vanilla vodka » The Red Shaker

And To All A Good Night~

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.

“I’ll be back again some day….”

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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.

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!

Starry Night

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Mar 272010

Last week while I was away from LA I looked up at night and I could actually see stars. And while I’m a city girl at heart (….the lights of the city are the stars on the ground-name that tune!), there’s something about looking up at an indigo velvet canopy studded with sparkling lights that makes you stop and just be in the moment……….marveling at the immenseness and beauty. What else does it make you do? Well, if you’re a shaker it makes you mix up a martini inspired by the night sky.

And so we have:

The Starry Night

regular vodka, creme de violette, vanilla vodka, pineapple juice, a splash of lemon…….still working on the proportions but this has possibilities. The violette and vanilla play nicely together while the pineapple juice foams up a lovely solar system across the top of the drink. Hmmmm, maybe some champagne next time to add “sparkle” to the sky???

I need to work more with the creme de violette. It is a lovely liquor…..subtle taste and a mesmerizing color that goes from inky indigo to pale lavender depending on the mixers. I wonder how this would play with a tea infusion?

So like the night sky, a good ingredient should make you wonder where else the night will take you………..

(as is, 3 1/2 olives-but I think this could be worked up to a 4)

Shaker One bids you a good night.