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Elana Lepkowski

Cocktail Contributor

Elana Lepkowski is a Los Angeles based mixologist who photographs and shares her cocktail recipes at StirAndStrain.com. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter as @stirandstrain documenting what she drank last night and occasionally a picture of her dog.

Location: Los Angeles
Favorite foods: Tacos and Poutine. Maybe someone should combine those two?
Last bite on earth: All the oysters I can stomach.

Comments

5-Spice Bourbon Punch

@Loran Yes! I'd use about a tablespoon and a half to 2 tablespoons mixed in with the sugar and water. Strain using a coffee filter to remove the ground spices.

Peachy Rum and Coconut Frozen Blended Cocktail

Sorry about that! The peaches go into the bag with all the ingredients for chilling and then into the blender!

Better-Than-Cream-Soda Rhubarb Cocktail

I tend to buy my vanilla beans in bulk so I have plenty to go around. In this case I used a new bean for the garnish, but you definitely do not have to do that. Scraping the seeds out really does give it that much more flavor so I wouldn't skip that part.

Tangy Cider Fizz

A bar spoon is approximately equal to one unpacked teaspoon. Since some people like their drinks sweeter, while others don't, start with that, try it out, and then adjust to your own taste.

Re: Carpano. It definitely has it's own unique flavor profile for this cocktail. If it's just not available, I'd stick with a richer sweet vermouth that you enjoy. However, I'd seek this out if you haven't tried it yet!

Spicy Melon Cocktail

Easy answer to that is yes. Flavor profile will change in that you will loose the juniper notes, but if that's not your thing than vodka can be used instead!

Salted Roasted Peanut Old Fashioned in a Bottle

@jacobestes I tried the peanuts on their own after leaving them out to air dry and although the initial taste was sweet with the Rye, I found there was a slight bitterness in the aftertaste. However, I wouldn't tell you not to try making peanut butter with it. I would just maybe adjust with some sugar or salt, depending on what your preference was. If you do try it out, PLEASE write about it here, would love to hear if you made it work.

@arbeck I would only minimally decrease the water. The water in here is actually based on a percentage of water dilution that would happen if I had stirred the drink for 25-30 seconds, not based on the proof of the Rye.

Bottle This Salted Peanut Old Fashioned for a Party

@Jaredkent I grew up in RI but have been living in Los Angeles for over a decade now.

Hibiscus-Tequila Cooler

@foggyminded I suppose you could. I'd cut back on the amount of sugar though when making the syrup since you can add some of the liquid from the jar of hibiscus flowers.

Your Blender's Highest Purpose: Frozen Negronis at Home

Waring makes a great blender and is what I use at home for all my blended drinks. You can usually find it under $100, or even under $80 on sale.

Transform Your Cocktails With Smoked Ice

You guys all seem to be on top of it, but just to add to the convo, I tried one round with liquid smoke, just a few drops, to the water and I found the taste much too harsh.

@artgirl Yes! Hibiscus tea is usually just crushed, dried flowers. You might want to double strain but otherwise the taste will be the same.

Jewel of Oaxaca

Probably amazing.

The Irish Derby

You could get away with Jameson. It's a bit sweeter so you may have to adjust for your own tastes.

Meyer Lemon Bitters

@Phil88 I have a batch I made over a year ago that I still use. Those are kept in the dark brown dropper bottles away from direct sunlight. I say about a year for optimal flavor in general for these.

@Pattyesq Makrud, or Kaffir lime leaves, can be found online (try Amazon). Gentian root is the bittering agent in the bitters and I get mine from the Dandelion Botanical Company online.

Make Meyer Lemon Bitters This Weekend

That's a mix in that basket of both Eureka lemons and Meyer lemons. But, yes, our Southern California lemons are more yellow lemon than buttery.

You could add additional regular lemon zest, a lime zest or clementine zest as a replacement.

The Chocolate Rye

Oh oops. The almonds go in to the infusion with the cacao nibs and spices!

Sparkling Jungle Bird

@genghisbahng Yes! You can totally scale this. Just measure out the base and add the sparkling wine to top. Also, the glass here is a bit deceptive. The rim is actually silver, but here it looks dark. So, no float, that gets mixed in.

@woohoo You could make up a batch and just serve smaller drinks out of a pitcher too. Or just make one for yourself before anyone shows up. I approve.

In true TIKI fashion, this is for one drink. That infused rum is cut with the lime juice and the juice from the pineapples so it's not a straight shot of pure rum. Also why it's served over lots of ice. Consider it a long-sipping drink.

Thanks! The glass is actually a vintage find. You can find similar ones on Etsy or Ebay.