The AMBROSIA COCKTAIL, A Drink Fit for the Gods

In ancient Greece ambrosia was considered the food of the Gods, and nectar was the drink of the Gods. Today Ambrosia is a fruit salad made up of mixed fruits, particularly orange slices, cocktail cherries and pineapple with whipped cream and/or cream cheese, coconut, marshmallows and sometimes nuts.

It's a Southern culinary favorite that originated around the mid 1800's, around the time fruits like coconut and pineapple, previously considered exotic, became more readily available in the U.S. The earliest print reference to Ambrosia is from an 1867 cookbook by Maria Massey Barringer called Dixie Cookery: or How I Managed My Table for Twelve Years.

There is an Ambrosia cocktail floating around that employs cognac, Calvados and lemon juice, but I'm going for the classic taste of that fluffy, sweet fruit salad so well loved by Americans. Primarily because that is what most of us associate with ambrosia.

It never hurts to appeal to the masses, right?

The

AMBROSIA

COCKTAIL

A Drink Fit for the Gods

INGREDIENTS

2 Oz. Dark Rum

1 Oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

3 Oz. Fresh Orange Juice

3 Oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice

2 Tablespoons Coconut Cream

1-1/2 Oz. Heavy Cream

Splash of Homemade Grenadine

Garnish: Coconut Flake Rim, Mini Marshmallows, Luxardo Cherry

Tools: Cocktail Shaker, Bar Spoon

Glass: Hurricane

DIRECTIONS 

Dip the glass rim in some coconut cream then into coconut flakes, chill the glass in the freezer.

Add all the ingredients except the Grenadine to your cocktail shaker and shake until well chilled. Fill the glass with ice then pour in the cocktail. Gently float the Grenadine over the back of a spoon over the top, garnish and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

National Ambrosia Day is December 12th.

  

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KOSHER COCKTAILS

Yes, Kosher Cocktails. What, you think there's no drinking in the Hebrew culture? Well, think again. My Jewish friends love a good cocktail and, for those who follow the laws of kashrut (keep kosher) I always try to include a kosher drink in my party bar menu.
I may be a shiksa but I am also a good hostess who prefers every guest of mine be accommodated. Because I'm a shiksa though, my kitchen is not kosher so, technically speaking, the actual cocktails I serve in my home might not be for strict Orthodox practitioners. My Hebrew friends are not Orthodox so I'm able to mix up some cheer for them during their High Holidays and on Shabbat.
KOSHER COCKTAILS 
KOSHER SPRITZER-TINI
PASSOVER COCKTAILS
ROSH HASHANAH COCKTAIL
L'Chayim!
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POPULAR PROHIBITION ERA COCKTAILS

Every 5th of December the entire cocktail world celebrates the end of Prohibition and the 21st Amendment to the Constitution which repealed the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act. 

1919 to 1933 was a dark era in the history of drinking in America, but it was also a time that gave meteoric rise to the modern day cocktail. Why? Because, despite the efforts of the temperance movement to eradicate booze from America's landscape, Prohibition instead fueled in Americans a love for cocktails and gave drinking alcohol glamour and sexiness by making it taboo.
Speakeasies sprang up all over the major cities in the United States serving "bathtub gin", bootleg whiskey and smuggled rums, most of which were pretty low quality and bad tasting, if not outright dangerous to drink. To make the low quality spirits palatable to their scofflaw patrons, bartenders would mix them with all nature of fruit juice, mixers and bitters to hide the bad taste of the booze. Their success is evident in the number for bespoke drinks that survived the dark ages of alcohol to live on in bars and cocktail parties right up to today's revival of vintage libations.    If you've never tried these cocktails, today is the day to give them some happy hour honor. Below you will find the classic recipes, as well as some some of my signature adaptations, for some of the survivors of those 13 years of a hoped for, but not accomplished, dry America.    Happy Repeal Day and may you Party Like It's 1933 Again!  

POPULAR PROHIBITION ERA COCKTAILS   Spiced Lavender BEES KNEES   The CLOVER CLUB    The CORPSE REVIVER (Lives Again)   TERRI'S CHERRY 65 inspired by the FRENCH 75   GIN RICKEY Created by bartender George Williamson, per popular customer Joe Rickey's instructions, at Shoemaker's, in Washington D.C. during a particularly brutal heat wave in 1883. The Rickey was originally made with rye whiskey.   2 Oz. Gin Fresh Lime Juice Seltzer Water Optional: Splash of Simple Syrup  Mix ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice.   HANKY PANKY Created by Ada Coleman at the American Bar in The Savoy in 1925.   1-1/2 Oz. Gin 1-1/2 Oz. Sweet Vermouth 2 Dashes Fernet Branca Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, strain into a chilled glass, express an orange twist over the top.   The LAST WORD The first mention of this popular Prohibition cocktail comes from a 1916 Detroit Athletic Club menu.   3/4 Oz. Gin 3/4 Oz. Chartreuse 3/4 Oz. Maraschino Liqueur 3/4 Oz. Fresh Lime Juice Shake with ice, strain into a child cocktail glass.   The MARY PICKFORD Created for actress Mary Pickford at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in the 1920s.   2 Oz. White Rum 2 Oz. Pineapple Juice 1 Tsp. Maraschino Liqueur 1 Tsp. Grenadine Shake ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnished with a cocktail cherry.   The PINK LADY  
The RYE RACKETEER inspired by the SCOFFLAW    The SIDECAR    The WARD 8 According to Robert Vermiere this is a cocktail named after Boston, a city divided into 8 wards.   1-1/2 Oz. Rye Whiskey 3/4 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice 3/4 Oz. Fresh Orange Juice 1/4 Oz. Grenadine Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Add an ice cube and a splash of sparkling water.  
The WHITE LADY When Harry Craddock of The Savoy took a cocktail named the Delilah and replaced the creme de menthe with orange liqueur the White Lady was born.  

 

   

    Updated 12-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

PEPPERMINT LATTE COCKTAIL RECIPE

Here's a perfect cocktail for cold weather and the holiday season. It's got all your winter favorites in one glass; hot coffee, chocolate and peppermint plus, yay, booze!

Merry, Merry whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year.

The PEPPERMINT LATTÈ COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS  1 Oz. Caffè Borghetti Espresso Coffee Liqueur 1/2 Oz. DeKuyper Dark Créme de Cacao 1/2 Oz. Peppermint Schnapps 4 Oz. Hot Coffee
Garnish: Plain or Espresso Whipped Cream*, Dusting of Instant Espresso Powder and a Chocolate Candy Cane
Glass: Coffee Mug
DIRECTIONS Add the ingredients to a coffee mug, stir, garnish and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS: 

* My recipe for the Espresso Whipped Cream can be found on this Fernet Mocha Frappé Shake Cocktail.
* Yes, you can make it a cold cocktail too. Just shake the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, strain, garnish and serve in an Old Fashioned glass instead of a mug.
National Peppermint Lattè Day is December 3rd.


Updated 12-2025 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

SALTED CARAMEL APPLE COCKTAIL

There's something about late fall that makes me want caramel apples. Maybe it's because my mother used to make caramel apples for the Trick or Treaters every year. I also happen to love caramel apples so when fall creeps around the corner my cocktail fancy often turns to this childhood favorite.
Ages ago I created a Caramel Apple Martini, long before there were caramel, apple or salted caramel vodkas on the market. When I discovered I had tucked a bottle of Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka on my bar shelf and forgotten about it, I decided maybe I'd try a new recipe.
The new recipe turned out great. It's absolutely perfect for a dessert drink!

SALTED CARAMEL APPLE COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka 1 Oz. Irish Cream Liqueur 3 Oz. Apple Juice or Cider 1/4 Tsp. of Sea Salt Ice
Garnish: Rim glass: 2 Tbsp. Demerara sugar mixed with 1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt, Dried Apple Slice
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Rocks or Cocktail
DIRECTIONS Rim then chill glass in the freezer. Add ingredients to the cocktail shaker and shake until chilled.  Strain into the chilled glass, garnish and serve.
If you love this cocktail you might also enjoy making my HOMEMADE CARAMEL APPLE VODKA
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CRANBERRY MARGARITA

My friend Dave (@DaveThePlatypus) pointed out that I had no Cranberry Margarita in my Cranberry Cocktail line up. He was right, somehow I had totally neglected to post up a cranberry margarita.
Seriously, where has my mind been every holiday season??
I correct that omission right now.
CRANBERRY MARGARITA
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Blue Agave Tequila Blanco 1/2 Oz. Cointreau 2 Oz. Cranberry Juice 3/4 Oz. Fresh Lime Juice Cup of Ice
Garnish: Sugar and Wild Hibiscus Salt Rim, Lime Wedge. Optional - Few Fresh Cranberries
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Cocktail or Margarita
DIRECTIONS Mix 2 Tablespoons of sugar with 1 Teaspoon of Wild Hibiscus Salt Flakes. Rub glass rim with lime then dip in the sugar and salt mixture. Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker then shake until chilled. Strain into an ice filled glass, garnish and serve.

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MULLED APPLE CIDER Cocktails & Punch

A perfect drink for sipping in front of the Christmas Yule log in your fireplace, this Mulled Cider is a heated holiday version of my classic Apple Martini with the addition of the traditional fruits and spices of mulled cider.

It's a modern version of very old, traditional Wassail*, a beverage of hot mulled cider which evolved from a drink called 'lambswool' where roasted crab apples were dropped into warmed mead. Wassail, a spiced cider or wine, was traditionally drunk as an integral part of wassailing, a Medieval English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest for the following year.
Wassail! Wassail! All over the town, Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown; Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree; With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink unto thee.
This spiced apple cider classic is one of my most popular holiday cocktails, very nostalgic and comforting on cold nights and ideal for holiday entertaining.

MULLED APPLE CIDER (Serves 4)
INGREDIENTS 4 Oz. Dark Rum 2 Oz. Apple Pucker 8 Oz. Apple Cider 1 Tea Bag of Martinelli's Mulling Spices 1/2 Tsp. McCormick Orange Peel 1/2 Tsp. McCormick Lemon Peel
GARNISH PER DRINK: 1 Dried Apple Slice, 1 Dried Orange Slice, 1Cinnamon Stick
TOOLS: Saucepan, Ladle
GLASS: Tea Cups or Mugs
DIRECTIONS Add the apple cider, mulling spice tea bag, lemon peel and orange peel to your saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and allow to cool while the flavors infuse through the cider. At serving time add the rum and the Apple Pucker, bring the spiced cider back to a simmer. Ladle into your serving vessels, garnish and enjoy.
You can also multiply the recipe and use a crock pot for larger gatherings. Place the cider, spice bags, lemon and orange peel in the crock pot and heat on low for 4 hours. Add the spirits just before serving.
Yes, you can leave out the booze for a non-alcoholic version.
"Old Apple tree, old apple tree; We've come to wassail thee; To bear and to bow apples enow; Hats full, caps full, three bushel bags full; Barn floors full and a little heap under the stairs."
* Old Norse "ves heil", Old English "was hál", which translates to "be you healthy"
      
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