A PICKLED BLOODY MARTINI

Because I love Bloodys and pickled things.... and because I still had some lovely Naked Jay Dill Pickle Vodka ....
A PICKLED BLOODY MARTINI  Don't freak out at the Dill Pickle Vodka! If you like dill pickles it tastes just like them and it's great in this cocktail! 1-1/2 Oz. Dill Pickle Vodka
2 Oz. Tomato Juice
Splash of Dill Pickle Juice
Dash of Tabasco
Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Juice of 1/4 Fresh Lime
Celery Salt
Black Pepper
Garnishes: 1 Jalapeno Pepper, 1 Midget Dill Pickle, Slice of Lime, 2 Cherry Tomatoes
Chill your martini glass in the freezer.  Slide the garnishes onto a cocktail pick and set aside.  Add a cup of ice cubes to your cocktail shaker then pour in the Dill Pickle Vodka, tomato juice, pickle juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire Sauce, Celery Salt and shake until nicely chilled. Pour into your chilled glass, shake the black pepper on top and place your loaded cocktail pick across the rim and serve.
Enjoy. Don't get too pickled . . .
Try out my other BLOODY MARY RECIPES
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Hot Watermelon Margarita

HOT WATERMELON MARTINI-RITA

2 Oz. Tequila Blanco
1-1/2 Oz. Watermelon Puree
1/2 Oz. Cointreau
Juice of 1/2 Fresh Lime
1 Tablespoon of Agave Syrup
2 Drops Chipotle Hot Sauce
Pinch of Salt
Sugar and Salt Mixture for Rim

Dip your glass rim in some of the agave syrup then into the sugar and salt mixture. Chill glass in the freezer.  Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then pour in the tequila, the watermelon puree, the Cointreau, lime juice, agave syrup, pinch of salt and the drops of hot sauce. Shake until well chilled, pour into your chilled glass, garnish with a slice of fresh watermelon.  If you'd like, you can add a pinch of salt and couple of extra drops of hot sauce to the watermelon!

Enjoy and Arriba!

Updated 7-2021

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Kahlua Chili Chocolate & Lemoncello Cardamom CUPCAKES

NOW YOU SEE THEM . . .

I've said this before on my food blog, I'm a lazy cook. I spend most of my gastronomic energy on my cocktail creations and I don't have the time nor the inclination to spend the rest of my day slaving over my meals. BUT, I love good food. So, I cheat. As much as possible.

Thus, when I decided to make myself some booze infused cupcakes I used (SHOCK! SHAKING OF FOODIE HEADS! TSK TSK!) boxed chocolate and white cake mixes and canned chocolate butter cream frosting. Then I cranked up the old oven, grabbed a couple o' bottles of cupcake friendly hooch and set to making some moonshined magic in cupcake liners.

For the

CHOCOLATE CHILI KAHLUA CUPCAKES

Cupcakes:

Follow box instructions except: Use cold coffee instead of water and add 2 teaspoons of fresh chili powder to the cake mix. Bake. Cool. Poke holes in the cooled cupcakes then pour a tablespoon or so of Kahlua slowly over the holes allowing it to soak in.

Frosting:

Add 1 teaspoon each of cocoa powder, powdered sugar and chipotle hot sauce to the canned chocolate frosting. I pre-mixed the cocoa, sugar and hot sauce into a paste. 

For the

LEMONCELLO CARDAMOM CUPCAKES

Cupcakes:

Follow box instructions except: Add 3/4 of a teaspoon of ground cardamom to the cake mix. Bake. Cool. Poke holes in the cooled cupcakes then pour a tablespoon or so of homemade LEMONCELLO slowly over the holes allowing it to soak in.

Frosting:

Add the zest of one lemon to the chocolate frosting.

To create the

CHOCOLATE CURLS

Bring a bar of high quality, 70%+ Dark Chocolate to room temperature. Use a y-shaped potato peeler and draw down the narrow side of the bar over a wax or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Chill curls in the fridge. Lick the chocolate off your fingers. Eat the rest of the chocolate bar.

Mix, bake, cool cupcakes. Drizzle booze. Pipe frosting. Sprinkle curls. Do I need to tell you to use cupcake liners? No. I figured not.

The nice thing about drizzling a bit of booze into your cupcakes? They stay moist way longer. And, of course, you get a little buzz!

See? I told you it was easy!

Easy peasy, boozy woozy, happy slappy.

Dij I eat too many?

No, I nidn't, I juss fleels shappy.

. . . NOW YOU DON'T.

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Lilac Blossom Martini

LILAC BLOSSOM MARTINI

1 oz Gin
2 oz Hpnotiq Harmonie
1 splash Lime Juice
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
1/2 Tsp. Lilac Essence
Club Soda / Sparkling Water
Garnish: Lemon Slice
Frozen Raspberries

Twist of Lemon

Combine the gin, Harmonie, lime juice, lilac essence and the bitters in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled.  Pour into a chilled martini glass, top off with a splash of club soda then garnish with the lemon slice, frozen raspberries and a twist of lemon.

The frozen raspberries are not only a tasty garnish, they help keep your cocktail chilled as you drink it.

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A Little Sin for a Saint Chocolate Martini

 

A LITTLE SIN FOR A SAINT MARTINI

1 Oz. Whipped Cream Vodka

1 Oz. White Creme de Cacao

1 Oz. Pama Pomegranate Liqueur

Cocoa Powder

Square of REALLY GOOD Chocolate.

I have had a very frustrating day so I decided to start happy hour early.  I was poking around my bar and found about an ounce of booze in both my whipped cream vodka and my Pama pomegranate bottles and I remembered this little sweetheart of a cocktail I'd made myself several years ago.

Of course, today being the kind of day it is, I notice I misspelled Creme de Cacao but, frankly my dear, I don't give a hoot.

So, the trash man has two more empty bottles to drag away and I am now sipping this lovely, chocolate infused cocktail to ease my frustrations!

Take that, Monday!

 

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A SPOONFUL OF COSMO

It's always fun to take a classic cocktail and do a little molecular mixology on it.  Here I've taken the basic ingredients of a Cosmopolitan (fresh lime juice, cranberry juice, Cointreau or Triple Sec, citrus vodka) and turned it into a spoonful of happy hour.
I used the reverse spherification technique on the classic Cosmopolitan ingredients of citrus vodka, cranberry juice and Cointreau then put the lime juice in a little pool in the spoon to float the cocktail sphere in.  Note the little mint leaf I added inside the sphere, not a standard Cosmo ingredient but I wanted something floating in the sphere.
These cocktail spheres are a perfect pairing with an amuse bouche; one bite, one sip to go with the bite. These also are a fun way to give folks a little happy hour giggle and they won't get you drunk either. Well, not unless you have a dozen or so.

INGREDIENTS

(These ingredients are equal to ONE cocktail serving. Feel free to multiply)

1 Oz. vodka

1/2 Oz. Cointreau

1 Oz. cranberry juice

1/4 Oz. lime juice

A handful of fresh micro mint leaves

1/2 tsp calcium lactate*

1 tsp sodium alginate*

Purified water

TOOLS

Immersion blender

Pitcher

Measuring spoons

Mini pipette droppers*

Round silicon molds

Freezer

2 Large glass bowls or containers 

Slotted spoon

DIRECTIONS

Measure out cranberry juice and add to pitcher.

Add calcium lactate and blend with immersion blender.

Add vodka and Cointreau (the lime juice will come into play later) – blend again.

Carefully fill the silicon molds with this cocktail solution. I used a small pipette dropper*.

Slide one micro mint leaf in each mold space.

Place in freezer for 12 hours.

15 minutes before serving add sodium alginate to 2 cups of purified water in a large glass bowl. Mix quickly and well with CLEAN immersion blender (because you don't want the calcium lactate and sodium alginate to accidentally mix here).

Place in fridge for 15 minutes. This is your sodium alginate bath.

NOTE: If you are multiplying the recipe this part does not need to be multiplied!)

TO MAKE SPHERES

Remove sodium alginate bath from fridge (it should be somewhat gelatinous in texture by now).

Fill another large glass bowl with 3 cups purified water for your washing bath.

Remove frozen cocktails from freezer.

Pop around four of the frozen cocktail spheres into the sodium alginate bath. Make sure they don’t touch or they will stick to each other. Stir gently occasionally so all sides of the spheres are in contact with the sodium alginate bath.

Keep in sodium alginate bath for 3 to 5 minutes (the longer they stay in the bath the thicker the outside skin) or until spheres have unfrozen.

Scoop out using slotted spoon and dip a few times in the water bath to rinse.

TO ASSEMBLE MOLECULAR COCKTAIL

Place each sphere in serving spoon.

Pipe the 1/4 ounce of fresh lime juice over the sphere.

Serve immediately.

* These can be purchased on Amazon.

National Cosmopolitan Day is May 7th.
 
Updated May 2020 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The Simpsons DUH-OH MARTINI Cocktail Tribute

The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and, in 2009, it surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running American scripted primetime television series in history.  I have been a faithful fan of The Simpsons for the whole run, including the shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show.

I have loved the fun intros that changed every week, the sly and point-on political jabs, the long list of guest stars, the topical story lines and the interrelationships of the dysfunctional but loving family. I've watched as Matt Groening's imaginary characters morphed and changed along with the zeitgeist of the America, bringing insight and laughter along on the ride. For over 30 years this show has made me chortle and I've barely missed an episode.

So today, for your Simpson's viewing pleasure, here is my cocktail homage to The Simpsons:

The

DUH-OH!

Martini

Inspired by and a Tribute to The Simpsons

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 Oz. Cake Vodka

1Oz. Fresh Orange Juice

1/2 Oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice

1/2 Oz. Half & Half

Garnish: Donut Glaze* with Crushed Butterfinger Bar for Rim

Bright Blue Cotton Candy "Hair" for Garnish

(If you really want to have some fun stick a couple of edible googly eyes on the rim.)

DIRECTIONS

Dip your glass rim in some donut glaze and then into the crushed Butterfingers.

Chill the glass in the freezer.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the ingredients.

Shake vigorously to blend and emulsify the dairy into the drink.

Pour into your chilled glass then top with a Marge Simpson style hunk of blue cotton candy.

Add the googly eyes if you have them and serve.

Donut Glaze Recipe

Mix together:

2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

Drop of Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon +/- Milk

The Cake Vodka and glaze on rim tastes like Homer's favorite donut, the Butterfinger is for Bart's favorite candy bar, the cotton candy is for Marge's famous hair, the juices and half & half give the cocktail that distinctive Simpson's skin color.  Yes, I left out the Lisa, Maggie and the Simpson pets, Santa's Little Helper and Snowball. Babies and pets don't mix with booze. Oh, come on, Bart is well over 21 by now and Lisa is a goody two-shoes.  P.S. I didn't forget Grandpa either, I just never liked the dingbat old curmudgeon.

Updated 6-2021

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Blackberry Strawberry Mint Martini

    When, and if, I ever have a few fresh berries sitting around leftover from a recipe it's my typical practice to toss them in with some booze for a new cocktail.  Exactly what I did here.   Add a little fresh mint from the garden and you have another great summer fruit martini to enjoy at happy hour.   THE BLACKBERRY STRAWBERRY MINT MARTINI   2 Oz. Strawberry Vodka 1/2 C. Fresh Blackberries 1/2 C. Fresh Strawberries Juice of 1/2 Fresh Lime 4 Mint Leaves Ice   Chill your martini glass in the freezer.  Combine all the ingredients with 1/2 cup of ice in a blender and mix until slushy but smooth.  Pour into your chilled martini glass and garnish with a fresh strawberry, a few blackberries and a sprig of mint.   Cheers, M'Dears & Enjoy!  
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Honeydew Melon Martini

  Honeydew melons are very juicy but they can lack flavor unless perfectly ripe.  The one I got my hand on was in a pretty nice ripeness stage but, still, honeydews aren't typically bursting with flavor.  That's where flavored vodkas and liqueurs come into play.    With the addition of a little honey for added sweetness and some lemon juice this turned out to be a very pleasant and refreshing cocktail for a warm (read that hot, I'm in Arizona) late summer evening.   The Honeydew Melon Martini   2 Oz. Melon Vodka 1/2 Oz. Midori 1 Oz. Honeydew Melon Puree Juice of 1/2 Lemon 1 Tbsp. Honey 1 Oz. Sparkling Wine or Soda Slice of Honeydew for Garnish   Puree small chunks of honeydew in a blender or food processor. Chill your glass in the freezer.  Combine the melon vodka, Midori, Honeydew puree, lemon juice and honey in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well blended and chilled.  Pour into your glass, top off with the ounce of sparkling wine or soda and garnish with a slice of honeydew.   I won't bore you with any "Honey Do" jokes.... nah, yes I will:

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LEMON MERINGUE PIE MARTINI

One of my favorite pies is Lemon Meringue.  I love the tart, sweet lemon curd filling and the fluffy, lightly browned meringue topping. (Please don't put whipped cream on mine!)

Naturally I turned it into a cocktail. I simply took vanilla vodka, homemade Limoncello, lemon juice, simple syrup, added some pasteurized egg whiles and, boom, Lemon Meringue Pie in a glass!  The egg whites give it that froth, as well as add body to the cocktail, and counter the tartness of the lemon.  All in all a deliciously light martini.
If you really want the whole pie experience, add baked, crushed pie crust mixed with a little sugar to the rim.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MARTINI
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Vanilla Vodka 1 Oz. Lemoncello 1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice 1 Tbsp. Simple Syrup1 Egg White(or 1 Oz. Pasteurized Egg White)
Garnish: Grated Lemon Zest
Glass: Cocktail (Martini) or Coupe
DIRECTIONS Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and dry shake (no ice) to emulsify and build foam.Add ice then shake until chilled and frothy.Pour into your chilled glass. Grate some lemon zest over the top of the cocktail and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

   
Updated 3-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Orange Creamsicle Martini Cocktail Recipe

We all loved them as kids, those orange juice and ice cream treats we chased the Good Humor man for.  Those Creamsicles® are an ice cream icon.   You might also remember there were Dreamsicles® and, in case you're wondering, the difference between the two is hinted at in the names.  Creamsicles® have an ice cream center while Dreamsicles® had an ice milk center.   I seem to remember raspberry as well as orange, but the orange was always my favorite. That means, of course, that I had to turn it into a cocktail.

TheCREAMSICLEMARTINI   INGREDIENTS1/2 Oz. Orange Vodka1/2 Oz. Grand Mariner1 Oz. Fresh Orange Juice1 Oz. Heavy Cream DIRECTIONSGarnish rim with orange sugar crystals.Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve with a popsicle stick as a swizzle stick.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

August 14th is National Creamsicle® Day 

  Updated 7-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY  

Strawberry Watermelon Martini

  Two of my favorite summer fruits are watermelon and strawberries, add booze and you have me! So I added booze:   THE STRAWBERRY WATERMELON MARTINI   2 Oz. Watermelon Vodka
1/2 Cup Fresh Strawberries
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 Tbsp. Agave Syrup

Chill you glass in the freezer.  Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. Pour into your glass and garnish with a lemon wheel and a fresh strawberry.   You can't beat fresh fruit for chilling you down and building up your immune system.  If you're going to drink in the heat, fresh fruit in your cocktail is a great way to combat the dry throat of the summer hot streak and the dehydration effects of alcohol.
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Peach Margarita Recipe

Here it is, National Peach Month, and it occurs to me I've never posted one of my favorite peach cocktails, a Peach Margarita. Since it's one of the margaritas I do most often for myself (always having either frozen or canned peaches in my larder) this must be remedied immediately!

So, without further ado, my

PEACH MARGARITA

2 Oz. Silver Tequila

2 Oz. Peach Puree

1/2 Oz. Peach Schnapps

Juice of 1 Lime

1/2 C. Ice

Chill your glass in the freezer. Combine all the ingredients in your blender until slushy but smooth. Pour into the glass and garnish with two peach slices. 

Enjoy more of my PEACH COCKTAILS HERE.

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THE AMETHYST MARTINI

  I bought a bottle of Hpnotiq Harmonie because I like the beautiful lavender color.  It's an interesting blend of vodka and cognac infused with berries and the floral qualities of violets, very light and quite interesting with a delicate burn from the two liquors.   Because I wanted to keep the color and liked the idea of a bit of effervescence, I mixed it up with some sparkling blueberry pomegranate juice and added just a splash of Blue Curacao to balance the color and add a touch of citrus.   It's probably one of the most elegant cocktails I've ever created and perfect as a light, refreshing summer martini:   THE AMETHYST MARTINI     2 Oz. Hpnotiq Harmonie
2 Oz. Ocean Spray Sparkling Blueberry Pomegranate
Splash of Blue Curacao
Lemon Twist   Chill your glass in the freezer. Add the Harmonie, sparkling fruit juice and the Blue Curacao to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until well chilled. Pour into  your martini glass and garnish with a simple lemon twist. This is a perfect cocktail for anyone born in February since their birthstone is Amethyst.
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Coffee Cocktails for National Coffee Month

August is National Coffee Month and you know what I'm going to do with those beans! That's right, add booze!

Whether you prefer your Coffee Toddies hot or cold, below you'll find one of my caffeinated cocktail creations to perk up your day:

ALL MY PERKY, CAFFEINATED, JAVA INSPIRED
COFFEE COCKTAILS

COOL BEANS ILLUSTRATION on Prints, Clothing, Gifts, Decor & Gear:

Happy National Coffee Month!

Updated 7-2017

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PEACH COCKTAILS for Peach Month

August is National Peach Month and the best time to enjoy peaches in a cocktail. Juicy, fuzzy fresh peaches go so well with happy hour and add a delightful summer taste to your favorite alcohol of choice.

So infuse, muddle, smash, shake and mix your way into some peachy hooch all month long!

PEACH

COCKTAILS

PEACH BLOSSOM

PEACH MARTINI

PEACH COBBLER MARTINI
BROWN SUGAR PEACH MINT JULEP 
CHERRY PEACH WHISKEY RICKEY
GRILLED PEACH RUM MIMOSAS

WHAT A PEACH MARTINI

PEACHBERRY SUNDAE COCKTAIL

PEACH PRALINE MARTINIS 

PEACH PIE MARTINI

PEACH SOUR MARTINI 

PEACH MARGARITA
PEACH MELBA BEER FLOAT
PEACH MELBA MARTINI 

PEACH RASPBERRY MARTINI PARFAIT 

BELLINI MARTINI 

PEACHES & CREAM MARTINI

PEACHES & CREAM SHOT

PEACH DAIQUIRI MARTINI
PINK FLAMINGO MARTINI

BRAIN DRAIN MARTINI

LOVE POTION #9 MARTINI 

SEX ON THE BEACH MARTINI 

SEX ON A SANDY BEACH MARTINI
SEX ON VALENTINE' S DAY
WHISKEY PEACH SMASH

HAPPY NATIONAL PEACH MONTH!

Updated 8-2021
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