When we were in Copenhagen, Jud tried to order a soda, but we were at a very swanky restaurant - and, as I’m sure you know, swanky restaurants don’t have “soda.” Luckily the waiter recognized that a 12 year old boy was just looking for something more fun than water. So he suggested their “rhubarb soda” that they make sometimes. Jud was in - he loves rhubarb. And I turns out I loved this soda. We all did. As soon as we got home I figured out how to make it ourselves!

It’s fabulous without gin (that’s what inspired it) but even better with a good gin. I’ve had so many people tell me how much they hate gin when I tell them that’s what I drink. I’ve realized it’s because there is SO MUCH gin out there.

Here are my picks and my advice on drinking gin:

• Don’t start with an exotic flavor profile, choose a gin you’ve heard of before.

• Read labels and know what the herbs and flavorings in the gin are. If you don’t like black licorice, don’t get one with anise. If you like things that taste floral, look for gins infused with florals.

• The top three most popular are Tanqueray, Hendricks, and Sapphire. Tanqueray is the most evenly balanced with a little anise; Hendricks leans toward cucumber and floral flavors; while Sapphire is very herbal. Tanqueray is my personal favorite, but Hendricks is a popular starting place.

• The first time you try gin, mix it with tonic water or soda. A martini is not the place to start if you aren’t sure you like gin.

Spiked Rhubarb Soda

1 tablespoon Rhubarb Syrup

2 ounces gin (Hendricks or something floral)

4 ounces soda water

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake together Rhubarb Syrup and gin. Pour all of the ingredients (including the ice) into a highball glass. Top with soda water.

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We just got back from a glorious two weeks in Scandinavia. For both Mr. Hedin and I, Sweden is “the homeland.” It’s where all of our great grandparents originated from - and after being there, we can totally see why they landed in Seattle. It’s identical. Our weather, our greenery, the water - it’s so reminiscent.

It was also cool to see how so many of our “Northwest Flavors” are also reflected in the foods of Scandinavia. Rhubarb was especially prominent. We usually associate rhubarb with spring here in Seattle - like right when strawberries come out in May - but the weather is a little cooler in Sweden, so the rhubarb was EVERYWHERE in mid-June. We happily ate everything we found with rhubarb, and loved a rhubarb soda that we had at Restaurant Barr.

My rhubarb at home is still going strong, so when we got home I tried to recreate something just like it. Mostly because it was delicious but also because when I took a sip of Jud’s rhubarb soda, all I wanted to do was to stir in a little gin.

Rhubarb sauce on ice cream in Copenhagen!

Restaurant Barr in Copenhagen used rhubarb perfectly throughout the whole dinner

Rhubarb Syrup

1/2 cup chopped rhubarb

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

In a sauce pan, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the water is reduced by half. Let cool. You can keep this in the fridge for up to one week.

If the syrup gets too thick and looks like jam, add a few tablespoons of hot water and stir (or shake it in the jar) really well. If it is still not pourable - add another tablespoon of hot water.

To make a Rhubarb Soda

In a tall glass filled with ice, add two tablespoons rhubarb syrup and top with sparkling water. Stir gently. You can add more or less rhubarb syrup as you’d like.

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Spike it!

Click below and read about how I spiked the Rhubarb Syrup with gin - and what gin to choose.

Click Here

Last summer one of my good friends - who also loves a good cocktail - declared this the “drink of summer!” He was sure it would take off and take over the traditional spritz. It didn’t. We can all attest that we all love the Aperol Spritz and I don’t see it getting knocked off it’s pedestal anytime soon.

But who doesn’t like to try?!? This is delightful! If you aren’t a fan of the bitter flavor of the Aperol Spritz, then I highly recommend this. The St. Germaine is much more sweet than Aperol so it’s a different flavor profile than the regular spritz.

Hugo Spritz

3 parts Prosecco

2 parts St. Germaine

1 part soda water

In a wine glass filled with ice, pour in St. Germain. Top with Prosecco and soda water. Swirl gently to mix. Serve immediately!

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The classic spritz online is THREE parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part soda water. But it doesn’t taste like the spritz I had in Venice last year. So I messed around with the proportions and decided that just a little less Prosecco makes for the proper cocktail. Obviously, you can add more bubbles if you’d like, but I like it just like this - a little more bitter!

A spritz is the perfect day drinking/afternoon cocktail. It’s light on booze - Aperol and Prosecco are both light alcohol options so you can have one (or two) and still function for the rest of the afternoon. It’s a classic option when you’re sitting at a cafe in Venice on a warm summer day. The secret to a good spritz is to not waste expensive champagne on it! I like La Marca, which is a reasonably priced Prosecco that tastes great in a cocktail like this.

Ali’s Classic Spritz

2 parts Prosecco

2 parts Aperol

1 part soda water

Fill a glass with ice. Pour in two parts Aperol (I use two ounces) then add equal parts Prosecco. Top with soda water and add a straw. Cin cin!

The perfect spritz in Venice with the love of my life.

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We were just in Palm Springs and went to a restaurant where I totally doubted the cocktails. Then we started talking to the bartender (always talk to the bartender!) and realized he was legit. It was not entirely the vibe of the place so I was so excited to have him tell us that he made everything from scratch and none of the cocktails were out of a jug.

There were drinks on the menu that I thought sounded great, but I can’t do almonds so I asked for a recommendation. Life lesson: If the bartender is legit, then ask what they recommend! Give them one or two drinks that sound good to you and they will usually make you something amazing. This bartender recommended what he called a ‘brunch punch.’

The Brunch Punch was so good! And it was rum based - unexpected. And pink - unexpected. But it was not overly fruity - expected because this was a good bartender. So we grilled him on how he made it. Three rums, one spiced (!), two juices and grenadine. Of the three rums, one of them was a spiced rum. I usually hate spiced rum. It’s gross. But in this, surprisingly good. I found a place for spiced rum to thrive. The other rums were basic so I swapped them out for a good rum that I adore - the Blackwell dark rum is so perfect. And it’s bold so it stands up to the juice.

This feels a lot like Mr. Hedin’s Boat Drinks, but with a more brunch feel that’s more appropriate for 10am. And aren’t we all looking for something that seems more reasonable for brunch that isn’t just champagne?

*Also, just realized I’ve never posted Mr. Hedin’s Boat Drinks so get excited. That’s now coming soon!

Brunch Punch

makes four drinks (a small pitcher full)

6 ounces orange juice

6 ounces pineapple juice

3 ounces spiced rum

3 ounces Blackwell rum

1 ounce dark rum

2 tablespoons grenadine

maraschino cherries

In a pitcher, combine all ingredients - except the cherries - and stir to combine. When you’re ready to serve the drinks, pour 1/2 cup of the drink into a cocktail shaker and shake well. Pour the drink and the ice into a cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry. These are strong drinks so be careful!

Alternatively, you can make each drink on its own - when you do, float the dark rum on top instead of mixing it into the drink. It’s delicious!

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Any Fruit Muffins

The perfect brunch appetizer - Any Fruit Muffins! They are so simple to make, they can bake while you shake up the cocktail.

Click here for the recipe

I love a good spring cocktail - but sometimes the situation calls for a mocktail. I can’t stand a mocktail that is all juice based, too sugary or is just clearly designed for kids. A mocktail should be made for grown-ups too - everyone deserves something to sip on regardless of if they want the booze.

This one is SO SPRINGY and it made me desperate for my roses to bloom. They are waiting for some sun, and I have a feeling this weekend’s heat will do the trick. I cannot wait.

The trick with rose water is to be careful - it’s a lot like any other flavoring and going easy is your best bet. The tiniest amount of rose water makes a huge flavor impact. I like to start with 1/4 teaspoon per cocktail and you can increase after that if you’d like to - I don’t think more is needed, things get a little too much with more!

Grapefruit Rose Seltzer

makes two

4 ounces fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

1/2 teaspoon rose water

seltzer

fresh grapefruit to garnish

Squeeze the grapefruit into a glass and stir in rose water. Add ice and top with seltzer water. Serve with a grapefruit garnish.

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It’s Spring Cocktail Season! The baby showers have begun in earnest, the bridal showers are right around the corner, and soon, we’ll just invite people over to sit on the porch and have a drink. That day is not today because today is pouring down rain and cold. It’s actually gross out. Earlier this week we got a glimpse at what spring will look like and she was perfect. Until then, let’s plan our cocktails and a little dip or something to go with.

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A traditional mint julep has muddled mint leaves and bourbon with a little simple syrup. It’s a very boozy cocktail. When I’m making a cocktail for a party, or for day drinking, I usually try to tone down the booziness. So for this, I made a mint-y pink lemonade to mix with the bourbon and take down the concentration of liquor. It also is a great replacement for the simple syrup as pink lemonade is pretty sweet.

The history of the cocktail comes from it being a sweet cocktail combined with an herb. Traditionally a ‘julep’ was used to administer medicine. The word ‘julep’ comes from the Spanish ‘julepe’ which can mean “medicine.” If you’ve had a traditional julep, it’s not hard to imagine medicine hiding in there - it’s a strong drink with strong flavors.

The trick to the Mint Pink Lemonade is to not let the mint steep for too long in the lemonade. Mint will get bitter after a bit - so leaving it for a few hours is perfect, overnight is too long.

This version of a mint julep is a lot less boozy than its origin and makes a great party drink. This is a perfect cocktail to make in a pitcher too! You can serve these for your next Derby party or really anytime you need a summer sipping cocktail!

Pink Lemonade Mint Julep

makes one drink

2 ounces mint infused pink lemonade

1 ounce bourbon

mint to garnish

In a cocktail shaker, combine lemonade and bourbon over ice. Shake or stir and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint leaves.

Mint Infused Pink Lemonade

1 cup pink lemonade

6-8 sprigs mint

Rip the mint leaves and add them to the pink lemonade. Let rest in the fridge for at least one hour, but after 6 hours, pull out the mint leaves. They will get bitter otherwise!

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It’s golf season again! I don’t know how many of you are excited, but I’m excited. We live on a golf course so we spend a lot of time watching people golf. In the summer, we head out to the course - but I refuse to golf when it’s raining or cold. If it’s not a sunny day, a lovely walk and a fun outing - then I’m not going.

So I get particularly excited when the sun comes back out and the season starts back up.

Golf season is the perfect time to whip out your best goofy outfits, strong cocktails, and great visors. Do you play? What’s your vice on the course?

Arnold Palmer ‘Tini

2 ounces good lemonade

1 ounce tea vodka

lemon garnish

STEP 1

Pour the vodka and the lemonade in a shaker. Fill with ice and shake.

STEP 2

Strain into two martini glasses and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Tea Vodka

1 cup vodka

1 tea bags

Pop the tea bags into the vodka and let soak until dark brown. In the sun, it takes about 2 hours.

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I keep trying to figure out fruit in a cocktail that would still taste delicious and not like too much fruit in a cocktail. This one I started wondering about around St. Patrick’s Day because I was pretty sure it would turn out green - I was right! Not only is it green, but it’s delicious.

The tartness of the kiwi lends itself perfectly with the lime and tequila. It’s not too sweet, not too sour. It’s practically the perfect cocktail.

Kiwi Margarita

makes 2 cocktails

1 kiwi, skinned and chopped

1 lime, juiced

4 ounces anjeo tequila

1 ounce cointreau

lime wedges and kiwi for garnish

STEP 1

In a cocktail shaker or a pitcher, muddle together kiwi and lime juice until blended.

STEP 2

Pour in booze and fill with ice. Shake or stir until combined.

STEP 3

Strain into two cocktail glasses filled with ice.

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