Please pretend this is a Jem valentine.
Every year I find myself thinking about school valentines and the decorated boxes we made as kids. Mine was usually a small shoe box wrapped in white tissue paper with felt hearts or stickers and a big rectangle cut from the top — totally normal then, and everyone seemed to use shoe boxes. Now, with Pinterest and all the crafty competition, I barely recognize what a modern valentine box would look like. Are they still shoe boxes? Designer shoe boxes? Do they teleport you and your valentine to another world? The whole thing stresses me out.
I wish I had the patience to make homemade valentines that look better than store-bought cards. I was clearly not born with the Martha Stewart gene. Still, part of me loves the idea of crafting something sweet and imperfect.
Also — have you noticed blood oranges everywhere this season? Not just in stores, but all over the internet. Are blood oranges suddenly basic? I hope not. To me, blood orange season is the universe allowing us to sip gorgeous pink-coral cocktails for Valentine’s Day. You don’t even need a date when you have a drink like this. In fact, this drink is your valentine. Forget everything else.
Last week I made these cocktails for a Friday happy hour with my cousin before we ordered a ridiculous amount of Greek food. I’m catching up on my cocktail game and these are two words: gorgeous. The glass rimmed with a spicy vanilla sugar adds a little drama — make a jar and keep it in the pantry for whenever you want a pretty touch. It’s also fantastic on a vanilla-ginger mojito.
The fruit itself is dazzling. Slices are muddled with simple syrup and a few drops of bitters, then the glass is piled with crushed ice, bourbon, blood orange juice and a splash of club soda for effervescence. Stir, add a beautiful slice on top and garnish with a rosemary sprig or other herb for color. Taste and add more syrup if you like it sweeter — this cocktail generally isn’t overly sweet, which is nice and balanced.
Blood Orange Bourbon Smash with Spicy Vanilla Sugar
1
serving, is easily multiplied
10 mins
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Ingredients
spicy vanilla sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- a pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
bourbon smash
- crushed ice
- 1 1/2 ounces simple syrup
- a few drops of bitters
- 2 blood orange slices
- 6 ounces blood orange juice
- 1 1/2 ounces bourbon
- 2 ounces club soda
- extra blood orange slices for garnish
- fresh herbs for garnish
Instructions
spicy vanilla sugar
-
Combine the sugar, cayenne and scraped vanilla seeds in a bowl. Stir and mash with a fork until the vanilla is evenly distributed. Store in a sealed jar; if you make it ahead, tuck the scraped vanilla pod into the jar for extra flavor. Make extra — it’s great on cocktails and desserts.
bourbon smash
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In the bottom of a chilled glass, add simple syrup, bitters and one or two orange slices. Muddle until the orange breaks down. Fill the glass with crushed ice, then pour in the bourbon and blood orange juice. Stir to combine, top with club soda, and garnish with an orange slice and fresh herbs. Adjust sweetness with more syrup if desired.
simple syrup
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To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and let it simmer for one minute. Remove from heat, cool completely, and store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
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I appreciate you so much!
I think this would totally fit in your card box.