After the wonderful launch of our private label Roundstone Rye for The Passenger, we were thrilled to get Alex Bookless, general manager and bartender at The Passenger, to join us in our tasting room.  The Passenger is a taste-maker for the DC cocktail scene, and that status is largely Alex's doing.  She's awesome and amazing, and we loved having her at our distillery!

Here are her three creations for the month of March.

Country Drive Cola

2 oz Roundstone Rye
1 oz curry-cola syrup*
Seltzer
Star Anise for garnish

Stir ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a glass with ice and top with seltzer. Garnish with a piece of star anise.

*Curry-Cola Syrup:

Alex adds her own secret blend of spices to this classic cola recipe. Experiment to find your favorite spice mix.

4 cups water
Peels & juice from one lemon, lime, & orange
Cinnamon, nutmeg, & cardamom pods
4 cups cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Gently simmer water, peels & spices for 1 hour, then add sugar, juices and vanilla extract. Allow to sit in fridge for at least 24 hours before enjoying.

Rickey is for Lovers

2 oz Watershed Gin
Juice from ½ lime
2 dashes cardamom bitters**
Seltzer

Stir together in a glass with ice. Add bitters and top with seltzer. Garnish with the squeezed lime.

**We like Scrappy’s Brand

Front Porch Rocker

2 oz Mosby’s Spirit
¾ oz lemon verbena syrup***
¾ oz fresh lemon juice

Add ingredients together in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a lemon peel and sprig of lemon verbena

*** Lemon Verbena Syrup:

4 cups water
Half bunch fresh lemon verbena
4 cups cane sugar

Simmer the lemon verbena in water for 10 minutes. Strain out the leaves and add sugar. Stir until dissolved. Store in the refrigerator.