Hummingbird Cocktail: Summer Cocktail Week 3 (Amie & Bonnie)

Hummingbird Cocktail

Today we're picking-up our friend Lily from the airport.  Planning for her arrival inspired us into our flower-theme pairing and this week's cocktail: Hummingbird.  Since we knew we'd be imbibing early in the day, it seemed the perfect opportunity to use one of our favorite Cavas, a 2007 Brut Juve y Camps Reserva de la Familia, a sparkling wine from Spain.  With this in mind we also braved a new infusion: garden-fresh rose petals into an already-flavored vanilla vodka.  Since you can't very well have a breakfast drink without a sweet treat, we baked-up a batch of cinnamon rolls and integrated our infusion into the glaze.  While the basic infusion worked in bringing out the essence of the rose, it is worth noting that we tried a last-minute petal muddling which was not nearly as successful.

Ingredients for Infusion:
2 ounces Vanilla Vodka (used Absolut)
1 head of a garden-fresh and fragrant rose

Loosen the petals from the rose base, place in a small jar, add vodka, cover tightly and shake daily for 5 days.

Ingredients for Hummingbird Cocktail:
Honey
Hummingbird Vodka Infusion
Cava Sparkling Wine

Drizzle martini glass with honey.  Add 1 ounce of the infused vodka and 2 ounces of the sparkling wine.  Swirl lightly to blend.

Hummingbird Biscuits:

Unroll 1 roll of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough (used Pillsbury Classic).  Cut into various shapes for fashioning your flower-themed artistry.  Bake per directions, but note that different shapes bake at different rates.  For the icing combine the Hummingbird infusion with powdered sugar and a few drops of honey and stir to desired consistency.  After the rolls are cool drizzle lightly with glaze and enjoy!

I'll Have Another: Summer Cocktail Week 3 (Adam & Michelle)

I'll Have Another

There are so many good, fresh ingredients to infuse with vodka throughout the summer that I knew it would play a prominent theme in many Summer Cocktail drinks.  I was super excited to drink the finished product the whole time it was infusing and the end result might be one of my finest creations to date.  The name for our drink, "I'll Have Another" is obviously inspired in part by the Triple Crown hopeful horse, but also inspired by the fact that it's nearly impossible to drink only one of these.

Ingredients for Infusion:

Vanilla Flavored Vodka (used Stoli Vanil)

Strawberries

Fresh Mint

Lemon

Cut the stems off the strawberries, cut into quarters and fill a jar that will seal air-tight.  I used two pints of strawberries for about half liter of vodka.  Pour vodka in the jar until the strawberries are covered.  Let sit at room-temperature for 3-4 days.  Add 10-15 fresh mint leaves along with the freshly-grated zest of one lemon to the jar and stir.  Let sit for an additional 3-4 days.  I stirred it a couple times during that period, but that probably isn't necessary.  Pour the infusion through a fine strainer into a bottle, smashing the strawberries with a fork to get all the liquid out.  I ran it through a strainer a couple times to get most of the sediment out.  Cover and chill the vodka until ready to use.  WARNING: the first time I infused vodka with strawberries and was straining it I thought "Cool--fruit soaked in vodka!  I'll eat the fruit and it will be just like college!"  Umm...no.  Infusing the strawberries for a week sucks all the flavor and color out of the fruit and into the vodka, leaving a white and not great tasting ex-berry.

Ingredients for I'll Have Another:

1 big shot of infused vodka (see above)

Sparkling Water (used plain flavored H2O)

Mint Sprig

Add a big shot of the infused vodka to a low-ball glass over ice.  Top off with sparkling water and garnish with a mint sprig.  The mint sprig should be on top of the ice so when you take a drink you get the smell of mint, which brings out the flavor.  That is the same idea as in a Mint Julep (traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby), which makes it a winning strategy for I'll Have Another.

Bonus Cocktail:  We've only just begun experimenting with what is a versatile infusion.  As a follow-up we made a slightly sweeter martini version, which we'll call "Maybe One More."  Chill your martini glass with ice.  In a shaker add 1 shot of infused vodka, 1 shot of triple sec, 1 shot of lemonade and some mint.  Add the ice from your glass, shake, strain and garnish with a lime wedge.

Kracken Up: Summer Cocktail Week 2 (Amie & Bonnie)

Kracken Up

Our concerto of flavors this week features a variety of rum notes and offers Kraken as the main event.  Kraken is a smooth, yet strong black spiced rum with flavor that both stands tall and blends super well.  If I were a bettin' gal I'd bet Kraken makes more appearances this summer than any other item in our cabinet.  We also attempted a rum infusion this week.  Having never infused anything other than vodka, it was a true experiment in terms of ingredients and timing.  I would call in a success in the sense that it worked well for the cocktail, and would add that it deserves further experimenting all around.

Ingredients for Infusion:
8 ounces silver/light rum (used Bacardi white)
40 organic sweet cherries, pitted
1 D'Anjou pear, sliced and quartered
1 Navel orange, sliced, rind left intact (this allows easy squeezing later on)

The strategy for this infusion was along the lines of a Sangria feel.  Instead of a bottle, we used a Tupperware-type bowl for the fruit to be able to soak and dance along the surface of the rum for 3 days.   As these are all subtle-flavored fruits, 5 days might have emboldened the flavor, but the evolving consistency of the pear was an unknown contributor this time around.  On another note, the Pisco adds a lovely salty undertone that lent itself well in creating the snack plate.

Ingredients for Kracken Up:
2 shots Rum Sangria infusion (see above)
1 shot Kraken black spiced rum
1/2 shot Pisco
2-3 shots sparkling soda water depending on preference

Shake with ice, pour over ice and garnish with an orange slice and 1-2 cherries.  Enjoy!

Ingredients for Kracken Snack Plate:
4 ounces plan Chevre goat cheese
4 cap-fulls (approx 2/3 ounce) Kraken black spiced rum
1 ounce dried cranberries
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix ingredients in a bowl and serve with your favorite crackers.  We used Wheat Thins.  Pistachios were a crackin' good addition to this pairing, both in keeping with the theme as well as providing salty deliciousness.

Kraken Song Pairing:
"The Rum Diary" (from the soundtrack), favorite version is the live performances and mix by Christopher Young and The Neon Popsicles.  The instrument blend is so fun you'll find yourself socializing and sashaying all over your patio wondering if the orchestra takes requests.

Electric Sunburn: Summer Cocktail Week 2 (Adam & Michelle)

Electric Sunburn

This week's cocktail was inspired by a recent BSET (Best Song Ever Today: not necessarily your favorite song ever, but the song you're super excited to hear in the car today).  When I heard Wires by Matt & Kim I knew it would make a great song pairing for a new cocktail, and so the 'Electric Sunburn' was born.  The song is like popping sparks and electric energy and we wanted the drink to inspire the same feeling.  The combination of lemon and cinnamon flavors add a lively energy to the bubbly and I'm pretty sure it's obvious what makes it pop.  I promise this is the loudest cocktail you'll ever drink, with or without Wires playing in the background!

Ingredients:

Sparkling Wine (used Korbel Brut)

After Shock

Lemon

Pop Rocks (used Strawberry flavored)

Add 1/2 tablespoon of chilled After Shock (store it in the freezer) and 1/4 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to a champagne flute.  Fill the flute with sparkling wine.  Add a dash of Pop Rocks directly to the drink.  ***As an alternative we tried coating the rim of the glass with Pop Rocks by wiping the rim with a lemon wedge and rolling in Pop Rocks.  It looked cool, but pretty quickly crusted to the glass so wasn't my favorite option.  I liked adding them directly to the drink better as it created a really unique look and sound.

Friday Fine

I stopped at the liquor store yesterday completely sober and still managed to go on an accidental shopping spree.  Among the handful of new items I purchased was Pama, pomegranate liqueur.  I look forward to getting creative with this and I already have something in mind for a "summer cocktail" later in June featuring it, but in the meantime just tried one of the recommended recipes.  It's a pretty basic mix with the potential for improvement, but is a very tasty Friday night patio beverage that goes together fast.

Ingredients:
Pama
Sparkling Water (used H2O)
Lemon

In a low-ball glass over ice mix 2 jiggers Pama, 1 jigger sparkling water and a lemon wedge.  Stir to blend and enjoy!

Mary Bloody Murphy, Lil' C & Tyce Diorio: Summer Cocktail Week 1 (Amie & Bonnie)

For our SYTYCD theme week creation we were originally inspired by the cocktail potential of the double entendre (to be pronounced in Nigel Lythgoe's voice) "Mary Bloody Murphy!" and thus began our *Hot Tamale Train* week of brainstorming. Our beverages all use Hot Tamale infused vodka, are presented in shot-glass format, and are inspired by three of the judges from this week's SYTYCD premier show: Mary Murphy, Lil' C and Tyce Diorio.

Two helpful hints if you decide to try this project at home. First, the mini shaker was invaluable. Not only does it provide a well-sized utensil for shaking experimental concoctions, but the top of the shaker is a mini-measurer (3.5 of these will fill a standard shot glass). When the recipes call for "1 part x" know that the lid of the mini-shaker was used (pictured sitting on top of the box of Hot Tamales). Second, although some infusions become better over time, the cinnamon flavor of the vodka is mature at 2-3 days and by day 4 the candies begin to lose their structure. Thus we strongly recommend straining the infused vodka into another bottle sooner than you might for other infusion projects.

Ingredients:

Hot Tamales (1 large box)

1 bottle of vodka, 750ml (Absolut used)

Remove 5-6 shots from the full bottle of vodka to allow room for the entire box of Hot Tamales to be poured in. Shake occasionally over the course of 2-3 days. 

Mary Bloody Murphy

2 parts HT vodka

1 part V8 juice

7-8 drops Lea & Perrins

4 drops Tabasco

1 healthy squeeze of grapefruit (this addition nicely bridges the varying palates of the sweetness and tomato)

Lil' C

2 parts HT Vodka

1 part Patron Citronge Orange Liqueur

1 part freshly-squeezed orange juice

1 healthy squeeze of lime (approx. 1/4 part)

1 drop Angostura Bitters

Tyce Diorio

1 part + another dash HT Vodka

1 part Chocolate liqueur (Godiva Dark Chocolate used)

1/2 part Chocolate vodka (Godiva used)

Mighty Mango Tango: Summer Cocktail Week 1 (Adam & Michelle)

Mighty Mango Tango (and Mango Tango Shooters)

Music Pairing: Objection (Tango) by Shakira

Dance Genre Pairing for SYTYCD: Tango

We kept the drink simple for week 1 but I think it's a perfect fit for the SYTYCD theme.  Our "Mighty Mango Tango" is a great mango margarita but you could make lots of small changes to adjust this drink to your own tastes.  Some things we didn't do that you could try would be the addition of Triple Sec or 151, a little spice sprinkled on top to balance the fruit, swap out the fresh mango for other fresh fruit, etc.  One thing we DID do was make a bonus drink out of the same ingredients.  If you're buying mangos and limes we figured we should help you use them up!  The bonus drink is a "Mango Tango Shooter."  This one is really simple--to make 2 shooters simple blend 2 ounces of tequila, 1/4 of a cleaned fresh mango and the juice from half a lime until smooth and divide between 2 double shot glasses.  I highly recommend chilling all of the ingredients before blending to maximize deliciousness.

Ingredients (makes 2 drinks):

Mighty Mango Tango 'Naked' Smoothie

Mango

Lime

Tequila (used 1800 Silver)

Frozen Raspberry (optional garnish)

Ice

Peel and clean the mango.  Add 1/2 of the mango to a blender along with juice from half a lime, 2 jiggers of tequila, 6 ounces of the 'Naked' smoothie and a pint glass of ice.  Blend on low 10 seconds, then on high 10 seconds.  Divide between two stemmed glasses and garnish each with a frozen raspberry.

Might Mango Tango

Mango Tango Shooters

Saturday Smoke ('Summer Cocktails' kicks off Sunday!)

Smokey Smash

Do you feel like making something super simple with stuff already in your fridge?  If so, please scroll down to a different recipe as this is the opposite.  I generally don't care for drinks (or food) with smokey flavor in them but this one just has a subtle hint from the bourbon and is balanced by a unique mix of ingredients.  I saw them make this on Drink Up (which is an awesome show for cocktail enthusiasts) and it just took a couple tries to get the proportions right.  They recommended pairing it with grilled meats, which is good but I'd say any warm evening on the patio will pair nicely with a Smokey Smash.

Ingredients:

Red Bell Pepper

Green Bell Pepper

Lemon

Bourbon (used Maker's Mark)

Pineapple Juice

Maple Syrup

Ginger Ale (used Diet Schweppes)

Muddle 2 strips red pepper, 2 strips green pepper and 2 lemon wheels in the bottom of a shaker.  Add ice--I like to fill the glass I'm going to drink from with ice and then pour into the shaker so I get just enough.  Add 1 jigger bourbon, 1/2 ounce pineapple juice and about 1 teaspoon of maple syrup.  Cover and shake well for at least 20 seconds.  Pour (don't strain) into a low-ball glass.  Top off with ginger ale.

Irish It Up

Big Ginger

Patrons of most Twin Cities pubs have at least heard of a Big Ginger.  They used to be made with Jameson whiskey until the owner of most of the local pubs created his own 2 Gingers whiskey, which has now become the more traditional key ingredient at the bars.  While I like the 2 Gingers, I happen to have Jameson on hand and enjoy it at least as much.  I've made a couple small tweaks to the drink, but think it rivals any Big Ginger you can get elsewhere in town!

Ingredients:

Irish Whiskey (Jameson used)

Lemon

Ginger Ale (Diet Schweppes used)

Honey (optional)

Fill a low-ball glass with ice.  Add 1 jigger of whiskey and the juice from about 1/3rd of a lemon.  I add a small touch of honey (1/4 teaspoon?) to balance out the lemon juice.  Stir until combined and top off with ginger ale.  Garnish with a half slice of lemon.

Side notes: I used to make this in a high-ball glass but as my taste for whiskey has developed I like it a little stronger.  If you are so-so on whiskey try this in a high-ball glass, which basically just waters it down with more ginger ale.  Also, I just tried an extremely tasty martini version of this drink at Doolittles recently and will likely try my hand at that sometime during the Summer of Cocktails!

5 Days & Counting!

Only 5 days until the first cocktails of Summer Cocktail 2012 are revealed.  Here are the theme weeks we'll be choosing from throughout the summer, along with some "side notes" which sounds more cocktail-friendly than "rules."

Summer Cocktail 2012

Memorial Day through Labor Day

Themes to Chose From

100+ Proof

3 Ingredient Cocktail

Beer Cocktails

Dessert

Fresh Fruit

Gin 

Herbs

Infused Vodka

Pisco

Rum

Shot/Shooter

SYTYCD Theme

Tequila

Tribute to Our City

Whiskey/Scotch/Bourbon

Wine Cocktails

Side Notes

4 weeks should have a music pairing

2 weeks should have bitters

2 weeks should contain a lime

1 week should have an appetizer or snack pairing

1 week should have a secret/unusual ingredient

Each cocktail should be accompanied by a recipe and photo