Grapefruit Martini

This is a delicious referral from 'Drink Up' where I also received the Smokey Smash featured further down on the blog.  The bartender named this drink the Grapefruit Kiss, which I don't love so went ahead and renamed it something simple and less kissy...Grapefruit Martini.

This was my first use of Agave Nectar, which I didn't realize was basically just a substitute for simple syrup.  It added a less-than-attractive color to the drink, but it has a really smooth sweetness that's a little stronger than simple syrup.  It adds a perfect balance to the bitterness of the grapefruit.

Ingredients:
Grapefruit Vodka (used Finlandia)
White Wine (used Sauvignon Blanc)
Agave Nectar
Grapefruit Juice

In a shaker add 1 oz grapefruit vodka, 1 oz white wine, 1 oz grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed is always best), 1/2 oz agave nectar and ice.  Shake vigorously to make sure the nectar mixes in and strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with a segment of grapefruit.

Dark Passenger (Dexter Premiere Cocktail: Adam & Michelle)

Dark Passenger

The blended flesh look of Amie & Bonnie's drink is über-Dexter, but I love the bloody red color of our cocktail.  (Holy crap, I just figured out how to make an umlaut on my mac--is that only cool for people with German minors?)  Anyway, I ended the Summer Cocktail series with a desire to experiment more with beer and wine cocktails, so the fall premiere of our favorite show seemed like a great way to use up some leftover Cabernet Sauvignon.

This might seem like a strange combination of ingredients, but it's inspired by the description of flavors on the back of our Brandy bottle: "warm, inviting flavors of vanilla cream, maple and old sherry."  That screams Vanilla Cream Soda to me and it turned out to be a perfect pairing.

Ingredients:
Cabernet Sauvignon (used Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells)
Brandy (used E&J VSOP Superior Reserve)
Vanilla Cream Soda

In a red wine glass combine 1 oz Brandy, 2 oz red wine and 2.5 oz cream soda.  If you add them in that order they'll mix themselves and be ready to drink.  We chilled the cream soda but had the other ingredients at room temperature and enjoyed it as-is.  I also think this would be great with all the ingredients chilled or served on the rocks.

I hate serving a drink without some kind of garnish but unfortunately time ran out.  However, if you're serving this at a Dexter theme party we all thought this would be awesome with a gingerbread man impaled with a little appetizer knife.  The flavor of the gingerbread would be amazing with the vanilla creme of the drink and appetizer knives are complete underutilized in general.

GET D-squared 4 (Dexter Premiere Cocktail: Amie & Bonnie)

GET D2 4 (Good Enough to Dexter & Die 4)

Cheers to a new season of drinking to pair with a new season of TV.  Welcome back Dexter; we've been dying for the continuing saga of your morbidly sordid ways!  And yes, we're still using the infusions from my summer farm stand over-splurge.  We're down to the nitty gritty and this blend textured perfectly to fashion the glass Dexteresque grotesque.

Ingredients:
3 oz Peach-infused Gin
3 oz Strawberry-infused Gin
3 oz Lemonade

Mix alcohol, fruit and lemonade in blender.  Some of the peaches turned less savory-looking, but some maintained their original color (these were used in the drink).  And unlike the vodka-infused strawberries, the gin-infusion left these usable and perfect to texturizing.  Had this not been a tribute to Dexter theme, we might have blended the ingredients with ice for a refreshingly slushy treat.  Here we've chosen to simply serve the blend over cubed ice.  So tasty!

Fall Favorite

Grandma's Applesauce has become a Fall favorite in our house.  Michelle and I both love it more and more each time we have it and it gets consistently great reviews when we serve it to visitors.  It was recommended to me by an ex-coworker who doubled as a bartender and has been one of our favorites ever since.  It tastes like homemade applesauce, but even better because it contains two kinds of schnapps.

Ingredients:

Goldschlager

Sour Apple Pucker

Pineapple Juice

In a shaker combine 1/2 part Goldschlager, 1 part Apple Pucker and 3 parts pineapple juice with ice.  Shake to chill.  If I shake until my metal shaker is so cold I can hardly stand it then I know it's ready.  Strain into a martini glass and enjoy!

Cure for the Common Cold

Torn between nurturing your cold and enjoying a cocktail after suffering through a 10 hour day at the office?  I may have found the perfect way to accomplish both.  This recipe does come with a word of caution as the alcohol warning on my cold medication is eerily ominous and vague, however I'm pretty sure my liver will only melt and ooze out my belly button if I drink too many.

3 years since I first asked the question, "What kind of liquor would possibly mix with tea?" the answer finally materialized.  EW Honey Reserve is extremely smooth with a touch of sweetness, which blends perfectly with tea.

Ingredients:

Hot Tea

Evan Williams Honey Reserve

Choose your favorite tea and steep.  Select a souvenir mug from a relaxing vacation destination and add 1.5 oz of honey liquor.  Pour in the hot tea, kick back on the couch and relax. 

P77: Summer Cocktail Week 16 (Adam & Michelle)

P77

There was some pressure to wrap up the Summer Cocktail series with a winner and it all came together with the assistance (again) of cocktail sounding board Derek (co-host of his own incredibly informative beer blog at Wild Turkey Beer Club).  Our recent postings feel a little vodka/rum heavy and whiskey deserves another turn.  Even Michelle who isn't normally a whiskey drinker poured the Seagram's 7 heavier to balance out the flavors of this tasty, refreshing cocktail.  It's good enough to enjoy on a regular basis and simple enough to whip up in a minute.

Ingredients:
Whiskey (used Seagram's 7)
7-Up
PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur

Fill a highball glass with ice.  Add 1.5 oz whiskey (1 jigger), 1 oz PAMA and top off with 7-Up.  Give it a stir (the 3 ingredients actually create a pretty cool layered effect when poured, so could be served that way for presentation but I would include a stir stick to maximize the taste).  Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Food Pairing: Whiskey & PAMA Glazed Pork Ribs

I had been eyeing a bourbon-glazed rib recipe for a while and this cocktail lent itself perfectly to cooking up a nice rack.  I swapped in Seagram's 7 instead of bourbon and substituted 1 oz PAMA for the plum sauce, but otherwise followed this highly recommended recipe at epicurious.com: Glazed Baby Back Ribs.  They were super tender and the sauce was fantastic.  I prefer my usual cooking technique, which is 100% on the grill as I like the texture of the ribs and spending a few hours on the patio downing a drink or two while keeping on eye on the grill.  However, I will absolutely pair this glaze and cocktail again.

FemBossi: Summer Cocktail Week 16 (Amie & Bonnie)

FemBossi, coming soon!

Mari Jane: Summer Cocktail Week 15 (Anonymous Contributors)

Anyone who knows someone from Eugene probably thinks 1 of 2 things: (1) You must be a Duck fan! or (2) You must be a stoned Duck fan!  True, Eugene is known as a haven for Deadheads, hippies and a generally laid-back culture, perhaps due to the fact that in 1972, the State of Oregon was the first state in the United States to pass cannabis decriminalization legislation.  If you live in Eugene, you essentially fall into 1 of 3 categories: you carry a Medicinal Marijuana card, are licensed to grow for a dispensary, or have a friend who does at least one of those.  For those who have smoked and eaten their fair share of ganja, infusing for a beverage remains the final weed frontier.  Needless to say, our Tribute to Our City Week is as much about the beverage as it is the theme-related munchies food pairings.

My BFF was kind enough to contribute to our summer's blogging activities by infusing a 1/4 oz of home-grown bud into 10 oz vodka.  Since Oregon also gets credit for developing the blackberry's cousin, Marionberry, we also infused a pint of these into 8 oz vodka (note: in a blackberry vs marionberry infusion taste test, the marionberry was sweeter and much tastier and, like our previous strawberry infusion, was delicious enough to enjoy as a sipping treat).  Unsure of the potency or resulting effects, we rolling this week's recipe using tsp and Tbs.  We've also included a bonus cocktail in case you don't live in Eugene.  :-)

Mari Jane

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp MaryJane Infusion
1 Tbs Marionberry Infusion
1/2 Tbs Black Raspberry Soda (used HOTLIPS Soda from Portland)
1/2 tsp Kraken
1 drop Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

Shake with ice and serve in aperitif glassware.

Meri Kraken Berry

Ingredients (makes 2-4 drinks):
3/4 cup Peach-Infused Dark Rum
2 oz Marionberry-Infused Vodka
2 oz Kraken Black Spiced Rum
1 oz Patron Orange Liquor
6 oz Americana Black Cherry Soda

Puree in a blender with the peaches from infusion.  Add ice and blend until crushed.

Locally Made Munchies
Chinook Salmon (Oregon)
Tillamook Cheese (Tillamook on the coast)
Kettle Brand Chips (Salem)
Hazelnut Hummus (Eugene)
Marionberry Coated Hazelnuts (Aurora)
Dagoba Organic Chocolates (Ashland)

Theme-Related Munchies
Stoned Wheat Thins
Garden Herb Triscuits
Rainbow Mini Bell Peppers (b/c every munchie fest needs something "healthy")

Song Pairing
'Allison' by Frank Black of The Pixies (who spends much time in Eugene)
'Hey Eugene' by Pink Martini (a Portland-based orchestral and concert group--think Arcade Fire meets PDX Cello Project)

Game Day: Summer Cocktail Week 15 (Adam & Michelle)

Game Day

"Red beer" might be a new concept to some, but if you've ever tailgated in Lincoln or happened to grow up in a handful of select regions like rural Nebraska (wait, isn't all of Nebraska rural?) then it's likely you've tried a red beer.  The classic red beer is comprised of cheap beer and tomato juice and some in my extended family even add a dash of salt for good measure.  Yes, it's hilarious that I married a dietitian and my family salts their beverages.

Unfortunately, I hate tomato juice so have been on a quest to create a red beer sans tomato.  With some help from cocktail experts Derek and Eric (I generally only talk to people with rhyming names) I finally pieced together a really good red beer accentuated with nature's perfect food...bacon.

Ingredients:
Cheap Beer (used Coors Light)
Cran-Cherry Juice (used Diet Ocean Spray)
Tabasco
Maple Bacon

In your favorite pint glass combine 30% cran-cherry juice with 70% light beer.  Add 2 dashes of Tabasco and garnish with crispy fried maple bacon.  The taste is similar to a fruity wheat beer and I love the finish from the Tabasco.

While experimenting to find the perfect garnish we tried plain bacon, maple bacon, maple bacon brushed with maple syrup and maple bacon sprinkled with brown sugar.  The syrup and sugar bacons were both deliciously decadent, but the simple hint of sweetness in the maple bacon won out.  The bacon I used wasn't tall enough to stand alone in the glass, so I cut a small diagonal slit in the side to hook it over the edge.  Mmmm...bacon.

Gemstone: Summer Cocktail Week 14 (Amie & Bonnie)

Gemstone

More details coming soon!

Ingredients (makes 2 drinks):
3 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
4 oz Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Peruvian Pisco
Ruby Red Ice Cubes
Crystal Geyser Sparkling Water Ice Cubes

Food Pairing: Emerald Valley salsa, Black Diamond extra sharp cheddar cheese, whole wheat flat bread fashioned into diamond shapes and made into layers.

Song Pairing: 'Topaz' by B52s

Murphy Lake & Minnesota Winter: Summer Cocktail Week 14 (Adam & Michelle)

Savage and the Twin Cities take on different lives in summer versus winter, so our 'tribute to our city' theme took the form of dual cocktails.  The first is a sparkling lake scene, brought to life with the edition of Swedish Fish (appropriate given the large Scandinavian population in MN).  The second is a snowball of shaved ice that's as versatile as it is refreshing on a hot day like today.  It's so versatile that we couldn't help but make two variations and pay homage to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and specifically the "Spoonbridge and Cherry."  To top it off we paired this week's drinks with a song from Minnesota natives, the Gear Daddies: 'Cut Me Off.'  It was a fun flashback to college days and great background music to enjoy a couple Sunday cocktails.
Link to Live Version of 'Cut Me Off'

Murphy Lake

Ingredients:
White Rum (used Bacardi)
Triple Sec
Tropical Blue Schnapps
Club Soda
Orange Bitters
Swedish Fish
Orange

Fill a collins glass with ice and wedge a couple Swedish Fish on the outside of the ice.  Add 1/2 shot rum, 1/2 shot triple sec, 1/2 shot blue schnapps and 3 drops of orange bitters.  Top off with club soda and garnish with an orange slice.

Minnesota Winter, Pure Snow

Ingredients:
Ice
UV Cake Vodka

We used UV Vodka because it's made in Minnesota and also because I had heard rumors that its flavored vodkas had more distinct flavors.  The cake vodka was an easy choice because of its clear color and it did indeed taste like frosted sheet cake.  Using an ice shaver (we used a cheap manual version that worked just fine), shave enough ice to fill a small bowl and transfer to a chilled martini glass.  Pour a shot of cake vodka around the edges of the glass to keep a snowball-like mound in the middle.

Minnesota Winter, Cherry

Ingredients:
Ice
Cherry Snow Cone Syrup
Black Cherry Rum

Using an ice shaver, shave enough ice to fill a small bowl and transfer to a chilled martini glass.  Combine equal parts cherry snow cone syrup and black cherry rum and pour over the ice.  To create the "Spoonbridge and Cherry" effect balance a spoon with a cherry over the top of the glass.

Sangdori: Summer Cocktail Week 13 (Amie & Bonnie)

Sangdori

While I was in San Diego last week, Bonnie began brewing-up a concoction we've been looking forward to all summer: Secret Ingredient Sangria.  Bonnie's artistic nature melded with her inner mixologist this week when she not only committed to choosing a beautiful bounty of fresh fruits, but also declined temptation to look at any formal Sangria recipes.  "I knew the usual additions to the wine, besides the fruit, are Grand Marnier and brandy, but I decided to branch out and select what ingredients I could find in Amie's liquor cabinet."

Not surprisingly, she was able to find a myriad of options and eventually chose Triple Sec, a duo of bitters and an unsuspecting but quite worthy secret ingredient.  Originally we had thought to use Emergen-C, the vitamin supplement antioxidant mix (which, btw, is a perfect way to add fruity flavor to vodka in you're low-carbing).  However, once Bonnie started digging into the recesses of the resident bottles, "a beautiful green bottle of Midori surged forth and the recipe burst across my field of vision like the loveliest pattern of fireworks!"

Ingredients:
1.25 bottles Red Wine (we've been really loving a 2008 California Zin/Merlot/Cab blend, Menage a Trois.  It delivers a fresh, ripe, jam-like fruity character with strawberry undertones and a spicy backbone which served as a perfect base for our brew)
1 cup Brandy
1/2 cup Midori Melon Liquor
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1 Orange
1 Pear, peeled
1 pint Fresh Raspberries
1 pint Fresh Blackberries
1 splashy dash of Orange Bitters
1-2 drops of Lemon Bitters

Combine ingredients in a large glass bowl and chill.  We sampled after 3 days and found it to be so delicious that we supplemented the remaining brew to make the batch last all week.  By Saturday it had truly come into its flowering of flavors!  I had no idea Sangria could be so refreshing and was surprised at how smoothly the fruit absorbs the wine (as opposed to infusions that often drain the fruit of all flavor).  I'm not sure there's a bad fruit choice for Sangria, but Bonnie's method sure worked: "I chose berries and oranges but the pear called out to me as if wanting to be part of the group.  And I'm so glad, because not only does it add to the flavor, once it absorbs the wine, it tricks your friends into thinking you added beets!"  There you have it.  Sangdori...Refreshingly Delicious and Fun!

Double A: Summer Cocktail Week 13 (Adam & Michelle)

Double A

Our shot/shooter theme drink is one of our simplest and started with a spur-of-the-moment infusion.  When cleaning out the fridge before vacation I discovered some fresh mango and limes that were begging to be infused with vodka.  You could get creative and use almost any combination of flavors to form the base of this shot.  See what's in the fridge, throw it in vodka for a week and see what happens!  The mango didn't give up as much juice as I expected so the limes created the primary flavor.  For better balance I recommend infusing the mango for a week, then adding the limes for 3 days before straining.

By the way, Double A stands for Absolut Awesome because Absolut is so versatile and infuses so well!

Ingredients:

Citrus-Infused Absolut

Grapes

Simple Syrup

In a shaker add 4-5 red grapes and a splash of simple syrup.  Muddle well.  Add ice and 1-1.5 oz of infused vodka.  Shake well and strain into your favorite shot glass.

The sweetness from the fresh grape juice accentuated by a splash of simple syrup was really tasty and make the Double A easy to throw down.  It'll be fun to try with different flavors (or even plain) vodka and rum.

The Hangover

Week 13 was delayed (posts coming shortly) due to hangover-related complications, so we thought it would be fitting to post our best hangover prevention tips and best hangover cure tips!

Preventative Steps

Adam: Don't mix types of alcohol (beer, wine, liquor).  If you're only having a couple drinks this isn't a big deal, but a night-long assortment leads to no good.  Pick one and stick with it.

Amie: Before bed take an Emergen-C, 3 ibuprofen, and keep a water bottle by the bed.

Bonnie: Build up a high tolerance through frequent drinking.

Michelle: Drink quality stuff--avoid cheap alcohol.  Have a glass a water between each drink.  Before bed take 3 ibuprofen and 1 Tums.

Cures (don't kid yourself--there's no cure, but these may help!)

Adam: Cover up with the quilt Granny gave me decades ago (or your favorite blanket) and keep sleeping until you feel better.

Amie: Consume a can of Pringles and a Diet Coke (although there was some debate as Bonnie and Pat would insist on it being a regular Coke).

Bonnie: Consume a Coke and really really crispy home fries or hash browns, preferably with cheese and onions.  This can also work well as a preventative measure before bed.

Michelle: Sleep with a sleep mask on as it needs to be the darkest ever.  Consume pretzels.

Two final thoughts...

(1) Eat in proportion to how much you're drinking.  More food in your stomach (with a few exceptions) while drinking generally helps.

(2) Bum rush the jazz ho!

Packs A Punch: Summer Cocktail Week 12 (Adam & Michelle)

Packs A Punch

This started as a twist on a Mai Tai, evolved into a version of Rum Punch and then morphed into a souped-up Sangria.  Regardless of its lineage, the bottom line here is that "Packs A Punch" is potentially the healthiest drink you'll enjoy all week.  The dietitian across the table from me might disagree but I would argue there are more fruit servings in one drink than I normally consume in a week.  We maximized our rum theme by including not 1, not 2, not even 3, but 4 different kinds of rum between the cocktail and food pairing.

Cocktail Ingredients:
Black Cherry Rum (used Cruzan)
Bacardi 151
Dark Rum (used Myers's)
Pineapple Juice
Orange
Lime
Pineapple
Nectarine
Green Apple (used Granny Smith)
Starfruit

Several hours before serving, pour pineapple juice into an ice cube tray (we used a rubber tray that makes X shapes) and freeze.  Using frozen juice instead of ice cubes avoids watering down the drink as it melts.  In a goblet add a couple frozen pineapple juice cubes, a slice of lime, pineapple chunks, a slice of nectarine, a slice of orange and a couple slices of green apple (they turned out to be our favorite fruit).  In a separate bowl (or bottom of a hand juicer) combine the juice of half an orange, the juice of half a lime, 1 oz of pineapple juice, 1.5 oz of black cherry rum (1 jigger), 2/3 oz of 151 and dark rum to taste (used about 2/3 oz).  Give it a little stir and pour over the fruit in the goblet.  Garnish with a slice of starfruit.

Food Pairing: Mojito Marinaded Shrimp

In a large baggie combine 1/4 cup Bacardi light rum, a handful of chopped mint leaves, zest of 1 lime, juice of 1 lime, 2 Tbsp kosher salt, 1/3 cup sugar, seal and shake until the salt and sugar dissolve.  Add jumbo shrimp, seal and refrigerate for 20 minutes.  Don't over-marinade the shrimp or the lime juice will start to cook them and you'll end up with ceviche.  Grill the shrimp over medium-high heat for a couple minutes on each side until pink and cooked through.  The salty mint and lime flavor goes great with the sweetness of a Packs A Punch!

Q!: Summer Cocktail Week 12 (Amie & Bonnie)

Q!

If you find yourself in the middle of a cocktail-blogging summer heatwave while visiting your best friend form college and the sole liquor in which she'll imbibe is tequila, this is the drink for you!  Cucumbers in the garden are quite abundant this time of year, and what better way to celebrate their refreshing qualities than to "queue them up" as a muddled ingredient in this week's beverage.  Thank you to Mr. Q. Cumber's infused sparkling beverage (available at World Market) for providing a fortifying crispness and supporting component to the notion that tequila can practically be a salad dressing.  Seriously...we left the muddle cucumbers in the glass and they were quite tasty as a crunching treat during the drinking of the Q.

Ingredients:

1 oz Tequila (used Reposada)

2 oz Mr. Q Cumber Infused Sparkling Water

1 oz Chopped Cucumber

Lime

Into your serving glass, muddle the chopped cucumbers and tequila.  Return to fridge.  Ask the craftiest person at your gathering to fancy-up a cucumber garnish for the drinks.  Add sparkling beverage, ice and garnish to chilled alcohol, stir, return to patio and enjoy!  P.S. I know...it seems passe to combine ingredients in this order, but hey...you're on vacation.  Relax and live a little!  :-)

Notes on Tequila:
Earlier in the week Bonnie and I taste-tested 3 Corazon tequilas (trivia note: this Agave tequila company was semi-recently acquired by Sidney Frank, the creator and developer of Grey Goose Vodka).  We found the Blanco to be "fine and standard."  The Reposado to be "more complex and slightly smoky/earthy" but not tasty enough to warrant worthy of straight sipping.  And then the Anejo; too delicious to mix with other strong flavors and the reason why I now understand how people actually enjoy tequila.  We chose the Reposado as a base for this week's blending as it held a robust flavor and also lent itself well to absorbing Q's summery notes.

Gin Garden: Summer Cocktail Week 11 (Adam & Michelle)

Gin Garden

While bar-hopping in Vegas this last week we noticed a cocktail with both mint and basil and thought, what a great use for the herbs in our garden!  Yes, we do actually use them for non-cocktail food or drinks...but not very often now that I think about it.  So we brought the flavor combination back to Minnesota and created the Gin Garden.

To tie into Lollapalooza happening this weekend in Chicago and bring back rockin' memories of the best Lolla ever (2010) we searched for a good song pairing.  An obvious choice would have been something by Soundgarden, who was one of the headliners that year.  We skipped them then for Arcade Fire and apparently for good reason.  It turns out I can't really find any Soundgarden songs I like enough to invest even $1.29 in.  So instead, to celebrate the fact that while making a Gin Garden is when my love for gin started we decided on "When It Started" by The Strokes as an appropriate pairing.

And to try and keep up with the Summer Cocktail over-achievers (I won't mention any names), we also threw in a versatile food pairing.  At the Prior Lake farmer's market Saturday we stumbled upon some basil tomato cheddar cheese that ties in nicely with the basil in our cocktail.  We started by bringing butter to room temperature and whipping it with two cloves of minced garlic.  Then cut a loaf of french bread on the diagonal and buttered both sides.  I kept the grill on a little lower temperature than usual so the bread wouldn't burn while the cheese melted in the final step.  Put the bread on about a 300 degree clean grill for roughly a minute.  Flip and sprinkle the bread with shredded basil tomato cheddar.  Close the cover and grill for two more minutes until the cheese is melted.

Ingredients:
Gin (used Bombay Sapphire)
Basil
Mint
Lime
Strawberries
Simple Syrup
Club Soda

Add 2 basil leaves, 4 mint leaves, 1 sliced strawberry and juice from half a lime into a shaker (I hand squeezed instead of using our juicer to get the right amount of juice).  Muddle well to get the flavor from the herbs.  Add 1 jigger of gin and 2 splashes of simple syrup.  Add ice and shake well.  Strain over ice into a low-ball glass and top off with club soda.  For garnish I skewered a mint leaf, strawberry slice, lime slice, another strawberry slice and a folded basil leaf.  The fresh fruit and herbs are a great way to enjoy the final weeks of summer!

Whip It: Summer Cocktail Week 11 (Amie & Bonnie)

Whip It

Finding a treasure of 7 Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies in the freezer the same week we won Devo/Blondie tickets can mean only 1 thing...this week's theme is Whip It and meets at the intersection of Dessert and Rock 'n Roll!  Wanting to stretch the coveted cookies as far as possible, we used our espresso grinder to create both a cookie crust and a sprinkle topping.  We used a chilled whisk to whip together the cherry brandy and heavy whipping cream and chilled beaters to whip the ice cream and chocolate liquor.  The dessert turned out aperitif in size, but completely worth it!  We paired with a glass of Syrah (2006 Renwood) which served to complement the richness of all, and played (yep, you guessed it!) Whip It by Devo.

Ingredients:
Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies (frozen)
Vanilla Ice Cream
Godiva Dark Chocolate Liquor
Heavy Whipping Cream
Powdered Sugar
Cherry Brandy (used Clear Creek Distilled Kirschwasser)
Cherries

Chop or grind 7 Thin Mints into fine pieces.  Spoon 1-1.5 tsp into bottom of serving glasses and set aside.  Whip 1 cup vanilla ice cream with 1 oz chocolate liquor at high speed and return to freezer for 4-5 hours.  Using a pre-chilled metal bowl and pre-chilled beaters, whip 1/2 pint heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp powdered sugar and 1/2 oz cherry brandy until ideal whipped cream consistency occurs.  Mix 2 Tbsp whipped cream with 1 tsp ground cookies and use mini spatula to coat/line the inside of serving glass.  Fill glass with ice cream mixture, sprinkle cookie pieces on top and round-out with dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a cherry (we are still loving Maker's Mark bourbon flavored cherries).

Bonfire Julep: Summer Cocktail Week 10 (Amie & Bonnie)

Bonfire Julep coming soon...

Canyon Shandy & Full Moon: Summer Cocktail Week 10 (Adam & Michelle)

Canyon Shandy & Full Moon

Week 10 presented some challenges and also opportunities as we were on vacation all week.  Inspiration finally hit me as we sat at the hotel bar one evening looking out at the Grand Canyon.  I had no idea the Grand Canyon Brewing Company existed (see link below) but knew one of their brews had to be the base of my beer cocktail.  I first sampled the Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale, which was delicious but I didn't think the hops and strong flavor would balance well with other ingredients.  I landed on the American Pilsner, which is a good blank canvas for injecting other spirits.  Michelle went in a different direction with an equally delicious result for her beer cocktail.  I think our server thought we were a little crazy when we ordered but was apparently excited to charge us $34 for our two unique cocktails.  It'll be fun to recreate these at home with ingredients on hand for a little more palatable price.
Grand Canyon Brewery Website

Canyon Shandy Ingredients:
Grand Canyon American Pilsner (or other pilsner)
Limoncello
Absolut Citron
Lemon

They served a 20 oz beer at the bar so I sipped a couple ounces out, then added 1 oz of limoncello and 1/2 oz of Absolut Citron and garnished with a lemon wedge.  The proportions were about right, so if using a 12 oz can/bottle of beer I would reduce the amounts of the other alcohols slightly.

Full Moon Ingredients:

Blue Moon

Grand Marnier

Orange

They also served a 10 oz beer at the bar so Michelle sipped a couple ounces out, then added 1.5 oz (a full jigger) of Grand Marnier and garnished with an orange wheel.  She was disappointed the bar only had half wheels, but ideally would use a full wheel to look like a full moon shining over the tasty cocktail.

Whiskitini: Summer Cocktail Week 9 (Amie & Bonnie)

Whiskitini

In honor of THE BEST BROTHER OF ALL TIME that anyone, anywhere on the planet could ever possibly wish for, this week's drink is in honor of Adam - Happy Birthday, Adam!!!  Given that his goal last year was to increase his fondness for whiskey and incorporate it into his mixology repertoire, we concocted this drink based on a Bourbontini we enjoyed at the coast a few weeks ago.  We started with our favorite full-flavored, easy-to-drink Maker's Mark and added a spicier, drier rye whiskey.  The ingredients just kept pouring in and were eventually rounded-out with two new fun finds: a limited edition whiskey barrel-aged bitters and a bourbon-infused jar of cherries a la Maker's Mark.  The end result should please both the novice and more experienced whiskey palates as this drink combines sharp, sweet and even salty spirits into a most refreshing summer cocktail.

Ingredients:
Bourbon (used Maker's Mark)
Rye Whiskey (used Bullet Rye American Whiskey)
Patron Orange Liqueur
Pisco
Sweet & Sour Mix
Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters
Maker's Mark Boubon-infused Cherries (& Juice)

Shake 1 oz bourbon, 1/2 oz rye whiskey, 1 oz orange liqueur, 1/8 oz pisco, 1/4 oz sweet & sour mix, 5 drops bitters and 1/8 oz (1 tsp) Maker's Mark Boubon-infused Cherry juice with ice.  Strain and serve up or shake and pour over a muckle of ice in your favorite high-ball glass.  Garnish with an infused cherry.

Note: Thank you brokensecrets.com for clearing up the issue of how to spell this week's ingredients.  There are two correct ways to spell it: Whisky and Whiskey.  Whiskey refers to whiskeys distilled in Ireland and the United States.  Whisky, on the other hand, is generally used for whiskies distilled in Scotland, Wales, Canada, Japan and other countries.  (However, Maker's Mark is distilled in Tennessee and their website describes their product sans "e" so...drink up regardless!)

Mintini: Summer Cocktail Week 9 (Adam & Michelle)

Mintini

We fulfilled our herb theme this week by utilizing our freshly planted chocolate mint.  Yes, there's really a chocolate mint plant and it's pretty awesome.  The leaves are a little smaller (see pic), some have a darker tint, and they release a distinctively chocolate version of the otherwise traditional minty aroma.

Mint makes a great garnish in a variety of summer cocktails but to really feature the flavor we went with an infusion.  I was surprised how well the vodka absorbed both the berry and chocolate mint flavors, creating something that could easily be sipped on its own or topped off with just a little club soda.

To infuse the vodka I used about 2/3 liter of Absolut, 12 ounces fresh raspberries and 8 sprigs of fresh chocolate mint.  Seal in an air-tight container and let rest for a week, stirring once or twice.  Pour the infusion through a fine strainer and smash the berries to release all the juice.  Keep chilled in the fridge.

Mintini Ingredients:
Raspberry Chocolate Mint Infused Vodka
Dove Chocolate Martini Mix
Irish Cream (used Merry's)
Fresh Chocolate Mint

For my (Adam's) mintini I simply used equal parts infused vodka and chocolate martini mix, shaken with ice to chill and strained into a mini martini glass.  Michelle thought the chocolate martini mix was a little watery and wanted something creamier, so for hers I used equal parts infused vodka, chocolate martini mix and irish cream with just a dash of chocolate syrup.  Garnish either with a small sprig of chocolate mint.

Side note: This was our first attempt at using Dove Chocolate Martini Mix.  We had an unopened bottle in the cupboard and this seemed like the perfect use for it.  We were both disappointed in how watery it is, which threw off the chocolate flavor just a little.  Think hot chocolate made with hot water instead of hot milk--just not the same.  Adding irish cream definitely helped bring the texture together but next time I'll try something different all together like chocolate liqueur.

Adam's Apple: Summer Cocktail Week 8 (Adam & Michelle)

Adam's Apple

I've mentioned the fantastic show 'Drink Up' before, and it once again inspired and co-created this week's cocktail.  It was one of the side-note drinks where they blow through what's in it without measurements, proportions, instructions, etc. but fortunately that gave me the opportunity to experiment with the recipe and take partial credit.  So I present our wine-themed cocktail, the super refreshing (and sneaks up on you) Adam's Apple!

Ingredients:

Irish Whiskey (used Jameson)

Apple Juice

Simple Syrup

Lemon

Sauvignon Blanc (used Black Box)

Honey

In a shaker combine 1 oz whiskey, 1 oz apple juice, 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp simple syrup, 1/2 tsp honey and ice.  Shake well to combine and strain over ice in a white wine glass.  Top off with 2+ oz Sauvignon Blanc, give a stir and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Kiki: Summer Cocktail Week 8 (Amie & Bonnie)

Kiki

This week on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen featured a kaleidoscopic performance by effervescent-dare-I-say dorkilicious Scissor Sisters.  Their lyrical summer dance hit has me huh-huh-honey-ing all around the house shouting "That's so Kiki!" at every festive turn.  Wanna mix an adventure from the infusions usurping the top shelf of the fridge?  That'd be so Kiki!  Hey!  Check out the new bulbs that spouted in the yard.  They're so Kiki!  Dare to use bitter-infused sparkling water PLUS lemon bitters as mixers?  Yep, you guessed it - Super Kiki!  So as a tribute to all those who live, teeter on, or even peripherally support the unabshedly melodious fun that mixology, music and community can provide, we offer this week's beverage: Kiki!

Generally our infusions are 1 pint of fruit to 1 pint (or even half a 5th) of vodka.  Standard time for peak fruit flavoring is 5-7 days.  Note: most of our infusions have maintained their flavor for numerable months when stored in the fridge.

Ingredients:

Blackberry Infused Vodka

Strawberry Infused Vodka

Cherry Infused Vodka

Lemon Bitters

Aussie Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters Sparkling Beverage

Cherry Lemonade (used Organic Santa Cruz)

Kiwi

In a shaker add 1 shot blackberry infused vodka, 3/4 shot strawberry infused vodka, 1/4 shot cherry infused vodka, 4 dashes lemon bitters and ice.  Shake to chill.  Add 2 shots Aussie sparkling beverage and 3/4 shot cherry lemonade.  Pour into your favorite "served up" glassware - no need to match - That's so kiki!  Garnish with 2 half-slices of kiwi.  Serve with blackberries, strawberries and cherries.

Music Pairing:  'Let's Have a Kiki!' by Scissor Sisters 

Live Version on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live

Custom Videodrome Discotheque Video Edit Version

Cherry Jackpot: Summer Cocktail Week 7 (Adam & Michelle)

Cherry Jackpot

After a decade of preferring vodka-based drinks I set a goal for myself in 2011 to branch out and acquire a taste for whiskey (it's good to set goals, but not sure I'll bring that one up in an interview).  I ran across an ad for Evan Williams Honey Reserve in Rolling Stone last year and thought it might be a good product to bridge the gap between my desire for a hint of sweet and the bite of whiskey.  A classic Whiskey Sour ended up being the transition drink that won me over to whiskey, but 8 months later I'm glad I finally picked up a bottle of Evan Williams.

The Honey Reserve whiskey liqueur is smooth and velvety with a subtle touch of honey.  I'm excited to try it soon in my usual line-up of whiskey drinks, but decided to start by creating my own martini: Cherry Jackpot!

Ingredients:

Evan Williams Honey Reserve

Bourbon (used Maker's Mark)

Cherries

Simple Syrup

Puree 1-2 dozen pitted, stemmed fresh cherries with simple syrup until smooth.  Add 2 jiggers Honey Reserve, 1 jigger bourbon and 1 teaspoon of cherry puree to a shaker with ice.  Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a fresh cherry.

Note: store the leftover cherry puree in the fridge and enjoy it mixed with pop, club soda or a variety of cocktails.  I tried substituting it for half of the sugar in a mojito and it was awesome!

GINdependence: Summer Cocktail Week 7 (Amie & Bonnie)

GINdependence

Ever since Jose Cuervo released his perfectly premixed Top Shelf Margarita, I very rarely find occasion to bring out the blender.  However, after the simplicity of blending a few fresh ingredients with basic gin, it's earned a special place on the counter at least for the rest of this summer.  This week we were looking for a way to meld relief from our Oregon heat-wave with the 4th of July theme, as well as Adam and Michelle's Week 6 introduction to Orange Bitters.  Hopefully you'll whip up a batch of your own to find that the blended ingredients prove to be a refreshing summer treat and can certainly stand on their own.  I mention this because if, like me, your default opinion is to generally assume whipped cream is superfluous and something you move aside to get to the good stuff, with the GINdependence we have the freedom to open our palates to what whipped cream can offer a beverage.  The crushed ice kept the drink cool enough for the whipped cream to maintain a nice structure while offering a creamy flavor filter to further deliciousize the drink.  The finishing touches that turned this into a festive and refreshing beverage were to Bonnie's credit for sure!

Ingredients:
Strawberries
Raspberries
Lime
Honey
Gin (used Bombay Sapphire)
Orange Bitters
Ice
Mint (optional)

In a blender combine 9 strawberries, 5 raspberries, 7 strong squeezes of lime, 2 squeezes honey, 1 oz gin, 3 drops of orange bitters and 6 ice cubes.  Blend and place in freezer for 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to chill together.

Pour into serving glass, top with whipped cream, a few fresh blueberries and 1 gold sparkler.  While the sparkler is lit offer a toast to the red, white and blue of celebrating our GINdependence!

Freetini: Bonus July 4th Cocktail

Freetini

First and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Amie!  Cheers to another year!

Since our main plans for the 4th of July generally involve relaxing on the patio, soaking up some sun and enjoying a couple cocktails it seems appropriate to come up with a seasonal drink to celebrate the season.  Layered drinks are tough to make and more common in shots, so to capture the red and white and blue I focused more on the non-liquid components.

I'm struggling coming up with a name for this one, so let's go with Freetini but don't be surprised if next time you look at this post it's been replaced with something better.

Ingredients:
Vanilla Vodka
Sparkling Water
Cranberry Juice
Blueberries

Michelle stumbled across a star-shaped ice cube tray at Target in the dollar section and that seemed like the most theme-appropriate choice for this drink but you could use any ice cube tray.  Fill the tray with cranberry juice and freeze overnight.  Add 2 oz of vanilla vodka to a shaker with ice and shake to give it a good chill (if you keep your vodka in the freezer you could skip that step).  Strain into a martini glass and add a splash of sparkling water to taste.  Add a few blueberries (we discovered that frozen berries float and fresh berries sink...at least initially) and a few of the cranberry ice cubes.  Crank up some good tunes and get ready for the fireworks!

Bonus bonus cocktail (not pictured):  add several cranberry ice cubes to a low-ball glass along with a few blueberries.  Pour in a shot of regular vodka, top off with Fresca and give it a stir.  Vodka Fresca is a great standby cocktail on hot days and with the addition of the red and blue makes an easy summer theme drink.

42: Summer Cocktail Week 6 (Amie & Bonnie)

42 coming soon!

Savage Sidecar: Summer Cocktail Week 6 (Adam & Michelle)

Savage Sidecar

With only 3 days between our Week 5 & Week 6 cocktail unveilings the pressure was on this week.  I went back to one of my ongoing favorites, the Boston Sidecar (see May 14th blog post "Awesome Answer to a Manic Monday") to attempt a new variation and I'm pretty excited about the results!

A Sidecar traditionally contains lemon juice.
A Boston Sidecar swaps in lime juice and white rum.
A Savage Sidecar is our new creation that swaps in grapefruit juice and pisco.

Despite being named after our current home town, this is our pisco-themed drink for the summer, not our home town tribute drink.  I'm not normally a big fan of grapefruit juice but it adds an understated brightness to this cocktail and is likely toned down by the three shots of alcohol mixed in with it.  This was also our first attempt at using orange bitters and it turned out to be a really good match for the pisco and highlights the orange flavor of the triple sec.

I normally serve the Boston Sidecar up, but we tried this both up and on the rocks and agreed that over ice was the better choice for the Savage Sidecar.  Of course, our decision might have been swayed by the fact that it's been in the 90's all week.

Ingredients:
Pisco
Brandy
Triple Sec
Fresh Grapefruit
Orange Bitters

In a shaker add equal parts (I generally use a jigger...1.5 oz of each) pisco, brandy, triple sec and fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice along with 2 dashes of orange bitters.  Shake with ice to chill/mix and strain over ice in a glass.  Garnish with a thin strip of peel from the grapefruit and enjoy!

Basil Mantis Apertif & Garden Rasta: Summer Cocktail Week 5 (Amie & Bonnie)

Basil Mantis Apertif & Garden Rasta

This week's theme was inspired by a nifty little garden creature, the praying mantis.  They are so cute (in a completely alien-like way) and make any yard a happier, healthier place to be!  To top-off the thrill of our yearly hatching success, a related internet search offered a new and surprisingly complex mixology ingredient: Chartreuse.

Chartreuse is an herbal liqueur produced by Carthusian monks in the French Alps and the carefully guarded recipe is made from 100+ herbs, plants and flowers.  Green Chartreuse (see also: the yellow variety) has intensely floral and herbal flavors, highlights with hints of cloves, citrus, thyme, rosemary and cinnamon, is 110 proof and is not inexpensive.  As someone who enjoys intense flavors (e.g. drinks espresso over ice), this elixir was enjoyable to sip upon and intriguing as an experiment in exploring the flavors as they rolled along the taste buds.  Muddling in a sprig of basil served to cut the sweetness and really bring focus to the more herbal elements thus resulting in our first beverage, Basil Mantis Aperitif.  To escort this spirit from aperitif to true cocktail, we again muddled fresh basil and added lemonade and Kraken spiced rum which inspired a more refreshing beverage, Garden Rasta.

P.S. Yes, that eccentric architecture is my attempt at paying homage to the Praying Mantis with a vegetable medley garnish (asparagus tips, spinach stem, basil leaf and pea pod precariously held together with many-a-toothpick)!

Ingredients:
Green Chartreuse Herbal Elixir
Kraken Spiced Rum
Lemonade
Basil Leaves

Basil Mantis:
Muddle 2-3 basil leaves in 1-2 oz Chartreuse.  Strain into aperitif serving glass.  Optional: garnish with garden-inspired and edible artistic creation.

Garden Rasta:
Muddle 2-3 basil leaves in 1 oz Chartreuse.  Add 1 oz Kraken spiced rum and 2 oz lemonade.  Shake and pour over ice.  Garnish with basil leaves.

Chartreuse is beautiful in color, strong in spirit, and I look forward to continuing the Chartreuse journey to experience which of its other elements can be brought to the forefront of the mixology experience.

99 Roses: Summer Cocktail Week 5 (Adam & Michelle)

99 Roses

It all started with a most awesome Jack Rose at Marvel Bar in Minneapolis (which is an amateur mixologist's dream--stop in if you ever get a chance and can find it).  My cocktail app had a basic recipe for a Jack Rose with Applejack, lemon juice and grenadine but it was disappointing to say the least compared to Marvel Bar's work of art.  So I set out to create my own variation.

After a couple failed attempts to find Applejack and one disgusting apple-something return to the liquor store I finally settled on 99 Apples.  By the way, our local liquor store will let you return or exchange almost anything as long as the bottle isn't empty--shout out to Marketplace Liquor!  It took a lot of experimenting to find the right balance of 99 Apples (99 proof apple schnapps) to brandy and it all finally came together when we substituted pomegranate liquor for the grenadine--proof again that adding more liquor to liquor is often a winning strategy.  The result is a sophisticated cocktail with a nice depth of flavor: 99 Roses!

Ingredients:

99 Apples

Brandy

Pama (Pomegranate Liquor)

Fresh Lemon Juice

Aromatic Bitters

I started by finding a plastic glass a little skinnier than our low-ball glasses, filling it part way with water, submerging a small cut rose and freezing overnight.  Before mixing your cocktail set the plastic  glass in a bowl of warm water until the ice comes free, then set it in a low-ball glass.  The fancy ice is optional, but it creates a fun and unique effect for this drink.  Add 1/2 oz 99 Apples, 1 oz Brandy, 1/2 oz Pama, a dash of bitters and juice from half a lemon to a shaker with ice.  Shake briefly to mix and strain into the low-ball glass.

Caramel Apple Martini: Monday Martini

Caramel Apple Martini

We've been busy getting ready for Summer Cocktail Week 5, but in the process of researching stumbled across a recipe that turned into a marvelous Monday martini: Caramel Apple Martini.  The proportion of vodka really cuts the sweetness, although there is still a distinctive caramel apple flavor.  This drink would pair perfectly with fall football and chex mix (is it reverse alliteration when two words end with the same letter?).  I love the clear amber color, but can't figure out what would make a good garnish.

Ingredients:

99 Apples

Vodka (used Absolut)

Kahlua

Butterscotch Schnapps

Chill a martini glass with ice.  In a shaker combine 1 ounce 99 Apples, 2 ounces vodka, 1/2 ounce Kahlua, 1/4 ounce butterscotch schnapps.  Add the ice from your chilled glass and shake well.  Strain into the martini glass and enjoy!

Ka-Cinna Slide: Summer Cocktail Week 4 (Adam & Michelle)

Ka-Cinna Slide

Special thanks this week to my mom and dad who were visiting over the weekend and inspired this week's cocktail.  It's clear where Amie and I received our passion for a good drink...followed by another good drink!  One of their favorite desserts / cocktails / it's-okay-to-enjoy-between-meals-during-lent-if-you-can-get-it-through-a-straw treats is a Kahlua Supreme, which is simply Kahlua blended with vanilla ice cream.  That seemed like a good base for our dessert-themed beverage, which got kicked up two notches with the addition of two more liqueurs.  See the bonus cocktail below for the other half of the inspiration used to create the Ka-Cinna Slide.

Ingredients:
Vanilla Ice Cream
Kahlua
Irish Cream (used Merry's but Bailey's is good, too)
Cinnamon Schnapps (used After Shock)
Chocolate Syrup
Cherry (optional garnish)

Ka-Cinna Slide:  Drizzle chocolate syrup on the inside of a martini glass.  Add 2 big scoops of vanilla ice cream, 1 jigger of Kahlua, 1 jigger of Merry's, 1/4 jigger of After Shock to blender.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into prepped martini glass and garnish on the rim with a cherry.

Bonus Cocktail (after drinking two Ka-Cinna Slides tonight I can't decide if the official name of this shot is offensive or not so it'll remain nameless for now): shake equal parts Kahlua and After Shock in a shaker and strain into a small glass of ice.  Garnish with a cherry and enjoy!

U-Haul / Ode to Moving: Summer Cocktail Week 4 (Amie & Bonnie)

U-Haul / Ode to Moving

After a weekend of U-Haul boxes, spackle and cleaning supplies, nothing hits the spot like traditional pizza and beer!  So in honor of Bonnie's successful moving adventure it seemed apropos to pack a beer-related theme this week.  Other than using Guinness as a base for Bloody Marys and in the St. Patty's Day chugger, Irish Car Bomb, I really had no context for the notion of a beer cocktail.  Experiments were as bad as good as they were bad and in the end we found that, just like pizza, some prefer spicy pep and others a tangy blend.  We also found that a medium-bodied, creamy and smooth stout consistently provided both the solid structure and flavor to usher this beer cocktailing experience to refreshing success.

Ingredients:
Oatmeal Stout (used Ninkasi, locally brewed here in Eugene)
Strawberry-infused Vodka (see Adam & Michelle's Cocktail Week 3 for infusion details but use plain vodka and strawberries)
Dark Spiced Rum (used Kraken)
Jalapeno Pepper, chopped

U-Haul:  Pour cold beer into your favorite beer glass or mug (we used the occasion as an excuse to break out the 20oz Pilsner glasses).  Add 2 ounces strawberry-infused vodka (chilled is ideal).  Stir and enjoy!

Ode to Moving:  Pour cold beer into your favorite beer glass or mug.  Pour 2 ounces spiced rum into a small dish (if this weren't a beer theme I'd suggest a souffle cup).  Add 1-2 tsp chopped jalapeno, with or without seeds, depending on preference.  Muddle the jalapeno into the rum (we used the bottom of a shot glass).  Strain, add to beer, stir and enjoy!

Song Pairing:  Who knew there was such a perfect song, complete with music video pairing, to depict the weekend's activities?!?  Warning: not for the meek or humor-challenged.

UHAUL Song Pairing

Old Fashioned: Happy B Day!

Old Fashioned

That's right...Happy Bourbon Day!  Thank you to Michelle for the friendly reminder that today is indeed National Bourbon Day.  Check out the CNN article linked below for just the right amount of history.  What a great excuse to open my new bottle of Maker's Mark and branch out to something new--an Old Fashioned.  In the spirit of stepping outside my comfort zone, you'll notice the measure of all the ingredients is unusually vague which kills me just a little bit but makes this drink easy to customize to your own taste.
Eatocracy Article

Ingredients:
Bourbon (used Maker's Mark)
Simple Syrup
Bitters (used Angostura)
Lemon Peel

Add a splash of simple syrup, a dash of bitters and a couple ounces of bourbon to a low-ball glass.  Give it a swirl to mix.  The colder the better with most of my drinks so I added a handful of ice, although that's optional.  Strip a thin slice of peel from a lemon, twist it over the drink and drop in.  I also added an optional splash of cold water.  While I normally enjoy drinks with a little more sweetness or citrus, I won't have a problem finishing this off and can see a second in the not too distant future!