Creative Hub | Heirloom DC

4 Way (Infused) Bourbon

March 3, 2017 By Vicky Leave a Comment

That’s right, it’s time…time to infuse your booze #HeirloomDC style. Though it’s officially March and we are super stoked for the spring, we want to finish off this season with the most memorable winter flavors in our mouths. From vanilla bean infused bourbon to creating “The perfect pear”, we’ve curated some simple but, yummy #seasonal recipes for you and your favorite guests. Here’s to a winter farewell – cheers to all the winter inspired flavors that kept us super cozy and warm even on the coldest of days.

We Introduce: 4 Way (Infused) Bourbon

Ingredients:

Beanilla (Vanilla Infused Bourbon):

8 ounces of your favorite Bourbon
2 vanilla beans split or ground vanilla
1 8.5 ounce swing top clear glass bottle

The perfect pear (Cinnamon Infused Bourbon):

8 oz. of bourbon
3 cinnamon stick
1 pear (for a little extraaa flavor)
1 8.5 ounce swing top clear glass bottle

Oh my darling, Clementine (Clove Infused Bourbon):

8 oz. of bourbon
3 whole cloves
2 freshly squeezed clementines
1 8.5 ounce swing top clear glass bottle

Old fashioned Bourbon (Cardamom Infused Bourbon)

8 oz. of bourbon
5 cardamom pods or ground cardamon
Dash of sugar
1 8.5 ounce swing top clear glass bottle

Directions (repeat steps 1-6 for each delicious recipe):

To make each infusion as flavorful and delicious as possible there is one thing you need, and that’s…..patience. But hey, don’t be afraid to take a little taste after a few days. Go ahead and make yourself a small cocktail (for flavor tasting purposes only, of course;) Trust us – we are now infused bourbon tasting experts!

First, pour the bourbon into a clear glass swing top bottle
Then, add the desired infused ingredient (vanilla bean, cinnamon, cloves or cardamom – full or ground)
Close the lid,
Let the bottle sit (in a cool dark place) for 1-2 weeks. Every couple days lightly shake the bottle.
Once the flavors have been infused, pour the liquid over a strainer
For those recipes that include a freshly squeezed juice be sure to combine infused bourbon, juice + ice into a shaker & shake, shake, shake, pour and enjoy:)
Finally, repeat steps 1-6 until you’re a infused bourbon tasting expert

That’s all for now! Cheers, friends 🙂

Tis’ the Season: Knead Breads + Spreads

October 13, 2016 By Vicky Leave a Comment

What better way to bring a group of people together than fresh, warmly baked bread and the perfect #seasonal spread? It sounds like our client had the same idea when they asked us to feature these spreads with their first course. We like where their heads at 😉

Today we crafted some easy-to-make but beautiful (in taste & in color!) hummus spreads. As we were working in the kitchen (and tasting every chance we got, of course) we dipped and coated these delicious hummus spreads on anything we could find, experimenting and adding a touch of sesame seed along the way. We found the crostini’s were our favorite pairing option.

Introducing the combination of beet-errific hummus, the sweetest sweet potato hummus and creamy edamame hummus.

One of the greatest things about making hummus is the creative leeway you have to add and be playful with the ingredients. Since you already know that the standard ingredients include chickpeas, garlic cloves, olive oil and tahini – adding in a little bit of seasonal veggies or spices makes all the difference. Our favorite part in crafting these spreads was adding a little more or less of one ingredient. It was always a tasteful surprise!

The Huffington Post said it best “If you’re not really into hummus, we bet you know someone who is. Your best friend, your mom, your landlord-they’re all eating hummus. The savory dip is just irresistible.” (Read more here) We have to agree.

Beet-errific Hummus

Ingredients:

1 small beet
2 garlic cloves
Chickpeas
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/3 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pepper (for a little extra flavor)

The Sweetest Sweet Potato Hummus

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 cup simply mashed sweet potato or sweet potato purée
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons sriracha
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Salt to taste

Creamy Edamame Hummus

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
2 tablespoons tahini
2-3 tbsp. freshly juiced lemon
1 garlic clove
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt for flavor

Each recipe calls for different instructions depending on your cooking style. For instance, we opted to wrap our #locallygrown beets in foil and bake them for 30-40 minutes to ease the skin right off. If you’re looking for a quick alternative option, you can find prepared beets at your local grocer. All and all, have fun with the ingredients, try new things and in the end we’re sure you’ll make something magical! We bet even your toughest food critic will be asking for the recipe;)

Interested in more recipes? Take a look here.

‘Tis The Season: Mulled Rosé

October 6, 2016 By Vicky 1 Comment

Hello Thursday, all we can say is sip, sip, horray! Over the weekend, we had the pleasure of going apple picking at a local orchard and it was the perfect way to get ourselves in the seasonal spirit. The apples were ridiculously delicious and beautiful. Even after several days we can’t stop craving this juicy fruit. Can you say apples & Rosé?? Yum!

We introduce Mulled Rosé.

Ingredients:

cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2+ red or lady apples (whichever you prefer)
4 whole cloves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 bottle of Rosé wine
splash of pomegranate juice (for a little extra flavor & color)

Directions:

1.Place the sliced apples, cinnamon sticks, ground nutmeg, whole cloves and brown sugar in a large pan.

2. Put the sauce pan over medium heat (stirring occasionally) until sugar is melted

3. Next add the Rosé, splash of pomegranate juice and continue stirring

4. Let the flavors simmer for 15 minutes

5.Then, remove the pan from heat and pour the content through a strainer into a glass

6. Now it’s time to sip and serve. You can serve this cocktail immediately or place plastic wrap over the glass and put it in the fridge to keep it cool.

Our taste buds are still tingling from the richness in each sip. Our favorite ingredients besides the Rosé, of course, was the juicy flavor of the apples and the hint of cinnamon really tied the knot. Oh, and one last thing, remember, Halloween is just around the corner. It’s time to start planning! What craft cocktail will you be brewing for your guests…?!? We’ve got a couple ideas in the works….stay tuned.

Thanks for joining us this week. We hope you enjoyed our rendition on this seasonal cocktail, we sure did!

Cheers!

(F)rosé Thursday: Slushie Style

September 29, 2016 By Vicky 2 Comments

Hello, busy season. Obviously, this has definitely made us even more excited for favorite day of the week, Rosé Thursday. A day that helps us unwind, get inspired, and cheers with our #girlboss team. After this gloomy morning in The District, we decided we needed a playful cocktail recipe to brighten up the day. Rain might be in the weekend forecast, but we refuse to let that stop our creative and boozy mood.

With that being said, we know it been a long week. So, we put together a recipe that is the perfect combination of easy-to-make, boozy and delicious.

We introduce a Rosé Slushie or as we like to call it Frosé! Seriously, what better way to end your busy work day?

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Rosé – We chose the sparkling Rosé, Ballatore, a Moscato (which is not usually our favorite, but was surprisingly great for this recipe)
A handful of cranberries (frozen to your liking)
Raw sugar
Crushed ice
Pint size honey vanilla sorbet
Sugar crystal sticks (used as a stylish and sweet garnish)

Directions:

First, gather all the ingredients
For a quick, easy way to create this delicious Frosé place the frozen cranberries in a large bowl and crush them with a spoon (slowly adding crushed ice)
After the frozen cranberries are crushed to a “slushie” consistency pour the mix into your desired glass. At this stage in the recipe we decided to add a little sweetness to the cocktail by dipping some of the cranberries in raw sugar. We thought this added a sweet as well as stylish garnish to the drink.
Next, add a large scoop of the honey vanilla sorbet (this will enrich the sweetness of the sugar and bring out the natural fruit flavors). If the slushie base starts to melt slightly put it in the freezer for a few minutes to help form the icy consistency again.
Go ahead and take it out of the freezer and top it off with sparkling Rosé. Yes, that fizz is so satisfying and delightful. Just wait until you take a sip!

We hope this helps you unwind and get inspired for this upcoming season. Remember a little extra splash and style can go a long way. Now, go be the hostess with the mostess and we will see you next week!

Heirloom Sunday morning rituals that should last all week

September 18, 2016 By Vicky Leave a Comment

1. Drink a nice cold glass of water and for a little flavor add a splash of mint and lemon (you know you want to)

We love starting our day with a cold glass of water. If you didn’t know, you should, your body works extra hard to build up its core temperature after consuming something cold. Though room temperature water has its perks. Ice water is a great way to boost your daily metabolism.

2. Eat a nourishing well balanced breakfast, because food matters. Homemade smoothies are a great option or our personal favorite Coconut +Kiwi Chia popsicles

Enjoy your breakfast this morning. If you’re daily work routine is anything like ours this may be the only day you get to take your time with breakfast. You could even grab the #MadeinDC papers, a good book or scroll through our recipes for some daily inspiration.

3. Namaste, now move your body (we’re feeling like Yogi bears today):

Taking a yoga class helps to clear our heads of all the previous or upcoming week blues. An alternative option could be a nature hike (nature is one of our biggest inspiration and favorite places to relax).

On the way home from the yoga class or nature walk stop by your local farmer’s market and pick up some finely grained coffee beans because we’ve got the perfect recipe that combines the chocolatey goodness of hot cocoa and coffee.

We usually stop by a local farmer’s market to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies for our menu the upcoming week. But today, coffee beans were on our list as well.

4. Finally, settle into that place you call home and make a strong cup of joe with an Heirloom twist to keep the mood going.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large scoop of coconut gelato ice cream
6 ounces of strong coffee

Directions:

Brew your daily craving of coffee (we opted to brew our batch in a fresh press- this makes the coffee what we like call rich, very strong coffee- coffee that’s piping hot and stays hot through your final sip.)

In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients together (if the smell of these flavors mixed together doesn’t wake you up, then, we don’t know what will)

Now, pour the freshly brewed coffee in a large mug and stir in the cocoa mix until it’s melted and smooth. After this we decided we wanted to add a little cream to the mix. The spices were almost perfect but, we felt they needed a splash of sweet goodness. We chose to add a scoop of Coconut gelato (and wow, did it make all the difference).