Mixing with Nolet’s Silver Gin – The Next Wave Part 2 of 5

In most parts of the country Spring is finally beginning to bloom and I don’t mean just the yellow daffodils climbing skyward from giant pots lining Park Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. With temperatures also climbing from Boston to Seattle, even reaching the 60’s, savvy bartenders are thinking seasonally and mixing ingenious cocktails that evoke the outdoors.

In the 2nd of ChilledMagazine.com’s 5-part series, Mixing with NOLET’S Silver Gin, NEXT WAVE, we call on our CHILLED 100 members to continue exploring the evolution of mixing with this floral, fruit forward gin. Here, we’re invited on a journey through a garden where the scent of lavender and ripening fruit become one talented bartender’s canvas for creating a refreshing drink.

Mixing With Nolet's Silver Gin

Mixing With Nolet’s Silver Gin

Photo Courtesy of Nolet’s Gin

The aroma of NOLET’S Silver Gin reminds me of my Grandma’s rose garden and the lavender and fruit I picked from my Mom’s garden. I wanted to create a cocktail that was as lovely as NOLET’S itself and when you take a sip it’s as if you’re strolling in a beautiful garden.

It’s springtime; who doesn’t want to be outside with a cocktail?!

A Stroll in the Garden

A Stroll in the Garden

Photo Credit Christina Russo – ShotByCR

A Stroll in the Garden

By Brandi Boles

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 oz. NOLET’S Silver Gin
  • 1/2 oz. Lillet
  • 1/2 oz. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
  • 1/2 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • 1/4 Vanilla Bean Pod (Scrape out Beans)
  • 1 oz. Champagne
  • 1 1/2 oz. Scoop Lavender Honey Granita*

Garnish: Lavender Flower

Preparation: Shake together the first 5 ingredients. Strain into a chilled coupe. Top with Champagne & a scoop of Granita. Garnish with a Lavender Flower.

*Lavender Honey Granita

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup Honey
  • 2 cup Water
  • 10 Lavender Flowers
  • 1 1/2 cup Champagne

Preparation: Bring to boil water and honey. Add lavender and simmer 5 min. Cool completely. Strain, then stir in Champagne. Pour into 8×8 baking dish and place in freezer. After 1 hour, scrape Granita with a fork to break up any ice crystals that have formed. Put back in freezer. Do this every hour for 6 hours until you have “shaved ice”.


Meet Brandi Boles

CHILLED 100 Member, Los Angeles

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Brandi followed in her family’s footsteps into the motion picture industry. Taking a brief hiatus, she moved to the Caribbean where she picked-up bartending for fun and hasn’t looked back since. Bartending fits well with her insatiable love for travel and allows her to go all over the world, even living in multiple cities. She gains inspiration for her cocktails from her travels and her second hobby, baking. She is currently the Beverage Director for Salazar in Frogtown, one of the new hotspots in LA. Oh, and it has a gorgeous patio…

Brandi Boles - CHILLED 100 Ambassador, Los Angeles

Brandi Boles – CHILLED 100 Ambassador, Los Angeles

Photo Credit Christina Russo – ShotByCR