Sippin Gypsy End of Summer Party Cocktail: Ginger Carrot Reduction

One of the things I love about Summer into Fall is the perfect not too hot, not too cool evenings, and amazing nights out in the back yard with friends enjoying the last few nights of late sunsets and the beginning of Autumn and all those nostalgic flavors.

I was challenged with a group party to want to offer my guests craft cocktails but struggled with everyone liking a different spirit and my not wanting to be trapped behind the bar for the whole night.  After a little playing around with flavors and recipes and some tips from some of the amazing bartenders I admire here in my Orlando area, we came up with this fun party idea:

A batch recipe that would be a base for a cocktail to partner with almost any popular liquor.  After a few weeks of playing with combinations, my favorite flavor combo was the refreshing Ginger Carrot!! Not too sweet, but perfect for sippin' and a great compliment to Tequila, Gin, Vodka or Whiskey!

For my party, I prepared the reduction and found cute single serve bottles where I had the reduction and a little crushed ice.  I set the individual bottles with ice, squeeze of lemon juice and  Ginger Carrot reduction in the freezer for three hours before the event to chill even more.  As guests arrived, they were able top off with the spirit of their choice, shake slightly and enjoy directly from the small bottles!  I was a wild success!

Recipe:
Equal parts Ginger Carrot Reduction to liquor
(my small party bottles held 3 oz. reduction and guests topped it off with an additional 2.5-3oz. of the liquor of their choice)
Juice of half a lemon
Short rosemary sprig
Shaved Ice

Ginger Carrot Reduction Recipe:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the following:
2 lbs of finely shredded of fresh carrots
½ cup turbinado sugar
½ lb of broken ginger pieces *if you want a stronger ginger flavor, use ½ lb of ginger but finely diced instead of large broken chunks
Zest of a large orange
3 pinches of salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Let boil together for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon…. then remove from heat and cover.
Once cooled, strain through cheese cloth and refrigerate. 

*Reduction will last in fridge for up to one week.  To add a longer shelf life add 1/4oz. of a high proof grain alcohol (such as Everclear) to the reduction before bottling for storage.