On the Rocks: Baptist Punch.

Today’s drink is Baptist Punch which is hilarious for two reasons.

1. Because of the region of the country I’m currently living in.
2. I haven’t had Everclear since college.

But besides that, Everclear’s nondetectable characteristics is one reason it’s called Baptist Punch. This way no one knows that you’ve been drinking. Awesome. And I love this photo – I want that punch bowl, or vase, or whatever it is!

Ingredients:
– 1 part cranberry juice
– 2 part orange juice
– 1 part pineapple juice
– Everclear (no exact measurements are given, just use at your discretion!)

:: image and cocktail via yumsugar and her neighbor

2

On the Rocks: Grape Spritzer.

Grape spritzer is a little more frou-frou and sweet than I usually go with for a drink. But the lavender color really caught my eye and the more I thought about it, the better it began to sound.

Ingredients:
– 1 two liter bottle grape dry
– 3 cups quality champagne
– 6 cups ice

Garnish: Black seedless grapes cut into slices

Tip: Add a bit of cranberry juice for a tart and fruity splash of flavor.

:: image and cocktail via Matthew Mead

0

Beringer Vineyard.

The new TV spot from Beringer Vineyards really caught my eye over the weekend. It almost reminds me of clay-mation except executed with plain old white paper. Makes me want to experiment with some stop action. Check it out here.

0

Blossa Glogg.

Blossa Glogg (aka vintage mulled wine) launches an annual edition every holiday season with a new flavor and bottle design.The brilliant minds at BVD came up with a fantastic solution to make the product both highly collected and covetable: keep the bottle shape the same while changing up the type and colors to reflect the year’s design and flavor. Apparently Blossa has had some excellent results – the past two years it sold out in the first two weeks.

:: via Old Glutton

0

On the Rocks: Dolce Delight.

I’m looking forward to trying out the Dolce Delight. It seems like a paired down glass of sangria. And I love red wine during the winter months more than any other time of year.

Ingredients:
– half a lime
– 2 1/2 tsp sugar
– 3 oz Ecco Domani Merlot
Garnish: lime spiral

Muddle half a lime with sugar until all the juice is extracted. Add Merlot and shake with ice. Strain into a lowball glass. Garnish with a lime spiral.

:: image and cocktail via Cocktail Times

6

On the Rocks: Pomegranate Toddy.


The pomegranate toddy is a perfect drink for the post-Turkey Dinner triptophane-induced slugfest that is Thanksgiving night.

Ingredients:
– 3 oz brandy
– 1 1/2 oz Pama pomegranate liqueur (or substitute with 2 oz pomegranate juice and 1/4 oz simple syrup)
– 3 oz Darjeeling tea with cloven
Garnish: cinnamon stick and orange peel

Brew tea first. In an Irish coffee mug, pour brandy and pomegranate liqueur. Pour hot tea and stir. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange peel.

:: via Cocktail Times

3

sake2me.

Sake is not to be taken lightly and can quite literally knock you off your feet. It’s been known to happen to a “friend” of mine after a few shots of the good stuff. One thing sake is not, in my opinion, is tasty. I’m thinking that if anything is going to change my mind it’s going to be sake2me. Made with premium Japanese sake and sweetened with pure cane sugar, it comes in Yuzu, Asian Pear, Ginger Mango and Green Tea flavors. Oh yeah, and the packaging is cool. Just enough Asian-influence to keep it fresh and modern without taking it to that ugly place called Overboard.

0

On the Rocks: 1621.

The 1621 looks like a great Get Ready for Thanksgiving drink, so rather than waiting until next Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve) I thought I’d give you all a week to try it out. The sugar cube is a nice touch.

Ingredients:
– 1 part apple brandy
– 1 part apple juice
– 2 dashes blood orange bitters
– Ice
– 1 sugar cube
– 3 parts chilled Prosecco

Combine apple brandy, apple juice, and bitters in a cocktail shaker and top with ice; shake vigorously (about 20 times). Place sugar cube in the bottom of a chilled champagne flute, strain brandy mixture into the glass, and top with Prosecco. Serve.

:: photo and recipe via CHOW

0

Bitch.

I had an amazing birthday weekend despite the very un-fun cold I was hosting. One of my very favorite gifts was the bottle of Bitch Grenache wine my best friend Linnzi surprised me with. The wine more or less named itself: the grapes are a bitch to grow for the winemakers at R Winery. Among design-y type things I adore are wine labels, and this one is incredibly simple and light-hearted (the ingredients are bitch, bitch, bitch, etc). Definitely girly and a great birthday present. (Thanks L-Dawg!)

6

On the Rocks: Paloma.

The Paloma is similiar to a carbonated margarita – who wouldn’t love that? A bit summery, I know, but I couldn’t resist.

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 ounces 100 percent agave reposado tequila
– Juice of 1/2 medium lime
– Grapefruit-flavored soda (such as Squirt or Fresca)

Fill an 8-ounce glass with ice, add tequila and lime juice, and top off with soda.

:: photo and recipe via CHOW

0