashes orange bitters

Shake the ingredients and serve in a rocks glass with a slice of orange or lemon.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

The Boxcar

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

We’re lucky bastards, Boozers. The nice folks at Catoctin Creek Distilling Company blessed us with an early sample of their 1757 Virginia Brandy — still young and not quite ready for prime time — and we’ve been contemplating it for several weeks. Richly mellow and lightly fruity, brandy can truly elevate winter cocktails to a new level of warm delight.

There are several cocktails that feature brandy, such as the Brandy Alexander and the Vieux Carré, but we weren’t inspired until we decided to check out the Boxcar Tavern, a new establishment in our area. As always, we eagerly examined the signature cocktail menu, and, while we were intrigued by the nutmeg syrup used in the whiskey-based Warm Winter Night, we were surprised that a place called the Boxcar wouldn’t have a signature Sidecar. Just seems like a natural fit.

So we’ve created it ourselves: the Boxcar. A classic Sidecar features brandy (or cognac, and we’re sure you know that all cognac is brandy but not all brandy is cognac), Cointreau, and lemon juice. But that nutmeg syrup just begs for brandy, and, with images of boxcars trundling north through the swamps of central Florida piled high with citrus, we felt that fresh oranges were a natural complement. The result is a gorgeous little burst of winter spice with subtle notes of spring break sunshine. Santé!

As you know, we hate to see dusty bottles of so-called “seasonal” liquors languish in the cupboard, so we eschewed the Cointreau, generally used in a traditional Sidecar, in favor of triple sec. You may only think of triple sec as used in summer margaritas, but its softly bitter orange flavor works just as well as Cointreau in this application.

3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed orange juice (we used a couple of clementines; mandarins and tangerines would also work quite well)
3/4 ounce triple sec
1.5 ounces Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy
Scant teaspoon nutmeg syrup (basically, just add a 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg to 1/4 cup of simple syrup)
Sugar and lemon, for coating the rim of the glass

Run a slice of lemon around the edge of a martini or cosmopolitan glass and dip in sugar. Put the orange juice, triple sec, brandy, and nutmeg syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into glass and enjoy.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Smoky Old Fashioned

This modern take on the Old Fashioned may not be kosher, but for those of you who enjoy bacon, it' is a real treat! The smoke from the meat gives this cocktail an almost Islay Scotch flavor. Loads and loads of phenols from the bacon and the sweetness of the Roundstone Rye and maple syrup make an enticing combination.

2 oz Benton's Bacon infused Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (see below)
½ oz Vermont Maple Syrup
2 dashes orange bitters
Maraschino cherry

In an old fashioned glass, add one Maraschino cherry and ice cubes. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a shaker, shake and pour into the glass, topping with 1 teaspoon of Maraschino cherry juice, and serve!

~~~~~

To make the Benton's Bacon infused Roundstone Rye:

1 bottle of Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 pound Benton's Bacon

Empty one bottle of Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye into a large glass bowl. In a cast iron pan cook the pound of bacon till crispy. Set the bacon aside and allow the drippings to cool slightly. Add all the drippings into the bowl of Roundstone Rye. Cover with plastic wrap tightly and let sit on counter for 2 hours. Add 5 slices of cooked bacon, recover, and let sit on counter for an additional 2 hours. Place bowl in freezer for a couple hours till fat rises and becomes solid.

Take bowl out of the freezer and discard fat. Discard Bacon slices. Place white paper towel in a fine mesh strainer over a clean bowl. Pour Rye through slowly. Repeat process one more time. Using a funnel, pour bacon infused Rye back into the Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye bottle and seal.

Courtesy Cheryl and Bill Bunce.

---

Ginger Crusta

Ginger seems to be all the rage these days. Folks are eschewing traditional bland and sweet ginger ale for the bite of a crisp ginger beer. Ginger also soothes the tummy, and herbal ginger teas have been used for years for those feeling not quite up to par.

If you are one of these people who just can't seem to get enough ginger, this is the cocktail for you. A classic Gin Crusta, with ginger, turned up to eleven.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Juice from ¼ lemon
½ oz homemade ginger syrup
Gosling's ginger beer
1 slice candied ginger
Lemon peel for garnish

Shake Gin, lemon juice, and syrup with ice. Pour into a martini glass and top off with a floater of ginger beer. Add candied ginger and lemon peel to garnish.

Courtesy Tea Fougner and Emily Landsman.

---

Pfeffernüsse

Pfeffernüsse are traditional German cookies served at Christmastime. The cookie is a sharply spiced gingerbread cookie rolled in powdered sugar. The name, literally, means pepper-nuts, which gives a hint to the ingredients in the cookie. Here we've reproduced the experience in a cocktail version. Scofflaw's Den barrel aged bitters provide the spice, with a sharp homemade ginger syrup providing the backbone. And for a garnish, just a sprinkle of cracked black pepper, to add that authentic German touch. Schmeckt gut!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz homemade ginger syrup
3-4 dashes of Scofflaw's Den barrel aged bitters
splash of soda
sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, stir together rye, ginger syrup and bitters with ice. Strain and pour into rocks glass. Add 3-4 ice cubes, top off with soda, and sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper.

---

Moonshine Cate- Twisted Ti Punch

This recipe is cross-posted with permission from the Warren Bobrow, The Cocktail Whisperer, at Foodista:

In my twisted thoughts, the Moonshine Cate cocktail is named for a hypothetical gal named Cate who ran the Moonshine stills in the dark, humid air of the backwoods in Virginia.

She was quite a cooker and could run like the wind when the Federal Gov't came a knockin'!

The songs of this region speak tales of hardship and clear to the eye, hard likker.

Syrop of Canne is Cane syrup. Could I combine the two, with a squeeze of lime? Certainly! That's what gives me a voice in this oft challenging world of cocktail whispering. I don't just whisper. I shout. Are you listening!?!

Makes two strong drinks that will make you want to jump up and play the fiddle!

4 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Rhum J.M. Sirop de Canne
1 squirt of Bitter End Bitters (Memphis BBQ)
4 oz of SWEET iced tea
2 coconut water ice cubes (pour unsweetened coconut water in an ice cube tray and freeze)
Hunk of lime
Fresh spearmint

Add a couple regular ice cubes to an cocktail shaker along with the Canne Sirop, Roundstone Rye, sweet tea, and bitters. Shake and strain into a pre-chilled rocks glass. Add a couple cubes of coconut water ice cubes. Garnish with a hunk of lime and a sprig of fresh mint.

Sip and DANCE!

Courtesy Warren Bobrow at Foodista, and used with permission.

---

Tailgater's Toddy

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from the Good Booze kitchen:

Hang onto your helmets, Boozers. Yep, it’s time for that most hallowed of all American days: Super Bowl Sunday. Even as we write, tortilla chips are being crisped for homemade queso, pots of Mom’s secret chili are bubbling, and charcuterie enthusiasts are eagerly stuffing sausage casings. Let the games begin.

We’re pretty sure that you can’t enjoy football without a beer — or two — and a nice cold one can be tasty when you’re tucked up by the telly with a plate of nachos. But what if you’re tailgating in Indianapolis with a portable barbecue brimming with bratwurst? Time for a Tailgater’s Toddy.

If you’ve ever trekked through the frosty Eastern European countryside and stopped off at a roadside pub, then you’ll have encountered what can only be described as mulled beer — basically a strong beer that has been simmered with spices and is served warm in a large mug. The flavor is smooth and dark and brimming over with bone-warming richness; with the explosion of craft breweries across the United States, it’s easy to find a lovely local amber or brown ale or perhaps even a porter to serve as the base for this brew. We like to add just a tot of brandy, although a bit of bourbon would do just as nicely — it helps ease the pain, just in case your team doesn’t grab that trophy. Touchdown!

We like to use a beer that is somewhat malty but with a bite of hops to it — basically providing a balance of bitter and sweet that melds with the fruit and spices. Check out your local brewery and pick up a growler or two to bring home — brewers love to talk about flavor profiles and can suggest which of their beers will work best in this recipe.

4 cups beer (we like our local DC Brau, Port City, and Chocolate City)
1 cinnamon stick
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground allspice
1 slice of fresh ginger, about an inch in diameter
2 wedges of apple, such as Granny Smith
1 small orange, sliced in half
2 Tbsp honey (an orange blossom honey is nice if you have it)
¼ cup Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye, 1757 Brandy or Pearousia (any of our oaked offerings will do)
Orange wedges for garnish (optional)

Put all ingredients except brandy into a 4-quart saucepan and simmer over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from heat and add whisky/brandy just before serving in mugs or heat-proof glasses with a wedge of orange.

Serves 2 – 4; okay, maybe just 1.

Courtesy Good Booze kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Pickett's Fence

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Drink Baltimore:

We already knew that new Michael Mina tavern Wit & Wisdom had a killer cocktail program, and this week we caught wind of another cool offering at the waterfront hotel restaurant. For their entry into the Four Seasons’ internal “100 Mile Cocktail Competition,” beverage manager Tiffany Dawn Soto and lead bartender Adrian Ross Boon have created Pickett’s Fence.

This is no mundane or lightly considered concoction. Inspiration for the recipe comes from the traditional drink known as Stone Fence, named after a battle in the American Revolution, in which Revolutionary soldiers overcame great odds to vanquish a British fort. The new drink's twist is an ode to “Pickett’s Charge,” a key American Civil War battle fought less than 55 miles north of Baltimore City.

1½ oz apple-infused Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz cracked bay leaf-infused Sloop Betty Vodka
1 oz Breezy Willow Honey Syrup
1 oz Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Granny Smith apple rind spring
cracked dry bay leaf

Combine in a shaker apple-infused Catoctin Rye Whiskey, bay leaf-infused Sloop Betty Vodka, and Breezy Willow Honey Syrup, and shake. Strain into a Susquehanna Aristocrat 11 ounce old-fashioned glass over fresh blocks of cold draft ice. Top with Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. Garnish with peeled Granny Smith apple rind spring, and top with one cracked dry bay leaf.

Courtesy Tiffany Dawn Soto and Adrian Ross Boon of Wit & Wisdom and Drink Baltimore, and used with permission.
Photograph courtesy of Wit and Wisdom.

---

Jane's Affliction

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Good Booze:

Ahoy there, Boozers! We’ve just returned from a bit of a jaunt to the Big Apple where we roughed it at The Jane, that most hipster of hotels overlooking the Hudson. It has a rather illustrious history as a classy hotel for sailors and actually hosted survivors of the Titanic immediately following that infamous sinking. If that’s not inspiration for a drink, we don’t know what is.

Imagining ourselves as proper British passengers, if we’d had to abandon ship in the middle of an iceberg-covered Atlantic, we’re quite sure we’d want a nice cup of strong sweet tea to help us cope with the shock once our rescuers had deposited us in the cozy confines of The Jane. And a generous measure of something somewhat stronger would not go amiss, leading to the creation of Jane’s Affliction.

The Titanic sank in 1912, the same year that absinthe was banned in the United States. Absinthe has had a bit of a resurgence, and we’ve been intrigued by several small-batch varieties, including Great Lakes Distillery’s Amerique 1912 Absinthe Rouge; its delicate undertone of hibiscus and anise recalls round-the-world voyages to exotic islands. The next time you’re in need of rescuing, Jane’s Affliction will surely come to your aid. Bottoms up!

The base of this cocktail is a tea-infused liquor; we’ve done it with both Catoctin Creek’s Mosby’s Spirit and Boyd & Blair’s Vodka, so take your pick. You can do a quick infusion by adding a teabag (Earl Grey works well, but Lifeboat Tea might be even better) to 4 ounces of liquor and letting it sit for an hour. For the more ambitious, add four or five teabags to the whole bottle and leave it in a dark place for two weeks — the tannins from the tea help give the liquid a lovely silkiness.

2 oz tea-infused Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz St. Germain liqueur (because every $14 cocktail in New York has to have St. Germain in it, and why not?)
Absinthe (Catoctin Creek prefers Delaware Phoenix, if you can get it!)
2 or 3 orange wedges
1 sugar cube
Piece of orange peel

Muddle the orange wedges in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and pour in the St. Germain. Let sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, rub the rim of a cocktail glass with the orange peel. Put the sugar cube in the bottom of the glass and sprinkle a few drops of absinthe over it. Add a few ice cubes and the tea-infused liquor to the cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into the glass.

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

---

Sanguinum Spiritus

Alleluia, alleluia. Video caelos apertos, et Iesum stantem a dextris virtutis Dei. Alleluia.

3-4 sections of blood orange
1½ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
½ oz simple syrup

Mash the orange sections in the cocktail shaker. Add the Mosby's Spirit and simple syrup. Add ice and shake until chilled. Pour into a chilled glass, making sure to get some of the pulp. Top with seltzer.

Courtesy Emily Landsman.

---

Tipple d'Amour

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Good Booze:

As our loyal Boozers know, we’ve been having a bit of a love affair with Catoctin Creek’s Roundstone Rye and have found many uses for it — perhaps too many uses... There are several wine cocktails that incorporate rum, brandy, and whiskey, and we love the spicy flavor of rye with a rich red wine. You really can go for a $6.99 bottle of wine here if you like — read the label and pick the one that promises a hint of berries and chocolate.

Red wine (we like Fabbioli Cellars Merlot for this)
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Fresh raspberries
Sugar

Place 3 or 4 raspberries in the bottom of a wine glass and sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Top with ¾ ounce rye whiskey and very lightly muddle the raspberries, but don’t mash them to pieces. Allow to macerate for 15 minutes, then top with red wine. Float an additional raspberry on top if you want to impress. Bon chance!

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

---

Beetlejuice

 

Housemade St. Germain-based lemon soda is a tasty complement to our beet-infused gin, which we think lends a floral undertone to our homage to spring. It’s incredibly easy to make, but you can substitute a commercial lemon soda if you prefer.

1 small raw beet, peeled and grated
½ cup Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Raw sugar (regular granulated sugar is fine as well)
Juice of one fresh lemon
1 oz St. Germain liqueur
1 tsp light agave nectar
3 oz club soda or mineral water

To make the beet infusion: Put grated beets in a cup or jar with a large pinch of raw sugar. Top with gin and allow to sit, uncovered, for one or two hours. Strain and set aside.

To make the lemon soda: Put the lemon juice, St. Germain, agave nectar and club soda in a glass and stir vigorously until well-incorporated. Do this just before assembling the cocktail to maintain the carbonation.

Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in the lemon soda. Pour 1.5 ounces of beet-infused gin over the top — do not stir, but leave it layered. Garnish with lemon, fresh herbs, or a slice of watermelon radish (optional). Drink up!

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

---

Creole Coffee Cocktail

 

Laissez le bon temps rouler, Boozers. Beads are flying in New Orleans even as you read this, but most of us are sadly bereft of a true Mardi Gras experience, so we turn instead to the Shrove Tuesday alternative: pancakes.

In the Protestant tradition, pancakes are the preferred meal on the night before Lent, dripping with butter and sugar before 40 days of denial. And, whatever your spiritual beliefs, or non-beliefs, who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? Even if you don’t participate in a Pancake Race, this is the time to break out your favorite recipe — buckwheat, blueberry, chocolate chip — and load up those carbohydrates.

As excess is the word of the day, a proper cocktail needs to accompany such a treat, something bitter, subtly sweet, and complex enough to balance out the full-fat decadence of a stack of hotcakes. The Creole Coffee Cocktail hits the spot here — we like to use a chicory-based coffee to enhance the nutty flavor, but any dark roast will do. We like to think that this little shot of caffeine will truly help keep the good times rolling until Ash Wednesday sobers us up. Keep your shirts on, Boozers — or not. Carpe Diem!

2 oz strong black coffee, cooled
1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Nocello walnut liqueur (Frangelico, Kahana Royale, Amaretto, or even Kahlua will work as a substitute)
Dash of Peychaud’s bitters
½ a small orange, peeled
orange twist, for garnish

Put the orange in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle; add a couple of ice cubes and the coffee, rye whiskey, Nocello, and bitters, and shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with the orange twist.

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

---

Glory Be!

This cocktail is the official cocktail of the Thomas Circle Singers. Haven't heard of them? You should check them out!

 

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Pimms liqueuer
Ice
Dash orange bitters
Gosling's ginger beer

Stir together the rye, Pimms, and pour over ice in a rocks glass. Add a dash of orange bitters and top with ginger beer.

---

Catoctin Creek Margarita

 

Warren Bobrow did a very nice review of our Mosby's Spirit on Foodista, and this cocktail was his inspiration after the tasting. We so often hear that people taste tequila when they taste our Mosby's, so why not a margarita? Delicious!

3 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Cynar
½ oz raw Agave syrup
1 oz Tuaca Vanilla/Orange liqueur
4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Mexican Molé Bitters from Bitter End

In a cocktail shaker filled ½ with ice, add the liquors, the Agave syrup and the lime- juice.

Shake and strain into a short cocktail glass with a hunk of lime as a garnish. Add one-two drops of the Mexican Mole’ bitters to each glass at the end and give a quick stir to complete.

Courtesy Warren Bobrow, and used with permission.
Photograph courtesy Ralph and Jenny on Flickr and used under Creative Commons Attribution license.

---

Lansdowne Spring Blossom

Lansdowne Resort in Virginia took the monthly Destination Dish one step further in March as it incorporated root vegetable into a cocktail. Yes, you read it correctly, root vegetable into a cocktail. See how one of our imaginative restaurant managers used beet puree to create an exclusive and refreshing Spring Blossom Cocktail.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Basil Simple Syrup
1 oz Beet Puree
Dash of orange bitters
Splash of Sprite
Orange twist garnish

Mix all ingredients and serve in a Tom Collins glass.

Courtesy Spenser McKenna and Lansdowne Resort and used with permission.

---

Catoctin Gin Front Porch Sippers

Cocktail hour will never be the same with one of these delicious beverages. Enjoy with friends on the front porch during a lazy hot summer evening.

Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Peeled and seeded cucumber, cut into rough chunks
Fresh lime juice
Lime rind zest mixed with a bit of sugar for the rims
Lime wedges
Thinly sliced pieces of cucumber with the peel ON for garnish
Club soda

Rim the glass with the lime sugar, and fill with crushed ice.

Add four chunks of cuke, the juice from two lime wedges, 1 tsp of sugar to a shaker and muddle in the shaker. Add 1½ oz gin, 1 oz of lime juice, 1 to 1½ oz simple syrup with ice in the shaker, and shake well.

Pour contents of shaker over ice and garnish with thin slices of cuke. Enjoy!

For the watermelon version just switch out watermelon for the cucumber in the recipe - garnish with the lime/sugar rim and add a small chunk of watermelon and a mint leaf to the rim to make it pretty!!

Courtesy Cheryl Bunce. Photo courtesy Cookie and Kate and used with permission.

---

Rye One On

 

Another fabulous cocktail from our brand ambassador in the District of Columbia.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Drambuie
½ oz Cocchi Americano
Orange bitters

Mix well and serve!

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

The Whimsical Green Pig

 

Our brand ambassador in DC is consulting with a new restaurant in Virginia (called the Green Pig) on their cocktail program. This is one of the featured cocktails on their menu.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Licor 43
½ oz orange juice
Egg white

Shake well and serve!

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Gin Mickey

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Good Booze:

You know we loves us a granita, so we whipped one up for this Tipple out of lime juice, superfine sugar, and Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin. Granitas can be finicky sometimes, so if it’s not setting up the way you like, add a little more fresh juice and check it every hour or so in the freezer. In a pinch, you can throw a soft granita mixture into a blender with a couple of ice cubes, whiz it up, and then refreeze, which actually gives the granita a pleasing sorbet-like quality.

½ cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
¼ cup Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (we used superfine, which dissolves well)
½ teaspoon grated lime zest
Chilled club soda

Mix together the first four ingredients in a bowl (taste to adjust sweetness if too tart) and pour into a shallow baking pan. Place in freezer and check every hour or so; as it begins to freeze, stir gently with a fork or spoon and put back in freezer. This process can take from 4 to 8 hours until it reaches a frozen consistency, then can be stored in the freezer until you are ready to use.

Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, scoop a large ball of the granita, about two or three inches in diameter, and put into a chilled martini or cosmopolitan glass. Top with about two ounces of the chilled club soda and enjoy immediately.

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

---

Passenger Vieux Carré

The other evening at The Passenger in DC, my guests and I were greeted by Tom Brown, the owner, with this lovely version of the Vieux Carré, made with our elusive Pearousia pear brandy.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 tsp Bénédictine D.O.M.
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Mix all ingredients in an old fashioned glass, over ice and stir.

Photo courtesy scaredy_kat on Flickr and used under Creative Commons Attribution license.

---

Global Warming Gin Fizz

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Good Booze:

In observance of Earth Day, we went as local and eco-ganic as we could in this tasty tipple, utilizing our favorite Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin, early blueberries, and wild lavender honey. Forage in your own area this weekend by supporting local distillers and farmers when mixing up a celebratory cocktail or two.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
¼ cup fresh blueberries
2 tsp local honey (try something floral to deepen the flavor)
½ of a fresh orange
Chilled club soda
½ oz Campari
Orange wedge for garnish

Crush the blueberries in the bottom of a glass, add the gin and honey, and mix well. Set aside for one hour.

After an hour, squeeze the fresh orange over the blueberry-gin mixture and stir. Add a few ice cubes, top with chilled club soda, then float Campari over the top. Garnish with an orange wedge and enjoy.

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

---

Three Lansdowne Prohibition Cocktails

Lansdowne Resort hosted an expo of local food and drink called ""Partners Since Prohibition"". These are three of the cocktails offered that night. Of course, since it was Prohibition, we were drinking cocktails from teacups.

Honey Do

Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
House-made melon syrup
Honey and Apple mix
Cayenne simple syrup
Dray Sack sherry
Champagne float

Smokin' Julep

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry
Laphroaig Scotch
Brown sugar
Muddled mint
Simple syrup
Soda
Lime

Southern Gent

Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
Drambuie
Basil simple syrup
Splash of Créme de Cassis

Courtesy Lansdowne Resort.

---

Ruby Rhubarb 'Rita

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Good Booze:

Rhubarb is a fruit, or a vegetable, depending upon who you ask, with a texture and flavor often likened to tart celery. Our Ruby Rhubarb syrup is layered with flavors that simply cried out for a layering of liquors; sticking with tradition, we used a silver tequila and a splash of triple sec, but then floated a little white whiskey over the top, our American nod to a fiery aguardiente.

1 lime
2-3 Tbsp Ruby Rhubarb syrup (adjust to your taste)
2 oz silver tequila
½ oz triple sec
½ Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
Fresh rhubarb, cut into a 4-inch stick for garnish (optional)

Cut the lime in half and squeeze all the juice into a cocktail shaker. Add the Ruby Rhubarb syrup, the tequila, the triple sec, and several ice cubes. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with coarse salt. Top with the Mosby's Spirit, garnish with fresh rhubarb, and drink up.

To make the Ruby Rhubarb syrup:

1 cup rhubarb, roughly chopped
1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice with pulp, freshly squeezed
1 cup water
1 cup turbinado sugar
4 or 5 pineapple sage leaves (you can substitue with basil)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for one hour, allowing the rhubarb to soften and break down. When the liquid has thickened slightly, remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Strain thoroughly through a fine-mesh sieve; can now be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Yield: about 1 cup.

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

 

---

Black-Eyed Susan

 

The 'Black-Eyed Susan' was the 2012 signature cocktail for the Preakness Party, an event at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia. The Preakness Party was a benefit to raise funds for Loudoun Therapeutic Riding, a wonderful non-profit dedicated to empowering, enhancing and enriching the lives of individuals with physical, cognitive or psychological challenges through the benefits of horseback riding, carriage driving or other equine assisted activities and therapies.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit™
1 oz white rum
½ oz Triple Sec
2 oz orange juice
1 oz pineapple juice
½ lime juice
1 slice orange, for garnish

Combine all ingredients and garnish.

Courtesy Loudoun Therapeutic Riding.

 

---

The Colonel Langdon

Langdon Wood Maple Syrup is a unique offering with limited availability. Made by Art Drauglis, this Grade A Pennsylvania maple syrup is aged in Catoctin Creek used rye whisky casks, giving the syrup and unbelievably rich oakiness and depth of flavor. It is only natural then, that we construct a cocktail with it. (If you're having trouble finding the syrup, we occasionally have some available at the distillery store.)

1 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit™
½-¾ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ oz Langdon Wood Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
3 oz seltzer
Lemon peel

In a shaker with ice, combine juice, syrup and Mosby's. Shake. Pour over ice in a rocks glass. Top with seltzer, garnish with lemon peel.

Courtesy Emily Landsman.

---

Wonderland White Manhattan

 

Molly, over at the Wonderland Kitchen, has been playing around with house-made bitters. Mixing various jars with herbs, leaves, and twigs seems like something that may be an old witch's recipe, but the resulting concoction can be quite amazing in cocktails! We were tickled to death when she highlighted our Mosby's Spirit in her Wonderland White Manhattan:

2 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit™
½ dry vermouth
½ oz Bénédictine
2 dashes Woodland bitters (for the recipe, click here)
Cherry

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and measure in all the liquid ingredients. Stir, don’t shake, the drink and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cherry.

Courtesy Molly at Wonderland Kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Classic Negroni

Summertime is a great time for gin. The warmer weather has people looking for cooler, more refreshing cocktails. My personal favorite is the Negroni, a true classic that stands up well to the assertiveness of the Watershed Gin:

2.0 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
0.75 oz Campari
1.5 oz Carpano Sweet Vermouth
Orange slice for garnish

Mix together the gin, Campari, and vermouth in a shaker full of ice. Serve neat or on the rocks in a rocks or martini glass. Garnish with a slice of orange.

Photo courtesy Jen SFO-BCN via Flickr and used under a Creative Commons license.

---

The Peach Pickup

Nothing says summertime quite like fresh ripe peaches! Give your day a ""pickup"" with this lovely peach cocktail!

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin™
White peach, sliced.
Mint
Ginger beer

Muddle the mint and peach in the bottom of a rocks glass, add ice, gin, ginger beer and stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Courtesy Emily Landsman.

---

The Turning Point

This cocktail is the creation of Luke Johnson, who created a special homemade tincture for this drink.

The tincture was based off of Charles H. Baker's recipe for orange bitters in Gentleman's Companion. I was taken to task for calling my creation 'bitters,' though, since I didn't have any gentian or wormwood, etc. My decision to use a less bitter tincture was because my other trials of this drink involving Regan's, Angostura, and Fee Bros. Old Fashioned Bitters were overly bitter, when the essential oils from the grapefruit peel were added.

Enjoy!

3 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin™
1 oz Dolin Blanc
Dash of homemade orange tincture (see above)
Grapefruit twist

Stir together the ingredients in a shaker of ice, strain into an old fashioned glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Courtesy Luke Johnson. Photos courtesy John Barley at SilverLuxStudios.com.

 

---

Thinking of Drinking: Thyme Gimlet

This cocktail comes to us from Capital Cooking with Lauren DeSantis:

I was inspired to make this Thyme Gimlet after having cocktails this week at Cafe Dupont. You'll love the earthy herbal combination with citrus. Cheers!

3 cups Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 bunch thyme
1½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1¼ cups simple syrup

Muddle the thyme in the gin and let it steep for several hours. Combine the ingredients in a large pitcher. Pour mixture into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled cocktail glasses.

Makes 4-6 cocktails.

Courtesy Lauren DeSantis, Capital Cooking, and used with permission.

---

The Mt. Vernon

This cocktail comes to us from Esquire Magazine, and John Reusing at Bad Decisions Bar:

My goal in designing this drink was to make a dryer and spicier version of the classic Manhattan. I had many customers looking for a dry, whiskey-based drink, so I set out to make something that was less sweet than most traditional whiskey drinks. I like Catoctin Creek because it has a lot of great spicy notes from the rye.

Shot of rye (Catoctin Creek or of similar quality)
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino

Shake, serve up. Garnish with an orange slice.

Courtesy John Reusing, Bad Decisions, and used with permission.

---

Occupy Whiskey

This cocktail is cross-posted from the Good Booze blog:

You’ll know by now, dear Boozers, that we adore flavor profiles that provide interesting contrasts, so that each sip is uniquely different, leading the taste buds through a subtle progression of flavors. This a true sipping drink, perfect for after dinner on the front porch on a cool autumn evening: the alfalfa-infused whiskey provides a certain quality of a freshly-mowed outfield, leading to a tart apple finish laced with beer.

1 large tablespoon fresh apple-beer simple syrup (so delicious — maybe two tablespoons; recipe below)
2 generous ounces Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1/2 cup packed fresh alfalfa sprouts

To make the apple-beer syrup: Put 1/2 cup of sugar, one cup of beer (choose a seasonal fall variety — we used Port City Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest), and 1/2 cup of freshly grated Granny Smith apple in a small saucepan and combine well. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes or until the syrup has thickened. Strain well and set aside to cool. Will keep refrigerated for two weeks.

To infuse the whiskey: Put four ounces of whiskey and the sprouts in a cocktail shaker. Muddle the sprouts lightly and set aside for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours. Strain completely before using.

To assemble the drink: Put 1 – 2 tablespoons of the apple-beer syrup in the bottom of a rocks glass. Pour the infused whiskey into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain over the apple-beer syrup and garnish with a slice of apple.

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

---

Cherry-Yuzu Rickey

This cocktail is one of the cocktails developed by James Beard award winning mixologist, Belinda Chang, of Culinary Concepts. It was featured at the launch of the 515 private label whiskey blend for J&G Steakhouse in Washington DC:

The classic Rickey was invented in Washington DC and named after Colonel Joe Rickey, a lobbyist from Missouri, and a regular at Shoomaker's Saloon located next to the National Theater. The original recipe does not include our Magic Lime Syrup. We made this drink to suit our modern palates with this double lime syrup that amps up the flavor of the spirit while also rounding the texture of the cocktail and also our Cherry Yuzu base. This drink can be batched for a tableside finishing spritz of seltzer!

2 oz Catoctin Creek 515 whiskey (or substitute Roundstone Rye or Watershed Gin as desired)
½ oz Magic Lime Bar Syrup (see below)
1 oz Cherry Yuzu Bar Syrup
1 lime half
Seltzer

Jigger the whiskey and bar syrups into a shaker. Squeeze in the juice from the half lime using a reamer. Add large, cold ice cubes and shake hard. Strain into a collins glass with fresh ice. Top with seltzer water and give a quick stir. Peel and garnish with twist of lime.

Magic Lime Bar Syrup

2 cups fresh lime juice
225 grams sugar
2 limes zested

Bring one cup lime juice and sugar to simmer. Remove from heat and add lime zest. Cool to room temperature, strain and add the second cup of lime juice. Keep refrigerated.

Courtesy Belinda Chang and used with permission.

---

Passion Fruit Chili Fizz

This cocktail is one of the cocktails developed by James Beard award winning mixologist, Belinda Chang, of Culinary Concepts. It was featured at the launch of the 515 private label whiskey blend for J&G Steakhouse in Washington DC:

This is a signature cocktail for J&G Steakhouse which is a twist on the classic whiskey sour. It gets a kick from red Thai chili and bright, juicy, tart and fruity notes from the passion fruit.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek 515 whiskey (or substitute Roundstone Rye as desired)
1½ oz passion fruit-chili bar syrup (see below)
Ginger ale to top

Measure the whiskey and syrup into a shaker. Add large cold ice cubes and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Top with ginger ale and garnish with a fresh red chili pepper.

Passion Fruit-Chili Bar Syrup

4½ cups passion fruit puree (fresh or frozen)
2¼ cups sugar
1¼ cups fresh lime juice
1 whole red Thai chili pepper

In a blender, puree all ingredients. Strain through a chinois and keep refrigerated.

Courtesy Belinda Chang and used with permission.

---

Sweet-n-Low and Lil Sis

Created by Catoctin Creek fan, Maria Vargas-Mundey, Sweet-n-Low was named in honor of her sister, whose nickname is 'Low'. Lil Sis is named for Maria, the little sister in the family.

Sweet-N-Low

Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Ginger ale
Dash of maraschino juice
Cherry for garnish

Mix the ingredients to taste and garnish with a cherry.

Lil Sis

Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Ginger ale
Dash of maraschino juice
Squeeze of orange juice
Cherry and slice of orange peel for garnish

Mix the ingredients to taste and garnish with a cherry.

Courtesy Maria Vargas-Mundey and used with permission.

---

Under My Ghost

This recipe was created by Kimberly Patton-Bragg of the Hotel Modern, New Orleans.

2½ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Cranberry Syrup
Mint

In a rocks glass, lightly muddle a good bit of mint in the cranberry syrup. Add crushed ice and pour Mosby's Spirit over. Top off with more crushed ice. Drizzle with additional cranberry syrup and garnish with a generous amount of mint.

To make the cranberry syrup: Boil together 4 cups of cranberries, 3 cups of sugar, 4 cups of water, and simmer for about 10 minutes until all the cranberries pop. Strain the solids and refrigerate. Lasts one month.

Courtesy Kimberly Patton-Bragg and used with permission.

---

The Thomas Riley Marshall Cocktail

 

Warren Bobrow did a very nice review of our peach brandy on Beekman1802, and this cocktail was his inspiration after the tasting. We believe the Cask Proof Roundstone Rye would also be a good substitute for the bourbon in this recipe.

Chilled glass packed with crushed ice to cool
2 oz Homestead Barrel Proof Bourbon Whiskey
1 oz Catoctin Creek Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy
Bitter End Curry Bitters

Pack your favorite hand blown rocks glass with ice, set to cool well. Pour out ice and wash the inside of the glass with about 1 oz of the Peach Brandy. Add one single hand-cut ice cube. Add 2 oz of the Homestead Bourbon. Dribble 2-4 drops of the Bitter End Curry Bitters over the top. Garnish with a home cured cherry. Throw those red things in a bottle out now!

Courtesy Warren Bobrow, and used with permission.

---

Nutella Whisky Dream

This recipe is cross-posted (with permission) from Good Booze:

We’ve found the new Dream Team, Boozers. Forget sports, we’re talking about a creamy liquid confection that will knock your socks off, and we’re wasting no time on flowery language or poetic musings. We call it a Nutella Whiskey Dream — but don’t pinch yourself, because it’s real and ready for imbibing.

Nutella, that lovely Italian hazelnut spread that French bébés love to slurp off their toasted baguettes before trooping off to school, has been in the news lately because of a newly-approved French tax on products that contain palm oil, thereby increasing the cost of Nutella to the French populace. Sacre bleu! Our advice to French senators: beware of renewed interest in the guillotine.

Luckily for Americans, our own senators don’t mind a bit if we want to liberally slather palm oil all over every morsel, so we feel compelled to enjoy Nutella at any moment. A hipster coffee bistro in the Good Booze ‘hood specializes in a tasty Nutella latté, so naturally we wondered how we might riff off of this in the comfort of our own home. Say hello to the Nutella Whiskey Dream, a tasty little slice of heaven on those long winter evenings by the fire watching old Jerry Lewis movies. A votre santé!

Now this is what we call a nightcap. Drink up.

4 ounces hot milk (cow, soy, coconut, whatever you like)
1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 heaping tablespoon Nutella
Freshly whipped cream spiked with Frangelico liqueur (optional… no, really it isn’t. You need this.)

Put the Nutella in the bottom of a mug or heat-safe glass; add ¼ cup hot milk and mix thoroughly, then add the rest of the milk and the whisky. Stir well, then top with whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Courtesy Good Booze, and used with permission.

---

Boston Club Punch

This was the traditional drink of New Orleans turn-of-the-20th-century Boston Club. It is light and fruity, without being cloyingly sweet.

1 cup of sugar
Peel and freshly squeezed juice of 4 oranges (the peel should have no pith)
2 fresh pineapple, cut into pieces
6 oz of raspberry syrup
2 oz of Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy
2 oz of Catoctin Creek Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy (or Pearousia, if you prefer)
2 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Grand Marnier
1½ bottles of chilled dry white wine
Four 750 ml bottles chilled sparkling wine
Orange wheels for garnish

Prepare an oleo-saccharum (sweet oil) by combining the sugar and orange peel pieces in a bowl. Muddle until the sugar is moist with the oil from the peels Let sit for about 30 minutes.

Add the pineapple chunks and muddle, then add the orange juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Strain the liquid into a large pitcher or jug, pressing the pulp to extract as much juice as possible. Add the raspberry syrup, 1757 and peach brandy, Mosby's Spirit, Grand Marnier, and white wine; stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two.

When ready to serve, add the fruit juice mixture to the punch bowl, and then add the sparkling wine. Stir and float orange wheels in the punch bowl for garnish. Serves 20-30. Half the recipe for a smaller group.

Adapted from the Michael Taylor of The Washington Post, which adapted the recipe from Wondrich's ""Punch"" (Perigee, 2010).

---

Mark Addison: The Raven

This cocktail was designed by Mark Addison, and inspired by our favorite Baltimore team making it to Superbowl XLVII.

The Raven is a dark and mysterious cocktail that I’ve adapted from other recipes for the Baltimore Ravens. It calls for Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin, which is distilled in the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before prohibition by Becky and Scott Harris. Located in the Chesapeake Bay area, this gin perfectly ties in to the location-based theme and in name pays respect to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It is distilled from eco-ganic rye grain with a secret recipe of eco-ganic herbs and spices.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz lime juice
2 oz cranberry juice cocktail
½ oz Blue Curacao
½ oz Chambord
crushed ice

Pour the gin, and blue curacao into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Slowly pour the Chambord over the back of a bar spoon so it floats on top.

Courtesy Mark Addison and used with permission.

---

The Catoctin Scofflaw

 

The Scofflaw is a Prohibition-era classic – back then, scofflaws were boozers, not mere jaywalkers. Let’s celebrate that golden era.

2 parts Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 part dry vermouth
¼ part fresh lemon juice
½ part grenadine or a red jam
2 dashes orange bitters

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, cover, and shake vigorously. Strain into your favorite cocktails glass. (Straining is very especially if you’re using jam.)

Courtesy Jean Schindler and used with permission.

---

Bright Eyes

A Better Brunch Beverage - an excellent excuse to drink your vegetables.

Juiced:
3 Oranges
1 Lime (peel and all)
10 large carrots
(this makes plenty of juice for either many guests or for kidlets)

Drink:
One ounce Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
3/4 ounce sweetener - I like Kitncello Orange (An artisan orange-cello from California)
3-4 oz of juice

Shake Ingredients over ice, serve in a chilled glass with orange wheel as garnish.

The roughage from the juicer makes an excellent garden compost!

This drink is a happy marriage between sour (lime juice), bitter (Lime peel), sweet (Kitncello and Orange juice) and earthy (carrot and Watershed).

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf and used with permission.

---

Pink and Perky

Not your Grandma's grapefruit juice. This is another one that would be great for brunch.

Juiced:
2 Red grapefruits
1 red delicious apple
2 pears

1-2 ounces of Watershed Gin over ice - top with juice.

The Watershed Gin slinks itself into the bitter-tartness of the grapefruit juice beautifully. If you like it tart--its great. If you need it a little sweeter...stir with a spoon lightly coated in honey.

Garnish with thin sliver of grapefruit.

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf and used with permission.

---

Adult Time Cider

Rebecca Dudley of Market Table Bistro pairs local Catoctin Creek Distillery rye with an unusual—and Virginia-made—hickory syrup that’s both sweet and smoky. The lemon and sage help balance this seasonal cocktail, while the cinnamon naturally brings out the appley flavor.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Wildwood’s Hickory Syrup (Berryville) or real maple syrup
1 oz apple cider
Juice from ¼ fresh lemon
8-10 ice cubes
Cinnamon sugar
2 fresh sage leaves (torn), plus 1 whole to garnish

Rim chilled martini glass with cinnamon sugar. Add all the other ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds and drain into chilled, rimmed glass. Float sage leaf on top.

Courtesy Rebecca Dudley of Market Table Bistro and used with permission.

---

The Highly Inappropriate Bartender

From Suttree Stan, at BarNotes:

Made this in honor (or spite) of the bar ""guest"" that named me a ""highly inappropriate bartender"". I really love the Cacoctin Creek Rye, aged about 2 years, from Northern Virginia, Rye in 80 proof & 116 proof cask proof, strong iodine & slight anise tones.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Cask Proof Rye (116 Proof)
¾ oz Averna Amaro
½ oz Sweet Vermouth
2 dash Peychaud Bitters
1 orange twist

Stir with ice and add the orange. Enjoy!

Courtesy Suttree Stan of BarNotes and used with permission.

---

Darling, Are You Still Drinking

From Suttree Stan, at BarNotes:

Had some nice folks in from Louisiana that were rather thirsty...and adventurous. Kind of a mash up of several cocktails.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Averna Amaro
¼ oz Solerno
2 dash Grapefruit Bitters
1 sugar cube
Yellow Chartreuse rinse

Chill coupe. Muddle sugar cube with bitters. Add rye, amaro, Solerno and stir with ice. Rinse coupe with chartreuse, strain and serve.

Courtesy Suttree Stan of BarNotes and used with permission.

---

Midtown Julep

This recipe comes to us from the Acacia Midtown in Richmond. What better way to celebrate derby day than with a local Virginia rye? The lemon balm is a unique touch as well. Lemon balm (also known as citronella), is a relative of the mint family, but has a distinctive lemony aroma that is altogether different from mint.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Agave syrup
Lemon balm

Muddle the lemon balm in the glass. Add rye and agave syrup, stir to combine, and top off with a few cubes of ice.

Courtesy Acacia Mid-Town and used with permission.

---

Your Civic Duty

After a week and a half of federal district court jury service, Emily, one of our brand ambassadors, was FRIED! She needed a drink in a big way. And this is what she created.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Fresh peach juice (canned, if you must)
¼ oz Brown sugar simple syrup (see below)
Lemon wedge
Mint leaves (optional, for garnish)

Add Roundstone Rye, juice and syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour into rocks glass with ice. Squeeze lemon wedge into glass, stir with the wedge and then toss it into the drink. Add mint leaves, if desired.

To make the syrup, bring equal parts dark brown sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Allow to cool, then pour into a squeeze bottle. Use within one month.

Courtesy Emily Landsman and used with permission.

---

Mack's Strawberry Smash

From Stephanie Wolf:

This weekend we, including my daughter, did pick-your-own strawberries from Mackintosh farm in Berryville. 24½ lbs of strawberries later, we have made jam, started fermentation for wine and froze whole berries. But I would be remiss if I didn't make a cocktail!

The drink is refreshing and not too sweet. Begs for a hammock and a good book on an early summer day.

Ripe strawberries
1-2 Tbsp sugar
3 medium basil leaves
2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Splash of Sprite
Strawberry for garnish

Muddle a few ripe strawberries with a tablespoon sugar and 3 medium basil leaves. (I used amethyst basil from my garden...which is a fun purple)

Shake gin and muddled mix, strain over crushed ice. Pour splash of Sprite. One quick stir. Garnish with strawberry.

Courtesy Stephanie Wolf and used with permission.

---

Royalist

A nice twist on a Manhattan. This uses dry vermouth instead of sweet, with the Benedictine providing an extra level of sweetness and character.

¾ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1½ oz dry vermouth
¾ oz Benedictine
1 dash of peach bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

From the Café Royal Cocktail Book (1937), by W. J. Tarling

---

Fizzy Old Fashioned

Nicole at Bourbon and Chocolate came up with a wonderful summertime alternative to the Old Fashioned:

Not sure why this is the case, but I only want an Old Fashioned during the cool winter months. The spicy rye with a hint of citrus just makes me think of the holidays. I know. I know. Most people think spiked egg nog. Wait, why are we talking holidays in the middle of June?

Let's focus on the beautiful weather we've been enjoying here in DC for the past couple of days. It's the kind of weather that requires a lighter cocktail for sitting on the back porch with. And I just can't get down with vodka or gin, so I present to you the Fizzy Old Fashioned or my summer old fashioned.

Cheers to summer!

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye (Nicole used Cask Proof)
½ oz fresh lemon juice
1 dash Peychaud's bitters
Chilled blood orange soda

In a chilled rocks glass, add a few ice cubes and everything but the soda. Give a quick stir and top with the soda. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry if you have one handy.

Courtesy Bourbon and Chocolate and used with permission.

---

Blackberry Smash

Another great cocktail making use of the bounty of summer.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
Handful of mint leaves
4-5 blackberries
½ oz agave nectar
Splash of club soda (optional)

Gently muddle blackberries with mint leaves, agave, and lemon juice. Fill your glass with ice. Top with Roundstone Rye. Give it one or two firm shakes. Top with soda or serve as is. Garnish with a few mint leaves. Mmmmmm, good!

Courtesy Kathy Goldstone and used with permission.

---

Grey Ghost Cocktail

This name of this recipe is a dual nod to Colonel John S. Mosby (the Gray Ghost) and its use of Citrus Earl Grey tea. Perfect for Loudoun County’s Colonial and Civil War history.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby’s Spirit (Steeped with Earl Grey Tea, see below)
2 dashes Angostura or Peychauds bitters
1 oz Cointreau liqueur
1 oz Rose’s lime juice
1 Maraschino cherry

Mix Mosby’s Spirit, Bitters, Cointreau and Lime Juice with Ice in a Shaker. Strain into rocks glass over Ice Cubes. Garnish with a cherry and start making your second round.

To Infuse the Mosby's Spirit

The key in this recipe is the advance preparation of the Mosby’s Spirit. Take one bottle and empty it into a bowl. Add seven Earl Grey Tea Bags and steep for 30 minutes. When removing the tea bags, do not pinch or squeeze them to get any liquid out, as they will render your brew bitter with tannins. Refill your bottle with a funnel and you are good to go.

Courtesy Arun Iyer and used with permission.

---

Paradise

This cocktail is one in a series of cocktails in collaboration with Don Ciccio e Figli, a local liqueur in the District, tracing their roots back to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Byrrh
1 oz Don Ciccio e Figli Mandarin

Chill all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker and then strain into a glass.

Courtesy Francesco Amodeo of Don Ciccio e Figli and used with permission.

---

Oh My!

This cocktail is one in a series of cocktails in collaboration with Don Ciccio e Figli, a local liqueur in the District, tracing their roots back to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Don Ciccio e Figli Hibiscus
½ Bonal Gentaine-Quina
Lemon twist

Chill all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker and then strain into a glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Courtesy Francesco Amodeo of Don Ciccio e Figli and used with permission.

---

Chiara

This cocktail is one in a series of cocktails in collaboration with Don Ciccio e Figli, a local liqueur in the District, tracing their roots back to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1½ oz Don Ciccio e Figli Strawberry
½ oz Cocchi Americano
Splash of lemon juice

In a shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Shake well, and strain into a glass with rocks. Garnish with lime or strawberry.

Courtesy Francesco Amodeo of Don Ciccio e Figli and used with permission.

---

From Italy to Virginia

This cocktail is one in a series of cocktails in collaboration with Don Ciccio e Figli, a local liqueur in the District, tracing their roots back to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1½ oz Don Ciccio e Figli Prickly Pear
½ oz Aperol
1 oz grapefruit juice

In a tall glass filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Stir and serve.

Courtesy Francesco Amodeo of Don Ciccio e Figli and used with permission.

---

Simona

This cocktail is one in a series of cocktails in collaboration with Don Ciccio e Figli, a local liqueur in the District, tracing their roots back to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 Don Ciccio e Figli Blueberry
½ oz fresh thyme
Half a lime
Splash of tonic

Muddle fresh thyme and lime. Add ice to a rocks glass, then add ingredients, and top off with tonic water. Shake if desired.

Courtesy Francesco Amodeo of Don Ciccio e Figli and used with permission.

---

Katia

This cocktail is one in a series of cocktails in collaboration with Don Ciccio e Figli, a local liqueur in the District, tracing their roots back to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Don Ciccio e Figli Concerto
1 oz Dolin Bianco
Chocolate bitters

Chill all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker and then strain into a glass. Garnish with three whole coffee beans.

Courtesy Francesco Amodeo of Don Ciccio e Figli and used with permission.

---

Raspberry Watershed Refresher

This was a feature cocktail of one of our Wandering Chef cocktail dinners. It is a perfect combination of mint, sweet fresh raspberries and the spiciness of the gin.

8 oz fresh limeade
5-6 sprigs of mint
½ cup fresh raspberries
4 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz grenadine

Muddle mint until it is well bruised. Put mint, limeade, and raspberries in a blender for 10 seconds until raspberries are pureed. Add gin and grenadine. Blend until well combined. Strain over and ice filled glass.

Courtesy Katie Morrison.

---

Pearousia White Ginger

This was a feature cocktail of one of our Wandering Chef cocktail dinners. It uses the Pearousia pear brandy with ginger liqueur and lemon juice for a unique variant on an old Sidecar.

6 oz Pearousia pear brandy
2 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
¼ tsp fresh lemon juice
Crystalized ginger (for garnish)

Mix brandy, ginger liqueur, and lemon juice in a shaker half filled with ice. Pour into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with ginger.

Courtesy Katie Morrison.

---

A La Lousiane

A new take on the old Sazerac recipe, the Benedictine gives a little taste of that old brandy flavor which was common in the Sazeracs in the early days.

1 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz Benedictine
1 oz sweet vermouth
dash of Peychaud bitters
dash of absinthe
Cherry (for garnish)

Combine ingredients in glass with ice and stir. Pour into cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

---

Mosby's Cider Martini

This was a feature cocktail of one of our Wandering Chef cocktail dinners. The Mosby's and cider combine with the cinnamon for the perfect autumn cocktail.

1 oz Mosby's Spirit
2 oz apple cider
½ tsp fresh lime juice
&frac14 tsp cinnamon (for garnish)

Moisten the rim of a cocktail glass with a lime wedge, and rim the glass with cinnamon. Mix Mosby's Spirit, apple cider, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Strain into a martini glass.

Courtesy Katie Morrison.

---

Pumpkin Gin Fizz

This is one of our featured cocktails for the fall season at the distillery tasting room.

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz pumpkin purée
1½ oz fresh lemon juice
1½ simple syrup
Ginger ale

Mix the ingredients in a shaker of ice, and top with ginger ale.

---

Apple Barrel

A very simple cocktail which is... simply delicious!

1 oz Roundstone Rye
2 oz apple cider
2 pinches of brown sugar
dash of bitters

Combine ingredients in glass with ice and stir.

---

Honey Cake Cocktail

This cocktail originally appeared in the Jewish Food Experience. Created by Emily Landsman, brand ambassador for Catoctin Creek, this cocktail recalls the Jewish traditions of serving honey cakes during holidays. Emily writes:

Though I come from a family of cooks, I do not come from a family of bakers. We were lucky to have many delicious kosher bakeries where I grew up in New York. Had we not, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have ever had honey cake or rugelach. Today, I like using traditional flavors and serving them in a glass instead of a Bundt pan. This recipe is perfect for Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot.

3 oz Roundstone Rye Whisky
½ tsp crushed fall spices, such as cinnamon, star anise, clove, allspice, etc. (You can also buy a package of mulling spices and use a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to crush them.)
2 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ oz honey
1 tsp water
Ice
Orange peel

Stir the spices into the whisky and allow it to sit for several hours or overnight to infuse. Strain the whisky through a strainer with a coffee filter to remove the spices. Add the water to the honey and stir to dissolve it into a slightly thinner syrup. Add the spiced whisky, juice and honey to a cocktail shaker with several pieces of ice. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass or rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel, twisting before you toss it into the drink to release oils in the peel.

Recipe courtesy of Emily Landsman.

---

El Bombero

This cocktail is in honor of our favorite distiller and volunteer fire fighter, Greg Moore, aka El Bombero. Hot and spicy and sweet at the same time.

1.25 oz vanilla bean infused Roundstone Rye *
0.5 oz roasted hot pepper simple syrup **
0.25 oz raspberry vinegar
Chocolate mole bitters
Cocoa powder
Whole fresh raspberries

Add Roundstone Rye, hot pepper syrup, and vinegar to a shaker with plenty of ice and shake for 10 seconds. Pour into a chilled martini glass. Add several drops of chocolate mole bitters. Garnish with fresh raspberries and a few dashes of cocoa powder.

* To make the infused Roundstone Rye:
Split a whole vanilla bean down the center and scrape the seeds. Add all of it to a bottle of Roundstone Rye. Later, when you've run out of whisky, you can throw the bean into a jar with white sugar to make vanilla sugar.

** To make the hot pepper simple syrup: (best to use a gas stove top if you can. If not, go make a fire...somewhere safe!)
Roast two chili peppers (I used Fresno) over low flame, using tongs to turn every few seconds. You can also put a metal steamer basket over a gas stovetop so you can cook two or three at a time. Once all of the skin has turned black, place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam for about 5 minutes. Then, wearing latex gloves, remove the skins from the peppers, cut off the stem and place the pepper in a small blender, including seeds. Add one cup of simple syrup (3/4 cup water, 3/4 sugar, gently boiled just until the sugar dissolves. Cool.) and pulse a few times to chop up the pepper. Strain it several times to remove all of the pulp and discard. Label and store in a container in the fridge for up to a month.

Courtesy Emily Landsman, Greg Moore's biggest fan.

---

The JFE Jelly Doughnut

 

Who doesn’t like sufganiyot, the jelly-filled doughnuts so popular in Israel for Hanukkah? I’m usually not a fan of dairy-based cocktails, but this one seemed to come together so perfectly that I couldn’t say no. Think of it as our version of egg nog, and a great treat for the grown ups at your Hanukkah party.

1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp super fine granulated sugar
1½ oz vanilla bean-infused Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky*
1 tsp seedless raspberry jam
¾ oz heavy cream or half and half
Several heavy dashes of chocolate mole bitters (you can find several brands online)
Fresh raspberries for garnish

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small saucer. Gently dip the top of your martini glasses in a bit of water and shake off the excess. Tap each glass in the cinnamon sugar mix so that you have about ¼” of the rim of the glass covered. Flip the glass right side up and allow it to dry a bit while you make the drink.

Add whisky, jam, cream or half and half and mole bitters to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds to properly blend the dairy and whisky. Strain into your cinnamon-sugar-dusted martini glass. Add several fresh raspberries to garnish your drink.

* To make the infused Roundstone Rye, split a whole vanilla bean down the center and scrape the seeds. Add all of it to a bottle of Roundstone Rye and allow it to infuse for several days. Later, when you've run out of whisky, you can throw the bean into a jar with sugar to make vanilla sugar.

Recipe and photo courtesy Emily Landsman.

---

Sweet Potato Flip

 

A bit of an herbal and sweet drink, this cocktail takes advantage of the sweet, spicy rye grain flavor of Catoctin Creek’s Mosby’s Spirit. Think savory, with just a touch of sweetness from the sweet potatoes.

1½ oz sweet potato-infused Catoctin Creek Mosby’s Spirit*
¼ oz maple syrup
¼ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
Heavy pinch of fresh thyme, chopped
Garnishes of several sprigs of fresh thyme, long pieces of fresh-snipped chives and freshly grated nutmeg

Add sweet potato infused Mosby’s Spirit, maple syrup, lemon juice and the fresh thyme to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well for 10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a sprig of thyme, a few pieces of chives and nutmeg.

* To make the sweet potato-infused Mosby’s Spirit, add half of an average sized peeled, mashed baked sweet potato to two cups of Mosby’s spirit. Allow the potato to soak in the spirit for a few hours, and then strain it through a fine mesh strainer, being sure to press some of the potato through the strainer.

Recipe and photo courtesy Emily Landsman.

---

Catoctin Red Silk

This cocktail was from our November, 2013, dinner with Wandering Chef. It is tart, and a little sweet, with a beautiful red color that comes entirely from the cranberries. Try this for a refreshing complement to a salad with vinaigrette dressing.

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz cranberry syrup

Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice, strain into rocks glasses or champagne flutes.

* To make the cranberry syrup, cook over medium heat in a saucepan: 1½ cups cranberries, 1 cup water, ¾ cups sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until cranberries fall apart (about 10 minutes). Fine strain into a bowl, let cool, and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Photo courtesy Farrah Skeiky and used with permission.

---

Cobbler Old Fashioned

Cobbler style is what New Orleans bartenders call any cocktail that is shaken when it's supposed to be stirred. The original rye old fashioned was never meant to be shaken.

2 oz Roundstone Rye
cherry and orange slice
sugar cube
4 dashes of Fee Brothers aromatic bitters

Muddle the cherry and orange slice with the sugar cube and four dashes of bitters. Add the rye, shake and strain over fresh ice, no soda water. Garnish with cherry and orange.

Recipe and photo courtesy Matthew Thomas Palumbo, and used with permission.

---

Palumbo Sazerac

Matthew Thomas Palumbo is a New Orleans bartender, and he shared his wonderful sazerac recipe with us. He writes:

I love your rye because of the full spice flavor and high rye content...especially with the old fashioned, because the spice balances the sweet.

3 oz Roundstone Rye
Herbsaint or Pastis (Ricard if you can't get Herbsaint)
2 dashes of Fee Brothers aromatic bitters
4 dashes of Peychaud's bitters
Lemon Twist

Coat a double rocks glass with Herbsaint or Pastis. Combine rye and bitters on ice. Stir and strain chilled into a glass with no ice. Long lemon twist for garnish.

Recipe and photo courtesy Matthew Thomas Palumbo, and used with permission.

---

Mosby's Appleseed Martini

This recipe was one of our delicious cocktails from our Wandering Chef dinners. I like how this cocktail, a riff on a classic martini, makes use of fruit infused moonshine. Mixing the traditional martini, with a traditional method for drinking 'shine, well, it just works really well here.

Apples (any variety, honeycrisp, Fuji, Granny Smith, etc.)
1 bottle Mosby's Spirit, infused with apples*
Dry vermouth

Mix 2 oz of infused Mosby's Spirit to 1 oz of dry vermouth in a shaker half filled with ice. Strain into a martini glass.

* To infuse the Mosby's Spirit, add chopped, peeled, seeded apple chunks to the Mosby's Spirit for 1-2 weeks.

Photo courtesy Farrah Skeiky and used with permission.

---

Chad's Egg Nog

This recipe comes from our brand ambassador, Chad Robinson, and makes use of equal parts Roundstone Rye and 1757 Virginia Brandy. The key is to give this enough time to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

6 eggs, separated
1 cup half&half
¼ cup Roundstone
¼ cup 1757
½ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
nutmeg, whipped cream (optional) for garnish

Beat egg whites in a stand mixer with 2 tablespoons of sugar until frothy. Set aside.

Beat egg yolks in a stand mixer with remaining sugar until the mixture is lighter and consistently pale yellow. Add half & half, whiskey, brandy, cinnamon and nutmeg to the egg yolk mixture and mix thoroughly.

While mixing the egg yolk mixture, add in the egg whites and continue mixing for another minute.

Refrigerate the egg nog for at least an hour (overnight is ideal). Serve with freshly grated nutmeg on top.

Photo courtesy of Ed Felker.

---

Old Vermont Cocktail

So what do Watershed Gin and Langdonwood barrel-aged maple syrup have in common? This cocktail... courtesy of Larry Kilbourne, head baker at Le Dimplomate in Washington DC.

1½ oz Watershed Gin
½ oz maple syrup
½ oz orange juice
½ oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
couple dashes orange bitters.

Combine ingredients, shake well and serve.

Courtesy Larry Kilbourne.

---

Catoctin Caipirinha

Scott recently completed a trip to Brazil to explore the cultural heritage of food, drinks, and of course, cachaça—Brazil's national spirit. Cachaça is made from raw green sugar cane, as opposed to rum, which is made from molasses. Cachaça is therefore fresher, greener, and totally unlike rum. The Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail. You will see it in every restaurant, every bar, and every beachside food stand. It is so refreshing and delicious!

Sometimes, you will see Caipirinhas made with vodka, and we thought it would be fun to make it with Mosby's Spirit, which shares many of the fresh green qualities of cachaça.

½ lime, quartered
1 tsp white sugar
2½ oz Mosby's Spirit
1 cup ice cubes

In a large rocks glass squeeze and drop in 2-4 eighths of lime. Add sugar, crush and mix with a spoon. Pour in the Mosby's Spirit and plenty of ice. Stir well. Garnish with remaining lime slices.

---

""Weed Bowl"" XLVIII Cocktails

This year's big game features the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, both teams who hail from recently legalized marijuana states. Folks are calling it the ""Weed Bowl"" rather than trample on the NFL's trademark!

Therefore, we thought it would be cute to use hemp in our cocktails. Hemp seeds have a spicy flavor, and hemp oil can range from nutty in a light oil, to a grassy texture in the darker oils. Hemp is usually available in local eco-ganic grocery and health food stores.

Of course, by using hemp, we're still keeping it legal across the USA.

Bronco Buster

1 tsp hemp seeds
1½ oz Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Galliano
2 oz fresh orange juice

Lightly crush hemp seeds with mortar and pestle. Add to shaker with ice and Roundstone Rye, Galliano and orange juice. Lightly shake, strain into chilled cocktail class. Garnish with orange twist and sprinkle additional seeds on top.

Seattle Sea Swig

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz Green Chartreuse
¼ oz hemp oil
Blue-tinted sea salt

Mix together in a shaker of ice, Mosby's Spirit, Green Chartreuse, and hemp oil. Stir well and strain into a martini glass rimmed with blue-tinted sea salt (available in most liquor stores).

---

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

These cocktails are an homage to the month of March, when they say the weather comes ""in like a lion, and out like a lamb."" We've certainly seen that with this year of 2014 weather. Spring can't come soon enough after endless bouts of Polar Vortex snow-assaults. We are ready for some tulips and crocuses, please!

The Rye Lion cocktail is our take on a sour, non-sweet, assertive cocktail made with Roundstone Rye. The up-front citrus and strong ginger taste would provide salve after the coldest day of snow-shoveling. And as winter passes into spring, we begin to enjoy the first blooms in the garden. Which brings us to the Spring Lamb, a floral, delicate cocktail, subtle and sweet. Just like spring!

Rye Lion

2 oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz fresh lime juice
Dash of orange bitters
Ginger beer
Lime slice for garnish

Add Roundstone Rye, lime juice and orange bitters to a shaker with small pieces of ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a slice of lime.

 

 

Spring Lamb

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
½ oz honey syrup*
¼ oz grenadine
2-3 drops rosewater, more if needed
Seltzer
Rose petal garnish

Add Mosby's Spirit, honey syrup, grenadine, and rosewater to a shaker with small pieces of ice and shake well. Strain & pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with seltzer and garnish with a rose petal.

*To make the honey syrup use equal parts honey and water in any quantity. Store in a container in the refrigerator.

Cocktails by Scott Harris and Emily Landsman. Photos by Emily Landsman.

---

The Noisemaker Punch

 

Emily Landsman, brand ambassador for Catoctin Creek writes:

My memories of childhood Purim celebrations are different than those of my grown up Purim celebrations, which, of course, include drinking. We’re not supposed to get drunk, of course, but we are supposed to drink until we don’t know the difference between the wicked Haman and the good Mordechai. I’ve always wanted to make a festive punch, and this one is great for your Purim party. I, of course, made this recipe using Catoctin Creek’s Roundstone Rye, but if you’d like to use another whisky, you should try the recipe out ahead of time. Remember that many corn based whiskies, including bourbon, are quite sweet on their own, so you may need to adjust the finished ginger ale and fruit juice. Aperol is a slightly bitter Italian liqueur that adds a nice flavor and a bit of color. To make just one cocktail, simply convert cups to ounces!

2 cups Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 cup Aperol Liqueur
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
10 whole green cardamom pods
8-10 large chunks of star anise (about three whole pieces)
1 liter good quality ginger ale, chilled
Citrus wheels for garnish

Combine the Roundstone Rye, Aperol, orange juice, lime juice, cardamom pods and star anise in a large pitcher and stir well. Put it in the fridge for several hours, but minimum one hour. Just before serving, add ice to the pitcher and stir well for about 30 to 45 seconds. Strain the mix into a punch bowl using a strainer to remove the ice, but allow some of the cardamom and star anise to float in the bowl as a garnish. Add all of the ginger ale and several round slices of lime, lemon or small oranges for garnish. Serve with or without ice in 6-ounce punch cups using a punch ladle.

Recipe and photo courtesy Emily Landsman.

---

Gone-A-Rye

This cocktail comes to us from Matthew Palumbo, from La Tagliatella in Arlington, Virginia.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Benedictine
¾ oz Dry Sherry
¾ oz Lemon juice
2 dashes Aromatic bitters
Egg white

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and serve.

Courtesy Matthew Palumbo, La Tagliatella

---

Virginia Coffee

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
1½ oz coffee concentrate* (We recommend using beans from local roaster Lucas Roasting Company, available at the distillery too!)
1½ oz milk (2% works best. You can use whole, but I'd avoid 1% or skim)
½ to ¾ oz rich turbinado syrup**

Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a glass with fresh ice. Garnish with whole coffee beans.

*Coffee concentrate

2 cups of water
3½ oz ground coffee

Gently stir water and coffee in a jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for 12-15 hours. Strain through 3 layers of cheesecloth and allow it to drip for several minutes. Next, strain a second time through a coffee filter. Keep refrigerated.

(To use as coffee, add equal amounts of boiling water and room temperature concentrate in a coffee mug.)

*Rich syrup

2 cups turbinado sugar, like Sugar in the Raw, or demerara sugar
1 cup water

Gently bring to a boil so the sugar dissolves and then allow to cool. Keep refrigerated.

---

Julien Bourgon from T.N.T.

Julien Bourgon was our first bartender in our Guest Bartender Series, or Tasting Room Takeover, as it has become known. Julien tends bar at T.N.T. and sometimes PX in Alexandria.

This is How You Dougie

1½ oz Watershed Gin
2 oz fir water*
½ oz fresh lime juice

Stir well with ice. Serve in a martini glass and garnish with fir needles.

*Fir Water:

2 qts water
⅓ cup sugar
½ qt douglas fir needles

Simmer for 10 minutes. Store in a bottle and refrigerate.

 

Mosby Goes to Italy

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
½ oz Aperol
½ oz maple water**
½ oz fresh lemon juice

Shake with ice in a shaker. Serve in a martini glass, no garnish.

**Maple Water:

1 part maple syrup
1 part water

Store in a bottle and refrigerate.

 

What Do You Suppose A Honey Bee Knows?

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz honey-pepper syrup***
½ oz fresh lemon juice

Stir well with ice. Serve in a martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

***Honey-pepper syrup:

1 qt water
1 qt honey
2 Tbsp whole white peppercorns

Simmer for 10 minutes. Store in a bottle and refrigerate.

---

Andrew Shapiro from the Green Pig Bistro

Andrew Shapiro has been a friend of the distillery for a long time. He's worked with Chad Robinson in a number of ventures, and proudly pours our stuff at the Green Pig Bistro in Arlington, Virginia. We are so happy to have him as our second bartender in the Guest Bartender Series.

Rye Daisy

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz pine-needle honey syrup*
½ oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Boston Bittahs (from Bitterman's)

Stir well with ice. Serve in a rocks glass with ice and a lemon garnish.

*Pine Needle Honey Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4-5 pine needles

Simmer for 10 minutes. Keep refrigerated.

 

Catoctin Stormy

2 oz Watershed Gin
1-2 dashes vanilla bitters**
House made ginger beer

Mix bitters and gin in a rocks glass on ice, top with ginger beer.

**If you're daring, try this recipe!

 

Bubblelicious

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Falernum
¾ oz hibiscus-grapefruit syrup***

Stir well with ice. Serve in a rocks glass with ice.

***Hibiscus-Grapefruit Syrup

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
¾ cup dried hibiscus flowers
zest from ¼ grapefruit

Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain out flowers and zest. Keep refrigerated.

---

Alexandra Bookless from The Passenger

After the wonderful launch of our private label Roundstone Rye for The Passenger, we were thrilled to get Alex Bookless, general manager and bartender at The Passenger, to join us in our tasting room. The Passenger is a taste-maker for the DC cocktail scene, and that status is largely Alex's doing. She's awesome and amazing, and we loved having her at our distillery!

Here are her three creations for the month of March.

Country Drive Cola

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz curry-cola syrup*
Seltzer
Star Anise for garnish

Stir ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a glass with ice and top with seltzer. Garnish with a piece of star anise.

*Curry-Cola Syrup:

Alex adds her own secret blend of spices to this classic cola recipe. Experiment to find your favorite spice mix.

4 cups water
Peels & juice from one lemon, lime, & orange
Cinnamon, nutmeg, & cardamom pods
4 cups cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Gently simmer water, peels & spices for 1 hour, then add sugar, juices and vanilla extract. Allow to sit in fridge for at least 24 hours before enjoying.

Rickey is for Lovers

2 oz Watershed Gin
Juice from ½ lime
2 dashes cardamom bitters**
Seltzer

Stir together in a glass with ice. Add bitters and top with seltzer. Garnish with the squeezed lime.

**We like Scrappy’s Brand

Front Porch Rocker

2 oz Mosby’s Spirit
¾ oz lemon verbena syrup***
¾ oz fresh lemon juice

Add ingredients together in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a lemon peel and sprig of lemon verbena

*** Lemon Verbena Syrup:

4 cups water
Half bunch fresh lemon verbena
4 cups cane sugar

Simmer the lemon verbena in water for 10 minutes. Strain out the leaves and add sugar. Stir until dissolved. Store in the refrigerator.

---

Brett Robison of Republic

 

Brett Robison's cocktails make use of carbonators and atomizers, giving a wonderful effervescence to the three cocktails below. Be sure to check him out at Republic in Takoma Park, Maryland.

RGT

This recipe will make several cocktails for you and your guests.

13½ oz Watershed Gin
4 oz Strong tonic syrup
2 oz bitter lemon syrup*
10 oz water
3 spray Kübler absinthe/lemon bitters mix
Cucumber garnish

Load ingredients into a SodaStream™ device and carbonate. Spray finished drink with ""ex spray"" & garnish w/ cuke.

5 miles to Midnight

7½ oz Mosby's Spirit
3¾ oz grapefruit juice
2½ oz Aperol
2½ oz bitter lemon syrup*
16 oz water
Cucumber garnish

Load ingredients into a SodaStream™ device and carbonate. Garnish with cucumber.

Net Worth

1½ oz 1757 Virginia Brandy or Roundstone Rye
½ oz Suze or house made Gentian liqueur/syrup
⅓ oz bitter lemon syrup*
3 dashes Peychaud's
1 dash Angostura
2 sprays Absinthe/lemon bitters
Lemon peel garnish

Stir ingredients (minus absinthe) with ice & strain into a cocktail glass. Spray with Absinthe/lemon bitters & garnish with lemon peel.

Photos courtesy of Scott Suchman and Republic, and used with permission.

 

*Bitter Lemon Syrup

This syrup is on the more adventurous side, but follow this recipe closely, and you can do it. It's worth the effort!

Setting up for this syrup is key. One very large, shallow sheet pan is needed. An additional sheet pan that is the same size or another pan that is deeper will also be beneficial.

In the larger pan you create a salt water ice bath. Lay the smaller sheet pan on top. It should not submerge or be able to submerge into the ice bath below, we don't want to get salt water in there.

Spread the lemon peels out evenly across the sheet pan.

Bring water to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, slowly add/incorporate all of the white sugar while stirring continuously. Once all the sugar has dissolved, cut the heat and remove pot from the burner. Transfer hot syrup evenly over the lemons in the sheet pan. Once in the sheet pan, gently push the liquid back and forth to expedite the cooling process. If you've done it right, a big burst of lemony smell should emerge from the sheet pan.

Couple key concepts here:

Spreading liquid thinly allows it to cool significantly faster.

Rapid cooling of the syrup solution creates the appropriate texture, viscous but not heavy like most syrups end up being.

Additional cooling occurs when syrup comes into contact with lemon peels.

Finally, the addition of hot syrup allows the lemon peels to be exposed to enough heat to remove some aromatic components and essential oils, but prevents them from getting too bitter/gross.

---

Jamie Imhof of Wildwood Kitchen

 

Jamie Imhof's cocktails make use of some unique techniques, like using a red wine float as a garnish, and using a smoker to give a new dimension to a traditional old cocktail. Be sure to check her out at Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda, Maryland.

Ginger Martini

2 oz Mosby’s Spirit
1 oz Ginger syrup*
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz lime juice
½ oz pineapple juice
Red wine of your choice (use a pour spout)

Combine Mosby’s Spirit, ginger syrup, & juices in a shaker with ice. Pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish by slowly rimming the glass with the red wine.

*Ginger syrup

1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups water
½ cup ginger, peeled, diced & muddled.

Combine all ingredients in a small pot & bring to a boil, remove from heat & let steep for 30 minutes. Strain. Keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Smoked Rye Negroni

1 oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz Campari
½ oz Aperol
¾ oz Sweet Vermouth
Twist of orange

Smoke* the Roundstone Rye & Campari in a small bottle & allow to sit for several minutes. Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice & stir. Strain into a chilled glass with one large piece of ice. Garnish with a twist of orange.

To smoke the spirits, you will need a small chef’s smoker. We recommend using fruit wood, or a cut up oak barrel! Here is one option you can try: http://www.chefessentials.com/default/polyscience-sg2-psc-the-smoking-gun.html

Tonic #6

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Cinch Tonic Syrup #6 (available from http://www.cinchtonic.com)
3 or 4 oz seltzer (depending on your taste)
Fresh basil garnish

In a tall glass with ice, stir to combine the Watershed Gin & Cinch Tonic. Top with seltzer, & garnish with fresh basil.

---

Pascual

Another delightful play on a traditional margarita, but again, with Mosby's Spirit guiding the way.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit, infused with jalapeño
2 oz Fresh lime juice
1 oz Agave syrup
Cilantro garnish

Stir to combine with ice, strain and fill in a salt-rimmed glass, and garnish with a cilantro leaf. Adjust jalapeño more or less to taste.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Miss Piggy

Definitely not kosher, but oh, so lovely, if you enjoy bacon. If not, skip the pork and just enjoy the rye.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye, infused with cooked bacon
1 oz Maple syrup
1 oz Fresh orange juice
Angostura bitters
Orange twist garnish

Stir to combine with ice, strain and fill in a cocktail glass, and garnish with a orange twist.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

La Vie

The floral notes from the St. Germain, grapefruit, and peach bitters blend together with the deep richness of the Watershed Gin herbs to provide a wonderfully balanced and delightfully refreshing sipper.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz St. Germain
0.5 oz Fresh grapefruit juice
Peach bitters

Stir to combine with ice, strain and fill in a cocktail glass.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Trevor Frye of Jack Rose / Dram & Grain

Trevor Frye's cocktails make use of some unique techniques, like using a red wine float as a garnish, and using a smoker to give a new dimension to a traditional old cocktail. Be sure to check her out at Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda, Maryland.

New Fashioned

2 oz Roundstone Rye
¼ oz simple syrup
3 dashes Jerry Thomas Own Decanter Bitters
Velvet Falernum rinse

Rinse rocks glass with Velvet Falernum.

Combine rye, simple syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir.

Discard velvet Falernum. Pour in to glass and garnish with lemon peel.

Beez Sneeze

1½ oz Watershed Gin
¾ Honey
¾ peppercorn infused lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in to shaker. Shake and double strain in to chilled couple. Orange peel to garnish.

Berry Nice to Meet You

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz strawberry syrup
½ oz orange juice
Blackberries to garnish

Combine all ingredients in to shaker with ice. Shake and double strain in to chilled martini glass. Blackberry to garnish.

 

---

Rye Tye

This was the feature cocktail by Catoctin Creek at the RAMMYS 2014. We were honored to have been named finalists in the Best Producer category, and to celebrate, Chad Robinson created a specialty cocktail just for the event. Think Mai Tai but with rye! You'd never guess there wasn't rum in this drink!

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz lime juice
½ oz Pierre Ferrand dry Curaçao
¼ oz Fee Brothers Orgeat syrup
¼ part rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)
Mint and lime garnish

Shake ingredients together and strain into an ice filled glass. Garnish with lime and a sprig of mint.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

John Le Carre

This cocktail was sent to us from William Collier's in Nashville. The pub is named for Chief Engineer of the Marathon Motor Car, William Henry Collier, William Collier's is a pub located in historic Marathon Village. They have a great selection of whiskey and beer, and their sandwiches are some of the best in Nashville. The drink is named after that great author of cold war spy fiction. Sip this one with your back against the wall and one eye on the door.

¾ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Cask Proof
¾ oz Bitter Truth EXR Krauter liqueur
¾ oz brandy (1757 Virginia Brandy is a solid choice, my friend)
barspoon of Benedictine
2 dashes Creole bitters
2 dashes Jerry Thomas decanter bitters
orange peel wrapped around a cherry on a skewer for garnish

Shake ingredients together and strain into an ice filled cocktail glass. Garnish as pictured.

Courtesy William Collier's Pub and used with permission.

 

 

 

---

Watershed Pimms

A delicious Pimms cup with our Watershed Gin.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Pimms
0.5 oz homemade sparkling lemonade
Angostura bitters
Cucumber and mint garnish

Stir to combine with ice, strain and fill in a rocks glass on ice.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Watermelon Fizz

We continually find that the best cocktails with Mosby's Spirit are those with fruit. This one is light and refreshing, yet sophisticated.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Watermelon puree
0.5 oz Strong hibiscus tonic
Prosecco or sparkling cider
Basil leaf garnish

Stir to combine Mosby's Spirit, watermelon puree, and tonic with ice, strain and fill in a rocks glass on ice. Top with Prosecco and garnish with basil.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Rye Knot

Ginger and rye. Ginger and rye. Oh, how I love ginger and rye!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz sake
0.5 oz fresh orange juice
0.5 oz ginger simple syrup
0.5 oz peach syrup
Ginger beer

Stir to combine rye, sake, orange juice, ginger and peach syrups with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with ginger beer.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Donato Alvarez of Sixth Engine

Donato's cocktails each pay individual attention to the flavors of the three main spirits: The Mosby's cocktail is refreshingly fruity, the Watershed Gin cocktail makes use of the delicious herbal notes in the gin, and the Roundstone cocktail is a take on an old-school rye cocktail.

Blue Moon

¾ oz Wild blueberry preserves
½ oz Lemon juice
1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
Basil garnish
Club soda

Combine everything in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Strain into glass of ice, garnish with basil and top with club soda.

Garden Elixir

1½ oz Watershed Gin
¾ Dill syrup
½ Lime juice
Bitters float
Dill garnish

Combine all ingredients in to shaker. Shake and strain in to glass of ice. Float the bitters, and garnish with dill.

Rye Me A River

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Velvet Falernum
¾ Lime juice
1 oz Cocchi Rosa
Cucumber garnish

Combine all ingredients in to shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass. Cucumber slice to garnish.

 

---

Pêche de Mode

This cocktail was our feature cocktail at Tales of the Cocktail 2014 in New Orleans. Another creation of our wonderful brand ambassador, Chad Robinson, this is a new take on an old fashioned.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92-proof
1/2 barspoon molasses (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 barspoon superfine sugar
4 dashes Fee Brothers peach bitters
Lemon peel for garnish

Add molasses and sugar to the bottom of a mixing glass. Add bitters and stir to start to incorporate the bitters, sugar and molasses. Add rye whiskey and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir until cold. Strain into a double old fashioned or rocks glass with a large cube of ice. Peel a strip of lemon and express the oils over the top of the cocktail and discard the lemon peel.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Josh McCabe of the Hamilton

Josh holds down the fort at the Hamilton most nights. If you haven't been to the Hamilton in DC, that's something to put on your list. In this month's cocktails, Josh makes nice use of that fresh summer fruit.

Summer Berry Negroni

1 oz Watershed Gin
½ oz Aperol
¾ oz berry syrup*
2 dashed rhubarb bitters

*Berry syrup

6 oz blackberries
6 oz raspberries
1 c sugar
1 c water

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 10 mins. Purée the mixture and strain.

White Cherry Old Fashioned

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz cherry syrup**
2 dashes orange bitters

**Cherry syrup

20 cherries, pitted
1 c sugar
½ c orange juice

Bring mixture to a simmer for 10 mins, purée and strain.

Rye Peach Shrub

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz white peach shrub***
2 dashes Angostura bitters

***White Peach Shrub

4 white peaches, diced
½ c champagne vinegar
1 c sugar
½ c water

Simmer, purée, strain

 

---

Dogwood's Virginia Old Fashioned

This recipe comes to us from Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church, Virginia, and celebrates everything Virginia: peanuts, honey, and Roundstone Rye! Give yourself some time in advance to infuse the rye when making this recipe.

2 oz Peanut-infused Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye*
¾ oz Virginia honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Lemon peel
Brandied cherry

Combine all the ingredients into a chilled pint glass filled with ice. Stir the drink about 30 times. Strain into a large rocks-filled double old fashioned glass. Express the lemon peel over the top of the cocktail, rim the glass with it and drop it in along with a brandied cherry.

*Peanut-Infused Roundstone Rye

3 cups dry roasted Virginia peanuts (unsalted)
1 liter of Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

Remove the skins from the peanuts. Rough chop peanuts (not much).

Combine the peanuts and rye in a container shake a couple times and place in a cool dark place. Shake the container around 5 times during the 12 hours that the peanut rye infusion is going.

Place the infusion into the freezer for 12 hours.

Strain the Infusion through a fine mesh strainer, then through cheese cloth.

Place the infused rye back into the Roundstone Rye and label the bottle. Make sure to clean the outside of the bottle for anyone who might have allergies.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Dogwood Tavern and used with permission.

---

Mosbito

This recipe comes to us from Art Drauglis, proprietor of that lovely Langdon Wood Maple Syrup, which all of you must know is that fantastic maple syrup aged in our used whisky barrels. This one makes use of his latest batch of smoked maple syrup, and is heavenly!

1 1/2 oz. Mosby's Spirit
1 lime cut in half
1/2 oz. Langdon Wood smoked maple syrup
4-6 mint leaves
Club soda
Crushed ice or ice cubes

Tools: muddler, mixing glass, barspoon
Glass: collins
Garnish: mint sprig

Muddle mint and syrup in a mixing glass. Squeeze in juice from both lime halves, add Mosby's, ice and stir. Pour into a glass, top with soda water and garnish.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Art Drauglis and used with permission.

---

Boulevardier

The Boulevardier was invented during Prohibition, when an out-of-work American barman, named Harry McElhone, set up Harry's New York Bar in Paris. Similar to a Negroni, this cocktail substitutes whisky for gin, and in our version, we substitute Aperol for Campari, giving the cocktail a lighter, candied texture.

1¼ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye ""92 Proof""
1 oz Aperol (or Campari, if you wish)
1 oz Carpano sweet vermouth
Orange twist for garnish

Combine all ingredients on ice, stir and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of orange.

---

Mike Saccone of Hank's on the Hill

Mike tends bar at Hank's Oyster Bar and Hank's on the Hill. Mike's cocktails reflect his own unique sense of humor.

I'm Hot, Sticky Sweet

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
1½ oz pineapple/mango shrub
½ oz lemon juice
Mint garnish

Swift Roundstone to the Face

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
2 oz cider
½ oz red wine syrup*
3 dashes orange bitters

*Red Wine Syrup

Cook to reduce two bottles of red wine to one cup. Then mix with one cup of sugar to produce a syrup.

Gargamel's Revenge

1½ oz Watershed Gin
½ oz lemon juice
1¼ oz blueberry tonic
Soda to top
Lemon wheel and blueberry garnish

---

Brian Bachley of the Occidental

Brian is bartender at the Occidental, the storied DC restaurant that's one block from the White House and served every president from Calvin Coolidge to Barack Obama.

Have You Met Ted?

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz simple syrup
¾ oz lemon juice
5 leaves of basil
1 bar spoon fig preserves

Apple Cinnamon Sazerac

2 oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz apple cinnamon syrup
2 dashes Barkeep Baked Apple bitters
Absinthe rinse
Star anise garnish

*Apple Cinnamon Syrup

5 cups water
5 cups sugar
6 Granny smith apples
12 Cinnamon sticks

Boil the water, sugar, apples, and cinnamon together, strain and keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Regina's Relaxation

1½ oz Watershed Gin
½ oz Aperol
Fever Tree Bitter Lemon soda to top

---

Beet Blossom

This cocktail is a creation by Scott Harris and Hannah Blymier. They were looking for a cocktail to pair with a beet salad at dinner, and thought it just might be possible to create a beet syrup. The problem was not having the cocktail taste too vegetal, but this was solved by adding just a touch of salt to the syrup. The resulting cocktail is fresh and a lovely shade of magenta, without tasting too much like borscht!

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 oz Beet syrup*
Lime zest garnish

Mix all three ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass.

Beet Syrup

5 cups water
3 large beets, peeled and diced
1 tsp of salt
5 cups sugar

Cook the beets in the water in a slow-cooker for 4-6 hours, or boil them in the water for one hour. Discard beets, save juice. Add the salt to the juice. Then bring to a boil and stir in the sugar. Once sugar is incorporated, chill in the fridge for up to one month.

---

Pearousia Pear Brandy Old Fashioned

We were looking for a cocktail that highlighted our pear brandy without losing the delicate taste of the pear to a bunch of vermouth, citrus, and whacky bitters. We finally decided, simpler is better. The simplicity of this cocktail belies the fact that it is surprisingly sophisticated.

1 oz Pearousia pear brandy
½ oz simple syrup
Dash of rhubarb bitters

Mix all three ingredients in a rocks glass with ice.

---

Gina's Cocktail

This cocktail was created in homage to Gina Chersevani (Twitter @mixtressdc), one of the great cocktail mixologists of DC. Gina created a cocktail for the Chefs for Equality event with rye, cider and lemon soda. This was as close as we could get to recreating her beautiful masterpiece. This cocktail is not super sweet, but pairs well with fatty and rich dishes (like lamb and stew).

1 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz Fresh apple cider
1 oz Fever Tree Bitter Lemon Soda

Mix all three ingredients in a rocks glass with ice.

---

Honey, I Drunk the Kids

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
2 oz Ginger honey simple syrup*
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 bar spoon fig preserves
1 oz club soda

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain (using a sieve to collect fig pulp) into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with citrus peel.

Ginger Honey Simple Syrup

2 cups water
1 large piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 cups honey

Boil the water and steep the ginger in the water for at least an hour. Remove ginger pieces and combine the water with the honey to dissolve. Store in the fridge for up to one month.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Smoked Maple Fizz

2 oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz Absinthe, or use as a spray
1 oz Langdon Wood Smoked Maple Syrup
1 oz club soda
3 dashes Peychauds bitters
Orange peel garnish

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with orange peel.

Courtesy Warren Bobrow.

---

Balsamic Berry Old Fashioned

This cocktail uses balsamic vinegar as a shrub. The vinegar provides nice tartness along with the fruitiness of the berry juices.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz aged Balsamic vinegar
½ oz Cranberry juice
½ oz berry syrup
2 raspberries for garnish

Combine all ingredients over ice and stir in a rocks glass. Garnish with two raspberries.

Berry Syrup

6 oz blackberries
6 oz raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Bring mixture to a simmer for 10 mins, puree and strain.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Mosby's Cucumber Collins

Something nice for summer!

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ oz Simple syrup
2 oz soda water
4 cucumber slices (2 diced, 2 for garnish)

Mix all ingredients except soda water in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Strain and pour into a rocks glass, top with soda and garnish.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier

---

Cherry Blossom

This cocktail the beautiful sweetness of the cherry fruit with the tartness of fresh lime. It is a perfect sipper for summertime, when fresh cherries are plentiful!

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 oz Cherry syrup*
Lime wheel garnish

Mix all three ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass.

Cherry Syrup

20 cherries, pitted
1 cup sugar
½ cup orange juice

Bring the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, puree and strain.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Chad's Holiday Punch

Our brand ambassador, Chad Robinson, is a marvel of cocktails. Here is his holiday punch, a delightfully easy beverage for a group of 20-30 people.

1 bottle of Roundstone Rye
½ bottle of REAL maple syrup (more or less to taste)
2 bottles of apple cider (more or less to taste)
10 dashes Angostura bitters
Anise, to garnish

Mix all the ingredients in a punch bowl with a cup or two of ice. Float anise pods for garnish in the bowl.

---

Chuck's Cranberry Revenge

The name for this cocktail centers around a family story from Scott and Becky. Every year at the Thanksgiving table, we would dutifully open a can of jellied cranberry sauce, slice it up, and place it on a platter on the dining room table. And nobody would touch it. Nobody liked cranberry sauce in our family. But we felt obligated by the traditions of the season to offer it.

One year, Becky's brother Chuck was with us for Thanksgiving, and skipping all formalities, opened a can of cranberry sauce, walked straight over to the garbage disposal, and with a satisfying ""SCHHHHLOOK!"", dumped it straight down the drain. Appalled, Becky's mom asked what he was doing. ""Just saving everyone the trouble.""

We've never had canned cranberry sauce since. This cocktail is a satisfying substitute.

1 oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Cranberry/orange syrup*
Ginger ale to top
Orange peel for garnish

Mix all ingredients and serve in a rocks glass.

*Cranberry/orange syrup

12 oz fresh orange juice
12 oz cranberry preserves or cranberry salsa

Combine both and let settle for two hours. Strain out the chunks and save the liquid.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Spiced Rye Cider

Mugs are nice for this one, or it can be made as a punch.

32 oz fresh pressed cider (usually found in autumn in the grocer's aisle near fresh juices)
16 oz Roundstone Rye (about 2/3 of a bottle)
4 oz Honey
10 Cinnamon sticks
8 whole allspice berries

In a saucepan combine the cider and honey. Combine the cinnamon and allspice in a spice sachet and drop in the saucepan. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and remove the spices. Stir in the rye whiskey, and serve and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Modified from a recipe by Kara Newman, Cocktails for a Crowd.

---

Gibson II

This cocktail is another one from our brand ambassador, Chad Robinson. Chad created a shrub to give this cocktail a little extra ""zang"". A shrub, for those not informed, is a cocktail base made of vinegar, which brings the needed acidity into the drink in lieu of the usual citrus. This cocktail tends on the less-sweet side, not quite savory, and is a perfect compliment to shellfish like oysters and shrimp.

Gibson II
2 oz Mosby's spirit
½ oz Manzanilla sherry (I used Lustau)
½ oz pear shallot shrub*

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice, strain into a rocks glass and enjoy. Ice optional.

*Pear shallot shrub
4-6 large Bartlett pears
½ shallot bulb
16 oz Turbinado sugar
8 oz white balsamic vinegar

Coarsely chop the pears after removing the stems. Cover the pears in the 16 oz of turbinado sugar. Allow the mixture to sit in a sterilized jar for 24 hours.

Mince half a shallot bulb and mix with the pears in the syrup. Let the mixture sit for another 12 hours. Strain out the solids and add the white balsamic vinegar with the syrup. The shrub is good for up to 3 weeks.

I hope you get a chance to make it and enjoy the results.

Recipe courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Mulled Cider with Rye

This cocktail comes to us from Sonja Bradfield, author of Ginger and Toasted Sesame. Sonja has some amazing photographs and a delicious recipe for cider and rye, perfect for a warm winter beverage:

One of my favorite things to drink when the weather gets cold is something warm with a kick like a nice chai tea or a hot toddy. On Thanksgiving my family brewed an impromptu pot of mulled apple cider and for a little extra warmth we added a nip of whiskey. For this recipe I used some apple cider pressed in Virginia and some rye whiskey distilled in Virginia.

...

[This] rye is great in this mulled cider recipe. It’ll warm you right down through your toes. This recipe makes a half gallon but you can easily double that for a bigger group gathering for the holidays. Just let the spices and fruit simmer long enough to get the cider nice and spicy. For an extra kick, you can add a few black peppercorns and maybe a bit more rye.

½ gallon of apple cider
2 satsuma oranges
1 honey crisp apple
3 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky

Thinly slice the oranges and apple horizontally.

Pour the cider in a large pot and add the slices of fruit, the cinnamon sticks and cloves.

Bring to a boil over high heat then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes until fragrant.

Fill up mugs about three quarters full and add about an ounce of rye whiskey to each mug.

Garnish with an apple or orange slice, half a cinnamon stick and cloves.

Recipe and photo by Sonja Bradfield, and used with permission.

 

---

Three Cocktails for January

The following cocktails were the highlights of our January Wandering Chef dinner. We had fun pairing the cocktails with the seasonal food of the evening. Our first course had pineapple and Hoisin sauce glazed shrimp, so we chose to go Oriental with the use of pineapple, ginger and Chinese five spice. Our second cocktail, a take on a Manhattan or an A La Lousianne, was nicely paired with a lamb and risotto dish, the whisky cutting nicely through the fatty and rich meat. Finally, we ended with a berry/moonshine cocktail garnished with a fresh basil leaf. The aromatic experience is basil, while the berry sweetness compliments the meal of beef and root vegetables.

Shanghai 75

1½ oz Watershed Gin
½ oz pineapple ginger syrup (fresh made)
Chinese Five Spice
Sparkling white wine
Dried pineapple chunk on toothpick for garnish

Combine syrup, spice and gin in a shaker of ice. Stir, and pour into a rocks glass or flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a pineapple chunk.

""Drye"" Bones

3 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz dry vermouth
1 oz Benedictine
Orange bitters
Thin orange half-wheel for garnish

Combine ingredients in a shaker of ice. Stir, and pour into cocktail glass. Top with a dash of bitters, and garnish.

Only the Good Rye Young
Courtesy Brian Bachley at The Occidental, Washington DC.

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz simple syrup
½ oz cherry/blackberry syrup (fresh made)
Basil garnish

Combine ingredients in a shaker of ice. Stir, and pour into a rocks glass full of ice. Top with a single fresh basil leaf.

---

Chad's Port Punch

Chad came up with this cocktail for a private party for the RAMMY nominations in DC last month. Easily batched and poured for the masses, it is reminiscent of a sangria or a grog.

6 oranges
12 lemons
20 oz of superfine sugar
2 bottles of Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 bottles of Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy
2 bottles of good port

Serves at least 30-40 people.

---

Sleight of Hand

This recipe comes to us from Doug Atwell of Rye in the Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Giffard's Banane du Bresil liqueur
¾ oz brown sugar syrup (1 brown sugar:1 water)
2-3 dashes The Dead Rabbit Orinoco bitters

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Courtesy Doug Atwell, and used with permission.

---

Katy Pear-y

This Super Bowl libation brought to you by @dcembitterment and @catoctincreek Pearousia. We call it the Katy Pear-y in hopes of a decent half-time show.

2 oz junmai sake
1 tbsp jasmine tea simple syrup
Juice of 1/4 lime
Several dashes aromatic bitters
½ oz Pearousia pear brandy

Shake over ice and strain into a martini glass. Top up with pear brandy and garnish with a pear wheel.

Courtesy DC Embitterment Bitters.

---

Ramos Gin Fizz

This one takes a lot of shaking... best to do it with friends!

3 oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia Barrel ""Old Tom"" Watershed Gin
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
4 oz cream
1 egg white
3 dashes Orange flower water
2 drops Vanilla extract
Soda water

Pour all ingredients except soda in a mixing glass, dry shake (no ice) for two minutes, add ice and hard shake for another minute.

Strain into a highball glass without ice, top with soda.

Recipe courtesy Wikipedia.

---

Three Cocktails for St. Valentine's Day

The following cocktails were the highlights of our February Wandering Chef dinner and concert with Andrew McKnight. It was Valentine's Day, so we riffed off that to create sensual and vividly colored cocktails ranging from light pink to dark crimson. Cupid's Delight, like the mythical Cupid himself, looks small and harmless, but packs an impish and unexpected surprise. Cherry Smash is a beautiful cherry cocktail cocktail reminding us of the simplicity of pure love. Finally, the St. Valentine is a rich, darkly colored, and decandant experience. We hope you've experienced a love as rich as this cocktail!

Cupid's Delight

2 oz Fennel infused Watershed Gin
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz peppercorn infused honey syrup
3 oz club soda
lemon twist
Fennel garnish
dash berry syrup for color

Shake all together, garnish with a sprig of fennel, and serve on ice in a rocks glass.

Cherry Smash

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
½ oz Kirschwasser
½ oz Fresh lemon juice
½ oz Simple syrup
Rhubarb bitters
dash berry syrup for color
1757 Brandied cherry garnish

Shake all together with ice, garnish with a brandied cherry, and serve in a cocktail glass.

St. Valentine

1½ oz Roundstone
½ oz Fonseca Bin 27 Port
½ oz Grand Marnier
½ oz Fresh Lime juice
½ oz Simple syrup

Shake all together with ice, garnish with a lemon peel, and serve in a cocktail glass.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Hot Buttered Rye

This recipe was developed by Chad Robinson for the Edible DC spirits festival. The festival was held in late February, when the average daytime temperatures were about 19 degrees Fahrenheit, so we felt a warm cocktail was the perfect thing.

To make the cocktail best, you should batch up a large quantity of the ingredients ahead of time.

Per serving:
½ oz softened butter
1 oz brown sugar
ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, ginger
3 oz hot water
1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky

Mix soft butter, brown sugar and a dash of each of the spices together thoroughly. This is the batter.

Add 3 oz of boiling water to your batter and stir well until a frothy top forms. Stir in your rye and garnish with nutmeg or a cinnamon stick.

Photo by Sonja Bradfield, and used with permission.

---

Martinez

A classic cocktail that predates the martini. This one is really good with our Old Tom style Watershed Gin, if you can find it!

2 oz Watershed Gin
¾ oz Sweet Vermouth
¼ oz Luxardo maraschino liqueuer
2-3 dashes aromatic bitters
Cherry garnish

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.

---

The Ole Virginia Accent

This was a featured cocktail of the Columbia Room pop-up at PX in Alexandria. Of the featured cocktails, was this one, which debuted our Apple Brandy on the menu, a recipe created by J.P. Featherston. Word from the customers that night was that it was amazing!

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Catoctin Creek Quarter Branch Apple Brandy
½ oz Fallen Bark Hickory Syrup
Aromatic and Blackstrap Molasses Bitters

Combine the rye and brandy in equal portions, add about half as much hickory syrup and a dash or two of the bitters. Stir on ice and strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube.

Photo courtesy Christopher Wescott. Recipe courtesy J.P. Featherston. Both used with permission.

 

 

---

Rise 'n Shine

A lovely milk-based cocktail from Chad Robinson.

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
½ oz 1757 Virginia Brandy
½ oz 2:1 turbinado sugar syrup
1-2 dashes of vanilla extract
2 oz half & half
Nutmeg for garnish

Combine Mosby's Spirit, Virginia Brandy, syrup, half & half and vanilla extract in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake for 30 secs. Strain to an old fashioned glass and grate nutmeg over top for garnish.

Photo and recipe courtesy Chad Robinson.

 

---

What You Talkin' 'bout, Willis?

The lemon and pepper in this cocktail balance nicely with the honeyed sweetness and the rich vanilla mouthfeel of the Mosby's Spirit. A refreshing aperetif.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit 1 oz fresh lemon juice 1 oz peppercorn infused honey syrup 3 oz club soda lemon twist

Shake all together, garnish with lemon twist, and serve on ice in a rocks glass.

---

Elemental Rye Julep

 

We are very excited about the newest product available in our tasting room, a fine collection of hand-crafted shrubs from Element. What is a shrub, you ask? We're so glad you asked!

Whereas a syrup (aka simple syrup) is a mixture of sugar and water with optional fruit and herbs, and bitters are concentrated tinctures of alcohol and herbs, fruit, and other flavorings, a shrub uses a base of vinegar to achieve acidity, and is then a mixture of herb and fruit flavors. A shrub allows the cocktail to skip the ubiquitous citrus used to provide acidity, and gives a whole new range of flavors.

This is a traditional mint julep, but we've substituted the shrub for the mint simple syrup.

3 oz of Roundstone Rye whisky
½ oz of Element lemon mint shrub, more or less to taste, but remember, a little bit goes a long way!
6-10 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish

Add mint to a rocks glass with crushed ice, and middle the mint to the ice. Add the rye and shrub and stir to combine, then garnish with more mint.

 

---

The General Mayhem

This cocktail is a delightful twist on the Colonel Langdon, which is a very popular perennial favorite in our tasting room. In the General Mayhem, we switch out the Langdon Wood Maple Syrup for a house made beer syrup using one of our favorite local brewers, Adroit Theory Brewing Company in Purcellville, Virginia. Here, we've chosen to use a Belgian Ale as a base for making the syrup base. The Belgian Ale on its own is not too overpowering (especially when reduced), and will blend well with the lemon and rye in the drink.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit™
¾ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ oz beer syrup (equal parts beer + sugar in the raw, heated until dissolved)
2-3 oz seltzer
Lemon peel

In a shaker with ice, combine juice, syrup and Mosby's. Shake. Pour over ice in a rocks glass. Top with seltzer, garnish with lemon peel.

---

Tim Gunn Cocktail

 

It's a curious name, the ""Tim Gunn Cocktail""...

Why did we name this cocktail after Tim Gunn? Because we can think of no better role-model than Mr. Gunn. He is the perfect example of poise, character, and sophistication wrapped with warmth and humility. He's handsome and oh, so classy without being a snob.

We like Mr. Gunn, and we hope he'd enjoy this namesake cocktail.

1-2 oz Roundstone Rye whisky
½ oz Maple Syrup
½ oz Chai Pear shrub (make your own, or use Element Shrub from DC)
Splash of soda
Lemon peel garnish
Dash of cherry bitters

Mix the rye, maple and shrub in a cocktail shaker of ice. Strain into a rocks glass with a nice big ice cube. Splash in a little soda water, garnish with lemon, and add a dash or two of cherry bitters on top.

---

Sybill's Cellar

 

This cocktail came to us from Meredith Whitfield (on Instagram as @hashtagmsw), who created it to accompany her watching the last episode of Mad Med on AMC. This is another great cocktail with the new shrubs from Element Shrubs in DC.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky
½ oz Element Chai-pear shrub
½ oz fresh lemon juice
Several dashes DC Embitterment orange bitters
Lemon peel garnish

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass with ""big ol' hunk of ice"" and serve with a nice long piece of lemon peel.

Photo and recipe courtesy Meredith Whitfield, and used with permission.

---

The Coda

 

This cocktail marries three DC-area products in perfect harmony: Don Ciccio liqueur, Embitterment bitters, and Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye! Gay marriage may be controversial in DC, but this three-way will always please!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky
¼ oz Don Ciccio Concerto espresso liqueur
Several dashes Embitterment orange bitters

Combine, shake over ice, and serve over ice or straight up in a martini glass.

Courtesy Embitterment bitters, and used with permission.

---

June Cocktails

 

June is a new month, and as we turn our eyes to summer, we've revamped our cocktail menu in the tasting room with an eye to cooling down with a refreshing cocktail during those hot Virginia afternoons!

The Front Porch Sipper

Think Arnold Palmer, but with hooch!

Mosby's Spirit
13 tea bags
8 cups of water
½ cup sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup of fresh lemon juice
Lemon garnish

Steep the tea in the hot water, and then mix in the honey, sugar and lemon juice. This will create a batch of mixer, which can be stored in the fridge for up to one month. When ready to drink, fill a tall glass with ice, pour in 1-2 oz of Mosby's Spirit, and top with the mixer. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Serves about 20.

 

Leeloo

Originally, we were going to call this the Fifth Dimension, but then one of our employees thought Leeloo (Daryl Hannah's character from the same movie) was a much better name.

Watershed Gin
¾ cups simple syrup
½ cups Element Lm (Lemon Mint) shrub
Seltzer
Mint for garnish

Combine the syrup and shrub in a pitcher. This will create a batch of mixer, which can be stored in a squeeze bottle for up to one month. When ready to drink, fill a rocks glass with ice, and pour in 1-2 oz of Watershed Gin plus about 1 oz of the mixer. Top with seltzer, stir to combine, and top with a mint leaf.

 

Orange You Glad?

Knock knock. Who's there? Banana... Banana, who? Knock knock...

Roundstone Rye
2 cups of orange juice
¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
¼ cup of chocolate syrup (make your own, or use Hershey's in a pinch)

Combine the juices and syrup, then transfer to a jar or pitcher. This will create a batch of mixer, which can be stored in a squeeze bottle for up to one month. When ready to drink, fill a cocktail shaker with 2 oz of the mixer plus 1 oz of Roundstone Rye. Stir to combine, then pour into a martini glass rimmed with cocoa powder.

 

Hibiscus Colada

Do you like piña coladas? Gettin' caught in the rain? (Dear God, help us!)

Mosby's Spirit
2 cups coconut milk
¼ cups Strong™ Hibiscus tonic
¼ cups simple syrup
Pineapple chunk garnish

Combine the coconut milk, tonic syrup, and simple together into a pitcher. This will create a batch of mixer, which can be stored in a squeeze bottle for up to one month. When ready to drink, add 2 oz of Mosby's Spirit to 2 oz of mixer, and pour in a tall glass over ice. Or you can blend it and make a frozen concoction. Top with a pineapple chunk speared with a toothpick.

 

Gin Refresher

Nothing is quite so refreshing on a hot summer day as cool, crisp citrus. The rosemary brings in a cool evergreen note, which is most welcome.

Watershed Gin
2 cups grapefruit juice
½ cups fresh lime juice
1 cup rosemary simple syrup*
Seltzer
Rosemary sprig for garnish

Combine the juices and the rosemary simple and pour into a pitcher. This will create a batch of mixer, which can be stored in a squeeze bottle for up to one month. When ready to drink, add 2 oz of mixer to 1-2 oz of gin and combine. Pour over ice in a tall glass. Add seltzer to top, and garnish with a spring of rosemary.

*Rosemary Simple Syrup

To make the rosemary simple syrup, combine ½ cup of sugar with ½ cup of water, and 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary over heat. When all the sugar is dissolved, discard rosemary, then cool and store in a squeeze bottle.

 

---

The Devil and His Wife

 

""The devil's beating his wife"" is a Southern saying to describe the weather when it is simultaneously raining and the sun is shining. Figuring that the cocktail is a derivative of the New Orleans classic rum drink, the hurricane, we kept with the weather theme, but added a bit of a Virginia twist. (Pawpaws are native to Virginia.)

This is the Catoctin Creek feature cocktail of the RAMMYS 2015 gala in Washington DC.

1 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz Mosby's Spirit
1½ oz pawpaw syrup*
½ oz orange juice
½ oz lime juice
½ oz grenadine*
Orange wedge for garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake the cocktail for about 30 seconds. Pour into a hurricane glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with an orange wedge.

Pawpaw syrup - Mix 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 2 cups of paw paw pulp in a saucepan. Stir constantly to keep the pawpaw from scorching on the bottom of the pan. Once all the sugar is dissolved, strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve to strain out more of the solids. Add a ½ oz of Mosby's Spirit to help preserve the syrup. Store for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Grenadine - Mix equal parts pomegranate juice and sugar in a saucepan. Turn the heat on low and stir to combine until all the sugar is dissolved. Store for two weeks in the refrigerator. You may also buy it in the store but isn't it more fun to make your own? Alternative recipes call for pomegranate molasses, vanilla extract and other additives, but I prefer to KISS it. (Keep it simple, stupid)

Cocktail recipe courtesy of Chad Robinson. Pawpaw photo copyright Clarknova on Wikipedia; unrestricted use permitted.

---

Founding Bramble

 

This cocktail was one of two created for the History of Drinking lectures at the National Archives.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
¾ oz Blackberry-cardamom cordial
¼ oz Senior Curaçao
¾ oz Lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of thyme and a lemon peel.

Courtesy Jon Arroyo, bartender at Farmers Fishers Bakers.

---

Founder's Julep

 

This cocktail was the second of two created for the History of Drinking lectures at the National Archives.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ Smith & Cross Jamaica Rum
¾ oz Henriques & Henriques Finest Dry Madeira
½ Rich simple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
5 sprigs fresh mint

Gently muddle the leaves of 3 mint sprigs with the simple syrup in a julep cup. Drag leaves around the cup to coat the inside, then discard leaves. Add other ingredients and fill halfway with crushed ice, jiggle. Finish by heaping crushed ice into a rounded cone sticking out of the top of the cup. Garnish with 2 fulsome sprigs of mint sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Courtesy JP Fetherston, bartender at Southern Efficiency.

---

Frank Manganello of Pearl Dive Oyster Palace

Frank is bartender at the Pearl Dive Oyster Palace, the hopping cool place on 14th Street in Northwest DC.

Terry's G&T

1½ oz Watershed Gin
3 oz Blueberry tonic*
Lime wheel garnish

Combine ingredients over ice in a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime.

Mosby's Cup

1 oz Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz White Pimm's**
2 oz lemonade
2 dashes orange bitters
4 slices cucumber
1 strawberry (quartered)
2 orange peels (minimum pith)

Fill collins glass with ice, pausing to layer 2 slices cucmber, bits of strawberry and orange peels throughout glass. In a cocktail shaker, combine remaining cucumber with 1 oz Mosby's Spirit and .¾ oz “White Pimm's” and muddle lightly. Add ice, shake briefly, and strain over ice. Top with lemonade. Finish with 2 dashes orange bitters on top.

Tell Me How You Like It

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz sweet vermouth
½ oz dry vermouth
½ oz peach/blackberry shrub***
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
lemon peel

In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients besides lemon peel. Fill with ice and stir vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass or coupe. Express lemon peel over glass, discard.

*Blueberry Tonic

1 pint blueberries
8 cups water (split)
6 cups sugar
1 cup chopped lemongrass
¼ cup powdered cinchona bark
1 orange, zest and juice
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 lime, zest and juice
1 tsp whole allspice berries
¼ cup citric acid
¼ tsp kosher salt
cheesecloth
soda siphon and CO2 charger

To make blueberry syrup: Start by simmering blueberries in 4 cups water until blueberries release all their juice (10-15 minutes). Strain out solids and return juice to pot. Add sugar and heat gently until all sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

To make tonic syrup: In another pot, combine all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth.

Combine blueberry syrup with tonic syrup. Measure total volume and add enough filtered water to increase by 2.5 times (add 2oz water for every 3⁄4oz syrup). Fill siphon with mixture and carbonate.

**White Pimms

750ml biano/blanc vermouth (Carpano Bianco is preferred)
3tsp dried orange peel
cheesecloth

Combine vermouth and orange peel in glass jar and allow to infuse for 24-36 hours in fridge. Strain through cheesecloth and store cold.

***Peach/Blackberry Shrub

1 lb white peaches (pitted and chopped) 1 cup blackberries ¼ cup grated ginger 2 cups sugar in the raw 2½ oz apple cider vinegar 9½ oz white balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients besides vinegars in a large glass bowl and place, covered, in fridge for 2-4 days (until all sugar has dissolved and fruit is surrounded by liquid). Strain solids from liquid, pressing lightly to retain as much juice as possible. Combine with vinegar mixture and separate into glass bottles. Allow to rest for at least one week in fridge, flavor will mellow the longer it sits. Holds for up to one year if sealed and kept cold.

 

---

Chad Robinson, Brand Ambassador of Catoctin Creek

 

Join us in welcoming Chad Robinson as our guest bartender in July! Chad will be slinging the cocktail shakers behind the bar on Saturday, July 11, from noon til dusk. If you don't already know, Chad is the Catoctin Creek brand ambassador, usually traveling up and down the east coast to represent Catoctin Creek. On the side, he loves to do a bit of bartending. An expert on cocktails, Chad has been a vital part of educating the public on old classics like punches, toddies, and fizzes. This month, Chad will be doing various takes on the classic highball (a basic mixture of soda and spirits).

Ryeball

2 oz Roundstone Rye 92 proof
4 oz Gerolsteiner Sparkling Mineral Water

Neighbor, Can You Spare a Buck?

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Element Lemon Mint Shrub
4 oz ginger beer

El Cardenal

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz lime juice
4 oz Jarritos grapefruit soda

 

---

The Double Barrel

 

This cocktail comes to us from Chris Grimm at Horse and Flower. The cocktail is attributed to George J. Kappeler, 1900. A ""nice, serious cocktail.""

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye ""92 Proof""
1½ oz Carpano Antica red vermouth
1½ oz Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth
1-2 dashes Angostura bitters
1-2 dashes orange bitters

Combine all over ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Photo and cocktail courtesy Chriss Grimm and used with permission.

---

Cup of Cheer

 

This cocktail is a modern (and somewhat Appalachian) take on a classic highball. Pretty dang easy to make, and pretty dang delicious! (Pictured above, in center. Also pictured above, the Colonel Langdon, and the Pineapple/Rhubarb Sour.)

1 oz Watershed Gin
3 oz Cheerwine®
Dash of orange bitters
Orange peel garnish

Combine all in a rocks glass, optionally filled with ice. Garnish with orange peel.

Courtesy Nicole Denson.

---

Pineapple/Rhubarb Sour

This cocktail was one of the feature cocktails for our June Dinner at the Distillery. We're kind of crazy about shrubs right now, and this one illustrated beautifully the crisp tartness of a good cocktail without the need for the ubiquitous citrus.

1 oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz Element Pineapple Turmeric shrub
½ oz simple syrup
2 dashes rhubarb bitters
Pineapple garnish

Combine all in a cup of ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with pineapple and serve.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Blueberry Basil Smash

This cocktail was one of the feature cocktails for our June Dinner at the Distillery. Basil and blueberries go so nicely together.

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ oz blueberry tonic syrup
½ oz simple syrup

Muddle the basil leaves in the bottom of the glass, then shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a basil leaf.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

Brandy Berry Bubbly

This cocktail was one of the feature cocktails for our June Dinner at the Distillery. Basil and blueberries go so nicely together.

½ oz 1757 Virginia Brandy
2-3 oz sparkling cider (hard cider, alcohol free cider, Prosecco, Cava, or Champagne... they all work well here)
½ oz strawberry syrup, homemade
Strawberry garnish

Combine all in a champagne flute and garnish with a strawberry.

Courtesy Hannah Blymier.

---

General's Order

 

This cocktail is the official cocktail of the National Archives ""Spirited Republic"" series, and amazing series of lectures curated by DC's own mixologist extraordinaire, Derek Brown. The lectures feature notable drinks historians from around the country, who come in once a week and cover various periods of drinking history in the United States. A terrific lecture series, with a cocktail happy hour before each session. I highly recommend attending as many as you can!

2 oz. Aged Rum
2 oz. Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz. Simple Syrup
1 oz. Cherry Bounce*

Shake and strain over fresh ice in a tall glass. Garnish wish an American flag.

*Cherry Bounce

Use Martha Washington's Recipe, or sub Cherry Heering and dash of Angostura.

Recipe and photo courtesy Derek Brown and used with permission. Modifications by Scott Harris.

---

Tony Burke of Mason Social

Tony is bartender at the Mason Social, an awesome new place in Alexandria. Try their Earl Gray-infused Roundstone Rye cocktail, called the Parker Gray. Delicious!

Some Call It Work

2 oz. Watershed Gin
¾ oz. lemon
¾ oz. Thai basil syrup*
1 oz. egg white
basil leaf garnish

*Thai basil syrup: Mix together 1 cup of sugar and 1 of water in a 1 qt saucepan. Bring the mixture to about 170 degrees and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture simmer and steep the about 12 leaves of thai basil in the sugar syrup for about 30 mins. Remove the basil leaves and store the syrup in a closed container for up to two weeks in a refrigerator.

The Sanctuary

2 oz. Mosbys Spirit
½ oz smoked ginger saccharum**
5-6 mint leaves
crushed ice
torched lemon garnish

**Smoked ginger saccharum: Peel and slice 1 cup of ginger and smoke it in a smoker, oven, or by using The Smoking Gun. Put ginger in a pot, cover with 1/2 cup of sugar and let sit for 2 hours. Add 1 more cup of sugar and add 3 cups of water to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and then let simmer for 30 mins. Let it cool and double strain into a covered container. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Toes in the sand

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz roasted orange juice***
couple of drops of orange bitters
toasted cinnamon stick

***Roast orange slices in the oven at 375 degrees until the edges carmelize and begin to char (about 20 mins). Juice the orange slices after they cool.

 

---

Strawberry Jive

 

DrinkTonight is an absolutely amazing Instagram account based in DC, and featuring fantastic cocktail recipes with various local spirits. They really enjoy our Watershed Gin, and have featured it four times int he recent past. I am grateful too that they have graciously allowed me to cross post their beautiful photos and cocktail recipes here for you so share. Find them on Instagram at www.instagram.com/drinktonight.

The ""Strawberry Jive"" is a combination of fruits and herbs that is refreshing, not too sweet, and alight enough for these really hot DC summer days. Strawberry and basil are a classic combo, too.

2 strawberries
Handful of fresh basil
½ oz agave syrup
1 oz orange juice
Splash of lemon juice
1½ Watershed Gin

Muddle two strawberries, the handful of fresh basil and agave syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the orange juice and lemon juice, along with the gin and a handful of ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with sliced strawberries and basil.

{youtube}ed9aJw7xz9c{/youtube}

Recipe and photo by DrinkTonight, and used with permission.

---

Cucumber Collins

 

DrinkTonight is an absolutely amazing Instagram account based in DC, and featuring fantastic cocktail recipes with various local spirits. They really enjoy our Watershed Gin, and have featured it four times int he recent past. I am grateful too that they have graciously allowed me to cross post their beautiful photos and cocktail recipes here for you so share. Find them on Instagram at www.instagram.com/drinktonight.

A simple juice + spirit drink is necessary after a long, hot draining DC weekend. This is not a strong cocktail at all, and just a touch of gin is needed to cut some of the sweetness of the apple juice.

1 oz Watershed Gin
Juice of one entire granny smith apple
Juice of half a cucumber
Juice of half a lime

Combine the juices and gin, and serve over ice. Garnish with slices of lime and cuke.

Recipe and photo by DrinkTonight, and used with permission.

---

Oven Bird

 

DrinkTonight is an absolutely amazing Instagram account based in DC, and featuring fantastic cocktail recipes with various local spirits. They really enjoy our Watershed Gin, and have featured it four times int he recent past. I am grateful too that they have graciously allowed me to cross post their beautiful photos and cocktail recipes here for you so share. Find them on Instagram at www.instagram.com/drinktonight.

Continuing with the gin theme while it's still summer, this is the best choice to take outside on the patio for a pre-dinner, mid-week drink.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Dash of orange bitters
½ oz egg whites
Club soda

Combine gin, bitters, egg whites in a cocktail shaker and shake over ice. Strain into a glass of ice, and top with club soda. Garnish with slices of orange and basil.

Recipe and photo by DrinkTonight, and used with permission.

---

Strawberry Garden

 

DrinkTonight is an absolutely amazing Instagram account based in DC, and featuring fantastic cocktail recipes with various local spirits. They really enjoy our Watershed Gin, and have featured it four times int he recent past. I am grateful too that they have graciously allowed me to cross post their beautiful photos and cocktail recipes here for you so share. Find them on Instagram at www.instagram.com/drinktonight.

Trying to get through all of these amazing summer recipes while I still have time! As the name suggests, a Strawberry Garden tastes like all the flavors of summer fruits and herbs in one refreshing cocktail. Unfortunately, strawberries are already past their prime, so I think this would have been better in June or July.

1 strawberry
basil leaves
2 tsp. sugar
1½ oz Watershed Gin
½ oz lemon juice
Club soda

Muddle the strawberry with basil and sugar in a cocktail shaker. Add the gin, lemon juice and ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with club soda and garnish with sliced strawberries and basil.

Recipe and photo by DrinkTonight, and used with permission.

---

Rosemary Rhubarb Fizz

 

Here is another great cocktail from the world of Instagram. IG user Kevin W. Collins posts a frequent original cocktail posting using the hashtag #cocktailhour. This one makes use of Watershed Gin and a local shrub made in DC.

½ oz Element blueberry rosemary shrub
½ oz Aperol
½ rhubarb syrup
1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

Add all ingredients and shake with fresh rosemary. Serve in a tall glass over ice with 3 oz seltzer and a fresh rosemary garnish.

Photo and recipe courtesy Kevin W. Collins, and used with permission.

---

Monticello Garden Party

 

Another great recipe channeling the last days of summer, courtesy Alex Smallwood via Instagram.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz Demerara syrup
1 tsp blackberry rhubarb jam
2 dashes Fee Brothers orange bitters
1 sprig of Rosemary

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass and strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Photo and recipe courtesy Alex Smallwood, and used with permission.

---

Autumnal Equinox

 

Welcome to the first day of autumn! The equinox is that special time in the calendar when the length of day and night are exactly equal across all the globe. This only happens at the beginning of spring and now, at autumn. From here on out in the northern hemisphere, our nights will be longer than our days as we slide into autumn and winter.

With that in mind, here is a cocktail from Chad Robinson made just for the season.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Cocci Americano vermouth
½ oz Fall shrub*
Sage and sliced apple garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice, and strain into a rocks glass with one or two large cubes. Garnish with an apple slice and a leaf of sage.

*Fall Shrub
Fuji apples, Bartlett pears, canned pumpkin, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, turbinado sugar, apple cider vinegar.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Southern Milk Punch

 

Punch has been experiencing a bit of a revival lately. People are remembering how convenient it is to serve up a large batch of cocktails for large gatherings and parties. The Southern Milk Punch comes to us from a long tradition of milk punches around New Orleans in the 1800-1900's.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy
1½ oz light cream
1 tsp superfine sugar
1 drop of vanilla extract
Nutmeg for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with nutmeg.

To scale up to a punchbowl, multiply the above ingredients by 20 or 30, and pour into a punchbowl with copious amounts of nutmeg garnish on top.

---

October Tasting Room Cocktails

 

With the spirits of Halloween in the air... here are some spooky cocktails for all you ghouls and gargoyles.

Southern Milk Punch
1½ oz Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy
1½ oz light cream
1 tsp superfine sugar
1 drop of vanilla extract
Nutmeg for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with nutmeg.

To scale up to a punchbowl, multiply the above ingredients by 20 or 30, and pour into a punchbowl with copious amounts of nutmeg garnish on top.

Spiced Apple Toddy
1.5 oz. Roundstone Rye Whisky
0.5 oz. Spiced Apple Cider [apple cider, orange halves studded with cloves, cinnamon]
orange slice garnish

To scale up the recipe, multiply the above ingredients by 20 or 30, and cook the cider with spices on low in a crock pot all day. Combine the cider and whisky just before serving and garnish. Serve warm!

Skeleton Key
1.25 oz. Roundstone Rye Whisky
0.75 oz. maraschino juice
0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
topped with ginger beer and aromatic bitters
garnish with cherry

Combine ingredients and top with ginger beer, bitters, and a cherry.

Practical Magic
1.5 oz. Mosby's Spirit
0.5 oz. Green Apple KoolAid
05. oz. pineapple juice
top with ginger ale
garnish with gummy worm

Combine ingredients and top with ginger ale and a gummy worm!

Black Devil Martini
2 oz. Watershed Gin
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
dash of orange bitters
garnish with black olive

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, stir, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a black olive.

---

Walnut Old Fashioned

 

One sip of this cocktail and you'll be thinking, ""Thank God, Fall is here!"" This recipe is a version of the cocktail created by Paul Taylor at Southern Efficiency, for the Smithsonian ""Mind of a Critic"" event held in October. We love the use of the Nocino from Don Ciccio, a DC-based distillery producing liqueurs from old family recipes from the Amalfi coast in Italy.

2 oz Roundstone Rye whisky
½ oz honey syrup*
½ oz Don Ciccio Nocino (walnut liqueur)
Dash of Angostura aromatic bitters

Combine the ingredients in a rocks glass with a big ice cube, stirring gently.

*Honey Syrup
Combine equal parts local honey and hot water. Stir to combine and store for up to three months in the refrigerator.

Recipe courtesy Paul Taylor of Southern Efficiency.

---

Vermilion Mosby's Cocktail

 

This cocktail was the featured Mosby's Spirit cocktail at Vermilion for their Catoctin Creek Autumn Cocktail Tasting event. Head mixologist Jeff Faile created the cocktails to pair with small tapas bites for a wonderful evening of food and cocktails.

1 oz Mosby's Spirit
½ oz Belle de Brillet pear brandy liqueur
½ oz fresh lime juice
Top with Cava, Prosecco or Champagne
Lime peel garnish

Combine the Mosby's Spirit, Belle de Brillet and lime in a shaker of ice. Stir and strain into a Champagne flute and top with bubbly.

Cocktail courtesy Jeff Faile of Vermilion in Alexandria, Virginia.

---

Vermilion's Watershed Gin Cocktail

 

This cocktail was the featured Watershed Gin cocktail at Vermilion for their Catoctin Creek Autumn Cocktail Tasting event. Head mixologist Jeff Faile created the cocktails to pair with small tapas bites for a wonderful evening of food and cocktails.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
½ oz salted honey syrup
½ oz Yellow Chartreuse
½ oz fresh lemon juice
Lemon peel garnish

Combine the Watershed Gin, honey syrup, Chartreuse, and lemon in a shaker of ice. Stir and strain into a coupe glass and garnish with lemon peel.

Cocktail courtesy Jeff Faile of Vermilion in Alexandria, Virginia.

---

Roundstone in Broadbeach

 

Rory Lenihan, mixologist at Social Eating House and Bar, is now serving Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye ""92 Proof"". Social Eating House is located in Broadbeach, on the Gold Coast in Australia, south of Brisbane.

We must remember that although Winter is Coming here at home, in the Land of Oz, they're heading into high summer! Hence this lovely tropical cocktail!

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye ""92 Proof""
½ oz Apricot brandy
¼ oz Banana liquor
¼ oz Lime infused brown sugar syrup
Whiskey aged barrel bitters

Combine ingredients and serve up in a cocktail glass with a lime peel.

Quantities above are my own estimation, but hopefully pretty close. Your mileage may vary. Feel free to adjust proportions to your own liking. And cheers!

---

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

 

The name of this cocktail has nothing to do with the ingredients... all of them are lovely. This particular cocktail is based on the ""Clint Eastwood"" cocktail, an Old Fashioned variant found at The Violet Hour in Chicago, courtesy bartender Mike Ryan.

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
¼ oz rich simple syrup
⅛ oz Strong Tonic hibiscus syrup
⅛ oz fresh berry syrup (steep summer berries in simple in a crock pot for several hours)
⅛ oz Green Chartreuse
dash of Angostura bitters

Combine ingredients in a glass of ice, stir and strain into a rocks glass with a nice big ice cube. Garnish with a lemon peel.

---

Killing Me Softly

 

This cocktail was the feature dessert cocktail at our 2016 Valentine's Day Dinner at the distillery. It is sweet and bubbly, and perfect for a final night-cap.

1-2 oz of Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy (or Pearousia Pear Brandy, 1757 Grape Brandy, or Quarter Branch Apple Brandy, to taste)
1 oz of raspberry syrup (steep raspberries in equal parts sugar and water for several hours)
Sparking apple cider, Prosecco, Champagne, or Cava
Raspberries for garnish

Add one or two ounces of brandy to the bottom of a Champagne flute, along with an ounce of raspberry syrup. Top with chilled sparkling wine or cider, and garnish with one or two raspberries.

---

Jerry Thomas Toddy

 

In the annals of time, Jerry Thomas will go down as one of the most important bartenders. He created many of the drinks we still enjoy today (the Tom Collins, Tom and Jerry, to name just a couple). Jerry Thomas, more importantly, in 1862 put pen to paper, and is credited as the first person to capture the until-then oral history of the great American cocktail. This cocktail is an early American toddy, a great cocktail to warm you up on a cold colonial night. Though the recipe is deceptively simple, the cocktail is deeply satisfying.

1 tsp sugar (we'll use honey)
3-4 oz hot water
2 oz Roundstone Rye whisky
nutmeg, orange slice

Combine the sugar (or honey) and hot water in a mug or punch glass until the sugar is dissolved. Add 2 oz of Roundstone Rye, then add an orange slice and a few scrapings of fresh nutmeg. Enjoy immediately!

---

A Snowy Orchard

This one is a nice cocktail before dinner, or with an appetizer course.

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz fresh apple juice (preferably from green apples like Granny Smith)
½ oz St. Germaine
small apple slice for garnish

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker of ice, and strain into a small martini glass. Garnish with apple slice.

Courtesy Suzanne Lenzer, Microshiner magazine.

---

Dude, Where's My Bikeshare

 

This cocktail wins in the category of ""Best Name Ever!"" The drink is the creation of Fabian Malone, bartender at Alfie's on Georgia Avenue in the Petworth neighborhood in DC. With a name like ""Alfie's,"" you might expect an old-school Italian family restaurant, or even an American burgers and fries joint. What you don't expect is a place with Thai food so authentic, you'd think you were on the streets in Bangkok. (The bartenders will cheerfully help you through the menu, if needed.) Mix that with totally hip modern cocktails, a culturally diverse staff (just minutes north of Howard University), and banging Reggae on the house speakers, and you have a place that is quintessentially DC.

Fabian's cocktail is as diverse as it's environs: mixing cachaça, cardamom pods, pineapple, and of course, Roundstone Rye in a cocktail-- you get the feel of a tropical night in Phuket, where the rye actually plays the leading role as a replacement for rum!

I dunno, but after drinking a few of these, my head was spinning as fast as the Reggae. God Bless the District!

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Avua Cachaça Prata
½ oz simple syrup
4 crushed cardamom pods
½ oz lime juice
2 dashes Bitter Truth aromatic bitters
1 oz pineapple juice
Pineapple wedge to garish

Combine the Roundstone Rye, Cachaça, lime and pineapple juices over ice in a shaker. Break and crumble the cardamom pods into the shaker and cover with the simple to infuse them a little into the sugar. Shake vigorously until foamy, and then double strain into a coupe, garnish with a wedge of pineapple.

Recipe courtesy Fabian Malone, and used with permission.

---

March Cocktails

 

We started something new in our tasting room starting in March this year. After numerous requests, we are now pouring cocktails by the glass. Our menu for March includes a few perennial favorites, including the Balsamic Berry Old Fashioned and the Bloody Mosby, but we also include four new cocktails. One of our managers, Addie, came up with these. She prefers her cocktails on the less-sweet side, so if you like a crisp, refreshing cocktail, these will hit the spot.

Fox Mulder

1½ Roundstone Rye
¾ oz lemon juice
¼ oz pineapple juice
½ simple syrup
½ Green Chartreuse

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker of ice, stir and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with lemon peel.

Cocktail courtesy liquor.com and contributed by Matt Merkin.

Blueberry Shrub

1½ Mosby's Spirit
1 oz Blueberry syrup (blueberry preserves + hot water)
½ oz Element Lemon Mint shrub
Garnish with whole blueberries

Jasmine Gin Fizz

1½ Watershed Gin
1 oz Jasmine tea
½ oz honey simple syrup
¼ oz lemon juice
Garnish with lemon peel

James Bond Martini

(Not to be confused with our Ghost of Vesper Lynd cocktail.)

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz dry white vermouth (such as Lillet Blanc)
Garnish with olive.

---

Wild Oats

 

This cocktail was one of the favorites of our recent St. Patrick's Day Spirits Dinner at The Wine Kitchen on the Creek in Frederick, Maryland. Perhaps the most surprising flavor in this cocktail is the infusion of the oats into the gin. It gives the cocktail a warm, very satisfying flavor and texture.

2 oz Oat-infused Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin*
1 oz Strawberry syrup**
3-5 coins of rhubarb
Sparkling water

Strawberry garnish

Muddle the rhubarb in the strawberry syrup. Add the gin and shake with ice. Strain to a rocks glass with ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a strawberry.

*Oat-infused Watershed Gin

2 c Oats
2 c Watershed Gin

Mix/infuse the oats in the gin. Steep the mixture for 24-48 hours.

Separate the oats from the gin. (Let the solids settle from the gin, then pour through a coffee filter.)

**Strawberry Syrup

1½ c sugar
1 c water
6-8 chopped strawberries.

Combine sugar with water, bring to a boil. Steep the chopped strawberries in the syrup for 20-25 minutes. Remove strawberries.

Recipe courtesy The Wine Kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Cocktails from the Wine Kitchen Dinner

 

These cocktails were from our recent St. Patrick's Day Spirits Dinner at The Wine Kitchen on the Creek in Frederick, Maryland. They were fun, original, and totally delicious with the dinner menu for the evening.

If you've not been to one of our dinners, whether at the distillery, or at one of our favorite restaurants, you're really missing out!

These recipes don't include exact measurements or quantities, so a little experimentation will be needed to get the proportions just right. But that's okay; experimenting is fun!

Catoctin Rabbit

Watershed Gin | carrot juice | lime | ginger | honey | juniper | carrot top garnish

1 oz. Watershed Gin
½ oz. carrot juice
¼ oz. honey, ginger, and juniper infused syrup (let all ingredients steep in a crock pot for a few hours)
¼ oz. lime juice
garnish with carrot top or parsley

~~~

Albino Scorpion

1757 Virginia Brandy | rum | coconut milk | lime juice | lime wheel garnish

2 oz. 1757 Virginia Brandy
1 oz. Coconut milk
¼ oz. lime juice
1 tsp rum extract or 1 oz white rum
garnish with lime wheel

~~~

Clearly Manhattan

Mosby's Spirit | dry vermouth | coffee simple syrup | candied rhubarb garnish

~~~

Wild Oats

Watershed Gin infused with oats | strawberry simple syrup | sparkling H₂O

Read the full recipe for this cocktail, here.

~~~

Hoot Owl

Roundstone Rye | Hitochino beer | lime

This one is like a boilermaker meets Corona on the beach. Fun!

~~~

Pecan Pie

Brown butter fat-washes Roundstone Rye | pecan | brown sugar syrup

 

Recipes courtesy The Wine Kitchen, and used with permission.

---

Whatever You Say I Yam

 

1½ oz Roundstone Rye Whisky
1 oz sweet potato shrub*
½ oz lemon juice
1 egg white
2 dashes Jerry Thomas Bitters

Add all the ingredients except for the egg white in a Boston shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into the smaller part of the shaker, pour out the ice and add the egg white to the smaller part of the shaker. Add two dashes of Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters into a chilled coupe and coat the inside of the coupe. Shake the cocktail again very vigorously and pour into the chilled coupe. Enjoy!

*Sweet potato shrub

Preheat the oven for 300 degrees. Peel and chop a sweet potato. Place pieces on a baking sheet covered in parchment. Bake for one hour. While sweet potato is baking, prepare 4 cups of 1:1 simple syrup. Puree the baked sweet potatoes with the syrup and add ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar to the mixture. Allow to cool before using. Store for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Courtesy Chad Robinson, and used with permission.

---

The Middleman

 

This cocktail comes to us courtesy @fletcher_whiskeydog on Instagram, one of our favorite accounts for all things whiskey and cocktails. He writes:

After doing some planning today for the next cocktail challenge, I thought it'd be fun to mix up the winning recipe from the first challenge. The ""Middleman"", submitted by @timmergund, is one crisp, refreshing cocktail! I used @catoctincreek cask strength 2-year rye, which really cuts through a cocktail nicely. Cheers y'all!

1½ oz Roundstone Rye Cask Proof
¾ oz Velvet Falernum
¾ oz fresh lime juice
¾ oz Green Chartreuse
2 dashes orange bitters

Shake and strain and serve with lime wheel garnish.

Photo courtesy @fletcher_whiskeydog, recipe courtesy @timmergund, and both used with permission.

---

Thyme Collins

 

This cocktail comes to us from Kevin W Collins on Instagram as @kevinwcollins, who spends his time crafting cocktails using many locally provided spirits. We're grateful for people like him!

The Thyme Collins is very similar to our previous Watershed Thyme Gimlet, but with the presence of the soda water, a light and refreshing drink for the heat of summer.

2 oz Watershed Gin
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz thyme simple syrup*

Stir to combine the strain into Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda and garnish with fresh thyme.

*Thyme simple syrup

Combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water, and several sprigs of thyme. Cook on low heat for 2-3 hours. A crockpot works fabulously for this.

Recipe and photo courtesy @kevinwcollins and used with permission.

---

Blush Gimlet

 

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz sage simple syrup*
1 oz unsweetened grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed is best)
sage for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a sage leaf.

*Sage Simple Syrup

Combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup of water and several leaves of sage. Cook on low heat for a couple hours, strain and save in the fridge for up to two months.

---

The Benchley

 

Here is a fantastic brunch cocktail from DrinkTonight, one of my favorite Instagram accounts based in DC. They feature fantastic cocktail recipes with various local spirits. Find them on Instagram at www.instagram.com/drinktonight.

Introducing your favorite new brunch cocktail. Another unique, delicious recipe courtesy of our friends over at @12bottlebar, The Benchley is similar to The Algonquin — rye, dry vermouth, and pineapple juice. Add some flavors from Sriracha and you have yourself a drink that is savory, sweet, strong, and everything you want at brunch. I added lemon juice from their recipe for some acidity to balance the pineapple, but if you omit its closer to their recipe.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
¾ oz dry vermouth
¾ oz Pineapple Sriracha Syrup
Juice of a half lemon

Combine all over ice and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Lemon peel garnish.

Recipe and photo by DrinkTonight, and used with permission.

---

Vitick Maple Switchel Cocktail

 

We had the pleasure of hosting Jill Vitick, of Vitick's Switchel, in our tasting room this month. Jill brought in several jars of switchel, which is an old colonial farm drink. A mixture of honey, maple, or sorghum, vinegar, and other spices, switchel was the ""Gatorade"" of its day: a cool, refreshing energy boost after a hard day's labor.

Of course, we turn things like this into cocktails! Here is our cocktail with her maple switchel.

1 oz Mosby's Spirit
½ oz Maple Syrup Switchel
¼ oz simple syrup
¼ oz lime juice
Ginger beer
Lime peel

Combine Mosby's Spirit, switchel, syrup and lime juice, and top with ginger beer. Garnish with lime peel.

---

Vitick Sorghum Switchel Cocktail

 

We had the pleasure of hosting Jill Vitick, of Vitick's Switchel, in our tasting room this month. Jill brought in several jars of switchel, which is an old colonial farm drink. A mixture of honey, maple, or sorghum, vinegar, and other spices, switchel was the ""Gatorade"" of its day: a cool, refreshing energy boost after a hard day's labor.

Of course, we turn things like this into cocktails! Here is our cocktail with her sorghum switchel.

1 oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz Sorghum Switchel
¼ oz barrel aged maple syrup
dash of black walnut bitters
garnish with an orange twist

---

I Am Virginia

Todd Thrasher’s riff on the Old Fashioned plays homage to his home state with the Virginia figs and local rye.

¾ oz fig simple syrup*
2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
liberal dash of orange bitters
orange peel to garnish

Combine fig simple syrup, bitters and rye in a mixing glass, stir and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with orange peel.

Fig simple syrup:

1 quart sugar
1 quart water
1 quart dried Virginia figs

Heat water over medium heat, add sugar and whisk until dissolved. Add figs, reduce heat to a low simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat. Let cool. Strain through a fine chinois. Refrigerate.

Recipe courtesy Todd Thrasher of Bar PX, and used with permission.

---

The Blue Puppy

Inspired by the phrase, ""A very blue puppy cries""—Appalachian Valley, Blue Ridge Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plain.

1½ ounces Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1½ ounces honeysuckle, blueberry, allspice, hibiscus and sugar tincture
¾ ounces Dolin Vermouth Blanc
2 shakes Angostura orange bitters
1 chocolate mint to garnish

Combine gin, tincture, vermouth and bitters in an ice-filled Boston Shaker. Shake vigorously and serve in a chilled champagne coupe. Garnish with a leaf of mint.

Recipe courtesy of Hunter Johnson, Lucky, Roanoke.

---

Strawberry Mosbito

 

Summer is nearly here, and strawberries are in high season! Our friends at Great Country Farms brought us a bunch of freshly picked strawberries today, and asked us to make them a cocktail! So I came up with the Strawberry Mosbito, a fun play on the mojito, except with our own Virginia moonshine.

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
Mint leaves
Strawberries
Sparkling water

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint, three strawberries and lime juice until well mixed and mashed together. Add ice and the Mosby's Spirit to the shaker, and shake vigorously. Strain the contents into a tall glass of ice, top with sparkling water and garnish with mint, strawberries, and a lime wheel.

{youtube}by-TPo__b9c{/youtube}

---

June Tasting Room Cocktails

 

Hooray! Summer is here! And summer is a great time for refreshing cocktails from whisky, gin and moonshine! Check these out!

Lavender Lemonade

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz fresh pink lemonade
a few dashes of lavender bitters by Embitterment (D.C.)
garnish with a sprig of lavender

Summer Suzie

Inspired by M. Carrie Allen of the Washington Post.

2 oz. Watershed Gin
1 oz chamomile tea
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz honey
garnish with a lemon peel

Whisky Sour

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
garnish with a maraschino cherry

Virginia Buck

A Buck (such as the Kentucky Buck cocktail) is a genre of cocktail perfect for summer. It consists of a combination of citrus and ginger beer.

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz strawberry lemon simple syrup*
top with ginger beer
garnish with a lemon twist

*strawberry lemon simple syrup: chop up a few fresh strawberries and lemons and put them in a crockpot with a simple syrup mixture (equal parts water and sugar) for about 3 hours.

You might need to add extra lemon juice because the strawberries are very sugary by themselves!

Mosby's Mule 2 oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz ginger beer
½ oz lime juice
garnish with a wedge of fresh lime

---

The Orange EndowMINT Cocktail

 

This cocktail comes to us from Emily Landsman, who writes for the Jewish Food Experience. Combining orange juice and Mosby's Spirit along with a refreshing dose of mint, and you have a very satisfying summer cocktail! This one could easily be upscaled into a punch. Try floating a few sprigs of mint on the punch bowl and you'll have something that will keep your summer party guests raving!

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit
1½ oz freshly squeeze orange juice
¼ Triple Sec or orange liqueur
2 large sprigs of fresh mint
Large pinch of superfine sugar (do not use powdered sugar)
Orange zest
Additional mint for garnish

Preparation:

• In a rocks glass, muddle the mint and sugar until the mint is broken up into tiny pieces.
• Next, shake the Mosby’s Sprit, triple sec and Minneola orange juice with ice*.
• Add ice to the rocks glass and strain the drink into the glass. Stir.
• Twist the orange zest over the glass to release oils and drop it into the glass, then add a fresh mint sprig to garnish.

* Batch the Mosby’s Spirit, triple sec, and orange juice ahead of time to easily serve several cocktails. Do not add ice until ready to serve. At that point, add ice, stir well and then pour into glasses.

Recipe and photo courtesy Emily Landsman and the Jewish Food Experience and used with permission.

---

I Like It When You Call Me Big Paw-Paw

 

This is Chad Robinson's signature cocktail for the 2016 RAMMYS. A traditional whiskey swizzle, this cocktail is the third in his series incorporating local paw-paw fruit.

1 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz Mosby's Spirit
¼ oz Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy
½ oz Falernum
½ oz paw-paw syrup*
½ oz orange juice
1 oz lime juice
Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a highball glass or hurricane glass and fill glass halfway with crushed ice. Swizzle the cocktail until the glass begins to frost. Top off the glass with crushed ice and add 2-4 dashes of Angostura bitters to the top of the drink.

*Paw Paw syrup - Mix 1 qt of 1:1 simple syrup per lb of frozen paw paw pulp. Heat the simple syrup on the stove with the frozen paw paw and stir regularly to help the pulp blend with syrup. Once paw paw pulp is fully thawed and incorporated, add ½ oz of Mosby's Spirit store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Recipe courtesy Chad Robinson. Photo courtesy R. Lopez, Eater.

---

Hey Dirty, Baby Got Cha Honey

 

Another Chad Robinson original. This one was featured at Alfie's for our #WhiskyWedneday Roundstone Throwdown against bartender Fabian Malone, who featured the ever popular Dude, Where's My Bikeshare?

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz Curaçao
½ oz salted honey syrup*
½ oz lime juice

Add ingredients and ice to a shaker tin until cold and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon peel.

*Salted Honey Syrup: Add 1 gram of salt per 150 grams of water and allow the salt to fully dissolve. Heat the salt solution in a small saucepan and add 150 grams of clover honey. Fully incorporate the honey and the salt solution until you have a uniform syrup. Allow to cool and store for up to a month.

(This, by itself, tastes just like Honey Nut Cheerios)

Recipe courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Pour Some Citrus On Me

 

This is another great punch from Chad Robinson, and was the featured punch at the ""Super Gin Punch Out"" held recently at 1905 Restaurant in DC, along with fellow distillers Caledonia Spirits (makers of Barr Hill gin), and Green Hat.

25 oz Watershed Gin (one 750mL bottle)
12 oz strong green tea
8 oz Capillaire syrup*
6 oz Curaçao
6 oz fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wheels for garnish
6 oz fresh lime juice, plus lime wheels for garnish
32 oz sparkling water (or sparkling wine for more punch in your punch)

Combine all in a punch bowl and float slices of lemon and lime on top.

*Capillaire syrup
(courtesy David Wondrich, Punch)

1 cups of water
⅛ oz orange blossom water
2 cups sugar

Bring water and sugar to boil. Let stand for 30 minutes. Add the orange blossom water. Will keep in the fridge for a couple months.

Courtesy Chad Robinson.

---

Have you Heard of Alexandra?

 

This cocktail was one of the entries in the Hugo cocktail competition, seeking a place on the summer cocktail menu.

2 oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz gum syrup
1 oz water
½ oz Elderflower liqueur

Pour over crushed ice and top with a splash of club soda.

Cocktail courtesy Alexandra Heard.

---

The Alex Goldberg Machine

 

This cocktail was one of the entries in the Hugo cocktail competition, seeking a place on the summer cocktail menu.

Muddle:
1 slice of lime
1 tsp. coconut palm sugar
Leaves from 1-2 sprigs of tarragon

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz Licor 43
½ oz lime juice
2-3 dashes orange bitters

Muddle the first three ingredients. Then stir in the remaining ingredients over crushed ice. Stir and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Top with club soda or sparkling water. Garnish with a lime twist or sprig of tarragon.

Cocktail courtesy Alex J. Goldberg.

---

Go on, give it a Schott!

 

This cocktail was one of the entries in the Hugo cocktail competition, seeking a place on the summer cocktail menu.

2 oz Watershed Gin
½ fresh lime juice
1 dash cardamom bitters
1 dash grapefruit bitters

Add a few cubes of ice to a shaker, combine ingredients, and stir. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. Top to fill with pink grapefruit sparkling water. Garnish with a sprinkling of sugar and a torched grapefruit peel.

Cocktail courtesy Lauren Nicole Schott.

---

Rachel, you have my Hart!

 

This cocktail was one of the entries in the Hugo cocktail competition, seeking a place on the summer cocktail menu.

2-3 strawberries
1½ oz Catoctin Creek Peach Brandy (or pear brandy will work nice too)
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz sour mix
Sparkling moscato

Muddle 2-3 strawberries in a shaker, then add ice. Add the brandy, pineapple juice, sour mix, and shake vigorously. Strain into a hurricane or large wine glass rimmed with sugar, filled with ice. Add 2 oz of sparkling moscato on top, and garnish with a fresh strawberry.

Cocktail courtesy Rachel Hart.

---

Caprese

 

A great ""sophisto' alternative for Bloody Mary fans!

​​6 cherry tomatoes​, sliced​
4 fresh basil leaves​, broken up
​ ​Cracked black pepper​
ICE
¾ oz distilled white vinegar
¼ oz simple syrup
​​2 oz ​Catoctin Creek ​Mosby's Spirit
​​ ​4 drops of Balsamic Vinegar

​Glass Type: Martini Glass
Garnish: Fresh Mozzerella, basil and a tomato slice skewered on a stick
Method: Muddle tomatoes, basil and black pepper in a shaker until fully crushed and infused together, add vinegar, simple syrup and Mosby's then shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled Martini glass, add drops of balsamic vinegar on top, crack pepper on surface of drink, garnish with caprese stick then serve.

Recipe and photo courtesy John Shope, and used with permission.

---

Thanksgiving Cocktails

 

It's November, and that means one thing: pie season! This month, our 80 proof Roundstone Rye is featured in three delicious pie themed cocktails.

Apple Pie Rye

In a crockpot, combine:

4 cups Apple cider
1 cup honey
2 oranges, studded with cloves
Cinnamon and allspice berries to taste

Cook on low until it begins to simmer, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold - fill mug or glass about ¾ full, add 1½ oz of Roundstone Rye. Garnish with caramel candy.

Pecan Pie Rye

Combine in rocks glass:

1 oz Roundstone Rye
5 oz Pecan syrup*
Pecan, for garnish

*pecan syrup: In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup of brown sugar, ½ cup of water, and ¼ cup of pecans. Stir on low heat for about 10 minutes, making sure the syrup is combined, and there is a fragrance of pecans. Let cool, then pour into a blender or food processor. Blend for about 30 seconds, then strain through a strainer or cheese cloth.

Pumpkin Pie Rye

Combine in shaker:

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
3 oz. spiced syrup*
1 tbs of pumpkin puree
1 tbs of condensed milk

Shake until all ingredients are combined, about 30 seconds. Pour over ice, and top with whipped cream.

*spiced syrup: In a crockpot, combine ½ cup of brown sugar, ½ cup of water, orange peel from 1 orange, 5-6 cloves, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 1 tsp of nutmeg. Cook on low for 30-45 minutes, ensuring that the syrup is consistent and fragrant.

Recipes courtesy Jon Coate.

---

Johnny's Autumn Harvest Punch

 

As Leanne Wiberg described it ""The Drink That Made John Famous."" Used as the Catoctin Creek Distillery table's house cocktail for the 2016 Virginia Craft Spirits Showcase held at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia.

1 oz Roundstone Rye Whisky
3 oz Apple Cider (make your own or pick your favorite brand)
½ oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
*1 tbsp Cranberry Maple Syrup
2 dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
2 dashes Fee Brothers Cranberry Bitters
Top With - Ginger Beer of choice (2:1 ratio or two parts cocktail vs 1 part ginger beer)

Glass Type: Short Highball
Garnish: Fresh Apples, Cranberries, Lemons and Ginger Slices
Method: Build all ingredients except ginger beer in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain over ice then top with ginger beer or build all ingredients with larger recipe in a punch bowl or 3-Gallon Drink dispenser and serve with fresh fruits and ginger in punch.

*Cranberry Maple Syrup:

1½ cups frozen or fresh cranberries
1 cup water
¾ cup Grade A Maple Syrup of choice

Place 1½ cups (about 6 ounces) frozen or fresh cranberries, 1 cup water, and ¾ cup Grade A Maple Syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low rolling boil. Watch carefully so the syrup doesn't boil over! Reduce heat to low and simmer until cranberries are falling apart, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl and let the strainer sit over the bowl until the syrup has cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour. Save and set aside the solids and refrigerate the syrup in a container with a tightfitting lid for up to 2 weeks.

Takes an hour and 20 minutes and makes about 1¼ cup.

To get the most out of your cranberries, pour the left over Cranberry solids in a glass jar, add one cup Maple Syrup or granulated sugar and add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and ¾ cup Red Wine Vinegar, shake up really well until mixed thoroughly and save in jar for a few up to two weeks then fine strain into a glass seal tight container and enjoy a fantastic drinkable Cranberry Maple wine shrub for up to three months! Try over ice with club soda or mix into your favorite cocktail to further stretch your fall/winter drink fix for the rest of the season!

---

Punch Recipe Proportions

If you prefer, we have a punch-sized recipe:

2 750 ml bottles of Roundstone Whisky
1 gallon Apple Cider
1 liter freshly squeezed lemon juice
*1 quart Cranberry Maple Syrup
1 oz Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
1 oz Fee Brothers Cranberry Bitters
½ gallon (4-5 12 fl oz cans/bottles) Ginger Beer of Choice
3 Apples Diced
2 Lemons cut into wheels
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup freshly shaved and diced ginger

Recipe courtesy of John Shope.

---

The Trip Home

 

One of our featured cocktails for September.

1 oz. Watershed Gin
1/2 oz. Rosemany + Clove Simple Syrup
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
top with seltzer, garnish with lemon

Recipe courtesy Amber Becker.

---

Boozy Iced Coffee

 

One of our featured cocktails for September.

1 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz Coffee Concentrate with Nutmeg & Brown Sugar**
garnish with coffee beans

**Coffee concentrate: 1 cup coarsely ground coffee, 8 cups cold water, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup nutmeg. Let steep for 24 hours then strain.

Recipe courtesy Jon Coate.

---

Dirty Mosby

 

One of our featured cocktails for September.

1 oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz white vermouth
½ oz olive brine
garnish with olives

Recipe courtesy Addie Rodgers.

---

Catoctin Sunrise

 

One of our featured cocktails for September.

1 oz Mosby's Spirit
1 oz orange juice
splash of grenadine
garnish with an orange twist

Recipe courtesy Jon Coate, Addie Rodgers, and Amber Becker.

---

Red Riding Hood

 

This one comes to us from our friends at Element Shrub:

Keep the big bad wolves away with this shrub and bitters twist on a Boulevardier, another one of our cocktail collaborations with @dcembitterment.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye whisky
1 oz Campari
½ oz Blueberry Rosemary Element Shrub
Several dashes of DC Embitterment orange bitters

Add all ingredients of a shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Top with bitters.

Recipe and photo courtesy Charlie Berkinshaw of Element Shrub, and used with permission.

---

Rogue Gentlemen Cocktails

 

In December, we'll be highlighting the featured cocktails from our Guest Bartender Event with Chef Johnny Maher, of The Rogue Gentlemen in Richmond. Johnny rocked the shakers for us and came up with three amazing drinks!

Careful With The Siphon

Named after a story Greg Moore told our boys at Rogue where he paid dearly for trying to siphon full octane gin once upon a time...​

1½ oz corriander-infused Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin*
¾ oz Catoctin Peach Brandy
½ oz lemon
½ oz black pepper simple**
Muddled Ginger coin​ (one small diced and peeled fresh of ginger)​
Muddled apple coin​ (a pinch of small diced apple pieces, recommend juicy varietals like Honey Crisps)​

​Shaken, double strained into a coupe.

​*Coriander infused Gin: Simply add two tablespoons of dried coriander (crushed to open the seeds) to a 750 mL bottle of Watershed Gin and then ​allow to steep for 24 hours. Finely strain and return to bottle. Will keep well past the season so make as many as you anticipate on using.

​**Black Pepper Simple: 1½ cups water, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns - Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to bring mixture to a simmer; cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain the cooled syrup and refrigerate it in a container with a tightfitting lid.

Weekend at Barney's

​A clever play on words and the movie Weekend At Bernie's as well as a reference to our first still and its infamous purple hew. The drink itself is quite purple!

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz maple syrup​ (buy a Grade A from the store for the cocktail and mix 2 parts maple to 1 part boiling water, allow to cool to room temperature, keeps for three months if not more)​
½ oz ​fresh ​lemon​ juice​
barspoon blackberry preserves​

Collins, build and add crushed ice, swizzle.

Loundon Clear

​You get it? Loud AND Clear? LOUDOUN COUNTY? YES!

1¼ oz Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz Apple-Rosemary Syrup

Shaken, strained into a flute, topped with bubbly.

* Apple-Rosemary Syrup: ​Bring 1 cup each equal parts of water and sugar together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add ½ an apple sliced up and 3 sprigs of Rosemary and allow to boil for a few minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain and keep for up to three weeks, if not more.

Recipes courtesy Johnny Maher, The Rogue Gentlemen, and used with permission.

---

Four Cocktails by Sam Scarlett

 

Sam Scarlett bartends at Hugo, the cocktail bar at WK Hearth in Purcellville. He's a dashing young fellow, and despite his youthful age, he is a genius behind the stick. We share four of his creations with you here.

(Sic Semper Secales shown above)

2009, A Rye Odyssey

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit, Milk-washed, turmeric infused
¾ oz lemon juice
White pepper
Egg white
Sugar
Activated charcoal for garnish

Shake the spirit, lemon, pepper, egg white and sugar in a shaker of ice. Pour into a rocks glass with a couple cubes, and sprinkle the charcoal on the foam for garnish.

A Catoctin Caper

2 oz Watershed Gin
Splash of caper jus
1 oz Dolin dry vermouth
Dash of orange bitters
Fried crispy capers for garnish

Combine vermouth, caper jus, and gin in a shaker of ice. Stir and pour neat into a martini glass. Add a dash of orange bitters. Garnish with two capers.

Sic Semper Secales®

2 oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz black pepper and beet shrub
½ oz gomme syup
½ oz lime juice

Combine in a shaker and strain into a rocks glass with a couple cubes. Garnish with a skewer of pickled yellow beet.

A Scottish Rabble

2 oz Rabble Rouser Rye Whisky
1 oz rosemary infused Dolin sweet vermouth
Dash of Angostura bitters
Brandied cherry garnish

Combine vermouth, whisky, and bitters in a shaker of ice. Stir and pour neat into a martini glass with a garnish of cherry.

Recipes courtesy of Sam Scarlett.

---

La Louisiane

 

This cocktail is cross-posted from the fantastic Instagram account @spiritedla, Hannah Chamberlain, who features amazing cocktails with stunning photography. Also check out her BuzzFeed pages.

What do you call a New Orleans resident who takes their civic and drinking responsibilities seriously?
...An absinthe-ee voter.

I'm officially ready to be a dad. 🤓

This New Orleans classic cocktail has experienced less of a resurgence than its sisters (the Sazerac and Vieux Carré) but it's a beautiful use for your Benedictine and Absinthe if you like the other two. Less bold than a Sazerac, but less subtle than a Vieux Carre, it's recently become one of my nightly go-tos.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz sweet vermouth
½ oz Benedictine
2 dashes St. George absinthe
3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Luxardo cherry (not pictured due to casualties – RIP to our fallen garnish)

Combine all in a shaker of ice, and strain into a coupe.

Recipe and photo courtesy of @spiritedla.

---

The Parting Glass

 

We're featuring a new drink for New Year's, our take on a French 75, featuring the Watershed Gin, fresh raspberry lemon juice, and sparkling cider. Come on by and raise a parting glass to 2016!

1½ oz watershed Gin
1 oz raspberry lemon juice*
1 oz Sparkling Cider or Champagne

Combine the ingredients in a flute or stemmed glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

*Raspberry lemon juice:
Combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to boil to combine, then reduce to simmer and add raspberries. Mash with potato masher or spatula. Simmer until a rich color and flavor, then strain.

Combine 3 parts of lemon juice with 1 part raspberry syrup.

---

The Churchill

 

A smokey twist on the Old Fashioned, what we call ""The Churchill."" This cocktail features an excellent Lapsang souchong tea from Dominion Tea (just down the street from the distillery!). Lapsang souchong is a black tea, traditionally dried with pinewood, which imparts a delicious smokiness.

Winston Churchill reportedly enjoyed putting a peated scotch in his tea, but I'm quite sure that's only because he couldn't get his hands on our Roundstone Rye.

We top that off with fantastic chocolate bitters from Embitterment and a house made cocktail cherry.

1 oz Roundstone Rye
½ oz Lapsang syrup*
Dash of chocolate bitters
Brandied cocktail cherry for garnish

Combine the ingredients in a rocks glass with a big chunk of ice and garnish with the cherry.

*Lapsang syrup:

Steep simering simple syrup with loose leaf lapsang souchong tea for about 10 minutes. Strain out the tea leaves after steeping.

Recipe courtesy Jonathan Coate.

---

More Valentine's Day Cocktails

 

These were the featured cocktails for Valentine's Day 2017. Please share with the one you love...

A Lovely Flower in the Middle of a Pond

2 oz rose and lavender tea infused Mosby's Spirit
½ oz honey syrup (1 part honey, 1 part boiling water)
½ oz lemon juice
¼ oz Luxardo
¼ oz El Guapo (rose syrup)
3 dashes lavender bitters
candied rose for garnish

Shake all ingredients together, strain in a martini glass.

Mon Amour

2 oz Watershed Gin
3 oz ruby red grapefruit juice
½ oz St. Germain
1 oz tarragon simple syrup
club soda
fresh tarragon to garnish

Shake all ingredients except soda, strain into a Nick & Nola glass over fresh ice and top with club soda.

Ti Adoro

Ice- ¾ oz Campari & 2 oz Water freeze in large cube tray

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz good Italian vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange peel for garnish

Combine rye, vermouth and bitters in an old fashioned glass. Add large Campari ice cube, stir. Express orange peel into drink, wipe rim with peel and side it into the side of the drink.

I Was Wrong

... which always leads to a happy ending.

1½ oz 1757 Virginia Brandy
1 oz Don Ciccio walnut liqueur
¾ oz lemon/grenadine simple syrup (lemon simple syrup mixed with True tonic grenadine syrup)
2 dashes angostura bitters
egg white (optional but delicious!)
brandied cherry to garnish

Shake all ingredients vigorously and strain into a coup glass.

---

Ric Flair

 

 

Last night, Becky and I had dinner and drinks at Dino's Grotto in Shaw in DC. Not only do they have amazing Italian food, but a cocktail menu that features tons of local distillers--like us! Ric Newton, head bartender there, has a cocktail he invented called the Ric Flair. It's a great drink, the woodsy flavor of the amaro and vermouth blends perfectly with the cherry liqueur and bouncy rye. Absolutely delicious! Be sure to ask for it with the Catoctin Creek rye!

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ Cherry Heering
½ Nardini Amaro
½ Cinzano sweet vermouth
Dash of aromatic bitters
Dash of orange bitters

Combine, stir, strain over fresh ice. Orange twist.

Courtesy Ric Newton, Dino's Grotto bar.

 

---

Prohibition Cocktails from Magnolia's

In April, Magnolia's hosted our Catoctin Creek cocktail dinner, and featured five excellent Prohibition-era and pre-Prohibition cocktails.

Here they are, for your enjoyment:

Rye Punch
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye ""Cask Proof""
Plum-ginger beer
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Soda
Cardamom bitters

Ramos Gin Fizz (Magnolia's Style)
Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Lime juice
Aqua fava (chick pea liquid from the can)
Sugar
Orange flower water
Soda

Roffignac
Catoctin Creek 1757 Brandy
Raspberry shrub
Soda

Apple Brandy Crusta
Catoctin Creek Apple Brandy
Maraschino liqueur
Angostura bitters
Baked apple bitters
Lemon juice
Cointreau

Rye Shrub
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Date and vanilla shrub
Cream

Recipes courtesy Matt Perkins, Magnolia's at the Mill, and used with permission.

---

The Jitterbug Sour

 

The Jitterbug Sour is a classic cocktail from the Savoy cocktail book. This one is brought to us by The Next Whiskey Bar at the infamous Watergate Hotel in Washington DC.

2 oz Roundstone Rye whisky
½ oz honey syrup (1:1 honey:water)
½ oz Benedictine
¾ oz lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass.

---

That Rye Nectar

 

This cocktail comes to us from our new Tasting Room Manager, Denise Petty. Denise is a Loudoun County native and joined our team in July. She's a food and beverage pro, and we're so grateful to have her on our team.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¼ oz fresh lime juice
¼ oz local honey
​1 oz​ fresh, fine strained orange juice
3-4 drops of orange blossom water
garnish with orange peel and honey comb

Stir together fresh squeezed lime juice, local honey and Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye until honey is even throughout. Add fresh squeezed orange juice, use a fine strainer to remove all pulp and seeds. Shake vigorously with ice. Strain into glass, top with 3 to 4 drops of orange blossom water. Garnish with orange peel around honey comb.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty

---

Brandy Rebellion

 

This cocktail comes to us from Sam Scarlett at the Wine Kitchen, and was one of our feature cocktails at our speakeasy dance party last month. If you missed the party, don't worry! We're going to do more coming up for Repeal Day and New Years Eve!

The proportions for this cocktail are that for a punch. Feel free to scale it down for personal consumption.

25 oz Apple Brandy
15 oz Roundstone Rye
15 oz Lime juice
7½ oz Grenadine
7½ oz Rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar to water)
30 dashes Angostura Bitters
15 dashes Orange Bitters

Combine all ingredients and garnish with apple wedges.

Recipe courtesy Sam Scarlett.

---

Catoctin Creek Bee's Knees

 

This cocktail comes to us from Sam Scarlett at the Wine Kitchen, and was one of our feature cocktails at our speakeasy dance party last month. If you missed the party, don't worry! We're going to do more coming up for Repeal Day and New Years Eve!

The proportions for this cocktail are that for a punch. Feel free to scale it down for personal consumption.

40oz Watershed Gin
10oz Lemon juice
10oz Honey syrup (equal parts honey and water cooked together)
20 dash Lavender Bitters

Combine all ingredients and use 40 small rosemary sprigs and 40 brandies/maraschino/etc cherries for garnishes.

Recipe courtesy Sam Scarlett.

---

Old Fashioned Whisky Cocktail

 

This cocktail is a classic! This drink is the original cocktail, the forefather of them all. Legend has it that it came from a Confederate General who didn't like his whiskey neat, so he added sugar, bitters and water to it. Hence, the cocktail was born. Originally called the whiskey cocktail, and later the old fashioned whisky cocktail, it eventually ends up as just the old fashioned. Since its creation, it's gone through lots of variations (some of them painful). This is the original, and the one we like best... no fruit, no Sprite.

We are purists, after all.

2 oz Roundstone Rye
¾ oz rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar:water)
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients with a heavy ice cube and serve in a rocks glass. Garnishment is optional, but keep it light.

Photo is of Scott and Alexa at our Catoctin Creek Speakeasy Party in 2017. Reward if found!

---

Red, White and Blue Gimlet

 

This patriotic cocktail was featured in the tasting room for the month of July.

1 oz Watershed Gin
¾ oz blueberry lavender syrup*
½ oz fresh lime juice

Combine ingredients slowly over a bar spoon, to create layers, syrup first, then gin and lime, and top with seltzer. Garnish carefully with fresh blueberries, so as not to disturb the layers.

*Blueberry Lavender Syrup

11 oz bin of fresh blueberries, muddled
½ cup lavender flowers (food grade)
1 cup sugar
1 cup hot water

Combine all ingredients, let steep for 1 hour, strain out blueberries.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Midsummer's Moon

 

On August 21, 2017, we will have a full solar eclipse in the United States. This won't happen again here for something like 100 years! To celebrate, we created the Midsummer Moon cocktail. We'll be drinking this and wearing our eclipse glasses when the end times come!

1½ Roundstone Rye
3 oz Ceylon black tea
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz ginger syrup
2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Lemon wedge garnish

Combine ingredients in a Nick and Nora glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon wedge and 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters.

Recipe courtesy Jen Coate.

---

That Gin Thing You Do

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for our August dinner.

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Elderflower liqueur
¼ oz fresh lime juice
⅛ oz local rosemary infused simple syrup
Prosecco to top

Combine all ingredients in a nick and nora glass, top with Prosecco, and garnish with a lime twist.

Courtesy of Denise Petty

---

Mosby Caliente

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for our August dinner.

1½ oz Mosby's Spirit
¾ oz Ancho Reyes Chile
1 oz fresh lime juice
½ oz whisky barrel chip infused simple syrup

Combine all ingredients and pour into a rocks glass with a chile salt rim.

Courtesy of Denise Petty

---

Peche en Croute

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for our August dinner.

2 oz Short Hill Peach Brandy
½ oz Aperol
1 oz fresh orange juice
½ oz fresh lemon juice
orange/honey syrup* (for rimming)
turbinado sugar (for rimming)

Dip the rim of the glass in the orange/honey syrup, then into the turbinado sugar. Combine the first four ingredients over ice, and strain into the glass, being careful not to disturb the rim.

*Orange/Honey Syrup

1 oz fresh orange juice
2 oz local honey

Combine the two ingredients until well mixed.

Courtesy of Denise Petty

---

Luxe Rye Noir

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for our August dinner.

2 oz Roundstone Rye 80 proof
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz fresh orange juice
¼ oz Luxardo grenadine
dash of Angostura bitters

Combine first four ingredients and pour into a nick and nora glass, dash with Angostura bitters on top, with a brandied cherry garnish.

Courtesy of Denise Petty

---

Misty Morning Fog

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for the month of September.

Catoctin Creek White Rye Spirit
Element blueberry/rosemary shrub
Rosemary infused simple syrup
Topped with Q seltzer
Garnish with rosemary sprig

Courtesy Denise Petty.

---

The Prescription

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for the month of September.

Quarter Branch apple brandy
A touch of simple syrup
Fresh fine strained orange juice
Fresh fine straineda lemon juice
Top with Angostura/apple bitters
Garnish with orange peel

Courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Mason Dixon Manhattan

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. A nod to the classic Manhattan with a southern twist. Wonderful cocktail to pair with traditional hors d’oeuvres or appetizer course.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whiskey
½ oz Grand Marnier Cordon Rogue
¼ oz Broadbent Rainwater Madeira
1 wedge of orange
1 wedge of lemon

Build all spirits in a mixing glass. Squeeze and drop in both lemon and orange wedges. Add ice and stir well. Strain into a martini glass or coupe. Express oil of an orange twist into glass and/or onto the rim of glass and use twist as garnish.

Recipe courtesy Marilee and Matt Billingsley, Postbellum, Richmond, VA.

---

My Brother's in Pearis

 

Courtesy John Shope.

---

Trick Question

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. This is an easy-drinking crushed ice drink that is presented in tiki style.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Sunset Hills Gin
¼ oz Luxardo
Maraschino liqueur
¼ oz Mt. Defiance Cassis Liqueuer
¾ oz Cointreau
¾ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup

Build all ingredients in a 14+oz Tumbler or pint glass. Add crushed ice halfway, and “swizzle” with a bois lele (natural swizzle stick) or agitate agressively with a bar spoon. Add crushed ice to fill. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Courtesy Derek Salerno of Shagbark, Richmond, VA.

---

Almond Breeze

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. This drink came about because I knew I wanted to create a cocktail that kept some of the traditional flavors of tiki drinks, but used rye as the base spirit. I wanted to find a way to encourage people who wouldn’t normally have a whiskey drink to try something new.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Allspice Dram
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz pineapple shrub
⅓ oz orgeat syrup

Shake all ingredients and serve over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Courtesy of Melissa Smith of the Rappahannock Oyster Bar, Washington DC.

---

Stablemate

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. A balanced, spiced whiskey cocktail that’s perfect for late summer or early fall.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram
¾ oz Burnt Local Honey*
¾ oz lemon juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Add all ingredients to shaker, add ice, shake. Double-strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon peel, expressing the oils into the glass first.

*Burnt Local Honey

3 cups local honey
1 cup water

Pour honey into a small saucepan and heat it up at the medium heat setting, whisking continuously. Once it’s simmering, turn down to low heat. Continue whisking until the honey darkens to a deep, golden brown. Add the water to the pan, whisk it all together to homogenize, then remove from heat. Allow to cool completely. Store in a clean container and keep refrigerated. Yield: About 1 qt.

Courtesy Alec Spidalieri of Junction, Charlottesville, VA.

---

Bramblin' Man

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. The Bramblin’ Man came to be after finding some amazing blackberries at our local farmers market. With blackberry cordial as the centerpiece of this cocktail, we use catoctin creek gin for its exceptionally floral notes as a foundation. Then we acidify and add a touch of violet sweetness, and round it out with a hit of absinthe and bitters for a boozy, fruity kick. Prosecco adds the effervescence and dryness to make this cocktail a perfect patio sipper.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
¾ oz Blackberry Cordial
½ oz Lemon Juice
¼ oz Creme de Violette
1 dash Absinthe
1 dash Peach Bitters
1 oz Prosecco
1 sprig of thyme (For Garnish)

Combine all ingredients except Prosecco in a shaker and shake over ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe and top with prosecco. Garnish with sprig of thyme.

Courtesy Jake Rice of Brine, Fairfax, VA.

---

District Saz

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. An earthy interpretation of a Sazerac, featuring Catoctin Creek Rye, Birch Beer syrup made from local birch bark, and a peaty rinse of Laphroig. Served up in a glencairn glass. A great introduction to fall with a zesty and savory cocktail.

1¾ oz Catoctin Creek Rye
¼ oz Benedictine
1 tsp Birch Bark Syrup
Laphroig 10 Year Scotch (For Rinse)
Lemon Peel (For Garnish)

Combine Rye, Benedictine, and Birch Bark Syrup in a mixing glass and stir until chilled. Rinse a glencairn glass with Laphroig 10 Year and dump. Express the lemon peel over the cocktail then discard.

Courtesy Jake Rice of Brine, Fairfax, VA.

---

Rye Old Fashioned

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. The Old Fashioned cocktail is one of the best ways to showcase an aged spirit. Simple and easy to make, all while keeping the base spirit center stage. The extra proof really holds up well in a cocktail without worry of losing any flavor.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye ""92 Proof""
¼ oz 2:1 Demerara syrup
couple dashes of orange and Angostura bitters
orange twist

Combine all in a rocks glass. Add ice and stir until well chilled and diluted. Garnish with an orange twist.

Courtesy Thomas Leggett of The Roosevelt, Richmond, VA.

---

Loudoun County Punch

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. Named after the county that Catoctin Creek was founded in, this punch is perfect for an afternoon of sipping on the porch with friends or for any party.

1 1/2 parts Catoctin Creek Mosby’s Spirit
2 parts Lemon Syrup
1 part Simple Syrup
1 part Black Tea
2 parts water
½ part Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters for every 8 oz of punch
Fresh Fruit and Mint for Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl and add ice. Make sure to stir well before serving. Garnish with your fresh fruit and mint just before guests arrive.

Courtesy Whitney Sacdalan of Harper’s Table, Suffolk, VA.

---

Summer on the Southside

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. This is a collaboration between Matt Savopoulos and I. It a refreshing riff on a Southside, with a few summery ingredients to set it apart.

1½ oz. Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
¾ oz. Lime Juice
½ oz. Cointreau
½ oz. Simple Syrup
½ oz. Grapefruit Juice
One Small Pinch of Mint (approximately 8 leaves)
1 Dash of Angostura Bitters
2 Dashes Peach Bitters (Fee Brothers is fine)
2 oz. Soda Water (or desired preference)

In a one pint mason jar. Add mint. Muddle lightly. Add the rest of the ingredients to the glass except soda water. Add ice to fill. Attach to a shaker and shake thoroughly. Add Soda Water and then Ice to fill mason jar. Garnish with lime wheel and mint sprigs.

Courtesy Brett Harder of The Whiskey Jar, Charlottesvile, VA.

---

Cherry Ice Manhattan

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. We went back to the roots to refresh the greatest cocktail in the world – local rye whiskey, vermouth, house made bitters and some homemade Brandied Cherry Ice Cubes! Yum!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Rye
1 oz Cinzano Vermouth
4 dash House made dark bitters (or Angostura)
3 ea Brandied Cherry Ice cubes

Mix the rye, vermouth & bitter with ice in a mixing glass. Muddle the cherry ice cubes and then pour cocktail over. Stir lightly and serve.

Courtesy Adam Steely of The Blue Tallon Bistro, Williamsburg, VA.

---

Loudoun Rye

 

One of the feature cocktails for Virginia Spirits Month 2017. This one comes to us from Rebecca Dudley, proprietor at Market Table Bistro in Lovettsville, Virginia.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz elderflower liqueur
1 lemon wedge
1 tsp rhubarb jam
1 oz Cava (or other sparkling wine)

Squeeze & drop lemon wedge in shaker with ice. Add rye, elderflower and jam shake well. Strain into coupe glass and top with sparkling wine.

Courtesy Rebecca Dudley.

---

White Manhattan

 

This one comes to us from @spiderwitchfam on Instagram. A lovely study in clear beverages.

2 oz Catoctin Creek white unaged rye spirit
½ oz Carpano Bianco vermouth
½ tsp Laphroaig Quarter Cask
1-2 dashes Jack Rudy Aromatic Bitters

Stir, serve up or over a rock.

Photo and recipe courtesy D.E. Wittkower and used with permission.

---

The Chesapeake Bay Cocktail

 

This cocktail comes to us from The Cocktail Artist, Christopher & Beth Cowie. You can check out Christopher and Beth's work at their site thecocktailartist.blogspot.com or on Instagram @thecocktailartist.

Having received a lovely painting and card from them over the weekend, I wanted to share this delightful cocktail from their site:

The Chesapeake Bay is well known for its seafood - particularly crabs. It's a summer ritual in Maryland to enjoy a bucket of steamed Chesapeake Bay crabs caked with Old Bay Seasoning. Old Bay has been produced in Maryland since 1939. It is a spice blend with a very distinct flavor - which includes paprika, pepper and celery salt. Old Bay no longer seems limited to crabs, and it has been showing up in some new and interesting places, in mayonnaise, beer, and in chocolate, among others. We decided to get on board this Old Bay renaissance and give it a try in a cocktail, and we were pretty pleased with the results.

Our Chesapeake Bay cocktail uses rye whisky and aquavit. We have tried it with several ryes, and particularly like how Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye works with the other ingredients. This rye is produced in Virginia, not far from the Chesapeake, so in addition to giving the cocktail the right flavor, it seems like a pretty good fit geographically.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Linie Aquavit
½ oz Old Bay simple syrup*
2 dashes orange bitters

In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine all the ingredients. Shake for 15 seconds, and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.

*Old Bay simple syrup

Add ½ cup of water, ½ cup of honey, and 3 tsp of Old Bay seasoning to saucepan. Stir until syrup begins to boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer syrup to a jar and keep refrigerated for up to 2 months. Shake well before using.

Courtesy The Cocktail Artist, Christopher and Beth Cowie, links above.

---

Charlie #4

 

This cocktail is one submitted by Charlie Berkinshaw from Element Shrub. We were very happy to see the DMV area prominently featured in the 2018 Good Food Awards, with Element Shrub, Embitterment Bitters, and Catoctin Creek all named as finalists. This cocktail celebrates those wins, with a delicious take on local ingredients.

2 oz fig-infused Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
¾ oz Element Chai Pear shrub
1-2 dashes Embitterment chocolate bitters

Combine all ingredients in shaker with ice, stir and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry and/or a fig slice.

Courtesy Element Shrub and used with permission.

---

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas Negroni

 

This cocktail is a fun ""bianco"" take on the Negroni, using white bitter liqueur and clear vermouth. We add some sweetness from the stevia to counterbalance the dry vermouth in the recipe, without adding any calories. The stevia also adds a nice herbal element and a touch more bitterness, which in this cocktail is desired.

Scott recommends this cocktail with an accompaniment of Burt Bacharach on vinyl. Sublime!

1½ oz thyme-infused Watershed Gin
1 oz Salers Aperitif
1 oz Noily Prat dry vermouth
1-2 dashes orange bitters
½ oz housemade stevia tea (for sweetness, use simple syrup as an alternative)

Combine all in shaker, pour over a large rock in a rocks glass.

A Scott Harris original cocktail.

---

The Blood and Warshore

 

A green Bloody Mary. Incredible!

1 lb roasted tomatillos
2 cloves roasted garlic
½ avocado
½ pint yellow cherry tomatoes
2 Persian cucumbers, peeled
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Serrano pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
fresh parsley
1 tsp prepared horseradish
¾ tsp green hot sauce
½ tsp Worcestershire
1 pinch celery seed
9 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

Blend all ingredients except spirit together and strain. Pour over ice with spirit in a highball glass with an agave/smoked sea salt rim and local pickled vegetables. Makes 6.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Wind and the Whiffle

 

1½ oz Catoctin white unaged spirit
½ oz Cocchi Americano
½ oz Benadictine
¼ oz Pavan
2 dash orange bitters

Stir all ingredients. Strain into a martini glass with a Luxardo cherry.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Take Me to the Mill

 

Prosecco
1.5 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
Splash of TRUE grenadine syrup
2 dash black walnut bitters

Pour rye, grenadine and bitters into a flute and top with prosecco. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Virt & Earth

 

2 oz Beet infused Watershed Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth
splash of pomegranate juice

Stir and pour over a large ice ball in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

A Long Way to the Pasture

 

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz pineapple juice (fresh pressed)
½ oz lemon juice (fresh pressed)
½ oz lime juice (fresh pressed)
½ oz simple syrup infused with dried guajillo peppers

Shake all ingredients and pour into a Nick and Nora glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Nod to the Nog

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for December, and is an eggless egg nog created by our brand ambassador, Peter Nelson. For those who don't wish to have raw egg in their drink–either due to allergy or health concerns–this cocktail makes a nice substitute.

3 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp condensed milk
4-8 oz of Roundstone Rye, more or less to taste
Grated nutmeg for garnish

Add all the ingredients except whisky to the blender; blend until well mixed and frothy. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. When ready to serve, stir in the whisky and re-blend if desired to achieve extra froth. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Recipe courtesy Peter Nelson.

---

Poin'shed'dia

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for December.

1½ oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Element Cranberry-Hibiscus syrup
1 oz Rosemary-infused rich simple syrup*
Seltzer to top
1 dash of cranberry bitters
Rosemary sprig to garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice, strain to a cocktail glass, and dash with cranberry bitters. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

*Rosemary Rich Simple Syrup

Combine 2 cups sugar with 1 cup of water; add 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Heat until thoroughly combined and steep over low heat for 1-3 hours (a crock pot works great for this). Remove rosemary. Keeps for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Santa's Reserve

 

This cocktail is one of our feature cocktails for December.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 c whole milk
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp cayenne powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup peppermint infused rich simple syrup (to taste)*

Can be served warm or cold. If warm, combine all ingredients except alcohol in a pan and warm (do not boil!). If cold, add the alcohol. Serve in a mug or glass, with a dollop of whipped cream, marshmallows, or a candy cane garnish.

*Peppermint Rich Simple Syrup

Combine 2 cups sugar with 1 cup of water; add 2-3 sprigs of fresh peppermint. Heat until thoroughly combined and steep over low heat for 1-3 hours (a crock pot works great for this). Remove peppermint. Keeps for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Cranberry Old Fashioned

A simple, but pleasing cocktail, especially as an apertivo.

2½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz rosemary simple syrup
2 dashes cranberry bitters

Combine all in a glass with a big ice cube. Garnish with lemon peel.

---

The Catoctin Jingle

 

This cocktail comes to us from one of our holiday dinners. The ingredients magically blend into something delightful, light and unexpected!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Apple Brandy
1 oz pineapple juice
½ oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
Prosecco
Nutmeg

Combine ingredients and serve in a punch glass. Top with Prosecco, and grate some fresh nutmeg over the top, garnish with apple slices.

---

Up on the Roundstone

 

This cocktail comes to us from one of our holiday dinners. A delicious take on a Vieux Carre.

¾ oz Catoctin Creek 92 Proof
¾ Catoctin Creek 1757 Brandy
¾ oz Mount Defiance Sweet Vermouth
1 tsp Benedictine
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Peychauds bitters

Combine ingredients and serve in a rocks glass with a luxardo cherry garnish.

---

Joy to the Watershed

 

This cocktail comes to us from one of our holiday dinners. A bit like a gimlet, or gin sour, but with that wonderful absinthe rinse for complexity.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz lime juice
Absinthe rinse

Combine ingredients and serve in a martini glass that has been rinsed with absinthe. Lime twist garnish.

---

Rye-lent Night (Holiday Eggnog)

 

This cocktail comes to us from one of our holiday dinners. A delicious take on eggnog. This recipe is complicated, but worth it!

12 large eggs (divided into yolks and whites)
1½ cups sugar
8 cups whole milk
vanilla extract
nutmeg
cinnamon
heavy cream/whipping cream (either works)
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

First off separate your eggs into whites and yolks, then in a kitchen aid or other large mixer whip the yolks with the 1½ cups of sugar until they form what are called ""soft peaks"", I'm not sure how much baking you do, but this is just when the yolk starts to adhere to the side of the bowl more noticeably, it's pretty much just thickening it.

Next: add in the whole milk, cream, your selection of spices (I used nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, but you could also add allspice or other holiday spices, be sure to taste while doing this and find a flavor profile that you like) as well as adding your alcohol (to the whole mixture which made about 2 quarts i used 10 oz of 80 proof, again this is a kind of to taste preference). Let that mixture fully homogenize and then empty it into a large bowl.

Next, whip the eggs whites with about a table soon or two of sugar, whip until they form ""stiff peaks"". then ""fold"" that into the mixture you previously separated into a large bowl. by ""fold"", it's pretty much just gently pouring the second mixture into the first, and mixing slowly.

[Optional] This is where my recipe will deviate from others. After I completed these steps, the eggnog wasn't quite thick enough for my liking, so i put it over heat, at a very low simmer temperature and let the whole concoction heat until it hits 160 degrees F. Then, I quickly take it off heat and let it cool. Leave it to cool uncovered in the fridge over night. in the morning there will likely be a congealed layer of fat on top of the eggnog, Separate this off and then run the eggnog through a fine strainer to get out any unappetizing chunks. I then grated fresh nutmeg and cinnamon on top before it served it. That's it!

Scott's note: For full potency, add the alcohol AFTER the heating stage.

Recipe courtesy Peter Nelson.

---

Gerald of Rivia

 

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1½ oz Barolo Chinato Vermouth
½ oz Glenfiddich Scotch
½ oz Cynar
2 dashes Plum Bitters
Rinse glass with Yellow Chartreuse
Bruleed Lemon Twist

Fill cocktail shaker with ice and add all ingredients except chartreuse. Stir vigorously until chilled and then strain into chartreuse rinsed Belgian globe glass or brandy snifter. Rub lemon peel around rim, garnish and serve.

To brûlée a lemon twist, simply scorch peel with small blow torch or lighter.

Courtesy Caleb Donovan from Can Can Brasserie.

---

El Diablo Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

The El Diablo was found in Trader Vic's 1946 recipe book. To this day, no one is sure whether it is a Trader Vic's original or if it's roots stem back even further. We've substituted gin for vodka in this recipe, because we love gin!

3 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Chambord (or use a fresh raspberry simple syrup)
1 oz lime juice
2-3 oz ginger beer
Fresh blackberry

Combine the first three ingredients in a rocks glass, stir to combine, and add cube ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with blackberries.

Courtesy Vic Bergeron.

---

Negroni Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

The Negroni is one of those classic cocktails that is easy to make, and so easily enjoyed. Created by Count Camillo Negroni and bartender Fosco Scarselli in Italy in 1919, the contrasting flavors of the spirit, bitters, and vermouth combine perfectly for something totally refreshing and quite sophisticated. We use equal parts of each spirit for easy remembering, but some recipes will suggest slightly more spirit. Do as you wish. Try substituting rye whisky for gin in this recipe, you have yourself a new cocktail, the Boulevardier! Or, with the whisky, try dry vermouth, and you have the Old Pal.

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Carpano Antica (or your favorite) sweet vermouth

Combine all three ingredients in a shaker of ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass, or over a large rock in a rocks glass. Garnish with citrus peel.

---

Black Manhattan Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

I made this cocktail up as a variation of ""black manhattans"" that I've been playing with for years. I love amaro and have been experimenting with it a lot. The Don Ciccio ones are my favorites, but Averno is good also. There are even German bitters which are very similar (Boonekamp is a favorite from Bavaria), but they don't call them amaro in Germany. So, amaro was the basis of the drink... with chocolate and mole bitters to give more richness and dark depth.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Amaro (try one from Don Ciccio, Averno, Ramazotti, Cynar or your favorite)
½ oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
2-3 dashes of Mole / Aztec or Chocolate bitters
Luxardo cherry garnish

Combine all over ice, stir, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

---

Crackbrained Poet Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail comes to us from Italy, through bar manager Mario Farulla of Baccano in Rome! It is so cool to be selling our products in Italy, the land of vermouths, bitters and amaro. Mario writes:

La lucida follia di Schmidt, è pura arte, genio ed improvvisazione; estro di cui siamo tutti figli. La sua visionaria via di accostamenti e presentazione dei drink è l’eredità di cui dobbiamo far tesoro senza però fermarci mai alla superficialità. Per questa rivisitazione del “Pleasant Surprise” ho voluto utilizzare il Catoctin Creek, che con le sue note vanigliate e di pellame ben sia accostano al mix di vini liquorosi e spezie presenti nel drink.

---

Translation: Schmidt's lucid madness is pure art, genius and improvisation; inspiration of which we are all children. His visionary way of combinations and presentation of drinks is the legacy we must treasure always maintaining the superficiality. For this version of the ""Pleasant Surprise"" I wanted to use Catoctin Creek, which with its hints of vanilla and leather, well match the mix of liqueur, wines and spices present in the drink.

The ""Schmidt"" referenced here is William Schmidt, a pre-prohibtion bartender and author of The Flowing Bowl.

1 tsp caster sugar
40ml (1⅓ oz) Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky 92 Proof
20ml (⅔ oz) Lustau Almacenista Sherry
20ml (⅔ oz) Madera Cossart 5 y.o.
1 dash orange bitters
3 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: Essentia vaporized nutmeg

Grated black pepper crusta

Glass: Sherry Goblet

Tecnique: Savoy/Throwing

Courtesy of Mario Farulla, Baccano, Rome, Italy, @mariofarulla on Instagram.

---

Almost Red Lips Rye Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail was inspired by the ""Red Lips Rye"" cocktail currently featured in the cocktail book at the Savoy American Bar in London. The original cocktail features rye whisky, a raspberry port cordial, Campari and Kummel. Not having the exact measurements and original ingredients, I endeavored to re-create this cocktail, in color, flavor, and sweetness, with ingredients in my home bar. I do believe this comes pretty close to the original, and is pretty damn delicious!

2 oz Roundstone Rye 92 Proof
1 oz Port
⅓ oz Garofalo Blueberry liqueuer, Chambourd, or Cherry Heering
⅓ oz Aquavit
⅓ oz Aperol or Campari
2 dashes Peychauds bitters

Combine all in a cocktail mixer with ice, stir well, and strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass.

Recipe by Scott Harris, inspired by the American Bar, Savoy Hotel, London.

---

The Medicine Man Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This cocktail is featured on the menu at the Wine Kitchen in Leesburg, Virginia. It is a rather simple old-fashioned recipe featuring a rare ingredient: a simple syrup infused with Palo Santo oil (Bursera graveolens). Palo Santo comes from a wood native to the Yucatan region of Mexico, and is lauded for its ability to remove the ""mala energía"" (bad energy). Deliciousness and setting your energy right? Yes, please.

2 oz Roundstone Rye
½ Palo Santo simple syrup
4 dashes of house bitters

Mix and serve with a big rock in a rocks glass. Orange peel garnish.

Courtesy the Wine Kitchen, Leesburg, Virginia.

---

Strawberry Hibiscus Sour Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

Ahhhh.... summer is unofficially here. And with it, strawberries! This take on a traditional whisky sour is refreshing and just about as pretty as a flower on a summer evening.

1.5 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz fresh squeezed lemon
1 oz strawberry-hibiscus simple syrup*
Lemon wheel garnish

Combine all three ingredients in a shaker of ice, shake, then strain into coupes. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

*Strawberry-hibiscus simple syrup

In a mixing pot or a crock pot, combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water, along with a 15 oz package of sliced and mashed strawberries and 4 oz of dried hibiscus blossoms. (If hibiscus blossoms are unavailable, you can use pre-packaged hibiscus tea, like ""Red Zinger"".) Steep the syrup mixture until fully dissolved, then for another 30-60 minutes. Strain out the solids and bottle. Will keep for 1-2 months in the fridge.

---

Peach Smash Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

Nothing says summer in the south quite like peaches. The juicy ripe fruit, dripping with sweetness, just begs to be in a cocktail!

This one comes to us from Instagram personality @jonpenndorf.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 peach slice, muddled
½ oz thyme simple syrup
1-2 dashes Fee Brothers grapefruit bitters

Muddle the peach in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, add ice, and other ingredients. Shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass.

Recipe and photo courtesy Jon Penndorf via Instagram.

---

Rye-tea-o, mate! Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail is one of our featured cocktails in the tasting room for the month of August, 2018.

1 oz Roundstone Rye 92 Proof
2 oz Loudoun Raspberry truffle tea
½ oz fresh orange juice
½ oz True grenadine
2 brandied cherries
1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine all in shaker, stir, and pour over ice in a rocks or punch glass. Garnish with brandied cherries

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Gold Fashioned

 

This cocktail is one of our featured cocktails in the tasting room for the month of August, 2018.

1 oz Roundstone Rye
1½ oz saffron simple syrup
5 drops Liquid Gold bitters
lemon peel expression

Combine all in shaker, stir, and pour over ice in a rocks or punch glass. Garnish with brandied cherries

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Boulevardier Spritz Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

I love Boulevardiers, and I love spritzes, so when this one came across my Instagram feed, I sat up and took notice! What a refreshing take on a couple classics! This one is courtesy @adamdstein on Instagram.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz Campari
San Pellegrino Limonata, to top.

Fill a rocks glass with ice, add the rye and Campari, stir, and top with San Pellegrino Limonata soda. Garnish with a lime. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy Adam D. Stein, and used with permission.

---

French 120 Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails for the distillery dinner in August.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
¾ oz Lemon Juice
¾ oz Butterfly Pea Tea & Basil Simple Syrup
Top with Cava
Garnish with Yellow Cherry Tomato & Purple Basil Leaf

Serve in Champagne flute.

---

Peach's Cup Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails for the distillery dinner in August.

1 oz Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy
1 oz El Guapo Rose Cordial
1 oz Lemon Juice
3 drops of Frontier (Sarsaparilla) Bitters
Top with Club Soda
Garnish with Mint Sprig

Serve in a Nick and Nora glass.

---

Cocktail a la Catoctin Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails for the distillery dinner in August.

2 oz Roundstone Rye 92 proof Distiller's Edition
½ oz Benedictine
½ oz Carpano Antica
3 dashes Herbsaint
3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
Garnish with Catoctin Creek 1757 Brandied Cherry

Serve in rocks glass.

---

Hur""rye""cane Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails for the distillery dinner in August.

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 proof
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
¼ oz Raspberry Truffle Tea Simple Syrup
¼ oz Grenadine
Garnish with a floating layer of Angostura Bitters and Orange Wedge

Serve in rocks glass.

---

'Sup Doc? Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

This cocktail is one of our featured cocktails for the Virginia Spirits Month of September.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
¾ oz Carrot Juice
¾ oz TRUE Tonic Syrup
Top with Club Soda
Dash of Aromatic Bitters
Garnish with Mint Sprig

Serve in a Nick and Nora glass.

---

Johnny Bandanna's Fall Punches Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Spirits

 

Johnny Bandanna, aka John Shope, aka The Next Rounds On Me, came up with some lovely fall punch cocktails for a festival we did in Powhatan, Virginia this season. Here they are for your enjoyment.

Appalachian Honey Grapefruit Sour

Glass Type: Rocks Glass or Coup
Garnish: None
Method: Combine all ingredients into ice filled shaker, shake vigorously, then serve on the rocks or neat.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
2 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 oz. honey syrup
Ice

*Honey Syrup: Simply boil water and mix a 1:1 ratio of hot water and locally sourced honey together, allow to cool and keep refrigerated for up to three months.

W.G.L.L.G. For Me:

Glass Type: Martini or Coup Glass
Garnish: Lavender Sprig
Method: Combine all ingredients into ice filled cocktail shaker, shake vigorously and fine strain into glass.

Ingredients:

2 oz Watershed Gin
Juice from 1 Lime
1 oz Lavender simple syrup
2 Dashes Embitterment Lavender Bitters

*Lavender Simple Syrup: Boil 1/4 cup lavender seeds with 1 cups of water and 1 cup white sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, strain seeds and then keep refridgerated for up to three months.

(That’s a Watershed Gin Lavender Lime Gimlet for Me, please and thank you!)

---

Linda's Autumn Punch Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

Tis the season for autumn flavors! Nothing goes with falling leaves and cooler breezes than crisp apple cider, fall spices and rye whisky! Here is a punch that you can enjoy, cold or hot!

3 cups Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup ginger-cinnamon syrup*
6 cups fresh apple cider

*To make the ginger-cinnamon syrup:
1/2 lb fresh ginger root
5 cinnamon sticks
2 cups water
granulated cane sugar

Thinly slice ginger root (no need to peel!) and boil with cinnamon sticks in water for 45 minutes. Strain, and add 1/3 volume of granulated sugar to remaining hot liquid. Example: if after straining, you are left with 1.5 cups ginger-cinnamon liquid, add 1/2 cup sugar.

Recipe courtesy Linda Jockers.

---

Port of Manhattan Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail, as many are, was born out of necessity. In the early 2000's, you could not get a decent drink in Loudoun County. I would go into bars and ask for a Manhattan, and the biggest letdown would come when the drink was served: elderly, un-refrigerated, spoiled vermouth, shaken within an inch of its life (dilution!), and served in a glass full of ice (this is NOT an iced-tea, sir!). Knowing that these bars had limitations on the quality and freshness of their vermouth, I sought to find a recipe that would give me the richness of a Carpano Antica with an inferior product. By adding the Port, we gained that richness that I was missing from a straight pour of old thin watery vermouth.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

2 oz Roundstone Rye 92
½ oz Port
½ oz cheap vermouth (which is kind of the point of this cocktail)
1 dash Angostura bitters
Cherry garnish

Stirred, never shaken, and strained up into a coupe.

Recipe by Scott Harris.

---

Tuxedo Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

This cocktail is a rather simple version of a martini, but substituting dry fino sherry for vermouth, giving a nuttier, yet bone dry take on the traditional martini.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz fino sherry
1 dash orange bitters
Martini glass
lemon twist

Stirred, never shaken, and strained up into a martini glass.

---

Lankershim Fizz Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

One remarkable fact is that the largest consumers of gin in Europe are... (drum roll, please)... the Spanish. They drink twice as much gin per person as do the British. So we cannot enjoy Spain without a gin cocktail. The most consumed gin beverage in Spain (again, remarkably) is the gin & tonic. We are going to side-step the G&T for now, and introduce a more sophisticated gin fizz.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

1½ Watershed Gin
½ oz Pedro Ximénez sherry
½ oz simple syrup
¾ oz lemon juice
1 egg white (or 1 oz aquafaba)
2 oz soda water
lemon twist garnish
Collins glass

Dry shake the gin through the egg white/aquafaba. Then, strain over ice in a collins glass and top with soda.

---

Carpenter's Hand Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy

 

Sultry and supple, this mix of brandy, sherry and honey-sweetened liqueur is delicious any time of year.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

2 oz. 1757 Virginia Brandy
1⁄2 oz. Amontillado sherry
1⁄2 oz. Drambuie or saffron honey syrup
Rocks glass, big rock
Orange peel

Shake ingredients together with ice in a shaker, and then strain over a big rock in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange peel.

Recipe courtesy Chris Lane, Lolinda, San Francisco.

---

Negroni Sbagliato Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

The Negroni is a classic Italian cocktail known for a crisp full flavor and a bitter finish. As Becky Harris (my wife, and our chief distiller) likes to say, “the bitterness reminds you it's a grown-up's drink.” Though variations exist, the most agreed upon recipe is equal parts gin, Italian (red sweet) vermouth, and Campari.

The word “sbagliato” means “broken” or “wrong”. So how do we mess up a perfect Negroni? By adding sparkles! This changes this rather boozy cocktail into something lighter, and more like an aperitivo—that is a perfect welcome cocktail for the evening!

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

1 oz Watershed Gin

1 oz Don Ciccio Luna Amara

1 oz Tribuno sweet vermouth

rocks glass with ice

top with soda or Prosecco

garnish with orange half-slice

---

Goodbye Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Pearousia Pear Brandy

 

Limoncello is a liqueur particular to Italy, and very popular in the Amalfi coast, where Francesco from Don Ciccio hails. It is an infusion of lemons and zest in spirits with sugar. You can also find an “Orange Cello” or Mandarinetto and a Fico d'india (“Fig Cello”) from Don Ciccio. To close out the evening, a sweet something in a flute is always nice. The combination of fruit brandy, limoncello, and some bubbles should be a great way to end any evening.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

½ oz Pearousia pear brandy
½ oz Limoncello
Top with bubbles
Flute
lemon ribbon garnish

---

Hey Now, You're an All Star Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy

 

This cocktail is just about as fun as the song for which it is named. Occasionally, we get cocktail submissions from the Internet, and this one comes to us from Chris West (@pourmansalmanac on Instagram). Check out his feed for more fun cocktail creations! From his post:

can I explain this cocktail using only lyrics to all star by smash mouth? no, but I’ll try. someBODY once told me that star fruit is sweet, slightly tart, and delicious. okay, google told me that, and upon tasting, can confirm true. it also serves as a stunning flavor addition to a daiquiri, which is a perfect drink, but what’s wrong with taking the backstreets? god. stop it. riffing on a classic daiquiri spec, we’re splitting the sour between star fruit and lime, going full hemingway with the addition of maraschino liqueur for the sweet. as for the booze, we’re using an amber rum, as well as a ridiculous peach brandy. finally, you’re an all star, not one star, so we’ve added an absinthe rinse and shaved star anise onto our garnish.

3 slices star fruit
¾ oz lime juice
¾ oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1 dropper Bittermens hopped grapefruit bitters
— muddle —
1½ oz Gosling amber rum
½ oz Catoctin Creek peach brandy
— shake over ice // double strain —
Mt Defiance absinthe rinse
Garnish with anise-dusted star fruit

Recipe and photo courtesy Chris West, and used with permission.

---

The Manquacken Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Chicken & Whiskey Barrel Select Rye

 

This cocktail comes to us from @fractionsofzero on Instagram.

Manhattan Riff with a twist and a shake. The complexity of the Rye and subtly of the Vermouth imbued with dull chocolate notes finds a greasy balance when shaken into a fresh duck egg yolk. Traditional strength and dryness of a Manhattan with the subtle richness of a creamed cocktail.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Chicken & Whiskey Barrel Select Rye
¾ oz Drapo Rosso Vermouth
2 dashes Scrappy's Chocolate Bitters
1 Duck Egg Yolk

Shake & strain eggy Manhattan into a coupe with bee ambrosia dusted lemon twist.

Recipe and photo courtesy @fractionsofzero. Model is @witchcrafty22 on Instagram. Used with permission.

---

The Liberal Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Cask Proof Rye

 

Amer Picon is a French bitter which is quite hard to find in the USA. It is made from tiny orange peels, but has a deep caramel texture and flavor, which is most pleasing. You can sip it on its own, as a aperitif or digestif, or use it as we do here, to make a delicious cocktail. This one is courtesy my friend, Gary McGraw, with credit to Vintage Spirits for the recipe.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

¾ oz Roundstone Rye Cask Proof
¾ oz Dolin sweet vermouth
¼ oz Amer Picon
Brandied cherry garnish
Rocks glass, big ice

Recipe courtesy Gary McGraw, and used with permission.

---

The Stinger Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy

 

This cocktail tastes like Christmas. From Kara Newman's book, Nightcap:

“At Brooklyn's Sauvage, bar director William Elliott batches up large quantities of this refreshing drink, then sets it in the freezer for a wonderful syrup-like viscosity. While Elliott favors white crème de menthe, particularly Giffard Menthe-Pastille, for a crystal-clear drink that resembles a minty Martini, green crème de menthe can yield a striking variation.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

1½ oz 1757 Brandy
¾ oz crème de menthe (Kara prefers the white variety, not the Dayglo™ green variety.)
dash absinthe
lemon peel garnish
Coupe glass

Combine ingredients in a shaker of ice and strain into the coupe. Garnish with the lemon peel.

Recipe courtesy Kara Newman and her book, Nightcap.

---

Sands of Time Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Chicken+Whisky Barrel Select Rye

 

This one is another great cocktail from Instagram personality @fractionsofzero. He's doing a lot of amazing stuff on his Instagram feed right now, including some pretty wacky fish-based mocktails. (We'll save those for your consideration.)

This is his take on a Blood and Sand cocktail classic:

¾ oz Catoctin Creek Chicken+Whisky Barrel Select Rye
¾ oz Luxardo cherry liqueur
¾ oz Drapo vermouth
¾ oz Blood orange juice
Dehydrated blood orange wheel to garnish.

Shake, strain into a coupe, and balance the orange delicately, poised to fall backward or forward at any moment in time. ⌛

Recipe and photo courtesy @fractionsofzero. Used with permission.

---

Colonial Mint Julep Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

The mint julep is perhaps the most iconic American cocktail, among a field of cocktails which are, by definition, American. The julep is the cocktail of the south, evoking images of horse-farms, warm summer breezes, and sipping cool beverages on a wide porch. The history of the julep dates back to the 1700s, when it was prescribed as a medicinal. This variant uses rye, not bourbon, and uses a brown sugar syrup, which to us has more flavor and is truer to the sugar that would have been found in colonial America.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

6 mint leaves, plus additional for garnish
½ oz brown sugar syrup
Crushed ice
2 oz Roundstone Rye

Muddle the mint in the bottom of the glass, add the syrup and whisky, stir, and add crushed ice and more garnish mint.

Recipe from Colonial Spirits by Stephen Grasse.

---

Maple Whisky Sour Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This is a classic cocktail that is served the world over, first appearing in Jerry Thomas's The Bartender's Guide in 1862. We've changed it only slightly to add maple syrup as the sweetener, since any class on American beverages must consider maple as an ingredient. The maple matches surprisingly well with the lemon and the whisky. For what it's worth, this is a very similar cocktail to our very popular Colonel Langdon, except the spirit has been aged in oak for a time.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz fresh lemon
½ oz fresh orange juice
½ oz maple syrup
½ oz aquafaba (optional)

Dry shake, then stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist.

---

Peach Cobbler Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

A type of drink that was common in the early 1800's and now mostly forgotten is the cobbler, a drink usually using a large amount of cobbled (chip) ice. (It has nothing to do with the pie-like dessert called a cobbler.) The most common variant of the drink was the sherry cobbler, but there are several varieties using fruit which we enjoy. In this cocktail, the ginger really gives the peach a nice backbone.

[Part of the Art of the Cocktail series, season two.]

2 slices ripe peach (previously frozen OK)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz peach simple syrup
2 oz Roundstone Rye

Combine the peaches, ginger, lemon and syrup. Muddle to break the fruit. Add the whiskey and ice, and shake until chilled. Pour unstrained into a rocks glass and add more ice.

Recipe from Colonial Spirits by Stephen Grasse.

---

Rose Colored Glasses

This cocktail was a feature cocktail of one of our recent distillery dinners.

1½ oz Watershed Gin
¼ oz thyme infused simple syrup
¼ oz rose cordial (like Guapo's)
Ginger beer topper
Hibiscus Tea float (we like Dominion Tea in Purcellville)

Serve stirred over ice with a sprig of thyme

Recipe courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Be My Sweet-Tea

This cocktail was a feature cocktail of one of our recent distillery dinners.

2 oz Pearousia Pear Brandy
¾ oz matcha tea
¼ oz lavender infused honey syrup
¼ oz lime oleo saccharum (syrup from lime peels cured in sugar over night)
Blood orange paint garnish (blood orange dust, honey, orange bitters)

Serve shaken and strained over a large ice cube.

Recipe courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Don't Wanna Yuzu Love Tonight

This cocktail was a feature cocktail of one of our recent distillery dinners.

2 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz yuzu juice
½ oz vanilla bean infused simple syrup
¼ citric acid water

Garnish with orange bitters and candied ginger. Serve stirred over ice.

Recipe courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Alma La Terra Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

This cocktail was a feature cocktail of one of our recent distillery dinners.

2 oz Roundstone Rye Distiller's Edition
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
splash of aqauafaba (chickpea juice)
float of Cocchi Rosa

Shake first three ingredients with ice, strain, add aquafaba and dry shake. Pour over ice and float Cocchi Rosa. Garnish with a lemon peel and brandied cherry.

Recipe courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Virginia Goodbye Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

This cocktail was a feature cocktail of one of our recent distillery dinners.

2 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Cream*
½ Luxardo
Coffee
Chocolate whip cream
powdered cocoa

Add first two ingredients in a coffee mug, top with coffee then whipped cream, sprinkle with cocoa.

*Roundstone Rye Cream

1 cup heavy cream
14 oz can sweet condensed milk
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee
1⅔ cup Roudstone Rye 80 Proof

Blend together, and store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Recipe courtesy Lauren Barrett.

---

Banana Hammock Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This cocktail was the winning cocktail from our recent Battle of the Bartenders, #RVA Edition! This inventive cocktail comes to us from Jaclyn Beasley, who is the general manager over at Brunch in Richmond. Jaclyn is recently relocated from the DC area and has moved down to Richmond to start making noise in the cocktail scene there. She is a proud member of the team over at Brunch, but wants to make her presence known and felt throughout Richmond. Keep a close eye on her because she is going to rise up quickly in the now thriving RVA cocktail scene! A champion who truly earned her spot.

2¼ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
barspoon Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça
1 oz banana water*
¾ oz lemon juice
¼ oz vanilla syrup**
¼ oz 10 spice syrup***

Add all ingredients to shaker tin. Shake vigorously. Double strain cocktail into an old-fashioned glass, over ice. Garnish with dehydrated banana peel**** and edible flower.

*Banana Water:
2 bunches of bananas, in any stage of ripeness
Paper bag

Allow bananas to ripen until nearly black in color and very soft; they will begin to ooze. Peel skin (reserve) and mash the bananas with a potato masher. Add mash to a container and place in freezer for 24 hours. Once frozen, remove mash from freezer. Up-end container over another container and strainer to catch liquid, once it begins to thaw. Allow to strain for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

**Vanilla Syrup:
1 quart white sugar
1 quart water
1 cup light brown sugar
2 madagascar vanilla beans
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Split vanilla beans, scrape seeds from pod. Add seeds, pod and remaining ingredients to a pot. Stir sugar until melted. Allow to lightly simmer for 15 minutes. Strain solids from liquid. You may reserve the vanilla pods again and use to make vanilla sugar, if so desired.

***10 Spice Syrup:
2 pieces of cinnamon stick, broken
2 ea star anise
8 whole cloves
¼ cup white peppercorns
¼ cup Indian Sasafrass
1 quart white sugar
1 quart water
¼ cup Togarashi spice (can be found in Japanese market)

Toast until fragrant, in order of list, all spices, except for togarashi. Add water and sugar. Simmer all spices together for 15 minutes. Add Togarashi spice, simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Strain all solids.

****Dehydrated Banana:
Using the peels from the ripened bananas, trim into rectangles (approx 2""x3""), usually 4 pieces per banana. Place peels skin side down on sheet pan lined with bakers rack, if using oven; Set oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 4 hours. If using dehydrator, follow machine instructions.

Recipe courtesy Jaclyn Beasley, and used with permission.

---

The Agent Provocateur Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser

 

Here's another great cocktail from the Instagram account, @fractionsofzero. Basically, this is an old-fashioned with up-scaled sugar and orange bitters. Very delicious when paired with our own up-scale Rabble Rouser!

2 oz Rabble Rouser Bottled-In-Bond Rye Whisky
1 tsp (more or less) of granulated maple sugar
dash of smoked blood orange bitters
Flared blood orange

Combine the ingredients in a rocks glass with a big rock. Flare the blood orange peel over the drink by expressing a chunk of rind in front of a lighter. You should get a cool flash of fire, to which everyone should clap and go, ""Oooh!""

Recipe and photo courtesy @fractionsofzero and used with permission.

---

Sunshine & Spice & Lemon on Ice Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Reserve Rye

 

This cocktail is re-posted from @bitbyafox on Instagram. Prairie Rose writes:

On Monday, I did a live tasting of @catoctincreek’s Distiller’s Edition 92 Proof Rye Whisky. And I’ve been playing around with it ever since (as you can tell from this half empty bottle!) Because of its higher proof, I love that it can stand up to a lot of different kinds of ingredients. Like Galliano Liqueur and lemon curd, for instance! I wanted to highlight the bright lemon zest in this rye, and lean into the warmer weather with a sunshiny cocktail recipe. Stay tuned for my interview with@catoctincreek founder @scohar70 on the #bitbyafoxpodcast tomorrow!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Distiller’s Reserve Rye Whisky
3/4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 oz Galliano Liqueur
1 tablespoon of lemon curd
🍒 🍋 garnish

Add all ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish.

Recipe and photo courtesy Bit by a Fox and used with permission.

---

It's the Little Things Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

Some kudos from @fractionsofzero on Instagram:

No long winded post for this one. Just an amazing fresh made botanical sour with delicious gin created by a talented Bar Manager from a wonderful Brand.

2 parts Watershed Gin
1 part butterfly pea tea syrup
1 part lemon juice
⅛th part cassis
Lemon twist
2 dashes lavender bitters, to top

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice, strain over new ice in a Nick and Nora glass.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty. Photograph courtesy @fractionsofzero.

---

Rye & Amaro Highball Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

I often get asked at the distillery if our products are gluten free. The answer to that is an emphatic ""YES! They are gluten free!"" People are often surprised by this, because rye grain (and hence rye bread, rye beer, etc.) is LOADED with gluten. However, the gluten protein molecules are heavy, and do not ascend the column during distillation. The resultant rye spirit is gluten free. We've tested it, and it exceeds all FDA tests to be gluten free.

Why do I mention all this? Well, people who have a gluten intolerance often tell me that they've eliminated beer from their lives, because when they drink it, they get symptoms like reflux and indigestion. But sometimes, when it's hot outside, you just want a beer! Something refreshing and fizzy! Enter the highball: All the freshness, none of the gluten!

A highball, for those new to this, is essentially spirit+soda. There are many variants, including the traditional scotch and soda, the rum and coke, gin and tonic... the list goes on.

This delicious highball comes to us from Crude Bitters (@crudebitters) and adds a touch of amaro and bitters, which really adds some sophistication to the simple highball.

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Pasubio Vino Amaro
Orange-fig bitters from Crude Bitters
Soda or seltzer

Fill a glass with ice. Add the rye and amaro. Top with cold seltzer. Add 8-10 drops of orange-fig bitters.

Recipe courtesy Crude Bitters.

---

Golden Lotus Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Pearousia Pear Brandy

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails at one of our recent dinner events.

1 oz Pearousia Pear Brandy
1 oz golden coconut milk*
1 tsp maple syrup
⅛ oz Fresh lime juice
½ oz Simple syrup

Shake VERY well, serve over ice, garnish with toasted coconut and edible flower

Golden Coconut Milk:

1 cup canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch ground black pepper

Recipe courtesy of Lauren Barrett.

---

Shark through the Heart Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails at one of our recent dinner events.

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
¼ oz Aperol
½ oz Pineapple/mint gomme syrup
½ oz Fresh lemon juice

Shake, serve up in a Nick & Nora, garnish with skewered gummy shark and Drinking Buddy

Recipe courtesy of Lauren Barrett.

 

---

Polynesian Heiress Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails at one of our recent dinner events.

1 oz Watershed Gin
½ oz Citric acid water (1½ oz of fresh lemon juice = ¼ tsp of citric acid dissolved into 1½ oz of water)
½ oz Yuzu simple (½ yuzu juice, ½ simple syrup)

Shake, serve over ice, garnish with salt air (4 oz water, 2 oz fresh lime, 1½ tsp Sucro, 1½ tsp kosher salt, mix in a bowl with an immersion blender until foamy), atomize Tiki bitters on air.

Recipe courtesy of Lauren Barrett.

---

Rye Tai Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails at one of our recent dinner events.

1 oz Roundstone Rye Distiller's Edition
¾ oz Homemade pineapple juice
¾ oz Fresh lemon juice
¾ oz Orgeat*
Several dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker of ice and strain into a collins glass full of ice. Float several dashes of Angostura bitters on top. Garnish with a spicy pepper lollipop (shown).

Orgeat:

2 cups raw almonds, sliced or chopped
1½ cups sugar
1¼ cup water
1 tsp orange flower water
1 oz vodka

Toast almonds, pulverize, cook sugar and water until sugar dissolves, add almonds, simmer, let sit for 3 hours, strain through cheese cloth, add orange flower water and vodka.

Recipe courtesy of Lauren Barrett.

---

The Brightside Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This cocktail was one of our featured cocktails at one of our recent dinner events.

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1 oz Chamomile syrup (3 tablespoons of chamomile flowers, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water)
1 oz Lemon Juice
⅛ oz St. Germain Elderflower liqueur

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice, shake and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with lavender bitters and a lemon peel.

Recipe courtesy of Denise Petty.

---

Spring Tasting Room Cocktail Recipes | Catoctin Creek Spirits

 

These were the highlighted cocktails of March and April in the tasting room.

Peachy Fiend

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1 oz peach syrup
1 oz lemon juice
⅛ oz Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy
top with Angostura bitters

The Right Tree

1 oz Roundstone Rye 92 Proof Distiller's Edition
¼ oz birch bark syrup
Frontier bitters
orange peel for garnish

Watershed Mule

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz ginger syrup
1 oz lime juice
top with ginger beer

Sup Doc?

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz organic carrot juice
1 oz TRUE Tonic
Top with soda water and mint sprig

Purcell-Libre

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
¼ oz TRUE Kola syrup
¼ oz lime juice
top with soda water
garnish with lime wedge

Recipes courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Summertime Rooftop Cocktail Recipes | Catoctin Creek Spirits

 

This month, we had a fabulous inaugural ""Dinner on the Rooftop"" in collaboration with the Wine Kitchen and Loudoun Mobile Hope. Among the treats for the night were two amazing cocktails that the team at Catoctin Creek created. These are fantastic summer cocktails, especially if made into a punch (just multiply everything by 25 for punch).

Hope on the Rooftop

1 oz strawberry-infused Watershed Gin
¼ oz strawberry-rhubarb syrup
¼ oz sour water (¼ tsp citric acid + 1½ oz water), or substitute lemon juice as an alternative
Soda to top
Rhubarb bitters
Black locust blossoms to garnish

Macerate the strawberries in the gin for at least two days. Strain and remove the fruit. To make the syrup, macerate chunks of strawberry and rhubarb in equal parts sugar and water. Heat over medium heat until well dissolved. Then strain the fruit from the syrup. In a shaker, add the sour water, gin and syrup and combine well. Pour into a rocks glass full of ice and top with soda and garnish.

Lay Me ""Doun""

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
¼ oz Rose Garden Tea (available from Dominion Tea) made into a simple syrup
Lavender bitters
Lemon peel garnish

Combine the ingredients into a rocks glass with ice and garnish.

Cocktail recipes courtesy Denise Petty.

---

The Uranus Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

We frequently will dive into the Tiki genre with our whiskey. Some may regard rum as the sole heir to Tiki cocktails, but quoting Matt Perkins, the beverage manager at Magnolias at the Mill, ""If you argue about whether or not it's Tiki, you're entirely missing the point of Tiki.""

This cocktail comes to us from @adventuresofriad on Instagram, and we're very impressed with this cool summertime refresher:

The #cocktail group I’m in feels like that this summer should be dedicated to #mezcal tiki cocktails, and I whole-heartedly agree! Here’s a #riff on one of my #favorite tiki cocktails the #Saturn

The Saturn is initially made with gin, falernum, orgeat, passion, and lemon and it’s blended as well!

My take is a little more #fun than that! I’m calling it the Uranus because there’s a lot going on in Uranus! 😘 it features some of my #favorite ingredients in a fantastic #amalgamation of #love in a glass!

¾ oz El Silencio Mezcal
¾ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz passion fruit juice
¼ Luxardo maraschino liqueuer
2 barspoons creme de violette

Split base of mezcal and rye whisky with passion fruit purée, fresh squeezed lime juice Luxardo maraschino and creme de violette strained over crushed ice in a glass rimmed with tajin and garnish simply with mint (but go crazy because the bigger the garnish the better ).

Cocktail and photo courtesy of @adventuresofriad and used with permission.

---

Tasting Room Cocktail Recipes for July | Catoctin Creek Spirits

 

Summer is upon us, and so too are summer flavors: berries, berries and peaches! Enjoy these on a hot, humid afternoon.

Black ‘ramble

1½ oz Watershed Gin
½ oz Blackberry syrup
½ oz Lemon juice
Top with ginger beer
Garnish with lemon slice

Island Hopp’n

1½ oz Roundstone Rye 92 Proof Distiller's Edition ¼ oz Strawberry syrup
¼ oz Pineapple gomme syrup
2 dashes Cherry bitters
3 dashes Typhoon (tiki) bitters
Express and garnish with lemon peel

Peachy Fiend

1 oz Rroundstone Rye 80 Proof
½ oz Peach syrup
½ oz Sour water (citric acid water .25tsp to 1.5oz)
¼ oz Aperol
Top with float of Angostura bitters
Garnish with fresh mint leaf

---

The Lumber Yard Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Cask Proof Rye

 

This one comes to us from Nightcap Cocktail Company, which you can find on Instagram at @nightcapcocktailco or on their web site.

The air is misty. You just woke up. Your flannel shirt is exuding the smell of last night’s campfire. You leave the log cabin that you built by hand, pick up your axe, and head out for a day’s work.

or... it’s five o’clock on a thursday and one sip of Catoctin Creek’s cask-proof edition rye has you literally dreaming. Spec below, so you can dream, too.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Cask Proof Roundstone Rye
¼ oz black birch syrup
2 dashes star-anise bitters

Stir over ice. Smoke glass with applewood, anise, and cinnamon. Strain into old fashioned glass with large block of clear ice. Garnish with torched orange wedge.

Recipe courtesy Nightcap Cocktail Company; photo by Hilary Hyland and used with permission.

---

Blueberry Sour Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

Blueberries are underappreciated in cocktails. Their flavor is unique, but one thing you can always count on from blueberries is a gorgeous natural color. In this recipe, to preserve that beautiful deep violet hue, we opted to use citric acid water instead of lemon juice. The flavor will be nearly the same, but the citric acid is clear, whereas the lemon would be cloudy and dull the color in the blueberries. You can get citric acid (as with most things) online in granulated form.

2 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1 oz citric water (6 tsp citric to 4½ cups of water, more or less to taste)
½ oz honey simple (1:1 honey with hot water)
½ oz blueberry simple syrup (steep blueberries in simple syrup for at least an hour, remove solids)
lemon wedge garnish

Combine the ingredients in a shaker of ice, shake, and strain into a Nick and Nora glass with ice. Garnish with lemon.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

---

The Virginia Commonwealth Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail comes to us from Nathan Wilkinson, @jollybartender on Instagram. It is a wonderful celebration of Commonwealth featuring two of its best distilleries:

This cocktail shows off Catoctin Creek’s Distillers Edition Roundstone Rye with Mt. Defiance Sweet Vermouth—two great Virginia distilleries.

3 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller's Edition
½ oz Mt. Defiance Sweet Vermouth
½ oz Ramazzotti amaro
3 dashes Hella orange bitters
Lemon zest garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker of ice. Stir and strain into a coupe and garnish.

Cocktail and photo courtesy Nathan Wilkinson, and used with permission.

---

Bucky Barnes Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail is a modification of one that was in Whisky Advocate. The original recipe had a rather complicated pear/persimmon/clove brown simple syrup, which I'm sure is lovely, but I just finished canning a dozen cans of fresh persimmon jam, and so I wanted to use that instead. I've tweaked things around a bit while still honoring the original ingredients and proportions. And honestly, it came out great!!

This cocktail is the embodiment of November. You can serve it as a sling (cold, with an ice cube), or warm it gently and serve as a toddy.

3 oz Roundstone Rye 92 Proof
1 oz Nonino amaro
½ oz brown sugar syrup or molasses syrup
½ oz persimmon jam
2 oz pear juice
dash of vanilla extract
dash of woodland bitters

Vigorously shake all the ingredients in a shaker of ice. Double-strain and serve with a big rock in a rocks glass. Serves two.

Recipe and photo courtesy Scott Harris, variation on a recipe in Whisky Advocate.

---

Cranberry Spiced Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

Here's a new account for you to follow: @theboozygay from Spring, Texas. Eddie Harris is the owner of the account, and also happens to be the son of the founders. When he's not full-time ambassador for Catoctin Creek in Texas, he enjoys walks on the beach, piña coladas, and making cocktails. This one is his latest. ""This week's cocktail of the week says Merry Christmas in a very boozy way!""

1 oz Copper and Kings Brandy
1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
⅔ oz of cranberry syrup*
Dash of bitters

Stir and enjoy over a big rock in a rocks glass. Garnish with cranberries on a toothpick.

Cranberry syrup
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 bag of cranberries
1 tsp nutmeg

Combine all over low heat until mixed, at least one hour. Strain and remove the cranberries. Keep syrup in refrigerator for up to three months.

Recipe and photo courtesy @theboozygay and used with permission.

---

Holiday Dinner Cocktail Recipes 2019 | Catoctin Creek Spirits

We enjoyed yet another holiday dinner this year, with wonderful drinks made by our Operations Manager, Lauren Barrett. Here they are, in order of the menu. Sorry, but we were so busy eating dinner, we forgot to take photos!

Welcome Cocktail:

1 oz Pearousia
½ oz Aperol
1 oz OJ

Combine ingredients in a flute and top with sparkling wine.

Gin-gle All The Way:

1 oz Watershed Gin
½ oz lemon
¼ oz rosemary simple
½ oz Domaine de Canton

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Chim Chim Cherry:

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
⅓ oz lemon
⅓ oz grapefruit
¼ oz agave syrup
⅛ oz Luxardo
Brandied cherry

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry.

Come On Krampus:

1 oz Roundstone Rye Distillers Edition
¼ oz brown sugar syrup
½ oz Quarter Branch Apple Brandy
¾ oz OJ
2 bar spoons Pratt Standard grenadine

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Nipping At Your Nose:

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1 oz apple cider
1 oz 1757 amaretto (almond extract, vanilla bean, brown sugar, granulated sugar)
Black walnut whipped cream (heavy cream, black walnut bitters, powdered sugar)

Serve warm in a coffee cup; top with cream.

Recipes courtesty Lauren Barrett, and used with permission.

---

The Sunflower Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

This cocktail comes to us from Kara Newman's newest book, Shake. Stir. Sip., featuring easy cocktails done in equal parts. What I love about this cocktail, besides its refreshing taste, is that the four (five, really) ingredients combine in such a pleasant way, while being individually unidentifiable in the final drink. In other words, they blend so well into something wholly new, you'd never know that there was (for instance), St. Germain in the beverage. I guess the word I'm looking for here is ""synergy,"" where the end result is greater than the sum of its parts. Regardless of how you analyze it, this drink has been our staple drink through the winter this season.

¾ oz Watershed Gin
¾ oz St. Germain
¾ oz Curaçao or orange liqueur
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
Absinthe rinse

Rinse a chilled coupe with absinthe, then combine the ingredients into a shaker of ice. Shake well, strain into the coupe, and serve with a lemon peel garnish.

Recipe courtesy Kara Newman, Shake. Stir. Sip.

---

Cupid's Arrow Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

One of our feature tasting room cocktails for February this year.

2 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1 oz cranberry juice
½ oz lemon juice
Dash of Angostura bitters

Combine the above ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass and garnish with a cherry.

---

One and Only Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

One of our feature tasting room cocktails for February this year.

2 oz Roundstone Rye 92 Proof
¾ oz strawberry simple syrup
½ oz citric acid water
½ oz creme de cacao

Combine the above ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass and garnish with grated dark chocolate.

---

Fairytale Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

One of our feature tasting room cocktails for February this year.

2 oz Watershed Gin
¾ oz Campari (less if you don't like bitter, or substitute Aperol)
¾ oz Sweet Vermouth

Combine the above ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir and strain into a glass and garnish with magic (aka pearl dust).

---

Gold Fashioned Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This cocktail is a redux of one that we did a few years ago, tweaking the measurements a bit. We like this version much better.

2 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
½ oz saffron-infused simple syrup
Dash of Liquid Gold bitters
Lemon peel garnish

Stir all together in a rocks glass with a big cube.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty and used with permission.

---

Green Fiend Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

March means St. Patrick's Day, so naturally, our March tasting room cocktails are a little on the greenish side of things.

1½ oz Watershed Gin
1 oz matcha tea
½ oz lemon juice
Dash of Iki bitters
Lemon twist garnish

Stir all together in a Nick and Nora glass with a ice cubes.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty and used with permission.

---

Lucky Buck Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

March means St. Patrick's Day, so naturally, our March tasting room cocktails are a little on the greenish side of things.

2 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
½ oz lime juice
Top with ginger beer
Lime wheel garnish

Stir all together in a rocks glass with a ice cubes.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty and used with permission.

---

Sour Clover Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

March means St. Patrick's Day, so naturally, our March tasting room cocktails are a little on the greenish side of things.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye 92 Proof
½ oz melon liqueur (like Midori)
½ oz sour water (citric acid water)
Edible pearl dust
Brandied cherry garnish

Stir all together in a rocks glass with a big cube.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty and used with permission.

---

Quarantine Cocktail Recipe #1 - The Orange Blossom

 

This cocktail comes to us from Eddie Harris, son of Scott & Becky, the founders of the distillery. Since Eddie, like the rest of us, is holed up in his tiny apartment in Houston, Texas, he decided to publish videos of cocktails he's making with stuff he's found in his pantry. He's calling them his #QuarantineCocktails. Give him a follow on Instagram at @theboozygay.

3 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Honey
Orange bitters

Without ice, mix the honey with the rye until well combined. Now add the ice and the bitters. Stir to combine, then strain into a rocks glass with a nice big chunk of ice. And then wash your hands and wash it down!

Recipe courtesy Edward Harris.

---

Netflix & Ca-tock-tails! with the Tiger King

Tonight, we begin a new virtual event, Netflix & Ca-tock-tails, where we basically just act silly and drink cocktails in homage to all the shows we're bingeing on Netflix while this whole COVID thing is raging. Uh, yeah... enjoy!

You can buy all the things you need for these cocktails from our Online Store.

 

That Peach, Carol Baskins

2 oz Catoctin Creek Peach Brandy
1 oz raspberry peach syrup (2:2 sugar:water, 1:2 frozen raspberries:frozen peaches)
1 oz lemon juice
3 dashes tiger blood (Peychaud bitters)

Shake and strain into a coup. Top with 3 dashes of tiger blood (Peychauds bitters), garnish with a flower crown.

 

 

I'm Never Going to Financially Recover from This

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Cask Proof
¾ oz saffron simple syrup (2:2 sugar:water, pinch saffron)
Top with 3 drops of Liquid Gold bitters

Garnish with ""eyebrow ring"", aka small orange tight twist.

Recipes courtesy Denise Petty.

 

---

Netflix & Ca-tock-tails! with Parks and Rec

This week, our Netflix & Ca-tock-tails features the beloved show Parks and Rec. We basically just act silly and drink cocktails in homage to all the shows we're bingeing on Netflix while this whole COVID thing is raging. Uh, yeah... enjoy!

You can buy all the things you need for these cocktails from our Online Store.

 

March 31st

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof Distiller's Edition
¼ oz Falling Bark Farm Woodland Spice Hickory Syrup
3 dashes Catoctin Creek Roundstone Bitters
Bacon fat and Bacon crumble rim

Stir and strain into a rocks glass.

 

 

Ron Swanson

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof Distiller's Edition
Steak garnish

I think this ""cocktail"" speaks for itself.

Recipes courtesy Avalon Haas.

 

---

Netflix & Ca-tock-tails! with The Office

This week, our Netflix & Ca-tock-tails features the ever popular show, The Office. We basically just act silly and drink cocktails in homage to all the shows we're bingeing on Netflix while this whole COVID thing is raging. Uh, yeah... enjoy!

You can buy all the things you need for these cocktails from our Online Store.

 

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
3 oz BBBG Mix*
3 dashes Embitterment lavender bitters

*BBBG Mix - 4 oz water, 2 Tablespoons Tang powder, 1 tablespoon beet powder, 2 teaspoons AR's Hot Southern Honey, juice from one wedge of lemon - Mix all the ingredients together until fully dissolved. Store in the fridge for up to three weeks.

Place gin and BBBG Mix into a coctail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice filled glass and dash bitters on the top. Garnish and serve.

 

That's What She Said

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
1 oz Pratt's Standard Kola syrup
½ oz Pratt's Standard Grenadine
6 drops of Roundstone bitters
Top with Navy Hill Club Soda

Build all the ingredients in the glass except the soda. Stir in ice, and once chilled, top with club soda. Garnish and serve.

Recipes courtesy John Shope.

 

---

Netflix & Ca-tock-tails! with Community

This week, our Netflix & Ca-tock-tails features the ever popular show, Community. We basically just act silly and drink cocktails in homage to all the shows we're bingeing on Netflix while this whole COVID thing is raging. Uh, yeah... enjoy!

You can buy all the things you need for these cocktails from our Online Store.

 

Senior Chang

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller's Edition
½ oz Sriracha pineapple syrup*
3 dashes Roundstone Rye bitters

*Sriracha Pineapple Syrup - 1 cup freshly juiced pineapple (or store bought unsweetened Pineapple Juice), honey (or sugar), 1 tablespoon of real sriracha - Bring to a boil then allow to cool to room temp. Transfer to glass container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. If you want to increase the heat, use AR’s Southern Hot Honey instead of traditional honey.

Add all ingredients into an ice filled shaker, stir until very cold, then fine strain into glass with a large cube, garnish and serve.

 

 

Annie's Boobs

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia Pear Brandy
1½ barspoons of powdered sugar
½ oz lemon juice
Top with Stone Tower Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine

Add Lemon juice and powdered sugar together and allow powdered sugar to dissolve. Add Pear Brandy, ice and shake then double strain to catch ice chips. Top with Sparkling wine. Garnish with two cherries on a cocktail pick. Serve in a flute or wineglass.

Recipes courtesy John Shope and Avalon Haas.

---

Netflix & Ca-tock-tails! with Stranger Things

This week, our Netflix & Ca-tock-tails features the ever popular show, Stranger Things. We basically just act silly and drink cocktails in homage to all the shows we're bingeing on Netflix while this whole COVID thing is raging. Uh, yeah... enjoy!

You can buy all the things you need for these cocktails from our Online Store.

 

The Upside Down

2 oz Catoctin Creek Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy
1 oz pineapple turmeric shrub
1 oz pineapple juice
½ oz grenadine (more or less)

Add all ingredients except grenadine into an ice filled shaker, stir until very cold, then strain into glass. Using a spoon, float the grenadine until it covers the entire surface of the glass.

 

I Dump Your Ass!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Honeydew Jalapeño
2 oz George's Lime Margarita Mix
½ oz butterfly pea flower tea

Combine all ingredients except butterfly pea flower water in an ice filled shaker and shake until fully chilled. Dump entire contents into glass, dump the pea flower in the drink, stir, serve and drink immediately.

Recipes courtesy John Shope.

---

Sun Soakin' Bulges Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

Let's get into that summertime mood with a great smoked peach and whisky cocktail!

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
½ oz Catoctin Creek Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy
1 barspoon Campari
¼ oz lemon juice
½ oz rosemary simple syrup
½ oz dry vermouth
3 dashes peach bitters
Rosemary sprigs for garnish and burning

To prepare glass, take rosemary leaves and burn on Catoctin Creek barrel stave, let smolder under rocks glass.

Add rye, brandy, campari, lemon, rosemary, vermouth in shaker. Shake vigorously and strain over large sphere, add 3 dashes of peach bitters and rosemary sprig garnish.

Recipe by Denise Petty.

---

Blood and Sand Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail comes to us from Eddie Harris, our son and national brand ambassador currently living in Texas. You can follow Eddie and his cocktail exploits on Instagram at @theboozygay.

Eddie writes about this cocktail:

This cocktail first appeared in 1922 as a promotional recipe for a Rudolph Valentino movie of the same name. It first appeared in the Savoy cocktail book in 1933. The film was later remade twice with the second remake starring Tyrone Power, Rita Hayworth, and Linda Darnell winning an academy award for cinematography.

So grab a glass and raise a toast!

1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof
½ oz Old Pultney Maritime (or your favorite Scotch)
1½ oz Sweet Vermouth
1½ oz fresh orange juice
1½ oz Pratt Standard Cranberry Orange Syrup (or to taste)

Shake all ingredients and strain into a chilled stemmed coup. Garnish with orange peel.

Recipe and photo courtesy Eddie Harris.

---

Peach Berry Smash Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition Rye

 

This cocktail comes to us from Allison Barger Eddy, aka @tiptoeingthrujuleps on Instagram. Allison writes:

For these hot summer days, I have fully embraced the pre-batched-mason-jar-cocktail trend. Just combine your cocktail ingredients in a mason jar and store it in the fridge until go time. Then add ice, shake it up, and enjoy! It doesn’t get much simpler than that!

Today’s #frontporchsipper took advantage of a strawberry-peach simple syrup I made last week and some of the fresh fruit that we can’t get enough of these days. The sweet, tart, fruity flavors at play here still allow the rye to shine... and what a good rye it is! (So good that I used my “backup” bottle for these photos rather than the almost-empty bottle that’s sitting on my bar shelf.)

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92-proof Rye Whisky
½ oz Grand Marnier / Orange Liqueur
¾ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Strawberry-peach simple syrup
Approx. 3 strawberries, hulled and halved
Approx. 4 slices of fresh peach
Mint sprig, for garnish

In a mason jar, combine all ingredients except garnish. Screw on the lid to the mason jar and store in fridge until ready to drink. When you’re ready to have your cocktail, add ice to the mason jar, screw on the lid, and shake everything together. Remove the lid, insert the mint sprig and a straw, and enjoy!

Cocktail and photo courtesy of Allison Barger Eddy.

---

Rye, Rye Baby! Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Paylor, who has been a bartender/hospitality queen in the District of Columbia since about the time we started our company in 2009/2010. She started out in Derek Brown's empire of Southern Efficiency, Mockingbird Hill and Eat the Rich, before moving into several other great ventures, like being GM at Dos Mamis and working at Silver Lyan. Find out more about this amazingly talented person by watching the video below.

For this cocktail, the name of which was taken from the motto of the Passenger, a DC industry bar where we all met, Lauren doubles up the rye: Rye whisky in the drink and a rye infused simple syrup for a nutty addition.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Rye Syrup*
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Smoke a rocks glass with cinnamon sticks, then construct the drink as a normal old fashioned with a big rock in the glass. Garnish with torched cinnamon and orange peel.

*Rye Syrup - Toast 500 grams of the whole rye grain and blend with 500 grams of water, 1000 grams of granulated cane sugar, 1 tsp szechaun peppercorn, and 1 tsp fennel seed.

Drink and photo courtesy Lauren Paylor, and used with permission.

{youtube}PlZ-HpllCI4{/youtube}

---

Slide Back Sour Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

From [The Vivant] feature, ""The Vivant’s Top Ten Fabulous Gin Cocktail Recipes,"" tasting room manager Denise Petty at Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. uses strawberries and rhubarb for a great summer drink.

There are a few things that always define summer for me. Strawberries and rhubarb are two of those things, usually in combination. Denise Petty, tasting room manager at Catoctin Creek Distilling Co., thinks the same way, and she’s come up with the perfect summer drink with a wonderful floral profile.

Denise tells me, “The rhubarb in this drink provides a drier sweetness than the strawberries do which gives a bit more depth of flavor. The earthy and floral profile of the rhubarb certainly enhances the complexity as you sip through the foam of the delicate egg white and bold bitters.” Denise shares her recipe for the Slide Back Sour below:

Ingredients:

1½ oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz strawberry rhubarb syrup
¾ oz lemon juice
1 egg white

Strawberry rhubarb syrup:

5 cups strawberries
1 cup rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1½ cups water

Directions:

Place ingredients in shaker with ice. Shake and strain. Now dry shake those ingredients (place back in the shaker, no ice, and shake). Serve up in Nick and Nora glasses. Atomize Angostura and Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters over the foam. Garnish with a rhubarb twist.

For the strawberry rhubarb syrup: In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, strawberries and rhubarb. Stir well over medium heat and bring to boil, and then remove from pan and cover. Let it steep for about 30 minutes, then drain the syrup into a container and cool in the refrigerator.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Denise Petty.

---

Italian Greyhound Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

This cocktail comes to us from Facci Ristorante at Turf Valley Town Square. Find them and their delicious food and cocktails on Instagram at @facci_turf_valley.

Cocktails are always a good idea.... Who's in?

Our ""Italian Greyhound"" is a grapefruit cocktail made with craft gin, fresh grapefruit juice, crushed rosemary, aperol liquor and a sparkling sugar rim.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Aperol
Grapefruit Juice
Fresh rosemary
1 tsp sugar (crystalized/granulated)

Muddle the sugar and fresh chopped rosemary. Add the gin and the Aperol and shake lightly with ice. Strain over fresh ice in a collins glass with a sugar rim. Top with grapefruit juice and give it a stir.

Recipe and photo courtesy Facci Ristorante and used with permission.

---

A Murder Most Fowl Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller’s Edition Rye

 

Glass Type: Coup

Garnish: *Charred Dehydrated Orange Wheel

Method: Fill a shaker tin with ice and build cocktail. Stir until tin is chilled and then strain the cocktail into a chilled and smoked coupe glass.

Ingredients:

6 drops Earl Grey Bitters
6 drops *Saline
¼ oz Carciofo Artichoke Liqueur
¼ oz Blood Orange Juice
½ oz Byrrh Aperitif
½ oz *Brandied Cherry Syrup
2 oz *Duck Fat Washed Catoctin Creek Distiller’s Edition Rye

* Saline - In a sauce pan over low heat add 10 Parts Water to 1 Part Salt and stir until fully dissolved. Store in a glass container in a cool dark place for up to three weeks.

* Brandied Cherry Syrup - Add 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar (or 1 cup raw sugar) to a sauce pan, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer then add 4 cups cherries, cloves, cinnamon & cardamom to taste, half of lemon’s zest. Stir and allow to simmer for a few minutes or until liquid has reduced by half. Add 1 cup of brandy and allow to sit in a cool dark place. Store in a glass container and refrigerate for up to three Months. Substitute with store bought brandied cherries to skip this step. A second alternative is Cherry Heering Liqueur but the final product will not be as rich and spiced.

* Duck Fat Washed Rye - In a container, blend half a bottle of 750 ml Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof Distiller’s Edition and mix with 1.5 Oz of rendered duck fat. Shake up mix and allow it to incorporate then allow to sit in a warm place for 6-8 hours. Freeze mix over night. Remove disc of fat from top then fine strain whisky into A glass container. Refrigerate for up to 3 months.

* Charred Dehydrated Orange Wheel - Take an orange and cut it into thick wheels then place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place wheels inside and close the door. Allow to dehydrate for nearly a day. Check back every few hours to make sure they are not getting too dry. You’ll know that they’re done when they are dry and don’t feel tacky anymore. With a kitchen blow torch, scorch one side of the orange peel until darkened. Store in a glass container at room temperature for over a month.

Photo and recipe courtesy Pheylan Blue Martin and used with permission.

---

Tanyard Cocktail Recipe - The Official Cocktail of the 2020 Waterford Fair

 

The Waterford Fair is a tradition in Loudoun County, Virginia, that goes back 75 years! Every year, local producers gather to sell their wares: quilts, leather goods, woolen goods, cheese, beer, wine, clothing... you get the idea. Thousands of customers descend upon the gentle rolling landscape of Waterford to browse the fair and kick off autumn. 2020 has been a tough year, and this year, the fair will do its first virtual event.

This cocktail was created by the Waterford Fair as their official cocktail, using both our apple brandy and some of Doug Fabbioli's hard apple cider. This little beverage is very delicious, and packs a punch!

The Fair runs Oct 2-4. Get your tickets to the Waterford Fair - HERE: waterfordfairva.org

One 1"" piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1½ tsp simple syrup (or agave syrup)
1½ oz Catoctin Creek Apple Brandy
1½ oz Fabbioli Cellars Attitude Adjuster (hard apple cider)
1½ oz chilled ginger beer
1 lime wedge
1 apple slice

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the sliced ginger with the simple syrup. Add the brandy and ice. Shake well and strain into an ince-filled glass and top with equal parts ginger beer and hard cider. Garnish with the lime wedge and apple slice.

Courtesy of the Waterford Fair and used with permission.

---

The Haute Topic Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy

 

Currently a best seller at Brabo in Alexandria, this cocktail is a doozy. It's a mix between a hot buttered rum, a hot toddy, and a sangria. It comes to us courtesy Emmanuel Pressley, head bartender at Brabo.

1 oz Catoctin Creek 1757 Virginia Brandy
3 oz Ginger Darjeeling Tea
½ oz Suze
¼ oz Catoctin Creek Apple Brandy
¼ oz Lemon Juice
¼ oz Benedictine
2 bar spoons of maple butter*
1 oz Rhone Red Wine

To make the cocktail you want to combine all the ingredients except the wine and tea into a mixing glass. Start stirring the cocktail and slowly add the tea to dissolve the butter. Once fully mix roll warm cocktail into a serving coffee mug. And float the red wine over top.

*Maple Butter: Melt 16 oz of butter in a double boiler. Then slowly add 8 oz of maple and 2 oz of brown sugar. Let the sugar dissolve into the solution and once finished separate the butter into 2 batches and chill.

Recipe and photo courtesy Emmanuel Pressley

---

One Hot Manzana Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Quarter Branch Apple Brandy

 

Nothing tastes better during the holidays than a hot toddy. Try this one using our Quarter Branch Apple Brandy, or substitute your favorite brandy into the recipe for a different take.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Quarter Branch Apple Brandy
1-2 barspoons of AR's hot honey
2 barspoons of fresh orange juice
Boiling hot water
Orange peel and cinnamon stick garnish

Add the honey and juice to a punch glass, teacup or mug. Mix well. Pour in 2-3 oz of boiling hot water and stir well. Add the apple brandy and garnish with orange peel and cinnamon sticks.

Recipe courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Bad Moon Rising Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
¾ oz Pomegranate Rosemary Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
3 oz Ginger Beer

Shake whisky, lemon juice and syrup with ice. Add crushed ice to glass. Fine strain cocktail into glass, top with ginger beer and fresh ice.

Recipe and photo courtesy A Bar Above, @abarabove on Twitter.

---

Richer than Coco Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller’s Edition Rye

 

A cocktail from our tasting room manager, Denise Petty, which reminded her of her travels to the Dominican Republic.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof ""Distiller's Edition""
2 oz Unsweetened Coconut Milk
¼ oz Lime Juice
1 oz Hot Honey
1 Saffron Thread

Rim a tall glass with Toasted Coconut Flakes/Gold Sprinkles. Shake all ingredients vigorously, and strain over fresh ice. Paper umbrella garnish, if you have one!

Cocktail and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

---

The Bed You Made Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Spirits

 

This is a cocktail that celebrates spring and the abundance of flowers after a long, cold, dark winter. It tastes as beautiful as it looks.

¾ oz Catoctin Creek Pearousia Pear Brandy
¾ oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Whisky
¼ oz dry fino sherry
¼ oz lemon juice
½ oz Rose Garden Tea syrup*
soda water

Stir and strain over fresh ice in a tall glass, top with soda water. Garnish with edible wild violets and pansies. (Omit soda water and serve in a rocks glass if preferred - shown here.)

*Rose Garden Tea syrup - Make the tea as normal, about one cup's worth of liquid, but then while still hot, stir in one cup of sugar to dissolve completely.

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Golden Hour Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Pearousia Pear Brandy

 

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

1 oz Pearousia pear brandy
1/4 to 1/2 oz maple syrup
1/2 oz lime juice
Spicy barbecue salt rim

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Saving Daylight Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

1 oz Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1-1/2 oz mango juice
3/4 oz Lillet blanc
1/4 oz lime juice
Tajin rim

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Bitter Twilight Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

1 oz Watershed Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz blackberry syrup
Celery and kosher salt rim
Burnt orange peel garnish

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Dusk into Dawn Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Spirits

 

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

3/4 oz Catoctin Creek Quarter Branch Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
1/2 oz dry sherry
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz Pratt ginger syrup
top with Angostura bitters

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Evening Rush Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Distiller’s Edition Rye

 

This was one of the feature cocktails at our Fall Dinner in 2021.

1-1/4 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof
1/2 oz Amaro
1/4 oz sweet Italian vermouth
1/8 oz coffee liqueur
brandied cherry and spicy cocoa dust

Recipe and photo courtesy Denise Petty.

---

Dijon Vu Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

 

This savory cocktail is a bit of a doozy! It has flavors of sweet mustard, brine and spice. Pair it with something rich, like steak tartare, a cheese plate, or a gourmet burger or hot dog.

1 oz Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
1 oz Mattei Cap Corse Blanc
1 oz Dijon syrup*
½ oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
½ oz fresh lemon juice

Add all ingredients to shaker tin with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. In collins glass, add fresh ice and strain. Add biodegradable agave straw, picke spear and pickled sausage.

*Dijon syrup:

Combine ½ cup diced white onion with ¼ cup of water in a medium saucepan over low heat; cook until onions become translucent (about 20 minutes). Add ½ cup agave, ½ cup dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon fennel seed, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar along with ⅓ cup water. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain carefully and chill. Bottle and keep in the cooler. Shelf life is about 3-4 weeks.

Cocktail courtesy of Shaun Stewart at JBGB in Baltimore, and photo courtesy of Whyald Card Photography, Colin Marshall, and both used with permission.

---

Winter Whisky Wonderland Cocktail Recipes

Virginia Sales Manager, John Shope, recently hosted a virtual cocktail class with Good Shepherd Housing focusing on cocktails for the holiday season. Try these recipes at your next holiday cocktail party to up your winter cocktail game to wow your friends.

An Old Fashioned Holiday Gathering

Glass Type: Rocks
Garnish: Dehydrated Apple Chip
Method: Build ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, stir vigorously until tin is chilled, strain cocktail into glass with a large ice cube, garnish & serve

Ingredients:

2 oz Catoctin Creek Cask Strength Rye
½ oz Spiced Apple Cider Syrup*
3-6 drops Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Winter Spiced Bitters
Dehydrated apple chip*

 

 

Johnny’s Snow Day Punch

Glass Type: Collins Glass or Short Highball
Garnish: Fresh Apples, Cranberries, Lemons and Ginger Slices
Method: Build all ingredients except ginger beer in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain over ice then top with ginger beer, garnish & serve

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz Catoctin Creek Distiller’s Edition 92 Proof Roundstone Rye
3 oz Apple Cider
½ oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Cranberry Maple Syrup*
2 dashes Black Walnut Bitters
2 dashes Cranberry Bitters
Top With - Ginger Beer of choice
Half Moon slice of apple & lemon, 3 fresh cranberries and a candied ginger slice
Serve with a straw

 

Hot Buttered Rye on a Cold Winter’s Night

Glass Type: Coffee Mug or Hot Tea Glass
Garnish: Freshly Grated Nutmeg & Cinnamon Stick
Method: Build ingredients in a mug, then stir until thoroughly mixed, garnish and serve

Ingredients:

½ oz Softened Butter
1 oz Wintry Spice Blend*
3 oz Hot Water
1 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
Freshly grated Nutmeg
1 Cinnamon Stick

 

*Spiced Apple Cider Syrup - In a sauce pan, bring 1 cup Apple Cider and ½ cup Grade A Maple Syrup along with 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise pod, 2 allspice berries, 2 cloves, a dash each of ginger powder, nutmeg, mace and the zest of one orange to a boil. Allow everything to infuse and cool down to room temperature then strain into a glass container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

*Dehydrated Apple Chips - Preheat over to 225 thinly slice an apple and line them on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Sprinkle cinnamon on apples if you desire. Place in your oven and let bake for at least 45 minutes. These will likely take longer. They’re finished when one apple crisps up after cooking for 2-3 minutes. When ready to remove the apple chips from the oven, do so using a spatula and allow the chips to cool on a wire rack until ready.

*Cranberry Maple Syrup:

1½ cups frozen or fresh cranberries
1 cup water
¾ cup Grade A Maple Syrup of choice

Place 1½ cups (about 6 ounces) frozen or fresh cranberries, 1 cup water, and ¾ cup Grade A Maple Syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low rolling boil. Watch carefully so the syrup doesn't boil over! Reduce heat to low and simmer until cranberries are falling apart, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl and let the strainer sit over the bowl until the syrup has cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour. Save and set aside the solids and refrigerate the syrup in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 2 weeks.

To get the most out of your cranberries, pour the left over Cranberry solids in a glass jar, add one cup Maple Syrup or granulated sugar and add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and ¾ cup Red Wine Vinegar, shake up really well until mixed thoroughly and save in jar for a few up to two weeks then fine strain into a glass seal tight container and enjoy a fantastic drinkable Cranberry Maple wine shrub for up to three months! Try over ice with club soda or mix into your favorite cocktail to further stretch your fall/winter drink fix for the rest of the season!

*Wintry Spice Blend:

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 teaspoons crystalized ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3 Tablespoons dried orange peel
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Pulverize ingredients in a spice grinder, Vitamix or other high grade blender until thoroughly broken down and mixed.

Makes about 6 Ounces. Use this stuff to flavor desserts, eggnog, mulled wines etc. If you add an equal part of water to blend and bring to a boil and allow to cool before refrigerating, you’ll have an amazing syrup to drizzle into cocktails, coffee, or over pies/cakes/ice cream etc. Add a table spoon to 8 Oz of apple cider or your favorite tea for a wintry treat enjoyed either chilled or warm. If you add a tablespoon each of salt and pink peppercorns to this recipe, you can use it as a wonderful rub for your holiday ham, turkey, lamb or roast!“

---

The Nutcracker Waltz Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This cocktail comes to us from Yakntoro Udoumoh, the 2022 STEPUP Foundation Intern. Yaki, as he is known to his friends, is also a bartender at the highly respected Columbia Room in Washington DC.

1½ oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz Cardamaro
½ oz Creme de Banana
2 dashes Chocolate Bitters

Stored, serve on rocks, express orange peel, garish with orange twist.

Recipe and photo courtesy Yakntoro Udoumoh, @semblanceofyak on Instagram. Used with permission.

---

Last Christmas Cocktail Recipe | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

Put those leftover candy canes to good use! They'll make a great garnish on this delicious cocktail.

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
½ oz Crème de Cacao
2 dashes of Aromatic Bitters
2 dashes of Mole Bitters
Top with hand-whipped heavy cream
Garnish with a crushed candy cane

---

Bouquet of Flavors | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

 

This cocktail comes to us from @tipsyy_unicorn on Instagram. She writes:

I used the Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 80 Proof. It's a very nice sipper and honestly goes awesome as well in cocktails. Sip it and you'll have some notes of banana, toffee, chocolate, white pepper, vanilla. Make a cocktail and you'll have endless options! So here's my option!

2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 80 Proof
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz white pepper syrup*
¼ oz Giffard banana liqueur
1 egg white
Couple dashes angostura chocolate bitters and angostura aromatic bitters
Shaved chocolate garnish

Place all the ingredients in a shaker. Wet shake, dry shake, or vice versa, whatever you prefer. Then, strain into a chilled coupe, and garnish.

*White Pepper Syrup

1 cup spring water
½ cup sugar
1 bar-spoon ground white pepper
1 bar-spoon vanilla extract
1 Tbsp of rye
½ Tbsp of lemon zest

In a sauce pan, place sugar, water, pepper, and vanilla. Heat on medium-high and stir until dissolved (7-10 min). Bring down to medium-low and add rye and lemon zest. Let simmer for 4 minutes.

Cocktail and photo courtesy @tipsyy_unicorn, and used with permission.

---

Winters End | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

The following cocktail was one of the winning entries from our Catoctin Creek / CHILLED Magazine Bartender Competition in 2022! We had over 50 submissions to the contest, and this was one of the best!

DENVER

1st Place: Jorge Ortega

Winters End

 

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye  
• 1 oz lemon juice, 
• 3/4 oz pink pepper corn and anise syrup*  
• 1/2 oz pineapple juice 
• 1/2 oz spiced pear liquor  
• Egg white  

Preparation: Dry shake all ingredients, add ice, and shake again, strain into a coupe glass. Incorporate all ingredients in a tin and dry shake vigorously. Add ice and shake again. Strain into a coup glass, achieving a nice froth. Garnish with two torched star anise. 

 

*Pink Pepper Corn and Anise Syrup: 

Simmer 1 part sugar, 1 part water with pink pepper corn, black pepper, and star anise. let sit for 24 hours and strain. 

 

---

Rye-napple Express | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

The following cocktail was one of the winning entries from our Catoctin Creek / CHILLED Magazine Bartender Competition in 2022! We had over 50 submissions to the contest, and this was one of the best!

DENVER

Runner Up: Evren Bora

Rye-napple Express

 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
  
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz pineapple gomme syrup*
• 1/2 Aperol
• 1/2 oz Lairds Applejack 

Preparation: Mix ingredients into a shaker tin. Throw. Strain over crushed ice. Pineapple frond garnish. Top with .5oz Yellow Chartreuse. I served mine in a tiki mug, but a rocks glass will work. 

*Pineapple Gomme Syrup 

Ingredients:

• 6 oz gomme arabic powder
• 6 oz water
• Let sit overnight
• 1 pineapple cut into chunks
• 12 oz water
• 36 oz sugar  

 Preparation: Once sugar has dissolved break down pineapple using an immersion blender and bring to a boil. Strain pineapple syrup into gomme solution made the day before and mix. 

 

---

Old Dominion Lūʻau | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

The following cocktail was one of the winning entries from our Catoctin Creek / CHILLED Magazine Bartender Competition in 2022! We had over 50 submissions to the contest, and this was one of the best!

FLORIDA

1st Place: Angela Wood

Old Dominion Lūʻau

 

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
  
• 1/2 oz turmeric syrup* 
• 1/2 oz maple bacon syrup
• 2 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz fresh lemon sour 
• 3 shakes of celery bitters
• 2 chunks of chargrilled pineapple  

Preparation: Muddle charred grilled pineapple with 3 shakes of celery bitters. Build remaining ingredients in tin. Shake and strain over fresh ice into pint glass (BALL mason jar). Smoke cocktail for extra flavor and smell. (optional). Optional garnishes: Grilled pineapple, pineapple stem pieces, bacon straws or black pepper candied bacon slice, smoked maple brown sugar rim. 

 

*Turmeric syrup: 

• 1/2 cups water 
• 1/2 cups sugar 
• 1 tsp turmeric powder 

Preparation: Cook until sugar is melted, and turmeric is combined. Cool before using.

 

**Maple Bacon Syrup: 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cups water  
• 1/2 cup maple syrup 
• 3 strips cooked bacon

Preparation: Fill up large pot with water about 3/4 to the top. Insert immersion circulator and set to 150 degrees F (65 C). Add water and maple syrup to saucepan, bring to a light boil, stirring frequently. Remove saucepan from heat. Cook bacon until crispy. Add bacon, water, and syrup to Ziploc bag. Seal bag and leave in immersion circulator for 90 minutes. Remove syrup and transfer to a small bottle. Add a splash of vodka to help preserve the syrup. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

---

Champe’s Attempt of Benedictine Arnold | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

The following cocktail was one of the winning entries from our Catoctin Creek / CHILLED Magazine Bartender Competition in 2022! We had over 50 submissions to the contest, and this was one of the best!

FLORIDA

Runner Up: Matthew Cormier

Champe’s Attempt of Benedictine Arnold

 

Ingredients:  

• 2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
  
• 1/2 oz spiced carrot syrup*
• 1/4 oz Benedictine
• 4 dashes black walnut bitters
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 1 spray absinthe 

Preparation: In a mixing glass combine all ingredients except absinthe and add ice. Stir approximately 10 rotations as to not over dilute cocktail. (Keep in mind it’s being served on crushed ice) strain cocktail into chilled coupe glass. Add crushed ice to create a dome in the cocktail. Spray 1 squeeze of absinthe from an atomizer. Garnish with an expressed orange twist and carrot greens. 

 

*Spiced carrot syrup 

Combine one cup Demerara sugar with one cup water in a pot. Bring to a boil. While bringing up to heat add 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 star anise, 1 tablespoon chopped ginger, 1/2 teaspoon high quality vanilla extract. Once boiling turn down heat and simmer until carrots are tender. Lightly mash carrots once tender. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove all solids. 

---

The Pioneer | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

The following cocktail was one of the winning entries from our Catoctin Creek / CHILLED Magazine Bartender Competition in 2022! We had over 50 submissions to the contest, and this was one of the best!

NEW YORK

1st Place: Megan Marshall

The Pioneer

 

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
• 1/4 oz Elderflower Liqueur
• 1 oz Lemon Juice
• 3/4 oz Honey-Peppercorn Syrup*
• 3/4 oz Aquafaba
• Rose water rinse
• Cherry and cracked pepper for garnish 

Preparation: Add a small amount of rose water to the bottom of a coupe glass. Give it a rinse and discard any remaining liquid. Then, place a brandied cherry in the bottom of the glass and set it aside. Next, add all other ingredients (except the cracked pepper garnish) into a shaker tin. Shake without ice for a few seconds. Then, add ice and shake again. Fine strain the cocktail into the coupe, and garnish with a sprinkle of cracked pepper. Cheers! 

 

*Honey-Peppercorn Syrup: Combine one cup of honey, one cup of water, and 3 tablespoons of black peppercorns over medium-high heat. Stir until the honey fully combines with the water. Once the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat, and let it simmer for five minutes. Then, take it off the heat and let it cool completely. Strain into another container and discard the peppercorns. 

---

Purcell's Pick | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

The following cocktail was one of the winning entries from our Catoctin Creek / CHILLED Magazine Bartender Competition in 2022! We had over 50 submissions to the contest, and this was one of the best!

NEW YORK

Runner Up: Nicole Salicetti

Purcell’s Pick

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
  
• 1/2 oz blackberry sweet vermouth*
• 1/4 oz dill syrup
• 1 dash salt solution**
• 10 drops citric acid
• 2 drops grapefruit bitters
• Brioche toast with blackberry spread and dill (for garnish) 

Preparation: Add all ingredients except for garnish into stirring glass. Stir and strain over large rock in a rocks glass.
Spread a dollop of jam onto mini toast and top with dill. 

*Sweet Vermouth blackberry reduction: slow cooked 50g fresh whole blackberries with 75g of sweet vermouth and 25g of water on stove top in small saucepan for 30 minutes. Strain out blackberries and cool. Blackberry jam: use strained blackberries from vermouth reduction and mash with one teaspoon of sugar.

**Salt solution: 80ml water/20g salt 

 

---

Fog Over Purcellville | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

The following cocktail was one of the winning entries from our Catoctin Creek / CHILLED Magazine Bartender Competition in 2022! We had over 50 submissions to the contest, and this was one of the best!

WASHINGTON D.C.

1st Place: Elena Johnson

Fog Over Purcellville

 

Ingredients:                     

• 2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
  
• 2/2 oz Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
• 1 oz Earl Grey syrup*
• 1/4 oz lemon juice
• 2 dashes orange bitters 

Whipped coconut milk top** 

Preparation: Shake all ingredients but whipped coconut milk with ice. Double strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Top with layer of whipped coconut milk and 2 dehydrated orange half-moons. 

*Earl Grey Tea Syrup: Combine 2 Earl Grey tea bags, 8 oz. sugar, and 8 oz. hot water just off the boil. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove tea bags after 5 minutes. Cool syrup and refrigerate.

**Whipped Coconut Milk: Combine a 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk with 2 oz. simple syrup in a whip cream canister. Charge canister twice, shake, and refrigerate. 

---

The Proof of Gold is in Fire | Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

The following cocktail was one of the winning entries from our Catoctin Creek / CHILLED Magazine Bartender Competition in 2022! We had over 50 submissions to the contest, and this was one of the best!

WASHINGTON D.C.

Runner Up: Dani Keenan

The Proof of Gold is in Fire

 

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 
• 1/2 oz Ancho Reyes chile liqueur 
• 1/2 oz Cherry goat cheese syrup*  
• 1 oz blood orange juice 
• 3 dashes smoked cinnamon bitters    

Preparation: Add all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Double strain into coupe glass decorated with edible gold leaf. Garnish with hollowed out red pepper filled with 151 proof rum and light on fire. 

*Cherry goat cheese syrup 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup demerara sugar 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1/2 cup dark cherries 
• 2 tablespoons Luxardo cherry juice 
• 1 tablespoon creamy goat cheese

Preparation: Bring all ingredients except goat cheese to a boil to dissolve sugar and slightly thicken. Smash cherries to release juice. Remove from heat and stir in goat cheese. Strain. Cool before using.

---