How to make BRANDIED FRUIT

  Making Brandied Fruit is easy and a great homemade holiday gift project. Brandied fruits are wonderful over ice cream, cakes, pancakes and bread puddings and they make lovely additions to cocktails as well. And don't forget about adding to the stuffing of a holiday bird or some pork chops!   You want to use ripe, unmarred fruit with no bruises or damage and a good brandy (or cognac). I use a VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) or VO (Very Old) brandy which has been aged at least 4 years. You can also use dried fruits and you can combine fruits for a "signature" blend.   Feel free to add flavors with spices like vanilla beans, anise stars, cardamom seeds or the zest of lemons and oranges as well. Even chilies and peppercorns can bring unexpected depth of flavor! Add these to the jar just before sealing up.   SIMPLE BRANDIED FRUIT RECIPE:   INGREDIENTS 5 Cups of Fruit 5 Cups Sugar 4+ Cups GOOD 80 Proof Brandy (You'll need enough to completely cover the fruit. Any leftover can be saved for cocktails!)   TOOLS Large Mixing Bowl 4 Sterilized Pint Glass Jars with Sealable Lids Labels   DIRECTIONS Mix the fruit and sugar in a large bowl and allow mixture to macerate for a minimum of an hour, tossing every 15 minutes. Divide the fruit mixture between the jars and fill remainder of jar with your brandy, leaving about half an inch head space. Cover and let infuse for a MINIMUM of a month, shaking occasionally. Keep in mind the longer your fruit is allowed to soak in that lovely brandy the better it will be! Label and give as a gift or just keep for yourself!  

  Some say you can add more fruit and brandy to the jar as you use it up, however I prefer making fresh batches to keep the aging controlled. Your brandied goodness can last up to nine months, more if refrigerated, just make sure the fruit is completely submerged in the alcohol at all times.
The fruit infused brandy is great in a Brandy Old Fashioned.
Enjoy. YES, you can eat it right out of the jar with a spoon!
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The DRUNKEN ASTRONAUT Cocktail

While searching for the building blocks of life in outer space astronomers recently found a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way that is loaded with ethyl formate, an amino acid that gives raspberries their flavor and rum it's distinctive smell! So, for all intents and purposes THERE'S A PAYLOAD OF RASPBERRY RUM IN OUTER SPACE!
 

The first thing this made me think of was a bunch of drunken, spacesuit adorned bar hoppers cavorting around the cosmos.

The next thing got me to thinking of was a stellar rum and raspberry cocktail. Unfortunately this newly discovered cloud of happy hour is about 58 quadrillion miles away so we'll have to create a little bit of intergalactic inebriation right here on the third rock from the sun, aka Earth.  I have (with no permission whatsoever from N.A.S.A) done all the formulation for you so there's no need to shell out $250,000 to Virgin Galactic to hitch a ride to high flying Hoochville.

And my cocktail doesn't come with all the other space debris like carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and ammonia which you'd have to contend with in the vacuum of space.

THE DRUNKEN ASTRONAUT

1 Oz. Light Rum
3/4 Oz. Chambord
1/4 Oz. Orange Curacao
3/4 Oz. Lime Juice
1 Drop Orange Bitters
2 Tsp. Honey
Ice
Fresh Raspberries
Lime Twist

Chill your glass in the freezer. Warm the honey for about 10 seconds in the microwave.  Add 1 cup of ice to a blender, pour in the rum, the Chambord, the Orange Curacao, the lime juice, the orange bitters a handful of fresh raspberries and the warmed honey.  Blend until your cocktail is the consistency of a slushy.  Pour into your chilled glass then garnish with a few more fresh raspberries and a twist of lime.

   

Enjoy and call ET for a ride home.

Updated 7-2018
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The 1492 Cocktail for Columbus Day

Happy Columbus Day!

I just tried this cocktail out yesterday and really liked it so, since today is Columbus Day, it's now The 1492.

Seriously, it has nothing to do with Columbus except sailors liked rum, but it's good and worth a holiday!

THE 1492

1-1/2 Oz. Gold Rum

3/4 Oz. Apricot Brandy

1 Oz. Lime Juice

Dash of Nutmeg
Dried Aprict

Shake with ice, garnish with a dried apricot and enjoy.

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VODKA COCKTAILS, INFUSIONS, USES, FACTS & TRIVIA

Tell us, what forces you
to drink vodka every day?
- Nothing. I'm a volunteer.

Apologies right up front, but you're not getting a neat list of vodka cocktails today.

I have hundreds of cocktail recipes featuring vodka and flavored vodkas (so many in fact that I've lost count of how many, but there's one here for just about everyone from A to Z, Soup to Nuts), the lust would scroll for days!

INSTEAD, I suggest you use my search bar (upper right hand ↗️) for vodka plus whatever you want to use it with:

TYPE VODKA + WhateverYouWant IN MY SEARCH BAR

and every vodka recipe I've ever posted with those ingredients will come up.

That being said, I have to at least post

a few of my personal favorite

Classic

VODKA COCKTAILS

APPLE MARTINI

So sue me, I still love an Apple Martini!

BLOODY MARYS

Brunch doesn't happen without one.

CHOCOLATE MARTINI

Still the best.

COSMOPOLITAN

Done right it's superb.

ELDERFLOWER SALTY DOG

Like Spring in a glass.

ESPRESSO MARTINI

Perks happy hour up.

HARVEY WALLBANGER

I just love saying wallbanger ...

LEMON DROP

Still a delicious cocktail after half a century.

SCREWDRIVER

(Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice Only)

SMOKY DIRTY MARTINI

O.M.Gawd!

VESPER

Good way to test a bartender.

WHITE RUSSIAN

The Dude is not wrong.

"Vodka is cheaper than therapy" on Fully Customizable Art & Gifts

POUR VODKA ON IT!

Check out the

31 REASONS WHY EVERYONE

SHOULD STOCK A BOTTLE OF VODKA

(Other than just for cocktails!)

POUR VODKA IN IT
You can also use vodka to make a variety of FLAVORED VODKAS,
like Bacon Vodka

Tomato Vodka
Chocolate Candy Cane Vodka
Candy Corn Vodka
Indian Candy Corn Vodka
as well as other liqueurs including:
Lemoncello (aka Limoncello)
Orangecello
Chocolate Liqueurs
Pumpkin Liqueur
Gingerbread Liqueur
Candied Pecan Liqueur
Blueberry Liqueur (and Vodka!)
Cranberry Liqueur
Coffee (Kahlua style) Liqueur
Caramel Liqueurs
Vanilla Bean Liqueur

SOME INTERESTING VODKA FACTS

The word "vodka" comes from the Russian word "Zhizennia voda" which means "water of life".

• One of the reasons vodka became popular in Russia was of its ability to remain liquid even in the coldest regions of northern Siberia.
• Drinking moderate amounts of vodka can help keep bad cholesterol levels down, keep arteries healthy and can aid in the prevention of stroke, heart attack, and Alzheimer's
• Vodka doesn't promote gluten formation, so it helps a pie crust stay flakier and more tender. (Vodka Pie Crust Recipe.)

I believe that if life gives you lemons,

you should make lemonade...

And try to find somebody

whose life has given them vodka,

and have a party

~ Ron White

Updated 10-2021PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

SIP OF SUNSHINE MARTINI, Drink A Smile!

There's nothing quite like a little sunshine in a glass and I captured some for you with this lemony twist on a classic Champagne Cocktail by adding my Homemade Lemoncello (Limoncello is a trademarked brand, btw) and lemon flavored bitters!

Go ahead and Drink A Little Smile

 SIP OF SUNSHINE COCKTAIL 

1 Oz Lemoncello, chilled

3 Oz. Brut Champagne, chilled

Sugar Cube

2 Drops of Lemon Bitters

Lemon Twist

Chill your glass in the freezer.

Drop the sugar cube into your chilled glass.

Drip the lemon bitters on the sugar cube.

Pour in the Lemoncello. 

Top off with your Champagne.

Garnish with the lemon twist. 

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves ~ James Matthew Barrie

 

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MELON CUCUMBER MARTINI

Because melons and cucumbers both belong to the Cucurbitaceae, aka the gourd, family they make a nice pairing in a martini.  They're also abundant during the fall, sometimes from our own gardens, and this means it's the best time to enjoy them.

Here I've paired Pinnacle's Cucumber Vodka with the fresh fruits, some honey and a pinch of spicy fennel salt from Pollen Ranch for a really nicely developed craft cocktail that has a surprising depth of flavor.

THE

MELON CUCUMBER

MARTINI

INGREDIENTS 
1-1/2 Oz. Cucumber Vodka
1 Oz. Pureed Honeydew Melon
1 Oz. Pureed Cantaloupe Melon
1 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
Pinch of Pollen Ranch Spicy Fennel Salt
1 Tsp. Honey Syrup*

Garnish: Honeydew and Cantaloupe Cubes,
Slice of Cucumber

DIRECTIONS
Chill your glass in the freezer.  Add a cup of ice to your cocktail shaker then pour in the vodka, honeydew and cantaloupe purees, the lemon juice, fennel salt and the honey and shake vigorously until well chilled.  Pour into your chilled cocktail glass, add a few cubes of the melons and the cucumber slice to a cocktail pick and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

* Here's a little tip on using honey in a cocktail.  If you add equal parts honey and water together - "honey syrup" -  you'll get a thinner syrup and it will mix in your cocktail more effectively.

 

Updated 8-2025

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SPARKLING GRAPE MARTINI

When I was a kid I loved grapes, grape juice and grape soda.  I still love grapes but the juices and sodas have become a bit too sweet for my adult palate and I wanted to explore a way to drink the fruit of the vine where the grape shines and not the sugars from processing.

The easiest way to balance sugar is with a citrus and another wait to cut the sweetness is by adding a bit of effervescence from a dry sparkling wine or a Brut Champagne so I did a bit of both.  The bit of grassiness in the mint lends a bit more balance as well as added flavor and crispness.  By the time I had combined all these I finally had a cocktail version of the grape beverages I loved as a kid!

The frozen grapes are not only a great garnish, they help to keep your cocktail chilled while you enjoy it.

Add these great Health Benefits of Grapes to the mix and you're good to go!

SPARKLING GRAPE MARTINI

1-1/2 Oz. Citrus Vodka
1 Oz. Concord Grape Juice
1 Oz. White Grape Juice
3 Mint Leaves
1 Oz. Dry Sparkling White Wine or Brut Champagne
Frozen Grapes to chill and for garnish
Sprig of Mint for garnish

Chill some grapes ahead of time, it only takes an hour or so for them to freeze.  Chill your glass in the freezer.  Muddle the mint leaves and the citrus vodka in the bottom of your cocktail shaker.  Add one cup of ice to shaker then pour in both the grape juices and shake until well chilled. Strain into a martini glass to about 2/3 full then top off with the sparkling wine or Champagne.  Add a few frozen grapes to the cocktail to keep chilled, place one grape on the rim and slide in the fresh mint sprig and enjoy!

Now go get a copy of What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp and Leonardo Di Caprio are in it!) and enjoy it with this cocktail!

"The juice of the grape is the liquid quintessence of concentrated sunbeams.”
― Thomas Love Peacock
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