STRAWBERRY CHILE COBBLER COCKTAIL RECIPE featuring Nemiroff Honey Pepper Vodka

When I received this bottle of Nemiroff Honey Pepper Vodka I was imagining a flavor infusion of honey with black peppercorns for some reason. That might have been because here in Arizona we call any hot pepper a chile or a chile pepper, not just a pepper. And to be honest, if I hadn't gone to the website and checked out what this vodka was made from, I would still be under the impression it was a mild black pepper because the heat from the chile pepper is extremely subtle, literally almost not there until the finish. Mostly I enjoyed a heavy honey flavor with a tinge of fruit and a bit of herbal flavors in the background, then the heat came as a surprising and pleasant afterthought. The honey gives this vodka it's color and I suspect it also gives it body. There was an almost aged whiskey-like mouth feel that surprised me. If I was allowed to say only one thing about this vodka, it would be that it had substance.
I felt the vodka carried its own weight in the flavor department and decided that a cobbler style cocktail was a great way to feature that flavor without interfering too much. I also wanted to accentuate the fruit flavor a bit more so, instead of using simple syrup, I used a strawberry liqueur as my sweetener while sticking with the addition of the traditional orange slices of a typical cobbler.

The STRAWBERRY CHILE COBBLER COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS  2-1/2 Oz. Nemiroff Honey Pepper Vodka 1 Oz. Fragoli Strawberry Liqueur  2 Orange Slices, quartered 3 Small Strawberries, sliced
Garnish: Orange Slices, Strawberries, Metal Straw
DIRECTIONS Muddle the orange and strawberry slices with the strawberry liqueur in a chilled highball glass. Add the Nemiroff Honey Pepper Vodka, stir. Fill the glass with crushed ice, stir. Garnish and serve.
My thanks to Baddish Group and Nemiroff Vodka for the chance to try out the Nemiroff Honey Pepper Vodka.

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The SPUMONI MARTINI Cocktail Recipe

August 21st is National Spumoni Day and, because I enjoy creating cocktails for all the arbitrary food holidays (and I had a bottle of Dumante pistachio liqueur), I gave Google a peek to see if there was anything called a Spumoni cocktail. Spumoni is a molded Italian ice cream dessert from Napoli made with layers of chocolate, pistachio and cherry gelatos mixed sometimes with whipped cream and candied fruits and nuts. It was the inspiration for our American Neopolitan ice cream combination.
Considering this, I expected to see either nothing at all or something with those flavors involved. What I found instead were several references to an equal parts Campari, grapefruit juice and tonic recipe and a few that subbed in Midori for the Campari.
Say what?  What is "Spumoni" about that? (I know, you probably don't care, you just want a cocktail, but this kind of booze minutia intrigues my trivia addiction so bear with me - or just skip to the cocktail recipe.) Turns out, not much. Evidently, Suntory made a canned cocktail called "Spumoni" made with those ingredients that was popular in Japan at one time. Why they called it Spumoni is anybodies guess, unless it was fizzy from the tonic so they referred back to the Latin word spuma which translates as “foam” with the plural being spumoni. A Spumoni Cocktail made with Campari, grapefruit juice and tonic can still be found in bars there.
The Japanese version actually sounds pretty refreshing, albeit a tad bitter for American tastes, and it would make a nice apéritif, but, let's face it, it's got nothing to do with Italy's Spumoni ice cream. That combination of chocolate, pistachio and cherry was what I was looking for when the word Spumoni was involved and that was what I was going to have to drink on National Spumoni Day. Plus I had that Dumante staring me down.

The SPUMONI MARTINI
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Dumonte Pistachio Liqueur 1 Oz. White Crème de Cacao 1 Tsp. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
Garnish: Luxardo Maraschino Cherry
DIRECTION Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish and serve.
Eat a cherry then take a sip and enjoy this cocktail version of Spumoni.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

National Spumoni Day is August 21st. National Pistachio Day is February 26th.
Updated 8-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The RASPBERRIES & CREAM MARTINI Cocktail Recipe

This is the time of year we start getting plump, juicy fresh berries into the markets. That makes it one of my favorite times of the year despite the desert heat and raging monsoons we are subjected to here in Tucson.  I just get out to the markets early in the mornings, before the clouds start to build over the mountains, grab the best baskets of raspberries, then hurry home to beat the flash floods and await happy hour.

Come late afternoon the monsoons have usually arrived and I am safely tucked dryly away sipping on a cocktail. Today it will be this one:

The
RASPBERRIES & CREAM
MARTINI
  INGREDIENTS
1 Oz. Raspberry Vodka
1/2 Oz. Chambord
1 Oz. Heavy Cream1/2 Oz. Simple Syrup
2 Oz. Fresh Raspberry Puree2 Dashes Lemon Bitters

Garnish: Fresh Raspberries, Lemon Twist

DIRECTIONS
Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake until chilled then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.Garnish with fresh raspberries and a twist of lemon and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

National Raspberries and Cream Day is celebrated every August 7th.

Updated 8-7-2021
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The PIÑA COLADA - A Classic Tiki Cocktail Recipe

"Life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The piña and the colada." ~ Ellen DeGeneres
There is no cocktail that is more associated with Tiki or tropical locales and balmy days than the classic Piña Colada. There is also no less complicated Tiki drink recipe out there.
It's hard to mess this one up but you can take it to near perfection by using fresh ingredients, a good rum and being exacting with the recipe ratios.

The PIÑA COLADA
INGREDIENTS 1 Part (Oz.)White Rum 1 Part (Oz.) Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut 6 Parts (Ozs.) Fresh Pineapple Juice
Garnish: Pineapple Wedge, Cocktail Cherry
DIRECTIONS Mix together your rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice in a blender.  Add 1 cup of ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled hurricane glass. Garnish and serve.
You can read about the history of the Piña Colada and try some fun Piña Colada recipe variations here.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

National Piña Colada Day is July10th.

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous you might want to try my:

PIÑA COLADA VARIATIONS

Updated 7-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

MIXED BERRY MOJITO Cocktail Recipe

I have a thing for Mojitos in summer. First of all, they are tall, refreshing and cool, plus they're a little lower ABV per sip. This means I get to sit and sip a little longer and more often than I can with a Manhattan or a Martini*. I also happen to have a thing for fresh berries in the summer so this berry laden cocktail shows up a lot in my summer happy hours.

The
MIXED BERRY
MOJITO

INGREDIENTS
1 Oz. Dark Rum
1/4 C. Fresh Mixed Berries
1/2 Oz. Berry Liqueur
(For a lower ABV cocktail substitute Berry Simple Syrup for the berry liqueur)
1 Oz. Lime Juice
10 Fresh Mint Leaves
Club Soda

Garnish: Fresh Berries, Mint Sprig, Lime Wedges, Twist

DIRECTIONS
Muddle the lime juice, berry liqueur (or syrup), mint leaves, lime and fresh berries in the bottom of a highball glass.
Fill the glass with CRUSHED ice then add the rum.
Top with soda then stir.
Garnish and serve.

National Mojito Day is July 11th.

*  I did do a Berry Mojito in martini form ages ago. You know, just in case you want this flavor profile with extra kick per sip.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

 Updated 6-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

BERRY COCKTAILS

Let's get right down to it, because who doesn't love cocktails with berries?  

BERRY COCKTAILS   BERRY, BERRY BLACK CAT COCKTAIL BERRY CHERRY SHERRY COBBLER COCKTAIL BERRY CHOCOLATE FRAPPÉ BERRY LIQUEUR RECIPES BERRY MIMOSA BERRY SANGRIA BERRY SANGRIA EDIBLE COCKTAILS BERRY SCARY MARTINI BERRY VALENTINE SHOOTER BOYSENBERRY RUM FLIP EDIBLE BERRY SHORTCAKE SHOTS GIRLS NIGHT OUT MARTINI HOLLY BERRY MARTINI HUMBLE BERRY PIE COCKTAIL LICUADOS DE MAYO COCKTAIL MIXED BERRY MOJITO PIMM'S BERRY CUP PRETTY IN PINK FLIRTINI PROJECT RUNWAY MARTINI SPARKLING SKELETON SANGRIA VERY BERRY MARTINI WHISKEY BERRY SMASH WILD BERRY POP TART MARTINI   BY INDIVIDUAL BERRIES BLACKBERRY COCKTAILS BLUEBERRY COCKTAILS CRANBERRY COCKTAILS RASPBERRY COCKTAILS STRAWBERRY COCKTAILS   July is Berry Month.  

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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.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day is June 9th.
Updated 6-2021
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