Bellini/Kir Royale

I don't know if this picture is actually of a bellini, but I was having a hell of a time finding a really aesthetically pleasing photo that I could steal easily ;-) Bellinis are made of peach juice and champagne, like the fraternal twin of Buck's Fizz. Unfortunately, Safeway didn't have any kind of decent peach juice (only canned stuff that looked like it was 99% sugar and 1% artificial flavoring) so I thought I would just buy white peaches (they were in season and lovely) and make a peach puree to put with the champagne. Word of warning: peach juice is very different than peach puree, even if you do add sugar. I could barely taste the peach against the champagne and the texture was weird. Usually it's good to go with the freshest method possible when making drinks, but not when you have no idea what the hell you're doing. If you can find peach juice or find out how to make peach juice from peaches, go for it because I've had these at restaurants before and they're really delicious.

The Kir Royale was much better, but I don't really remember how it tasted because it was so long ago. It would be worth ordering though ;-) Just add champagne to a splash of Creme de Cassis.

Enjoy and bottoms up!

Strawberry Margarita

Last post for today! Hopefully I'll have more for you soon though.

The strawberry margarita was my cocktail entertainment just last night so I actually remember it (surprising considering tequila's reputation). I didn't buy enough limes at the Kiva and the grocery store across the street didn't have limes (serious problem), so I had to use mostly lemon juice (not ideal). However, the berries we really delicious and I felt happy and refreshed playing Sorry! with Mahala in my backyard on what felt like the first real day of summer in Oregon. In the future, I might also puree some of the fresh strawberries to put into the mix as well as have some floating slices.

Unfortunately, the effect tequila seems to have on me is not crazy party drunkness, but lame party slumber. After 3 of these babies, I was falling asleep on the couch while watching Arrested Development. Poor Mahala who came over expecting fun! I promise to be a more fun drunk in the future.

The tequila sleeps are not an unknown phenomenon with me: at the end of my 2nd year of college, Lesley and I decided to have Tequila Friday and make margaritas in our place. This turned into a total disaster of terrible tasting drinks and a huge mess in the kitchen. If only I knew then what I know now about making cocktails. We each had one drink, took a nap for an hour or so, then tried to come back and drink more, which still did not get any kind of party started. We'd been hyping it up all week, but nothing popped off.

1 ounce tequila

1/2 ounce triple sec

1/2 ounce strawberry liqueur

juice of 1/2 fresh lemon or lime (go with lime)

1 ounce frozen strawberries (but actually go with fresh if available)

-Salt the rim of a glass, shake ingredients in shaker, and pour with ice into the glass.

Enjoy and bottoms up!

Sangria

Sangria is such a memory drink for me. It was one of the first things I ever drank out: I went with my roommate freshman year to Little Italy for dinner. We had heard that they didn't really card at those restaurants, so we should be fine to order wine, but throughout the meal neither of us could quite get up the courage to ask for fear of being embarrassed. We kept going back and forth, should we or shouldn't we, when finally the waiter comes and gives us each a glass of sangria for free without asking for ID. It worked out, but how chicken were we?

But more than anything, I associate sangria with Sam & Lesley and Mexican restaurants. Sangria is a Spanish drink, but they serve it by the pitcher in quite a few New York Mexican restaurants and nothing goes better with anything than chips and salsa. I just think of walking around Gramercy in the spring of senior year looking for a spot to get sangria after seeing the cinematic masterpiece that is "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Being cut off by the waiter (in chips and salsa that is). Wine hangovers in the morning. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for the city these days and this is the perfect drink to bring it out.

Here's to making more (hazy) memories this summer with sangria by my side:

1 bottle full-bodied red wine

2 ounces brandy

2 ounces simple syrup

sliced fruit

1 cup soda water/ginger ale/lemon-lime

-Stir ingredients in a pitcher with ice cubes and add soda just before serving (so it doesn't go flat).

Enjoy and bottoms up!

Flamingo Cocktail

Hey, so I'm back but with the sad news that my project is definitely not getting done on time (or on budget). I have 64 drinks to get through in 79 days, which means I have to have a new recipe every 1.2 days. My wallet simply cannot handle that unless someone cares to donate any of the following:

Chartreuse liqueur

Pernod

Galliano

Chambord

Benedictine

Cordial Medoc

Fangelico

Black Sambuca

Kümmel

Pimm's No. 1

Midori

It doesn't hurt to put it out there, does it?

Well, now we're back in the boat where I had this drink so long ago that I don't remember much about it. I know that the apricot brandy I bought had the most 70s-looking label I've ever seen (brand = Mr. Boston if you want to google). I think I was drinking it while watching either Skins or Bones (ha!) towards the end of my apartment living experience about 6 weeks ago. I seem to remember not hating it, but not being inspired by it. Take that for what it is.

1 1/4 ounce gin

1/2 ounce apricot brandy

dash of grenadine

juice of 1/2 a fresh lime

-Cocktail shaker it up and pour into cocktail glass. Ta da!

Enjoy and bottoms up!

Bohemian

So my financial woes have seriously derailed the progression of this project, and the damage might be fatal. We'll see as summer approaches how much money I have to put toward my efforts, but I might have to ask for an extension past September.

As to the bohemian, I didn't follow the recipe exactly as it stated because I had just gotten back from the store when I realized I didn't have cranberry juice. How do I not have cranberry juice? Talk about bar essentials. I subbed blueberry pomegranate juice that my roommates had in the fridge.

Overall, the drink was fruity and nice, but I think the tartness of the cranberry would've been a good addition.

2 ounces vodka

1 ounce pineapple juice

1/2 ounce passion fruit juice

1/2 ounce cranberry juice

Mix with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Enjoy and bottoms up!

Mudslide

Grown up chocolate milk. Amazing. Do it up.

3/4 ounce vodka

3/4 ounce Kahlúa

3/4 ounce Irish cream liqueur

-Shake ingredients with cracked ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Enjoy and bottoms up!

Orgasm and Gin & Tonic

The name of this first drink is deeply misleading: so not in any way comparable to an orgasm. Peppermint schnapps and Bailey's? Should be great, but it's just alright. Not even "good." What's more disappointing than being promised an orgasm and getting meh.

1/2 ounce Irish cream liqueur

1/2 ounce peppermint schnapps

-Serve in a shot glass.

I had a gin & tonic before at a bar, and I was really unimpressed, but those were the days before I liked gin at all. This time, it was better, but there was still a weird aftertaste that I didn't really care for. I sliced a strawberry to put in it, which made it better. Actually, the best part of the whole deal was eating the gin & tonic soaked berries at the end. Beautiful.

2 ounces gin

tonic water

-Add gin to iced highball glass and fill with tonic water. Garnish with lime.

Enjoy and bottoms up!