A Pineapple-Coconut Rum Barrel

Spring is definitely here (the snow storm we’re supposed to have on Sunday not withstanding), and if you’re anything like me, the first warm weather of the year is a great excuse to start drinking Tiki drinks. We don’t mess around here: we’ve waited all winter and we can’t wait any more for summer. So here’s a fun Tiki drink featuring two of our infusions: the Pineapple-Coconut Rum Barrel! – Andrew

Pineapple-Coconut Rum Barrel Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Pineapple-Coconut Rum Barrel Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Pineapple-Coconut Rum Barrel

2 oz Pineapple-Coconut Infused Rum
1/2 oz Jamaican Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Allspice Dram
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Orgeat
4-6 dashes Angostura Bitters

To infuse the rum: first peel, core, and dice a whole pineapple. Then lightly toast half a cup of dried, shredded coconut in a sauce pan until golden brown and fragrant. Combine the pineapple and coconut with a bottle of rum – we used Sailor Jerry’s – in a nonreactive container (like a glass jar). Let it sit, shaking daily, for at least a few days and, if you can stand it, a few weeks. When you’re ready, filter the infusion through a cheesecloth, squeezing to extract as much liquid as possible. For a cleaner look, filter the rum again through a coffee filter. Bottle and enjoy!

To make the cocktail: combine the rums, lime, allspice dram, passion fruit, and orgeat in a shaker filled two-thirds with ice. Shake gently, just to mix everything up, then strain over fresh crushed ice. Dash the Angostura bitters on top to create a float. Enjoy!

Pineapple-Coconut Rum Barrel Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Pineapple-Coconut Rum Barrel Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Tiki drinks, which build layers of flavors by combining different rums, citrus, and sweeteners, seem like the perfect place to play around with infusions, which just add even more layers of flavor. This drinks is bursting with tart citrus and tropical fruit, with a nice finish of spice and toasty coconut. It risks being too sweet, but the float of Angostura bitters helps balance it out and adds a wonderful aroma of warm Caribbean spices.

Pineapple-Coconut Rum Barrel Cocktail Recipe / Liquorary for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Orgeat and passion fruit syrup are both ingredients you could make at home, there are also some really fantastic ready-made options available. You can find one of our favorite orgeats here and one of our favorite passion fruit syrups here.

(Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, where we’ve been posting our experiments before they make their way onto this column!)

Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! Sorry for the late weekend links – we had a crazy night last night, which is when I normally write these Friday posts. There was some sort of electrical explosion in the buried power lines by our house! We heard a loud noise from inside our house, and our neighbor just happened to be outside and saw flames come up through the manhole cover just two houses down from us! Everything seems to be fine now, but the fire department came to investigate and we’ve had electrical crews working outside ever since, with intermittent power and internet outages. Even with the crazy activity here, we’ve had a beautiful few days here in DC – and the cherry blossom trees are blooming! I’m looking forward to spending some time outside with the flowers this weekend, but in the meantime…

Cast Calligraphy Envelopes via Instagram / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Cast Calligraphy envelopes via Instagram

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

That’s it for me this week! Check back in just a bit for this week’s cocktail recipe! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Quick Pick: Native Bear

I’m loving the bold, bohemian and ’70s-inspired vibes in these greeting cards from Leela of Native Bear! I first encountered Leela’s work at the Etsy Wholesale pavilion at NYNOW last summer, and she recently expanded her paper offerings to include greeting cards, art prints, and notebooks. You can see more from Native Bear right here!

Quick Pick: Native Bear / Oh So Beautiful Paper

More greeting cards, notebooks, and art prints from Native Bear right here.

DIY Tropical Leaf Easter Eggs

Today I’m sharing one last Easter egg decorating idea, and this might just be my favorite yet! I’ve been obsessed with tropical leaves and tropical foliage for the better part of a year, so I figured why not put it on my Easter eggs?? These DIY tropical leaf Easter eggs are fun and festive, and the combination of pink and green is absolutely perfect for early Spring! All it takes is our printable template, tissue paper or temporary tattoo paper, some Modge Podge – and you’re good to go!

DIY Tropical Leaf Easter Eggs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

DIY Tropical Leaf Easter Eggs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

Supplies

White Tissue Paper (or Temporary Tattoo Paper)

Printable Template

Printer

Hardboiled Eggs

Modge Podge (matte finish)

Card Stock

Tape

Paintbrush

Scissors

DIY Tropical Leaf Easter Eggs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

To make the DIY tropical leaf Easter eggs:

Step 1. Download our printable template and print it onto white tissue paper. We got the best printing results by cutting a sheet down to a size just larger than an 8.5 x 11″ sheet of sturdy card stock, then wrapping the tissue paper around the card stock and taping it down on the reverse side and running it through the printer through the manual paper feed tray.

Step 2. Cut the printed tissue paper down to small sections of 2-3 leaves, cutting as close to the edge of the leaves as possible. Using your paintbrush, paint a thin layer of Modge Podge on half the egg and apply the tropical leaves to that half of the egg, being careful not to tear the tissue paper.

Step 3. Paint another layer of Modge Podge over the applied tissue paper leaves, smoothing wrinkles as much as possible as you go, and allow to dry completely. Repeat on the other half of the egg, and fill in gaps with single leaves as needed.

DIY Tropical Leaf Easter Eggs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

If you want to make these Easter eggs using temporary tattoo paper, just skip the base Modge Podge layer and apply the temporary tattoo paper directly to the egg with water according to the paper package instructions. I’d still recommend adding a layer of Modge Podge over the temporary tattoo to protect the design.

DIY Tropical Leaf Easter Eggs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

The tissue paper dries mostly clear once you apply the Modge Podge, so we used a handful of previously-dyed light pink eggs along with the plain white hardboiled eggs. I can’t decide which color I like better!

DIY Tropical Leaf Easter Eggs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

DIY Tropical Leaf Easter Eggs / Oh So Beautiful Paper

If you missed them, you can find the pink and gold Easter egg tutorial with spray food coloring here and the marbled Easter egg tutorial using food coloring here!