Hi friends,
Since so many of you RAVED about my last recipe post, I figured I'd drop in with another recipe for you to try out at home! This week is focused on one of my original cocktail recipes... It's called "The Wallflower", and it has a bit of a story behind it...
Back in December of 2018, I visited a magical place in the Catskills called Spillian. Spillian is a Victorian-style mansion hidden in the mountains, and an otherworldly event venue for those who want to live in a fantasy book for a couple days. For this particular weekend, it was an escape into the food and drink world of the Catskills. We took all sorts of tours to restaurants, distilleries, and breweries, and the lovely weekend ended with a cocktail contest! I whipped up this little drink (inspired by the flowers painted on Spillian's interior wooden walls and surrounding pine forests), and it ended up winning first place!
So read on to learn how to make your own Wallflower, complete with your own DIY foraged White Pine Syrup, and let me know what you think! Does it deserve 1st place?
Have an idea for next week's Inner Circle Post? Let me know in the comments!
Much love,
Marin
Ingredients:
To make a batch of the syrup, you need:
- A handful of white pine needles (more information below)
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
For the rest of the cocktail, you need:
- 1-2 shots of gin (the more floral notes the better!)
- A piece of candied ginger
- A couple black raspberries
And for an additional woody touch, get a smoke infuser! We use ours to smoke cocktails all the time, and it really adds an extra level of flavor - you can even use it for smoking cheese or other snacks! The original Wallflower recipe used infused Hickory smoke.
Foraging your White Pine Needles:
When foraging for White Pine needles, look for the twigs that have little "bundles" of 5 needles (see reference picture below). A good way to remember this is that the word "white" has 5 letters. Also be sure to only collect the needles that are still green.
White Pine is very common in the Northeastern area of the U.S. but if you live in a different area, you may be able to substitute in a different Pine variety! Just make sure to do your research and identify the tree before using its needles, just in case it's toxic. And if you harvest directly from a living tree, please be respectful and only take what you need. Never overharvest and always thank the tree for its gifts!
Instructions:
First, we're going to make the simple syrup.
1. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a small saucepan. Heat the mixture, uncovered, on medium heat. Mix regularly to ensure the sugar doesn't burn.
2. Heat until it starts to boil. The sugar should be dissolved at this point. Reduce the heat to low, and toss in the pine needles.
3. Simmer the syrup for about another 10 minutes - or as long as you want! I usually simmer it until it has halved in volume. The sugar should be completely incorporated, and the syrup should be noticeably thicker.
3. Once you cook your syrup, pass it through a strainer to remove your pine needles. Cool your syrup, and store it in a jar in the refrigerator. It should keep for at least a month.
Now that you have your syrup, it's time to make the Wallflower!
1. Add a small dash of your homemade Pine Syrup. I usually use a tumbler-style glass for this drink, and just put in enough syrup to cover the bottom of the glass. But you can always add more if you like your drinks sweeter!
2. Add a couple of black raspberries, and slightly mash with a wooden muddler.
3. Add 1-2 shots of your favorite floral gin and stir.
4. Add a piece of candied ginger and perhaps an edible flower as a garnish!
5. Finally, infuse your Wallflower with some Hickory smoke with a smoke infuser (see more info above)
And that's it! I hope you all have a wonderful time making your syrup and mixing your drinks! This is one of my absolute favorites, and I feel like it really takes advantage of the many layers of flavor in gin. Be sure to let me know how your Wallflowers turn out, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.