The STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE COCKTAIL RECIPE

The STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS  2 Oz Bourbon 1/2 Oz Grand Marnier 3 Oz Strawberry Rhubarb Syrup (Recipe below*) 1 Oz Fresh Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons Pasteurized Egg White 2 Drops Rhubarb Bitters
Garnish: Crushed, Baked, Sugared Pie Crust Rim, Fresh Strawberry, Lemon Slice
DIRECTIONS Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Syrup.* Sugar, then bake a single pre-made pie crust, crumble. Rub the glass rim with a lemon quarter then dip in the sweetened pie crust. Chill glass in the freezer. Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and dry shake (shake without ice) for a full minute to emulsify and build a cocktail foam. Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake cocktail to chill. Pour into a chilled glass, garnish and serve.

*  Strawberry Rhubarb Syrup
Ingredients 1 stalk rhubarb,chopped 6 strawberries, sliced 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon orange zest
Directions Wash and cut rhubarb and strawberries. Place the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, bottle, store in refrigerator.
National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day is June 9th.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The RAINBOW COCKTAIL for Pride Month

The RAINBOW COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS 1-1/2 Oz White Rum  1/2 Oz Blue Curacao  2-1/2 Oz Fresh Orange Juice 1/2 Oz Grenadine
Garnish: Orange Wheel, Cocktail Cherry
DIRECTIONS Fill a Collins glass with ice. Add the White Rum and Blue Curacao to an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake until chilled, set aside. Add the orange juice to your Collins glass. Gently pour the Grenadine down the inside of the glass where it will settle to the bottom. Place a bar spoon upside down against the inside of the glass, then gently pour the chilled white rum and Blue Curacao over the back of the spoon to layer it on top of the Grenadine and orange juice. Garnish and serve.
June is Pride Month, the original Gay Pride Day was originally celebrated on the last Saturday in June and National Coming Out Day is October 11th.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

TOASTED WALNUT MAPLE BOURBON COCKTAIL

I created this cocktail specifically to use my homemade Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon. If I'm being honest, most of the time that homemade bourbon infusion gets poured over vanilla ice cream so this cocktail is sort of a drinkable version of that because I don't always have ice cream in the house.
I really wanted to call this the Drunken Mountie because the whole time I was drinking it the theme from the Dudley Do-Right cartoon from my childhood kept going through my head. Maybe it was the maple in the bourbon, I have no idea, but I restrained myself.

The TOASTED WALNUT MAPLE BOURBON COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS 1-1/2 Oz. Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon 1/2 Oz. Irish Cream Liqueur 1/2 Oz. Heavy Cream 2 Dashes Cardamom Bitters 1 Dash Walnut Bitters
Garnish: 1 Toasted Walnut 
DIRECTIONS Chill your glass in the freezer. Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until blended and chilled. Strain into the chilled glass. Garnish and serve.

More cocktails using my Toasted Walnut Maple Bourbon: Stranger Things Booze Slushy Mommy's Boozed Up Sippy Cup
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE MARTINI COCKTAIL RECIPE

Pineapple Upside Down Cake always reminds me of my mother because it was her favorite dessert. For some reason she always made it for Easter instead of the obligatory white coconut cake everyone else seemed to serve up is their traditional Easter dessert. Since I don't care for coconut cakes, I never had a problem with this.
Many, many years ago I made my first cocktail version of this with a simple combination of vanilla vodka and fresh pineapple juice. This year I decided to update the recipe a bit.

The PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE MARTINI
INGREDIENTS 1 Bar Spoon of Maraschino Cherry Juice 1-1/2 Oz Pinnacle Cake Vodka 2 Oz Fresh Pineapple Juice 2 Dashes Cherry Bitters
Garnish: Pineapple Slice, Homemade Maraschino Cherry.
DIRECTIONS Add ingredients to an ice field cocktail shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish and serve.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Celebrating the Beginning of the Budweiser Clydesdales!

I love the Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Clydesdale horses and  commercials and I know many of you do as well. What you may not know is the very first appearance of the Clydesdales came about as a result of the end of Prohibition of beer and the Cullen-Harrison Act which took effect on April 7, 1933, now known and celebrated as National Beer Day. (The repeal of the Volstead Act, banning sale and use of all alcoholic beverages, would follow in December of that same year.)

On that day in April of 1933, August A. Busch, Jr. and Adolphus Busch III surprised their father, August A. Busch, Sr., with the gift of a six-horse Clydesdale hitch (later increased to the present eight horse hitch) to commemorate the repeal of Prohibition of beer.

Busch Sr. then arranged to have a second six-horse Clydesdale hitch sent to New York on April 7 to mark the event. The Clydesdales drew a crowd of thousands on their way to the Empire State Building. After a small ceremony, a case of Budweiser was presented to former Governor Alfred E. Smith in appreciation of his years of service in the fight against Prohibition. This original team then continued a tour across New England and the mid-Atlantic, ending in a final stop in Washington DC with a reenactment of the delivery of the first post-Prohibition case of beer to President Franklin Roosevelt.

This 2012 Super Bowl ad is a tribute to the end of Prohibition and that first appearance of the beloved Clydesdale Horses. (They took a little liberty with the addition of the Dalmatian, these canine mascots were not added to official teams until March of 1950.)

Now, grab some Bud and make one of these BEER COCKTAILS Cheers!
New Beers Eve is April 6th, National Beer Day is April 7th, National Beer Lovers Day is September 7th, National Drink Beer Day is September 28th, American Beer Day is October 27th and International Beer Day is the first Friday in August.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

PRICKLY PEAR COCKTAILS

 I live in Tucson. Prickly Pears grow all over my property. You had to expect these, right?
And you know there will be more.

PRICKLY PEAR COCKTAILS
LOADED CACTUS (PRICKLY PEAR) SLIDERITAS
PRICKLY PEAR CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
PRICKLY PEAR DAIQUIRI
PRICKLY PEAR MARTINI
PRICKLY PEAR OLD FASHIONED

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

FLORAL (FLOWER INFUSED) COCKTAILS

Nothing evokes spring more than the first flowers peeking through at the end of winter. Flowers are the essence of spring, and they can be an intriguing part of your spring cocktails as well.
There are several options for imbuing cocktails with floral elements using floral liqueurs, essences, extracts, cocktail bitters and syrups to employing actual edible flowers as a garnish. Used judiciously, even a drop of floral bitters, rose water, flower essence or just a teaspoon of floral honey syrup can add a floral touch of spring to your cocktails. To achieve a floral note, one or more of these methods has been applied in each of the cocktail recipes below.

FLOWER INFUSED (FLORAL) COCKTAILS 
ALIEN INVASION COCKTAIL ANGOSTURA & OLD LACE APRICOT LAVENDER BOURBON SOUR The AVIATION The BARBIE MIMOSA BEE'S KNEES BLUSHING ROSE BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER - ELDERFLOWER G&T CHOCOLATE & ROSES MARTINI The COCKTAIL PURPLE MY DARLING CLEMENTINI The ELDER FASHIONED ELDERFLOWER SALTY DOG ENCHANTED FAERIE GRANDMA'S "TEA" HIBISCUS HEART FIZZ LADY ROSE COCKTAIL LAVENDER KIWI DAIQUIRI LUCKY CHARM MOROCCAN ROSE NEVERLAND COOLER PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR MARTINI PURGATORY PUNCH The SAGZERAC SPARKLING HIBISCUS MARTINI STORMBORN COCKTAIL WILD HIBISCUS G&T WILD HIBISCUS MARTINI
You might also want to check out my HERB COCKTAILS.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The BARBIE MIMOSA Cocktail

It might be hard to believe, but the iconic Barbie doll turns 60 today. I grew up playing with Barbie Dolls, in fact, I had the whole 50s/60s pack; Ken, Midge, Toni, a slew of outfits, accessories and the peach and turquoise sports car. But that doll of my youth, the original Barbie, has changed with the times over the last six decades so I think it's time her cocktail did as well.

  The plethora of existing Barbie cocktails consist mostly of a pink drink of juices with a little vodka and or coconut rum mixed in. I think a 60 year old Barbie should be a little more sophisticated in her choice of cocktail. That's why I tossed out the jungle juice mixtures and am introducing today's senior citizen Barbie to a drink more suited to her maturity, an effervescent combination of a Mimosa and a Negroni.
Cheers and Happy Birthday, Barbie!

The

BARBIE MIMOSA
INGREDIENTS 1 Oz. Gordon's Pink Gin 3/4 Oz. Cocchi Rosa 1/2 Oz. Fresh Pink Grapefruit Juice 2 Oz. Chilled Pink Champagne 1 Drop Rose Water
Garnish: Edible Candied Rose Petals
DIRECTIONS Fill mixing glass with ice Add all the ingredients except the champagne. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top off with the Champagne. Garnish and enjoy.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Chocolate & Rye Whiskey Manhatten Cocktail Recipe

Thanks to a close friend of mine from Sonoma, I finally got my hands on a bottle of Sonoma Distilling Company's Cherrywood Rye. My friend needed a weekend away from tribulations of a divorce so I invited her out to enjoy the beautiful spring wildflowers of the desert and chill out from all the legal proceedings. She came in towing her luggage and a gift box full of some of my favorite Sonoma county goodies and tucked right in there was a bottle of that lovely wine country rye. I have been wanting to get my hands on a bottle for ages but my zip code never brought up a local source on their website so thank the Booze Gods for best friends.

After she settled in I poured us both a glass over ice to savor the rye as she vented over her departing mate. Taking a cue from that, I immediately decided a chocolate Manhattan was next, mixed two up then handed hers to her saying, "You don't need a man, you need a Manhattan!"
It was the perfect, smokey, chocolate liquid elixir for a woman in the throes of a divorce and worked out beautifully for today's International Women's Day cocktail. I just wish she'd brought two bottles.

You Don't Need A Man, You Need A MANHATTAN! A Chocolate & Rye Whiskey Manhattan Cocktail
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz Sonoma County Cherrywood Rye Whiskey 1 Oz Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur 1/2 Oz Cinzano Rosso Sweet Vermouth 2 Dashes Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters 1 Dash Angostura Orange Bitters
Garnish: Brandied Cherry, Orange Twist
DIRECTIONS Chill your glasses. Fill a cocktail pitcher with ice. Add the ingredients and stir until chilled. Strain into the chilled glass. Garnish and serve.
Cheers to you, my dear friend, come back soon and bring me that second bottle. (And some Gravenstein cider!)

International Women's Day is March 8th. 
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

ARNAUD'S SPECIAL COCKTAIL

Arnaud's Special was the house cocktail of the famous Arnaud's Restaurant of New Orleans in the 1940's and 1950's. It's a Southern take on a Rob Roy where the sweet vermouth and Angostura Bitters are replaced with the Dubonnet and orange bitters. 
If you're looking for a dry cocktail give this a try. It's a great cocktail to sip before dinner. Just make sure you use the new Dubonnet released in the States last year, it's more like the original 1846 formula and the Dubonnet that Europe has always had access to.  Even though Arnaud's most likely used the first American version, this new Dubonnet is much more complex and makes this cocktail way more interesting. (FYI, during the 1940s, when Hitler had control of France, the United States could not import Dubonnet so a different version was created in the U.S. It was, however, milder and less bitter as a result of the reduction of the quinine.)

ARNAUD'S SPECIAL
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Johnnie Walker Red Scotch 1 Oz. Dubonnet Rouge 3 Dashes of Orange Bitters
Garnish: Orange Twist
DIRECTIONS Stir in a mixing glass with ice until chilled then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Express the orange twist over the top then drop into the cocktail.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

PEACH BLOSSOM COCKTAIL Recipe

A few days ago it snowed (yes, SNOWED) here in Tucson. Today we are going to hit nearly 80 degrees. Such are the vagaries of the beginnings of Spring in Arizona, one minute you're tossing more mesquite wood on the fire and the next moment you're putting on shorts.

Somebody with a great sense of humor built little snowmen all throughout Saguaro National Park, here's one on top of a saguaro.

For cocktail lovers, the ending of winter means it's time to pull out your Collins and highball glasses and start thinking about tall, refreshing, low ABV* coolers again. You might want to tuck the brown booze off to the side and dust off your clear liquor bottles as well because hot weather and a burgeoning garden are both very friendly with gin, vodka, light rums, unaged whiskies and blanco tequilas.
With that in mind - and since it's National Peach Blossom Day - I thought I'd kick off the approaching spring and summer seasons with a cocktail that's been around for a while but in slightly different versions. I've seen recipes for peach blossom cocktails using a peach liqueur with either vodka or gin and, having tried both, I prefer the vodka. Gins can differ quite a bit in their botanicals and, if you choose the wrong one, it can overpower or conflict with the peach. Vodka doesn't have that problem, it's a much more amenable spirit when it comes to blending with delicate flavors, in fact, you can buy peach vodkas that enhance the peach experience.
Most of the recipes floating about the net are simply a mix of spirit, peach liqueur and either orange juice or ginger ale but I figure if you're going to make a peach cocktail put some real peach in it, I used frozen ones to help keep the cocktail cool. I leave out the orange juice, add some lemon to pop the sweetness of the peach and go with the effervescence of the ginger ale. This puts this cocktail in the Buck** category, making it a perfect drink for sitting outside and watching nature wake up from its winter nap.

The PEACH BLOSSOM Cocktail
INGREDIENTS 1 Oz. Peach Vodka 1 Oz. Peach Schnapps 5 Oz. Ginger Ale
Garnish: Frozen peaches mixed in with the ice cubes, Mint leaves
DIRECTIONS  Pour the vodka and peach schnapps into a Collins glass filled with ice cubes and frozen peach slices. Stir, top with ginger ale, pop the mint between your palms (this gently releases the oils into your cocktail), then place on top of the ice and enjoy.
* Alcohol by Volume
** A Buck is a cocktail or mixed drink that uses ginger ale or ginger beer, citrus juice and any of a number of base liquors.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The BANANA CREAM PIE COCKTAIL Recipe

Some years ago I was very much into recreating pie recipes as adult beverages and, because banana cream pie is one of my favorites, I created a vodka based Banana Cream Pie Martini. I recently saw that National Banana Cream Pie Day was coming up and thought I'd revisit this experiment but with some interesting rums instead.
I used Appleton Estate aged rum and Cruzan's Banana and Vanilla Rums, added some fresh banana, a bit of cream and a dash of salt. I nearly always add salt to even out the sweetness that is inherent in a dessert inspired drink, it's a nice little chef's trick for balancing out too much tartness and it also serves to open up the palate.
Darned thing was so good I had two and skipped dinner.

The BANANA CREAM PIE COCKTAIL 
INGREDIENTS 1 Oz. Banana Rum 1/2 Oz. Vanilla Rum 1 Oz. Aged Dark Rum 1/2 Oz. Half & Half 1/2 Ripe Banana 1/8 Tsp. Himalayan Pink Sea Salt 1 Cup Crushed Ice
Garnish: Crushed Vanilla Wafers for Rim, Banana Slice
DIRECTIONS Blend the ingredients until smooth, pour into a chilled glass, garnish and enjoy.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The WHITE RUSSIAN Cocktail

The White Russian is the creamy sister cocktail to the Black Russian. A Black Russian is 5 parts vodka to 2 parts Kahlua (coffee liqueur), the White Russian adds 3 parts cream to that.
A very popular and trendy drink in the 70s (and my GoTo gambling cocktail in those days) the White Russian's popularity then waned until 1998 when The Big Lebowski was released. Onto the screen strides Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), an aging hippie who dubs his White Russians "Caucasians" and sloshes them down while abiding through life in bathrobes, sandals and surfer bum threads. These days the White Russian and The Dude are so intertwined you can't order one without someone shouting "He abides" or simply, "Dude!"  Don't believe me? Go into a bar, order one, I dare you.

It might not be considered by most mixologists as one of the world's greatest drinks but I happen to enjoy drinking a Caucasian occasionally and, like The Dude says, "everything is just, like, your opinion, man”.

The WHITE RUSSIAN Martini Diva Style
INGREDIENTS: 2 Oz. Vodka 1 Oz. Kahlua Coffee Liqueur 1-1/2 Oz. Cream, Whipped lightly (soft peaks) 2 Dashes Scrappy's Chocolate Bitters
Garnish: Espresso Powder Rim, Scrappy's Orange Bitters
Tools: Stir Stick
Glass: Old Fashioned
DIRECTIONS: Dip the rim of the glass in some Kahlua, then into the espresso powder. Fill glass with a few ice cubes. Stir in the Vodka, Kahlua and chocolate bitters. Slowly add the whipped cream to float on top. Do not stir again. Tap a few dashes of the orange bitters on top, add a stir stick and serve.
Just take it easy, man, enjoy ... but watch out for cats ....

Variations: The Black Russian has no cream. The Blind Russian (aka Muddy Water) which substitutes cream with Irish Cream. The Mudslide which uses both cream and Irish Cream. The White Canadian made with goat's milk. The Anna Kournikova made with skimmed milk. The White Cuban made with rum instead of vodka. The Dirty Russian made with chocolate milk instead of cream. The Dirty Black Russian has no cream but uses cola. The Colorado Bulldog adds cola. The California Russian adds a shot of triple sec and a slice of orange. The Irish Russian is served with a head of Guinness. The Brown Russian is served in a highball glass and topped with ginger ale. The Black Magic uses a dash of lemon juice and a lemon twist garnish. Peri's Black Russian is served in a highball glass with vanilla vodka then topped with cola.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

CHERRY PIE COCKTAIL

This is my third cherry pie cocktail. What can I say, I love Cherry Pie and I love cocktails.

The CHERRY PIE COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS  1-1/4 Oz. Rye Whiskey 1/4 Oz. Cherry Heering 1/4 Oz. Amaretto 1 Oz. Cherry Juice 1 Dash Cinnamon Bitters
Garnish: Crushed Pie Crust & Sugar Rim, Luxardo Cherry
DIRECTIONS Mix a half cup of crushed, baked pie crust with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Rim the glass with some of the cherry herring, dip in the pie crust mixture then chill in the freezer. Shake the ingredients with ice until chilled. Strain into the chilled glass. Garnish with a Luxardo Cherry and serve.
If you love cherry pie and cocktails as much as I do, you might also want to check out these: Bourbon Cherry Pie Smash Cherry Pie Martini
More Cherry Cocktails

National Cherry Pie Day is February 20th.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

CHOCOLATE MINT COCKTAILS

Chocolate and mint is a popular combination so I have combined them quite a few times over the years and come up with a few cocktail recipes.
My favorite?  My Chocolate Mojito but a classic Grasshopper runs a very close second. 

CHOCOLATE MINT COCKTAILS
AFTER EIGHT MINTINI BABY GROOT COCKTAIL CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE MARTINI CHOCOLATE MERRIMINT CHOCOLATE MOJITO CHRISTMAS GRASSHOPPER GRASSHOPPER IRISH KISS MINT MILANO COOKIE MARTINI PEPPERMINT PATTY MARTINI PEPPERMINT PATTY Part Deux SNOWBALL MARTINI
National Chocolate Mint Day is February 19th.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

DRINKING GAMES, Take the Boring Out of Your Cocktail Party!

Cocktail parties are always fun but they're more fun when you stir in some party games. If you have a diverse group of guests who might not know each other well the best way to break the ice is add a game to the mix.
I'm not just talking the ubiquitous beer pong, but some truly laughter inducing card, board and classic games that can help bring your guests together actively. Smaller gatherings can center nicely around a single game while larger groups can benefit from several small tables, each with a different game, where folks can pick and choose and switch it up as well.
Set up a self serve cocktail bar or trays of prepared shots, add a snack bar, arrange your table(s) and let the fun ensue while you enjoy your own party.
Here are some of my favorites:

CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY My all time Top Party Game. They call it a "party game for horrible people" which is what got me to buy it. Two decks of cards, one set with wild questions with blanks that players fill in from cards they were dealt from the other deck which has some equally wild and truly odd fill-in-the-blank solutions that will have everyone in fits of laughter.

DRINKOPOLY You probably won't make it past the first round, and cheating makes it way more fun.

TRIVIAL PURSUITS For the less adventurous and more knowledgeable BUT playing in teams and adding a cheating element of charades hints makes it way more fun.

BAD PEOPLE This one's mean, invite some enemies you can pick on because the voting can get vicious. You'll laugh - hard, but someone's going to get hurt feelings unless you play after you've all had enough drinks so no one will remember anything that went on.

THESE CARDS WILL GET YOU DRUNK They will. If you want to have fun but not get sloshed, don't do shots, do sips. There's some fun challenges and activities in this one, but you've added booze so move the priceless antiques to another room.

TIPSY TOWER Jenga for boozers.

MOVIE QUOTES Great for movie lovers, most of the quotes are pretty well-known, there are a few quotes from older and classic movies.

DRAWING WITHOUT DIGNITY 40 Proof Pictionary. Get a big box of crayonsand get your drunk doodles on.

TWISTER Come on, nothing funnier than a bunch of drunks climbing all over each other and falling down. Want to make your next party funnier? Set up a hidden webcam and record the whole brouhaha.

COCKTAIL FARTY A G rated conversation starter that can tell you things about your friends you might not otherwise have ever found out about.

Let's not forget about that LAWN BEER PONG

Of course there's always poker or some other card game (P.S. I've got some cool poker chip and playing card designs!),  I've also been known to serve my cocktails in squirt guns at pool parties and my own cocktail themed coloring book has been a big hit at my happy hours.

Yes, I get a few pennies if you click on and buy these. How else would I pay for my own booze? And without booze how would I continue to create all my free cocktail recipes for you??

PLEASE DRINK & PLAY RESPONSIBLY

PLUM PUDDING COCKTAIL RECIPE

With it's roots in medieval England, Plum Pudding, or Christmas Pudding (aka "Pud", pronounced like "put" but with a D instead of a T.) is a staple dessert in the UK.  Oddly, it contains no actual plums but instead uses a wide variety of dried fruits. This makes sense when you know that plums were what folks called raisins back in those days, which I think is odd since dried plums are prunes, but who am I to argue?
The pud also contained some form of nut, usually walnuts, as well as molasses, suet, orange zest, brandy and the usual assortment of typical baking ingredients.
Since it does contain brandy, probably used as a way to preserve the pudding before the time of refrigeration, I figure this gives me the go-ahead to flip that pudding on it's head and turn it into a cocktail. One WITH real plum.

PLUM PUDDING COCKTAIL . . . like your Gran used to make, only in a glass, with more booze.
INGREDIENTS 1 Oz Plum Brandy (Slivovitz) 1 Oz Cognac 1/4 Oz Grand Marnier 1 Tsp. Plum Pudding Syrup (Recipe Below)  3 Dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
Garnish:  Assorted dried fruits on a cocktail pick with a small cube of actual plum pudding if you want to find/make it. (Recipe link below.)
DIRECTIONS Add the plum brandy, cognac, Grand Marnier and the plum pudding syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add your garnishes. Tap on the black walnut bitters and serve.

PLUM PUDDING SYRUP Ingredients 2 Plums, Chopped 2 C. Sugar 1 C. Water 1 Tsp. Lemon Zest 1 Cinnamon Stick 4 Mace Blades 4 Cloves
Directions: Place all the ingredients into a small pan, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer until syrup has thickened, stirring often. Remove from heat, strain and cool until ready to use. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The leftover syrup can be used on pancakes, waffles, pound cake and even over ice cream.
My favorite recipe for Plum Pudding (Christmas "Pud") comes from Jamie Oliver. 
National Plum Pudding Day is February 12th.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

CREAM CHEESE BROWNIE MARTINI COCKTAIL RECIPE

I'm very fond of nice chewy, deep chocolate brownies and my favorite of all is a dark chocolate brownie baked with cream cheese batter. There's just something about that cream cheese and chocolate mixture that has me totally addicted.
Since I love doing cocktails inspired by food and national food holidays, I decided it was time to create and mix up a few of these.

The  CREAM CHEESE BROWNIE MARTINI
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz Dark Creme de Cacao 1 Oz Whipped Cream Vodka 1/2 Tsp. Espresso Powder 2 Drops Bob's Vanilla Bitters
Garnish: 4 Tablespoons Lightly Whipped Heavy Cream, Dusting of Espresso Powder, 1" Cube of a Cream Cheese Brownie
DIRECTIONS Lightly whip your heavy cream to soft peaks then set aside. Fill your shaker with ice then shake ingredients until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, gently pour on the lightly whipped heavy cream, garnish and serve.
Here's the Cream Cheese Brownie Recipe I use to make my cream cheese brownies for the garnish.
National Cream Cheese Brownie Day is February 10th.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The BACARDI COCKTAIL

Originating in Cuba in 1917, the Bacardi Cocktail is basically a daiquiri that uses grenadine in place of sugar. There is some discussion as to whether or not a Bacardi Cocktail was simply a daiquiri in brand clothing (i.e. just a daiquiri that specifies Bacardi brand rum).
If you look closely at the poster below, you will note that even Bacardi itself calls the version without Grenadine a dry version of the Bacardi Cocktail, whereas they called the version with the Grenadine a sweet version. Also note the smaller ingredient sizes, that's because cocktail glasses were smaller back in those days.

Also evidenced by the posters above is Bacardi's campaign to keep the Bacardi in the Bacardi Cocktail. In fact in 1936 the Bacardi company got so tired of people using non Bacardi rum in their signature cocktail that they took the case to court to protect their brand. On April 28th of that same year, the New York Supreme Court ruled that the drink must contain Bacardi rum in order to be called a Bacardi Cocktail.

So be aware, if it doesn't use Bacardi, you can't legally call it a Bacardi Cocktail!

The BACARDI COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz Bacardi White Rum 1 Oz Fresh Lime Juice 1/2 Oz Grenadine Syrup**
DIRECTIONS Shake together in a mixer with ice. Strain into glass and serve.
*  The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks by Dale DeGroff
** Generally, when any cocktail calls for grenadine, I will use my Homemade Grenadine Syrup in place of bottled Grenadines. In this case, I do not because bottled syrup is part of the balance of the original cocktail recipe.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY