Shaker Two deserves all the credit for this lovely find.
A sweet (pleasantly so, not at all cloying) fizzy pour of sparkles in your flute. The perfect end to a summer dinner, perhaps with some fresh fruit. This is not a mixing bubbly and I would definitely not cook with it….except perhaps to make a champagne sorbet.
Under $20 a bottle. Shaker One grabbed the sole bottle on hand when she spied it at the Candy Store (Beverage Warehouse).
A sweet kiss to end the evening.
Welcome bubbly aficionados to another episode of Bubbly Tales. Today I’d like to introduce you to one of Shaker One’s favorite players:
Purchased at Trader Joe’s, this go-to sparkler retails for under $8. Yes, you read that correctly. It is perfect with mimosas or other mixed cocktails and really very pleasant on its own. I often enjoy a glass or three simply with a strawberry dropped into the bottom of the glass.
And as I am not a white wine drinker, other than the bubbly types, I also use this to deglaze a pan or make a sauce….anywhere you’d use a dry white wine. At this price point I don’t even feel bad if I open a bottle, enjoy a few glasses over two or three days and end up pouring the rest out. Not what I’d select for a celebration or fancy dinner, but a solid choice for your everyday workhorse bubbly. Affordable, drinkable, mixable, cookable…….this bubbly is one to keep on hand.
Give it a try. Unless you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby. Then I’m so, so sorry for you.
So, aside from our obvious enjoyment of all things martini, the Shakers love a nice sparkling wine. Champagne, prosecco, cava…..each of them do the happy dance on our tongues.
As a bit of a break from the stronger drinks, Shaker One would like to introduce you to the first in a series of all things bubbly. Our favorite brands, tools, storage tips, bubbly friendly cocktail recipes….if it sparkles I’m determined to cover it. The world of bubbly is infinite and magical, so we shall take our time with this journey.
But to begin-Blackberry Prosecco Cocktail:
Blackberry Prosecco Cocktail
Fresh blackberries muddled with just a splash of Cointreau or Triple Sec, topped with prosecco and a bit of orange zest. I also threw in a few drops of Bitters, but if you prefer a sweeter experience leave those out. And of course you can use champagne or cava in place of the prosecco if you prefer.
Oh my, I do love berries in bubbly….as when you’ve finished drinking the liquid you get to fish them out, plump and succulent from their marination. They are the Crackerjack prize at the bottom of my glass.
Summer is just around the corner….the perfect time to stamp your libation passport with as many effervescent trips as you can take. Cheers!
Sadly, both Shakers have had to take a bit of a hiatus from Shaking and tend to other things… but we felt we had neglected the shakers, vodka and our faithful followers long enough so we are sneaking in a mid week oasis of tastiness and relaxation. Yes The Shaker Girls are back! It’s March. It’s 75 degree sundress weather. The sun is setting, casting streaks of deep pink and scarlet across the sky and we are dipping our shaking toes back into the cocktail waters.
In a somewhat unorthodox departure from our martini theme, we are tasting some proseccos. First up: a lovely rose from Mendocino California called Etoile! Bottled by the people at Domaine Chandon, this shy girl splashes into the glass with a pale blush as if we’d told an off color joke. Light, subtle and a fresh compliment to our mini appetizer feast. Oh, did we not mention the tasties?
A walk back to some of our favorites: cheezy poofs (petits gougeres), caramelized onion tarts (and Shaker One has finally cracked the perfect pastry crust!) and one new entry-eclectic endive spears with spicy/bacony/slightly sweek smoky filling and a balsamic glaze drizzle. Yeah, we had at them. Yum. (I am not sure how Shaker One comes up with some of these combinations, but I think she would kick the snot out of those TV chef wannabes… and I am not just sucking up because I want more of her cooking. 😀 )
And then we moved on to dessert: Sliced strawberries over a pool of meyer lemon curd with fresh whipped cream. And with it?
OMG Shaker Two-where did you find this gem??? One sip and both Shakers flipped. A surprisingly delightful spumante: La Montecchia. You can be sure we’ll both be hunting down more of this. Delicious~!
Overall, the evening was a lovely catch up session and planning of things to come as big changes are in store in Shaker Land. Ought to be exciting and fun… stay tuned and we promise we won’t be away so long next time.
<One side note about the Etoile bubbly. Though it is in a normal champagne style bottle, it has a beer bottle type cap on top. No cork. Shaker one was dubious, but it did not seem to have any effect on the flavor/effervescence at all. I shall remember this one for tailgating. Very easily opened with a regular bottle opener.>
Hello and Happy Valentines Day to all our Shaker pals. Shakers 1 and 2, being single gals, decided the very best way to celebrate this holiday would be with good friends, good tinis and of course, ZOMBIES!!!!
So we gathered a small crowd of discriminating palates, assembled a menu of zombie and valentine appropriate tinis and screened “Zombieland”.
Thanks to everyone for bringing such tasty snacks. We hovered ’round the table and hoovered up the treats. Yum.
First up- The Zombie Martini:
After searching the web for zombie themed drinks, we decided to pass on all the “colorful/creative” (read gross) “bleeding brain” type tinis and just go with a classic. We basically took the recipe for a traditional zombie cocktail and shook it up martini style. A mild martini, heavy on the fruit juices. One guest said it would make a good breakfast alternative to a screwdriver. You could easily speed up this zombie by altering the booze to juice ratio, but this was a nice way to begin the evening. Guests rated this from 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 olives. 
Next up was another in our Teani Series- The Chai Teani:
We infused rain vodka with chai tea (Stash Chai Spice Black Tea from Trader Joe’s). We then shook that with heavy cream, simple syrup and a dash of cinnamon. This was delicious, though all agreed that we’d gone just a tiny bit heavy on the cinnamon (*Shaker 1 holds up her hand to take responsibility for this, I just can’t control myself with cinnamon*). This was a very good teani, with complex spice layers coming through. I still think we need to play with the recipe a bit more and perhaps even foam up the cream first to give it more body. Though Shakers 1 and 2 agreed it wasn’t up to the level of the Earl Grey Teani, our consensus rating was 4 olives. 
Last up for the evening was a martini created especially for Valentines Day. We let our guests name it and the result:
The Velvet Kiss:
This is a seductive martini. Rich red color, perfumed aromas of elderflower, deep berry base; with a splash of prosecco at the end. It lived up to it’s name. Delicious, layered flavors, not too sweet, a sexy drink any day of the year.
We gave this 4 3/4 olives. 
This was the hit of the evening. In fact, as our Valentines gift to you, here is the recipe:
-Take about a cup of frozen mixed berries, add a splash of triple sec and let thaw.(why a whole cup? Because you’ll want more than one of these)
-In a shaker, muddle about 1/4 cup of the berry mix (I use an immersion blender to really get the juices flowing)
-add ice to the shaker
-add the following: 2 shots premium vodka
1 shot Chambord
1/2 shot St. Germain elderflower liquor
-shake well, strain into martini glass and pour in a splash of prosecco or champagne.
Serve this to your sweetie and we will not be responsible for the results (though you will thank us later).
A special thank you to all of our wonderful guests for making this a super fun Shaker night.
Oh, and the movie? Shaker 1 gives Zombieland a double tap!
Happy Valen-braaaaaaaainnsssssssssssssssss………………..
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