The Apple Jack

Fall Harvest is here!

In honor of the new crop of Gravenstein apple juice at our local Trader Joes (TJs), I offer up my latest creation, this delightful autumn sipper!

The Apple Jack

In a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice, mix together:

2 oz Gravenstein apple juice (or fresh crop apple cider)
1 oz french brandy (I used TJs Pierre Duchene Napolean VSOP brandy)
1/2 oz Bacardi Spice rum
splash of triple sec
large squeeze of lemon juice
1 tsp raw cane sugar (optional)

Shake well and strain into glass.
Garnish with a thinly sliced round of Granny Smith Apple.

Not your average kiddie juice cup.

Cheers, y'all! To an abundant harvest for each of us...

The Figgytini

The Figgytini

In a cocktail shaker, muddle together the following:

1 overripe fresh Black Mission Fig, cut in half, scoop inner flesh with a teaspoon (discard skin)

juice of 1/2 a Meyer lemon (lime will also work)

1/2 tsp of raw cane sugar (adjust depending on ripeness)

Half-fill shaker with ice. Add:

1 1/2 oz Makers Mark bourbon* (I find this compliments the figs tremendously more than vodka does)

Shake, shake some more, strain, and serve in a chilled martini glass. (You really need to break down the ice to make this one work.) Garnish with a wedge of fresh fig and a lemon twist, or a sprig of mint.

Cheers!

That's it for now, but I'll be back tomorrow with more to share....

The Cucumbertini

The Cucumbertini:

Muddle together the following ingredients at the bottom of a cocktail shaker until sloppy mush:

4-5 slices of English hothouse cucumber
The juice of half a big fat lime
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
2 fresh mint leaves, torn up

Then add:
Ice to fill half the shaker
1 1/2 oz vodka of choice

Shake the hell out of it until most of the ice is broken down and you can barely pry your fingers off the cold metal. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with an additional slice of cucumber. Ahhhh.

Wow. I’m already:
1. Feeling better
2. Thinking up the next concoction....hmmmm.

I'm gathering ideas for a new cocktail, The Pink Slip. (Not an official firing, just the preliminary notification as per the collective bargaining agreement that one might be fired, so all those thousands of teachers, my daughter’s included, can spend the next several months teaching in a climate of fear, worry, job insecurity, and anger. You know, the best possible environment for kids.)

Send me your suggestions now. You know, deceptively optimistic, but packs a deadly blow.

I always say, there’s something about public schools and cocktails that just seems to go hand-in-hand!

Cheers!

Blood Orange Martini, For Real

Here's the real deal:

The Blood Orange Martini

- juice one fresh blood orange

- generous dose of vodka of choice

- optional shake of Peychaud's bitters

shake, strain, serve, repeat!

The Ruby Red

Post Script: Tonight I created this beauty:











The Ruby Red

2 parts freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
1 part premium vodka
3 sloppy shakes of Peychaud's bitters
splash of cranberry juice
plenty of ice

Shake, strain and serve!
(note: a squeeze of lime would have been nice, but I didn't think of it until afterwards.)

Cheers!

PPS. A California State Budget was passed early this morning. (Thurs, Feb 19) Phew.

Pomegranatini

Yes, we're all well now, thanks for asking. And even though much of December felt like a wash, sometimes a beautiful cocktail is just what the doctor ordered to get back into the spirit of things. With that in mind, I share the following treasured holiday libation.

Pomegranatini

Rim your martini glass with a mixture of sugar and finely microplaned orange zest.

Fill a cocktail shaker half-way with ice and mix together the following:
1 part vodka
1/2 part triple sec
2 parts pomegranate juice

Shake well, strain into your prepared glass and garnish with a few fresh pomegranate seeds.

Like a vamped-up lipstick on pale, wintery skin, this bold ruby cocktail packs some va va voom for the holidays. And speaking of holidays, I hope you all had a nice one and may your new year be filled with great things.

Mostly I'm praying for peace.

Cheers!

Blood Orange Martini

I'll beat you to the question:

Blood Orange Martini Recipe

3 parts Italian blood orange soda (I find this at Trader Joe's, but Target also has a brand)
1 - 1 1/2 generous parts vodka
1/2 part cointreau or triple sec

Vigorously skaken over a lot of ice and strained into a delightful martini glass that has been rimmed with a mixture of sugar and finely grated (micro-planed) orange zest. Garnish with a thin wheel of orange, or blood orange if you have it. Cheers.

(Here ya go with the photo op...recipe tested and consumed

repeatedly...)

The Lemondrop Martini

Well in that case, Ms. Caffeinated, I shall oblige.

I get nostalgic just thinking of the glass, frosty chilled, the crunch of the sugar rim, with the palest of hue inside, lemon wedge bobbing. It helps if you pick your lemons fresh and squeeze them on the spot. This is an adult refresher that's not too sweet, not too tart, no garish neon or pucker here. This is NOT dessert in a glass. Nor is it your kid's powdered lemonade stand made into a martini. It is the real deal. Simple, elegant, restrained. Done well, it's timeless.

Ahhh, The Lemondrop Martini....a most perfect summer sipper.

Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add in:

1 1/2 oz vodka of choice
1/2 oz triple sec
1 t. simple syrup (made ahead)
3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice (I prefer Meyer lemons if you can get them)

Shake and strain into chilled sugar-rimmed martini glass.
Garnish with a lemon wedge.


Cheers!