mint » The Red Shaker

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Champagne/Prosecco, Spirits No Responses »

May 252012

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, I’m reminded that Summer is practically here. Time to dust off the bbq and find some fun new recipes to try out. I ran across this one at seriouseats.com and was intrigued. I happened to have a container of dried hibiscus flowers in my pantry (It’s like Felix’s magic bag of tricks, you never know what I’ll pull out) and was excited to use them. The last time I made a cocktail from them, and the reason I purchased a big old jar, was for a signature drink for a cocktail party and I was underwhelmed at the taste. Thus, they sat way back in the dark collecting dust.

And then I saw this:

Hibiscus Rum Cooler

The color grabbed me right away…..a rich jewel-like red. I made the recipe just as it appears. This is a really uniquely tasty punch, perfect for a summer bbq or picnic. The recipe itself has a low proportion of booze in it, but you could adjust the quantities as desired. I ended up adding a bit more simple syrup, something I almost never do, as it was a tiny bit more tart than I wanted. Hibiscus flowers give a tartness that is vaguely reminiscent of cranberries, yet retain a hint of a floral note. And the mint lends a mojito-like feel to the drink. I disagree with the writer, this does not taste at all ‘lemonade-y’ to me. In fact, I think it would also be great with a higher percentage of the lemon/simple syrup to the hibiscus tea. I made one with club soda, one with ginger ale (which added a nice bite to things) and one with prosecco. All were enjoyable. I’ll make this again when I have friends over for a gathering. It’s nice to have a pitcher drink to save the hostess from individually shaking each cocktail.

Note: I recommend removing the fresh mint leaves after a few hours, or the base will become overwhelmingly minty.

I shall have to take another look at hibiscus (available at any Mexican market or online). This is refreshing and unique.

Give it a try~

Strawberry Mint Martini

martini, Spirits No Responses »

Jul 222011

This one is sort of a Shaker take on a strawberry mojito. Muddled fresh strawberries, mint leaves, simple syrup, shaken with ice, vodka and lime juice……

A more girly martini perhaps. Sweeter with just a subtle hint of mint coming through. Next time I’d go heavier on the lime. I feel like it’s missing something to pull it up into the really fantastic range. Plus, I can’t help but compare any strawberry martini to the Strawberry Jalapeno superstar. Still, tasty and refreshing. A pleasant summer sip.

3 3/4 Olives

Friday Night Lights

Uncategorized No Responses »

Jun 262009

Good evening lushes and bon vivants. Welcome to the latest Red Shaker night. Tonight we usher in another fun-filled fabulous weekend and say goodbye to a work week filled with PC drama, accounting headaches and general client stupidity. Needless to say, we both really, really need some fortified adult beverages. (Did I say really? Cause, really).

This evening we present to you an Herb-stravaganza! We feature fresh herbs from Shaker Two’s Patio Bar and Shaker One’s Balcony bar. Take a ride with us, break in your weekend, get a little drunk. You’ve earned it, we’re sure.

We begin with:

Thyme and Garlic Cheese Dip and the #10 Lenin-ade Martini
(yes, Lenin…..as in Vladimir, not John).

We give this martini
(Shaker Two says 4 1/2 over ice in summer and you can’t argue with genius). This was quite nice….light, subtle mint flavor, a summer ‘tini for sure.

Moving right along, our second course is

Carrot Ginger Soup Shooters with #11 Ginger Lime Martinis.

Oh my, this is a genius pairing. I probably love the ‘tini more than Shaker Two. I am a ginger superfreak. The kind you don’t bring home to mother. Shaker Two says the dollop of sour cream was the perfect accompaniment to the soup…the ginger and the carrot were perfectly balanced. (she still liked my vichyssoise better, I can tell). As we pat ourselves on the back , we move on to our next course:

Caramelized Onion and Sage Tart with #12 Blueberry ‘tinis

Shaker Two’s onion tart review: “I just want to grab a pillow and sleep in it”
Shaker One: My tart says thank you. 🙂 And you can send it flowers tomorrow. No Daisies. 😉

And the ‘tini? Mmmmblueberriesandboozemmmmmm…….
This was not a bad start at all, the blueberry flavor was a little too subtle and would definitely upgrade the rating if it were enhanced more. Next time we’ll infuse a simple syrup with the muddled berries.
Could go higher with more “blueberry smooshiness”. Heh.

And then we rolled ourselves into the kitchen for :

Mini Chicken Pot Pies!

Wait, WTF!?! Where is our next drink? And Why, in the name of all that is holy, am I still sober? Something is wrong here. Deeply wrong. I’ll just let Sheridan review my pot pies whilst I correct my alcohol imbalance.

Take it away, Shaker Two:

buzzin like a happy little bee here… can I just say I want to move in with Shaker One and would happily pay for all groceries and specialty items for her cooking alone. (Shaker One: the hell- she proposed earlier- where’s my damn ring??? I prefer platinum).

The chicken pot pie. I have not had any in years, since most of my experience has been frozen dinners – those are okay.. but not great, especially after having some at some rather gourmet restaurants. Shaker One’s is close to the restaurant variety without being “uppity”. The pastry was nice, light and not overpowering to the mixture of vegetables, chicken breast and “sauce.” Fresh thyme compliments the blend and, as a whole, it is a fabulous rendition of a comfort food staple. I would totally bribe her to make this when I need a culinary hug. (Shaker one: anytime my friend)

OOH! Next round is DONE! I’m off to drink. BRB.

Ok, so we decided to wing it here, no net, no recipe……

Drunken Berry tini

Gorgeous color, amazing aroma. Ruby red, vanilla scented end of evening libation.

We could definitely improve this. But not a bad start. (Shaker One: Miss Shaker Two’s still flying higher than I am. WTF people.)

And we finish up this round to move on to our last course:

Raspberry Sorbet with Limoncello, Fresh Berries and Mint……

and here we stray from the ‘tini path. Apologies to ‘tini purists here. Avert your eyes. We’re breaking out of the vodka box.

A little happy juice ends the evening well. Ahhhh, nothing says welcome to the weekend like a little glass of bubbly. Champagne makes everything better.

The addition of limoncello was inspired. Fresh berries garnished the concoction and the flavors complimented each other. Shaker Two kind of mixed the sorbet and limoncello together making a bit of a smoothy consistency, giving rather devious thoughts to raspberry/limoncello shakes….

Thank you for coming along with us on another drunken journey.
We are plotting some 4th of July weekend fun, so stay tuned.

Happy weekend and happy drinking~!