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.

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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 1/2 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.

Voiceover Video with Ingredients & Directions:

Updated 3-2022
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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.
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CHERRY PIE COCKTAIL aka The Twin Peaks Cocktail

This is my third cherry pie cocktail. What can I say, I love Cherry Pie and I love cocktails. I also happen to be a huge Twin Peaks fan so when I found out there was a Twin Peaks Day (February 24th) this third cherry pie inspired drink was inevitable.

The CHERRY PIE COCKTAILakaThe Twin Peaks 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.
Voiceover Video with Ingredients & Directions:

If you love cherry pie and cocktails as much as I do, you might also want to check these out: Bourbon Cherry Pie Smash Cherry Pie Martini
More Cherry Cocktails

National Cherry Pie Day is February 20th AND - don't forget - Twin Peaks Day is February 24th!

Updated 2-2022
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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.
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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??

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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.
VOICEOVER VIDEO with Ingredients & Directions:

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.
 
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