The season has turned and Autumn has gone all showy with spectacular foliage. Many use this time of year as a signal to switch from clear to brown booze, so I’ll help you transition with a classic – the whiskey sour. Continue reading
cocktails
5 posts
The holidays are once again upon us so it’s an appropriate time to get your festive on.
The first time I ever had a French 75 was Christmas Eve a few years ago. The effervescence of the Champagne really opened up the juniper pine notes of the gin and the drink just smelled of Christmas. A good friend was behind the bar and was determined to make sure we were all as mirthful as possible – mission accomplished. Continue reading
On the one hand, posting a photo of a sparkly cocktail seems wrong. It’s been a pretty dark week. On the other hand, we could use a drink.
But even more pertinent, is the fact that I bet you’re in the same situation I’m in – dealing with random amounts of ingredients purchased for the holidays that are just lingering. Continue reading
Happy cocktail time, Crasstalkers. It’s been a rough week for some of you, and it sounds like everyone needs to forget about Tuesday. So let’s booze it up, shall we?
Here are three ideas to get you started.
Cilantro and Cucumber Martinis
4 ounces of vodka (the better, the better)
1 inch of finely diced English cucumber
¼ cup of cilantro
Ice
Crush the cucumber and cilantro in a mortar and pestle to make as fine a paste as possible. Pour the vodka, cucumber and cilantro paste into a martini shaker. Let it sit for about an hour, then add the ice, shake, and strain infused vodka into martini glasses. Garnish with cucumber and cilantro.
A Gingered Highball-Julep
Chop and crush one tablespoon of fresh mint and six or seven slivers of fresh ginger. Put two ice cubes in a large glass. Add two shots ginger ale and stir vigorously to make a quick infusion. Add two shots “good” bourbon (Basil Hayden or Knob Creek are preferred, but Rebel Yell is good too. Note for the poors: Rebel Yell is cheaper than most bottom shelf whiskeys and it’s the best of the bunch, even served just on the rocks. Note to snobs: don’t knock it till you’re poor enough to try it). Add one drop of bitters and a few slivers more fresh ginger for a crunchy, spicy treat.
Salty Dog
Treat a rocks glass like a margarita glass and rim it with salt. Then add equal parts vodka to pink grapefruit juice.
I’m not going to lie, I just had my first Salty Dog this week, and holy. The salt with the grapefruit juice is incredible. I was on the phone with my mother-in-law while I had my first sip and –- for the first time since we have known each other — I think she thought I was fervently agreeing with everything she said because I said “Yes!” and sighed happily (For the record, I was blissed out and I’m not sure what I agreed to). But let’s not think about any unpleasantness, because it’s Friday, and we all deserve a cocktail.
If you’re looking for some simple cocktails to make this New Year’s you’ve found the right place. With four ingredients or less these classic cocktails are quick to make, and easy to cater to personal tastes. Perfect for when you’re serving a crowd. Fair warning, while these drinks may seem easier to assemble than more complicated cocktails, they can actually be much harder to master. Everyone knows what they should taste like, and you have high expectations to live up to when serving them. So before starting to assemble your drinks make sure you have the appropriate hardware, and high-quality ingredients. So go make some ice, grab you cocktail shaker, THROW AWAY those pre-made mixes, and join me for this classic edition of Let’s Get Boozy. Continue reading