Pear-Pineapple Jamtini Cocktail

 Every once in a while, when I try to give someone a jar of my homemade jam they say "oh, thanks anyway...but we don't eat much jam at our house. We don't really eat toast." 

In the back of my mind, this is usually followed by a question from me that goes something like this: "What? Pardon me...did you just say you don't. Eat. JAM???"

Being the die-hard jam maker/preserver that I am, I have to suppress the urge to shout "this isn't just a jar of jam! This is a jar of beautiful hand-picked tree-ripened fruit, cooked with organic cane juice sugar and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice!" 
"It's a yogurt topping!"
"A smoothie perker-upper!" 
"A baste for pork tenderloin!"
"And it's my new favorite way to use jam - a cocktail builder!"

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My first attempt at making Rose Hip Bitters

 

I've made bitters before, but this is my first try using rose hips as my main ingredient. I didn't have much to go on. No one I know has made them and I couldn't find much of anything by doing an internet search. So guided by my own instincts, plus a bit of past experience and using plenty of imagination, I think these Rose Hip Bitters are coming together quite nicely.

To make Rose Hip Bitters at home, you're going to need rose hips, preferably some nice healthy plump ones which are free of pesticides and hopefully free of pests too.

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