(Re) Union

A few days ago I had the good fortune to spend time with family members I haven't seen in awhile and met some new ones for the first time.  Those of us that live far away from the rest of our clans aren't able to be a part of each others daily life, so the chance to gather in one place for a few hours is extra special.

We had a lovely afternoon sharing food and stories, laughing and catching up with each other.  At times we are all so busy in the day-to-day that we fail to take a few minutes to just say "hi" to people we care about.
It was a chance for all of us to do just that and make a few more connections on Facebook, of course!

Connecting over food is a common experience for everyone on every continent, of every color and every religion.  It is good for us to acknowledge the commonality that ties us all together instead of focusing on the differences that fracture us.   Food is definitely one of those common denominators   It is an integral part of almost every celebration from birthdays to weddings, holidays, family gatherings, get-togethers with friends, etc.

And if you happen to be like most of us, where there's food, there's drink!  One thing I leaned about the guys in my family this weekend is their shared feelings toward bourbon.  They like it.  So, combining fall flavors with a little bourbon was the goal and I think I may have become a convert.


Hard-Pressed

• 1 1/2 ozs bourbon (I used Bulleit)
• 3 ozs fresh-pressed apple cider (or best quality store bought)
• dash fresh nutmeg
• ice 

• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• dash cinnamon
• dash nutmeg

Mix last 4 ingredients together, place on a small saucer and set aside.
Wet the outside rim of a glass and dip into sugar mixture to coat.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a shaker and shake for 30 seconds, pour into prepared glass. Imbibe.

I'll have what she's having...

I'm not really sure why,  but when I think of strawberry daiquiris, I think of the 80's.   Things like parachute pants and rubber bracelets,  big hair and Duran Duran.  Considering I was barely a "tween" in the mid-80's and not yet the cocktail connoisseur I am today, there really is no basis for this. 

But, here's the thing... no one seems to tip back fruity drinks with little umbrellas anymore, everything is a "skinny" something or another now.  Not that there's anything wrong with watching your caloric intake, but sometimes a girl needs a drink.  A proper drink- made in a blender, served in a pretty glass with a little garnish.

I'm sure most of us can't even remember the last time we had one (unless of course that's because you had MANY), which is a shame because it really is one of those great summer drinks.
Well, I intend on bringing this little libation that could back into the spotlight.

If you've never had a strawberry daiquiri made from actual strawberries, then you are in for a treat.  The drinks made from that bottle of  chemical-laden red stuff can not begin to compare with one made from fresh ingredients.  The sweet fragrance of ripe strawberries filling your kitchen is enough to start your mouth salivating.

There will be no sickly sweet, artificially flavored mixes that are a most unnatural and slightly unnerving shade of red.  Just berries, rum, some sugar & a splash of lime juice blended with some ice & you are well on your way to one of the best things you can put in a glass.

It is summer so get some local berries and throw them in the blender, saunter out to the porch/patio/deck, put your feet up and put on some of your best 80's tunes...

Strawberry Daiquiri

• 4 cups strawberries, hulled & halved
• 1 cup white rum
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup simple syrup
• 1 cup crushed ice

- Throw everything into the blender & let it rip... 
If you like your drinks a little "slushier" (yes, that's a word now) add in another 1/2 cup or so of ice.


Cheers!

My Lost Shaker of Salt...

Vacation.  Just the word alone makes us feel lighter, happier and less stressed.  Why is it that we allow ourselves things on vacation we rarely would otherwise?

We indulge in foods we normally deprive ourselves of, we sleep late, we are a little more laid back and allow ourselves a few adult beverages with colorful umbrellas peeking out of them or in my case, a salted rim.

Coming back to reality from vacation is rarely a pleasure, but what I'm trying to learn is how to have a "vacation" frame of mind even when I can't get away.

Not that I'll be quitting my job and spending my days on a beach, as lovely as that sounds, but trying to allow myself a bit more leeway when it comes to certain things.

We tend to get so caught up in our everyday stresses that sometimes it feels as if life is passing us by while we are paying bills, cleaning the house, doing laundry, cooking dinner, washing clothes, doing yard work, etc.

Perhaps it is because I'm getting older and realizing that the dishes can wait until tomorrow once in a while or the laundry isn't going anywhere.  I am going to try to be less rigid with the demands I make upon myself in hopes that even when I'm stuck at work and have no hope of feeling the sun on my face or the sand beneath my toes that I can still close my eyes, taste the salted rim of my margarita glass and have a vacation frame of mind...
 

 
My Girl Margarita
 makes 2

• 2 1/2 - 3 oz good quality tequila
• 2 oz triple sec or Grand Marnier
• 3 oz freshly squeezed lime juice (save a lime to wet the rim of the glass after you've juiced it)
• kosher salt
• ice cubes

1. Fill a small saucer with kosher salt.  Just deep enough to coat the rim of the glass.
2. Run the lime around the edge of the glass then dip in salt.
3. Combine tequila, triple sec/Grand Marnier, lime juice and ice in a stainless steel cocktail shaker and shake (vigorously) for 5 - 10 seconds.
4. Pour evenly into 2 glasses.  Salud!

L is for Libation

With Valentine's Day upon us,  I wanted to do a special drink for those of us who will not be amongst the throngs of people in crowded restaurants with overpriced dinners and less than stellar prix fixe menus.

I had been given a jar of  hibiscus flowers in syrup as a sample at a food show and I've been dying to try them out in something,  but I needed to exercise restraint and wait for just the right thing...  Well friends, today is the day!

So bring home a bottle of bubbly, some flowers and kick back with the one you love... sipping champagne with a lovely flower dancing in the bottom of your glass.


LOVE-ly Libation

• 4 hibiscus flowers in syrup
• 1 shot hibiscus syrup
• 1 shot Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
• rose champagne

1. Drop 2 flowers in the bottom of each champagne flute.  Evenly divide Chambord and syrup between the two glasses.

2.  Top with champagne.

Happy Valentine's Day

Catching Snowflakes On My Tongue...

As I write this,  I'm looking through my living room window watching the snowflakes swirl about in the gray sky. 
Normally, this would elicit a groan from me but I feel I cannot begrudge Mother Nature a few flakes...  it IS January after all and we've had more than our fair share of unseasonably warm temperatures.

Catching snowflakes on your tongue is something we all did as kids,  but THIS kind of snowflake is much tastier.

A few years ago, I was trying to come up with an idea for a drink that tasted more like dessert than a cocktail.   I did, and it was dubbed "The Snowflake" but then...  marshmallow vodka came on the scene and I became obsessed with somehow incorporating this into the drink.  So, I've slightly modified it from it's original version and made it more of a cocktail.

So... with the mercury falling and colder temperatures setting in, it seems a fitting time to break out the shaker and start making a few drinks.

 Snowflake
  makes 1

• 1 shot (Smirnoff) marshmallow vodka
• 1 shot vanilla vodka
• 1/3 shot Kahlua
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• cinnamon sugar (for rim)
• crushed ice

1. Wet the rim of the glass and dip in cinnamon sugar.
2. Combine all other ingredients in shaker and shake vigorously.
3. Pour & imbibe.

Be forewarned, this drink is high octane...  if you would like to mellow it out a touch, I suggest a splash of cream to give it more body and take the edge off a bit.
* if you are not a fan of Kahlua, Bailey's also works but will obviously change the taste of the drink.

Thai One On... Again (and once more after that).

I am starting to think I missed my calling as a mixologist...   I enjoy coming up with new drinks and playing around with flavors to see what the end result is and there is no pressure to get it right because I'm just having fun.  Luckily there have been no casualties as of yet and surprisingly no bad drinks either.
The "Thai One On" post featured the flavors of Thailand and I adore those flavors.  They are complex yet so clean and they hit every part of your palate.  I thought  "Why not make a drink with that flavor profile?"

So I started thinking of what goes together and what flavors I enjoy...   It is fairly straight forward, nothing too complicated,  yet unusual.

This is a drink I plan to break out when I want to impress. It is light and goes down quite easily... perhaps a little too easily.

Ginger Lemon Fizz

First thing is to start with the simple syrup:

• 1 whole piece lemongrass,  cut into 4 
• 10 quarter-sized slices of ginger
• 4 leaves fresh basil
• 1  1/2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar

(I used the thinnest piece of the lemongrass as a straw.  Waste not, want not and it looks cool. To do that, peel the outside layer of the thin part of the top off to make a straw BEFORE you bruise the lemongrass)

With the BACK of the knife blade, bruise the lemongrass pieces. They should be slightly beat up, not pulverized.
To take the skin off of the ginger, use a spoon and scrape down.  The skin will come right off.

Once your lemongrass & ginger are ready to go, put everything in a small pot and bring to a simmer,  then shut off the heat & let it steep for 15 - 20 minutes.  Strain and chill the syrup.

Use a lemon to wet the rim of your glass and dip it in sugar.   Fill the glass with crushed ice & add:

• 2 shots limoncello
• 2 shots simple syrup
• 1 shot lemon seltzer

These last few days have been so warm again that I wanted something frozen.  I am NOT a frozen drink kind of girl but sometimes you just have to have one.  I had plenty of the simple syrup left from the drink above, so I decided to make this one a 2-fer.

A colleague gave me a bottle of Pama and I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do with it and like I said before,  making drinks is just fun for me so I decided to throw it in with the syrup & limoncello and a STAR was born.   This drink is soooo good I may have to re-think my stance on frozen drinks.

Lemon Pomarita

• 2 cups crushed ice
• 2 shots limoncello
• 2 shots pomegranate liqueur
• 2-3 shots of simple syrup

Blend on highest speed for about a minute until smooth. 

Lemon Pomarita

Get this Girl a Drink.

Summertime is for enjoying time outside with friends and family, both of which are on their way to stay with me at this very moment.  To get the festivities underway, I've made a Summer Sangria.  It's light & fruity without being overly sweet.

It is quick & easy to make and because it's made by the pitcher you aren't stuck making drinks all night for your guests.

This sangria goes well with any BBQ food, try it the next time you find yourself outside with the people you love.



Summer Sangria

• 1 bottle white wine  (I like Pinot Grigio or a white Rioja, but use whatever is on hand)
• 1/2 liter seltzer
• 3/4 can peach nectar (11.5 fl oz)
• 1 cup simple syrup
• 1 peach, cut into chunks
• 2 plums, cut into chunks

1. For the simple syrup, combine 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar.  Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Cool.
2. Combine the rest of your ingredients in a pitcher, give it a good stir and refrigerate.
3. Cheers!

Cocktails Anyone?

If you are anything like most of the people I know, you enjoy the occasional libation... I bought a watermelon a few days ago and my first thought aside from devouring that ice cold coral flesh (with a little sprinkle of kosher salt) was cocktails!  A watermelon mojito is the perfect thing to have in hand when it is blazing hot outside.   It is fruity, light and refreshing.

For my watermelon mojito I use a watermelon rum,  but if you can't find that just use a plain light rum or experiment with whatever sounds good to you. (Bacardi makes a red peach rum or a dragonfruit rum that would be delicious).
What's the worst thing that can happen?  If you don't like it, pour it out and crack open a beer...

The inspiration for the drink came from a recipe for Watermelon Daquiris by the Domestic Goddess herself, Nigella Lawson.

Watermelon Mojito
Start with the simple syrup:
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup water
2 fat sprigs of mint

-Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot until the sugar is completely dissolved.  remove from heat and let it steep for 15 minutes.  Remove mint leaves and chill in refrigerator.

12 - 2 inch cubes of watermelon, frozen
1/2 cup rum (flavored or light)
1/4 cup mint simple syrup (more or less to suit your taste)
half a sprig of mint, leaves roughly torn
juice of half a lime

Put everything in the blender & whirl into frothy pink perfection.

A few suggestions for watermelon bites to go with your pretty pink drink:
-watermelon with feta cheese
-watermelon cubes with a drop of aged balsamic vinegar (NOT the stuff from the grocery store. This is the thick, sweet, syrupy stuff in a tiny glass bottle that'll set you back a few pennies)
-watermelon, proscuitto & basil
-watermelon, tomato & basil

Happy Summer Days!