The Sparkling Hibiscus Martini

This cocktail was inspired by some fun holiday hibiscus Santa hat treats from Wild Hibiscus.

I didn't get around to playing with them until after Christmas so I decided to turn them into a New Year's Eve cocktail garnish instead. Then I had to come up with a cocktail to go with them for New Year's Eve that included Champagne because I don't do New Year celebrations without Champagne!
The Sparkling Hibiscus Martini
1 Oz. Vodka 1 Oz. White Cranberry Juice 1 Oz. Champagne, Chilled 3/4 Oz. Hibiscus Syrup Juice of 1 Lime 1 Hibiscus Flower 1 Tbsp. Sweetened Cream Cheese Silver Sprinkles
GARNISH DIRECTIONS Add a teaspoon of powdered sugar and half a teaspoon of hibiscus syrup to a tablespoon of cream cheese. Dry the hibiscus flower with a paper towel then pipe in the cream cheese and dip in the silver sprinkles. Lay your loaded hibiscus flowers on parchment paper or wax paper and place in the freezer until solid. (If you don't freeze them they slip down the cocktail pick and dissolve into your martini!)
COCKTAIL DIRECTIONS Chill your martini glass in the freezer. Fill your cocktail shaker with ice then pour in the vodka, lime juice and the white cranberry juice and shake until chilled. Pour into your chilled martini glass, slowly add the hibiscus syrup (which will sink to the bottom) then top off with the Champagne. Skewer the cream cheese hibiscus flower onto a cocktail pick, add to your cocktail and serve.
Be careful, these slide down really easy, designated drivers are a good accompaniment!
Enjoy and Happy New Year's Eve Eve.
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The SMOKY DIRTY MARTINI

There's Gin Martinis, Vodka Martinis, Dirty Martinis and now there's a Smoky Dirty Martini! And you don't need any fancy smoking gun to make one either.
I had a few friends over for cocktails this last week and one of them brought a nice bottle of vodka and a jar of Mezzetta Applewood Smoked Olives along to share (thanks, Miguel!) I popped one of the olives in my mouth and immediately knew what cocktail I was going to make for us.
I made ours with vodka because he had brought vodka with him, but you can easily do the same recipe with gin. I've done both since and I prefer the gin because I love the botanicals, but the smoky flavor is more pronounced in the less flavorful vodka. It's your choice, nobody here will judge you or go into a boring diatribe about how real martinis are only made with gin . . . . 
My SMOKY DIRTY MARTINI
2-1/2 Oz. Quality Gin (or Vodka!) 1/2 Oz. Brine from the Smoked Olives 1/8 Oz. Dry Vermouth 3 Smoked Olives for Garnish
Chill your martini glass. Fill a cocktail pitcher or shaker with ice then pour in the gin (or vodka), the dry vermouth and that lovely smoky olive brine. Stir or shake as desired, strain into your chilled glass and add a cocktail pick loaded with 3 of the smoked olives.
I served mine up with extra Smoked Olives and some lovely, salty Fricos!

Why 3 olives? Because 2 is considered bad luck! As for stirring versus shaking; shaking can "bruise" the gin and can create ice shards in the cocktail, but shaking chills the drink more (and some drinkers love those little ice shards!) Shaking also creates some cloudiness in a cocktail (from the air bubbles that are created in the shaking process) while stirring creates a clearer drink. Again, the choice is yours, martinis are a very personal experience, both in the ratio and method. If you don't know what you like, experiment!
Cheers!
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SPARKLING CRANBERRY CRUSH COCKTAIL

There's a better way to use that "bowlful of jelly" (aka canned cranberry sauce) than just plopping it in a bowl for your Christmas dinner. Grab that bowl of jelly and head over to the bar!
The SPARKLING CRANBERRY CRUSH The Perfect Christmas Eve Cocktail
1-1/2 Oz. Homemade Cranberry Liqueur 1/4 Oz. Grand Marnier 1 Oz. Orange Juice 1 Oz. Brut Champagne 2 Tablespoons Cranberry Sauce 5 Fresh Orange Mint Leaves Dash of Cranberry Bitters Santa Gummy Candy Orange Quarter
Chill your martini glass in the freezer. Blend the cranberry liqueur and cranberry sauce together in a blender. Add 4 of the mint leaves and the orange juice to your cocktail shaker and muddle until you can smell the orange mint. Add a cup of ice cubes to the cocktail shaker then pour in the cranberry liqueur and cranberry sauce mixture, the cranberry bitters and the Grand Marnier and shake until your cocktail shaker frosts over. Strain into your chilled martini glass, leaving enough room for the Champagne. Pour in the bubbly, garnish with the remaining mint leaf, the orange twist and the Santa gummy candy.
Serve up with some great Cranberry Italian Sausage Meatballs!
No bubbly? No problem! Here's another cocktail option for that jellied cranberry sauce:
The SAUCY CHRISTMAS CRANTINI
A VERY HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS EVE TO YOU & YOURS!
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FROSTY MARTINI, A Christmas Cocktail with Nostalgia

When I was growing up Frosty the Snowman was a traditional holiday song in my house. Originally recorded by Gene Autry in 1950 it was one of the several holiday records my mom would play while decorating for the holidays. (Yes, we had Bing singing White Christmas and Autry's Rudolf too!) Frosty was written as a follow up to Autry's recording of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", a huge success the previous year.
There was also a Little Golden Books edition of Frosty and I had a dearly loved, dog-eared copy that was my favorite bedtime book at Christmas. Though the little book and the 78 record disappeared many decades ago, I recently came upon this copy of the book in a back alley second hand store and joyously took it home as a reminder of those past Christmas memories from many years ago.

In the years following Autry's version and the book there was a series of Frosty The Snowman recordings, television shows and specials, however the Autry version and the Little Golden Book publication hold a special place in my heart and to celebrate my treasured find I have created a new Christmas cocktail:
The FROSTY MARTINI
1/2 Oz. Vanilla Vodka 1/2 Oz. Cranberry Vodka 1 oz. Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur 1 Oz. Half & Half Gummy Snowman Assorted White Cake Sprinkles
Dip the rim of your martini glass into some of the Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur and then into the white cake sprinkles. Chill your glass in the freezer. Pour the vanilla vodka, the cranberry vodka, the Godiva liqueur and the half & half into your cocktail shaker with ice and shake until nice and Frosty (wink). Garnish with your snowman gummy candy, go to YouTube and listen to Gene Autry sing Frosty The Snowman and enjoy!
P.S. Those two Christmas tree ornaments in the photo are also cherished holiday memories of mine, both having been on every tree my mother decorated until she passed away in 1991. Though I have never been able to bring myself to decorate a live tree since, those two Christmas ornaments always have the spot of honor in my holiday decor.


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DRUNK ELF on a shelf COCKTAIL

I'm not really a grinch, I'm usually most jolly, but I feel really sorry for those sad little dollies.
You shove them on shelves, hang them off of your holly, and those bored little elves need a cocktail, by golly!
I'm down with fun memes, I'm cool with webz humor, but this elf nonsense ends with a drunk elfen rumor ...

The DRUNK ELFon aSHELFMARTINI
INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 Oz. Chocolate Candy Cane Vodka 1/2 Oz. Irish Cream Liqueur 1 Oz. Half & Half 1 Oz. Chilled Coffee
Garnish: Chocolate Candy Cane Red Sugar Crystals
DIRECTIONS: Dip your cocktail glass rim in some of the Irish Cream Liqueur and then into the red sugar crystals, then chill your glass in the freezer. Fill your cocktail shaker with ice then pour in the Chocolate Candy Cane Vodka, the Irish Cream Liqueur, the half and half and the chilled coffee then shake until well chilled. Garnish with a chocolate candy cane and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

Updated 12-2021
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MAPLE WHISKEY SOUR

THE MAPLE WHISKEY SOUR

2 Oz. Good Whiskey
3/4 Oz. Real Maple Syrup
3/4 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Orange Twist
Homemade Maraschino Cherry

Fill your glass with ice, add a drop or two of Angostura bitters, then pour in the whiskey. Add the maple syrup and the lemon juice and stir. Garnish with a Homemade Maraschino Cherry and an orange twist.

Whiskey or Whisky?

The word itself comes from the Gaelic "usquebaugh", (uisge beatha in Scottish, uisce beatha in Irish), with "uisce" being from the Old Irish for "water" and "beatha or bethad" for "of life". Ergo, whiskey is "the water of life"!

When whiskey was being exported from Ireland and Scotland to America in the late 1800's the Irish wanted to distinguish their whiskey from what they considered inferior Scottish whisky so they added and "e". Today most Americans and Irish spell it "whiskey" while the Scots still spell it "whisky".

History and Provenance

From the historical cocktail class of sours, a recipe for a Whiskey Sour was first published in Jerry Thomas’ How to Mix Drinks (1862), but the first printed mention was purportedly in January 4th 1870 in a Wisconsin newspaper called the Waukesha Plaindealer. A Peruvian newspaper called El Comercio de Iquique states that Elliott Stubb created the "Whisky Sour" in 1872.

Variations

Add egg white and it's a Boston Sour, add a float of red wine (Claret, Bordeaux, Cabernet) and you have s New York Sour.

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Chocolate Covered Cocktails

December 16th is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day!   You know where I'm going with this? Right to the bar, of course! Below are my favorite ways to enjoy chocolate covered, alcohol infused treats.
CHOCOLATE COVERED COCKTAILS    Happy National Chocolate Covered Anything Day!
Updated 12-2017 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY