Tom Collins cocktail recipe

The story of how the Tom Collins got its name is pretty widely disputed, but one thing definitely isn't: this drink is a classic for a reason. It's simple and delicious, especially with our Terra Botanical Gin. 

Terra adds a bit of herbal flavor to this fizzy, lemony cocktail. Like we've said before, this gin doesn't take much dressing-up to be great, and this classic cocktail is the perfect example. A Tom Collins with Terra is light and refreshing, tart and sweet. Ease your way into the colder seasons with this twist on a classic.

TOM COLLINS
Makes one cocktail

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Terra Botanical Gin
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Club soda
Lemon wedge and brandied cherry to garnish

Add gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and ice to a cocktail shaker and shake thoroughly. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice and top with club soda. Garnish with lemon and cherry.

Salty Dog cocktail recipe

Here's the amazing thing about our Terra Botanical Gin: you don't need to add much else to it to make a great cocktail. This a gin that you definitely want to taste in a drink, not cover up.

You need just two ingredients — okay, three if you count the salted rim — to make this Salty Dog. It is a classic cocktail that really lets our gin shine. The lovely botanicals in Terra play well with fresh citrus juices, especially the grapefruit in this drink.

SALTY DOG

Makes 1 cocktail

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Terra Botanical Gin
3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice, to taste
Coarse salt

Salt the rim of a large rocks glass. Fill the glass with ice, then add the gin, then add the grapefruit juice. Stir gently if desired. 

Bramble Boom cocktail recipe

A burst? A blitz? A blast? A boom? Yes, a definite boom. This cocktail recipe by our bartender Alyvia Cain booms with lush berry flavor from our Bramble black raspberry vodka and fresh citrus juices, plus it's flecked with bits of garden mint. 

BRAMBLE BOOM

By Alyvia Cain of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Bramble
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce grapefruit juice
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Fresh mint

 

Add all ingredients and ice to shaker. Shake well, then strain over ice in large rocks glass. Garnish with mint sprig.
 

 

92 Points Cocktail Recipe

This 92 Points cocktail plays up all the best parts of Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum, a light, tropical rum that was just awarded 92 points and a “Best Buy” rating from Wine Enthusiast magazine. The recipe easily scales up to a punch — just add the ginger beer right before serving, or let guests top their drinks with ginger beer themselves.

92 POINTS

Recipe by Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
1 ounce pineapple juice
1/2 ounce ginger syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 dashes bitters
1 ounce ginger beer, more or less to taste
Mint sprig, for garnish

Add rum, pineapple juice, ginger syrup, lemon juice and bitters to a shaker, then add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, then top with ginger beer and garnish with mint.

To make ginger syrup: Peel several chunks of ginger, slice into thin rounds. Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir to dissolve sugar. Add sliced ginger to the saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain ginger slices from syrup before using.

Limited-edition Graduation Vodka (and the one vodka cocktail recipe everyone loves)

Know someone who is graduating from IU this weekend? Send them out into the real world with a commemorative bottle of a Bloomington-made product. 

We've created a special bottling of our vodka just for the Class of 2016. Bottles are $25, available at the distillery only.

Are you graduating this weekend? Congrats! Treat yourself and take a piece of Bloomington with you wherever your next adventure leads you.

Now, how to drink it? If there's one vodka cocktail you should commit to memory, it's this:

The Moscow Mule. 

It could not be easier to make — it's just vodka, lime juice and ginger beer — no shaking or hard-to-find ingredients, and yet everyone adores how refreshing it is. Make it for your new roommates/friends/coworkers in Seattle or Indy or Minneapolis or wherever your next stop is. 

MOSCOW MULE

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Vodka
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
Ginger beer, to taste
Lime wedge, for garnish

Add vodka and lime juice to a copper mug, then fill with ice. Fill with ginger beer and garnish with lime wedge. 

Income Tax cocktail recipe

Cardinal Spirits bartender Stella Snyder shows how to make this classic cocktail using our Standard Dry Gin.

INCOME TAX

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
1/4 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce fresh orange juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
Orange twist, for garnish

Add all ingredients except garnish to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a coupe glass an garnish with an orange twist.

FIRE AT THE PAGEANT COCKTAIL RECIPE

Jalapeños give a welcome kick to this gorgeous vodka cocktail with hibiscus and citrus.

FIRE AT THE PAGEANT

By Stella Snyder of Cardinal Spirits

2 ounces Cardinal Spirits Vodka infused with hibiscus tea, recipe follows
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce blood orange juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
3 jalapeño slices
Blood orange slice for garnish

Prepare the hibiscus-infused vodka ahead of time: steep 1 bag of hibiscus tea in 1.5 cups Cardinal Spirits Vodka for a day.  This makes about 12 ounces of infused vodka, or enough for 6 cocktails.

For the cocktail: Add all ingredients except for garnish to a shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

CLOUD 9 COCKTAIL RECIPE

Our Standard Dry Gin and our Songbird Flora Liqueur make the perfect pair, and here they're shaken together into a lush cocktail with a light and lofty cap. This heavenly drink is aptly named Cloud 9, created by Cardinal Spirits bartender Stella Snyde.

CLOUD 9

By Stella Snyder of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
1/2 ounce Cardinal Spirits Flora Liqueur
1/2 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 egg white
3-4 dashes lavender bitters

Add all ingredients to a shaker without ice and shake vigorously, to emulsify the egg white. Then, add ice to the shaker and shake again, this time to chill and dilute the cocktail. Strain into a coupe glass. 

BACKSEAT FREESTYLE COCKTAIL RECIPE

Our Tiki Rum isn't just for tropical cocktails. Here, it hobnobs with blackberries, lime and a splash of licorice root tea, which gives the whole thing a little earthiness.

BACKSEAT FREESTYLE

By Stella Snyder of Cardinal Spirits

3 blackberries
3/4 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce licorice root tea (prepare a cup of tea ahead)
1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

Add blackberries and simple syrup to a shaker and muddle to release juice from the berries. Add remaining ingredients to the shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with blackberries.

PALEO FLIP COCKTAIL RECIPE

This ultra smooth cocktail gets its luxurious texture from a whole egg - yep, whites and yolk.

PALEO FLIP

By Logan Hunter of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 egg

Add all ingredients to a shaker without ice and shake vigorously. Add ice to the shaker and shake again. Strain into a Collins glass. Squeeze a lime peel over the cocktail to express the oil, then garnish with the peel.