Cocktail recipe: Blueberry infused vodka and lemonade

Chicago is almost at summer temps. Today was 90 degrees! Tomorrow will be 70, which is more my style. However, one good thing about hot, hot temperatures now- we have a grill!! That's right, instead of heating up our whole apartment with cooking we can take it outside. So, we invited a friend over for some turkey burgers and I made a special cocktail for the occasion- blueberry infused vodka and lemonade.

Keith got me this nifty gift that will allow you to infuse any liquid with any fruit/herb. We have made some pretty delicious combos- my favorite was blood orange blueberry and tangerine lavender. This time I went for simple, just good old blueberries.

First rinse the blueberries, then take a small handful and put it into the bottom of the infuser.

After that put the lid on, by put on the lid you actually grind up the fruit and make it into a juice.

Attached the bottom to the top of the infuser, and pour in your choice of beverage. This time we picked vodka. You can use anything though- lemonade, wine, water, etc.

Next step is Keith's favorite- SHAKE IT

After making sure it's good and mixed (about three minutes) Put it in the fridge for an hour minimum. We mixed it with some freshly squeezed lemonade I happened to pick up at the grocery store and there you have it, a fresh cocktail for a hot summer day.

It comes out a bit more pink that you would think, but that's just the blueberry juices mixed with the yellow lemonade. Go figure. Anyway, stay cool out there, drink responsibly and happy summer!!!

Vintage Cocktail Recipe: the Moscow Mule

Have you ever had a Moscow Mule? It is delicious and pretty easy to make. However, having it in a copper mug adds a degree of deliciousness, so I would recommend buying a pair.

To make a Moscow Mule you need:

• 2 ounce of vodka
• 8 ounces of ginger beer (this is a soda, not an alcoholic beer)
• 1 tsp of simple syrup
• 2 ounces of lime juice
• ice
• mint and lime to garnish

Put ice in the copper mug and pour vodka in first. Next put in the lime juice and simple syrup. Lastly top off with ginger beer.
Delicious!

Enjoy and drink responsibly. 

Recipe: Chocolate Mint Martini

Last night, I was in the mood to make a cocktail. Although, recently I have decided to give up booze for a bit, I decided to make one for Keith. I pounded over all of our choices- we have a pretty well stocked bar, but not as many mixers. So I evaluated what we had and decided for a pretty easy- but strong- drink called the chocolate mint martini. I also topped it off with a thin mint cookie, which we are slowly eating all of the cookies in our household and will not be replacing them. (ugh, time to lose weight!) 

Here is my recipe for this easy cocktail:

• 1/2 ounce of creme de menthe
• 1/2 ounce of creme de cacao 
• 1 ounce vodka

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice for over 15 seconds. Strain and pour into a martini glass (or cocktail glass in our case) Serve. Enjoy responsibly.

I hope you like this cocktail and are looking forward to more blog posts. There are good things in the works, including a room renovation and recipes I want to share.

Have a great weekend!

Hemingway Cocktail

Last year, around this time I read my first Hemingway book, A Moveable Feast. I feel in love instantly and couldn't put it down. His words were amazing and I wanted to be there to experience Paris in the 1920s. It was such a glorious book, I would say it change my life even for that brief little period. I talked about it constantly, I wanted to live it, etc etc. But, alas I have put off reading more Hemingway in case I didn't like it as much. 

Since I read that book, I have had a soft spot for Hemingway. I defended his honor in discussions of good authors a few time, but I felt bad because I only had the one book to basis on and of course what you hear. So, here it is, I cave. I'm reading another Hemingway starting tonight.

In honor of this, I present you with a delicious Daiquiri, especially made for Mr. Hemingway. This recipe can vary, but this is the one I really like. 

• 1 ounce of white rum 
• 1/4 ounce of maraschino liqueur
• 1/2 ounce of grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed is best!)
• 3/4 ounce of simple syrup
• 3/4 ounce of fresh lime juice

Shake all ingredients and strain into a cocktail glass. I put a cherry in there for good measure too. 

 

This drink is very tasty. drink responsibly. 

and seriously, do yourself a favor and read A Moveable Feast. 

Travel bug and tea cocktail recipe

Recently, I have been feeling the urge to travel. It's getting bad enough that I am daydreaming and planning these trips that we can't really afford to go on  right now. You know, a whirlwind four week vacation around the UK and Ireland. Not going to happen any time soon. I suppose it's because I have been reflecting a lot about my 20s, with a "big" birthday less then a week away. One of the highlights was my bout in Scotland. I adored it and now I want to go back and see more of the UK, and especially Scotland. And I want to go back with Keith.

I started drinking tea while I worked at a museum there. It was a nice way to stop what I was doing and take a quick break with some co-workers. So, I got to love black tea with cream and some sugar. Since leaving, I only drink black tea now- nothing added. I drink tea everyday, and I just adore it so much. The other day, I wanted some tea with an extra kick- so I tried this recipe. and man, did it not disappoint.

I give you: The Tea Cocktail

First things first- cut up about 5-7 strawberries and put them in a mason jar. Add one cup of vodka and give it a quick shake. Add a teabag into the strawberries and vodka- any flavor. I used black tea one time, and the next time I used cinnamon and vanilla black tea and it was delicious.  Let this steep for about an hour. 

Once that hour is almost up, start juicing some lemons to make freshly squeezed lemon juice. You need one cup, which turned out to be 2.5 lemons, although that might vary. Pour the one cup of lemonade into a pitcher and add 1/4 cup of sugar to sweeten. Stir.

After the hour of brewing, remove tea bag and throw away. Then pour the vodka/tea/strawberry mixture into the pitcher with lemon juice and sugar. Stir to mix everything up. Pour over ice and then add seltzer water to top off the drink. This mixture should make four cups.

This drink is good. Very refreshing. The tea is very tasty and perfect for a tea lover. But it is a bit strong, just remember to drink responsibly.

Happy making!

Welcome 2014! (And a drink recipe)

I am excited for 2014. I feel like it's going to be a good year. One full of possibilities and changes for the better. I am still confirming my resolutions, so I haven't been able to start any. However, I have decided I need to read over 15 books this year and write at least 200 pages of anything. I need to get my creativity back. 

Anyway, Keith and I rang in the New Years very low key. We watched movies and hung out on the couch. It was kind of really fun. Keith and I decided to have a dinner of appetizers and we made several different kinds of drinks. We decided on several "vintage" cocktails, including the Pink Lady. The Pink Lady has been around for awhile. During Prohibition (1920-1933) it was already well known. Traditionally, pink lady is made with egg whites, however I found a recipe that didn't use it.

Here is the recipe we used:

• 1 and 1/2 ounces of gin
• 1/4 ounce of grenadine
• 3/4 ounce simple syrup
• 1 ounce heavy cream
• Shaker of ice

 

Pour one shot glass of heavy cream in the shaker with ice. 

After rinsing out the shot glass, pour a full shot of gin, then half a shot. Add to the shaker

Keith measured out ounces using my teaspoons. To get 1/4 ounce I used 1 and a half teaspoons of grenadine. 

 Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. 

 

Enjoy! But be careful these are tasty and kind of strong. Also, its a cream drink which can be heavier then other cocktails. As always, drink responsibly. 

I hope 2014 is great for everyone and you visit back here often. We will have more posts in the up coming year! Hooray!