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Category: Cocktails
Tonight’s cocktail comes from playing with the prosecco I used in the Tortellini with Prosciutto, Green Beans, and Red Pepper dish. I paired the dry prosecco with the flowery, unique St. Germain, and a squeeze of lemon juice to produce a delicious drink. Adding a splash of club soda lightened the drink and increased the ‘fizz factor’ nicely. Perfect with the meal above or just for relaxing on a spring day, you should give this drink a try. Of course, I also urge you to play with the ingredients to suit your own unique tastes! Save Print St. Germain Spritz Prep time: 10 mins Total time: 10 mins Serves: 1 Ingredients 1 part St. Germain elderflower liqueur 3 parts dry…
Tonight’s cocktail includes some of my favorite ingredients – agave nectar, blood oranges, tequila, and Tuaca. What’s Tuaca you ask? Tuaca is a deliciously sweet Italian vanilla citrus liqueur. I bet that description just captured your attention! This lovely citrus vanilla liqueur blends so well with a clean silver tequila and fresh citrus (lime, lemon, and blood orange) that I cannot believe I never tried this cocktail before. Well, I will make amends for that oversight… this smooth margarita will be added to my regular rotation. Give it a chance, I think you will agree! Save Print Herradura Italian Margarita Prep time: 10 mins Total time: 10 mins Serves: 1 Ingredients 1½ oz Herradura Silver Tequila 1½…
Tonight’s cocktail is related to the recently posted Boulevardier. Traditionally, the Negroni is made with gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. This variation with blanco tequila, Campari and sweet vermouth is a tasty concoction. The Campari adds a citrus-like bitter, the sweet vermouth adds a refined sweetness (of course) and the tequila brings it’s unique agave flavor. Adding a garnish of orange increases the citrus and sweetness – a nice addition which I decided to increase with some Grand Imperial. Ahhh… the bitterness tempered; the sweetness subtle; and the agave bite tamed. Give this one a try… just watch out for the tequila sneaking up on you! Save Print Tequila Negroni Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves…
Tonight’s cocktail is a notoriously sweet concoction when typically made. But I found Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s acclaimed recipe and his tweak makes sense – and creates a more balanced amaretto sour. The addition of higher proof bourbon whiskey cuts the sweetness of the amaretto while fresh lemon and lime juice with simple syrup build the sour in this cocktail. I tweaked Jeffrey’s recipe a bit – dropping the egg white, adding lime juice and increasing the bourbon slightly. The results are sweet, sour, and flavorful – not the typical cloyingly sweet, but balanced and nuanced. Give it a try, it is a twisted whiskey sour you’ll enjoy. Save Print Amaretto Sour Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins…
Wow… it is Friday. It is the last day of March. The sun is shining and we had a beautiful Spring day in the Pacific Northwest. Now it is cocktail time and I am seeking something robust and interesting. I think a Boulevardier will fit the bill nicely. Rye Whiskey paired with sweet vermouth and Campari makes a simple, clean, yet robust and flavorful drink – a little spice from the rye, a little sweet from the vermouth and a little bitter from the Campari. This cocktail is a cousin to the Negroni (which is made with gin instead of whiskey) and Manhattan (which is whiskey and sweet vermouth). Since I like Manhattans, upgrading to a Boulevardier was an easy jump. Are you ready to jump up…
Tonight’s cocktail is another tequila based tipple – the Tequila Old Fashioned. Simple to make and easy to drink, this cocktail is muddled orange slices, agave nectar, Grand imperial, and tequila – preferably a reposado or anejo tequila for maximum flavor. The reposado and anejo tequilas will most closely match up with the whiskey in an original Old Fashioned, so you will be rewarded by using a good tequila (my favorite – Herradura Anejo). This cocktail can be made with any oranges, but think of the stunning color and flavor a blood orange would bring to this drink. I had Cara Cara oranges, so I used one of them – the flavor was wonderful. So let’s enjoy our favorite south of the border liquor…
Tonight’s cocktail is the James Bond inspired Vesper. This cocktail was first described in the book Casino Royale as 3 parts Gordon’s Gin, 1 part vodka, 1/2 part Kina Lillet – shaken until it is very cold before serving in a deep champagne goblet (i.e. a coupe glass) with a large lemon peel added. I am going to make this cocktail close to the above recipe – but as you now know how I am – I just have to play with it. I have 3 gins here: Tanqueray No. 10, Bombay Sapphire, and Citadelle to play with. The flavor profiles for these 3 gins are very distinct and will produce very different drinks. I also plan to make a slight change…
Well, I jinxed myself. I was thinking last Sunday that I had gone through this whole winter without having been sick once. No flu. No cold. No sniffles, sneezing, coughing, or runny nose. I was feeling glorious… until Tuesday evening when my throat felt raw, the sneezing began, and that was the beginning of the end. But this unfortunate malady makes this week’s Friday cocktail all the more relevant. One tinted with the fond memories of childhood. Yes, I said it. We were given hot toddies as children when we were sick. So what’s the big deal? It worked to help us feel better and get better. And tonight, this drink is on deck because I need it. It’s a double…
Tonight’s cocktail is a variation of Jessica Torres‘ Twist of Fate at the blog OneMartini – a wonderful cocktail pairing blood orange and rye. My tweak was to start with a basic Manhattan (rye and sweet vermouth) and substitute some of the vermouth with Aperol and blood orange juice. The result is a dusky hued drink with spicy, sweet, citrus, and herbal flavors with a most pleasing fragrance. So let’s take advantage of blood orange season and make a cocktail or two with this delicious fruit. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the unique flavor it brings to the party. And thanks for the inspiration Jessica! Save Print Twist of Fate Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins…
Hoooray! It’s Friday and that means a new cocktail post! Tonight I wanted to showcase a French liqueur, St. Germain. St. Germain is an elderflower liqueur which has a pronounced floral fragrance and tasting notes. Combined with a reliable blended scotch, the flavors are robust and nuanced all at the same time and very enjoyable. Save Print Elderflower Thistle Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves: 1 Ingredients 2 parts scotch 1 part St. Germain dash of Angostura bitters twist of lemon peel Instructions Add ice to a highball glass. Add the scotch, St. Germain, and bitters. Stir to combine. Twist a lemon peel over top and drop in. 3.5.3226 But wait… everyone should know that if…