As the weather turns chilly, we know you’ll be looking to chase away the winter blues and sniffles. We’ve partnered with Wilmington’s first distillery, Blue Shark Vodka, to lift your spirits, and make a splash with these cocktail pick-me-ups.
Recipes + Photographs by Colleen Thompson
Distilled from North Carolina corn, Blue Shark Vodka is a family owned operation, with entrepreneur and navy veteran Mark “Chief” Bloomquist as COO and his daughter Brooke Bloomquist at the helm as president. Paying homage to the docile blue shark and their love of the ocean, Blue Shark Vodka comes in a beautifully hand-crafted, hand-blown, glass bottle. The smooth, slightly sweet, clean taste, with “no bite” is the perfect addition to your mixing and shaking this season.
Blue SharkTini
Ingredients
1 oz. Blue Shark Vodka 1 oz. St-Germain elderflower liqueur 1 oz. hibiscus syrup* 1 oz. fresh lemon juice egg white from 1 medium egg rose water
Directions
Add all ingredients, except rose water, to a cocktail shaker and shake without ice. Add ice and shake until chilled. Spritz the stem of a chilled champagne saucer with rose water. Double strain and pour into a glass and garnish with edible flowers.
Hibiscus Syrup Directions:
Combine two cups sugar, one cup water and three teaspoons of fine cut hibiscus tea in a sauce pan and stir over high heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let steep for eight minutes. Strain out the hibiscus and refrigerate. Keeps up to one week.
Blue Shark Ocean Sunset
Ingredients: (per drink)
2 oz. Blue Shark Vodka ½ oz. Honey simple syrup 1 oz. Freshly squeezed blood orange juice ½ oz. Lemon lemon juice ½ oz. Clementine juice Few drops pimento bitters Crushed iced
Directions
Fill a glass with crushed ice to the rim. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with 4 ice cubes. Shake vigorously and strain over ice.
Honey Simple Syrup Directions:
1 cup water 1 cup honey
Place honey in a small saucepan along with 1 cup water. Heat over medium heat until water and honey are well combined; do not boil. Let cool completely before using.
Smooth Sailing
Ingredients
2 oz. Blue Shark Vodka 2 oz. chamomile simple syrup 1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice 4 lime wedges Ice
Directions
In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, chamomile simple syrup, lime juice and a few cubes of ice. Shake well. Strain into glass and garnish with a wedge of lime.
Chamomile Simple Syrup Directions:
3 tbsp chamomile tea 1 cup water 1 cup sugar
Combine sugar, water and chamomile tea in a sauce pan and stir over high heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let steep for eight minutes. Strain out the tea and refrigerate.
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