May 042012
 

 

Tonight we bring you a tropical twist on a classic cocktail you’ve seen on this blog before:  the Gimlet.

Now a classic vodka (or gin) gimlet conjures up dimly lit dives with dangerous dames waiting to wreck your life for a smile.  Ok, I’m a sucker for all that is Raymond Chandler.  This little lady is what Philip Marlowe would order while tracking a shady character to a tropical locale.

The Pineapple Gimlet~

Muddled fresh pineapple and chunks of ginger root, fresh lime juice, Rose’s lime, vodka-all shaken with ice and strained out into the glass.  Sweet and tart at the same time, with a subtle hit of heat from the ginger.  If you prefer a sweeter drink (the fresh pineapple provides plenty for me), add a bit more Rose’s lime.  This is a delicious drink.  You can taste all the individual ingredients, yet they dance in the glass to somehow become a new flavor blend.  I love it.

4 3/4 Olives.  Perfect for a summer bbq, luau, or just whenever you want a mini vacation in a glass.

Happy sipping and happy weekend!

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Jan 012012
 

Wishing a happy and healthy 2012 to all of our friends and fellow cocktail aficionados.

And for those of you who are not nursing the after effects of over imbibing, I bring you a twist on the cocktail I created to wind down the end of each fabulous day spent in Paris last spring:

The Rue St. Roch

Named after the street where our apartment was located and made on the fly with local ingredients in our makeshift kitchen bar (two tumblers served as a cocktail shaker), this makes a light and sophisticated nightcap.

2 shots vodka (here I used Tito’s)

1 shot orange muscat dessert wine (I found a similar option to the bottle that was in every Parisian liquor store)

1 shot Lilet Blanc

Shake over ice, strain into glass and top with a generous splash of San Pellegrino Limonata.  A slice of lemon rind finishes the drink.

Delicious and subtle, Shaker One gives this cocktail 4 3/4 olives.

 

 

 

 

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Dec 272011
 

I was recently at a friend’s house and she offered me a beverage. Knowing her gifts in the kitchen, I easily accepted to see what she had come up with cocktail wise. As she was pulling out various bottles, she handed me a little bowl of cherries and told me to try them. I’m game, so I popped one in my mouth, hoping it was not one of the typical sad little maraschino cherries… I really should trust my friends – it wasn’t.

I could not quite identify the liquor they were soaked in. There was a bite along with the sweet cherry – but nothing too insanely rough to the mouth. She pulled out a jar and showed me the label. I had had my first moonshine cherry.

She had finished mixing up the drink and plopped a couple into the beverage and I took a sip. Lovely. This was her own concoction of a pomegranate martini that was really lovely.Pom liqueur, lime juice, vodka, orange juice and moonshine cherries. Being that we are both silly, as a nod to moonshine’s southern roots, she adorned the glass with a giant plastic insect.

We sat at her table and as we enjoyed our drinks, she told me about a friend of hers that she had given a jar of the cherries. Turns out, her friend hid them from her husband because she liked them so much she wanted them to herself. One night, my friend was visiting their home and the woman kept sneaking moonshine cherries. Needless to say, she got a wee bit buzzed and went to the cupboard where she told her husband that he had to try these cherries. He asked “What cherries?” and the cat was out of the bag. He then asked my friend if she would let him know if more cherries were given. When he asked his wife why she had hidden them, she said “I just love them so much.”

If you can find these babies, I say try them out.

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Dec 252011
 

Merry Christmas to all our friends from The Red Shaker.

Oh, and if Santa didn’t bring you what you hoped for why don’t you try leaving him this next year instead of cookies and milk:

Santa’s Little Helper

3 shots  Pennsylvania Dutch Eggnog Liquor

1 shot Vanilla Vodka

1 shot Chambord

1/2 shot heavy cream or heaping spoonful of fresh whipped cream

Shake all of the above with ice, strain, pour, garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg if you prefer.

A couple of these and Santa will leave you whatever you want.  Creamy, luscious, not overly sweet- a delightful holiday martini.  You get a subtle hint of the Chambord with just a bite of the rum/whiskey/brandy notes in the eggnog liquor.  I made it with just plain heavy cream, but think it would be a knockout with a scoop of freshly whipped cream instead.

This one is skating perilously close to 5 olives.  Now we know why Rudolph’s nose was really red.

Ho Ho Ho indeed.

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Dec 242011
 

Lately we’ve been getting lots of requests for holiday cocktail recipes from friends planning get togethers and some from those just needing a pick me up in this busy crazy time of year.  Though I must admit I’d nearly forgotten about this one, going back through the Shaker archives I hit upon an old favorite-

Frosty’s Revenge.

 

Equal parts(1 oz each):

-hot cocoa (I used Shaker Two’s Snowman Soup mix, cooled)

-vanilla vodka

-amaretto

-golden rum

-Bailey’s

-and cinnamon infused heavy cream

Shake all over ice and garnish with a dash of cinnamon if desired.

Everyone who has tried this has given rave reviews.  A thick, sultry, dessert-y tini, these will last about as long as a snowman on a summer day.  The perfect nightcap on Christmas Eve, leave one of these for Santa and you’ll stay off the naughty list for sure.

Don’t be a stranger Frosty.

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Dec 232011
 

This year my old friends at Trader Joe’s have provided me with yet another source of holiday martini inspiration.

Spiced Cran-tini

3 ozs Spiced Cranberry Cider

2 ozs Golden Rum

1 oz Vodka

1/2 oz triple sec

1/2 oz lemon juice

Muddle some fresh peeled ginger in the bottom of a shaker.  Add the remaining ingredients and shake with ice.  Strain, pour and garnish with a strip of orange zest and a dash or two of orange bitters.  Fee Brothers makes a nice one.  The cider is also nice on it’s own for your non- imbibing guests.

Happy Shaking!

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Nov 302011
 

The other night Shaker One was in the mood for an adult beverage but wanted to try something different.  So off I went to rummage around in the bar, fridge and pantry…….nothing grabbed me.  Until I poked my head in the frezer and spied  some Haagen Dazs raspberry sorbet.  Suddenly I remembered my lovely bottle of Creme de Mure and inspiration struck!

 

Now I’ve used sorbet in place of ice in several martinis before.  You get some of the flavor of the sorbet itself as well as a lovely texture to the drink……thicker in an almost fluffy way.  I love that technique.

So into the shaker went:

2 large spoonfuls raspberry sorbet

1 shot Creme de Mure

3 shots vodka

2 shots fresh lemon juice

Shake, strain and finish with a dash of lemon bitters.  Now that may sound like a lot of lemon juice to you, but trust me- you need the bite of citrus to balance the syrupy sweetness of the Creme de Mure as well as the sweet sorbet.  This is a lovely drink, sweet without being at all cloying or “dessert-y” and the raspberry marries with the blackberry liquor beautifully.  Though I think it would make a lovely light after dinner option in place of dessert.  I loved the slightly slushee, slightly foamy mouth feel that the sorbet produced.  You can see it here:

Raspberry Sorbetini~ I’d give this one 4 1/2 olives.  We’ll have to get Shaker Two to give it a try and chime in.

Delightful!

 

 

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Nov 232011
 

Shakers One and Two would like to wish you all a wonderful Turkey Day.  And whether you are stuck for ideas on how to use up your leftovers friday or maybe are having just a bit too much family togetherness on the day itself, the Shakers are here for you:

Cranberry Relish Martini:

The perfect way to use some of your leftover fresh cranberry relish.  No, not that weirdly shaped stuff that gloops out of the can in one ridged gelatinous blob.  I’m talking about what my Great Grandmother used to chop by hand (we’re all thankful for food processors!), with fresh cranberries, navel oranges and a bit of sugar.  My mom made this every year.  And for those of you who want a shortcut, I’ve heard that Trader Joe’s now makes a good version, though I’ve yet to give it a try myself.

Back to the ‘tini-

Just muddle 2 large spoonfuls of the relish in the bottom of a metal shaker with about a shot of Grand Marnier (ok, go ahead and use Triple Sec if you don’t like your guests very much).  Add 3 shots of vodka, a shot of freshly squeezed OJ and a squeeze of fresh lemon.  Shake well with ice and strain into a martini glass, serve over ice with a bit of club soda, hell- pour it into the gravy boat and add a straw.  Sometimes the holidays can make you really, really thirsty.  <wink wink>

I garnished with a whole cranberry and a bit of orange zest and shook in a few drops of cranberry bitters (you could also use orange bitters if you prefer).  It’s like drinking Thanksgiving!

One more tip:  for a more festive bevvie, put a spoonful of the relish in the bottom of a flute and top with your favorite champagne or prosecco.

Gobble Gobble!

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Oct 312011
 

 

Be sure to fortify yourselves with the proper adult beverages while you pass out all that candy tonight.  For a delicious and seasonal last minute beverage option, try the Apple Thyme Martini from a previous Halloween post.  Its easy to make, takes just a few ingredients and is a real crowd pleaser.

Because around these parts, the zombies cry out, “Tiiiniiiiiiiiiiis, tiiiiiiiiniiiiiisssssssssss……………”

 

 

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Jul 292011
 

Recently a friend gifted me with a bottle of -for me- a brand new spirit: Veev acai liquor.  He had tried it on his own and was not impressed……said it had an earthy flavor, with almost chocolate notes.  I was intrigued.  Finding myself with an entire bottle of the stuff  plus pitcher and recipes, what does Shaker One do?  Why, invents her own concoction of course!

The Strawberry Acai

 

Fresh ripe strawberries muddled with chocolate mint leaves ( Yes, you read that correctly.  I have chocolate mint growing in The Balcony Bar garden), shaken over ice with Veev and a dash of chambord.  All I can say is this is my kind of health food!  Yum and yum.  Fruity with just a hint of sweetness…..you get a very subtle taste of the chocolate mint.  This one is a winner.  4 olives.

Now I must admit that when I tried a sip of the Veev straight I was skeptical.   It smelled like the jello shots I make for tailgating season.  Oddly sweet and indistinctly fruity.  It looks like vodka-completley clear, but does have a touch of sweetness to it.  I read the suggested recipes and was uninspired.  Now that I’ve given it a run I can see it playing very well with different fresh berry flavors….and perhaps even in a dessert martini.  You can read for yourself all the supposed heath claims for this “miracle fruit”.

Thanks Simon for sharing and inspiring!!  Now I’m off to take my *winkwink* vitamin……and no, I’m not wearing the bracelet.

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