Flor de Maria Cocktail

My Gran Centenario Rosangel Drink's Name and Recipe (for those who asked...)

Last night, our own "Chick Behind the Stick" Christine D'Abrosca hosted a wonderful tequila event with Gran Centenario Rosangel at Malo, in Silverlake. There were four featured female mixologists taking turns at the bar: myself, Kim Hassarud, Kylee Van Dillen and Tina Brandelli for an hour at a time. Our friend, Marleigh Riggins was supposed to be on, as well, but due to an injury, she couldn't make it. (We missed you, Marleigh!)

Meanwhile, the five finalists in the cocktail competition made their concoctions for guests and judges to vote on: Matty Eggleston won the judges vote. ( One of our judges even came in drag to support the "females in the industry" angle - guess who that might have been...?)

The Peoples' Choice award went to Silamith Weir, brand manager for Martin Miller's gin. Her tequila cocktail was an exotic pineapple, basil, condensed milk mixture. Definitely a decadent way to enjoy the last sip of the evening.

Way to go everyone!

Finally, although I was honored to be part of this event, I got my recipe in just under the deadline, and hadn't yet decided on a name. So for those who were asking for both the name of my drink and the recipe, here is for my featured cocktail, which I served from 7-8 pm.

Salud!

Flor de Maria
Natalie Bovis-Nelsen, The Liquid Muse

1/4 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1/2 ounce homemade hibiscus cabernet syrup (hibiscus tea syrup with a cabernet reduction)
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1 1/2 ounces Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila
Spritz orange flower water
lemon zest for garnish
1 - 2" piece orange zest

Muddle orange zest in the bottom of a cocktail glass. Add maraschino liqueur, syrup, lemon juice and tequila. Shake, with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Spritz with orange flower water. Garnish with a sliver of lemon zest.

*Thanks to Caroline On Crack for this photo of me shaking it up!

Juleps Are Better Than None

Maybe Tales of the Cocktail has started a new craze with their Julep Competition, which is sure to bring many variations on the traditional mint, sugar, bourbon. And, maybe its a good thing. Standardized recipes are important - but so is creativity. Cocktails are about good times, not stressing over every last historic detail. That's why I want to share this interesting recipe from Ben Jones of Rhum Clement. Life without tasty variations gets quite boring...

Bitter Orange Julep
2 ½ oz. Clément V.S.O.P. Rum
1 oz. Clément Créole Shrubb
¾ oz. Dry Sack Especial 15 year old Oloroso Sherry
½ oz. fresh lemon juice
5 dashes of vanilla extract
3 dashes of Fee's West Indian Orange Bitters
1 teaspoon of orange marmalade
One large orange wheel cut in half
6-8 mint leaves

Muddle one large orange wheel cut in ½ with 5 dashes of vanilla extract and ¾ oz. of Dry Sack 15 Year Old Oloroso. Add 1 oz. of Clément Créole Shrubb, 2 ½ oz. of Clément V.S.O.P., ½ oz. of fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of orange marmalade, 3 dashes of Fee's West Indian Orange Bitters and 6- 8 large mint leaves to the mixing glass along with several large ice cubes. Shake vigorously for a minimum 15 to 20 seconds and strain into a Julep Cup filled with fresh crushed ice. Garnish with mint and orange peel.

The Lavender Pisco Daisy

Pisco is one of my little darlings. The distilled grape spirit native to both Peru and Chile has blasted its way onto worldwide cocktail menus, stirring up a few fans along the way. Yes, I’m a lover of all things Latin including cachaca, tango, salsa, flamenco, tapas, carnival, the running of the bulls – you name it, I probably love it and devour it whenever possible. So, when the lovely sisters (Lizzie and Melanie Asher) behind Macchu Pisco sent me a bottle of their Diablada pisco, I was excited to crack it open.

I was going to make a Pisco Sour – and then a wave of creativity hit me. Ok, a little wave… I just changed a couple of things from the Pisco Sour recipe and left out the egg white. What a wonderful result. I just had to share it with you Sipsters!

1 1/2 ounces pisco

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce Sonoma lavender syrup
Dash peach bitters Edible flower (garnish)

Shake all liquid ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Float an edible flower on the surface of the drink.

My second round of this drink included the egg white, and excuse me for saying that it was pretty freakin' fantastic.

Salud!

Shot of Gratitute!

Apple Pie Shooter from The Liquid Muse

I created this recipe for Every Day With Rachael Ray a couple of years ago - and thought this is the perfect time of year to share it with all of you! If you're looking for a tiny dessert drink to present to your guests along with the pies and cakes, this might be a good one. Happy Thanksgiving!

Get recipe here!

El Presidente Cocktail

Like multitudes of other bars and liquor companies, Bacardi is putting forth some "presidential" cocktails. As I've already stated, I won't put you through the slew of blue "obamatinis" that come across my desk...

However, given my desire to toast a fellow American regarding this articulate, measured, sane and thoughtful decision of who he will endorse in the upcoming election, I thought the "El Presidente of Change" is an interesting Fall concoction. This one's for you, Colin Powell.
El Presidente of Change
2 parts BACARDI® Superior Rum
1 part Triple Sec 1 part MARTINI® & ROSSI® Dry Vermouth
1 tsp. Blue Curacao
1/4 of a ripe pear
1 pinch each of ground vanilla and ground cloves

Muddle the pear, sugar, and ground spices. Add ice and remaining ingredients and shake well. Fine strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with flamed orange peel.

MxMo XXXII: Guilty Pleasures

I love creamy cocktails, whether made with coconut cream or the thick stuff that comes from a cow. Line me up a fancy glass, a long silk glove and an elongated cigarette holder. (Who cares if I kicked the ciggie habit 3 years ago. We’re going for effect on this one...)

It has been a while since I last participated in a MxMo, but I was quite enticed with the idea to feature guilty pleasures as this month’s topic. It was my first visit to Two at the Most and Stevi looks like my kind of gal. As far as I’m concerned, the guiltier, the more pleasurable it is!

The fun part was trying to figure out which drink to feature. A 50’s style Grasshopper? A Creamsicle? A Pink Squirrel? I want to be the one to bring those fattening little suckers back to cocktail menus everywhere. Of course, that will never fly in L.A. so I tried this one with soy milk… and frankly, it wasn’t half bad.

So, yeah, it may have a few extra calories… but champagne isn’t exactly diet food, either. I’m not going to convince you to embrace creamy cocktails. (Given the slew of political email I’m getting from people who already know I’m voting for Obama… I am not into hammering others with what they should or shouldn’t support!)

However, I will entice you by letting you know that the guilty pleasure-ness of this drink recipe is doubled by the fact that it comes to you straight out of the Playboy’s Host & Bar Book, circa1971.

Shake your tail and wiggle your whiskers for the Pink Creole:

1 1/2 ounces golden rum
1/2 ounce lime juice
1 teaspoon cream (or soy milk)
1 teaspoon grenadine
1 black cherry, soaked in rum

Shake all ingredients, with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Add cherry.

Cherry Heering: The Stylish Girl’s Perfect Fashion Accessory…

Or Is It the Other Way Around?

I know I’m a bit late to the game in falling in love with Cherry Heering. I first tasted it in New Orleans this past July in one of the more unique tasting rooms at the Tales of the Cocktail. The imaginative team behind the sweet Danish cherry brandy liqueur paired the luscious elixir with dresses to fit any kind of woman. Now, that’s one way to get a woman’s attention.

Feeling sexy and wild? A sparkling cocktail dress livens up any hot date or upcoming holiday party, particularly with a classic cocktail in hand. Feeling sultry and sweet? Romance your man with a flirty frock and a tasty drink.

Best of all, YOU can get in on the fun. The Accessorize 2009 Competition is a global fashion and drink competition intended for the world’s most talented mixologists and aspiring designers. See below, then submit your entry.

· Cherry Heering is looking for designers to create a cocktail dress inspired by a Cherry Heering cocktail and mixologists to concoct a cocktail based on the dresses and glassware.

· The grand finale will host winners from 12 different countries at the legendary Raffles Hotel in Singapore (birthplace of the Singapore Sling).

Are you excited to open a bottle of Cherry Heering and see what all the fuss is about? While its integral in the aforementioned, and yummy, Singapore Sling, I’ll let you in on a little secret… My favorite cocktail du jour is Blood & Sand.

Although it can seem like a weird combination of ingredients when you first read it – trust me when I tell you that it is freakin’ delicioso! You know I wouldn’t lie to you. You can also impress your pals during cocktail party chit-chat by informing them that this wonderful Fall drink is actually one of just a few scotch cocktails, to boot.

Blood & Sand

3/4 ounce scotch
3/4 ounce Cherry Heering
3/4 ounce Sweet Vermouth
3/4 ounce orange juice

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist. Garnish with the outfit that best suits your mood…

Midtown Mule Cocktail

This is a fun new recipe for your cocktail books brought to you by Plymouth gin, who - in addition to making a great product - sponsored Day 5 of my Daily Recap Webisodes during Tales of the Cocktail 2008! (Yay, Plymouth!)

After vodka’s sneaky little takeover, gin is making a comeback on bar menus around the world. Bartender Marshall Altier of Insieme Restaurant in NYC recently created this cool new drink with Plymouth gin, appropriately named the Midtown Mule:

1/6 cucumber (sliced into coins)
2oz Plymouth Gin 1oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz cardamom syrup*
1/2 oz Cointreau
Splash ginger beer

Place cucmber slices and cardamon syrup in a tin and muddle to paste. Pour remaining ingredients, then shake with ice. Strain over fresh ice in Collins (tall) glass. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with wedge of lime and 2 cucumber slices in the glass.

*Cardamom Syrup: Steep 2 Tablespoons of black Cardamom pods in equal parts hot water with equal parts sugar. Cool mixture and bottle.

Chill Out with Bacardi

It is hard to believe that we are already half way through August! With the last big party weekend of the summer only a couple of weeks away, it is time to start preparing for the fiesta of the season!

‘Nuevo Latino’ Chef Carmen Gonzalez came up with some refreshing Bacardi rum treats for a back yard blow out or a beach bash. Best of all, these little ditties can be prepared ahead of time, cutting down on pre-party preparation. Each of these recipes makes 4 servings in 2-ounce shot glasses.

BACARDI® MOJITO “CHILLER”
2 Tablespoons BACARDI® Superior Rum
1/2 Bunch Mint Leaves
2 Limes, Juice
2 Tablespoons Sugar

Place the mint leaves in a blender and chop, add the lime juice, sugar and rum, blend together. Pour into shot drink glasses. Place in freezer for 40 minutes; insert wooden sticks and freeze for another 4 -6 hours.

BACARDI® BERRY DAIQUIRI “CHILLER”
1/2 Cup BACARDI® Superior Rum
1 Cup Frozen Berry Mix
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend and pour into shot drink glasses. Place in freezer for 30 minutes; insert wooden sticks and freeze for another 3 – 5 hours.

BACARDI® PIÑA COLADA “CHILLER”
6 Tablespoons BACARDI® Select Rum
4 Ounces Pineapple Juice
1/3 Cup Cream of Coconut

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend and pour into shot drink glasses. Place in freezer for 30 minutes; insert wooden sticks and freeze for another 3 – 5 hours.

Its lemoncello time again...

Whether you spell it with "limoncello" or "lemoncello," you have one more reason to get excited! Summer is here which means that sweetly refreshing citrus cocktails made with that tangy Italian liqueur abound.

Back in 2006, I shared a recipe for Chef Vikram Garg's (formerly of DC's Indebleu) own home-brewed lemoncello - and I have sworn to myself that I'm finally gonna make it, this summer! Back yard hooch... yee ha!

For those of you too civilized (or impatient) to brew your own cauldron of tart-n-tasty fun, you can use Limonce. It is a bit on the sweet side, which means you don't need additional sugar / simple syrup, in my opinion. And, you can taste a ready-made cocktail Charlie Palmer's Aureole Restaurant.

Head mixologist, Ektoras Binikos, has created a concoction to cool the sticky heat as the temperature rises - and I can't wait to try one when I go to the Big Apple, next month! Salutti!

THE AMALFI

1 1/2 oz Citron Vodka

1/2 oz Limoncé Limoncello

1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice

2 sprigs Lemon Thyme

Splash of Yuzu Juice (optional)

Put vodka, Limoncé, lime juice and leaves from a sprig of lemon thyme in a shaker with ice. Shake well to extract flavor from the thyme. Strain and pour into chilled martini glass. Garnish with a sprig of lemon thyme.