Dec 312011
 

Over the holidays I was gifted with a bottle of bubbly unfamiliar to me.  Described as “Russian champagne”, it sat in my fridge waiting to be sampled.  Last night I opened it and shared an early New Year’s toast with a friend who had tasted it before in his travels to Eastern Europe.

 

This is one of the loveliest bubblies I’ve tasted.  It has a slightly floral nose, almost as if it’s been sprinkled with a bit of St. Germain and rosewater.  Though it’s a bit on the sweeter side, the sweetness is a fruity one not a sugary one.  We went through this happily, wishing we had another bottle.  I will be thanking my friend not just for the lovely gift of the bottle, but more for introducing me to what will surely be a favorite celebratory beverage.

I just hope The Candy Store carries this.

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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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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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Jul 272011
 

I have this lovely gift of new ingredients from my sister and have been thinking of how best to explore them.  I love bitters.  Angostura or Peychaud’s are what most of you probably have sitting in your bar cabinets (Fee Bros are also excellent).  Angostora bitters are always in my bar-a staple of many classic cocktails.  But you may have noticed while perusing the aisles of your local liquor mart that bitters have branched out into a seemingly endless array of flavors.  From chocolate to celery, there’s now a bitter for just about any cocktail occasion.

Included in my surprise box was a bottle of blueberry bitters.

Now as a berry goes, the blueberry is not my favorite (blueberry pancakes aside).  But I’ve played with bitters enough to know that you often want either a taste that mimics and magnifies your base flavor notes, or something to accent and add a touch of a contrast.  Not sure what blueberry bitters would even taste like, and bitters not really being something you take a sip of to taste, I decided to showcase them on the ultimate neutral palate:

The Classic Champagne Cocktail with Blueberry Bitters

Generally a champagne cocktail is a sugar cube dropped into the bottom of a flute, saturated with a few drops of bitters and topped with champagne.  Orange peel garnish optional.  I learned how to drink these in my first “grown up” job.  The Lancome executive from Paris would order them for us at the bar of The Four Seasons Beverly Hills.  Where I’d valet park my green 1979 Chrystler Cordoba (fine corinthian leather included).   I felt as soignee as a 23 year old driving a crappy car could.  Elegance in a glass.

Out of oranges at the moment, I subbed in a lime peel.  This is delicious!  You get more of a softer bitter taste with just the palest hint of blueberry.  Gorgeous with champagne.  I’ll have to ponder what type of martinis this bitter could best highlight.

And I can’t wait to try the next one!

 

 

 

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Jul 152011
 

So I’m sitting at my desk doing work-related things and my doorbell rings.  Huh, not expecting anyone at 5pm on a saturday afternoon.  “Fedex delivery, we’re gonna need an adult’s signature for this”.

Well, technically I suppose I qualify.  But I didn’t order anything….and it seems to be booze.  Can it be?  Is the mythical Wine Fairy real??

I opened the carton and unwrapped some wonderful new ingredients:

 

Fruit infused dessert wines and bitters from a small manufacturer in Maine.  A few emails later, I discover to my delight that one of my Sisters, while in Maine, did a tasting and decided I needed to experiment with some fun new ingredients~!

I can’t wait to see how these play with summer fruits.  And two new bitters!  I do love the special magic that just the right dash of bitters can add to a cocktail.

Sorry, no wine fairy.  But even better~inspiration in a box, completely unexpected.  Stay tuned for what I dream up with these.

And thanks Lynda!!

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Mar 282011
 

OXO Good Grips Plastic Cocktail Shaker

  • 16-ounce cocktail shaker with jigger cap and built-in strainer
  • Double wall construction insulates beverages to keep them cool and prevents sweating
  • Soft, non-slip grip for confident shaking
  • Measurement markings inside jigger (3/4-, 1-, and 1-1/2-ounce)
  • Measures 3-1/2 inches in diameter and 9 inches tall

Shake, mix and pour with the Oxo good grips cocktail shaker with jigger cap and built-in strainer. Double wall construction prevents sweating and keeps the cold away from hands during use. A soft gripping surface on the jigger adds comfort while pouring and prevents hands from slipping while shaking. .75-ounce, 1-ounce and 1.5-ounce measurement markings are located on the inner surface of the jigger for easy liquid measuring. Simply pour in favorite ingredients and shake in style.

List Price: $ 9.99

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Mar 212011
 

American Dining and Entertaining Etiquette; Manners for the Table

This is a video primarily about the ‘rules of the table.’ It has been in VHS format since 1998 and it was entered on Amazon in April, 2000. It quickly became the top selling etiquette video on Amazon and it remains the No. 1 etiquette video that Amazon lists. Please refer to the VHS information page of “American Dining & Entertaining Etiquette; Manners for the Table” for a more extensive review of this video.

List Price: $ 19.95

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Mar 142011
 

Entertaining Angels

Dorothy Day is no saint. She lives hard, makes mistakes, endures the consequences. But the unquenchable fire burning within her cannot be contained. Dorothy wants to make a difference. During the Depression, she vows to house the homeless, feed the hungry, tend the sick. Easily said. Not easily done when her total finances amount to 97 cents in a battered canister. Yet Dorothy persists, walking on frequently stormy waters of faith. Popular stars and important themes combine in this compe

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Mar 062011
 

Shemp Cocktail: A Toast To The Original Stooge

Much has been made of Moe, Larry and Curly – and rightly so – but Shemp Howard was a comic master too often overlooked, with a solo career that far outshone that of the other Stooges. Apart from costarring in many classic Three Stooges shorts, Shemp appeared opposite such fellow comic legends as W.C. Fields, Ed Wynn, Bert Lahr, and Abbott & Costello, as well as such luminaries as John Barrymore, William Powell, Jack Haley, and The Andrews Sisters. This long-overdue 2-disc spotlight on Shemp

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