Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Time (and Work) Savers

One of the worst feelings is throwing a party and not getting to enjoy it because you're making everyone's drinks all night. Now, if you're not hiring a pro like myself to work your party, you can still have a good time and not have to make drinks all night by mixing up big batches of some popular cocktails and putting them in bottles and then putting them in the fridge.

Now, for each of these recipes, you'll need two things. One, a 750ml bottle (you can either buy one or clean out an empty bottle and take the labels off) to pour into and, two, a funnel, so you don't make a mess all over the place. Each of these recipes will make 4-5 drinks.

The first big batch recipe is for the Cosmopolitan. Pouring into your bottle, put in 10 oz. of citrus vodka, 4 oz. of Cointreau (or triple sec), 2 oz. of fresh lime juice, 1 oz. of cranberry juice and 5 oz. of water. Water? Yes, water. You're adding in water to compensate for the water that would be added from shaking the drink in a mixing tin and the ice melting while you do that.

Next, a recipe for the classic Sidecar. Pour in 12 oz. of brandy or cognac (cognac is simply higher quality brandy), 3 oz. of Grand Marnier (orange and cognac-flavored), 3 oz. of fresh lemon juice and 6 oz. of water.

And finally, a recipe for the Manhattan. Pour in 12 oz. of whiskey, 4 oz. of sweet vermouth, 5 oz. of water and 1 tsp. of Angostura bitters. For a Rob Roy, just substitute scotch for the whiskey.

That's it for now and remember to please drink responsibly.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Suggestive Drink Names...

Real life called and they wanted me back for a little while... :)

Today, I thought I'd go through some suggestive drink names like the BJ (don't need this blog getting blocked for p*rn) and, one of my favorite drink names of all time, the Long Sloe Comfortable Fuzzy Screw Against the Wall with Satin Pillows the Hard Way. Try saying that one five times fast after having a couple of them.

We'll start today with the BJ. This is a layered shot and the recipe I would use has 1/2 oz. each of coffee liqueur and amaretto and topped with whipped cream. Now, to drink this properly may require some coaching (if you don't know already). You start by putting your hands behind your back and bending over at the waist, picking the glass up with your mouth (a couple of head bobs are optional). Tilt your head back and swallow as much of it as you can. When you're done, put the glass back down on the bar without using your hands and trying not to have any of the drink go back into the glass (that can be kinda gross).

Next up is the Purple Helmeted Warrior. Fill your mixing glass with ice and pour in 1/2 oz. each of gin, Southern Comfort, peach schnapps and blue curacao, with a dash each of grenadine and sweetened lime juice. Shake it and strain it into a shot glass (depending on the size of the shot glass, you may get 2 shots out of that).

We'll follow that with the ever-popular Sex on the Beach. Now, there are a few recipes out there with that name, but this is the one I use. Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in 1 oz. of vodka, 1/2 oz. of peach schnapps and then fill the glass with equal parts orange and cranberry juice. Shake it and strain it.

And finally,
the Long Sloe Comfortable Fuzzy Screw Against the Wall with Satin Pillows the Hard Way. Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in 1/2 oz. each of gin, sloe gin (strawberry-flavored), Southern Comfort, and peach schnapps. Fill it with orange juice (I'd leave a little bit of room at the top). Shake it (pour it back into the same glass if you want) and top with 1/2 oz. of Galliano (licorice-flavored) and a dash of Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored) and a dash of whiskey.

That's it for now and remember to please drink responsibly.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Baseball Themed-Drinks

Didn't think it'd be this long between posts, but I was having some health issues (sinuses can be a pain in the head, literally, and a pain in the ass, figuratively).

I was watching the Rising Stars Game (basically the all-star game) from the Arizona Fall League on tv and thought I'd find recipes for drinks named for things you think of when you think of baseball.

First up, what's a baseball game without a Hot Dog? The one I think I can drink involves just 2 ingredients. In a tall glass with ice, pour in 2 oz. peppered vodka and fill it the rest of the way with grapefruit juice.

Next, if you're having a hot dog at Fenway Park, you'll be looking out at the field and see The Green Monster. In a tall glass, pour in 1/2 oz. each of vodka, Southern Comfort, melon liqueur (like Midori), and peach schnapps. Add a dash of blue curacao and then fill the glass with equal parts beer and hard cider. Garnish it with a hot dog, peanuts or popcorn.

Finally, baseball's often been described as American as Apple Pie. I've got two recipes for that, a two-ounce cocktail and a shot. To make the cocktail, fill a mixing tin with ice and pour in 1-1/2 oz. of vodka or apple vodka and 1/2 oz. of apple cider or juice. Strain that into a chilled glass and sprinkle some cinnamon on top. To make the shot, pour equal parts apple brandy, cinnamon schnapps and Irish cream. To get it to work right, pour them down the side of the glass, in the order that I've listed them in.

That's it for now, and, as always, please drink responsibly.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Dessert Martinis & A Review

When I say "dessert martinis", I don't necessarily mean martinis that you just have as a dessert after a meal, although you could. I just mean drinks that are named after desserts.

In our lead-off spot today is the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. This is one of those "spot on" drinks that taste like the food it's named after. Pour 3 oz. of vanilla vodka and 3/4 oz. of pineapple juice into your mixing tin and shake it, straining it into a chilled martini glass. Then add 3/4 oz. of grenadine and garnish with a cherry. If you like the cake, you'll like this drink.

Next up is the Crème Brulee Martini. There are 2 versions that I'll share with you today, one with three ingredients and one with 5. First, the one with three. In your mixing tin with ice, pour in 3 oz. of vanilla vodka, 1 oz. of orange liqueur (ex. Cointreau) and 1 oz. of Half and Half. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Now, the one with 5 ingredients. This time, it's 3-1/2 oz. of vanilla vodka and a dash each of butterscotch schnapps, Irish cream, black raspberry liqueur and cream. Shake and strain into the chilled martini glass. If I haven't mentioned it before, a dash is an inexact measurement up to 1/4 oz.

Third in the lineup today is the Tiramisu Martini. There's a frozen drink named the Tiramisu that's similar, but I wanted to focus on martinis. In your mixing tin, pour in 2 oz. of vanilla vodka, 1/2 oz. each of amaretto and Irish cream and 2 oz. of espresso. Shake and strain it into a chilled glass that has chocolate syrup swirled inside. Garnish with a ladyfinger cookie.

And batting cleanup is the Lemon Drop Martini. Now, there's a shot called the Lemon Drop, which is simply a shot of citrus vodka served with a sugar coated lemon, but this will be a little more complicated than that. Okay, a lot more complicated. In your mixing tin, dump in 1 heaping tsp of superfine sugar and 1 oz. of fresh lemon juice (1 whole lemon). Muddle or stir it until the sugar is dissolved in the lemon juice. Add ice on top of your mixture and pour in 3-1/2 oz. of citrus vodka and 1/2 oz. of orange liqueur. Shake it well and strain into a chilled glass. If you really want to hit this one out of the park, rim the glass with sugar or ground up lemon drop candies.

Now for the review. Yesterday, I shared the recipe for a Fallen Angel Martini, in honor of Halloween. Well, when I was out for dinner tonight, I had the bartender at Buca di Beppo on the Plaza make me one. I was, of course, nice enough to provide him with the recipe. Now, I didn't specify a martini glass and that's my fault, but other than that the drink was outstanding. If you like sweet drinks, you'll love the Fallen Angel Martini.

That's it for now. As always, please drink responsibly.