Leelee's Garden Blog

B&B (Berry & Basil) Bliss

7/12/2017

This weekend my sister and I were asked to come up with a signature cocktail for my cousin's wedding shower. She came up with a concept, the B&B (for Berry &Basil or the bride and groom, Britt and Brooks), and I figured out the recipe. It's one of my new favorites and perfect for a summer drink in a garden!!

If you want to skip the alcohol, follow the recipe without liquor and make a tasty berry basil lemonade!

Berry Basil Bliss
🍓🌱🍓🌱🍓🌱🍓🌱🍓🌱🍓
Serves 1

1 cup lemonade
3 strawberries + 1 for garnish
3 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)
1.5 oz gin
1/2 oz grand marnier or orange liqueur
Ice.
1. Destem berries and place in shaker with basil leaves
2. Muddle berries and basil
3. Add remaining ingredients and shake it!
4. Strain, garnish, cheers ❤️

congrats you two!❤️

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Create your own Floral Lantern

5/13/2017

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Wow, this week we’ve done a bit of everything…cards, terrariums, and craft cocktails. What I’ve enjoyed most about this Mother’s Day DIY series is making projects I’ve been meaning to try and sharing them with you! Today’s is another project I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I’m finishing up the week with two floral projects. Mother’s Day is one of the biggest florist holidays. Why not try your hand at making your own florals for mom this year?

Today I’m sharing floral lanterns! These make such unique centerpieces and would work for a mother’s day gift, girl’s brunch, summer dinner outdoors, or even a diy wedding. What’s fun about this project is that you can change up what you put inside your lanterns based on the season and availability.

What you need:
Glass Lantern
Iglu floral foam and holder that fits easily in lantern (wet foam like oasis)
Floral preservative (optional)
Assortment of flowers (here I used white and magenta stock, white daisies, a magenta gerbera daisy, statice, and a couple pink roses)
Assortment of greens

Soak the foam and holder in a bowl of water with floral preservative.
Place foam in lantern to gauge the size of the arrangement. In my case, I chose to design out an inch around the sides and upwards beyond the container. The size you go for is up to you, but keep it in mind as you design.
Remove foam from lantern. You’ll design outside of the container.
Add greens first to create the overall shape of the arrangement and cover the foam and holder. Aim to cover most of the floral foam, especially around the bottom sides. You don’t want to see much of the foam holder. You’ll need to cut short 1-2” pieces as well as long pieces to create the overall shape. Cut greens, take off any bottom leaves and press into foam. Try not to rearrange (will help you avoid getting the “swiss cheese” effect of large holes in foam that don’t hold flowers well).
Add flowers. Since you’re making an all around arrangement, add flowers and turn the whole design. Add more flowers and turn again. The idea with this one is a wild botanical look, so it doesn’t have to be precise. Add what looks good to you, a mix of colors, shapes and sizes. The main design guideline is the size. Try to keep the design in the shape you planned in step 2. As you add flowers, be sure to take off any undesired leaves (I do this with daisies) and leaves on sections of stems that will go into foam.
Gently lower arrangement into lantern. You may need to adjust blooms so they face out.
Admire your first floral lantern!

Interested in this project, but don’t want to try it solo? I’m going to start offering this floral lantern project as a workshop this summer. Check out our public events or book a private party!

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DIY Lavender Craft Cocktail Essentials:

5/11/2017

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If you know a mom who's more like mine (prefers Prince and a good craft cocktail to plants), try making her a Purple Rain this week. I've been wanting to play with cocktail making for a while and used this DIY Mother's Day Week as my excuse to have a night of at-home bartending with Mom. I'm sharing recipes for lavender bitters and lavender honey simple syrup, ingredients that will take you a long way in lavender cocktail adventures. Want something a little more mellow? Mixed with lemon juice and water, the simple syrup will make a tasty lavender lemonade.

Lavender Honey Simple Syrup

Combine 2 parts dried lavender, 3 parts honey, and 3 parts hot water in a dish or bowl. Let seep for 30 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth or fine strainer.

With this simple syrup, you're all set to make a Purple Rain. Get the recipe here.

Lavender Bitters

(Adapted from The Domestic Mixologist)

2 Tablespoons dried lavender
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Zest of 1/2 an orange
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 cloves
4 ounces whisky
Jar for infusing (or Sous-vide*)
Cheesecloth

Mix all ingredients in your jar and seal and let steep for 2 weeks, and shake several times to remix. After 2 weeks, strain lavender bitters through cheesecloth or fine strainer. Store bitters in a jar or glass bottle with dropper (ideal for bitters).

*Since I wanted to make bitters and cocktails the same night, I used a sous-vide water oven. For the sous-vide method, place all ingredients in a ziplock bag. Give a sous-vide water bath at 140F for 1 hour. Let cool and store in a jar or glass bottle with dropper.

There are tons of ways to use these flowery bitters in craft cocktails. One new favorite is the Lavender Honey Sidecar.

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B&B (Berry & Basil) Bliss

Create your own Floral Lantern

DIY Lavender Craft Cocktail Essentials:

Lavender Honey Simple Syrup

Lavender Bitters

Get Inspired!

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