Beautiful shoot by Annie / Set & prop styling: Annie Fern / Food styling: Loam Kitchen / Photography: Chloe Hardwick

Annie Fern is a Brighton based creative stylist, who works on weddings, events and also host all kinds of creative workshops. She also runs supper clubs on the South Coast with our recipe queen Loam Kitchen. Annie felt like the perfect person to ask to ask to create us a super seasonal sundowner. Chin chin!

Rhubarb Bourbon Sour

For one Cocktail:

(simply multiply the ingredients per person)

Rhubarb Syrup

125ml honey

125 ml water

125g chopped rhubarb

Cocktail

50ml Bourbon

25ml fresh lemon juice

25ml rhubarb syrup

Ice

Instructions

Firstly make your Rhubarb Syrup. I like to add honey as it works SO well with the Bourbon. Add your honey, water, and chopped rhubarb to a small saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a gentle simmer and then reduce the heat for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The honey will dissolve and the rhubarb will begin to break down. Turn off the heat and leave the syrup to cool for a further 10 minutes
Once cool, strain your rhubarb through a fine sieve or piece of muslin and store in an airtight container. Keep this in the fridge and it will be good to go for a couple of weeks.
Time to prepare your cocktail. As a prop stylist, I’m lucky enough to have a cupboard full of various glassware I’ve picked up along my travels. Charity shops, junk shops and flea markets are great places to find old glasses. For me, drinking out of a the perfect glass for the drink really elevates the taste and experience, so I would recommend a short crystal rocks glass for this sour (anything to help me feel like i’m sipping my sour outside a street-side bar someone sunny!) Add all ingredients, the syrup, Bourbon & fresh lemon to a shaker filled with ice. Shake hard and strain your sour into your beautiful ice filled glass.
If you’re serious about styling up your drink then an added piece of rhubarb, a lemon twist or a sprig of rosemary would finish that sour sippin’ perfectly!

Don’t like Bourbon? You can change this up and use Gin instead. You can use all of the same measures and processes as above, except If using Gin I would recommend making your Rhubarb syrup with sugar not honey and I’d serve in a beautiful Coupe glass.

Rhubarb Gin Sour Syrup:

125g caster sugar

125 ml water

125g chopped rhubarb

TOP TIP: Don’t waste your left over rhubarb mulch! Thats sticky rhubarb goodness that was used to make your syrup is great served on yoghurt for breakfast or ice cream for dessert! It’s also delicious served with cheese and biscuits.

You can see more of Annie’s beautiful Creative Styling work here.

Set & prop styling: Annie Fern / Food styling: Loam Kitchen / Photography: Chloe Hardwick

Cocktail hour with Slim Aarons and friends.

RADISH Commune with... Annie's cocktail hour