I'm a huge fan of almost all the TV cooking shows and I'm a faithful devotee of ABC's The Taste. I never miss an episode. I love that the outcome is based more on taste than personality.
While watching The Taste I live tweet during the show and, after a segment involving sweets, asked Chef and Judge Ludo Lefebvre what his favorite dessert was and he tweeted me that it was his mom's Cherry Clafoutis. This struck a chord with me as clafoutis was a dessert I was very fond of while living in France, having enjoyed it often at family dinners with my then fiance. I love anything with cherries and clafoutis is loaded with lovely dark cherries.
A typical Cherry Clafoitis (or a flognarde if made with another fruit) is very much like a sweet fritatta or a custardy pancake and is made with eggs, butter, flour, sugar, fresh cherries, milk (and sometimes heavy cream), vanilla, a pinch of salt and often a splash of brandy. I took these ingredients as my starting point for flavoring my cocktail. A bit of cake, a bit of custard, a lot of cherry goodness and a French chef inspired this Cherry Clafoutis Martini.
I happen to like cocktails with egg whites in them, they bring a creamy texture and a beautiful, natural foamy top. Though eggs perform a slightly different role in a cocktail then they do in baking, in both cases they add richness to the end product. So, instead of pulling out the mixing bowls and doing my mise en place to bake a Cherry Clafoutis, I pulled out the cocktail shaker and lined up the bar tools and booze to shake a Cherry Clafoutis!
The
CHERRY CLAFOUTIS
Martini
INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Dark Rum
1/2 Oz. Pinnacle Whipped Cherry Vodka
1 Oz. Kirsch
Splash of Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 Oz. Black Cherry Juice*
2 Tbsp. Pasteurized Egg White
1/2 Oz. Half & Half
Pinch of Fleur de sel (salt!)
3 Tsp. Simple Syrup
2 Dashes of Vanilla Bitters
Homemade Maraschino Cherry
DIRECTIONS:
Chill your glass in the freezer.
Combine all the ingredients except the Maraschino cherries in a blender and blend for a few seconds to emulsify the egg into the cocktail.
Pour this into an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake until chilled. Allow the drink to settle for a minute or two then pour into your chilled martini glass. Slide a Maraschino cherry onto the rim and enjoy!
Makes two 4 ounce cocktails or (in my single woman case) one big martini!
* Since it's February (National Cherry Month!) cherries are out of season here in Arizona so I used some lovely cherry concentrate from Benjamin Twiggs to make my dark cherry juice. Though I prefer fresh, using a concentrate allowed me to keep the juice a little thicker and more tart which I really liked with the egg white.
Dark Rum is interesting in that it has a heavy vanilla nose so it was a perfect base liquor for the vanilla cake and custard notes of the dessert. The Pinnacle Whipped Cherry vodka brings in some creamy flavor and added cherry punch. The Kirsch (a cherry flavored brandy), along with the cherry juice and cherry vodka, bring in the brandy and cherry elements. I popped up the sweetness with some simple syrup and the half and half substitutes for the milk in the baked recipe. The egg white gives the cocktail it's body and the bitters curtail the sweetness while adding a deeper vanilla undertone to the rum. I added the splash of maraschino liqueur at the end on a whim and it tied in the garnish very nicely.
I did a full afternoon of experimental mixology and was a little blitzed by the time I got the recipe worked out, but it was worth it. I put Cherry Clafoutis in a glass and added a little buzz. It was a good day of baking shaking!
Merci, Chef Ludo, thanks for the inspiration, vous êtes mon préféré célèbre chef!
Updated February 2025PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
I don't do a lot of wine cocktails. Most of the time I prefer to enjoy my wine as the vintner intended, but I do occasionally enjoy a sangria or a wine cooler. When I came across this interesting bottle of Chocolate Shop Red Wine I impulsively grabbed it off the shelf. I'd enjoyed Deco Chocolate Port when I lived in Sonoma County and thought I'd give this wine a try.
I loved it! It was similar to the port, was a little less chocolate forward, less sweet with a lighter body. It's exactly the kind of dessert wine I would serve with chocolate strawberries or chocolate truffles or anything with chocolate. I might even pair it with a savory dish like cocoa and coffee rubbed rib eyes.
Of course being me, I had to add stuff to it to make a cocktail. What I ended up with was a remarkable chocolate raspberry sangria.
I think I've died and gone to heaven.
The
LOVE NOTION #9
Chocolate Raspberry Valentine Sangria
INGREDIENTS:
5 Oz. Chocolate Shop Red Wine, Chilled
1/2 Oz. Raspberry Vodka
1/3 C. Fresh Raspberries
2 Tbsp. Raspberry Syrup
1 Tbsp. Chocolate Syrup
2 Drops Fee Brothers Aztec Bitters
Garnish
Chocolate Heart Candies
(I found adorable white & dark chocolate hearts from Ghirardelli)
1/2 C. White Chocolate, Chopped
1/2 C. Dark Chocolate, Chopped
Special Tools: Pastry brush, Old Fashioned glass, metal strainer.
DIRECTIONS:
Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave then paint the rims of your glasses from the top to a quarter of the way down the glass. Attach a chocolate heart candy to each rim with an extra dab of chocolate, holding gently in place until it stays. Place your glass in the refrigerator to set up the chocolate.
Puree the raspberries with the Chocolate Shop Red Wine, raspberry vodka, chocolate and raspberry syrups and bitters in a blender.
Strain this into an ice filled cocktail shaker (to remove the raspberry seeds) and shake until chilled.
Pour into your garnished glass and enjoy for a romantic finish to your Valentine dinner.
Makes two full cocktails.
Some chocolate dipped cookies, chocolate covered marshmallows, sugar, chocolate dipped pretzels or nuts go really nice with this cocktail.
Tip1: Use up the rest of the melted chocolate by dipping the pretzels or nuts in it to serve with your cocktail.
Tip 2: Reduce any of the sangria leftovers to a syrup and pour over ice cream! If you have any, that is, and you probably won't.
Updated 2-14-2025
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This Valentine themed cocktail is my romantic riff on a classic Tom Collins, a drink with long lived respectability and an interesting history. It's also a cocktail close to my heart, being one of the first alcoholic drinks I ever experienced.
Though a classic Collins uses club soda or seltzer, I've gone with lemon lime soda in order to balance the tartness and touch of bitterness the hibiscus syrup and tea bring to the drink. The hibiscus rose syrup replaces the standard simple syrup usually employed in a Collins cocktail and plays well with the floral qualities of the gin.
Collins' are in the sub family of Fizzes which belong to the Sour family of drinks and usually consist of a base alcohol, an acid in the form of a citrus, typically lemon or lime, and a sweetener such as the simple syrup or sugar, topped off with a fizzy soda. Sometimes there is an addition of bitters.
Thanks to a recent box of goodies from the Wild Hibiscus Company, I decided to take some liberties with my Valentine version of a Tom Collins by inserting additional flavors, but I've stayed true to the basic formula (spirit, sour, sweet, fizz) and ratios. The tea was an unusual of addition of a bitters element, not strictly traditional, but it pumped up the hibiscus. It also looks very Pretty in Pink floating down through the drink, perfect for Valentine's Day!
The
HIBISCUS HEART FIZZ
INGREDIENTS
1.5 Oz. Gin
Lemon Lime Soda
Juice of 1/2 Lime
Juice of 1 Orange
1/4 Oz. Wild Hibiscus Rose Syrup
1 Bag Wild Hibiscus Tea
Garnish
Wild Hibiscus Flower
Lime Wedge
Long Orange Spiral Twist
Tools: Cocktail shaker, Channel Knife, Tom Collins glass, cocktail pick.
DIRECTIONS
Steep the Wild Hibuscus tea for 10 minutes. Allow this to cool.
Cut the orange spiral twist out of the orange rind using your channel knife.
Cut your lime wedge.
Rinse a hibiscus flower then gently dry with a paper towel.
Insert the lime wedge into the hibiscus flower, gently insert onto a cocktail pick. Set these garnishes aside.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the gin, orange juice and Wild Hibiscus Syrup, shake until chilled and strain into your glass.
Top off glass to 3/4 full with the lemon lime soda.
Set the lime and hibiscus flower garnish across your glass.
Drape on the orange spiral twist in a fun way, add a straw.
In front of your guest, gently pour the Wild Hibiscus Tea over the surface of your Sparkling Hibiscus Cooler.
Do not stir, you want the ombré effect of the tea slowly sinking down through the drink.
The goodies from Wild Hibiscus Company.
The nice thing about this drink is, like a Collins, it can be made with gin or vodka, it just depends on your preference. The gin works well with the floral qualities of the hibiscus, but if you like things a little more subtle and less herbal use the vodka.
Tip: After cutting my orange spiral I wrapped it around a straw and stuck it in the freezer for about ten minutes. This helps it keep the spiral shape when constructing the cocktail.
Here's hoping Valentine's Day brings you Hearts, Flowers and Spirits.
Updated 2-2019
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Two of my favorite flavored vodkas are strawberry and raspberry. I have a sweet tooth and I like Dessert Martinis so I use both of these a lot. Combine them and you get a really nice berry flavored vodka, exactly what I did here.
BERRY VALENTINE SHOT
INGREDIENTS:
1 Oz. Strawberry Vodka
1 Oz. Raspberry Vodka
Drunken Cherries
Melted White Chocolate
Valentine Colored Heart Sprinkles
DIRECTIONS:
First you have to make your Drunken Cherries, which is easy but you need to give them a few hours to get drunk! Just add some dried cherries to one of the flavored (or plain) vodkas and let them soak up all the boozy goodness.
Next you melt the white chocolate then dip the rim of your two ounce shot glass or shooter into the white chocolate and then into the Valentine sprinkles.
Add the raspberry and strawberry vodkas to a cocktail shaker full of ice, shake until chilled then strain into your shot glass.
Slide several of the Drunken Cherries onto a cocktail pick, drop that into your Berry Valentine Shot and serve.
Updated 2-2018
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Chocolate and cherries make up a lovely couple when it comes to Valentine cocktails. I have quite a supply of flavored vodkas and this was a perfect opportunity to pair a couple of them for Valentine's Day.
This is a pretty easy shooter and a delicious one, if a bit dangerous, so don't go overboard. P.S., it's even better if you use my Homemade Maraschino Cherries instead of those chemical laden sugar bombs you find in the store. If you want, you can add a little bit of the Maraschino liqueur from the cherries do your shot for a little color and extra flavor boost!
The
CHOCOLATE CHERRY
Valentine Shot
INGREDIENTS:
1 Oz. Cherry Vodka
1-1/2 Oz. Chocolate Vodka
Maraschino Cherry
Pearl Cake Gems
DIRECTIONS:
Dip the rim a cordial in either the cherry or the chocolate vodka then into the pearl cake gems. Chill glass in the freezer.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then pour in the cherry vodka and the chocolate vodka. Shake until chilled, strain into your glass and enjoy.
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One of the I.B.A. official cocktails, the Pisco Sour is a South American cocktail touted by both Chile and Peru as their national drink. Both countries also claim ownership of it's creation, however, most facts point to the cocktail being invented sometime between 1915 and 1924 by American bartender Victor Vaughn Morris at Morris' Bar in Lima, Peru.
Morris' original recipe has never been found but most likely it was akin to a basic sour that employed Pisco as the base. Later versions would refine this into something closer to the I.B.A. recipe for this cocktail:
1.5 Oz. Pisco
1 Oz. Lemon Juice
3/4 Oz. Simple Syrup
1 Egg White
Shaken with ice then strain into an Old Fashioned glass and garnish with a few drops of Angostura Bitters.
Peru's version uses Peruvian pisco Key lime juice, syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. The Chilean version uses Chilean Pisco, Pica lime but excludes the bitters and the egg white.
My version heads a little towards Hawaii.
PINEAPPLE
PISCO SOUR
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 Oz. Pisco
2 Oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice
1 Oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1 Oz. Pasteurized Egg White
1/2 Oz. Agave Syrup
2 Drops Angostura Orange Bitters
Garnish: Pineapple Chunk and
Lime Slice
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice and (dry) shake vigorously for 15 seconds to emulsify the egg white. Add a cup of ice then shake vigorously again for another 15 to 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass, express the lime slice over the cocktail, drop in then tap an extra drop of bitters onto the foamy cap and slip the garnish in and enjoy.
The first Saturday of February is National Pisco Sour Day.
Updated 2-2021
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Back in my youth I was a big fan of SweetTart candies. I still like the combination of tart and sweet but, as an adult, I like it better in a cocktail. Those flavors were the inspiration for this fun Valentine's Day shooter.
SWEET-TART
Valentine Shot
INGREDIENTS:
1 Oz. Pomegranate Vodka
1/4 Oz. Lemon Juice
Splash of Grenadine*
Pink and White Sprinkles
Lemon Twist
DIRECTIONS:
Dip the rim of a cordial glass into some Grenadine then into the sprinkles.
Add the pomegranate vodka and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. Pour into your glass, float the Grenadine and drop in the lemon twist.
*I use my own Homemade Grenadine (Pomegranate Syrup) instead of the bottled varieties because it's not loaded with chemicals or corn syrup and it actually tastes like pomegranate. Try my recipe and see if you don't agree, it's also great on ice cream and pancakes!
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