APRICOT COCKTAILS

Full of beta-carotene and fiber, apricots are one of nature's fruit gems and they're loaded with vitаmins A and C. The name Apricot is derivred from the Latin word praecoquis (early-riper) aka precious, and precious they are because these tart, sweet fruits are one of the first fruits to ripen in Spring!

A FEW APRICOT FACTS
A member of the rose family, the apricot (Prunus Armenaica) originated in China and made it's way around the world from there to Armenia and the Persian Empire to the Mediterranean. Spanish explorers took apricots to the New World and planted them throughout the California missions. Today California still produces over 90% of Apricots grown in the U.S.
APRICOT COCKTAILS
Apricot Martini Apricot Lavender Bourbon Sour Mango Apricot Martini 1492 Apricot Cocktail
Serve these up with some of my Lemon Apricot Scones!
National Apricot Day is January 9th
Updated 1-2019 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The DRUNK RUSSIAN Cocktails

When it comes to cocktail combinations using vodka and coffee liqueur we Americans turn very Russian. Black Russian and White Russian, that is. We even mix it up with Blind Russians, Dirty Black Russians, California Russians, Irish Russians and Brown Russians.
The basic Black Russian recipe from the I.B.A. (International Bartenders Association) is 5 parts vodka to 2 parts coffee liqueur served in a low ball (Old Fashioned) glass over ice. The White Russian (favorite libation of The Dude in The Big Lebowski) adds 3 parts cream as a float. The Blind Russian replaces the cream with Irish Cream, the Dirty replaces the cream with cola, the California version adds triple sec, the Irish adds Guinness stout and the Brown switches to a long (tall) glass and adds ginger ale! Bozhe moi!
Oddly enough, nobody ever talks about those Drunk Russians. I get it, drunk Russians are scary - and probably politically incorrect - but I'm not afraid to go there. After all, I'm part Czechoslovakian. We were involuntarily part of Russia for a while, we have a grudge. So.....

The

DRUNK BLACK RUSSIAN

INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Chocolate Vodka 1 Oz. Coffee Liqueur  1 Oz. Chilled Espresso 1 Dash Vanilla Bitters Melted Dark Chocolate
Special tools: Pastry brush
DIRECTIONS Melt half a cup of good dark chocolate in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds, until smooth. Take a pastry brush and paint the chocolate on the rim of your glass in broad strokes. Set the glass in the freezer to chill. Half a cup will "paint" 3 - 5 glass rims. Add ice to your cocktail shaker, pour in the chocolate vodka, followed by the coffee liqueur and the espresso, add the dash of vanilla bitters and shake until chilled. Strain into your chilled, chocolate painted glass and serve.
TIP: Take any extra melted chocolate and brush some thick, wide strokes onto a piece of parchment paper. Hit these twice for more thickness and strength. Chill in the refrigerator until set then gently peel off from the thick end to garnish a plate or a nice piece of cheesecake to go with your Drunk Black Russian.
Prefer something with a bit of cream?
The DRUNK WHITE RUSSIAN Just add 1 Oz. of Half & Half to The Drunk Black Russian.

Za vashe zdorovie! (Russian) Na zdraví! (Czech)
Updated 2-2019 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

A Bloody Lot of BLOODY MARYS!

   Well, whaddya know, January 1st - New Year's Day - is also National Bloody Mary Day. Convenient since more Bloodies are probably consumed today than any other day of the year. Maybe because it's also National Hangover Day.  

What makes up a Bloody Mary? 

The I.B.A. (International Bartenders Association) recipe calls for 3 parts vodka, 6 parts tomato juice and 1 part lemon juice served over ice. Traditionally the standard garnish is a celery stalk and a slice of lime with typical flavor additions of Worcestershire Sauce, celery salt, Tabasco Sauce, salt and pepper. Raw eggs have been known to be involved as well.   That's how it all started, BUT in today's world of Bloodies the tradition has been toyed with, big time. You're going to need to sit down for this. There are:   Canadian Bloodies also known as Bloody Caesars (Clamato for the tomato juice) Japanese Bloodies aka Bloody Geishas (sake instead of vodka) Bloody Marias (tequila instead of vodka) Beer Bloodies (Micheladas and Red Eyes) Bloody Bulls (a Bullshot* with half the bouillon replaced with tomato juice) Bloody Eights (V-8 instead of tomato juice) Bloody Fairies (absinthe instead of vodka) Red Snappers (gin instead of vodka) Brown Marys aka Bloody Scotsman (whisky instead of vodka) AND, me hearties, there is even a rum Bloody known as a Bloody Pirate! There is also a virgin (non-alcoholic) version called the Bloodless Mary, a Frozen Mary (blended with ice) and countless proprietary recipes!   Whew! Are you still with me?  Then hang tight and let's take a look see at how far our favorite hangover remedy has strayed from there . . .  

  Who invented the Bloody Mary?  Who really knows? Claims range from Fernand Petiot (who is said to have created it in 1921 while working at The New York Bar in Paris, later known as Harry's New York Bar) to The Hemingway Bar at The Ritz in Paris to either bartender Henry Zbikiewicz or comedian George Jessel at The 21 Club in New York. Petiot himself said Jessel, but with this caveat, "I initiated the Bloody Mary of today. Jessel said he created it, but it was really nothing but vodka and tomato juice when I took it over." As for why it's called a Bloody Mary, let's just say because of Queen Mary (the First) or Mary Pickford or Vladimir Smirnov and leave it at that.   Dazed and confused yet?  You need a Bloody, don't you? Well, Ladies and Germs, after that little history lesson, here are the multitude of recipe riffs I have played on our Bloody lady:  

BLT MARTINI

BLOOD & GUTS MARTINI BLOODY MARTINI CAPRESE MARTINI CHEESY DOODLETINI DIRTY BLOODY MARY DRACULA'S BLOODY MARTINI FIRE & BLOODY MARY GARDEN IN A GLASS GATES OF HELL GAZPACHO MARTINI GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST  HEIRLOOM TOMATO MARTINI HOT MAMA MARTINI KITCHEN SINK MARTINI LOADED RED EYE (Beer Bloody Mary) PICKLED BLOODY MARY SAMCRO BLOODY BOILERMAKER (My Sons of Anarchy version of a Biker Bloody Maria) And, yes, even an EDIBLE BLOODY MARY.   You've been very good with your history homework. Go have a Bloody.  

  HAPPY BLOODY MARY DAY, HAPPY HANGOVER DAY and HAPPY NEW YEAR! *Bull Shot: A cocktail made with vodka and beef bouillon.   Updated 1-2019 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY  

Thank You and Happy 2015!

MY THANKS TO YOU for a great 2014! What's in the Works for 2015:
I would like to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a Happy 2015 and to thank you all for being a part of my happy hour family these past few years. I also want to take this opportunity to reacquaint you with The Martini Diva brand and share with you some of my plans for The Martini Diva in the near future.
You may have noticed more promotional posts recently for my online shops and stores. Because of recent changes to policies on Facebook and other social media sites, I am restructuring how I reach out to my happy hour audience and share my online enterprises. 
On Facebook, my page, The Martini Diva's Happy Hour, will be where I feature anything to do with my Martini Diva brand which includes my free cocktail and food recipes, my cocktail products and shops, and my other cocktail related services. My personal page under Terri Martini will be more about being The Martini Diva "at home". (Though I'm sure they will cross over at times, after all, being The Martini Diva is a large part of my life!) Please continue to Like and Share my posts as much as possible to ensure you see all my contributions on both pages, otherwise (thanks to the above mentioned FB changes) I might disappear from your timeline!
I will continue to feature all my cocktail recipes and happy hour tips as well as sharing interesting tidbits and booze news on my Twitter account, which is going strong at well over 8,000 organic followers ( Thanks, Tweeps!).
I started an Instagram, Tmbler and my Pinterest boards are full of cocktails, food, art and other fun shares.
As a small business person with a limited promotional budget I do take advantage of social media to promote my businesses and services. My online shops, sites and services and my line of cocktail books on Amazon are a large part of the income streams which allow me to continue to create my latest cocktail recipes to share with you, at no cost, for your personal enjoyment. Hopefully my paid products and services are something that will benefit you as well.
My Cocktail Art, Gifts, Recipe Cards, Bar Accessories, Home & Kitchen Decor, Stationery and Products at The MartiniDivaBoutique.Com all feature my own original designs, art & recipes and most are entirely customizable and personalizable through the "Customize It" feature. This will continue, as is, with new designs and products being added whenever possible.
If you haven't stopped by yet, I invite you to browse my Martini Diva Boutique and please feel free to contact me with any questions or if you need assistance on a purchase! Keep an eye on my top sale bar for my current specials and discounts. (BTW, My POD interface offers a great yearly shipping program deal for $9.95 standard shipping for the whole year called Zazzle Black too!
A new service I will be launching at the first of the year is a Signature Cocktail Design Service at TheMartiniDiva.Com, which will provide clients with custom cocktail creations along with matching promotional materials for parties, corporate events, media releases and product launches. Clients have reached out to me asking for this service and it seems a good fit with my brand mission! If interested or if you have need of this service, feel free to contact me through a message or on the website for more information.
There are a few more cocktail related enterprises that I am currently working on and I will share those with you as they firm up and get ready to launch, so keep an eye out for announcements!
I'm also currently working on a fairly comprehensive cocktail book that I hope to publish on Amazon within the next year, and I'm designing looks for a new line of contemporary cocktail picks to bring style to your cocktail hour! Of course my original cocktail and food art is an ongoing endeavor and I currently have about 25 new designs that I am slowly adding to products at The Martini Diva Boutique.
So, you can see I have my plate full, as usual, and that's the way I like it. I'm excited about the new directions The Martini Diva is taking and I look forward to sharing them all with you as they manifest.
Once again, thank you for being loyal Martini Divettes and Dudes and sharing my journey with me. It has been and continues to be an honor and a pleasure to share it with you.
Happy New Year and may 2015 bless you with health, happiness, prosperity and peace.
Cheers, M'Dears! Terri aka The Martini Diva


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SPARKLING - CHAMPAGNE - PROSECCO COCKTAILS

Whether you're having a celebration, toasting the holiday season or just love bubbly it's always fun to have a few choices of effervescent cocktail recipes to take advantage of your favorite sparkling wine.

Types of Sparkling Wines Champagne may be what most people think of when it comes to bubbly, but it is not the only type of sparkling wine.  Many American vineyards simply have bubbly wine classified as sparkling. Around the world there are many country specific sparkling wines including:

Asti

Cava

Crémant

Franciacorta

Lambrusco

Prosecco

Sekt

Below are some delicious ways to enjoy your bubbly in a cocktail.

SPARKLING COCKTAILS
Atomic Cocktail Bellini Martini Berry Mimosa Blond Bombshell Martini Blushing Rose Bubbling Fruit Brandy Martini Champagne and Caviar Dreams Edible Cocktail Chicago Cocktail Chocolate Cupcake Martini Death in the Afternoon Champagne Cocktail Divorce Martini Flirtini Grilled Peach Mimosa Jelly Bean Martini Kir Royale Martini May Day Martini Meringue Island Punch Merry Mimosa Martini Millionaire Martini Mimosa New Year's Blues Martini Pear Champagne Martini Pink Flirtini Prickly Pear Champagne Cocktail Raspberry Resolution Martini Raspberry Sgroppino Sip of Sunshine Martini Sparkling Candy Corn Martini Sparkling Cranberry Crush Sparkling Grape Martini  Sparkling Heart Cocktail Sparkling Hibiscus Martini Sparkling Pear Martini Sparkling Pomegranate Martini Sparkling Pumpkin Cocktail Sparkling Valentine Punch Terri's Cherry 65 Tres Chic Martini Twilight Pearl Martini Wild Orchids Martini What a Peach Martini Wedding Martini 
National Champagne Day is celebrated on December 31st, National Prosecco day is August 13th and National Bubbly Day is the first Saturday in June. 
May your glasses and your life be filled with sparkle, joy and happiness!
Updated 8-2019 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Viniq Twilight Pearl Martini New Year's Cocktail Magic

Thanks to a hostess gift I have a bottle of Viniq Liqueur, a lavender colored liqueur with a vodka base, Moscato and an infusion of exotic fruits. It also shimmers. Yes, shimmers, thanks to an edible cake decoration ingredient.
It's really cool looking when you shake it, a little like a cross between a lava lamp and a snow globe. If you drink it straight this shimmer transfers to the glass, if mixed the shimmer dims a bit, but you can see below that the effervescence from the Champagne in my cocktail does still bubble up a nice shimmer.

It's also not bad tasting, with a decidedly tropical fruitiness, though a bit sweet for my taste. It reminded me a lot of Hypnotiq's Harmonie Liqueur, which also has a vodka base and fruit infusions but uses Cognac in place of the Moscato.
As for the overly sweet taste, well, there are ways to deal with that and thanks to it being New Year's one of those ways had to be Champagne! A few dashes of Angostura bitters, a little fresh mint and a splash of orange juice and you have a pretty, interesting cocktail that shimmers back at you. It's like a little sorcery in a cocktail glass.
If you want to serve up a little cocktail magic for New Year's here's the recipe:
The TWILGHT PEARL MARTINI
1-1/2 Oz. Viniq Liqueur 1/4 Oz. Fresh Orange Juice 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters 1-1/2 Oz. Chilled Champagne 12 Fresh Mint Leaves Orange Rind Spiral Twig of Fresh Mint
Special Tools: Channel Knife Coupe Cocktail Glass, Muddler
Create a long spiral orange twist by pulling the channel knife around the orange rind until you get about 10". Twist this around a pencil and place in the freezer along with your coupe. Add the mint leaves and orange juice to a cocktail shaker and muddle to release the mint oils. Add a cup of ice then pour in the Viniq Liqueur, add the Angostura bitters and shake until chilled. Drape the orange spiral half in and half outside the glass, thread the mint sprig through the spiral then strain your cocktail into the glass. Top off with the Champagne, twirl the twist so your guest will see the shimmers and serve.
Be sure to put the bottle nearby so your guests can play with it. Check out this short video for a look see.
If you're going out to party please have a designated driver or hire a car tonight! Have a fun, safe and joyous New Year's Eve and I'll see you next year!

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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.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY