The CHOCOLATE FONDUE COCKTAIL

Four kinds of chocolate in this cocktail. And you can dip goodies in it! Seriously, need I say more?

The
CHOCOLATE FONDUE
MARTINI
INGREDIENTS
1 Oz. Chocolate Vodka
1/2 Oz. Dark Creme de Cacao
1/2 Oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1 Oz. Cream 2 Dashes Chocolate Bitters
Garnish: Mini Marshmallows, Fruit pieces
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Cocktail (Martini)
DIRECTIONS
Chill your glass in the freezer.
Add one cup of ice to a cocktail shaker then pour in the chocolate vodka, dark creme de cacao, the Godiva liqueur, cream and chocolate bitters then shake until well chilled.  Strain into your chilled glass then garnish with some fruit pieces and serve with more fruit pieces and a few toasted mini marshmallows to dip into your “fondue” cocktail.
VOICEOVER VIDEO with Ingredients & Directions:

National Chocolate Fondue Day is February 5th.

Updated 2-2022 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

CHOCOLATE ROB ROY, A Twist on a Classic Scotch Cocktail

I was in the mood for some Scotch and some chocolate and I thought why not just make a Chocolate Rob Roy? It didn't take much to turn a classic Rob Roy into a chocolate Rob Roy, just change out some chocolate bitters for the Angostura bitters.
Yes, I gave myself some little gold stars as a garnish because I earned them today.

I added a little piece of some Godiva Blood Orange Dark Chocolate to enjoy with it and it ended my day with perfection.

The CHOCOLATE ROB ROY
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Johnnie Walker Black 1-1/4 Oz. Cinzano Rosso Vermouth 4 Dashes Frape and Sons Chocolate Bitters
Garnish: Orange Twist, Edible Gold Stars
Tools: Mixing Glass, Hawthorne Strainer
Glass: Cocktail
DIRECTIONS Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir well then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a piece of orange peel over the drink then add as garnish.
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WHISKEY BERRY SMASH COCKTAIL

I had whiskey, I had raspberries, I had lemons, I had honey.
I got 'em smashed.
Me too.
The WHISKEY BERRY SMASH Cocktail
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Seagram's 7 1/3 Cup Fresh Raspberries 1 Tbsp Honey Ridge Farms Honey Créme Raspberry 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Garnish: Lemon wedge
Tools: Muddler
Glass: Old Fashioned
DIRECTIONS Muddle the honey, lemon juice and raspberries in a mixing glass. Add Ice, pour in the Seagram's. Stir, garnish, serve.
Cheers, M'dears.
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KENTUCKY ASIAN BERRY BOURBON PORK BACK RIBS

You know those berries and fruits you just infused some booze with? Well, the leftover fruit is not always just trash, it's a wonderful way to amp up your next entree!
A while back I had made a few bottles of Homemade Berry Liqueurs and, after straining the beautiful vodka infused liquids, I had almost 2 cups of boozy berries left over. It's not in my nature to throw things away if I can figure out another use for them so I tossed them in the freezer. I will often make a puree later or use them in a sauce, however this time I decided to toss them in with my pork ribs and go for a sweet, Asian style recipe.

Whenever pork ribs are on sale I always buy several packages. I like ribs and they're easy to toss in a crock pot for a great no fuss meal at the end of a long working day. Most of the time I just use BBQ sauce and some simple aromatics but that gets boring after a while and I need to change up the flavors occasionally. When I remembered those frozen booze berries they got a new home, in my crock pot with a few additional ingredients and a little creativity.

Hell yes, I added more booze! I thought they could use a little kick and some extra sweetness so I added some maple bourbon. Don't worry, it cooks off, so you can still have a cocktail before dinner.

KENTUCKY ASIAN BERRY BOURBON PORK BACK RIBS (Because I could)
INGREDIENTS 1 Rack Pork Back Ribs -1/2 Cups Booze & Sugar Marinated Blackberries Juice and Zest from1 Large Orange 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce 1/4  Cup Molasses 3 Tbsp. Honey Ridge Blackberry Creme Honey 3 Tbsp. Blackberry Jam 1/2 Cup Jim Beam Maple Bourbon 4 Cloves Garlic 1/2 Small Yellow Onion 1/2 Tsp. Chinese Five Spice 1/4 Tsp. Fresh Grated Ginger 3 Tbsp. Cornstarch Slurry**
Special Tools: Zester, Crock Pot
DIRECTIONS Throw everything except the cornstarch slurry in the Crock-Pot and cook on low for 7-3/4 hours.
** Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water to form a thickening slurry. Add this to the crock pot and turn up to high for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Not only does this thicken your liquid into a sauce, but it puts on beautiful shiny glaze on your pork.
Serve with cilantro infused Basmati rice. Spoon some of the thickened sauce over each portion of ribs and rice.
If you're wondering about the small amount of vodka from the berries mixing with a bourbon, don't worry. There wasn't enough vodka left in those berries to mess with my bourbon, not the way I strained the liqueurs.
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Star Trek's ROMULAN ALE done right - with ALE!

In the Star Trek universe Romulan Ale (aka Kali-fal) is the king of cocktails and is referred to throughout all iterations of the franchise. According to the Romulan Tutorial Missions it is said to be produced on the Romulan colony Virinat and is brewed from honey-like secretions of khellid insects whose exoskeletons give the Romulan Ale it's distinctive blue color. Another source claims it's distilled from a harsh grain called kheh. It is blue, it is seriously overproof, it is illegal throughout the Federation and it is also said to cause instant drunkenness and a warp corp breach sized hangover.
Despite it's illegality it is a favorite tipple of Captain James Tiberious Kirk, often gifted him on special occasions, usually by Scott and McCoy.
Kirk: "Romulan ale? Why Bones, you know this is illegal." McCoy: "I only use it for medicinal purposes."
Its said the Romulans themselves drink it solely to prove they can. The Romulan's cousins, the Vulcans, leave it alone. Even the Klingons respected Romulus Ale.
Worf, after Troi and Riker's wedding:  "Romulan ale should be illegal" Geordi La Forge: "It is."
For some reason, I left it off both my Star Trek 1 and Star Trek 2 cocktail recipe posts. I must have been exposed to some alien neurotoxin. I correct that grievous error right now.
There are numerous recipes for Romulan Ale out in the universe, not one of which uses any form of ale, beer OR malt liquor. This is just Tribble level nonsense, how can you call it ale if there's no ALE or BEER or MALT LIQUOR? There is blue ale here on Earth, Abashiri Okhotsk Blue Ryuhyo Draft by Abashiri Beer being one of them, but it's made from seaweed and not nearly high enough proof to sub for Romulan Ale. So, since Romulan Ale is not available - still - on Earth or anywhere in the Federation of Planets, you're going to have to make your own and below is the recipe. Think of it as a high powered, alien version of a Shandy.
Fair warning: If you're still living in the 21st century and have no access to medical care, or Synthahol, you might just want to just skip the Everclear.
ROMULAN ALE
INGREDIENTS 1 Quaker City Malt Lemon Shrub 1/2 Oz. Everclear 151* 3/4 Oz. Blue Curacao Large Chunk of Dry Ice
Garnish: What garnish? Romulans don't need no stinkin' garnish!
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Some kind of beer glass that won't melt on contact with corrosive liquids.
DIRECTIONS Shake the Blue Curacao and Everclear with ice then strain into the glass. Top off with the Q.C. Lemon Shrub. Drop in a large chunk of dry ice to make it bubble, but be careful to warn people that dry ice is nearly as dangerous as this Romulan Ale recipe. Serve. Hide the car keys. Nobody's going to be driving anywhere for a while.
* Everclear also has a 191 proof version, which would probably get you closer to true Romulan Ale deadliness, but who are we kidding here?
The official Star Trek Day is September 8th, celebrating the first television broadcast of the original Star Trek series. First Contact Day is April 5th which commemorates first contact with an alien species within the Star Trek universe.
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RAZPIROSKA - a Raspberry Caipiroska Cocktail

  The Caipiroska (aka a Caipivodka or Caipirodka) is similar to Brazil’s famed Caipirinha but made with vodka in place of cachaça. The basic recipe consists of a lime, cut into wedges, and a tablespoon of sugar which are muddled in the bottom of an Old Fashioned (rocks) glass, the glass is filled with crushed ice then topped off with 2 ounces of vodka, stirred and garnished with lime wedges.   What you end up with is Brazil's lower alcohol version of a vodka gimlet (1 parts lime juice, 1 part sugar with 5 parts vodka.) The difference lies in the lower ratio of spirit to citrus and sugar as well as the muddling of the citrus which releases greater amounts of the lime oils and adds a touch of bitterness from the pith of lime. It's also like a sweet Vodka Tonic without the tonic.    It's an uncomplicated cocktail and surprisingly refreshing for an Indian Summer kind of Fall day. It's also an interesting playground for some fun variations. As you know, I'm all about fun variations. I simply started with the standard recipe then experimented a bit.   Standard Caipiroska 2 Oz. Vodka 1 Lime, cut into quarters 1 Tbsp Raspberry Simple Syrup* Crushed Ice   I decided to go with some frozen raspberries and make a Raspberry Simple Syrup to replace the sugar. I simply reduced 1 cup of water and 1 cup of raw (Demerara) sugar with a teaspoon of grated orange zest over a medium heat until the sugar dissolved. Then I reduced the heat to low, added 2 cups of frozen raspberries and simmered for 10 minutes (or until the syrup is reduced by half). I let that steep until cool, strained out the seeds then chilled it in the refrigerator until it was time to make my cocktail. (Leftovers will be great on pound cake or ice cream.)  

The

RAZPIROSKA(Raspberry Caipiroska) INGREDIENTS2 Oz. Vodka1 Lime, cut into quarters2 Tbsp. Raspberry Simple SyrupCrushed Ice Garnish: Lime & Lemon Slices, Frozen Raspberries Tools: Muddler Glass: Rocks or Old Fashioned DIRECTIONSIn the bottom of your glass muddle the lime quarters with the raspberry simple syrup.Fill your glass with ice then pour in the vodka. Stir well.Top off your glass with more crushed ice, garnish and serve with a straw.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

I have to say this was a great cocktail. It reminded me of a Cobbler cocktail, refreshing and perfect on a hot day.Aside from the Caipiroska, there are also 2 more variations on the Caipirinha, one made with rum, the Caipirissima, and the Caipisake, made with (you guessed it) sake. If you're interested in a little background, I happened on a site that is devoted just to Caipirinhas and its offshoots which has some great info on the Caipiroska and its own variations.

  Brazil Independence Day is celebrated on September 7th.  Updated 9-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

CHOCOLATE COVERED MACADAMIA NUT COCKTAIL

If you ever need a little bit of decadence, buy yourself a bottle of Trader Vic's Macadamia Nut Liqueur. Then add some chocolate to that. Oh, and a dash of bitters and a pinch of sea salt.   Trader Vic's Macadamia Nut Liqueur is smooth with an immediate note of the macadamia nut and a hint of vanilla. It's rich, very rich and sweet, but the addition of the coffee bitters and that dash of salt balances that out and also helps bring up the chocolate liqueur.   It's also great in a cup of coffee and over ice cream, but then so is the finished cocktail. Trust me, I did it.  

The CHOCOLATE COVERED MACADAMIA NUT Cocktail   INGREDIENTS 1-1/2 Oz. Trader Vic's Macadamia Nut Liqueur 1 Oz. Dark Créme de Cacao 2 Dashes Coffee BittersPinch of Sea Salt   Garnish: None   Tools: Cocktail shaker   Glass: Coupe   DIRECTIONS Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients. Shake until chilled. Strain to a chilled coupe.
Voiceover Video with Ingredients and Directions:

Macadamia Nut Day is Sept 4th.   Updated 9-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

STRAWBERRY BANANA DAIQUIRI Cocktail Recipe

What do you do when a friend stops by - right at cocktail hour, of course - unexpectedly and with her new boyfriend to boot?   OK, first you grumble that you look like a hobo because you were working on your new jewelry line in you baggy art clothes and you're covered in glue and paint and little bits of jewelry pieces. BUT, then you grab that bag of frozen strawberries and bananas you originally bought for smoothies and a bottle of rum, plug in the blender and whip them up a delicious daiquiri, that's what you do.   And that's what I did. I even plopped a nice little dollop of whipped cream on top. Oh, and did I mention she sat down and said, "It's been a bad day. Make 'em really strong!" So I did. (You might wanna cut down the rum by half.)   I'm such a good friend. But she did bring me a cute little rose tea light for my troubles.  

  The FROZEN STRAWBERRY BANANA DAIQUIRI   INGREDIENTS 3 Cups of Frozen Bananas and Strawberries (Or 2 Cups of Fresh Strawberries and 2 Bananas) 3 Tbsp. Fresh Lime Juice 1 Cup Bacardi Light Rum 1 Cup Ice Cubes   Garnish: Whipped Cream Topping   Tools: Blender Glass: Whatever you want to put it in. People who stop by unexpectedly gets what they gets!   DIRECTIONS Toss all the ingredients in the blender and pulse until smooth and creamy. I always add the more liquid ingredients first to keep stress off my blender motor. Pour into your glasses, plop on the whipped cream and sit back like the excellent host that you are.   Of course Bailey was there - there was booze and guests involved!  

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