Cocktails · Eco-Chick

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RIPE: Fresh Cocktail Mixers with Real, Pronounceable Ingredients

In a rush before a gaggle of guests were due to arrive at my house, I was staring at a shelf full of pre-made margarita mixers at my local liquor store. With no time to run to the grocery store, making my own was out, so I grabbed the first bottle I saw and dashed down the aisle, reading the ingredients as I walked. “Contains no juice. High fructose corn syrup… citric acid… polysorbate 60… umm, glycerol ester of wood rosin? Oh, hell no.” The bottle went back on the shelf. Tequila shots, anyone?

There’s no denying the convenience factor of pre-made mixers, especially for those of us who are a little too lazy or sloppy with a measuring spoon to play bartender. But should we have to settle for high fructose corn syrup and other less-than-healthy ingredients? The makers of RIPE Mixers don’t think so, and let me tell you, their products will blow that nasty stuff right out of your cocktail glasses.

Read my RIPE review More »

all natural, cocktails, Food & Drink, healthy

Herbs of Spring: Make Your Own Violet Syrup

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by Stephanie Rogers · 04/23/10

Those tiny purple blossoms that are covering lawns, meadows and roadsides right now are much more than just ‘weeds’. You’ve probably never given much thought to the common blue violet, aside from admiring its delicate little flowers – but gather enough, and you can make a delicious syrup that soothes sore throats, turns pancakes pink and makes one seriously delicious (and highly unusual) cocktail. The best part – it’s incredibly quick and easy.

Pick a pesticide-free location to gather your violet blossoms – I spent a lazy, sunny afternoon tightly packing a large mason jar from the large violet patch in my backyard. The common blue violet has five rounded petals and broad, heart-shaped leaves; choose the least blemished and darkest ones you find; the white ones don’t have much flavor.

I tried both of the following recipes: one with honey (which is better for use as cough syrup) and one with sugar. I recommend adding the juice of half a lemon to both recipes for better flavor, though your syrup will end up more magenta than violet. Don’t be put off by the very green and earthy smell of the steeping violets! The final mixture is heavenly. I added a few tablespoons to some sparkling water and vodka; it would also be delicious with champagne, lemonade or iced tea.

A few tips from experience: watch the simmering mixture carefully, because it can burn – and handle it carefully when you’re pouring it into bottles, because boiling sugar is not kind to the skin. I used a ladle with a spout, along with a funnel.

Susun Weed’s Violet Syrup (With Honey)

1/2 pound/225g fresh violets
2 cups/500ml water
2 cups/500ml honey

Enlist all the help you can to pick violet blossoms. Boil water; pour over blossoms; cover. Let steep overnight in nonmetallic container. Strain out flowers. Reserve purple liquid. Combine violet infusion and honey. Simmer gently, stirring, for ten or fifteen minutes, until it seems like syrup. Fill clean jars. Cool. Keep well chilled to preserve.

Violet Syrup (With Sugar) by Linda Ziedrich

3 ounces (about 4 cups) stemmed violets
2 cups water
About 2 cups sugar

Combine the flowers and water in a saucepan. Simmer the contents, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a dampened jelly bag. You can squeeze the bag, when it’s cool enough to handle, to extract more liquid. Then measure the volume of the liquid, and combine it in a preserving pan with an equal volume of sugar. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Raise the heat to high, and bring the syrup to a full boil.

Remove the pan from the heat. Funnel the syrup into a bottle. Store the bottle, tightly capped, in the refrigerator.

cocktails, DIY, Herbal Remedies, spring

Eco-Chic Decor from Bacchus-Inspired Aesthetics

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by Starre Vartan · 09/13/09

Guest post by Shireen Quodosi

What comes more easily in this economy than an assortment of empty wine bottles after you’ve just thrown a smashing get-together? With the preference being on sourcing cheap entertaining ideas, most people now see staying at home with a good meal and great wine as a viable alternative to spending money on restaurants and clubs.

Wine Bottle Ideas:

There are a number of ways to reuse wine bottles. Among the more common ideas are reusing them as water pitchers, votive vases, torches, and flower bed liners. However, there are dozens of other smart options that are rarely explored.

Rewined Recycled Glassware – Get uniquely hued wine bottle glassware made from orphaned bottles left behind at local restaurants and bars.

Water Feeders – On a very hot day or when you’re away, fill the bottles of water and stick them into the pot or soil near your plant. The water will slowly percolate from the bottle and into the soil.

Wine Bottle Chandeliers – In addition to the popular row lighting and pendant lighting, Pottery Barn put together an interesting chandelier with wine bottles strung around it. Even though four dozen other people will likely have the same statement piece, at least you know it’s a unique sustainable element in your home. Plus it catches the light beautifully during the day and especially at sunset.

cape, car, cocktails, decor, design, farm, Hollywood, Home, Lighting, liquor, local, Lush, oil, Organic, recycle, recycled, reference, restaurant, reuse, style, sustainability, sustainable, Tea, water, Water Bottle, Wine, wood

Green Tahoe!

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by Ann Benoit · 06/12/08

I hit up south Lake Tahoe this past weekend for some great hiking and R&R and was super happy I went. Right now is a great time to go since it’s right after the ski season has ended but before the summer crowd takes over the town (waay cheaper + less crowded).

A few fun things to make sure to check out if you’re there:

Hiking! The area has some of the most amazing views I’ve seen since I’ve been in Cali. Make sure you bring lots of water if you’re not used to the altitude change— (Lake Tahoe hiking is about 7,000 feet above sea level depending on where you hike) it’ll help with the adjustment.

Vikingsholm Trail: This is a good way to ease into Tahoe hiking. About a mile down to a really cool replica of a Viking castle on the shore of the lake. Coming back up is a little more strenuous.

Food! We had a kitchen and cooked most of the time, but the Wide Awake Organic Cafe was amazing and well worth spending a little extra $$ on. We ate here twice and I was psyched to learn that everything except the bagels are organic (soon they’ll be switching to vegan + organic bagels). My favorite here was the asparagus frittata. Their fair trade organic lattes were also amazing enough to end my caffeine-free stint!

I had heard about Elevation 6310, but didn’t have a chance to check it out just over the Nevada border. Their specialty is late dinner and organic cocktails. Mmmm… organic fruit-infusion vodkas!

Biking: there seemed to be some really great bike trails in the area which I’m looking forward to checking out the next time we visit. Bike trails amidst amazing views of the lake + forest sounds good to me!

cocktails, epa, Fair Trade, farm, Food, fruit, Hiking, News, Organic, spa, summer, vegan, water

Ultimate MidWinter Cocktail

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by Starre Vartan · 03/04/08

Acai berries and wheat in their native habitats

As much as I adore the four seasons, I am getting a little tired of grey skies and damp weather. Since I can’t take a Spring Break this year due to being totally overworked there’s nothing to do but chase the winter blues away with good old fashioned alcohol.

Just kidding! But for real, I recently discovered two great new organic liquors and decided to make a coconutty cocktail with them.

VeeV is the new liquor that’s made from organic acai berries. Besides it’s organicness, it’s carbon neutral as certified by Climate Clean. Antioxidant-rich acai is wild harvested (which means it’s picked from the rainforest in a sustainable way while still preserving the surrounding ecosystem). On top of all that, the distillery that makes VeeV uses wind power. And goodness me, this stuff is yummy- mildly sweet and berry-like, but with a kick, it’s great over rocks or mixed into drinks like the one below.

At the Greener Gadgets conference cocktail party, I tried Purus vodka, which is the latest organic vodka (made from 100% organic Italian wheat) to hit the market. It’s nice and smooth and makes a perfect mixer. So I did!

Cocoberry Winter Cocktail

1 shot of VeeV
1 shot Purus vodka
1/2 cup organic coconut sorbet (softened, but not melted)
juice of two blood oranges (I found organic at Trader Joe’s)

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with 2-3 cubes of ice. Shake vigorously and pour into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with orange slices. Drink immediately!

Makes two stiff drinks.

The combination of the mild, sweet flavor of the acai berry, the bite of the vodka, the sweet-tart of the blood orange juice and the rich, creaminess of the coconut made this a winner- an uber creamy martini that avoids the unhealthy fats in milk products.

If you try this, let me know what you think!

alcohol, cocktails, liquor, Organic