I don't think of bourbon as a summer drink ingredient. Summer drinks to me are ones that are fruity and light and crisp and maybe have an umbrella in them. I mean, they don't have to have an umbrella in them, but fruity and light are what I think of when I think of summer drinks. Bourbon is a harder potion to me, made for fall and winter nights.
But this recipe over at MarthaStewart.com for Eli's Elixir (created by Allen Katz) sounds promising, because it does have that fruit element in it (apple juice, apples) along with 2 oz of bourbon. You also use a Homemade Ginger Cordial in the recipe too.
I have no idea what makes this a "space" cocktail. It has gin, frangelico, and lemon juice, but I don't really see anything space age or astronomical or sky-oriented about it. Maybe it tastes like space? Well, if something tastes like space to you maybe you're taking something a little stronger than frangelico.
The recipe is from 1001 Cocktails, and it's pretty straightforward.
I saw a recipe in my Williams-Sonoma Entertaining Cookbook for a Blended Mojito and thought it would be a fantastic way to say "Hasta luego!" to the summer (or "Bienvenidos!" to an Indian Summer). Blended with ice, it works as a refresher. However, it's a mojito.
For as long as I could, I tried to stay away from the mojito craze that swept bars and cocktail parties across the country for the last few years. Part of the reason is that I consider myself "allergic" to anything too trendy, and if you weren't drinking a mojito, who are you? Well, you should all know by now that mojitos are soooo 2006. In fact, if you're caught drinking a mojito, you'll be ridiculed for having been living under an overturned martini glass for the last two years. With the popularity of mojitos gone, I am now starting to enjoy the drink.
Wow. Is it late August already? No matter how much we pout, the Summer is coming to a close. The days get shorter, the temperature gets cooler (in most normal parts of the country - here in LA, it still gets into the 90s), and we move our "entertaining" indoors. Right?
No! I refuse, my friends, refuse! I am a clingy girl, and I am going to hang onto the last rays of the summer sun if it burns the skin on my shoulders to a bacon-y crisp.
thebar.com makes it easy with a few cocktails, Pineapple Orange Margarita and Rangpur Madras, that will keep that summer vibe going, even if it's me standing by myself in my living room in a pair of sunglasses and a straw hat sipping on these cocktails (I am not a fan of tequila nor of gin, but look at how pretty the cocktails are!) Recipes after the jump.
When I was a waiter at a pizza place about 20 years ago, I'd often have customers come in and order a strawberry dikery. Yeah, that's how they pronounced it. I wanted to punch them in the face, but it was usually a woman who said it and my mom raised me to be nicer than that.
Today is National Daiquiri Day, so I thought I'd take this Thursday Happy Hour post to point you to some recipes around the web. Like this one over at Recipezaar. Or maybe this one for a Lime Daiquiri at AllRecipes. And, of course, a recipe for a Strawberry Daiquiri at Vegetarian Fun. A few recipes, actually.
So, you found it hard to get back to work today after the long July 4th holiday (assuming, of course, that you didn't work last Thursday or Friday)? Feeling like you had some sort of work-related jet lag today? Then you need a cocktail!
This is called The Bachelor Bait. Not sure why, unless they think that the mixture of gin, orange bitters, grenadine, and egg whites is enough to "get a man." Maybe this recipe was created in 1959, who knows. Or maybe it's us bachelors who are doing the baiting?
Since it is only Tuesday, I thought we would ease into the week's Happy Hour posts with something a little different - drinks made with Bigelow Tea plus alcohol, which they have (quite cleverly, imho) named "Naughteas" cocktails.
There are a surprisingly vast array of recipes to choose from on their site, including a "Taste of the Tropics Colada" and a "Mint Medley Mojito", but since it was the Constant Comment Cosmo (as pictured) that alerted me to their site, I will share the recipe for that one which you can find after the jump.
*NOTE: Yes, I am aware that a Cosmo is usually made with cranberry juice. I see no reason why you couldn't substitute it for the OJ in the following recipe. Maybe they should have called this one the Constant Commentini instead. Either way, do what you like. There are no rules here.
It's not quite the weekend, but that has never stopped us from having happy hour before, has it? I came across this recipe for a Lemon Float at Vodkapundit's website, and it inspired me enough to whip out the cocktail shaker a day early. He combines premium citron vodka, Cointreau, simple syrup, juice of a lemon, and a drop of vanilla extract in a shaker over ice. The chilled mixture is then poured very slowly into a sugar-rimmed glass over a 1/2 oz of Chambord, so it floats on top.
Steve's words of advice when serving this cocktail? Drink quickly. Repeat until naked.
I hadn't touched tequila for the better part of a decade until someone handed me a glass of Patrón in Las Vegas a few years ago. The aged, crystal clear, premium flavor redefined any preconceived notion of tequila that I had, and set a whole new standard for what I would order in the way of tequila from that point on, even in my margaritas.
That said, I was pretty excited to see that they have expanded their line to include a tequila infused with pure coffee essence - Patrón XO Café. Since I haven't tried it yet, I'm hoping Jonathan will do an in-depth review at some point, but in the meantime I'll leave you with a number of drink recipes recommended on their website, which can be found after the jump.
We've been following the Baileys Drinkable Desserts contest for several weeks now, in which both professional and amateur mixologists could put together their most inventive concoctions and put them up for public voting, with the hopes of winning the grand prize of a trip to New York City for two for a private cooking class in the Gourmet Cooking Arts Center with Chef de Cuisine, Jennifer Day. The contest coincided with the launch of Bailey's two new flavored liqueurs, Baileys Mint Chocolate and Baileys Caramel. The liqueurs proved to be good choices for baking, as well as for making cocktails, but some of our favorite entries included the Caramel Apple Pie-Tini, The Baileys Vanilla Bean and I Want S'More.
The contest just finished up and the two winners have been announced: Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake in Mint Condition (amateur, pictured) and Mocha Mint Bavarian (pro). The recipe are after the jump.
Granted, this isn't actually a Mardi Gras cocktail per se, however the ingredients are meant to give a nod to the South nonetheless. I actually stumbled upon it one day while looking for a Mint Julep recipe - this is just a slight variation of the original. It's now on my rotation of drinks to serve at a party because it always garners such positive response. Adjust the ingredients to suit your own personal taste, if desired.
Minted Bourbon 1 1/2 oz bourbon 1 oz sugar syrup (recipe can be found here) 2 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice 2-3 sprigs of fresh mint Sparkling water or soda Crushed ice
Muddle mint leaves with lemon juice. Add simple syrup, bourbon, and ice. Shake or stir until well mixed. Strain into a tall glass over ice, and top with sparkling water or soda. Garnish with mint leaves or a lemon wedge.
If Valentine's Day were to have a signature drink, just about any red or pink cocktail would do just fine, but the Valentine's Kiss would certainly have a leg up on the competition based on name alone. Name alone, though, is probably not enough to garner signature drink status; personal taste will have to be the deciding factor - as it is with most foods. This drink is sweet from apple juice, tart from cranberries and has a little bit of a kick from tequila. Play around with the amounts if you like your drink stronger, or add a twist of lime if you prefer your kisses with more of an edge to them.
The Gaijin is a beautiful, sexy cocktail that incorporates raspberry and peach into a not-too-sweet, yet fruity, drink that is ideal for Valentine's Day. The word gaijin means foreigner in Japanese and can refer to the concept of something foreign in more than one situation. In the case of this cocktail, it refers to the presence of nigori sake, a cloudy unfiltered type of sake that gives what would otherwise be a straightforward flavored martini an unusual flavor and an exotic look.
It could be served before dinner, but we like our Valentine's day cocktails with dessert, so feel free to try this with something fruity, like a bowl of berries and whipped cream.
It's tempting to opt for heavy, indulgent food and drinks for Valentine's Day, like chocolates and cream-based soups and sauces. Keeping flavors light is a much better idea because, unless your idea of a romantic evening is being lulled to sleep by a full stomach, brighter flavors, like citrus, are a fun and palate cleansing choice. The Sweetheart Shot uses citrus in the form of Cuervo Citrico, the new citrus flavored tequila from Jose Cuervo. It primarily has a lime flavor, but unlike simply squeezing a lime into a regular shot, there is a sweet undercurrent that cuts the acidity. This drink is not the sort of romantic one you sip by the fire; shots usually go down quickly. Think of it as a light, quick kiss - but still with some heat to it.
This cocktail, despite its blue and white color scheme, is chocolate orange flavored and has layers of white creme de cacao and blue curaçao. It can be made in a martini glass or served as a shot, but in both cases the drink should be carefully layered with the curaçao floated gently on top of the creme de cacao. I find that pouring the "floater" liqueur into a tilted spoon helps create even layers, as you can guide it across the surface of the drink that way.
I don't think of bourbon as a summer drink ingredient. Summer drinks to me are ones that are fruity and light and crisp and maybe have an umbrella in them. I mean, they don't have to have an umbrella in them, but fruity and light are what I think of when I think of summer drinks. Bourbon is a harder potion to me, made for fall and winter nights.
I have no idea what makes this a "space" cocktail. It has gin, frangelico, and lemon juice, but I don't really see anything space age or astronomical or sky-oriented about it. Maybe it tastes like space? Well, if something tastes like space to you maybe you're taking something a little stronger than frangelico.
When I was a waiter at a pizza place about 20 years ago, I'd often have customers come in and order a strawberry dikery. Yeah, that's how they pronounced it. I wanted to punch them in the face, but it was usually a woman who said it and my mom raised me to be nicer than that.
So, you found it hard to get back to work today after the long July 4th holiday (assuming, of course, that you didn't work last Thursday or Friday)? Feeling like you had some sort of work-related jet lag today? Then you need a cocktail!
Since it is only Tuesday, I thought we would ease into the week's Happy Hour posts with something a little different - drinks made with Bigelow Tea plus alcohol, which they have (quite cleverly, imho) named "Naughteas" cocktails. 
I hadn't touched tequila for the better part of a decade until someone handed me a glass of Patrón in Las Vegas a few years ago. The aged, crystal clear, premium flavor redefined any preconceived notion of tequila that I had, and set a whole new standard for what I would order in the way of tequila from that point on, even in my margaritas. 
We've been following the Baileys 
Granted, this isn't actually a Mardi Gras cocktail per se, however the ingredients are meant to give a nod to the South nonetheless. I actually stumbled upon it one day while looking for a Mint Julep recipe - this is just a slight variation of the original. It's now on my rotation of drinks to serve at a party because it always garners such positive response. Adjust the ingredients to suit your own personal taste, if desired. 
If Valentine's Day were to have a signature drink, just about any red or pink cocktail would do just fine, but the Valentine's Kiss would certainly have a leg up on the competition based on name alone. Name alone, though, is probably not enough to garner signature drink status; personal taste will have to be the deciding factor - as it is with most foods. This drink is sweet from apple juice, tart from cranberries and has a little bit of a kick from tequila. Play around with the amounts if you like your drink stronger, or add a twist of lime if you prefer your kisses with more of an edge to them.
The Gaijin is a beautiful, sexy cocktail that incorporates raspberry and peach into a not-too-sweet, yet fruity, drink that is ideal for Valentine's Day. The word 
It's tempting to opt for heavy, indulgent food and drinks for Valentine's Day, like chocolates and cream-based soups and sauces. Keeping flavors light is a much better idea because, unless your idea of a romantic evening is being lulled to sleep by a full stomach, brighter flavors, like citrus, are a fun and palate cleansing choice. The Sweetheart Shot uses citrus in the form of Cuervo Citrico, the new citrus flavored tequila from Jose Cuervo. It primarily has a lime flavor, but unlike simply squeezing a lime into a regular shot, there is a sweet undercurrent that cuts the acidity. This drink is not the sort of romantic one you sip by the fire; shots usually go down quickly. Think of it as a light, quick kiss - but still with some heat to it.
Yesterday, we saw a 
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