Lavender Vodka

"If you must love your neighbor as yourself, it is at least as fair to love yourself as your neighbor."

~Nicholas de Chamfort

Time for another instalment from my Cool Stuff series where I feature stuff I love, mostly handmade, and a drink recipe! I vowed to write these every weekend, but I missed a few, so let's just say I'm going to do it whenever it happens. I don't like to make rules, or abide by them, for that matter.

I got this lavender vodka idea from Mindy at Rindy Mae in her Annual Christmas Gift Exchange post where she talks about how she made lavender infused vodka as a Christmas gift. She mentioned it in the comments of my Lavender Lemonade, and I thought, "What a great idea!" I made some, added it to the lavender lemonade, and wow, it's just heaven in a glass. Such a great drink for a hot summer night. So I made some more to take a photo of and share with you! (Since I love you so much.)  And hey, I'm going to drink it now!

Thanks for the idea, Mindy!

Recipe below, but first, here's some cool stuff.

From The Kitchen Of Personalized Labels Label your jam or homemade bread with style with these made for you labels, by Curious London

Canvas Messenger Bag, Hand Painted ..And the sign said... From the maker -"This French phrase basically translates to “No campers or nomads permitted.”When I saw a photo of this actual French sign I knew I had to paint it on a canvas bag. So here’s my tribute to all the campers, nomads and gypsies everywhere! And with this bag – you are permitted to carry it Everywhere!! "  By CLP Studio- I love it!

Iphone 4 Case-pink butterfly-sparkle case-glittery - What a pretty case for your Iphone!  by Vintage Chic Images

30 Permanent Self Adhesive Chalkboard Labels- By JS Crafty Studio - I see these all over, and every time I do, I just love them! Gotta get me some, they're so clever for jars and storage.

Vintage Map Thank You Stickers, package of 20 handwritten stickers calligraphy- by KisforCalligraphy - I love these handmade stickers, and everything else that comes from this shop! I ordered a handmade custom stamp from her, and I love it!

Vintage Liqueur Glasses available at my Etsy shop, House of Lucien.

 

Never miss a post! Like The Alchemist on Facebook!

 

You don't exactly need a recipe for infusing vodka. Add some flavored stuff to vodka (here it would be the lavender), shake it up, wait a few days, and it will be flavored. If you've never done it before maybe you might want to follow some loose guidelines, so I've provided a recipe below. When I've done this I haven't made a full bottle, I've added about a teaspoon of lavender flowers to about a cup of vodka, and shook it up whenever I thought about it, waited for 2 days and it's ready. Add it to my Lavender Lemonade and experience total bliss in a glass.




Lavender Vodka

Recipe from Just A Pinch


Ingredients


1 750 ml bottle vodka

2 Tablespoons dried lavender

Directions

Place lavender in a clean 1-quart jar. Using a wooden spoon, lightly crush lavender flowers against the side of the jar after adding vodka.

Cover jar tightly with a non metallic lid (or cover jar with plastic wrap and tightly seal with a metal lid). Let stand in the freezer for 4 days.

Pour vodka through a fine mesh sieve to remove all solids. Return infused vodka to original bottle. Or to give as a gift, pour infused vodka into a decorative jar. Label and seal. Place jar in the freezer up to 3 months to store.

Lavender Lemonade and Cool Stuff

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." 

~Sam Keen

This lavender lemonade is my new favorite drink! It's refreshing, unique and just plain delicious. I love the taste of lavender, the smell of lavender, I absolutely love lavender! We have many plants of it growing around our property, so I am fortunate to have access to it.

Recipe for the lemonade and some more pics below, now onto some cool stuff I'm liking this week.

Olive Oil Felted Lemon Meringue Pie Soap - This soap is covered in hand felted wool to give you a scrub while you wash. Made of olive oil and Shea butter. From MikeandDianeSoap. This soap sounds fresh and cool, perfect soap for summer.

Cat Cave/ Cat House Handmade from Natural Wool - From Grazim - What the heck! I've never seen anything like this, but what a great idea. How sweet is that cat? I think any cat would love to have a handmade house.

Handmade Wooden ABC Children's Blocks - By TinyGiraffeShop - These are so beautiful. I think they would make a great baby gift.



And now on to Lavender Lemonade Making!

One of our lavender bushes on the walk up to our house is out of control. The good thing about it though is that it gives you a lovely whiff of lavender on your walk up the path.

Straining the lavender buds

After you add the lemon juice, it suddenly turns pink!

 

 

Never miss a post! Like The Alchemist on Facebook!

Silver plated tray and pitcher available at my Etsy Shop, House of Lucien.

Lavender Lemonade

You can harvest your own lavender flowers, or buy culinary lavender from a well stocked grocery store. If you are using dried, I'd use a bit less.

Recipe from Local Harvest's newsletter


Ingredients

1 Tablespoon fresh lavender flowers (that have not been sprayed) Or if using dried, I'd use half that.

1/3 - 1/2 cup (64 mg-100 mg) (78 ml - 118 ml) sugar or honey

1/3 cup (78 ml) fresh lemon juice - it took me 3 lemons - You can add more if you like it more tart


Directions

Boil 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Once it comes to a boil add the lavender flowers and remove from heat. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the flowers from the liquid. Add the lavender liquid to a 1 quart (4 cups) (946 ml) jar and add the sugar or honey. (add the lesser amount, when you taste it later if you want it sweeter, add more to taste.) Shake it up to mix. Add the fresh lemon juice, then fill the jar the rest of the way with cold water. Refrigerate till cold. Taste it now and see if you need more sweetener, or if you want it more tart, add more lemon juice. Enjoy over ice.

Iced Tea Float and Cool Stuff

 "I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit. "

-Dawna Markova

From "50 Inspirational Quotes to Power Up Your Inner Badass."

"This iced tea float is genius!", I thought when I first read about the recipe in a book called, "Best Places Seattle Cookbook: Recipes from the City's Outstanding Restaurants and Bars."

First you make some strong, sweetened iced tea, turn it into a sorbet, then float it in unsweetened iced tea for a refreshing drink that slowly sweetens the iced tea as the sorbet melts. The creator, Kaspar Donier of Seattles Kaspar's says a batch of leftover iced tea inspired this sorbet creation. He uses Earl Grey tea, I chose black tea with fresh mint and lemon. Recipe below.

And here are some things I'm loving this week:

Cardamom and Coconut Lip Balm by fawnlilybotanica - I'm in love with cardamom so I bought this yesterday. She not only uses organic cardamom oil, but also infuses the sunflower oil with organic cardamom seeds. I can't wait to try it! They also have a Vanilla Bean Facial Wash that looks equally fabulous.

Beautiful Audrey Hepburn Quote Art Print with Black and White Silhouette -  by ColeandCo. Designs

I've always loved this quote, and what a beautiful reminder hanging on the wall.

Shea Butter Turquoise Stone Soaps in Cool Water- By Beacon Hill Candles- I love the beauty of these turquoise stones. With Shea butter and coconut oil they are moisturizing as well. A great addition to a guest bathroom.

Blue-Green Aquamarine and Silver Sculpted Siren Ring-
By SamBraundJewellery- this ring caught my eye then I read about it and loved it even more. Now I think of it as the Pirates of the Caribbean Ring.

Here's the description- "This collection is inspired by myths and legends surrounding Mermaids, and their Siren songs that would lure mariners towards the rocky coastlines, causing shipwrecks to occur.

These rings are made with these mythical seductresses in mind. The gemstones are polished smooth by the sea, having fallen from these shipwrecked vessels and settled on the ocean bed, where over time coral and barnacles have encapsulated the gemstones creating part living sculptures.

Each ring is uniquely sculpted in Sterling Silver, with woven swirls depicting the coral, and Sterling Silver beads to represent the barnacles. The silver has been oxidised to create an antiqued look, which serves to highlight the intricate weaving."

Never miss a post! Like The Alchemist on Facebook!

 

Iced Tea Float

Inspired by a recipe in "Best Places Seattle Cookbook: Recipes from the City's Outstanding Restaurants and Bars." by Kaspar Donier of Seattles Kaspar's


For the Sorbet

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups (1 liter and 65 ml.) water

1 1/2 cups (300 g.) sugar

5 - 7 strong black tea bags - I used Welsh Tea (which is a great black tea by the way and it is very strong) BUT if you are using a regular black tea, like English Breakfast by Stash or Lipton, I'd use 6 or even 7.  OR if you want to use Earl Grey, use 6 Earl Grey tea bags.

juice of one lemon

a small bunch of fresh mint


For the Liquid Element

Very Cold Unsweetened Iced Tea - I added fresh mint to this to let it infuse while it cooled


Instructions

To make the sorbet. First make some strong tea by adding the water to a saucepan, then add the sugar and stir it. Almost bring it to a boil. Add the tea bags and mint, and remove the pan from the stove. Cover it and let it steep for 30 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, squeeze out the tea from the bags and discard. Add the lemon juice. Now you can either leave the mint in the sorbet base while it cools, if you want a stronger mint flavor, or you can remove it now. Refrigerate this till it's very cold, at least 4 hours. Now remove the mint if you haven't already. Process the sorbet mixture in the ice cream machine according to manufacturers instructions. Freeze mixture until firm, at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve, first let the sorbet sit out a few minutes until it's soft enough to scoop. Add a few scoops of sorbet to a glass, then fill glass with iced tea and garnish with fresh mint.

You can also serve the sorbet as a refreshing dessert with some tropical fruit if desired.

IF YOU DON"T HAVE AN ICE CREAM MACHINE, Make an Icy Slushy- Make the sorbet mixture as directed above.

Pour it into a shallow dish in the freezer. Scrape it after it starts to freeze. About 30 minutes later, scrape it again. Keep scraping it every half hour or so till it's icy and frozen. Just like my Honeydew Ice. Put this mixture in a glass and add iced tea to it to make an icy slushy.

Fresh Strawberry Milk and Cool Stuff

"You journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think that you've lost time. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time."

 ― Asha Tyson

So I wanted this post with a beverage, and cool stuff to happen over the weekend, but it's hard for me to keep to a schedule. But here it is! Fresh strawberry milk, a few simple ingredients turned into something healthy and spectacular. (Recipe at the end of the post.)

This week one of my favorite things I'm including, isn't a thing, it's a site.  From Kindovermatters.
The quote above belongs to this recent post called, "50 Inspirational Quotes to Power Up Your Inner Badass.  The quote at the top of this post is number 5 on the list.

Spread Love Butter Spreader - I'm in love with this simple piece of flatware. Perfect for a wedding or engagement gift. From Milk and Honey Luxuries, I think I want everything from their store.

Lavender Infused Honey - Raw honey from their farm, infused with their own homegrown lavender.  I can just taste it now. Yum. from Honeyrunfarm.

Kitchen Cook Sign from Oldnewagain. They have more signs, and letters too. I love them all.

You Can Have It All - Linocut Print- By thebigharumph. Yes, you can!

 Never miss a post! Like The Alchemist on Facebook!

Fresh Strawberry Milk


Ingredients


A glass full of fresh strawberries with stems removed- washed- if you want the milk to be thick like a shake, use frozen strawberries and it will.

the same glass full of milk- full fat is always best- use about 3/4 of a glass of milk if you are using frozen fruit and if you want it thick.

2-4 Tablespoons sugar or honey, to taste

Add all of the ingredients to the container of a blender and blend well.

Top with whipped cream if you wish. Enjoy!

Fourth Of July Drink

 

 

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism."

  ~Erma Bombeck

Since Fourth of July is coming, I figured a cocktail was in order, to reflect the holiday, of course. This one features grenadine, blueberry vodka, and regular clear vodka.

Unique Tall cordial glasses available at my Etsy Shop, House of Lucien.

Fourth Of July Drink

Idea from ECurry

First let me warn you. I tried to use cream as the white part, it doesn't work. The cream is too heavy, the blue vodka just fell into it. The grenadine on the bottom is heavy and thick, so it holds the others well. The blue and the white or clear, should be the same weight, or a similar type of liqueur. I thought about using white cream De cacao or white chocolate liqueur for the white portion, but I don't know if it would work. But if you try it I'd love to know your results.

Keep reading after the recipe for more info on specific gravity of liqueors.

Ingredients

Grenadine

Blueberry Vodka, or Blue Curacao, or any blue liqueur- cold

Vodka, or any clear liqueur, cold. -or you could try using a white liqueur, see the note above about this.


Directions

Layer this cocktail by adding the grenadine first.

Next, add the blueberry vodka by pouring very slowly off the back of a spoon.

Finally, with a steady hand, add the clear or white liqueur or vodka on top of the blueberry vodka by pouring it off the back of a spoon.


Edited to add: courtesy of A_Boleyn

refer to these page to find the specific gravities of red/white/blue liquors

http://accidentalhedonist.com/how-to-pour-a-pousse-caf/

http://www.barnonedrinks.com/tips/reference/specific_gravities.html

White creme de cacao (1.14) should work in between the red grenadine (1.16) on the bottom and blue curacao (1.11) on the top based on this.

Double cream at 0.99 would float on top of blue caracao at 1.11. Most vodkas have a specific gravity 0.79 so a blue vodka should float on top of the double cream.


Like I mentioned, I tried heavy cream on top of the red, then with the blue on top and the blue vodka sank into the cream, I'm not sure why. Maybe because of the type of vodka, I have no idea. But these charts are great, thank you!

Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie and Cool Stuff Weekend

"The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.  "

- William Faulkner

This smoothie is so great, it's virtually breakfast in a glass. It's filling and nutritious. A great way to drink your breakfast! The oats make it thick, and the frozen banana makes it frosty, cold and creamy. It was a great breakfast for me this morning when I couldn't figure out what to eat, but I was starving, so I needed to get something in my belly fast. (Keep reading for the recipe, below.)

This is the first installation of my new feature, Cool Stuff Weekend. Like I mentioned in my last post, I want to start featuring artists and other things I like out there in the world. So every weekend I will post a beverage, something easy, and it is the weekend so sometimes that beverage will involve alcohol, as well as a bunch of things I'm liking. Mostly it will be unique, different and interesting stuff. Who knows? I don't really like to put rules on myself, so I'm just going to say it will be stuff that I like.

So here's some stuff I'm digging right now, and I hope you like it too!

How cool is this? It's a quilt with little green army men in the form of a peace sign. This comes from Creatures By Diana. Diana lives just a few towns away from me in Olympia Washington.

Unicorn Coat Hook -a solid cast aluminum unicorn bust. By Architecture Jones. This would look great in a little girls room, or heck, in my room. I just love it.

You Rock Dad, Guitar pick for those dads that rock out. (I know fathers day is today, but you can tell dad you love him other days too!) By Sweetheart Circle. And to my Dad, if you're reading, this is how I feel about you!

Origami Gift Box- By Photo Mama Regina- Can you believe she made this box! Gorgeous! Inexpensive too, only $5.25. What a great thing to have on hand for gift giving.

Set of 4, Quilted 12 oz. Mugs available at my Etsy shop, House of Lucien.

Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

adapted from "Food Writers Favorites, Beverages".
makes 1 Smoothie

This is so versatile, add yogurt or don't. You can also use another type of fruit instead of a banana.

It's difficult to remove the peel from a banana right out of the freezer. If you let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes, it makes it easy to remove the peel as well as keeping the banana frozen enough to make your smoothie cold and delicious. If you don't have 10 minutes, put the frozen banana in the microwave for 20 seconds. If you don't have one frozen, then add a few ice cubes along with the room temperature banana.


Ingredients

1/2 cup (43 g.) oats - any type, old fashioned, or quick, or even plain instant, should be fine

1 frozen banana, peeled

1 cup (237 ml.) milk, any type

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2-4 Tablespoons real maple syrup, or honey

a small tub of yogurt of your choice, optional


Directions

Place the dry oatmeal in the blender container, and blend it to a fine powder. Add everything else. Blend well for 2 minutes or so, to make sure the oatmeal is finely ground and everything is smooth. Pour in a glass and drink immediately.