my pink toes » Cocktails

Caipirinhas

lsmith — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:00:51 +0000

Turns out I was able to finish that book after all.
How was I able to finish it? My mother-in-law had Peter and I had Henry watch a movie after school so I could completely ignore him and all my other responsibilities and read. Also, it was a really easy read: straight-forward narrative (the daughter and mother supposedly traded off chapters, yet it made NO difference to the story), simple plot, wooden characters…sigh. Since I like to think of myself as a ~~literary snob~~ lover of good literature, I was disappointed (I did bring the book after all – so the blame is all mine).
I still brought the cocktails, but watered them down a bit since I didn’t need everyone to feel quite so generous. Even though the book was less-than-stellar, the discussion was spirited enough.
We had my family over on Sunday night where I served these tasty drinks yet again. And this wouldn’t be my blog if I didn’t go ahead and share the recipe with you.
These cocktails are considered Brazil’s national drink (my Brazilian friends assure me I have correct info on this). Like the Cuban Mojito, Caipirinhas have been gaining popularity over the last couple years, especially after they became all the rage in Germany, of all places.
The mojito has citrus, rum and mint going for it – the caipirinha shows off a combo of crunchy turbinado sugar, tart lime chunks and caçhaca. Caçhaca is made from pure sugar cane juice (rum is made from molasses – a byproduct). Some people think it’s lighter and smoother than rum, but I think it has a tiny bit of whisky/bourbon taste to it. I don’t care for whisky myself, but I like the bit of sweetness the caçhaca adds to the drink.
They are bright, tart, and a bit sweet – perfect for summer (if it ever shows up here in Seattle). Cheers!

Caipirinhas

1/2 of a generous lime, scrubbed and then quartered
1 T. + 1t.Turbinado sugar (like Sugar in the Raw)
2 ounces Caçhaca
cracked ice
(optional club soda)
Put the lime quarters in the bottom of a mixing glass, add 1T. sugar, and then muddle well, extracting all the juice from the limes, and some of the oils from their rinds. (I have a cool muddler that Shona gave me for my birthday last year, but you can use the handle end of a wooden spoon in a pinch).
Add about 1 cup of cracked ice, and shake well to mix. Pour (WITHOUT straining) directly into a glass (traditionally a rocks glass, but who cares?) – ice, limes and all.
Sprinkle remaining 1 t sugar over the top (this makes a nice little crunch).
Some gringos (Giseli – what’s the equivalent word for this in Portuguese?) top off the cocktail with an ounce or two of club soda – that’s up to you, and whether or not you read the book you’re supposed to discuss.

Vodka Pie Crust?

lsmith — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 21:53:40 +0000

Surely it was made with me in mind! So today I point you to one of my all-time favorite blogs: Smitten Kitchen. Her latest entry is Pie Crust 101 with her new favorite: Vodka Pie Crust. I can’t wait to try it.

Meanderings and a Cranberry Margarita

lsmith — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:30:04 +0000

So I spent the day doing my Chinese homework. The homework that I just stared at as very very little sunk in. Sigh. Later, I got to hang out with Shona and Jen and the rest of my bookclub as we discussed The Thirteenth Tale. Well, to say we discussed the book is perhaps a bit generous. We actually discussed a great variety of things, some of which were actually inspired by the book.
I came home and realized I had just a few minutes to record my Chinese dialogue and email it to my professor. I had to keep stopping, rewinding and re-recording because my cat was sitting on the back of my chair coughing up a lung. My Chinese pronunciation is so bad, I can only imagine what my professor would think of it when augmented by scary hacking noises.
So instead of writing something interesting, or delving into some of the stories I want to tell, I’ll give you another cocktail recipe. A “thanks” if you will, for suffering through this NaBloPoMo and reading all the junk mixed in with the moderately-good stuff. (A friend at bookgroup said “You actually EDIT some of your blog posts? You spend time drafting them?!” Um, apparently not enough time…)
Ooh – and that reminds me: Monica of my bookgroup is doing the REAL NaNoWriMo! Go Monica, go! She is right on target and sounds like she’s having a great time with a topic that she’s been researching (!) and planning (!) for. You probably wish I’d spend a bit of time researching and planning. Sorry – not tonight.
In celebration of the season, here is my friend Heidi’s Cranberry Margarita recipe. It is just not Thanksgiving with her family without it. And by the way, I’m having Thanksgiving at my house and am looking for a good autumny cocktail I can serve in a fix-and-forget-pitcher fashion. Any ideas?

Cranberry Margarita

1 + ¼ c. cranberry juice, divided
½ c. + 3 T. sugar, divided
1 ½ c. fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
¾ c. lime juice
¾ c. tequila
½ c. orange flavored liqueur (Cointreau, triple sec, or Grand Marnier)
3 c. coarsely crushed ice
Pour 1/4 c. cranberry juice in a shallow bowl. Put 3T. sugar on a flat plate. Dip glasses in juice, then sugar to coat the rims.
Blend everything else (in 2 batches).

Singapore Sling

lsmith — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:30:14 +0000

So, tonight was the second-of-three birthday celebrations for my husband – and this one involved serving 13 people dinner at my house. I wanted to tell you all about the funny story of being totally dissed at a local bar, but that will have to wait. I spent an hour cleaning up from hosting the party, then another 45 minutes doing relaxing yoga breathing exercises and guided imagery with my anxiety-ridden older child, followed by 20 minutes of rocking and soothing my cake-jacked younger child (after him toggling between crying and laughing for 2 hours). It’s 11:33 pm and I’m exhausted.
Oh yeah, and I’m also tipsy. I’m about to down another one of these lovely cocktails, but I’ll post the recipe while I can still see (mostly) straight. I have a new fascination with “vintage/classic” cocktails (which, interestingly enough, led to my choice of the bar where we were royally and fantastically disdained) and the Singapore Sling is my latest foray into this ancient mixology. Holy cow they are good. So good, in fact, that I want to hurry and post this so I can down another one and then crawl into bed.
Special props to my friend Shona for giving me this amazing book for Christmas last year. It is quite simply the best book on cocktails ever. It is much more than recipes – it is history, chemistry, allure and a splash of ego. It’s a great read and a fabulous resource. And, the recipes ARE amazing.

Singapore Sling

original recipe created in 1915 by Ngiam Tang Boon for the Raffles Hotel in Singapore
this version is from Dale Degroff’s The Craft of the Cocktail
Use the “cups” to make a pitcher-ful, or the “ounces” to make a single drink. You know you want to make the pitcher!
1 1/2 oz/cups gin*
1/2 oz/cup Peter Heering Cheery Heering**
1/4 oz/cup Cointreau
1/4 oz/cup Benedictine***
2 -3 oz/cups pineapple juice
dash (or 6-8 dashes) Angostura bitters****
2 dashes (or 2 T.) grenadine
1/2 oz/cup fresly squeezed lime juice
club soda (optional)
marachino cherries and/or pinapple wedges, for garnish

Combine all ingredients except club soda and garnish in a large pitcher. Serve in highball glasses over crushed ice. Top off each glass with club soda, if desired. Garnish as you feel inspired.
* the best gin in the world is Tanqueray (classic, NOT 10). Well, in my opinion, I mean
**in Washington, the state has a monopoly on liquor, so this is impossible to get without special-ordering a case. I made mine with cheap-o DeKuyper cherry brandy and it was still fabulous. If you can get the real thing, by all means do so! (and let me know how it is!)
*** this is also really really good in eggnog
****available in the grocery store, right next to grenadine. it’s a classic ingredient for classic cocktails

(Un)Fuzzy Navel Punch

lsmith — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 23:45:54 +0000

I just returned from a lovely dinner and first-of-three birthday celebrations for my husband. I want to share some recipes with you, but I need to take some pictures. I am a horrible photographer – but still, I like to try. I’m soo tired, and I’ve already used my extra entry that I had in the can, but I’m committed to this NaBloPoMo thing. So I’ll leave you with a great recipe for this upcoming holiday season. It’s a punch I made up myself (because I’m so fancy like that), and it always gets rave reviews. Enjoy!

(Un) Fuzzy Navel Punch

1 large can (29 oz.) sliced peaches in heavy syrup, undrained
1 can frozen OJ concentrate
1, 2-liter bottle Sprite or 7-UP
vanilla ice cream and/or orange sherbet
Puree peaches, syrup, and OJ concentrate in blender; pour in bottom of punch bowl. Add about 8 scoops of ice cream (I like 4 scoops each of vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet). Then pour the Sprite over all.
Garnish with slices of orange, if desired.
To make this punch “fuzzy

PredicaMINT

lsmith — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:48:40 +0000

mint blueberry cantaloupe

I have mint growing rampant in my backyard – it seems a shame to waste it. You KNOW I’d love to polish it off by making (and downing) a few pitchers of mojitos*, but I’m being a good little girl and laying off the calorie-laden cocktails. (A sacrifice that’s good for the budget and the scales.)

It’s also a great time for fresh fruit. I think I’ve spent 50% of our budget the last 2 weeks on fresh fruit. Cherries, watermelon, strawberries, raspberries by the flat, blueberries by the bucket… Another month and I’ll be swimming in fresh blackberries – I can’t wait!

So Monday night, I came up with a great, simple “salad”:

Canteloupe-Blueberry Mint Salad

Using a melon baller, make large balls out of one cantaloupe. (And yes, those new Tuscan-style extra sweets are worth the extra price – they are like butter and taste so good. They cost a bit more, but you’re guaranteed to get a good one – pay a little extra and save yourself the Russian roulette). If you’re not feeling all artistic, go ahead and and cut up the cantaloupe into chunks. But here’s a bet: I’ll wager it will take you less time to be artistic and melon ball-y than it will to actually chop and peel the melon. Honest.

Rinse and shake dry a pint of fresh blueberries.

Pick and rinse about 15 leaves of the ubiquitous mint. Pat them dry and chiffonade them (stack the leaves, roll them up, and slice thinly – easy and beautiful).

Toss all together in a glass bowl. Serve with fresh whipped cream alongside for generous dollop-ing.

The large balls of melon make a nice visual contrast to the small blueberries. The mint adds another burst of freshness, and the whipped cream makes it perfect. (It’s also good without the cream.)

Mmm. I wish I had a macro lens (and some camera skills) to show you how beautiful this is. Above is the best I could do.

* I couldn’t resist passing on my favorite mojito recipe. Just because I’M abstaining doesnt’ mean YOU have to!

Mojito

when life give you invasive mint problems (like in my backyard), make mojitos!
1 t. superfine sugar
4 mint leaves
juice of one lime (2 oz)
2 oz rum
2 oz club soda (or more)
1 sprig mint, for garnish

In a tall glass, muddle the sugar and mint leaves until mint is bruised heavily and you can smell it . Add the lime juice and stir or muddle until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rum and club soda and stir. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Behold the Jitterbug

lsmith — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 10:40:28 +0000

Behold the Jitterbug

I made Jen Zug’s signature cocktail last night: the Jitterbug. So, so good! I had to take a picture of the lovely frothy crema-y goodness.
I’ll also add this photo to my recipe page. Cheers!

House of BBQ and Margaritas

lsmith — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 23:08:03 +0000

The Zugs of the famous House of BBQ had our whole family over for dinner last night. Jenny and her family were there too, along with a host of other lovely folks. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
The House of BBQ moniker is well-deserved! We feasted on JItterbugs, margaritas, salmon, chicken, grilled veggies, margaritas, great salads, s’mores and margaritas. Holy cow, the margaritas! We rubbed shoulders and had conversations with all kinds of lovely folk. The kids ran free (and played the Wii) and it was so warm and welcoming. It was a wonderful, relaxed time. (Unfortunately, I forgot my camera…I remembered the extra batteries for it, but not the actual camera…sigh. I really NEEDED a photo of Jenny’s awesome sunglasses!)
I’ve been thinking about the evening a lot and about what made it great: The Zugs are welcoming, relaxed hosts. Their house was lived-in, and everyone pitched in to get the work done. I tend to be less relaxed as a host and feel that I have to have everything planned ahead of time. Jen’s rhythm was much more natural and as a result, I easily fell into it, became a part of it. I don’t think about my preparation making things less comfortable for folks, but it really can. At the Zugs, I felt like family. I reveled in the community they have helped create.
Did I mention the margaritas? Here’s the impromptu recipe we concocted in Jen’s slightly small (Amen!) but fabulously cozy kitchen:

Easy Margarita Pitchers

1 can limeade concentrate
2 cans water
1 can tequila
1/2 can triple sec
lots of ice
Stir in a big pitcher, add the ice, and try not to drink too many. For best results, drink in the Zug kitchen while bumping shoulders, having 5 conversations at once, laughing at the children, and experiencing the wonder of human relationships.

This makes for a bit of a strong libation…you could cut down the hooch or up the water if you wanted to.

Strawberry Margaritas

lsmith — Wed, 16 May 2007 21:23:42 +0000

This is the first recipe I ever bought hard liquor for. And it still seems to be the first one I make when the sun (finally) rolls around. It’s easy to make and so refreshing. My photo does not do it justice, and my photoshop skillz are not developed enough to make it better. Just imagine the bright pink, icy, tequila-y goodness. Mmmm.

Frozen Strawberry Margaritas

The original recipe called for an old-fashioned 10 oz. can of frozen sliced and sweetened strawberries – they were retro-fun with tin bottoms and cardboard sides (which also made them a bit messy). Now all the grocery stores in my area have switched to 16 oz. Cool Whip-style tubs. I printed the proper proportions of each below, so you can adapt to whichever quantity is available in your area – the first number is for 10oz of strawberries, the second is for 16oz.. You can also make it with plain old frozen strawberries – just add some sugar and water to taste and texture.
10 oz.(16 oz.) package sliced, sweetened, frozen strawberries (slightly thawed – a day in the fridge or 90 seconds in the microwave should do the trick)
1/3 (1/2) cup limeade concentrate (frozen)
1/2 (3/4) cup tequila (or water)
1/6 (1/4) cup triple sec (or orange juice)
Whril in the blender for about 30 seconds. Add ice to the 28 oz (36 oz) mark on the blender. Pulse and blend until smooth. Serves 3-4, in theory.

** funny note: I’ve always written the tequila as 1/3 + 1/6 cup. I finally figured out that 1/3 + 1/6 = 1/2. Duh. I actually had to figure it out 3 ways before I believed it.

Strawberry Martini, redux

lsmith — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 21:53:52 +0000

I bought strawberries again (I can’t resist the early promise of spring) and of course reserved some for a fabulous martini. Eventually I’ll add this photo to the recipe posting, but for now, here it is.

I am experimenting with Flickr, and with the taking , editing, and posting of photos. (Thanks to Jen for HTML help about getting text to wrap around an image).
Sadly, it was difficult to find a place in my house un-cluttered enough to take this photo. And, for whatever reason, I failed to smooth the tablecloth first. Sigh. Too bad my photo editing program doesn’t have an “ironing” tool.

By the way, I love rimming glasses with the kind of coarse, colored sugar shown in this picture. For Christmas Eve, I made Chocolate Peppermintinis and rimmed them with red, green and white sugar, and hung a mini candy cane off of each. Yum!