Bobhouse

A solid highball, suitable for consuming in the winter months.

2 oz sour orange juice (nice sour oranges are good for this; you can also supplement navel orange juice with citric acid)
1 1/2 oz blended scotch
1/2 oz Loonshine
1/2 oz squash-brown sugar syrup
1/2 oz pineapple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake and pour unstrained into... well, any glass really. What is this "gar-nish" you speak of?

Northwoods

A very incise, woodsy, herbal drink. I think I'm gonna make quite a few of these.

1 oz rye whiskey (Bulleit)
1/2 oz Loonshine
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Cocchi Torino)
15 drops Bittercube Door County Hops Bitters

Stir and strain over a large ice cube in an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a strip of lemon peel.

Loony Lemonade

An easy drink, this, and way too easy-drinking. Sorry about the awful name, but it was just too easy.

1 1/2 oz Loonshine
1 oz thyme syrup
1 oz lemon juice

Combine over ice and top with 4-5 oz soda water. Stir and garnish with a large lemon coin.

Spirits: Loonshine

Coming to us from Loon Liquors in Northfield, MN! That's pretty dang local, kids.

This tasty Loonshine stuff is made with organic wheat and barley, which probably explains why I like it so much. A lot of moonshines are made with corn, which makes them cloyingly sweet; this is sweet too, but with a nice spicy backbone and a distinct dried-herb character. It's got a lot of funky ester, no doubt, but in a pleasant way, soft like a nice white rum.

Such was its success that I bring you three distinct cocktails made with it tonight. WE DRANK THEM ALL. Whee!

Chattanooga Cooler

I know this drink is in no way representative of the city of Chattanooga (apologies if you live in Tennessee) but I just like the name.  It just kinda rolls off the tongue, and the drink turned out quite well too.

1 1/4 oz white whiskey
3/4 oz rose petal liqueur
3/4 oz peach shrub

Pour over plentiful ice in a Collins glass and add 2-3 oz of soda water to taste.  Stir well and garnish with a lemon wheel.

I know, I know - you'll have to make two of these ingredients yourself.  Neither is too hard, really.  For the liqueur, combine 1 tablespoon dried rose petals with 1 cup 100-proof vodka and 1/2 cup of regular simple syrup (a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar) then let infuse for a week or so.  The shrub is even more flexible, if a bit more difficult, although you can make as much or as little as desired.  Just take 1 part chopped and pitted fresh peach, and add 1 part apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar.  Let this infuse in the refrigerator for a week, then strain and add 1 part sugar.  Keep this in the fridge, shaking every day for a week or so until the sugar has all dissolved, then use wherever - non-alcoholic sodas, cocktails such as the one above, or on top of pancakes.  Seriously, that last one is worth a shot.

The Blinding Sour

Clearing out the backlog a bit...

Here's a simple, highly effective use of a somewhat tricky ingredient - moonshine, white whiskey, call it what you will.  I picked some up on a whim and had a troubled time finding uses for it, but I like the funk this adds to an otherwise straightforward, relatively basic sour.

2 oz white whiskey
1 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo per usual)
1 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake well and strain over fresh rocks in a double old-fashioned glass.  Add a brandied cherry and a half lemon wheel if you're like that.