WWJD (What Would Jesus Drink?)

Karla, Megan and Sharon as champagne cocktail taste testers

I have been neglectful about making the post - not for want of trying! So - I have finally had a few minutes, and want to talk about Easter drinks.

I hosted a somewhat impromptu Easter brunch this year - with Scott, Megan and friends Karla and Sharon. The stars aligned and everyone needed/wanted someplace to celebrate Easter this. So, I whipped up ham, hash brown casserole - and best of all - champagne!

I am BIG fan of champagne, but I have never really focused on making champagne cocktails. For some reason when I pull out the bottle, it always seem a shame to doctor it with other ingredients. Occasionally, I might have a mimosa, but nothing fancier than that.

I figured, though, that I had some good little drink guinea pigs in my guests (should it be good little drink bunnies?) so I would give it a shot. I googled champagne cocktails, and found lists and lists, but I settled on four types to try - two standards, and two I invented:

--the classic (champagne, bitters and sugar),
--french 75 (champagne, simple syrup, vodka (technically gin) and lemon juice)
--easter berry (champagne, raspberry, and lemon juice)
--spring flower (champagne, elderflower liquor, and lemon juice).

Surprising, we all agreed the classic was the best. It was SO simple, and it completely enhanced the flavor of the champagne. The second choice was the Spring Flower, as the Elderflower Liqueur added a nice note to the champagne. The recipes follow.

The Classic
In a champagne glass, add 1 sugar cube (or small tsp of sugar), and a few shots bitters. Fill the remainder of glass with champagne.

French 75
In a champagne glass, add a small amount of vodka (or gin). Add a splash of simple syrup and a splash of lemon juice. Fill the remainder of the glass with champagne.

Easter Berry
In a champagne glass, add a small amount of raspberry liqueur (I used Cold Creek from Portland, OR as I have been to the distillery), and a splash of lemon juice. Fill the remainder of the glass with champagne.

Spring Flower
In a champagne glass, add a small amount of elderflower liqueur (I used my stash of St. Germaine), and a splash of lemon juice. Fill the remainder of the glass with champagne.

I would really encourage people to give these a try. I have had to stop myself from making my own version of champagne brunch every Sunday since. I should have kept the recycling to remind myself why that isn't such a great idea!

Happy (Belated) Easter!

Channeling Grandma

Mom & Curly, with her Vodka Collins

This past weekend, Scott and I went to Lake Tahoe to spend the weekend. Our friends Gary and Naomi got married on Saturday, and Scott and I took advantage of their celebration to spend some time gambling, skiing and relaxing.

Any time I am at a casino, I think about my grandmother, Della Cederburg. Some might think that is a strange correlation, but my grandmother was a lot of fun, and she LOVED to have a good time. When I went to school in Santa Barbara, I would drive up & pick her up in Lone Pine on our way to visit my Aunt Donna's in Bridgeport. Often, we would take a drive up to Carson City, and put some money in the machines. On one of these trips, she ordered me my first real drink - a vodka collins. (My parents would not have approved, but Grandma always did what she wanted).

I was 'channeling' my grandmother this weekend, playing the Wheel of Fortune machine, the penny slots and video poker. And to carry it through the weekend, I thought I would make a Vodka Collins in her honor. Grandma, we miss you and we think of you often!

Della's Vodka Collins

1 part vodka
1/3 part lemon juice (in this one, you can used bottled juice if you would like)
1/3 part simple syrup
club soda

Fill a martini shaker with ice
Add vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup.
Fill tall 'collins glass' with ice (these are just tall, skinny glasses).
Pour contents of martini shaker over ice
Fill remainder of glass with club soda, and stir
Garnish with maraschino cherry & straw

The first batch I made of these, I took a shortcut & used lemonade. Don't make the same mistake! You need the strength of the fresh lemon & simple syrup to off-set the dilution of the club soda. Remember, you can also makes these sweeter or more sour by adjusting the ratio of lemon juice and syrup, so feel free to experiment. Finally - do not buy Collins or sour mix - these will taste much better & you can control the sweetness much more effectively.

If you decide to make these - and you should, because it is the perfect drink for spring - raise your glass and toast Della. We did!

Luck O' the Irish

So, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I would talk about using Irish Whiskey. If you have ever been to Ireland, you know that the Irish take both their Whiskey and their Guinness very seriously. In fact, don't try to order a Black & Tan (half Guinness half Harp) because they will look at you like you are crazy.

On my trip, I made it to the Jameson distillery, which is just outside of Cork. As with all good 'liquor tours' it ends in a tasting, and I developed an appreciation for good Irish Whiskey. I also came home from Ireland, fully loaded with crystal glasses (which I will break out tonight to enjoy a Jameson in), and more whiskey than I could technically bring back into the country (don't tell customs). I also learned to order a 'Hot Irish' while there, which is a drink we will cover when it is a bit colder outside!

Last night my friend Regina came over for a little advance St. Patrick's Day fun. I decided to make Irish Whiskey Sours, as it has been really warm here, and I wanted something a little lighter than a traditional whiskey usually tastes. I did use fresh squeezed lemon juice, but bottle juice would work in a pinch.

Irish Whiskey Sours

2 part Jameson Irish Whiskey (or any Irish Whiskey)
1/2 part lemon juice (fresh is better)
1/2 part simple syrup (remember this is equal parts sugar & water if you want to make it, or you can buy at Trader Joe's pre-made)

Fill a martini shaker with ice
Add the ingredients, shake well
Pour into martini glasses (makes 2 drinks)
Garnish with a thin slice of orange

You might be tempted to buy pre-made sour mix. Don't! It is too sugary & too artificial, and making your own 'sour' is so simple & much fresher. You can also always make simple syrup in advance, and after cooling keep in a container in your refrigerator.

This is super simple to make, and I am sure St. Patrick would approve. Slainte!

Calling Wildfire...

Last week, I crashed date night with Paul & Tami (Scott was working late). They mildly twisted my arm, and convinced me to go out for Japanese food. For those of you who read my sister Megan's blog, you will remember that we spent a week in Japan last month. The food was 'challenging', and I really had no intention of eating Japanese for some time. But a new restaurant is always fun, so I tagged along.

The restaurant offered a good mix of sushi, robato (small plates from the grill) and other dinner plates. We had a really nice meal - including some amazing edamame which was seasoned with some Indian spices I am going to have to try at home. One of the highlights - besides the company, of course - was the cocktail menu.

Paul ordered the 'Wildfire', which is not only the title of one my favorite 70s songs, but also a pretty great drink. [For those of you who share my love for the song, check out this link to sing along http://helloblackbird.blogspot.com/2009/10/you-can-call-me-wildfire.html].

I decided to re-create this drink at home, instead of the one I ordered, which tasted like sun tan lotion. Megan came over for dinner, so I used her as my guinea pig. Plus, I played her the song and took the opportunity to sing along, which was really fun for me, but not so fun for her.

This drink is made with fresh blood orange juice, and I was really fortunate to find a bag of these at my local farmer's market. This drink doesn't require a ton of juice, so squeezing your own isn't too hard. I invested in a small juicer when my cocktail efforts went full swing a few years ago (prompted by a lime drop cocktail at a now defunct Manhattan Beach restaurant, which I will cover in a future blog), but you don't need full scale juicing for this one.


The restaurant version of this calls for Grey Goose L'Orange, but my Vons didn't have it, so I settled for Absolut Mandarin, and I didn't notice a difference. So - here you go:

Wildfire

1 part Orange Vodka (better quality is better here, so Grey Goose, Absolut, but not Smirnoff)
1 part Blood Orange Juice
1 tsp Simple Syrup (simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, recipe further below)
Jalepeno slices (2 or so for 1 martini)

You can buy simple syrup, or you can really easily make it at home. Making your own simple syrup is key to many, many of my cocktails, so this is good to know how to do:

1 c. sugar
1 c. water

Put both ingredients in a small sauce pan on the stove. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let boil for 5 or so minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and set aside.

To make the cocktail:

Chill martini glass
Slice jalapeno (you can leave seeds in, most will get strained out when pour it into the glass)
Fill martini shaker with ice, and jalapeno slices
Add vodka, blood orange juice, and simple syrup
Shake well, and pour
Garnish with sliced jalapeno

Don't be scared by using jalapeno in a drink - it has a really mild flavor, and adds some warmth to the drink. You will taste it, but it won't be overwhelming. Of course, the more jalapeno, the more heat you will get.

It may be hard to find the blood orange juice, but if you can find it - make this cocktail! It is a great, unusual and refreshing drink, and will be great for spring cocktail hours.

A Classic

Some things in life never seem to lose their luster. One of those things, for me, is the classic vodka martini. I know some people will argue that a martini isn't a martini unless you use gin, but as I am not a fan of gin (one of the few in the alcohol family I actively dislike), I make my 'classic' with vodka.

This week, my friend Tami & I went out for one of my favorite things - happy hour. We ordered a Grey Goose martini, extra dry, extra olive. .

A slight story detour - related to the use of this preferred vodka. Last year, my brother Chip came out to visit for a couple of days, and asked to use my Effen black cherry vodka with diet coke. I strongly discouraged him (re: refused) from using my high quality vodka with some bad mixer. A debate between Scott, Chip & myself ensued, resulting in a vodka taste test. [BTW, I will cover Effen in a future blog]

Off Scott went to our neighborhood liquor store, Abes. He returned with a bottle of Popov and a bottle of Grey Goose. We used some Skyy we already had at home as the mid-range option. Scott poured six shots, two of each kind, and lined them randomly on the kitchen counter. Chip & I proceeded to try each of the shots, and then say which was which.

The results were not pretty - I couldn't really tell the difference between them. Not to make excuses, but I had already had a drink or two, and that certainly makes it hard to discern much of anything. Chip did better than I did - he could call out Popov, but couldn't always tell the difference between the Skyy and Grey Goose.

So - back to the topic at hand. The moral to this story (at least my moral) is that when you are 'mixing' drinks, using an expensive vodka will not necessarily improve the quality of the drink. However, when you are drinking something 'straight' (be it bourbon in a manhattan, vodka in a martini), a good quality vodka will feel smoother, and make a cocktail more 'drinkable'. Also - let people drink what they want, or one's husband will ask every waiter/waitress since then if they have Popov, as that is your preference. :)

Here is how you make the classic martini at home:

Classic Vodka Martini

Vodka (your personal favorite will work, Popov or otherwise)
Dry Vermouth
Olive(s)

Chill your martini glass - fill with ice cubes & bit of water and let sit. Pour out the ice & water when ready
Pour a teaspoon of vermouth in the chilled glass. Swirl it around, and then pour it out. (Very little vermouth is what makes a martini 'extra dry'. If you like vermouth, feel free to leave it in, or add to your shaker).
Add 1 part vodka to a martini shaker
Shake well
Place 2 skewered olives into chilled glass
Pour vodka into glass
Enjoy!

Don't forget to use good quality olives here. You can now find lots of different flavors, stuffed or otherwise, at the grocery store. I like blue cheese, but jalepeno, and classic green olives work great as well. Oh - and olives don't count as dinner. Try to eat something when you are drinking!

A small warning - after one of these, a second will seem like a great idea. Try to avoid this if you can, as a two martini night leads to two things: lots of fun, and a hangover.

Vegas, Baby

As this is my introductory blog post, I wanted to thank my sister Megan. Her blog (meganmyday) is so awesome - witty, interesting & fun - she inspired me to start my own. I can only hope I do as well as she does. So, here goes!

Scott and I were in Vegas last month,with Chip & Matt. We were celebrating Matt's birthday and we had a great dinner at a local steakhouse favorite called Del Frisco's (thanks for dinner Matt!). As usual, I had to peruse to the cocktail menu to see if there was anything I hadn't seen before.

It is a refreshing twist on a cucumber martini (which isn't my favorite), and so I have been attempting to recreate it at home. Be warned - this one requires some specialized liquors (one of the reasons my liquor cabinet(s) are constantly overflowing), but it is worth it!

Springtime Martini (I named this one, because it seems bright & fresh)

Ingredients
Vodka (a slightly high-end one is better for this drink, as it will feel & taste smoother)
Elderflower liquor (St. Germain is the preferred brand, and comes in a beautiful bottle to boot)
Acai Berry liquor (Veev is the preferred brand)
Lemon juice (fresh squeezed is always better)
Cucumber slices
Lemon twist

Directions
In a martini shaker, add 2 cucumber slices (I prefer only mild cucumber flavor, but if you want it to be more cucumber-y, feel free to add more). Make sure you add the cucumber first, as it will get more muddled when you shake with ice.
Fill your martini shaker with ice
Add 1 part vodka
1/2 part St. Germain (or any Elderflower liquor)
1/2 part Veev Acai Berry liquor (or any other Acai Berry Liquor)
2 squeezes fresh lemon juice
Shake well
Pour into chilled martini glass
Garnish with a lemon twist & enjoy

I am a big believer in making drinks to personal preference, but I always recommend you make a 'classic' version first, so you can get a sense of how you can alter to your taste.

Don't be scared to give this one a whirl - really isn't too complicated. Plus - it has a vegetable in it - which makes it almost good for you!