When Christine Olmstead posted about a fun cocktail she recently had that featured gold leaf on ice, we knew we had to try this one ourselves. Christine is a painter local to the DC area, who happens to use gold and metallics in her work! (Side note, she's one of the sweetest people and a fantastic instructor, Marlayna actually got to take a workshop with her a couple years ago!)
Naturally, we took it as a sign that Christine, the gold leaf queen herself, came upon this drink just as we were planning out a NYE-themed cocktail blog to celebrate the new year! & There's just something about gold leaf that instantly makes people say, "oh this is FANCY" so if you're hosting a party for this year's grand finale, you're gonna want to run to the store and grab your favorite bourbon or rye (ours is Sagamore of course!) and some gold leaf sheets!
The "Gold Fashioned" as Christine has aptly named it, is our collaborative take on an old fashioned with tons more flair (we started with this recipe from Town and Country Magazine). This sparky cocktail is sure to get you in the right spirit to ring in the new year, but we personally think it'd be the perfect addition to glam up any of your celebrations all year long!!
& With that.. we say cheers! & Happy New Year from us here at BaM! Thank you everyone for a fun year - we can't wait to share what's in store for 2019!
What you'll need:
Sphere Ice Mold (or a cube tray or your favorite mold!)
Your favorite spirit (we used Sagamore)
Simple Syrup
Angostura bitters
Dried Rosemary
Orange peel
*We then followed the steps from this recipe from Town and Country Magazine but you can always opt to try other recipes as well!
Basic Steps for Gold Leaf Ice:
Fill your ice mold with water, then use a tool (such as a chopstick, clean paint brush, or just your fingers) to pull off small pieces of the gold and add to the water. It has a tendency to want to float, but you may be able to get some pieces to sink down a little. Stick the mold in the freezer and pop out your pretty ice cubes when you're ready to make your drinks!
Alternatively, if you ran out of time, you could use a regular ice cube and a dab of water to adhere small pieces of gold leaf to the pre-frozen cubes!
Voila! Like a glass-full of art... enjoy and happy New Year everyone!!
