Category Archives: cocktail recipes

2017/05/05 · 7:02 pm

Brooklyn Blossom; The perfect cocktail to celebrate spring

It’s finally spring in NYC! The Brooklyn Botanical cherry blossom festival ushers in the season every year with a weekend long celebration followed by another weekend of frivolity on Randall’s Island.

Using a syrup created from cherry blossoms I marked my own ode to spring with this delicious cocktail using many locally sourced ingredients. Mix up a batch for your next picnic, or just sit back and sip into spring!

Brooklyn Blossom–

Ingredients, makes two cocktails

3 ounces Industry City Distillery’s Industry Standard Vodka

3 ounces Hakutsuru Junmai Ginjo Sake

1 ounce cherry blossom elixir, available at Brooklyn Botanical gift shop, or on Amazon

2 dashes Bittermens Burlesque Bitters

Juice of 1 large lemon

Splash of Perrier

Pour all ingredients except Perrier over ice in large cocktail shaker. Shake briskly and strain into chilled martini glass. Top with splash of Perrier and stir. Garnish with orange peel and luxardo cherry. Enjoy!

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2016/08/14 · 9:40 pm

Cocktail time, with Brighton Beach inspiration

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Green tea and tarragon cooler, A refreshing cocktail inspired by the flavors of Brighton Beach

Summer days off call for staycations for this New Yorker. Wandering unfamiliar neighborhoods often results in discovering strange exotic ingredients and specialties readily available to satisfy the cravings of home for the inhabitants who have immigrated from a far away land. Last weekends destination was Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, aka Little Odessa, easily accessable on the B or Q train and filled with a taste of Russia’s flavorful culture.

Lucky for me I had A Russian friend to guide me on my journey through the mountains of sausage, tinned fish, dumplings,  savory pies, farmers cheeses and bizarre beverages tempting me at every market on the main drag.

sausage

Best Buy International

 

Best Buy International Food Company offered up the best selection of everything,  including more cured meats than I could count, an impressive amount of beer and other liquid refreshment, including Tarragon soda, a Georgian treat that my friend explained is Russia’s version of Mt. Dew. We left with bags filled spilling over with exotic treats, including two bottles of the herbal soda to experiment with later.

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Neon green herbal soda

Varenichnaya, our second stop, is a must visit for dumpling lovers! Specializing in succulent skewers of grilled meat and vareniki (a light Russian dumpling boiled and sautéed in butter) this spot filled our bellies with a generous helping of little pockets of paper-thin dough filled with sauerkraut and potato. Chicken and lamb served on red-hot slivers of metal were a delicious steal at under $5 a piece.

vareniki

A plate of Russian comfort

Vareniki and Pelmeni ( a meat stuffed dumpling) are both available to go frozen in bags of fifty for under ten dollars. If you choose to dine in this spot is byob only.

varenichnaya brighton beach

Eight different selections of take away dumplings

Numerous other stops on the main drag offer up interesting visits including walls of Vodka, savory baked goods made by local ladies and a book store that stocks Russian nesting dolls featuring images of the band Queen and Elvis. Walk on the beach nearby to end a perfect day away, without ever leaving NYC.

Mix up one of my cocktails for a taste inspired by Brighton Beach! It’s a thirst quenching cooler perfect for summer nights in Brighton or the location of your choice.

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Mix and garnish with lemon twist

Brighton Beach Cooler

In large glass over ice build-

2 oz Green tea infused Gin, I used this recipe

juice of one lime

juice of half lemon

1/2 ounce simple syrup

3 ounces Tarragon soda, available online

Stir and top with splash of club soda or sparkling water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2016/04/06 · 11:56 pm

Hudson Valley Cider pairing with Maille mustard Rarebit

My fridge is often filled with remnants of current projects, tastings and swag scored from recent events I’ve attended. Often these ingredients come together to create a impromptu meal on those late nights after work when I’m just too tired to shop for dinner.

Bad Seed Bourbon Barrel Aged Cider

Bad Seed Bourbon Barrel Aged Cider

Having recently finished a cider project I’m still swimming in delicious offerings, my favorites being the barrel aged beauties from Bad Seed Cider in Highland, NY. Bad Seed’s Bourbon barrel aged cider has just enough of a whiskey edge to appeal to my spirit loving side while being a stellar choice in cider. A bit edgy, and full of flavor, yet dry with a fabulous long finish. Pouring myself a glass after a long night I pondered what I could come up with to accompany it. Well apples and cheddar are a natural right?

Using some English Cheddar left over from a recent tasting, and a bit of Maille mustard I’d acquired at an event to launch Maille’s new NYC location in the Flatiron in NYC, I whipped up one of my childhood favorites with a few updates, Rarebit.

Rarebit is often made with dark beer and dry mustard but this version uses cider and Maille Dijon for a tasty twist. Maille makes a number of different mustards that could work in this dish but I prefer the original. The apple flavors play well with the spicy Dijon and salty, savory cheddar.

Rarebit, a tasty, satisfying snack!

Rarebit, a tasty, satisfying snack!

I love Rarebit as a midnight snack especially when evening stretches into night and, usually, when overindulgence in alcohol has taken place. Rarebit is also good in the afternoon, as a light supper with a green salad and  is made in a jiffy as it can be made in advance, save for the final toasting. To get it just right, toast the bread on a baking sheet until each piece is evenly browned on top. Then turn the pieces over and toast them about half as much on the second side before adding the cheese.

Rarebit with Cider and Maille Dijon

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Maille Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
  • 1 1/2 cup Bad Seed Bourbon barrel aged cider
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
  • 1 pound extra sharp white English Cheddar, Double Gloucester or other English cheese grated
  • 4 to 8 pieces lightly toasted bread
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions

 

  • 1. Put butter in a saucepan over medium heat and, as it melts, stir in flour. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and very fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in mustard and cayenne, then whisk in cider and Worcestershire sauce.
  • 2. When mixture is uniform, turn heat to low and stir in cheese and scallions, again stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof container to set (you can refrigerate for up to a day at this point).
  • 3. Spread mixture thickly on toast and put under broiler until bubbly and edges of toast are crisp. Serve immediately.
  • Enjoy

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2014/08/28 · 4:43 pm

Cafe Rumaro cold brew cocktail; A delicious pick me up before or after dinner

A cold brew cocktail perfect for before or after dinner

A cold brew cocktail perfect for before or after dinner

Cold brew coffee is one of my summer favorites, and surprisingly easy to make. Add your choice of whiskey, rum or vodka, cream and simple syrup and it transforms into as a delicious pick me up at cocktail hour.

But what if you’re looking for coffee inspiration after dinner to enjoy with a  creamy cheese, tiramasu or butter cookies? Forget the boring Irish coffee and try mixing up this cocktail inspired by a recent evening filled with overindulgence. It hits all marks as both a digestif and an after dinner treat. The silky smooth cold brew melds perfectly with aged rum, bitter-sweet Amaro and just a touch of cherry cordial. Not too sweet, just a hint of spice and roasted, caramelized flavor. Something to satisfy those wanting something a bit out of the ordinary.

Each spirit compliments the dark, rich cold brewed coffee.

Each spirit compliments the dark, rich cold brewed coffee.

Cafe Rumaro

1.5 oz Cold Brew, you may use your favorite such as Stumptown or use this easy recipe

1.5 oz Diplomatico Reserva Rum

1.5 oz Ramazzotti Amaro

1 oz Wisniak cherry cordial

1 oz selter

Garnish with one of my Boozy cherries

Add cold brew, Amaro, Rum, cherry cordial to tall cocktail glass filled with ice. Stir with long bar spoon and top with seltzer. Garnish with cherry. Enjoy!!!!

 

Spirit Tasting Notes-

Diplomatico Reserva Rum, Venezuela– Rich and full, with golden syrup, Demerara and a hint of treacle. This 8 years old rum, product of the Batch distillation process, has reassuringly weighty oak in the background – polished mahogany notes. Hints of cinnamon, over-ripe oranges or orange liqueur and bitter dark chocolate. Amazingly smooth, gentle texture – like being stroked with a silk glove. Chocolate velvetiness on the palate, with creamy oak spice and citrus notes counteracting the syrupy sweetness. A sweet cocoa caress, with shimmering spices.- producer

Ramazzotti Amaro, Piedmont, Italy– Ausano Ramazzotti created the formula for Ramazzotti in his small Milan laboratory in 1815. His proved an immediate success. The recipe contains neither colouring nor artificial additives and is still secret today. Its most distinctive flavours are the Sicilian sweet oranges, bitter oranges from Curaçao, star anise and cardamom.- producer

 Wisniak  Cherry Cordial, Poland–  A fine representation of the elegant old Polish cherry liqueurs. The advantageous climate and soil conditions in Poland yield succulent black cherry varieties. Their sweet, ruby-colored juice with aromatic flavor of an incomparable bouquet produce… WISNIAK! Its low alcohol content and unique taste are sure to please the most discriminating connoisseurs.” -producer

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2014/07/23 · 8:32 pm

Easy, boozy, cocktail cherries!

Easy, boozy, cocktail cherries!

Easy, boozy, cocktail cherries!

Cherries are abundant this year, and there’s nothing better than transforming them into a batch of boozy, sweet, cocktail cherries. Not only can you garnish your drinks with these beauties, the syrup used to store then in makes a fabulous addition to summer sippers and punches that cool you off when the temperature soars.

Homemade cherry pitter!

Homemade cherry pitter!

Without a proper pitter this can be challenging, but, with a little research I made a cherry pitter from an old fork and went to town on a giant bowl of fruit last week to fire up a batch of my favorite recipe. This pitter is simple to make, cheap, and it works! Find an old flimsy fork (the inexpensive type work best), bend the two outer tines down and create two little hooks with the inner ones and your set! Insert hook on bottom of fruit sliding up till you reach top of pit and gently pull out pit. Work over a bowl to catch any juices that may seep out.

Once you finish pitting the cherries the rest of the process is a piece of cake! This easy recipe will have you turning your nose up at ordinary maraschino cherries. Why settle for less than the best when you can make these with so little effort?

Boozy cocktail cherries

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 inch piece orange zest

1 pound sweet cherries, pitted

1 cup of maraschino liqueur  ( I use Luxardo, but any of these will work)

Place sugar, water, lemon juice, zest and cinnamon in large sauce pot and simmer on medium heat till stirring occasionally. Let liquid come to a slow boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Slowly add cherries to pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add maraschino liqueur. Let mixture come to room temperature uncovered. Transfer to sterile container and store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Boozy beauties!

Boozy beauties!

Use these in any sour, punch, juice based cocktail or to top a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Just don’t pop them in your kid’s Shirley Temple, remember, they’re for adults only!

 

 

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