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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~

Watermelon Martini

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Jun 102011

Hot weather makes Shaker One crave juicy summer fruits…..strawberries, melons, all so refreshing and juicy. One bite of the deep pink flesh of a ripe watermelon brings me back to being a kid in the summer…..sitting on the curb eating it right out of the rind, feeling the juice drip down our arms. And for some of us, trying to duck out of the way of our brother’s seed spitting skills.

I’d brought home a baby watermelon with the very best of intentions. Fruit salad you shall be my dear!

Until it was 6pm and 85 degrees. Somebody needed a watermelon martini. A few minutes later, with the help of my trusty immersion blender~et voila!

Fresh Watermelon St. Germain Martini

3 shots vodka (I used Titos)

3 shots strained fresh watermelon juice

3/4 shot St. Germain

dash of lemon juice

Shake over ice, pour into glass and garnish with a bit of the lovely flesh. I promise this one won’t drip down your arm.

Bubbly Tales: Pt. 6~Baptized by Bubbles

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Jun 082011

Bonjour and welcome to the latest episode of Bubbly Tales. Shaker One recently enjoyed a fabulous trip to Paris. While there, I may have sipped a Kir Royale or twelve. (no, not all in the same day)

But the drink that knocked my chaussettes off in a city that isn’t exactly known for it’s cocktails was this:

Ordered on a whim from a menu at, of all places, The Left Bank Marriot hotel bar…….The Paris Chic.

Wow. Spectacular in both visual appeal and taste. Had I discovered this beauty earlier in my trip we would have enjoyed a brief but passionate affair of the glass. As it was, it was the perfect cocktail on my last night to bid au revoir to The City of Lights. And the fact that the waitress spilled the first round on me made me feel like I’d been baptized by Paris.

It’s impossible not to feel good while holding this in your hand:

I can’t wait to gather the ingredients to make this at home. And bring a bit of Paris to an evening whenever I wish.

Je t’aime Paris, J’adore Le Paris Chic!

Lemon Meringue Pie-tini~!

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Jun 032011

Ah lemon, is there anything this beautiful sunny citrus can’t do? Precious little, according to the Shakers. Shaker One adores all things citrus. And no better citrus on earth than the beloved Meyer Lemon. Sadly this seasonal beauty eludes us for part of the year. Each late winter/early spring Shaker One juices, zests, preserves and curds pounds of the gorgeous golden orbs.

What is curd? Well, take a handfull of lemons, some eggs, some butter, some sugar and a bit of alchemy and you have a lovely custardy velvety substance known as “curd”. Usually something one spends serious time at the stove stirring and stirring, thanks to a post at Apartment Therapy- the Kitchen, you can now make this easily in your microwave! Now often this deliciousness is poured into tarts or pies. But what does a Shaker do with her curd? Why, she makes martinis!

Feeling creative one night and rooting through her fridge, Shaker One spied a small bottle of meyer lemon curd and thought: this should really be a martini! And behold- the Lemon Meringue Pie-tini was born.

Equal parts vodka and curd shaken over ice (either plain or vanilla if you prefer a sweeter end result). Creamy and tart/sweet. Shakers One and Two give this lovely creature 4 3/4 olives-both the sweet vanilla version and the regular slightly more tart girl. If you use a regular lemon curd we would recommend you opt for the vanilla vodka…it needs that extra kick of sweetness that the Meyer version already has. And if you wanted to get fancy, you could even add an egg white to get the ‘meringue’ layer on top. But don’t stop at lemons~try key limes, regular limes, blood oranges……whatever citrus you have on hand. Not as sweet as many dessert martinis, it makes the perfect end to a summer dinner.

Delicious!

Bubbly Tales: Pt. 5-So Nice~

Champagne/Prosecco 2 Responses »

Jun 012011

For this week’s episode of Bubbly Tales, I’m going to ask you to take a trip in the Wayback Machine with me all the way to 1983….Ah, fluffy hair, men’s suits still suffering from the 70’s hangover, and Riunite. Yes, I said Riunite.

In the aftermath of Shaker Two’s move, I found myself the new owner of a few lonely bottles. One of which was Riunite Lambrusco. Now I knew nothing about this except half remembered jingles from decades past. They still make this stuff? People drink it? Huh.

My first thought was-its red wine, why is it in the fridge? I was pretty sure I’d never open it. Then over the holiday weekend I was craving something different…..not a martini, not even a glass of the old standby prosecco. I opened the fridge and spied that retro bottle. Figuring the worst that would happen is that I’d be pouring it down the drain I pulled it out and unscrewed the cap. Yep, screwcap. Heh.

You know, it was surprisingly pleasant! A very subtle fizz, more of a hiss than a foam and not too heavy. Full disclosure: I poured it over ice in a glass and squeezed a lemon wedge in for good measure. Next time I’d do an orange slice. It drinks a bit like a naked sangria-no fruit juice, no extra booze additions. I can see this being a decent picnic wine or tailgate beverage. And its cheap. Like $6 a bottle. Who would have thought?

Now I’m not going to tell you that this is a fine wine. But it does make me curious to try other lambruscos. And though it barely falls into the ‘bubbly’ category, it is good to go outside your comfort zone now and then.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. Will I look for other Lambruscos? Definitely. Would I get my hair feathered? Not gonna happen.

(Now if I could only get that damn song out of my head…..)

Genius: One part Inspiration, The Rest-Vodka

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May 272011

Shaker One here. The other day as I ran through the market to grab dinner ingredients a small basket of the blackest shiniest berries drew me to them with their siren call. Not knowing what I’d do with them was irrelevant. I had to have them.

Into the fridge they went and I didn’t give them another thought. Until later that evening I had a Eureka moment. A martini recipe literally popped into my head:

The Blackberry Lime Martini

Blackberry Lime Martini

Muddled fresh blackberries, simple syrup, equal parts fresh lime juice and Rose’s lime, a dash of lemon, the Super Secret Ingredient and of course-vodka. This poured out into the glass with a lovely shade of inky purple/pink.

Wow. One taste and I was hooked. I sent up the Shaker Signal to Shaker Two to run up and grab a taste. The verdict? At least a 4 1/2 olives. Yum~ Slightly sweet, slightly tart, a perfect balance. This one is good.

I’d pat myself on the back, but I’m too busy mixing up another round. Put this one on your summer drink to do list. You won’t regret it.

Bubbly Tales Pt. 4: Celebrate In Style

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May 252011

Next up is an absolute favorite bubbly for both Shakers. Another fantastic discovery by Shaker Two, this one is a bit of a splurge (in the $50 and over category). Worth it for a special dinner or celebration. Really an elegant wine, it creates a fine shower of tiny bubbles in your glass. Shakers One and Two really love this one.

Marc Hebrart Cuvee Reserve

You’ve seen us rave about this in a previous post. Shaker one feels this one is even more enjoyable than Moet White Star. Worth the splurge.

Go ahead, you deserve it!

Size (Or Rather Shaker) Does Matter

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May 202011

If you haven’t noticed, Shaker One has been on a bit of a flip kick of late. Something about Spring makes the foamy lightness enticing to me. I’m finding myself taking all sorts of “regular” cocktails and flipping them. Since I’ve already had my failed experiment with Mr. Frothee, I’ve decided to stick with egg whites. I am finding a big difference in the head that results from a regular shaker vs. a Boston style shaker.

Tonight’s victim? A classic Vodka Gimlet. <Forgive me Raymond Chandler>

Wanting just a light cocktail to end the weekend, I threw the usual suspects into my regular shaker, added ice, one egg white, and gave the whole thing a shaking like I was trying to force a confession out of it. Vigorous though my efforts were, when I poured it out into the glass, it was only moderately foamy. Huh. Now, I usually use a Boston style shaker for all things flip. Tonight I just happened to grab the shaker in front in the bar. I suspect that the extra room in a Boston shaker allows more movement of the ice and liquids, resulting in increased foam volume. I shall need to do some further research to back up this theory.

The cocktail itself was quite enjoyable, despite it’s pittance of foam. At the last minute (and after the photo) I shook just a dash of bitters onto it……very nice! It added a good balance to the tart sweetness of the Rose’s Lime. Tough to beat a classic gimlet.

Next up in the exploration of all drinks flip~ Meringue: Breaks Down or Holds Up?

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