Alcohol Alchemy on a Road Trip!

This past weekend my husband Dan and I went on a road trip to Kennett Square, PA to co-host an evening of decadent indulgences for a special project we're working on with a friend and former regular of mine who moved out to that area.  He did the food, I did the cocktails, and we had a fantastic time in the process!  We loved the area and the people we met,  and we can't wait to get out there again (particularly to hit up some of the excellent cocktail bars in downtown Philadelphia).  I wish we would have taken photos to share, but sadly we did not.  I can, however, show off the menus for the fantastic food and cocktails we served up Saturday evening.  Some of the drinks already have posted recipes in here, and some are yet to come.  I also served up a non-alcoholic mocktail not on the menu for the kids that was .75oz Pumpkin Spice syrup (similar to the pumpkin spice recipe for the Autumn Blaze, but I did 2 cups brown sugar and 4 cups water),  1oz Apple Cider, shake with ice, and top with 2oz of Ginger Ale.  It seemed to go over quite well :-)  I'll make sure I get an entry up for that one, too.

So...first, the drinks.  I did a mix of classics and originals, and the crowd favorites seemed to be Aphrodite's Kiss and Spellbound.  If you were at the party we'd love to hear what you thought:

Now, the food.  My husband really does some incredible things with food, and I think the oyster mushroom sliders, parsnip chips, and churros were my absolute favorites on this menu (onion jam and fresh figs make me insane amounts of happy).  Kennett Square is often referred to as the mushroom capital of the United States, and the mushrooms are really unbelievable.  One of the attendees hosted a small gathering at her home the night before the party, and we were lucky enough that she pulled out some absolutely incredible crimini mushrooms.  From being not much of a mushroom fan before this trip, I'm now obsessed with fresh mushrooms (keyword "fresh"...like...picked in the last couple of days fresh):

smoQ Summer Cocktails

Oh, hey!  I finally finalized my summer menu!  A few popular returning suspects, and a few new faces.  Ones created by my bar staff are noted with their names.  We're rolling this one out Monday or Tuesday...

ETA:  This is by far my favorite menu so far.  When I remember summers growing up in Oklahoma, there are many elements I remember in this list...fresh watermelon and strawberries and cucumbers from my dad's garden, my grandmother's rose bushes (and OH her flower garden was heaven!) in Michigan, lemonade and sweet sun tea...and I am a July baby, so being out in the pool or the yard with my nose buried in books picking strawberries in the summer months were my favorite parts of growing up.  Summer flavors are so crisp and clean, and they have just the perfect amount of sweetness. Also, I feel so many elements embody the slightly-more-upscale Southern style we're aiming for, and with elements of the smokiness we're named for, as well.

Watermelon Cooler (Non-Alcoholic)

Watermelon, cucumber, mint, lemon-lime soda, topped with soda water.

Summer Lemonade (Non-Alcoholic)

Mint, basil, dill, rosemary, and pomegranate juice steeped in fresh lemonade.

smoQin’ Rita

Sauza Hornitos Plata tequila, Cointreau, Dewar’s, fresh lemon and lime juices, house-smoked hickory salt.

Lavender Honeybee

Plymouth gin, house-smoked honey, rosemary, lavender syrup, and fresh lemon juice.

Mockingbird Summer

Hendricks gin, fresh muddled watermelon, strawberry, dill, and fresh lime juice.

Flowers for Hemingway

10 Cane rum, fresh lime juice, rosewater, hibiscus syrup, and Regan’s orange bitters.

The Gatsby

Four Roses bourbon, Fernet Branca, rosewater simple syrup, and ginger ale.

Summer Garden Lemonade

Hendricks gin and St-Germain elderflower liqueur mixed with our fresh Summer Lemonade.

Peach Pom  (Josh)

Absolut Apeach vodka, PAMA pomegranate liqueur, peach puree, orange flower water, and fresh orange juice.

Bon Temps  (Josh)

St-Germain elderflower liqueur, hibiscus syrup, agave nectar, orange flower water, iced tea.

Spellbound

Tanqueray No. Ten gin, fresh strawberry, basil, balsamic syrup, fresh lime juice, and ginger ale.

Red Ginger Bee  (Carey)

Wild Turkey American Honey bourbon, hibiscus syrup, fresh lime juice, and Gosling’s Ginger Beer.

Jamaican Staycation

Appleton Estate Reserve dark rum, Frangelico, and locally brewed Mt. Carmel Nut Brown Ale.