The Statue of Liberty Cocktail

Mmm, 'erica!

Mmm, ‘erica!

For the past few weeks I’ve been living in the basement of Pete and Susan… who the hell has a basement in NYC?  Well they do and Tía Weezy has been hibernating there. Last night Pete made a delicious Manhattan of sorts while Perrin was having a meltdown from the lack of Dora the Explorer.  Holy crap, these shows are crack rock for the kids!! He put a few splashes of cognac in it to clean out a rogue bottle, shook it up, strained it into little coups and Happy Hour was in full force.  We brainstormed on what to call it and decided that because it’s equal parts American and French, it reminded us of that gorgeous copper Lady that sits in New York Harbor.  Quite elegant, delicious and unpretentious, it proved to be a great drink for this 4th of July.

Ingredients:

1 oz cognac

1 oz bourbon

1 oz sweet vermouth

2 dashes bitters, aromatic (Angostura or Hella Bitters, a local from our friends here in Brooklyn)

Ice

Directions:

Throw it all in a shaker, let it rip and strain into a pretty little cocktail glass.

Cantaloupe Basil Agua Fresca

Job got you down?  It’s summertime and I’m sure there are many places you’d rather be than sitting behind a desk, toiling away for the man, all while you could be downing a refreshing beverage on a beach somewhere.  Or a boat.  Or a park.  I’m sure an alleyway would suffice with this glorious Agua Fresca in your hand.  This recipe is virgin, because you know, the kids.  But I highly suggest throwing in some vodka, gin or tequila, because you know, the kids.

Ingredients:

 1 cantaloupe, chopped into large chunks

3 cups water

Juice of 2 limes

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

10-15 basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

In a blender add the cantaloupe, water, lime juice, honey and salt.  Puree until completely smooth.  Strain through some cheesecloth, making sure to squeeze out all the liquid from the pulp*.  Add the basil and let steep in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Serve this refreshing beverage over ice.  If you’re feeling frisky, you can make a cocktail out of it by just adding your favorite hooch.  Happy summer!

*Note: Save the pulp and chuck it in the freezer. Add it to your morning smoothie- waste not want not!