Crude Bitters, Sodas & Shrubs

There is a new company in town that I am super excited about and have to share with you guys...Crude Bitters and Sodas...a Raleigh-based small-batch bitters and artisan soda company. I first came across these guys at the Western Wake Farmers Market, and quickly became a frequent buyer! I started with the Bitterless Marriage Bitters, a beautiful blend of hibiscus, lavender and oak. This bitters is a fantastic addition to the 007 Martini.

Not only are Crude's bitters fantastic, they also offer shrub syrup concentrates, which are traditional soft drinks blended from fresh fruit, sugar and vinegar. When mixed with water or soda water, the shrubs make a delicious drink, or layer for a cocktail. After buying a few of the bitters, the Hubby and I were inspired to start experimenting with new cocktails. We even came up with a Cocktail Mixer date night...which we quickly realized couldn't be a long date or we would end up on the floor!

After following Crude for a while on social media and asking questions about the company every time I stopped in, I learned about their Kickstarter campaign raising money for their first brick and mortar shop!! The Hubby and I immediately wanted to help, so we contributed (which you should all too), and reached out to the team to collaborate on a blog post!

They were so awesome and sent me two of their favorite recipes that you can't find on the website. The two drinks below feature their Big Bear Bitters, which is an infusion of coffee and cocoa. We tried both recipes and enjoyed them immensely! 

Crude's Kickstarter campaign goal is to build out a new production space in downtown Raleigh, including a small tasting room. They will craft more batches of seasonal bitters made from local ingredients. The money will also assist in building the new kitchen and tasting room, allowing them to offer cocktail mixing classes in-house!

Help Crude hit their stretch goal so they can continue to spread their amazing, creative and flavorful bitters and shrubs! Go to their Kickstarter campaign and support your local small business!

Early Morning Boulevard

Yields: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes

1 oz bourbon

.75 oz Campari

.75 oz sweet vermouth

1 dropper Big Bear bitters
fresh rosemary for garnish (if you are feeling fancy)

Combine all ingredients except bitters in shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass and top with bitters and garnish. 

Find more drink recipes on the CRUDE website.

Nor'Easter

Yields: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes

1.5 oz whiskey

.5 oz fresh lime juice

.5 oz maple syrup

ginger beer

1 dropper Big Bear bitters

Combine all ingredients except bitters in shaker with ice. Shake and serve over ice in rocks glass. Top with ginger beer and bitters.

Find more drink recipes on the CRUDE website.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

In this final day of October, I had to squeeze in one final pumpkin recipe. I know, I know, pumpkin is EVERYWHERE this Fall. It is in our sweet treats, candy, bread, beer, candles and of course, drinks. I personally love it, mostly because I love pumpkin, but I can understand how it can be a bit overkill this year.

One thing is for sure, the weather is finally feeling like Fall in NC, which gives me a hankering for warm drinks. As much as I would love to just hop into a Starbucks and order the ever-so-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte, I know better. First of all, they use a syrup in the drink that doesn't even contain any pumpkin! Wait, a Pumpkin Spice Latte doesn't have any pumpkin in it...absurd! 

Secondly, a small "Pumpkin" Spice Latte has 40g of sugar with non-fat milk. This doesn't even include the whipped cream. Not to mention, the sugar grams aren't even from a natural sugar! These drinks may be good, but I don't enjoy putting unknown ingredients in my tummy.

Lastly, these drinks cost you a pretty penny...every time! There is a reason why Starbucks is called "Four Bucks!" 

I do love my hot drinks though, so I was determined to create my own to prevent deprivation from my favorite Fall drink. It was easier than I thought. I seem to have an abundance of pumpkin puree in my kitchen this year, so I started with that and hot milk (non dairy milk works well here too) and added pumpkin pie spices, maple syrup and a bit of vanilla extract. Heat this, add your coffee and BAM....an actual pumpkin spice latte at home.

And for a little healthy treat with your latte, try these Healthy Pumpkin Spiced Cookies from Kris Carr's blog. Delish! 

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Yields: 1 drink
Prep Time: 2 minutes + brew time

1/2 cup milk (or non-dairy milk like almond milk)

1 T pumpkin puree (can is OK)

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup (or more for a sweeter drink)

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup strong coffee or espresso
whipped cream (optional)
ground cinnamon (optional)

In a microwave safe bowl, whisk the milk, pumpkin, syrup, vanilla and spices briskly to combine well. If you are using homemade pumpkin puree, it might be a good idea to put this in a blender or food processor to blend the small pumpkin bits. 

Make the coffee on a strong setting or use espresso if you have a machine.

Heat this in the microwave in 30 second increments, whisking in between cooking sessions. After about 1 min and 30 seconds, remove the milk mixture and pour into a large mug. Add in the coffee and top with whipped cream and cinnamon on top. Enjoy!

Kettler Cuisine Notes:

• For a stronger drink, increase the amount of coffee.
• For a creamier drink, increase the amount of milk.
• I prefer less sweet coffee drinks, so increase the maple syrup for a sweeter drink.
• Canned pumpkin puree can be used here as well. 

Recap on Pumpkin Recipe Roundup:

• Pumpkin Puree
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
• Pumpkin Almond Granola
• Pumpkin Bars
• Pumpkin and Pancetta Pasta

Kettler Travel Journal: Charleston

Epic Weekend with Epic Friends

That about sums up our way-too-short trip to Charleston. Some of our closest friends live on the West Coast, which means we don't get to see them much, which also means when we find out they will be within a 5 hour vicinity, we jump right on the opportunity to see them! They decided to bring a small West Coast crew to "tour" The South.

The Crew

Meet Jessica and Corey, our adorable friends! They live in Portland and San Francisco, respectively and are major foodies just like us!

Meet Dan, Crissy and Isis (also from Portland) - our new awesome friends!

It was a jam-packed weekend with several memorable moments, like this one:

Ryan and Isis attempting the Gangum Style dance in front of Kaminsky's.

The Old South

We had the opportunity to tour one of the oldest working plantations in the area, Boone Hall Plantation, which is right outside of Charleston. A lot of history spurs from this property and (for the ladies out there) this is the location where The Notebook was filmed and where Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively just got hitched! Pause for teenage girl shrieks.

There was a beautiful little butterfly garden that we frolicked through, and massive live oak trees that we climbed on. I love this L.L. Bean catalog shot we got:

The Butterfly Cafe featured homemade ice cream (that we eagerly devoured) before heading into Charleston for some afternoon fun. Some of the group parted ways to take advantage of the beautiful golf courses in South Carolina, while the rest of us decided to walk through the Straw Market and get an official tour of Charleston on a horse-drawn carriage (is there any other way?!?!). 

History

The Straw Market is a historical landmark in Charleston. Formerly known as the Slave Market, this served as the market where slaves would purchase goods for their master. The market is speckled with old tradition and new culture. Gullah woman mark the entrances and exits with the traditional craft of basket weaving, while a variety of vendors bargain food, clothing, jewelry and gifts. 

Next on the agenda was to hop on a horse-drawn carriage for a historical tour of the city. For those that have been going to Charleston for years and not done this, DO IT! I was amazed at some of the history I learned about the city. I mostly enjoyed the facts about the architectural past of the beautiful, rather large homes that fill the city. From wealth and wars, to fires and earthquakes, this city has retained its dedication for its past. Charleston may be steeped in history, but they have pushed the curve in the culinary field. 

The Food

We dined, and we dined well in Charleston. Here is a little preview for the food porn addicts of the world:

Crispy fried oysters with coleslaw, arugula and Old Bay aioli.

Honeycrisp apple salad, shaved fennel, pecans, smoked blue cheese, baby arugula salad with sherry honey vinaigrette.

Beef Carpaccio, arugula, herb aioli, soft boiled egg, black truffle vinaigrette and toast.

Grilled Sunburst Farms trout with roasted butternut-Brussels sprouts hash,  dressed micro greens with a citron vinaigrette.

Crispy smoked pork belly, black pepper cider gastrique and corn relish.

Stuffed South Carolina quail, housemade sausage, corn grits, okra, watermelon pickle, honey thyme reduction.

Seafood Pirlou, shrimp, mussels, scallop, grouper, country ham, Charleston rice, corn, okra, stewed tomatoes.

Mocha, salted caramel cake with fresh whipped cream.

And we drank, we drank VERY well!

Lavender Martini - Stoli Vanil, lavender syrup and lemon.

Barn Raiser: local honey infused Maverick bourbon, ginger ale, orange bitters, orange twist.

Cosmopolitan and sweet tea vodka cocktails.

Espresso, extra strong!

For those considering another vacation, I highly recommend Charleston and it's surrounding area. There are so many things to do there, especially with the culinary scene setting the bar pretty high for tourist spots!