my pink toes

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

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.

Filed Under "Cocktails" on June 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

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.

Filed Under "Cocktails, In the Kitchen, Let's Go Surfin' Now...(www)" on November 17, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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?

Filed Under "Books, Cocktails" on November 16, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

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

Filed Under "Cocktails" on November 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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!

Cheers!

Filed Under "Cocktails" on November 10, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

mint blueberry cantaloupe

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”:

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!

Behold the Jitterbug

Filed Under "Cocktails" on June 07, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

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

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.

Filed Under "Cocktails, Relationships" on June 04, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

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

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.

Filed Under "Cocktails" on May 16, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

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!

Filed Under "Cocktails, Meta" on March 02, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I signed up to bring strawberries to my son's Valentine's party today. Is it sad that I immediately reserved 3 of them with the thought of making this cocktail tonight? Mmmm. I'm drinking it now. So good. And so pink! And, the perfect balm to soothe away the hectic memories of a Kindergarten Valentine's party....
Happy Valentine's Day, one and all!

Strawberry Martini
inspired by my favorite Cheesecake Factory martini

Muddle strawberries with the sugar until mushy and a bit liquid (It's better if the strawberries are just mushy and not pulverized. You want your drink to be slightly pink-tinged, not full of pulp). Add the vodka; let it infuse for a few minutes (better yet, let it infuse in the refrigerator all day). Transfer to a cocktail shaker with ice. Add triple sec if desired (I like mine without). Shake, strain, and serve.

Cheesecake Factory Strawberry Martini

Filed Under "Cocktails" on February 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Behold the Jitterbug

Jitterbug Martini

*Jen makes hers with double-strength coffee and it tastes just as good, if not better!
Cheers!

Filed Under "Cocktails" on January 18, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

We've been snowbound here the last 6 days. My little one is wild and I realized the only place he had been in 5 days was to the liquor store with me. Does this make me a bad mama?

Filed Under "Cocktails, Motherhood and Apple Pie" on January 16, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

My girlfriend Shona surprised me with a great gift yesterday - a bottle of Starbucks Coffee Liqueur. Wow - it has to be my favorite, next to Godiva chocolate. I put off trying it - thinking it would just be a fancy, over-priced Kahlua. In my opinion, it's far above. It tastes like a sweet and biting bit of alcohol and espresso. (A good combo in my book).

We promptly came up with this concoction, the Mocha Martini. Be careful - these go down verrrry easily!

Mocha Martini

Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, strain, and serve.

Cheers!

Filed Under "Cocktails" on January 15, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This is entirely my own creation. It started with my love of pomegranate and a batch of Grand Marnier I had accidentally mixed with vodka instead of tequila (I was making a big batch of Pomeritas). I love the way raspberry adds depth and a bit of sweetness to pomegranate and decided Chambord was the perfect ingredient to round out the flavors. I've already had two of these today. I can't wait to share them with my girlfriends.

Pomtini (Pomegranate Martini)

Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, until the shaker is almost too cold to touch. Strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass and serve.

Cheers!

Filed Under "Cocktails" on January 07, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There is a fabulous restaurant here called Pomegranate Bistro. My friend Shona and I love to go there, and this is our favorite drink. The bartender was kind enough to give us the recipe, but it called for a couple things that were only available to people in the food industry (frozen purees that would cost $100 to ship!). So Shona and I spent an afternoon trying different combinations. We sacrificed for you - downing about four or five of these to make sure they tasted just right - heh heh. The raspberry puree takes a bit of time, but after you try this drink, you'll know how worth it it is!

Pomerita (Pomegranate Margarita)

Combine in cocktail shaker. Strain into margarita or highball glass filled with ice.
*To make raspberry puree, combine 12 oz frozen raspberries and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring frequently, to a slow plop-plop boil. Boil for 2 minutes, until sugar is fully dissolved and raspberries are mushy. Transfer to blender to puree (be careful to vent it). Drain through a fine sieve to remove most of the seeds. You can make this ahead and then freeze it in 2 oz cubes.

Cheers!

Filed Under "Cocktails" on January 06, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

II love a good cocktail. Especially if it’s pink, of course! I love to serve cocktails for my friends – especially my bible study ladies. We have downed many a lovely libation. I have found I really enjoy finding great combinations – learning what makes the different layers of flavor in any particular drink.

This Christmas I made cocktail recipe books for my girlfriends. I spent six months gathering and testing my favorite recipes, then I formatted, copied and bound them. I packaged them up with a cocktail shaker and a fun selection of minis from the liquor store. I was so excited to give them away! Further evidence of my cocktail love was that two different friends gave me cocktail recipe books this year – before they received my homemade ones!

I am constantly searching the web for recipes, so I thought I’d start to add my favorites in different journal entries.

(If you'd like a Word Doc of the recipes, I'd be happy to send it. Just email me.)

Cheers!

Filed Under "Cocktails, Meta" on January 05, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)