Ice + Clink + Drink

Although we are far from the U.S.-Mexico border here in Seattle and my kids can speak more Spanish than I can, we do have a cat named Nacho Libre and I’m always happy to lift a glass in celebration.  I think that’s enough to get my tequila revved and ready for Cinco de Mayo.

El luchador mexicano dice: "Escucha al HIELO, este es un cóctel muy bueno!"(translation: The Mexican wrestler says, "Listen to ICE, this is a very good cocktail!")

This cocktail, the St. Rosemary by mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout, is another approachable tequila drink (more here) that is easy to make and chug, er, sip.

St. Rosemary

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the rosemary leaves with the lime juice. Add ice and all of the remaining ingredients except the garnish and shake well. Double strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with the rosemary sprig.

¡Salud, ICE

As always, check out my Glossary of Spirits page for alcohol and mixer definitions and details.

 

Get out the green and have a cheery St. Patrick’s Day. But just a warning: Leprechauns get thirsty, and you really don’t want to piss them off. Have one of these drinks on hand. Even if you aren’t delivered a pot ‘o gold, these drinks are still magically delicious.

The cilantro garnish almost looks like a shamrock clover, right? Right?

Sacred Silence

Muddle cucumber, cilantro and peppercorns in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, vodka, green chartreuse, lemon squeeze and simple syrup and shake well. Double strain into ice-filled glass.

Note: while the picture shown on Grey Goose’s site makes this drink look very green, it wasn’t.  I added the Jones Soda to make it more appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day and adjusted the simple syrup accordingly. 

The Sparkling Shamrock for one day only.

I admit I was skeptical about the next cocktail, but gave it a shot. Red and I had the same, probably comically surprised reaction – this is a really good drink! Incidentally, I found this on the Grey Goose site when scrolling through their fabulous pictures looking for green drinks, but later saw the same recipe on other sites with an appropriate name change: The Sparkling Shamrock.

 Cucumber Fizz/Sparkling Shamrock

Shake all but club soda with ice. Double strain into ice-filled highball glass and top with lemonade or club soda. Garnish with mint, cucumber slices and lemon zest.

If you are looking for other green options, click on the “green_drinks” tag in the sidebar.  And, as a new feature, you can always check out my Glossary of Spirits page for alcohol and mixer definitions and details.

Cheers! ICE

 

It’s time to untangle ourselves from the mania of Christmas and focus on the next big event: New Year’s Eve. That night will mark the first anniversary of my home cocktail craziness. Last NYE, armed with my new MixShakeStir cocktail book, I hit the liquor store with a shopping list of liquors culled from the tastiest sounding drinks… and returned to discover that I could really make only half of each drink (thanks a lot, Kirkland liquor store).

Fortunately, the year has been more fun than frustrating, and that deserves a toast. What’s the best beverage to raise high for that toast? You got it – champagne.

But let’s dress up that sparkling wine (because any will do – champagne, Prosecco, cava).  Here are a few recipes that add oomph without hassle.  As is the trouble with all recipes calling for wine or beer, unless a specific brand and year is listed, results may vary. Pop open your bottle and use the ratios below as a starting point and then tinker to preference. Oh, and use chilled ingredients.  All should be served in a champagne flute or coupe.

1. Although around just a few years now, the St. Germain Cocktail is nearly a classic. If you don’t have one of these beautiful St. Germain bottles, stop reading and hit the store!

St. Germain Cocktail

2. This version of the classic Champagne Cocktail substitutes bourbon for brandy and omits the bitters.  My husband agreed that this would be a good drink for those who like bourbon but aren’t enthusiastic about champagne.  I did cut corners by using commercial vanilla syrup (commonly used in lattes) instead of making my own.

Bourbon Champagne Cocktail

3. Looking for another use for my Ty Ku (as featured here previously), I played around with recipes from other sites and came up with this:

NY Ty Ku

Shake Ty Ku and lemonade with ice, then strain into a flute glass. Add chilled Prosecco and stir gently. This is a light sipping drink.

Cheers to 2011!  ICE

Next: I’m going to take a blog-break for a few weeks to work on my cocktail resolutions. Stay tuned!

 

Nearly 20 years spanned between my first taste of gin and my second. (No, I did not first try it when I was 10 years old, but it’s flattering of you to assume so).  Being that tree sap is not a taste I wanted to acquire – aside from maple syrup – I shunned gin from that first taste forward. Urged to try it again several months ago, I did so grudgingly.

Surprisingly, it was just fine – showing me that I should make room in my liquor cabinet for the right kinds of gin. It wasn’t until a recommendation from bartender Chris Faber at the Naga Bar (note: I hear he has moved to Bellevue’s Lot 3), however, that found one I truly like. Aviation Gin is mellow, doesn’t have a dominating juniper taste and makes a great drink. Trolling through the distiller’s Web site (often good sources for recipes), I found this fantastic cocktail:

Kiwi Envy

Muddle the kiwi in a cocktail shaker, and add the ice, gin, liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake well to chill. Strain into ice-filled Collins glass and add club soda. Stir gently and serve. Note: I chose to serve it “up,” meaning in a chilled cocktail glass without ice (i.e., martini-style), and double-strained it to remove the seeds.

This drink is so good that I made it several nights in a row. St. Germain (a delicate elderflower liqueur) was already one of my favorite liqueurs, and I’m always happy to bring out that gorgeous bottle.  With this new gin and recipe, I have more reasons to do so.  If you are a gin-avoider, Aviation might convert you.

Cheers, ICE