Freshly Squeezed Whiskey Sours

A tasty concoction of simple ingredients makes a big impact!

My husband and I are big drinkers. Sounds bad I know, but it's true. We love high quality liquor and craft beer (raise your hand if you're a beer-snob too!) But we absolutely HATE going out to get drinks. All I want is a good, strong cocktail and what do I get? A watered-down sugary excuse for a drink, made with cheap liquor and cheap artificially flavored mixes. Four drinks and $50+ later we leave the bar wondering why we didn't get our own ingredients and make better drinks at home!



 

Please PLEASE don't buy sour mix. Freshly squeezed is the way to go!

 These whiskey sours will not disappoint! Maker's Mark, one of our favorite bourbons, has a robust flavor and goes down smooth. The citrus is bitter and the simple syrup is sweet, taking the edge off the bourbon and making a truly delicious and strong drink.

It took us a long time to master this recipe and find the perfect balance of alcohol, bitterness, and sweetness. Save yourself some money and cheap-liquor headaches and give these a shot. Warning: Try not to go overboard as it is very easy to do with a drink like this. Enjoy!

Freshly Squeezed Whiskey Sours

PREP 10 MINS     |     YIELD 2 DRINKS

INGREDIENTS

3 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

3 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

Ice

 DIRECTIONS

Add sugar and water to a saucepan and heat on medium-low, stirring frequently until sugar is melted and mixture has a thicker consistency. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Combine lemon and lime juice with bourbon and 4 oz simple syrup in a shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Strain into lowball glasses over ice and serve.

Asian Spring Rolls with Sesame Peanut Dipping Sauce

Asian Spring Rolls with Sesame Peanut Dipping Sauce

Perfection isn't needed when wrapping. Taste trumps appearance in my opinion!

  
Words can’t explain how good these are. Not only do they taste good, but they are insanely good FOR you since they are made up of mostly low fat protein and vegetables. Unless of course you go ham with the dipping sauce, which is the most likely outcome since it is so very tasty.

My favorite part about this recipe is that you can substitute most of the ingredients and customize your spring rolls! You can switch the shrimp for pork belly, add vermicelli noodles or sticky rice, change up the vegetables and herbs, etc. The possibilities are truly endless.

Remember practice makes perfect with these guys. It seems like a daunting task when you try to wrap up your first spring roll, but never fear! It gets easier as you go. 

I forgot the avocado but we will just move on from that.. Nothing to see here..

One tip is not to over stuff the rolls with filling, or else it will be difficult to roll and seal them. Honestly I just follow the wrapping instructions on the back of the rice paper package and it works quite well. Try not to let the rice paper wrappers sit in the water for too long or they will become too soft and easily tear. I learned that lesson far too many times.

Step 1: place shrimp on lower third of rice paper

Step 2: add the crunchy stuff

Step 3: add herbs

 

Step 4: add greens

Step 5: Wrap like there's no tomorrow

  
These spring rolls stay good for about 24 hours. The rice paper will lose a little moisture in the fridge, but when I eat them as leftovers I just sprinkle a tiny bit of cold water on them and voila! Good as new. Now let’s get to wrapping!

  Asian Spring Rolls with Sesame Peanut Dipping Sauce

PREP 60 MIN     |     YIELD 18-24 ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

1 package round rice paper wrappers

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Fresh mint, finely chopped

Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

2 scallions, diced

1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and thinly sliced (then sprinkle with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning)

1 small cucumber or half a large, juliened

3-4 small carrots, julienned

1 small red bell pepper, julienned

1 cup chopped lettuce (try Butter, Boston, or spring greens)

SESAME PEANUT SAUCE:

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar or balsamic

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1-2 tablespoons water, for consistency

¼ cup chunky peanut butter

2 small cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

  

DIRECTIONS

Heat a skillet on medium. Combine shrimp, olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp to skillet and cook 1-2 minutes per side until shrimp is opaque. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a dinner plate or shallow bowl, begin to soak 1 rice paper wrapper in warm water for about 15 seconds. Remove from water and move to work surface. Place 3 chunks of shrimp on the lower third of rice paper in a row. Then top with avocado red bell pepper, cucumber, carrot, mint, and scallion. Add cilantro and lettuce on top. Bring bottom of rice paper up and over the filling, folding sides in and over as you go. Continue to roll and tuck sides until rice paper is sealed and set aside. Warning: Do not let spring rolls touch or they will stick together! 


Repeat process until all the ingredients are used. Serve at room temperature or chilled with dipping sauce.