Wine That Loves doesn’t only come in a great package, it comes with a great idea. These wines have been expertly designed for the foods you love by sommelier Ralph Hersom. The people behind the brand believe that the pleasure that comes from wine and food paired right should not be so hard to find. You don’t have to be at a restaurant and it doesn’t have to be a crap shoot any longer. I love that the bottle design really gets that across with simple, well thought out communication.
The poison-du-jour this Wednesday is the Spiced Apple Martini. Mainly because it’s about 15º outside and I can rationalize its relationship to apple cider in my head.
Ingredients: – 2 1/2 oz 10 Cane Rum – 2 oz apple juice – splash of amaretto – 2 pinches ground cinnamon – cinnamon/sugar mixture
Garnish: cinnamon stick
In a mixing glass, add rum, apple juice, Amaretto, ground cinnamon and ices cubes. Shake vigorously and strain into a superfine sugar and ground cinnamon rimmed chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick.
It’s Wednesday already and you know what that means! This week’s cocktail is the Global Warmer. Wouldn’t it be great if all we had to do was drink these to save the planet? Yum.
Ingredients: – 6 mint leaves – 1 1/2 parts Basil Hayden’s bourbon – 1/2 part triple sec – 1 1/2 parts lime sour mix – 1/2 part DeKuyper Tropical Mango
Garnish: mint leaf, lime twist
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. garnish with mint leaf and a lime twist.
I’m sort of fascinated with blood oranges, so a Blood Orange Martini seems right up my alley. And can I mention how yummy they look???
Ingredients: – ¼ cup blood orange juice (about 1 orange) – ¼ cup citrus vodka if you like it mild, ½ cup if you like it stronger – 1 tablespoon simple syrup
Mix all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Pour into a chilled glass and prepare to become addicted.
The New Year’s edition of On the Rocks had to include something featuring a little bubbly. The Lava Lamp looks like a classy way to ring in the new year. You know, if that’s the way you’re looking to do it…
Ingredients: – 6 oz chilled champagne (or sparkling wine) – 1 tbsp Ocean Spray Craisins Sweetened Dried Cranberries – 1/6 oz fresh lemon juice
Pour chilled champagne (or sparkling wine) into a champagne flute. Add sweetened dried cranberries. Let it sit for a moment. Cranberries will begin to slowly float up and down in glass. Serve while chilled.
No worries, you didn’t wake up to an On the Rocks Wednesday. It is, in fact, Friday and for most of us the last day of work before the Big Day. This special time of year always seems to call for a little extra something. And by something I of course mean alcohol. Maybe it’s the mental stress of this glorious season, or the madness of the malls, or even your blessedly loved family. Whatever the case, a drink (or ten) noticeably helps lubricate your social skills and up your tolerance level of just about everything. On that note, I give you the be all and end all of holiday beverages: eggnog. Now grab your Bullwinkle glass and get started!
Ingredients: – 8 large eggs – 4 egg yolks – 1 cup granulated sugar – 5 cups whole milk – 1 1/2 cup dark rum – 1 cup 80 proof Kentucky straight bourbon – 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract – 1/2 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg – 2 cups whipping cream – 2 tbsp superfine sugar
In a mixing bowl, whisk egg,s yolks and granulated sugar until smooth. Pour into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in milk, gradually, blending well with each addition. Heat slowly over very low heat, stirring steadily, until the mixture reaches 160 – 170F on an instant read thermometer. The custard should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you draw your finger across the back of the spoon, the line will remain distinct and the custard sauce is done.
Pour the custard through a fine-meshed sieve into large bowl. Stir in vanilla, rum, bourbon and nutmeg. Let mixture cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least three hours and or up to one day.
Just before serving, whip cream to very soft peaks, beating in, superfine sugar as you go. Gently fold into custard mixture until incorporated. Serve from a chilled punch bowl or ladle into individual martini glasses, garnishing with grated nutmeg if desired.
I have a hard time dealing with Rachael Ray’s constant perkiness and exclamations of “Yummo!”. But when it comes down to it I have to admit that the woman can cook like nobody’s business.
On her site you can check out how to make your very own infused vodkas to give as gifts or stash in the cupboard for yourself. Choose from recipes for coffee, apple vanilla, five-chile and orange ginger vodkas and the recipe gift card templates to print out and attach. If I didn’t have to travel to Pennsylvania for the holidays these babies would definitely be brewing my kitchen and making their rounds. Enjoy.
A coquito is the Puerto Rican equivalent of a really good, creamy eggnog. If eggnog tasted tropical and coconutty that is. Feliz Navidad!
Ingredients: – 2 egg yolks, beaten – 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk – 1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut – 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk – 1/2 cup white rum – 1/2 cup water – 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves – 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In the top of a double boiler, combine egg yolks and evaporated milk. Stirring constantly, cook over lightly simmering water until mixture reaches a temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer mixture to a blender, and add cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, rum, water, cloves, cinnamon, and vanilla. Blend for about 30 seconds. Pour into glass bottles, and chill overnight.
These Raspberry Truffle Martinis look so, so delicious. They’re definitely lined up for some after 5:00 quality time this Hump Day.
