LAZY RITA



Don't let the man with the knife scare you, he's making tacos!



LAZY RITA

Margarita Mix (I used Mr. and Mrs. T)

Tequila

The LAZY RITA cocktail’s name was made up by yours truly, but the kudos for the concoction go to Mr. and Mrs. T. Whoever this couple is, they know how to make a damn good margarita mix. Ever crave a margarita? I rarely do and in fact, have had issues with tequila in the past (50¢ tequila shot nights in college will stay with you for a lifetime.) But tonight, when my husband said we are having tacos, my mind said “and I’m having a margarita.”

Searching my library of cocktail books, I looked for a creative margarita recipe I could make. I struck out. I had tequila, but little else needed in the way of bar stockings to be creative. And since I had a late night last night and had spent the day taking down the Christmas crap and cleaning, a trip to the liquor store was not happening. Luckily — don’t ask me where it came from — but I had some Mrs. and Mrs. T margarita mix in house. Another day this cocktail year, I’ll make a margarita the puritan way, but for tonight, the mixed worked great.

To make the LAZY RITA, combine 4 oz of a margarita mix with 1 oz of tequila in a shaker, fill it with ice, shake and strain. It was simple and good, not too sour. I am currently on my third and it complimented the tacos perfectly. Many taco nights, I’ve just popped open a beer. But going that extra mile to have a margarita is soo worth it. It gave me that “I’m in a Mexican restaurant” feeling.

A friend of mine who is a tequila connoisseur left some of her good tequila at my house last time she was here, and I think using the good stuff really makes a difference in a drink like this. The tequila is called ESPOLON and it is 100% puro agave from Mexico. The bottle has some real cool skeleton art on it too and the more ESPOLON you drink, the cooler it looks. I’m betting it is not the same tequila they used at those 50¢ tequila shot nights- thank God!

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

JALOUSIE PLANTATION’S PASSION HONEY SHANDY

JALOUSIE PLANTATION’S PASSION HONEY SHANDY

2-3 ounce lager beer

2 oz. vodka

3 oz. passionfruit juice (I used VS Splash tropical blend)

½ oz fresh lime juice

½ tsp. honey

Mint leaves garnish

The idea of combining vodka, beer, juice and honey intrigued me the moment my buddy Danny forwarded me the recipe a few days ago. So much so, that I just couldn’t wait any longer to try it. The JALOUSIE PLANTATION’S PASSION HONEY SHANDY is a signature drink of the Jalousie Plantation in St. Lucia in the Bahamas. I checked it out online and it looks like a slice of heaven. Unfortunately, this drink is probably the closest I’ll ever get to going there. So I planned on enjoying a mini “mindcation” if you will as I sipped a PASSION HONEY SHANDY with my honey.

But the mindcation didn’t start out smoothly. I couldn’t find any passionfruit in the juice aisle at the grocery store. After a quick browse of the web on my phone, I saw that passionfruit tastes like banana and vanilla. Hey, V8 Splash tropical blend was the closest I could find! Apparently, passionfruit is indigenous to tropical regions, so I doubt they have the same problem in St. Lucia.

To make the PASSION HONEY SHANDY, take the closest juice you can find to passionfruit and mix it in a shaker with larger beer — I used Sam Adams — vodka, and lime juice using the measurements above. Then add a touch of honey. Fill the shaker with ice and shake away, while hearing calypso music in your head. Strain, serve over ice, and garnish with a mint leaf or two.

So how did Danny’s drink taste? If you drank shandy beer over the summer- you’ll like it. It definitely made me think of a tropical island and since today was a 50 degree day in January in Cleveland — it fit my mood well. I didn’t really taste the beer or the vodka. The juices kinda cover them both. But I think my head will feel like I’ve drunk something more than just juice. Definitely a resort drink and a summer drink. Try it and have your own little mindcation.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE

 

The Drink

 

The Prince

 

BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE

1 measure cognac

½ measure Drambuie

1 measure lemon juice

Bonnie Prince Charlie was a 16^th Century Scottish Prince. He was very loyal to Scotland and a little crazy. In 1745, he tried to win the throne of England for his father, George II. Young Bonnie Prince Charlie failed miserably in a battle for London known as the heroic Jacobite Rebellion among the Scottish. The English call it the 40-minute defeat. But the Scottish love Prince Charlie for trying and statues of him dot the land.

After the crushing loss, Prince Charlie had to hide out for five months while he was a hunted man. Rumor has it that he masqueraded as a lady named Betty Burke. From what I can gather, Bonnie Prince Charlie was special. And so is this drink.

BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE the cocktail is another simple, three-ingredient drink. To make it, combine the three ingredients above into a shaker, fill with ice, shake and strain into a glass. I chose the balloon glass shown, because I felt it was the most regal-looking. A little lemon slice topped it off nicely, but I really have to learn how to make those cool twist-thingys.

The specialness of the BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE cocktail is in the lemon juice. The juice nicely compliments the cognac and Drambuie, and makes the drinking of them enjoyable. Yet, it is the Drambuie – a product of Scotland - that gives the drink its name. Drambuie is a secret recipe that combines herbs, spices, honey and scotch whiskies. It was supposedly Prince Charlie’s secret recipe, but I have my doubts. It is a popular ingredient of many cocktails and is easy to find in the liquor store.

Though this is a good sipping cocktail, I suggest taking less time to drink the BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE than it took for the prince to run away in defeat. It is best cold. I enjoyed it, but the lemon flavor was too strong for more than one, not to mention the strength of the other two elements. Gotta stay sane so I don’t try to take over Cleveland.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

GRAPEFRUIT COCKTAIL



Yes, my Christmas tree is still up.



GRAPEFRUIT COCKTAIL

1 ½ measure gin

1 measure grapefruit juice

¼ measure (1 tsp) maraschino cherry juice

At first sip, the GRAPEFRUIT COCKTAIL made me feel like Snoop Dogg. Yep, felt like a rapper sitting wayyy back in my Cadillac sippin’ on gin and juice, pause, pause, pause, with my mind on my money and my money on my mind.

But wait, the GRAPEFRUIT COCKTAIL is more than just gin and juice. It also has the power of the maraschino cherry. Cherries are one of nature’s best inventions. They are small and sweet. They have antioxidants and are considered a “super fruit.” A cherry is something every young man is looking to pop, and something every woman dreams of be fed from a dark-haired, broad-chested, six-pack-sporting gentleman who delicately places each cherry on her tongue as he tells her how pretty she is.

See how cherries can transform a gin and juice from rapper to gentleman? That’s what happens with a GRAPEFRUIT COCKTAIL. To make the cocktail, combine the ingredients above in a shaker, fill with ice and shake away. Then strain your cocktail into a martini glass and enjoy. It’s quick, simple and pretty good. It’s not very exciting or adventurous, but sometimes simple is good, especially with everything on our minds and all- Laid Back.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

BORDEAUX COCKTAIL

BORDEAUX COCKTAIL

2 measures red Bordeaux

1 measure cognac

¾ measure crème de cassis

One of my goals for this experiment was to learn to love brown liquors like cognac. The BORDEAUX COCKTAIL is a good start towards reaching that goal. I really liked it, and my brown-liquor loving husband liked it so much that he had two. The cognac was barely noticeable to me, even though I don’t think I’ve ever partaken of a whole drink with cognac before. The BORDEAUX COCKTAIL tasted more like red wine with a bit of a kick. And though the drink was chilled, it warmed me to my core. As you can see, it also made my snowman melt.

To make the BORDEAUX COCKTAIL, you’ll need the three simple ingredients listed above, along with a pitcher, a stirrer and ice. Not just any red wine can be used, it must be a Bordeaux. The Bordeaux I used wasn’t expensive (Hello Costco), but the drink was still very yummy. If a more expensive brand was used, it would probably be even better. The cognac I used was of a medium quality and also worked well. The crème de cassis was a bit of a pain to find in the liquor store, but the owner and I eventually tracked it down. It wasn’t near the other crème liquors, but instead was in the same section as MD 20/20, taking me back to my high school days. Crème de cassis is a blackcurrant liqueur and it really makes the blackcurrant in the Bordeaux wine come alive.

So after you’ve hunted down your ingredients, use the measures provided (double, triple, or quadruple accordingly, for each recipe is only for one drink) and pour them into a pitcher. I used my jigger to measure the Bordeaux and cognac, then added 3 teaspoons of the crème de cassis. You then add a handful of ice to the pitcher and stir. This particular cocktail is stirred, not shaken, so don’t mess with the recipe. After stirring, strain the mixture into a large wine glass as shown and enjoy.

The BORDEAUX COCKTAIL looks likes an ordinary glass of red wine, but, oh, it is so much more…..

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

THE PERFECT COCKTAIL

PERFECT COCKTAIL

1 measure gin

1 measure dry vermouth

1 measure sweet red vermouth

A quality cocktail? Yes. A unique cocktail? Yes. A strong cocktail? Yes. But a perfect cocktail? No. I picked this cocktail because of the name, but I will still be searching for my own version of the perfect cocktail. Thank God I have another 364 days to find it!

To make the PERFECT COCKTAIL and many of the other cocktails I’ll be reviewing this year, you’ll need two basic pieces of bartending equipment — a shaker and a jigger. A classic shaker is made of metal and holds enough for two drinks. I always had many trials and tribulations getting the top off of a shaker when it was frozen shut, so I found a shaker at Dean Supply (3500 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland) that I just love. You can see it in the picture above. It is clear glass and has a screw top. No more struggling to get the shaker lid off! Cocktailing must be as stress free as possible.

The measure or jigger is also a very important part of stress-free cocktailing. It is a single-piece, double-sided cup, and is also usually metal. The jigger’s larger-sized cup equals one measure and the smaller side equals a half measure. I’ll most often reference measures in the recipes. If you don’t have a measure, the following will be helpful to you:

1 measure = 1 ½ tablespoons

¾ measure = 3 teaspoons

½ measure = 2 teaspoons

¼ measure = 1 teaspoon

1 dash = a pinch, a splash, a drop, and sometimes a smidgen

To make the PERFECT COCKTAIL, just mix the ingredients above using the measures provided. I wanted to make two, so I doubled the measurements, putting the gin and the two types of vermouth into a shaker. Then I filled the shaker with ice and, well, shook it. Then I poured and my husband stuck the grapefruit slices on there- don't ask me why. We both drank up and I liked it better than him, which is amazing, because he is more of a martini drinker than me.

I could easily sip a PERFECT COCKTAIL every now and then, and think it is a good use of gin. But it is also too strong for my taste. I would recommend adding ice, though that is not what the cocktail book recommends. If you are a gin lover, give it a try. I’m trying to become a gin lover, but this drink didn’t help.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

SKI LIFT

SKI LIFT

1 measure peach schnapps

½ measure Malibu

Hot chocolate

Whipped Cream

Cinnamon

Happy New Year Everyone!  To start off 2012, I chose a cocktail called the SKI LIFT. As you can see, it is a hot chocolate drink and it is very yummy! You just make hot chocolate, then measure and add Malibu Caribbean rum and peach schnapps, and top with whipped cream and cinnamon. Not just any rum can be used.  It must be Malibu, which is rum combined with a type of exotic fruit. Originally, there was only coconut Malibu, but now there are many choices. For the SKI LIFT, I chose mango-flavored and the fruit, alcohol and chocolate mixed great together. As you can see, to get the full cocktail experience, I drank my SKI LIFT on a ski lift at Holiday Valley in New York.  I spent the weekend on a ski trip with my family and friends, and the SKI LIFT cocktail was soo good that I was almost able to forget about the lack of snow on the ground. We skied and had a great time, but the hill was hurtin' for certain for snow.

But when there is no snow at Holiday Valley, there is the casino. And the Seneca Allegany casino was kind to Cocktail Connie.  I walked in with $20 and walked out with $1,800!! Great start of the year. I maybe gamble two or three times a year, so it was really incredible to win like that. I won $1,600 on a slot machine and another $200 in video poker at the bar. Great, heart-pounding feeling to win. My only advice to slot players is to play "max bet." It is the only way to get max winnings.

Screaming "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!" I took my money and ran out that fake-gold plated casino door as soon as I could drag my husband away for the craps table. As I've told friends about my plans to drink a different cocktail everyday in 2012, many have told me how very expensive this little experiment is going to be. Well, that is no longer a worry. I have in front of me an envelope with 14 one hundred dollar bills. I had to placate the husband and give him $400 to buy some telemark skis he's been eyeballing, but the rest is purely for cocktail supplies. The place I like to buy my provisions is called Golden Gate Beverage on Mayfield Rd. in Mayfield Hts., Ohio. The owner is great and they have everything any well-stocked bar owner needs. The only problem is that they only accept cash. Problem no more! The envelope will also give me a great way to keep track of what I'm spending and to report this information to you.

Do yourself a favor, whether you are a skier or not, and warm yourself up with a SKI LIFT some day this winter. You won't regret it. Tomorrow's cocktail is called the PERFECT COCKTAIL. And since many of us have off work, it will already be a perfect day.

Drink Up^
Cocktail Connie