TOASTED MARSHMALLOW MARTINI Cocktail Recipe

I don't know who first thought up the idea of toasting marshmallows but whoever it was changed camping forever.  You can't go anywhere near a campfire without a bag of marshmallows and a knife to whittle a few toasting sticks.  It's sacrilegious not to have at least one gooey, sticky chunk of burnt sugary goodness if you're sitting by a crackling wood fire.

Whoever it was, thank you.  We lift our cocktail glasses and a hold a marshmallow covered stick over flames in your honor today.

The

TOASTED MARSHMALLOW

MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
1 Oz. Marshmallow Vodka
1 Oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
1 Oz. Frangelico
1/2 Oz. of Half & Half

Pinch of Sea Salt

GARNISH 
Toasted Mini Marshmallows

DIRECTIONS
Chill your glass. Place several of the mini marshmallows on the skewers and toast them over the stove burner, a small candle, or torch them with a kitchen torch to caramelize them to a nice golden brown. Set this aside.

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with 1 cup of ice and shake until well chilled.

Pour into your chilled glass, garnish with your toasted marshmallows and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

If you want to have a real Cocktail Campfire experience, let your guests toast their own marshmallow garnishes.  Set out a bowl of mini marshmallows, a handful of the bamboo skewers and a small votive candle for each guest and let them toast their own garnish!

The History of Marshmallows:
Though today's marshmallow is a sweet confection made up of sugar, corn syrup, water and gelatin, the marshmallow plant itself was used throughout the world as a source for some form of sweet.  The marshmallow plant was also used throughout history as a medicinal substance, primarily as a remedy for sore throats.

The first historical reference to marshmallows comes from the ancient Egyptians who, in addition to using the root combined with honey for sore throats, also extracted the sap which they mixed with nuts and honey for a sweet candy.

The traditional marshmallow recipe uses powdered marshmallow root which is difficult to obtain so most marshmallow manufacturers use gelatin or agar in place of the actual plant root.

AUGUST 30th is National Toasted Marshmallow Day.

Updated 8-2021
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

TODAY IS NATIONAL BANANA DAY - Fill Your Martini Glass With One of these BANANA MARTINIS!

Go a Little Bananas with some Banana Martinis

August 27th is the perfect day to go a little bananas since it's National Banana Lovers Day.  Sure, you can celebrate by doing a lot of crazy things or, better yet, you can toast to the occasion at Happy Hour with one of my delicious Banana Cocktails.

BANANA COCKTAILS

Some Facts About Bananas You Might Not Know:

• Bananas are radioactive! Yup, naturally high in potassium, bananas contain the radioactive isotope Potassium-40
• All the bananas you see are clones! Bananas contain no seeds and, therefore cannot reproduce by natural means. Each banana plant must be started from cuttings.  This makes bananas highly susceptible to being wiped out by a disease
• The banana tree is not a tree at all but but rather a tangle of layered leaves that grow up, towards the sun
• There are over 1000 varieties of banana plants, but most of the fruit is not very tasty.
• Today's bananas are all of the Cavendish variety, the replacement for the Gros Michel which was wiped out by a single strain of fungus before the 1950s
• The banana is a berry!!!

Okay, enough education for the day, go forth and banana-ize yourself with one of my lovely Banana Martinis!

HAPPY BANANA DRINKING!

Updated 8-2016

Tweet
Follow me on Twitter as TheMartiniDiva
Like me on Facebook
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

IT'S NATIONAL WHISKEY SOUR DAY

 

Get the Whiskey Sour Cocktail Recipe on Art, Clothing & Gifts

HAPPY NATIONAL WHISKEY SOUR DAY

August 25th is National Whiskey Sour Day so today we celebrate one of the oldest cocktails on the happy hour menu.  Disguised in my recipe card as a martini for Dad, the Whiskey Sour was more likely a favorite of your grandfather or great grandfather.  Mentioned in famed mixologist Jerry Thomas' 1862 Bartender's Guide, the Whiskey Sour has a long history as a classic alcoholic beverage. This venerable cocktail is a member of the Sour family of mixed drinks which consist of a combination of a base liquor, lemon or lime juice and sugar with an optional addition of egg white.

THE WHISKEY SOUR RECIPE

Tweet
Follow me on Twitter as PopArtDiva
Follow me on Twitter as TheMartiniDiva
Friend me on Facebook
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

IT'S NATIONAL PEACH PIE DAY - August has just gone fuzzy over peaches

TODAY IS NATIONAL PEACH PIE DAY
Just a peach of a holiday

So you need this recipe for my
PEACH PIE MARTINI

The 24th of August is National Peach Pie Day.  It's been a peachy time of year thanks to the fact the August is National Peach Month - I hope you're not tired of peaches yet because today we put peach pie in a martini glass.

Unlike my Peach Martini (for National Eat a Peach Day on August 22nd) which was rum based, the PEACH PIE MARTINI is made with vodka. Both peach vodka and vanilla vodka combine with fresh peach juice, spices and some half & half for a little slice of peach heaven in a martini glass.

For a really fun pie experience add a rim of crumbled, baked pie crust mixed with sugar as well as your fresh peach slice and you have the whole peach pie in a cocktail.  It's okay to use frozen peaches if you can't get fresh and, in a pinch, you can use canned peaches, however there's nothing quite like the fresh peach for the full burst of peachy goodness.

An apple is an excellent thing — until you have tried a peach ~ George du Maurier (1834-1896)

Updated 12-2017

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

National Eat a Peach Day The Martini Diva Way

Enjoy National Eat (DRINK!) a Peach Day

Today is National Eat a Peach Day and you know exactly how I'll be "eating" my peaches - with booze - because that's how I roll.

So grab yourself one of these:
PEACH COCKTAILS

and have a
Happy National DRINK a Peach Day!

By the way, August is National Peach Month!

Tweet 

Follow me on Twitter as PopArtDiva

Follow me on Twitter as TheMartiniDiva
Friend me on Facebook
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

LEMONADE MARTINI Cocktail Recipe

Nothing is more refreshing on a hot summer day than an ice cold glass of fresh lemonade . . . . with booze in it!  It's been hot & muggy for weeks so you can bet I went there with bells on and a bottle of vodka in hand!

This cocktail recipe is very similar to the White Lady only this employs lemon vodka in place of gin and utilizes a dash of bitters to balance out the tart sweetness of all the lemon. It's delicious and perfect for sipping in the humid monsoonal flow we've been trapped in.

Plus, lemons are known to have antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers* so ...

When Life Hands You Lemons,

Make this

LEMONADE

MARTINI

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 Oz. Lemon Vodka

1/2 Oz. Triple Sec

1 Tsp. Powdered Sugar

1 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp. Pasteurized Egg White

Dash of Lemon Bitters

Garnish: Lemon Rimming Sugar, Fresh Lemon Slice

Tools: Cocktail Shaker, Strainer

DIRECTIONS

Rub the rim of the glass with some lemon, dip rim into the lemon sugar crystals then chill glass in freezer.

Add all the ingredients to the cocktail shaker and dry shake (no ice) until you create a frothy cocktail foam. This will also emulsify the ingredients.

 Add ice then shake until chilled and strain into your chilled glass.

ADD the lemon slice and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

* Lemons have some great health benefits, their acidic qualities bring out the flavors of foods and adding a twist of lemon to a cocktail always perks up the taste buds.  The fruit itself is packed with tart goodness and the rind (zest) is loaded with lemon oils which are like nuclear powered lemon magnificence.

The ancient Egyptians believed that eating or drinking lemons would provide an effective protection against a variety of poisons, and today's knowledge of the health benefits of lemons confirms this.

I believe that if life gives you lemons,

you should make lemonade...

And try to find somebody

whose life has given them vodka,

and have a party

~ Ron White

NATIONAL LEMONADE DAY is August  20th and National Lemon Day is August 29th.

MORE LEMON COCKTAILS

  Updated 8-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY  

IT'S NATIONAL RUM DAY!

HAPPY NATIONAL RUM DAY

from The Martini Diva!

There's naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion ~ Lord Byron

If there ever was a day to fill your martini glass with a rum concoction today is the day, August 16th is National Rum Day the world over!

Get All My RUM COCKTAILS HERE

A little Rum Background to feed your mind:

Rum is a potent libation made from sugarcane. The use of sugarcane in making fermented drinks is believed to have first occurred either in ancient India or China, and the Malay people were making a sugarcane beverage called "brum" thousands of years ago. Modern rum was first distilled on the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the 17th century when the slave population discovered that molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process, could be fermented into liquor.

Rum has fueled the personnel of the Royal Navy as Grog (where rum was mixed into the water during long voyages as an antibacterial agent against scurvy), been the traditional drink of historic pirates who preferred it in Bumbo. It's also been a medium of monetary exchange the world over, helping to fund all sorts of nefarious undertakings and even a few revolutions - including the American Revolution!

Known by various other names, including Nelson's Blood, Kill-Devil, Demon Water, Pirate's Drink, Navy Neaters, Screetch, Tafia and Barbados water, rum has a rich and exciting history involving sailors, pirates, rum runners and the gangsters of the prohibition era in America.

Tweet
Follow me on Twitter as PopArtDiva
Follow me on Twitter as TheMartiniDiva
Friend me on Facebook
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

IT'S NATIONAL LEMON MERINGUE PIE DAY!

August 15th Is
NATIONAL LEMON MERINGUE PIE DAY
Toast the occasion with The Lemon Meringue Pie Martini
from The Martini Diva

Two of the best things about lemons are Lemon Meringue Pie and lemonade.  With the Lemon Meringue Pie Martini you get both in a cocktail, it's a total lemon win/win!

Here's the recipe for my
LEMON MERINGUE PIE MARTINI

The use of egg white in this martini gives it the fun frothiness of the meringue and you can use pasteurized egg whites or even egg white powder in place of fresh egg white if you choose.  For a little extra pie goodness try riming the glass with baked pie crust mixed with some sugar.

Just a few other things good about lemons:

• Lemons have been cultivated in the Mediterranean from as early as the first century A.D.
• To this day, the British Navy requires ships to carry enough lemons so that every sailor can have one ounce of juice a day to aid in the prevention of scurvy
• During the Renaissance lemon juice was used by the fashionistas of the day to redden their lips
• Lemons are fat free, high in fiber, loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, loaded with healthy minerals and contain tons of beneficial antioxidants

So, when life hands you lemons, make a Lemon Meringue Pie Martini!

Happy National Lemon Meringue Pie Day

Updated 8-2016

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

IT'S NATIONAL CREAMSICLE DAY this Sunday!

August 14th is
NATIONAL CREAMSICLE DAY
Celebrate with the Orange Cream Sicletini from The Martini Diva!

The Orange Cream Cocktail tastes exactly like the original Creamsicle ice cream treat with the added benefit of booze.  The classic frozen novelty was a creamy center of ice cream coated in a frozen layer of orange juice and orange was the first flavor produced in the Creamsicle brand.

THE ORANGE CREAMSICLE MARTINI RECIPE

Updated 7-2021

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

National S'Mores Day AND National Banana Split Day!

IT'S

NATIONAL S'MORES DAY

AND

NATIONAL BANANA SPLIT DAY!

August 10th is a Double Excuse For a Martini Day!

Talk about a win/win, not only is it National S'mores Day, it's also National Banana Split Day so you have two excuses to celebrate the day with a martini today!

Of course I have a martini for each one of them and both of them are a perfect way to celebrate their respective commemorative days.

THE S'MORES MARTINI

The S'mores Martini is a perfect way to enjoy this classic fireside treat without having to actually go camping!  FUN TIP! For a real campfire experience, try this: Get mini marshmallows, some votive candles and some toothpicks or barbecue skewers (cut in half). Have your guests toast their own marshmallows over the candles for their martinis! But make sure you keep the flames and the martinis far apart!

THE BANANA SPLIT MARTINI

The Banana Split Martini This is a perfect cocktail blend of all the flavors of a Banana Split - chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and banana with the added benefit of being way under the billion calories of an actual banana split!  You can top it off with whipped cream and a Maraschino cherry, but I usually just like to dip a banana slice in dark chocolate and add that to the rim. It's a wonderful way to finish off this martini!

Can't choose? No, problem! These two martinis are compatible in flavors so why not make up one of each in the same cocktail shaker??? For the garnish, just dip the rim in the graham crackers, then skewer a chocolate covered banana slice, a toasted mini marshmallow and a Maraschino cherry on a cocktail pick and there ya go, the "I Want S'More Banana Split Martini"!

Double Cheers to you on National S'Mores Day and National Banana Split Day.

Updated 8-2017

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

HAPPY NATIONAL WATERMELON DAY

Happy  National Watermelon Day!
 

WATERMELON COCKTAIL RECIPES

A Few Facts About Watermelons:

• The scientific name for watermelon is Citrullus lanatus
• Watermelons were cultivated at least as early as 2000 B.C.
• Watermelon seeds were found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen
• Watermelon is a fruit but it is related to other produce that grows on vines like pumpkins and squash
• Early explorers used watermelons as canteens
• There are over 1,200 varieties of watermelon grown worldwide
• In China and Japan a watermelon is considered an excellent hostess gift
• The word "watermelon" first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615

Health Benefits of Watermelon:

• Rich in electrolytes and water content, watermelons are nature's thirst quencher
• Watermelons not only quench your thirst, they can also quench inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis
• Watermelons are an excellent source of Vitamin-A, anti-oxidant flavonoids like lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin
• Watermelons are rich in potassium, vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin (vitamin B-1), vitamin-C and manganese

Enjoy National Watermelon Day and don't hit anyone in the eye as you spit out the seeds.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Peachy! August is National Peach Month

You have the whole month to try out and enjoy all my
PEACH COCKTAILS

SOME PEACHY INFO FOR YOU:

• The scientific name for peach is "persica" because early Europeans believed the peach was native to Persia (Iran), however the consensus of modern botanical thought is the peach originated in China, only being introduced to Persia and the Mediterranean region along the Silk Road prior to Christian times.
• There are two types of cultivated peaches; clingstones and freestones.
• Alexander the Great introduced the peach to Europe after he conquered Persia, Spanish explorers brought it to the Americas.
• The peach is actually a member of the rose family.
• A large peach has fewer than 70 calories and contains 3 grams of fiber. It’s also a good source of vitamins A and C.
• Here are some additional health facts and a great recipe for Peachy Chicken Salad from WebMD.

Wishing you a Peachy Month of August!

Tweet
Follow me on Twitter as PopArtDiva
Follow me on Twitter as TheMartiniDiva
Friend me on Facebook
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY