Tag: Cocktail

Rosemary Grapefruit Prosecco Cocktail

Note: I was sent a bottle of Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco DOC Brut and a bottle of Valdo Marca Oro Rose Prosecco in order to write this post and recipe for Rosemary Grapefruit Prosecco Cocktail. Opinions are mine alone.

I love a simple cocktail that still somehow feels celebratory. That’s where Prosecco cocktails come in! Prosecco tends to be my sparkling wine of choice. A little bubbly always makes everything feel a bit more special, don’t you think?

Later this month, (June 24-30) is National Prosecco Week so I wanted to celebrate a bit early! National Prosecco Week is the largest nationwide celebration of Prosecco DOC. It’s a nationwide campaign that is supported by the Prosecco DOC Consortium. Every year, National Prosecco Week reaches 1,000+ e-commerce, restaurants, and brick-and-mortar stores across the US!

For this Rosemary Grapefruit Prosecco Cocktail, I’m using Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco DOC Brut. Made with 100% Glera grapes and aged for three months using the Charmat method, this bubbly is characterized by a crisp palate and fine effervescence. This prosecco is structured yet bright, making it a beautiful pairing with the woody rosemary and tart grapefruit.

Ingredients (serves 1, multiply as needed):

Rosemary Syrup (makes enough for about 5 cocktails):

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • pinch salt

Rosemary Grapefruit Prosecco Cocktail:

  • 2 oz grapefruit juice
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary syrup
  • 3 oz Prosecco (like Valdo Marca Oro Brut)
  • 1 grapefruit wedge
  • 1 fresh rosemary sprig

Continue reading Rosemary Grapefruit Prosecco Cocktail

Paloma Cocktail

If you’ve never had a Paloma Cocktail before, you are in for a treat! This 3-ingredient cocktail is a refreshing tequila-based drink perfect for warm weather!

Originating in Mexico, Palomas are sometimes compared to margaritas, but they are really closer to a greyhound, which is made with gin and grapefruit juice.

The Paloma Cocktail is one of the most simple cocktails to make. It is made right in the serving glass so you don’t need any bartending equipment to make it!

Ingredients (makes one glass, multiply as needed):

  • 2 ounces blanco tequila
  • the juice of one lime
  • 4 ounces grapefruit soda (like Jarritos – paid link)
  • pinch of salt
  • garnish: lime wedge

Continue reading Paloma Cocktail

Bloody Prosecco Cocktail

I’m so excited to finally share this Halloween-inspired spooky recipe with you! Last year, I attended a Halloween party at a friend’s house, and they had quite the spread of Halloween-themed treats, as well as an awesome Bloody Prosecco Cocktail, which I’ve been thinking about ever since!

The recipe is super easy and only includes two ingredients! My friend’s version was made with pomegranate juice, so I took a bit of liberty with their original version and adjusted it to use a pomegranate liqueur instead.

What makes these so “bloody” and perfect for your next Halloween party is that you add the pomegranate liqueur to a syringe (paid link) for a creepy Halloween spin. If you don’t want to do so, feel free to just pour it into the prosecco; it will still taste delicious!

You can also substitute pomegranate juice or grenadine for the pomegranate liqueur if you’d prefer a slightly less boozy version. To make a kid-friendly version, you can also substitute in ginger ale or something similar for the Prosecco.

Ingredients (makes 5 servings, multiply as needed):

  • 1 (750 ml) bottle prosecco
  • 50 ml (~3 tablespoons) pomegranate liqueur

Tools:

  • 5 coupe or champagne glasses
  • 5 (10 ml) syringes

Continue reading Bloody Prosecco Cocktail

Tropical Margarita

Note: I was sent bottles of OCEAN SPRAY CRAN•TROPICAL™ CRANBERRY TROPICAL JUICE DRINK in order to make this post. Opinions are mine alone.

Outdoor summer events call for fun cocktails, don’t you think? And this oh so pretty (and tasty) Tropical Margarita from Ocean Spray is sure to become one of your favorites outdoor sips!

This spin on a traditional margarita uses Ocean Spray’s Cran-Tropical Cranberry Tropical Juice Drink to add the delicious flavors of cranberry, mango, guava, and orange.

The result is a super refreshing and summery drink you’ll enjoy all season!

Ingredients (makes one serving, multiply as needed):

  • 1 lime, sliced into wedges
  • salt or sugar, for garnish
  • 2 1/2 ounces Ocean Spray® Cran∙Tropical™ Juice Drink
  • 1 ounce tequila
  • 1/2 ounce triple sec
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar

Continue reading Tropical Margarita

Bees Knees Batch Cocktail

I am in full preparation mode for my sister’s upcoming baby shower. We are doing a honeybee theme, I’ve been working on a beehive cake, honeycomb decorations, and honey-filled beverages, including this Bees Knees Batch Cocktail.

The Bee’s Knees is a Prohibition-era cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, and honey simple syrup. This batch cocktail version adds lemon seltzer to make it more of a sip-able day cocktail with a little bit of fizziness.

Ingredients (makes 20 servings; multiply/divide as needed):

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 cup honey
  • 2 cups fresh lemon juice
  • 1 (750 ml) bottle gin
  • 1 (1 L) bottle lemon seltzer

Continue reading Bees Knees Batch Cocktail

Shochu Coffee Seltzer Cocktail

Note: I was sent samples of various shochu for a virtual tasting and in order to make this Shochu Coffee Seltzer Cocktail. Opinions are mine alone.

One of my favorite things about having this food blog is that I am sometimes given the chance to learn more about ingredients and products that I have never heard of before. Shochu is certainly one of those items, and I am glad I now know about it!

A few months back, I had the opportunity to attend a virtual shochu tasting hosted by Christopher Pellegrini, author of the Shochu Handbook (paid link) and one of the co-founders of Honkaku Spirits. Shochu is a Japanese distilled spirit made from grains and vegetables, typically sweet potato, barley, or rice. Despite being widely available in Japan, shochu isn’t very well known in the US. Apparently less than half of 1% of shochu made in Japan is exported! 

Depending on the ingredients in a specific shochu, the flavors can vary wildly. Koji, a mold used to break down the starches into fermentable sugars, can also impact the taste. There are three kinds of koji that are used in making shochu – black, yellow, and white, with white being the most commonly used in shochu. Yellow koji results in a fruity and floral flavor, and is commonly used to make sake, while black koji imparts an earthy, mineral taste to the shochu.

Shochu is typically enjoyed diluted either with hot water or cold water but can be used to make various cocktails as well. For our tasting, we tried eight different shochu, with quite a range of flavors. Nishihira Distillery’s Kana tasted faintly like a bourbon due to being aged up to one year in oak casks. Another from Fursawa Distillery, Motoko, had almost a mushroom-y note to it, very earthy and funky. The one that stood out to me the most, however, was from Tensei Distillery. Mugi Hokka is a dark roasted barley shochu that has dark chocolate and coffee notes to it.

source: https://honkakuspirits.com/
Source: https://honkakuspirits.com/

To enhance those notes, Christopher suggested this recipe as a way to enjoy this particular shochu.

Ingredients (1 serving, multiply as needed):

  • 1 oz shochu, such as Tensei Distillery’s Mugi Hokka
  • 1 oz room temperature or cold coffee
  • 2 oz seltzer
  • 1 orange peel, for garnish

Continue reading Shochu Coffee Seltzer Cocktail

Eggnog Martini

I am quite the fan of Eggnog (as well as its coconut-y cousin, Coquito), so once it hits December, I am up for any excuse to have a little sip of it!

The Mixer, a website with recipes for cocktail making for all occasions, must know of my affinity for eggnog, because they sent me a recipe for an Eggnog Martini that I just had to try and share!

This recipe is quick and easy because it uses store-bought eggnog. To make it even more simple, stir up a large batch so when you’re ready to enjoy with friends, all you have to do is pour it into glasses!

Eggnog is synonymous with the holidays, so I wanted to share The Mixer’s recipe ASAP so you can enjoy it with friends and family as well!

Ingredients (serves 2, multiply as needed):

For cinnamon sugar rim garnish:

  • 1 tablespoon eggnog
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg

For the Eggnog Martini:

  • 3 oz vanilla vodka
  • 2 oz amaretto
  • 4 oz eggnog
  • ice

Continue reading Eggnog Martini

Maple Chai Latte Cocktail

Note: I was sent a bottle of Black Button Distilling’s Bespoke Bourbon Cream in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

If you’re a fan of creamy cocktails, I have the perfect cocktail to share with you today! The team at Black Button Distilling sent me a recipe for a Maple Chai Latte Cocktail that sounded so tasty I knew I had to pass it along.

Black Button Distilling, based out of Rochester, NY, was actually Rochester’s first grain-to-glass distillery since prohibition when it was established in 2012. The cocktail is made with Black Button Distilling’s Bespoke Bourbon Cream, which combines their hand finished bourbon and local farm fresh New York State cream — it’s similar to Irish Cream but the bourbon brings a different (and delicious!) flavor profile.

This Maple Chai Latte plays up the vanilla and caramel notes in the Bourbon Cream with the addition of maple syrup, a chai simple syrup, and coffee liqueur.

You can buy chai simple syrup (paid link), but I’ve included a recipe below in case you want to make your own at home, like I did.

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • ice
  • 3 oz Bespoke Bourbon Cream
  • 4 oz coffee liqueur
  • 1 oz Chai simple syrup (recipe below)
  • 1 oz maple syrup (I used a bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup to really up the flavor!)
  • coffee beans, for garnish, if desired
  • star anise, for garnish, if desired

Chai Simple Syrup ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 12 green cardamom pods
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 star anise
  • 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Continue reading Maple Chai Latte Cocktail

Whipped Irish Coffee

I know I’m a little late to the “whipped coffee” or Dalgona coffee trend, but I wanted to hold out for St. Patrick’s Day to make this awesome Whipped Irish Coffee!

Whipped coffee became quite the trend early in the pandemic. It’s made by whisking equal parts instant coffee granules, sugar, and hot water until it holds stiff peaks. You serve it on top of hot or warm milk, and then stir to combine, so adding whiskey to this lovely mix seemed like a no brainer to me.

Irish coffee is actually traditionally enjoyed the opposite way… kind of. Whiskey, sugar, and coffee are stirred together and then topped with heavy cream, while this whipped Irish coffee has the milk on the bottom rather than on top (although with whipped coffee, you do stir the milk and coffee together before enjoying). This recipe is to make the whipped Irish coffee iced, but you can easily adapt it to use warmed milk instead. If you’re looking for another spin on an Irish coffee, I also have a recipe for a Frozen Clover Cocktail you might want to try.

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

  • 1/4 cup instant coffee granules (normal ground coffee won’t work!)
  • 1/4 cup sugar (or brown sugar to make it a touch more of a traditional Irish coffee)
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • 1/2 cup whole milk, cold or warmed
  • 2 to 3 oz Irish whiskey, or to taste
  • if making chilled, a few ice cubes

Continue reading Whipped Irish Coffee

Coquito

‘Tis the season for coquito! If you’ve never had coquito before, it’s a bit like eggnog.

Coquito means “little coconut,” and gets its flavor from coconut milk, cream of coconut, rum, and spices. For my version, I also used a coconut spiced rum to really up the flavor!

Coquito is a traditional Christmas drink that originated in Puerto Rico, but there are versions of it throughout the Caribbean. It’s absolutely delicious, plus it’s really easy to make!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (8 oz) white rum (I used a coconut spiced rum)
  • 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (15 oz) can cream of coconut
  • 1 (13.5 oz can) coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
  • cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Continue reading Coquito

Blackberry Orange Margaritas

I’m not going to lie. I’m a bit of a margarita wimp. I prefer my margaritas as fruity as possible. I do have a Grilled Margarita recipe, but my other margarita recipes have pomegranates and blood oranges in them. Yum.

Anywho, I came across this recipe for Blackberry Orange Margaritas in Cooking Light and knew I’d like this one! The original recipe adds spicy serrano tequila, but I decided to keep this one spice-free.

Ingredients:

  •  6 ounces tequila
  • 12 ounces fresh blackberries
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar

Add the blackberries, 1 cup orange juice. 1/2 cup lime juice, and 2 tablespoons agave to a blender and process until smooth.

Strain through a sieve, discarding the solids. Use a spoon to press down on the sieve to strain the liquid.

Stir in the tequila. Divided mixture among 4 ice-filled glasses and serve.

Tangy, slightly sweet, and super refreshing. Exactly what I want in a cocktail!

I love the color of this too. The photos don’t really do it justice. Definitely a statement drink that would be perfect for the next time you’re entertaining. You can also make this ahead of time and pour when ready to serve.

Print
Blackberry-Orange Margaritas

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Calories per serving: 180

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces tequila
  • 12 ounces fresh blackberries
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar

Instructions

  1. Add the blackberries, 1 cup orange juice. 1/2 cup lime juice, and 2 tablespoons agave to a blender and process until smooth.
  2. Strain through a sieve, discarding the solids. Use a spoon to press down on the sieve to strain the liquid.
  3. Stir in the tequila. Divided mixture among 4 ice-filled glasses and serve.
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https://icancookthat.org/2018/08/blackberry-orange-margaritas.html

Old Fashioned Cupcakes

Note: I was sent a Non-Stick Pro 12 Cup Muffin Pan, Silicone Baking Cups, and a Baker’s Decorating Tool from OXO. All opinions are my own.

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m sharing this recipe a bit ahead of time. Every year, OXO donates up to $100,000 to support an organization called Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. The organization was founded by two OXOnians (OXO employees) who were inspired by their son Liam’s battle with pediatric cancer, a disease which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer provides inspiration and support to allow anyone to easily get involved in fundraising to find a cure for pediatric cancer.

To help reach their goal, OXO donates $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for each blogger who posts a recipe to bring awareness, up to their $100,000 commitment. I’ve posted twice a year for the last few years to help bring awareness to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Click here to see some of my past posts.
This year, OXO sent me Silicone Baking Cups, a Non-Stick Pro 12 Cup Muffin Pan, and a Baker’s Decorating Tool to make this post.
Here’s a little about each product:
  • The Non-Stick Pro Muffin Pan (paid link) features a unique micro-textured pattern that ensures even baking and adds structural rigidity. It’s made with a ceramic-reinforced, two-layer, commercial-grade coating that provides ultimate non-stick release and is scratch-, stain-, corrosion- and abrasion-resistant.
  • The BPA-free Baking Cups have handy tabs to help remove them from muffin tins without making a thumbprint, and the inside of each Cup is smooth and non-stick to release your treat easily. With a fill line, your cupcakes will be consistent every time.
  • Our easy-to-use, easy-to-fill Baker’s Decorating Tool is designed to give you complete control while decorating. The unique trigger provides a smooth stream of icing for clean lines, and the comfortable handles ensure a steady grip and protect icing from warm hands.

I wanted to make a new, fun, and different cupcake to try out all of these cool tools. My husband and I are huge fans of Old Fashioned Cocktails, so I decided to turn those flavors into Old Fashioned Cupcakes! Note: the frosting contains alcohol so this is not a kid-friendly recipe.

To bring in the flavors of an Old Fashioned, I made a Vanilla-Orange Cupcake and topped it with Bourbon-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting. To finish it off, I added a maraschino cherry and some orange peel.

Ingredients:

Vanilla-Orange Cupcakes: (adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe)

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • vanilla bean, split and scraped out
  • the zest of 1 navel orange
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeeze orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached All Purpose White Flour)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Bourbon-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • the zest of 1 navel orange

Other ingredients:

  • peels from 1 navel orange
  • 12 maraschino cherries

Continue reading Old Fashioned Cupcakes

Blackberry Gin Fizz

It’s been a little while since I shared a cocktail recipe! I’ve been meaning to make this Blackberry Gin Fizz cocktail since I saw a version of it in the June issue of Cooking Light.

A “fizz” is a cocktail that includes an acidic juice (lemon or lime usually) and carbonated water. Fizzes typically also use egg whites in the recipe to add some extra froth on top.

I absolutely love gin fizzes, they are a perfect warm-weather drink. I used the Cooking Light recipe for a Blackberry Gin Fizz as a starting point, but adapted it slightly.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups fresh blackberries
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • the juice of 2 limes (~2 tablespoons)
  • 10 tablespoon gin, divided
  • 2 large pasteurized egg whites, divided
  • 2 tablespoons half-and-half, divided
  • 1 cup chilled club soda, divided
  • Mint sprigs, optional

Continue reading Blackberry Gin Fizz

Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail

Note: I was sent a Coyote Outdoor Grill to participate in the #CoyoteChallenge. All opinions are mine alone.

I am absolutely loving my Coyote Outdoor Grill; I have been grilling anything and everything I can find! To see some of my other recipes I’ve made using my beloved grill, check them out here. This time, I wanted to branch out and find recipes that you may not necessarily consider making on the grill.

I found this awesome recipe for a Grilled Old Fashioned from Damaris Phillips (Food Network). How does one grill a cocktail? Well, you grill the fruit that goes into it!

I kept to the recipe for the most part, but added in some peaches for extra flavor because my husband loves all things peach and ended up with this recipe for Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail. I also substituted in Rye Whiskey to suit our personal tastes. Feel free to use your favorite bourbon of choice instead.

My friends and I loooooove Old Fashioned’s so I was thrilled to find a new version of our favorite cocktail. I make a mean Fizzy Old Fashioned that is a perfect “punch” for groups of friends; it’s not nearly as strong as a typical Old Fashioned, but the bourbon taste is still very present.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 orange, cut into slices
  • 12 pitted cherries
  • 1 peach, cut into quarter slices, with the stone removed
  • Cooking Spray
  • 5 tablespoons turbinado sugar (such as Sugar in the Raw)
  • 3 dashes bitters
  • 1 (750-ml bottle) rye whiskey (such as Bulleit Rye)
  • 1 liter club soda, cold or  blood orange soda, cold
  • ice

A quick note for my gluten-free friends. Rye whiskey, obviously derived from rye, is gluten-free. The distilling process removes the gluten proteins. So drink away!

Continue reading Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail

Pom Collins Cocktail

It’s that time of year again, East Passyunk Avenue’s “Flavors of the Avenue” is almost here! From noon to 4 pm on Saturday, April 26, the best of East Passyunk’s restaurants will be offering samples of their signature dishes and drinks.

Twenty eight restaurants are participating, including: Belle Cakery, Birra, Brigantessa, Cantina Los Caballitos, Chiarella’s, El Zarape, Fond, Fuel, Garage, Ippolito’s, Izumi, Laurel, Le Virtu, Lucky 13, Mamma Maria Ristorante, Marra’s, Ms Goody Cupcake, Noir, Noord, Palladino’s, Paradiso, Plenty, POPE, Stateside, Stogie Joe’s, Townsend, Tre Scalini and Will BYOB.

General admission for the Food Tent opens at 1pm and includes Skinny Girl wine and Samuel Adams beer. Outside of the tent enjoy a free street festival with live music by We Are Fauna and The Drive-Ins, vendors and the April Showers craft show at the Fountain hosted by Crafty Balboa.

 

Tickets are $30 for General Admission but are going fast, so be sure to pick up your tickets ASAP! VIP tickets are actually already sold out!

 

I attended a media night to sample some of the offerings and am so excited for the main event. I attended the actual event last year and it did not disappoint! I have a review of some of the samples I had during the media event but also wanted to share my version of a drink recipe that was served by Stateside called a Pom Collins cocktail – a spin on a Tom Collins with pomegranate juice. Unfortunately this delicious drink will not be served at Flavors of the Avenue … you’ll have to stop by Stateside after to enjoy it!

Pom Collins Cocktail:

  • 2 oz gin
  • 1 oz pomegranate juice
  • Juice from 1/2 a lemon
  • 1.5 tablespoons basil simple syrup (recipe below)
  • 2 oz club soda
  • ice
  • basil, for garnish

Basil Simple Syrup:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil

Continue reading Pom Collins Cocktail

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