There's less than a week to go before the first AVFKW Dye Day and today's blog post has a bit of a different spin to it. As we developed the idea of gathering your friends and hosting a dye day, we thought - how fun would it be if we asked our dear friend Thea Colman of Baby Cocktails to create a special cocktail recipe for people to make at their parties?!
Thea is a talented knitwear designer with a flair for designing cocktail recipes. Her patterns are all named after cocktail names, ingredients, and locales. She is known for her intricate cables and gorgeous sweaters, as well as her mouthwatering drink recipes!
We decided pomegranate would be a good starting point (as it's a natural dye as well as delicious fruit!) and let Thea take it from there. I love this recipe because with pomegranates, you dye with the rind - so using the juice for your cocktails is perfect! I can't think of anything more refreshing than a glass of this alongside a warm mid-summer dye party.
Here's what Thea says about her recipe:
Pomegranate is amazing because it goes with so many things. As I was developing this recipe, I considered... pomegranate with tea, and gin? or with bourbon? or with my new favorite thing - tea infused bourbon? Since black tea is a dye as well, it's a perfect pairing. This cocktail is pretty, tasty, easy to make, and good for a group - so don't be intimidated! Since it's been 100000000 degrees out I highly recommend pouring it over crushed ice.
To make tea infused bourbon (3-4 days ahead of serving):
+ 2 Tbsp loose Chinese black tea (Thea used Golden Sail tea from her local Asian market, in a red metal tin)
+ 1.5 cups bourbon (Thea used Four Roses Yellow Label for basic mixing bourbon)
+ jar with lid
Combine bourbon and tea in jar. Let sit on counter for 3-4 days. It's ready when you taste the bourbon and there is an essence of sweet, dark tea in there.
To make the cocktail:
+ 1 part tea infused bourbon
+ 1 part pomegranate juice (Pom is easy to find in most shops)
+ 1.5 parts lemonade (fresh, not from a sugary mix)
+ 2-3 dashes Angostura Bitters
+ ginger ale
+ crushed ice
+ lemon wheels
+ mint sprigs
If making 1-2 drinks, shake the tea infused bourbon, pom juice, lemonade and bitters in a jigger and strain into a glass filled about 2/3 with crushed ice. Stir. Top with ginger ale and garnish with a lemon wheel and mint sprig.
If making for a group, place bourbon, pom juice, lemonade, and bitters in a pitcher and stir vigorously. Bring pitcher out with a tray of prepared glasses - each filled 2/3 with crushed ice, and topped with a lemon wheel and mint sprig. Pour the bourbon mixture over ice at table when ready, and then top each glass with ginger ale and briefly stir before serving.
Tip: Bring an ice bucket of crushed ice out to the table as well, so people can refill their glasses with ice before pouring again.
You can use the hashtag #AVFKWDyeDay on photos of your Dye Day Cocktail as well. We'd love to see your drinks and your dyeing together! We also have a brand new hashtag for IG photos of in process and finished objects using materials you have purchased at AVFKW. Tag your photos with #Verbalong, and be eligible to win a gift in our monthly drawing!
Thanks again Thea - so delicious!
--Sarah
