Spirits » 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~

Like Sunshine On The Rocks!

Spirits 6 Responses »

Jan 072012

Shaker One has been craving tacos all week. Well, actually I’ve been craving my home made spicy salsa. As I was making up a big batch of the stuff last night ( it’s so good I will eat it by the spoonful), I wondered what would go with it. I’m not a big beer drinker aside from the occasional Pacifico. There was a partially consumed bottle of prosecco in the fridge, but prosecco and tacos? I don’t think so.

Then I spied my basket of citrus and had a brainstorm:

The Meyer Lemon Margarita~

I pride myself with making an excellent margarita, always with fresh juice- no bottled “mix” stuff. So I made a batch of half meyer lemon juice and half lime juice (both freshly squeezed). Into the shaker that went with some tequila, triple sec and ice.

A note on the Triple Sec/Cointreau/Grand Marnier debate: I always have triple sec in the house. I don’t always have Cointreau or Grand Marnier. That’s often the deciding factor for me. Now if you’re making a fancy dessert by all means get yourself some GM. And if you’re having a taco party (Taco Party!!) and want to make your guests feel special, pick up a bottle of Cointreau. It does have a more complex orange flavor than triple sec. But in a pinch triple sec is fine.

Now back to the marg. Shake that baby up, strain into a glass and choose your garnish. I like my margaritas rocks/partial salt, so you can get a little hit of it if you choose without coming away with a mouthful on each sip. Balance in all things.

I used the following proportions, but feel free to adjust your sweet/tart levels:

2 shots tequila

2 shots mixed meyer/lime juice (must be fresh)

1 to 1 1/2 shots triple sec

dash of orange bitters to finish and lime peel to garnish

Do note that the meyer is a sweeter lemon, so you won’t need as much of the triple sec to balance it as you would with regular lemon. And I did briefly consider making it will all meyer juice (no lime), but lime is such an integral component of a margarita that it just didn’t feel right.

I took a sip and actually said “wow!”. Aloud. This is one delicious twist on the classic margarita. It is somehow fresher, with the sweetness of the meyer coming through nicely. I’ll be making these again, at least as long as the meyers hold out.

Cheers!

A different kind of cherry

garnish, martini, Spirits No Responses »

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.

And To All A Good Night~

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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.

Spiced Cran-tini

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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!

The Pear Cide-car

Spirits 5 Responses »

Dec 212011

It’s that time of year Shaker fans, when family and friends gather to celebrate, medicate and otherwise tipple with less restraint than usual. And for some of you, it’s also that time of year when seasonal ingredients warm your chilly toes. In the spirit of the season, Shaker One has created some new winter/holiday cocktails. This one was the hit of a recent Christmas cocktail party:

The Pear Cide-car

This is my take on the classic side car. To complement the spiced pear cider I subbed in brandy for the more traditional cognac.

1 oz Brandy

1 oz Triple Sec or Cointreau

2 oz Trader Joe’s Pear Cinnamon Cider

1 oz freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

Shake all the above over ice, strain and garnish with a bit of the lemon rind. If you can’t get your hands on meyer lemons you could use regular ones. But please search for the meyers…..they are a lovely addition to the pear.

I can also see this delicious as a warmed beverage, served in a mug with a stick of cinnamon garnish.

Grab some of the TJ’s Pear Cider. It’s a seasonal item, so don’t wait.

Cheers!

Let It Snow, er Sorbet~

martini, Spirits, Uncategorized No Responses »

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!

Happy Thanksgiving~

Champagne/Prosecco, garnish, martini, Spirits 2 Responses »

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!

Two Shall Enter…

Projects, Spirits No Responses »

Nov 162011

Yesterday on Facebook we were discussing the cranberry liquor and someone suggested that you’ll achieve a superior result if you wait to add the simple syrup until the end of the process, rather than at the beginning. Basically you follow the same recipe, infusing the cranberries, spices and vodka for 4 weeks. At that point, you strain out the solids then add the simple syrup. This advice comes from “an old hooch maker”. Heh.

I can see the merits of this, as you’d be able to control the level of sweetness/tartness better. But I’ve already started my batch with the simple syrup added. What’s a Shaker to do?

Make a second batch, of course! Yep, I’m doing a head to head comparison of cranberry liquor techniques. Though Batch 2 will be 4 days or so behind Batch 1, I’ll do a side by side taste test at the end of each week.

Check back later for updates. And a special thank you to my Hooch Making mentor!

Holiday Preparations

Champagne/Prosecco, Projects, Spirits No Responses »

Nov 152011

Did you guess? Shaker One has begun making her own cranberry liquor.

While browsing thekitchen.com at apartment therapy (I love that site, it’s a daily stop of mine), I ran across a post on making your own cranberry liquor. I love cranberries. My great grandmother would finely dice cranberries by hand to make her holiday cranberry relish (imagine the labor in the days before food processors!). I like to make a cranberry martini using her relish recipe around the holidays. But when I saw the post I thought, ‘hey, wouldn’t cranberry liquor be a lovely addition to champagne? Sort of a holiday champagne cocktail!”……..so off I went to the store for fresh cranberries.

The recipe couldn’t be easier. Simply add chopped cranberries and simple syrup to vodka and leave in the fridge for 3 or 4 weeks, shaking or stirring every other day or so. I added a cinnamon stick, a vanilla bean, the rind of part of an orange and a couple of cloves to give it a greater depth of flavor. The shot above is from day 2. Right away the cranberries imbued the liquids with a lovely deep red color. When I first mixed everything together all I could smell was the vodka. Now after 2 days I’m beginning to smell the cranberries as well. I can’t wait to sample it, which I plan on doing at the end of each week-just to see if any adjustments are needed.

I’ll check back in in a week or two to let you all know how it’s coming along.

Of course, now all I can think about are cranberry champagne cocktails. Sigh. Oh well, I’m told patience is a virtue.

Cheers~

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