theredshaker

Bubbly Tales Pt. 11: The Good Ship Fizzy Cup

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Jul 132011

When Shaker One was just a wee girl, eating out at a fancy restaurant was a rare treat. To my 6 year old self, nothing was more elegant than ordering my own “cocktail”- The Shirley Temple. A grown up looking drink in my favorite little girl color garnished with a cherry. Sometimes the bartender would even put a little drink umbrella in it for me. I fancied myself quite the sophisticate!

Flash forward 20 years or so (What? Move along.) to a hot summer evening and a thirsty Shaker. A school night, so martinis are out and I wanted something more than just a glass of bubbly……..Shaker One gets creative.

The Tipsy Temple

Pomme juice, lime juice, simple syrup, a splash of lemon over ice topped with prosecco and very ripe berries. Looks like Miss Temple stayed out after curfew on this one. Innocent pink color, heady scent of lush berries as you sip, slightly sweet but mostly very refreshing. Stand up and cheer, this one’s a winner!

Now gentlemen, I don’t want to hear “but it’s pink!”. Of course it is. Many delicious things are red. And red, when diluted with things like vodka or prosecco turns pink. Be secure enough to imbibe all things blushing.

Cherries optional.

Strawberry Jalapeno Martini

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Jul 082011

Shaker One back with more spicy sips. Those of you who enjoyed the Spicy Pineapple martini, fasten your seat belts. This drink is going to wake up your taste buds. Still searching for ways to use up my enormous bag of fresh jalapenos and finding myself firmly in the midst of strawberry season, what’s a Shaker to do?

Why, make a Strawberry Jalapeno Martini of course!

Now, you may think this sounds like an odd combination. And it sort of does. But trust me on this one. It became an instant favorite of mine.

Fat juicy strawberries, chunks of fresh jalapenos (seeds in)and a bit of simple syrup muddled up. Add ice, vodka, lime juice and shake that liquid maraca~

I garnished with pretty things, but the key here is to toss a few of the jalapeno seeds into the martini glass. This is an outstanding drink. Really subtle and fresh. You can add more jalapeno if you want to up the heat, but I like it balanced so you don’t lose the fantastic flavor of the fresh berries.

I’d give this South of the Border Seductress 5 olives.

Shaker Two-what do you think?

Bubbly Tales-Pt. 10: Second String

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Jul 062011

Hello fans of all things effervescent. Shaker One is back with yet another prosecco for you to try. You may ask, “do you do nothing but sample proseccos in your spare time?” Well, I do cook as well. :/

Here’s another from my beloved Trader Joe’s:

Villa Carlotti Prosecco. Similar price point to my old pal Zonin.

I tried this one straight-no berries or additions. It is a dryer bubbly, balanced and pleasant with a hint of apricots. Oh man, now I sound like one of THOSE wine people. Stop me. Anyway, I enjoyed it and it has earned itself a seat on the bench. If Zonin goes out of the game, I’ll send in this sparkler.

Now go pour yourselves a glass of something fun.

La Pina Picante

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Jul 012011

The June gloom in Southern California has finally abated and warmer weather is upon us. Lately Shaker One has been on a spicy/Mexican food kick. I bought an enormous bag of jalapenos and made seriously fantastic pico de gallo which I’ve been putting on just about everything. But my proseccos or even my lambruscos just didn’t seem like the right beverage to accompany all these tasty taco treats. Not in the mood for a margarita, not tempted by the Pacifico in the fridge……..I spied a pineapple and had a flash of inspiration.

The Spicy Pineapple Martini

Chunks of jalapeno peppers, fresh cut pineapple, the juice of one lime and simple syrup muddled up. Added vodka, a bit more lime juice, ice and shake that baby like a maraca~

Garnished with a sliver of jalapeno pepper (seeds removed this time), this is a really fantastic cocktail. Totally refreshing. All the tart sweetness comes from the natural juice of the pineapple and you get just a hint of heat on the finish from the jalapeno without being overpowered. The lime juice provides the perfect bridge between the two flavors. I love this.

4 1/2 olives.

Can’t wait for Shaker Two to give this a try and tell us what she thinks. Hasta luego!

Bubbly Tales-Pt. 9: A Whiter Shade of Yum.

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Jun 292011

Shaker One here-back for another sip of all things fizzy. So as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not much of a wine drinker. I enjoy hearty reds with meals. But wine is a “drink with food” beverage for me. And for some odd reason -bubblies aside- I only drink reds. While grabbing a few bottles of my new friend Lambrusco (red) I noticed that they had the same brand in white….hmmmm. I was intrigued.

You know the drill: glass, ice, toss in a few berries for fun and here we go.

Nice! Very nice. Soft, not too sweet and none of that “oaky” chardonnay taste I loathe. You could very easily make a white sangria from this for the summer….add fresh berries, nectarines, whatever fruit makes you happy.

I’m still crushing hard on my new bestest summer friend Red Lambrusco, but Whitey can stop by every now and then and join in the fun.

Oh Lambruscos, where have you been all my summertimes?

To Foam or Not To Foam

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Jun 242011

Recently at one of our Shaker Nights we were asked by a guest what a flip was, how one flipped, why and what exactly it brought to a cocktail. This brings about the whole “yeah or nay” on raw eggs debate. Wars were fought over less.

So, salmonella scares aside- a flip (adding egg whites to a shaken cocktail) is simply a way to add body and create a foamy top to the drink. Shaker One thinks you do achieve a more smooth mouth feel with the egg whites, but it in no way affects the overall flavor of your drink.

Which do we prefer? We of course decided to do a head to head taste test (so to speak).

Spicy Lemon Drop vs. Spicy Lemon Flip:

And the verdict? The Shakers both enjoy them either way. Certain martinis lend themselves to the foam. The Earl Grey MarTeani, for example, suffers from the absence of the egg if you leave it out. The Spicy Lemon Drop can be enjoyed equally either way. Bottom line, like so many other things it comes down to personal preference. Flip or don’t. Whatever floats your boat.

Just stay away from the Frothee. :/

Bubbly Tales: Pt. 8~Lovely Lambrusco

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Jun 222011

Hello bubbly fans, Shaker One here with the latest taste of all things fizzy. After my experience with that retro red Riunite, I became curious about lambruscos. What are these fizzy chilled reds? Was the Riunite a fluke, or have I stumbled upon the perfect summer red?

So on my latest trip to Trader Joe’s I poked around and sure enough, they had a few different types. I grabbed one bottle of a red lambrusco and one bottle of a white lambrusco (to be tasted later). And last night I had one of those “I’m too tired to make dinner” nights. Out of the freezer came a Tart D’Alsace (from TJ’s, shocking I know)which is phenomenal by the way……a French style flatbread with ham, caramelized onions and gruyere cheese. Yum, and a perfect meal paired with a nice arugula salad. While it baked, I poked around in the fridge pondering a suitable adult beverage. Hmmm, let’s try that red lambrusco.

Over ice, in a wine goblet with a strawberry and wedge of lemon thrown in for good measure.

Oh my. This one is fantastic! Poured out with a nice foamy pink head, it had a fruity smell. One sip and I’m hooked. It is refreshing and fruity tasting without being at all sweet. This will become a regular in my basket on my weekly (ok, bi or tri weekly) TJ’s field trips. Though we’re “enjoying” the typical June Gloom here in Southern California, I can see this being just the thing to hit the spot on a hot summer day/evening.

And I’ve saved the best for last-this lovely refresher chimes in at around $6 a bottle! Wow. Lambrusco, I’m beginning to develop a healthy crush on you.

Happy Hour- Flips and Rickeys

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Jun 172011

Shaker One here. I was recently invited to join a friend for a little tuesday happy hour fun at a place I had not tried yet-The Westside Tavern (downstairs). He promised delicious cocktails including a Watermelon Flip, which intrigued us both. Sadly, when we got there the bar did not have the watermelon drink available. But we consoled ourselves with two other tasty beverages.

Nothing like walking up to the bar to meet your friend and they already have your drink waiting for you. A Grapefruit Rickey . This is a really nice not overly tart version of the classic rickey. St. Germain is added to soften the tang of the grapefruit juice. A fantastic summer sipper.

Next up was our replacement for the watermelon flip:

The Strawberry Tarragon Flip

Wow. I think I’m glad they were out of watermelon. Fresh strawberries and tarragon muddled with lime juice, vodka, simple syrup and pasteurized egg whites-shaken, strained into a martini glass and garnished with a spanked tarragon leaf. What? You don’t spank your herbs to release their essential oils? Naughty, naughty tarragon.

This cocktail knocked my socks off. Subtle and airy. You could taste the freshness of the ingredients and no one overpowered the others. I could have put away several of these. Easily. I look forward to crafting this at home. Though I’ve used thyme, rosemary, basil, cilantro, and of course mint in cocktails, I’d never thought to add tarragon. I can’t wait to try tarragon with other fruit/booze combinations.

Sadly it was a school night, so our happy hour sipping stopped there. But I will be back to sample the rest of their cocktail menu another time. A great spot to grab well crafted drinks before/after a movie and super convenient location smack dab in the middle of the West Side. Now I’m off to buy some tarragon.

Bubbly Tales: Pt. 7~Win Some, Lose Some

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Jun 152011

Welcome back bubbly fans. Just a quick review today of my latest stop on the Tour of All Wines Sparkly. On my last visit to Trader Joe’s, I was restocking the prosecco supplies when I spied a different bottle on the shelf. Same price range as my beloved go to Zonin,so I picked up a bottle to try.

Fast forward to last night, movie in the dvd player, strawberries in the fridge begging for a dip. Out came our new friend Louise d’Estree. It poured into the glass with a nice healthy head of foam. I took my first sip and paused. This may be a personal preference issue, and I’m not educated enough on wine to give you specifics, but I very much prefer the Zonin. This one isn’t bad or unpleasant. Yet it lacks the light sparkle of Zonin. It also has a very slight hint of something bitter in the end notes. Again, not bad or unpleasant, but it doesn’t make me want to keep drinking it. I think it would be ok in a mimosa, but since it is the same price as Zonin and not equal or better in taste, I don’t see a reason to buy it again. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many enjoyable bubblies there are in the $10 and under range, so I can afford to be a bit selective. If someone brought this as a hostess gift it would end up as mimosas. Otherwise, I don’t think it will make it into my shopping cart a second time.

Zonin, you are still my prosecco hero.

Belated Birthday Wishes

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Jun 112011

Shaker One here to apologize for failing to acknowledge two very significant milestones:

1. A belated Happy Birthday to Shaker Two! No party pics to post, as her relocation means postponing the celebration until she’s back for a visit.

and 2. Last week marked the 2 year blog-versary of The Red Shaker.

Wow, two years of sipping, sampling, slurping, slurring, snarking, and snickering over all things cocktail. Thanks to all of you for your love and support. Last year real life interruptions made for extremely sporadic postings from us both. But we’ve gone back to a regular posting schedule (look for us weekly-at least) and hope you continue to join us on our journey of libation exploration.

Now get to scheduling that trip Shaker Two, so we can throw a proper party!

Cheers~

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