As the days and weeks of sheltering in place start to run together, we know it can become difficult to feel creative and come up with new ideas for what to eat and drink at home. Since the days are becoming longer and warmer, why not break out your copper mugs and try something new at cocktail hour this week? Here is our very special recipe for our Nick’s Cove Moscow Mule.

What sets our Moscow Mules apart from the rest is our homemade ginger syrup which is spicy and fresh and there really is no comparison to that bottled ginger beer which can be a little dull and/or sweet. This one packs a punch!

Our recipe calls for citric acid and lemongrass, two things that you might not have on hand. Feel free to use lemon zest instead of lemongrass and Country Time lemonade powder or lemon juice for the citric acid. Having citric acid on hand is very handy for amping up the acid in cocktails when you run out of fresh citrus, so consider picking some up and adding it to your bar arsenal!

Makes 2 cocktails

For the ginger syrup:
½ lb peeled fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1 ½ cup agave syrup
1.5 oz citric acid (or 1/3 cup lemon juice, or 1 scoop country time lemonade powder)
1/2 cup of chopped, fresh lemongrass (or finely grated zest of 3 lemons)
Finely grated zest of 3 limes

For the cocktails:
4 oz vodka, such as Hangar 1
About 1 ½ cups crushed ice
1/2 cup club soda
juice of one lime
6 dashes angostura bitters
1/2 lime cut into 2 wedges

To make the ginger syrup, in a blender, combine the ginger with 1 cup water. Blend on high speed to a smooth puree. Transfer the puree to a small saucepan. Add 1 cup water, the agave, citric acid, lemongrass and lime zest and stir to combine. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain the simmer, and cook until the mixture begins to reduce and become syrupy, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into an airtight container, discarding the solids. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 1 week in advance.

To make the cocktails, divide the vodka between two copper mugs or other cocktail glasses. Fill the mugs with ice then add 3 tablespoons ginger syrup to each mug. Divide the club soda, lime juice, and bitters between the two mugs. Stir each cocktail once. Garnish each with a lime wedge and serve.

Cheers!
Wade

Social media marketing is not only an effective way for Nick’s Cove to communicate with our guests, but it is also fun and great for business! We’re so fortunate that we are part of a community of engaged travellers, foodies, and adventure-seekers who love Nick’s Cove; and we love seeing all of your photos of not only our property but also of Tomales Bay, West Marin, and beyond as your travels take you all over the world!

Our community on our social channels may be a bit smaller than some of the major tourism and travel accounts you might see on Instagram, but the difference is our engaged audience! We love reposting, responding to your comments, and answering your questions on social as it’s important for us to hear your feedback, and we want to make sure you realize how important each and everyone one of you are to us.

We also want to keep it fun for our community and experiment with ways to give back, create memorable experiences, and promote other amazing businesses in West Marin. So stay tuned and be sure to follow us at @nickscove on Instagram and Facebook because we have some exciting giveaways and contests in store this year. And please keep tagging us in your photos as we enjoy seeing how you experience Nick’s Cove!

Lisa T.

Nick’s Cove features a unique selection of house-crafted cocktails that change seasonally, and this winter is no different. This year we have a couple of fresh, inspired cocktails that drive home the warm, comfortable feel of relaxing at Nick’s Cove on a cold day. Being that I grew up in Cloverdale, the first frosts of winter always remind me of the Cloverdale citrus harvest and Citrus Fair; especially Meyer lemons, fresh oranges, and Granny Smith apples. The lemons and apples are featured in the first of our two winter cocktails.

Our first winter-inspired cocktail is the “Forbidden Fruit;” a bright, light and tart drink with a house-made Granny Smith apple puree, St. George Pear eau de vie, lemon, cinnamon and egg whites. The Forbidden Fruit is a balance of traditional winter flavors, leaving a lingering sensation reminiscent of wanting just one more slice of apple pie.

Our second is the Hog Island-inspired “Bore me to Drink” with a pork fat-washed Griffo  barrel aged whiskey and house made spiced brown sugar syrup. It is a savory Old fashioned-style drink that brings together winter and umami flavors for the perfect mesh of classic and modern.

Both drinks feature Petaluma Local “Bitter Girl” bitters: giving the drinks the small but beautiful touch of walnuts, juniper berry and honey. 

Come enjoy an afternoon delight with us at Nick’s Cove!

The drive to Nick’s Cove on Highway One, whether you’re coming from the north or south, is one of the most beautiful rides one can experience. And then to have Nick’s right on the bay as your final destination is nothing less than a dream. As a native to Chicago my two hour commute from the suburbs is long in the past and I couldn’t be more grateful for my peaceful drive through the bright green hills and views of the bay. I’ll never forget my first month here in January when the fog was thick and the roads were slick thinking, “I am not in Chicago anymore!”

It is true that people always stop in or call to ask about the weather in our winter months and all of us agree that the light mist and fog rolling in makes it that much more special. The weather is never promised whether you’ll see a beautiful sunset from the views in our restaurant or rain storm that flood your boots. As a guest at Nick’s we always encourage you to cuddle up next to your rustic wood burning stove — just don’t forget to pick a box of our hand crafted s’mores beforehand. For those who are stopping in just for the day, take advantage of our boat shack, but again don’t forget to stop at the bar for one of our seasonal cocktails!

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Hello my friends! Thank you for taking the time to read the Nick’s Cove Blog. The Nick’s Cove Crew is busier than ever and ready to provide our readers with all kinds of inside scoop tid-bits! First up, a peek at our entire crew. This photo was taken at our most recent quarterly staff training. We arrived at 8:00 a.m. and headed straight into our training with the hope to further impress our standards of service on our staff, motivate the staff, and provide opportunities for positive feedback and constructive criticism. Then, we turned up the music and had 60+ people working for a solid hour in an organized deep-clean in the restaurant! It’s actually a pretty fun way to start our day!

So, why the photo? Well, a local historian is writing about the history of Tomales Bay and because Nick’s Cove has such a rich history in this area a portion of the book will be dedicated to the history of Nick’s Cove. (I will keep you posted on that progress.) So, the author asked if we had a “group photo.” I didn’t say, “no.” I replied with a question, “When is your deadline?” I quickly called my friend, Erin Wrightsman, who just happens to be an awesome portrait photographer in Petaluma. Fortunately, she had availability on our staff training day – voila … Yes, we do have a group photo!

Recently, Chef Austin Perkins was asked to do a chef’s demo at the local farmers’ market in Point Reyes Station. He enjoys showing off his cooking prowess and we all have a good time watching the crowd enjoy our Nick’s Cove Goat Meatballs. We use Rossotti Ranch goat and they are mouthwateringly delicious! Here’s one of those tid-bits I was talking about … THE RECIPE! Good luck – they are addictive. Just serve them with a warm loaf of sourdough bread, a simple salad with champagne vinaigrette … and enjoy!

Rossotti Ranch Goat Meatballs

2 # ground goat
2-3 oz. ground pork
1 med. carrot, peeled, minced
1 white onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. Chopped parsley
2 T. Parmigiano reggiano
2 eggs
1/2 c good toasted breadcrumb
2 oz. mcevoy evoo, or other premium oil
S and p

7 leeks, white parts only
16 oz. chopped tomato in purée, ie 6 in 1
8 oz. veal or goat stock
4 oz white wine
1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 T toasted and ground coriander
1 t. Red chili flake

Preheat oven to 450.

In a large bowl, combine the first twelve ingredients and vigorously work with hands until all ingredients are combined. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using an ice cream scoop to measure the size of the meatballs begin scooping on to the sheet pan. Place in oven ten minutes to sear the outsides.

In a large heavy pot, heat up one tablespoon of oil. Sauté the leeks over low heat until well rendered, 15-20 minutes. Deglaze with white wine. Add the tomato and vinegar, reduce by half. Add the stock, again cook until reduced by half. Add the coriander, chili flake, and salt and pepper to taste.

In a Pyrex dish or other pan with sides, arrange the meatballs and cover with the sauce. Braise 15-20 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.

Serve a la carte topped with olive oil, breadcrumb, and cheese… Or add to pasta!

The new Nick’s Cove just celebrated our one year anniversary under new ownership. We are all amazed at how quickly the year went blazing by. We have been to six very different and cool events from SF Chefs to Cocktail Week and the awesome KJ Heirloom Festival, had three weddings, oodles of private dining events, visited but not necessarily reviewed, by the SF Food King himself, Mr. Michael Bauer, hosted a Yelp Elite Event, answered hundreds of yelpers from good to bad and everywhere in between, had 52 very successful, well attended Locals’ Nights, had a small power outage, dealt with AT&T phone lines going down multiple times, launched a beautiful new website, made appearances on national television (thank you Jan Wahl), and served Lady Gaga! We have enjoyed the most beautiful sunsets and the foggiest of mornings. We truly work in one of the most spectacular locations in California!

At the end of the day, we have our customers to thank for this amazing year of prosperity. We are here, ready and waiting to welcome you back or for the very first time.

Cheers,