Minnie Mouse - Stylish Surfer

 (Strawberry Rhubarb Daiquiri) 

As both a classic character and popular Lorcana card, Minnie Mouse - Stylish Surfer felt like the perfect inaugural post for our blog. As of this moment, set championships for Into the Inklands have just concluded, where Minnie surfed her way to prizes for many a competitor. What better way to toast a victory than with an aptly stylish drink?

Minnie is featured on plenty of cards in Lorcana, and we expect to show her off quite a bit in our blog as well. Many of our planned Minnie Mouse cocktails leverage strawberry liqueur as their base, as its deep red color evokes not only the card's Ruby identity but Minnie's iconic red dress as well. We use and recommend American Fruits Strawberry Liqueur from Warwick Distillery, though other brands (or a homemade concoction) can be substituted. 

For this rendition of Minnie Mouse, we present a strawberry rhubarb daiquiri as it's the perfect refresher after some fun at the beach. The infusion of rhubarb into the simple syrup adds another layer of tartness besides just the traditional lime, and is a natural pairing with strawberry. Everything comes together to form a refreshing spring or summer drink to enjoy on a warm day. 

Recipe
1 oz Bacardi White Rum
0.5 oz Strawberry Liqueur (Warwick Valley brand pref.)
0.75 oz Rhubarb simple syrup (recipe below)
0.33 oz fresh lime juice

Fill a shaker with a cup of ice and combine all ingredients. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Top with a splash of seltzer water and garnish with a strawberry slice.

Rhubarb simple syrup
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup rhubarb (peeled and chopped)

Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow all contents to cool completely and strain syrup. Discard rhubarb compote or save it as a sweet treat (it goes great on oatmeal or yogurt!).

Due to the limited seasonal availability of rhubarb, feel free to substitute frozen rhubarb if needed.