Cocktail Corner: Sipping on Sipp Cocktails

Pomegrante Mojo LemonDrop, photo and recipe courtesy Sipp Sparkling Organics.

Pomegrante Mojo LemonDrop, photo and recipe courtesy Sipp Sparkling Organics.

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic!  By Leslie Dinaberg

We’re always looking for simple cocktail mixers around here, so when the sample box of Sipp Sparkling Organics arrived, I was eager to try them.

Company founder Beth Wilson-Parentice began experimenting with flavors after being laid off from her corporate job. “After many inspiring conversations with my friends, I knew there had to be something here…something relating to creating, mixing and entertaining,” she writes.  “After researching, I saw a growing niche.  A niche that I was already creating in my home entertaining with natural and organic cocktails!  Ah ha!  That’s it!  I will be the one who can help people entertain naturally, but with style too!  Eco-chic!”

She says, “My hope is to inspire you to live your passion and be prepared for your moment of opportunity. Sipp all started with a passion. A passion for superior taste, creating, entertaining and wanting to find MY passion. As they say, when you are handed lemons make lemonade (or cocktails, in my case)!”

After researching costs to create beverages, Wilson-Parentice decided to go in the direction of non-alcoholic brand.  “The costs were less and I liked the idea of creating a specialty beverage for people who don’t drink alcohol but also offer the versatility as a cocktail mixer,” she says.

It’s certainly been a hit. Entrepreneur just named Sipp one of the best entrepreneurial companies in America and Sipp is now widely available at Target and other selected retailers such as BevMo and Pacific Health Foods in Carpinteria (I also spotted it at Luna Grill in the Five Points center recently), and has six different flavors: Mojo Berry, Ginger Blossom, Zesty Orange, Lemon Flower, Ruby Rose and Summer Pear. 

Blackberry Mint Margarita, photo and recipe courtesy Sipp Sparkling Organics.

Blackberry Mint Margarita, photo and recipe courtesy Sipp Sparkling Organics.

We started the taste test out by mixing the Sipp sodas with Vodka. The Zesty Orange was my favorite, combining the flavors of blood orange, lime and jalapeno for a spicy yet lightly sweet cocktail. I also really liked the Mojo Berry (inspired by a berry Mojito), a layering of blackberry, mint and lime flavors. Lemon Flower (with lemon, Elderflower and tarragon) was another crowd favorite, but each flavor had its fans. Ginger Blossom (with ginger, vanilla and lime flavors) was my favorite without the vodka and Ruby Rose (with grapefruit, honey and rosemary) and Summer Pear (with pear, green tea and honey flavors) were also quite good.

The Ginger Blossom was also tasty with Rum and the Zesty Orange paired well with Tequila. We’ll do some more experimenting soon.

Meanwhile, Sipp has a some more complicated recipes to try on the website, including a Blackberry Mint Margarita, Zesty Orange Margarita, Pear Vanilla Cocktail, Lemon Flower Martini, Pomegranite Mojo Lemondrop, Winter Spritzer Punch, Lemon Flower Sparkler and more.

Lemon Flower Sparkler from Sipp Eco Beverage Co. on Vimeo.

I hope you check out Sipp and let us know what you think. Cheers! Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on January 5, 2018.

Cocktail Corner: Ocean Vodka Makes a Splash With Great Taste, Organic Practices

Photo by Kristin Hettermann, courtesy Ocean Vodka

Photo by Kristin Hettermann, courtesy Ocean Vodka

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg |

A little bit of the ocean came with my family to the desert last week, when I brought a bottle of Ocean Vodka on vacation to Palm Springs. This craft distillery—which recently announced its expansion into rums, whiskies, bourbons and organic liqueurs and is sold locally at BevMo, Lazy Acres and Vons, among others—bills itself as “the only spirit in the world made with the sun, ocean and organic Earth.”

Based in Maui, just a short drive from Maui’s Kahului International Airport, Ocean Vodka is produced about 1,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, with breathtaking panoramic views of the North and South Shores of Maui, the West Maui Mountains and 10,000 ft. Mount Haleakala. Given the location, it’s not surprising that the company now offers public tours and tastings from their 80-acre organic farm.

The tours include information on sustainable and organic farming practices through abundant fields of organic sugar cane; a local history of Hawaii sugar cane farming with species identification; organic spirits distillation with state-of-the-art equipment, including a 60-foot tall column still; and green manufacturing processes in a 6,000 square foot solar-powered bottling center.

In addition to producing what I can attest to as a very nice, smooth vodka, this place is also very green: The Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery utilizes solar panels to power 100% of the operations of the distillery and facility.  The sugar cane is organically farmed on rich, volcanic soils without the use of synthetic pesticides or herbicides, and mature sugar cane stalks are hand-harvested for processing.

Martini Garden and Gift Shop. Photo by Jessica Pearl, courtesy Ocean Vodka

Martini Garden and Gift Shop. Photo by Jessica Pearl, courtesy Ocean Vodka

The place even has a Martini Garden, designed specifically for martini lovers, and growing fresh, local ingredients such as Kula lavender, local citrus, passion fruit, pineapple and strawberries.

Not only that, since its inception in 2005, Ocean Vodka has given a portion of proceeds to oceanic preservation and conservation causes, such as Oceana and Surfrider Foundation.

Sounds like we’ll have to take our next family vacation in Maui!

Meanwhile, here’s their recipe for a Spa Cosmo, straight out of the Martini Garden, to put you in an ocean kind of mood no matter where your travels take you!

 

 Ocean Vodka’s Spa Cosmo

Ingredients

2 oz. Ocean Vodka

1 oz. Pomegranate Juice

1/2 oz. Cointreau

1/4 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

Dash of Simple Syrup, if Needed

Orange Twist (or Cucumber) for Garnish

Combine in a mixing glass and shake with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with lime twist.

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on December 6, 2103.

Leslie Dinaberg

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Cocktail Corner: Tailgate Time

Courtesy Microsoft.com

Courtesy Microsoft.com

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

Though the air in Santa Barbara feels more like Indian Summer than fall,  football season is upon us, which means it’s tailgate time. Toast the kickoff with these Super (punch) Bowl worthy libations:

On Bruin game days, we had beer for breakfast; it was cold, cheap  and oh so collegiate … so imagine my surprise when I went to my first tailgate party at Cal and found out about their Ramos Fizz breakfast tradition. This is not just any old mixed drink either, as Esquire‘s expert cocktail historian David Wondrich writes, “It’s fussy, dated, takes a long time to make and uses too many ingredients, one quite hard to find (orange flower water). It’s not an everyday drink, yet you can’t mix it up in big batches for company (nor should you order one in a bar). You’ve got to make these babies yourself, one or two at a time. So why bother?”

I’ll tell you why. Because they’re delicious (particularly before noon). Here’s a great recipe from Williams-Somona. And by the way, orange flower water is now quite easily found at places like Lazy Acres, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and BevMo.

There’s an art to tailgating: when you start drinking cocktails in the morning, it’s all about the timing. You don’t want to nap your way through the game, after all. Luckily, the folks at Bendistillery have come up with Pez, combining their delicious, smooth Crater Lake Vodka with a jolt of Red Bull in case you need an afternoon kick before the kick off.

Though I have neither a green thumb nor an NRA card, I am a big fan of the recipes in Garden & Gun Magazine. They’ve got a terrific collection of Tailgate Cocktails in the current issue, including the swoon-worthy Tallulah, combining the classic southern flavors of whiskey, coke and peanuts. Go team!

Of course, the beer gene runs strong in many football fans, so if these recipes seem a little too complicated for a tailgate party, there’s always Beer Punch. Here’s a great recipe from the Food Network‘s Sunny Anderson.

And finally, whatever you drink, half the fun is in the presentation. Here’s great video from Blue Plate’s Mixologist, Dan Scheuring using adorable—and portable— mason jars for a variety of tailgate cocktails.

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Story originally appeared in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.

Leslie Dinaberg

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”