Ice + Clink + Drink

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!

 

It’s just the simple things sometimes, isn’t it? After my year of more complex cocktail making, my friend Mags reminded me of such a simple yet elegant drink at a recent ornament exchange. She filled our flutes with Prosecco and dropped a few pomegranate arils in. Voilà.

Riding the bubbles

Prosecco, from Italy, is a sparkling wine like champagne. It’s often cheaper, and even tastier, than champagne. Pomegranate arils are the juicy part surrounding the seed. You can liberate the arils from the pomegranate, or be lazy and buy them loose at Trader Joe’s and now other grocery stores (look among the refrigerated cut fruit).

I love Prosecco anyway, but the pomegranate arils jazz it up for a party. And I was strangely happy watching those seeds rise and fall in the bubbles like a lava lamp. I’m more conscience of such moments since reading another friend’s new blog called Just the Simple Things. Check it out.

I hope you find many simple pleasures – cocktail and otherwise – this season.

Cheers, ICE

PS: My next post will focus on a not-pleasurable event – hangovers. Got a preventative or remedy? Send it to me via the “Submit Your Recipe” link in my sidebar.

 

There’s a reason most New Year’s resolutions focus on eating better and drinking less, and it’s called Holiday Hangover. We are thick into the season of treats, heavy buffet tables and boozin’. So if you want a cocktail that is a bit lighter in calories and alcohol, it’s right here for you. And, being green, it’s perfect for those Christmas parties.

Single Ladies (not mine, I didn’t name it)

Shake all of the above with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve.

I originally discovered this drink and the Ty Ku liqueur after a friend asked me to suggest a green cocktail for a fraternity alumni banquet last month. The drink was such a hit there was a rush to the bar and they ran out early! The Ty Ku has a light, slightly melon flavor and comes in a groovy illuminating bottle. Being less sticky-sweet, I have found it preferable to Midori in other drinks.  

I suggested to another friend planning a holiday party that she serve red and green drinks – this one and my Bloody Sunday punch (although perhaps it should be renamed for this occasion), and she got great reviews for both.  Serving a fabulous cocktail is expected; having it match the decorations is a bonus.

Cheers, ICE

 

This Saturday is the annual Apple Cup, Washington’s intra-state football showdown: WSU Cougars vs. UW Huskies. In our case, it is an intra-house battle, as I’m a Coug and hubby is a Dawg.  Mostly this is a skirmish to determine which of us gets to dress our kids for the day.

In addition to beer, a big game needs a cocktail, right? Lo and behold, I discovered this drink already called the Washington Apple. Perfect! And so easy even a Husky can make one.

Washington Apple

You can combine the liquids and shake with ice, or simply build in an ice-filled glass and stir well.

The lovely, red Washington Apple

Now, the trouble I have with recipes using cranberry juice is that they are usually not very specific. 100% cranberry juice or the actual fruit are not always available, while juice combinations (with added juices, sugar or even the dreaded high fructose corn syrup) are ubiquitous. But I draw most of my recipes from books and sites that preach the gospel of market-fresh ingredients – are they really using regular ol’ Ocean Spray? These are the questions that vex me.

In this case, I used 100% cranberry juice – which is soooo tart – and therefore compensated with the added simple syrup. If you prefer, make yours with a cranberry juice beverage, omit the syrup and fuggedaboutit.

I will say that with the pure cranberry juice, this drink was a lovely deep red…crimson, really (Go Cougs!).

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Oh, fine. Here’s a purple one, too. I fashioned this one for the UW Alpha Delta Phi Centennial banquet because my friend and organizer wanted a purple cocktail. After I got over the swearing and shaky hands, I came up with this:

Woof

Combine in a shaker filled with ice, and shake until well chilled. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Oh, sorry. Was that too fast for you? Here it is again:

Woof

Combine in a shaker filled with ice, and shake until well chilled. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Cheers, ICE