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Archive for the ‘Beverages’ Category
Beloved The Mixologist strikes again – I asked for a “fun” drink last weekend, and this is what he handed me.
Kitchen Sink Martini
Kitchen Sink Martini
serves me, happily
1 part watermelon-flavored vodka
1 part blueberry-flavored vodka
1 part orange-flavored vodka
Splash raspberry liqueur
Splash ginger liqueur
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice; shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with two fresh blueberries and a sliver of red carrot and a sliver of yellow carrot.
Printable version (requires Adobe Reader)
The Spin Cycle this week is about stress. Eeeeewwwwwwww. There was a time in my life I was under so much stress it made me physically ill. Very ill. Extremely ill.
For like two years straight.
But once I removed myself from the stressful situation I was in, the illness went away – practically overnight. Not that things were all hunky dory afterwards – far from it – but the situation was so much better it was unbelievable.
The memory of that very stressful time in my life stays with me; I keep it close, and on purpose. Not so I can feel sorry for myself, or dwell on the past, but because the saying “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it” is very, very true. And because no matter how hairy things may get now (and sometimes things get very hairy indeed), the knowledge that things could be much, much worse is always right there where I can get to it easily.
What, you may ask, does all of this have to do with a Red-Headed Step-Child Martini?
Well…why not? I mean, really – if you’re feeling stressed-out and put upon, what better drink to unwind with than a Red-Headed Step-Child Martini?
Actually, the name is all Oldest Son’s idea. Beloved and I had been perusing the liqueur section of the local liquor store when we came across a bottle of Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur. Ginger liqueur?!?!? Well, we just HAD to try that out. But what would go well with ginger liqueur? We picked up both a bottle of of pineapple-flavored vodka and orange-flavored vodka. Later, as we were doing a little experimenting, I had the following IM conversation with Oldest Son:
Me: I got some ginger liqueur and orange flavored vodka – YUM. Now I need a name for the damn thing…
Oldest Son: Ooo, that sounds good!
Me: It’s quite tasty (I’ve got some pineapple flavored vodka to go with it too…)
Oldest Son: Ginger and orange… the Red-Headed Step-Child maybe?
The kid is brilliant. The only problem is that it wasn’t red – it was clear.
You think that’s going to stop Beloved?
Red-Headed Step-Child Martini
Red-Headed Step-Child Martini
serves Percy Weasley
1/2 part Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1/2 part Rose’s Pomegranate Twist Cocktail Infusion
2 parts orange-flavored vodka
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with some ice; shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a cherry and serve immediately.
Printable version (requires Adobe Reader)
First off, you may have noticed something slightly different on my sidebar.
Yeah. That.
I know, I know – I once said I’d never have ads on this site, but well, I was…um…seduced by the thought of making a buck or two off of this blog, and well…you see. Sure you do.
Seduced, I tell ya!
At any rate, you don’t have to click on anything to make me any money, just let the little ad run and hopefully I’ll get a check for 23 cents every quarter. Seriously, though, FoodBuzz is a great foodie site and I’m thrilled to not only be a part of their community but also to have qualified to be a Featured Publisher (which gets me the nifty banner ad over there).
Anyhoo. Raspberry Cosmopolitans. This recipe comes courtesy of my sister-in-law, Tough Yankee Broad. Her version includes raspberry puree, so if you’re inclined to puree your raspberries, go right ahead – it certainly gives it a very intense raspberry flavor. I use the raspberries as a garnish because after you’ve finished the drink, in which they’ve been happily marinating, you can eat them.
Yum. Yum.
Raspberry Cosmopolitan
serves me
1/2 part raspberry liqueur
1 part raspberry vodka
1 part vodka
2 or 3 raspberries
Combine all ingredients except the raspberries in a cocktail shaker with some ice. Shake well to blend, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Drop in the fresh raspberries.
Enjoy responsibly. And have a lovely weekend, y’all.
Printable version (requires Adobe Reader)
I’ve been slacking in my participation of Random Tuesday Thoughts lately. My bad. My very, very bad. So, c’mon y’all – grab the hammy purple button and play along with Keely.
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Several years ago, Beloved bought me a set of very expensive kitchen knives. Lo, these many years later, they’ve become a bit dull, and I have despaired (but not quite enough to ask for a new set of knives; I’m not stupid, despite popularly held belief in some quarters).
However, recent consultation with The G Man’s daddy (who is a culinary school graduate and kitchen manager for the most profitable Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Ohio) and Jason of Well Done Chef!, I’ve found that with the proper equipment I can sharpen and hone my expensive kitchen knives myself.
Now we’re talkin’.
So, with the addition of a new honing steel (who’d've thunk I’d need a new one seven years later?) and a whetstone purchased at the local hardware store, I’ve been obsessively sharpening and honing my knives.
There are people who know me that are disturbed by that thought.
GOOD.
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There are times I’m deeply disappointed I decided not to blog about religion, politics or our extended families. There’s just so much material there. *sigh*
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What about sex?
No, no – I only discuss that when I think the kids need to be traumatized.
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Poor Scooter has been a tad constipated the last few days. Did you know you can give your dog an enema?
Yeah, I could have gone the rest of MY life without knowing that, too.
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Since I’m short on random this week, I thought I’d give you this:
More of Beloved’s Mixology Magic – we went to the liquor store and I picked out a melon-flavored vodka and some Midori, which is a melon liqueur. This is what he came up with, and it is damn tasty.
(As for the picture, I may be a decent photographer but a lousy bartender – my lemon twist looks more like a lemon slab, but that’s okay. I guess.)
The Melontini
serves me
½ part Midori or melon liqueur
1 part melon-flavored vodka
1 part vodka
1 part Fresca (yes, Fresca)
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a slab twist of lemon.
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving – it was very, very tasty here at the Sushi Bar. Tiring, too – I’ve been cooking non-stop since last Tuesday evening, and Saturday we decorated for Christmas. Friday morning I was up at 4:45 a.m. to take Oldest Son to the airport, and was amazed at the amount of traffic on the roads at that time of the morning (Podunk tends to roll up the sidewalks at 9 p.m). It took me a couple of minutes to realize it was the crazy astute Black Friday shoppers. I don’t really understand it – the only thing that gets me up that early is the necessity of driving one of my offspring to the airport – but you’d have thought it was high noon, there were so many people out and about.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t go shopping Friday, despite my protestations that I wouldn’t – the siren call of the craft store, with it’s bounty of Christmas decorations for my new bookshelves in the making, was too much for me to resist.
You get pictures later. Ahem.
Anyhoo, I tasked Beloved with being bartender Wednesday night while Darling Daughter and I finished our prep-work for The Big Day and made manicotti for dinner. I’d wanted an Oh!-tini, but Beloved nixed that idea when he priced the Pama pomegranate liqueur (he said, quite correctly, that the holidays are already expensive enough as it is, and after my foray into the craft store on Friday I have to agree with him). However, we did have some pomegranate-blueberry juice on hand (Beloved loves pomegranates so we almost always have some sort of juice) so the next thing I knew, he was setting one of these in front of us.
And it was GOOD. He didn’t know what to call it, but the color (and potency) made me dub it “The Purple People Eater” martini.
Make it and have a (responsible) good time.
Purple People Eater Martini
serves me and my adult children
1½ parts pear-flavored vodka (we used Absolute)
½ part amaretto (we used Disoronno)
1 part pomegranate-blueberry juice (we used Tropicana pure)
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with some ice and blend well; strain into chilled martini glasses and serve.