FRIDAY COCKTAIL - BLOODY MARGARET!

Sorry I have been missing in action for two weeks...lots of visitors and fun in the sun...

In honor of my sister Margaret's (Peggy) upcoming birthday I am posting a crazy twist on the standard Bloody Mary.

Ingredients:

1 oz clear tequila
1/2 oz gin
8 oz chilled tomato juice
1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Tabasco
salt
pepper
celery, lemon and/or lime for garnish

Fill a tall chilled glass with ice.  Add the tequila, gin, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper and add more Worcestershire or Tabasco to taste and garnish.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGARET!
ENJOY!

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - FRENCH 75!

Many believe this drink was created by American WW1 soldiers looking for a taste similar to a Tom Collins.  They had gin and lemns, but no soda, so they used what they had:  Champagne!  The resulting cocktail was named after the French-made 75mm guns used in the war.

Ingredients:

1 oz gin
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup*
4 oz chilled brut Champagne

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Add gin, lemon juice and simple syrup and shake well.  Strain into a champagne flute and stir in champagne.  You can add a cherry for garnish.

* Simple syrup is easy to make: in a sauce pan combine 8 ounces of water with a cup of sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Let cool and transfer into a tightly covered glass jar and refrigerate for up to a month.

BUBBLY BUBBLY BUBBLY!
ENJOY!

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - TWIN SIX GIN COCKTAIL!

The Twin Six Cocktail was invented in the late 1920's and was then very popular. Most bartenders now would not know it. I blog this today in honor of the twin girls being born to our family today and as a toast to my dear Uncle Louie who loved loved loved his GIN!

3 oz gin

1 oz dry vermouth

1/2 oz orange juice

1 egg white

dash of grenadine

cherry for garnish

In a shaker with ice, combine all ingredients except the cherry. Gently shake it for about 10-15 seconds and strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a cherry. Yummy

Happy Birthday Twins!

ENJOY!

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - TEXAS FIZZ!

This one is for all my Texas Ranger Fans!!!!! It has Champagne for goodness sake so it's also for all my drinking fans!!!

1 shot gin

1 shot orange juice

1/4 shot grenadine

Champagne

In a shaker with ice, combine gin, orange juice and grenadine..shake and strain into a tall glass....FILL with champagne!!!

GO RANGERS!

ENJOY!

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - WIMBLEDON'S PIMMS NO. 1!

The Kentucky Derby has the Mint Julep, the Preakness has the Black Eyed Susan....and Wimbledon has the Pimm's No. 1 Cocktail. It's origins date back to 1832 when London oyster bar owner James Pimm started offering a gin-based beverage with quinine and secret spices dubbed a digestive aid, served in small tankards known as "No. 1 Cups".

It instantly became popular all over the UK and the first Pimm bar opened at Wimbledon in 1971. Today over 80,000 pints of Pimm's No. 1 Cocktails are sold at Wimbledon every year.

2 oz Pimm's No. 1 gin

4 oz English lemonade or lemon lime soda

Garnish: mint sprig, cucumber slice, strawberry and apple slice

LOVE 15, 30 40, DEUCE!

ENJOY!

EASTER FRIDAY COCKTAIL - CUCUMBER MINT GIMLET

Great signature cocktail for your Easter crowd. You could substitute vodka for the gin, but then it isn't quite a true gimlet. These green-checked napkins are a perfect match to the color of this cocktail.

Ingredients:
4-1/2 cups Cucumber Gin (see below)
2-1/4 cups fresh lime juice
1 cup plus 2 tbl Mint simple syrup (see below)
Cucumber peels
Mint sprigs

Cucumber Gin: Steep 2-1/2 cups peeled cucumber in 4-1/2 cups gin. Cover and chill 8 hours to 4 days. Strain out cucumber and store in the refrigerator until you Drink It Up.

Mint Simple Syrup: Mix 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water and heat until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 cup mint leaves and remove from heat. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes to an hour. Strain and discard mint leaves. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

To prepare cocktails: In a 2 quart pitcher combine gin, lime juice and syrup. Refrigerate for about an hour. Fill cocktail shaker with ice and cocktail mixture. Shake and pour into ice filled cocktail glasses. Serve with a cucumber peel and mint sprig. So refreshing!

HAPPY EASTER!
ENJOY!

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - SEATTLE'S THE LAST WORD

In honor of the upcoming ROAD TRIP to Seattle by Rachel and friends, here is what historians call the "definitive" Seattle cocktail. Discussed and dissected, this cocktail has crossed the country, the Atlantic and is very popular in Australia. A prohibition era drink, if it were red wine it would be a full bodied red.

Few Seattle establishments make this once-forgotten cocktail perfectly. So Rachel go to Liberty, Vessel or Spur Gastropub for the best.

1/2 oz gin

1/2 oz lime juice

1/2 oz green Chartreuse

1/2 oz Maraschino liqueur

Shake all in a cocktail shake with ice, serve in a martini glass.

GO MARINERS!

ENJOY

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - THE LELAND PALMER

YES my Mom and sister stopped at the liquor store and bought all these ingredients so we can enjoy one or two on the deck today!!!!


Inspiration for new cocktails comes from unexpected places! Take this Leland Palmer by Damon Boelte, bar manager at Prime Meats in Brooklyn.


He says, "I was in LA visiting and in the morning enjoying my favorite hangover drink, the Arnold Palmer, while watching an episode of Twin Peaks (loved that show) where Leland Palmer almost whacks Agent Cooper with a golf club. Sometimes things just make sense...it's definitely better than a golf club to the head."



Ingredients:



1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup hot water

3 cups freshly brewed tea, cooled

3/4 cup gin (I use vodka)

3/4 cup Limoncello (I use a gallon)

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice

1 cup cold club soda

ice

lemon slices for garnish



Stir honey and hot water in a bowl until honey dissolves. Cool completely. Combine honey mix, tea, gin or vodka, limoncello, lemon juice and grapefruit juice in a pitcher. Add club soda and stir.



Fill six tall glasses or mason jars with ice. Divide and add lemon slices to each cocktail.



Happy Friday!

ENJOY!

BELATED FRIDAY COCKTAIL - RASPBERRY FRENCH 75

YES it's catch up time for me...took a little hiatus to spend time with my kids and lots and lots of family and friends.

We all had a great time and I am now looking forward to a fun visit with more family.

As promised I am going to post a few recipes tonight to catch up. A big fireworks show too tonight so I have to hurry....

The Raspberry French 75 cocktail comes from the book titled "Market-Fresh Mixology". Great book incorporating luscious tasting drinks with a lot of fresh ingredients. This makes just a single cocktail so of course start multiplying this recipe!!!

Ingredients:

5 fresh sage leaves
5 fresh raspberries
1-1/2 ounces gin or vodka
fresh sour mix (see below)
sparkling wine

Muddle 4 of the sage leaves and 4 of the raspberries and sour mix in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker. Add gin or vodka and shake well. Add some sparking wine. Gently shake the cocktail and strain into a champagne flute. Garnish with the remaining sage leaf and raspberry.

Sour Mix: first make a simple syrup (heat 1 part water and 1 part sugar until the water boils and the sugar dissolves). Let cool. Combine 1 cup of the simple syrup with the juice of 8 lemons. Stir well. If you don't want to go through this step, you can buy sour mix at most groceries and liquor stores. You can refrigerate the remaining sour mix.

Wonderful flavor
ENJOY!