Category Archives: Drinks

Cocktails for a Crowd

July 16, 2014

If you know me personally, or if you’ve been reading my blog for a bit, you’ll know that I love cocktails. I mean, I DIY-ed a bar cart, so I don’t think I need to tell you about my commitment to liquor.

I love fancy drinks, and think that homemade cocktails are an awesome way to show someone that you care about them. My one gripe about the homemade cocktail situation is that it tends to be a little time consuming. You spend a solid 5 minutes juicing and mixing and pouring, and then somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes later, you’ve got to do it all over again because you and your pal have already downed your drinks and you’re ready for another.

However, when KC and I were traveling through Europe, we went to a little pub in Edinburgh which presented me with a solution to this very problem:

Hello, pot-tail.

Yep, that’s a teapot with cocktails in it. Cocktails — plural. So, assuming that you and whoever you’re with are enjoying the same beverage, you can throw more than one drink together into a teapot and have it ready to pour whenever.

Genius right? Totally.

I scored a new silver teapot at an estate sale over the weekend, so I made a pot-tail for KC and I the other night, doubling this recipe to make 4 cocktails at once. (Sometimes Monday nights call for that sort of thing.)

Now, this whole pot-tail business won’t work for drinks that have to be shaken (not stirred. ← had to.) So, sadly, you’re on your own if your friend or significant other wants a pisco sour. But if you’re putting together a drink that’s normally shaken and strained, or served over ice, just throw the ingredients into a teapot along with some ice, stir it all together and you’re in business.

Bonus points if you’ve got some adorable teacups to serve your beverage in. (I didn’t. But another estate sale or two and maybe I will.)

Cocktails / Date Night at Home / Drinks / Holidays

Valentine's Ideas: Cocktails

February 11, 2014

What better way to start off Valentine’s than with a delicious cocktail? There’s something so fancy and special about a cocktail, I think. While I love me some bubbly any night of the week (and especially on Valentine’s Day), I always feel like kicking things off with a handmade drink is just something that’s a little extra-special.

So put on some music, dim the lights, and whip up one of these (I’d prefer the Monk’s Garden — I mean, a pink cocktail for Valentine’s? Does it get anymore perfect?)

Instant love.

Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Monk’s Garden
Pisco Sour
Mixed Citrus Margaritas
Skinny Mojitos
The Cuke
Blended Strawberry Lemonade Margaritas
Vodka Lemon Sparkler

Cocktails / Dairy-Free / Date Night at Home / Drinks / Favorite Things / Gluten-Free / Happy Hour / Vegan / Vegetarian

Monk's Garden Copycat Cocktail

January 29, 2014

I have a ridiculously delicious, pink (!) cocktail for you today. And don’t worry, this isn’t one of those grossly sweet, girly pink cocktails — it’s a well-balanced, citrusy-bitter type of cocktail.

I mean, KC was even singing the praises of this cocktail, so don’t rule it out just because you’re manly.

This cocktail came A. from my quest to use a pomelo which had shown up in our most recent CSA box, and B. from my desire to recreate the cocktail I’m obsessed with at one of my favorite eateries — Boot and Shoe Service. The cocktail is called the Monk’s Garden (I have no idea why), and it’s bright, refreshing, a tad bitter, and, of course, pink (hello). The traditional cocktail uses grapefruit and yellow chartreuse, but I didn’t have either of those (and yellow chartreuse is sort of absurdly expensive), so this copycat was born.

And y’know what? It tasted spot-on to me. Dead ringer for one of my favorite $10 beverages.

So next time you’re having a date night at home, or a fancy girls-night-in, whip up a couple of these (maybe even top it off with champagne..? OMG WHAT.)

Monk’s Garden Copycat Cocktail

makes 2 cocktails (feel free to cut in half to make just one — but why would you want to?)

Equipment:

Cocktail Shaker
1 oz and 1.5 oz measure (the measurements of most standard jiggers)
Chilled cocktail glasses (coupe or cocktail glasses preferred, but whatever works)

Recipe:

3 oz gin*
1.5 oz St. Germaine
3 oz fresh-squeezed pomelo** or grapefruit juice
1.5 – 2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice (depending on how tart/bitter you want your cocktail)
scant 1/2 oz simple syrup*** (optional — you won’t need this if your grapefruit is really ripe)
7 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
ice

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 60 seconds.
Strain into two chilled cocktail glasses and enjoy!

Notes:

*Gin: I used Hendricks Gin in these. I wouldn’t recommend Tanqueray for this cocktail (too piney for these, I think).

**If you use pomelo rather than grapefruit, you may need to add a little more simple syrup to balance out the bitterness.

***For the simple syrup, I prefer to start without it and then add a little if I feel like it needs it (remember: you can always add, but you can’t subtract!)

Cocktails / Dairy-Free / Drinks / Gluten-Free / Happy Hour / Vegetarian

Cocktail Post: Pisco Sour

January 7, 2014

Pisco sours are my current go-to, favorite cocktail. I had one at Camino a couple years ago and have been hooked ever since.

Pisco sours are one of those drinks that seems pretty fancy to serve at home, but it’s actually really easy to make. Also, it has a raw egg white in it so, A. it’s healthy (right? Egg white = protein, so it’s basically a health food.) B. please make sure to use quality eggs (none of those 4 dozen for $1, ok?) and C. if you’re serving this to guests, make sure they’re cool with the raw factor.

Here’s what you’ll need, equipment-wise:

cocktail shaker
1oz and 1.5oz measure (measurements of most standard jiggers)
chilled cocktail glass(es) (mine are similar to these from Crate and Barrel)

Pisco Sour

makes one cocktail (but feel free to double, triple…)

1 egg white (separated from 1 large egg)
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice (regular or key limes are fine)
3/4 oz simple syrup*
2 oz pisco
ice
bitters (Angostura is traditional, but I prefer Peychauds for these)

Optional first step: add egg white to cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.**
Add lime juice, simple syrup, pisco, and ice to cocktail shaker. Seal and shake vigorously for about 60 seconds.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and add a few drops of bitters to the top to garnish.

*Simple Syrup notes:

– Recipe: add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is fully dissolved. Store in airtight container (I keep mine in a mason jar) in the fridge.

– Measurements: the traditional recipe calls for 1 oz simple syrup. I like my cocktail a little less sweet, so I add about 3/4 oz. You can play around with yours until you get yours to your own desired sweetness.

**On the optional first step: I’ve made the cocktail with this step and without it (just adding everything to the shaker together and then shaking the heck out of it). I’ve noticed that it adds a bit more foam to shake the egg white first, but it isn’t strictly necessary.

Breakfast / Brunch / Dairy-Free / Drinks / Fall / Gluten-Free / Sweet / Vegan / Vegetarian

At-Home Stovetop Mochas

October 23, 2013

Y’all know I have an intense love for coffee. (If you don’t — hi, I’m Chelsea, it’s nice to meet you.) While I normally just opt for straight brewed coffee, sometimes it’s nice to liven things up a bit (y’know, like with sugar. And chocolate.)

I, honestly, love a mocha. I mean coffee + chocolate? What’s not to like? However, I find that ordering a mocha at many coffeehouses tends to be like OMGCHOCOLATE&SUGAR!! + ~~coffee~~. I mean, I love a hot chocolate on occasion; but if I want a mocha, I want it to be a nice balance of chocolate and coffee (with an emphasis on the coffee). Because of this, I like to make mochas at home. Stovetop mochas = you control the coffee/chocolate ratio. That’s right my friend, you are the master of this combination. You can even require that people refer to you as “your Excellency” when you make these. (*Note: I mean, you can require it… but whether that actually happens…)

So with that, Mocha Masters, let’s get started.

First — a little note about the coffee in these: I like to use espresso in my mochas, because it’s both traditional and delicious. While I do own a Nespresso, I like to use my Bialetti stovetop espresso maker ↑ for these. If you don’t own an espresso maker, you can always make your own double-strength coffee and just use that. (I would use 4 tbsp. fresh, finely ground coffee — ideally an espresso roast — per 1 cup of water. You’ll only need about 1 cup for these.)

Stovetop Mochas

serves 2

finely ground espresso (about 4 tbsp)
chocolate of your choice (about 4 tbsp) — I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, usually
tiny pinch of salt
1-2 tsp. sugar
3-4 cups milk (again, your choice — I did a 50/50 mix of nonfat and half and half)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Prepare your espresso by filling the bottom of your espresso maker with fresh, cold water up to the bolt. Place grounds into the basket until full, then lightly tamp down. Screw the top on the espresso maker tightly, then set over high heat and let it come to a boil.
Place chocolate, salt, sugar and about 1/4 of the milk into a small pot over medium heat. Heat until small bubbles start to appear on the sides of the milk, then stir or whisk constantly until milk is heated and chocolate is fully melted and dissolved (about 2 min). Add remaining milk and heat until just warmed through (about 3 min). Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla extract.
When espresso is done (all the water has boiled through the top of your espresso maker), pour the espresso into the milk mixture and stir to combine.
Pour into cups and top with whipped cream if you’re feeling fancy.

This recipe is really easy to customize, so play around with it until you get the flavors the way you like them. Some people will like more or less chocolate, more or less sugar, different milk (to make it dairy-free use soy, hemp, almond, or rice milk), etc. You can also play around with the extracts — adding about 1/4 tsp. of peppermint extract would be fun for the holidays. Or maybe serve it with a cinnamon stick to make it more of a Mexican chocolate mocha. You could even add a dash of cayenne if you wanted to get real crazy. Do what you want — you are the mocha master!