KICKSTART COCKTAIL

THE KICKSTART

1 measure Bacardi 151 Rum

½ measure wild strawberry liqueur

½ measure Orange Curacao

1 can Red Bull (8.4 ounces)

The KICKSTART cocktail is a Hubby invention. As always, necessity is the mother of invention and when Hubby went to make himself an RBV (Red Bull and vodka) tonight, he found that we were out of vodka. He's one of those crazy people who gets up at 5:30 am, so whenever we are when going out on a weekend night, a little Red Bull helps. Hence, the KICKSTART, made from Red Bull and other various ingredients found in our well-stocked bar.

To make what he named the KICKSTART cocktail, Hubby put the ingredients listed above into a tall cocktail glass, added lots of ice, stirred and garnished with a slice of lemon. Like an RBV, Red Bull is the dominant flavor in this cocktail. But the strawberry and orange liqueurs add a lovely taste dimension that will make you say “yum” after taking your first sip. The flammable Bacardi 151 adds quite a punch, and ensures that the KICKSTART will both wake you up and get you buzzed. We are heading out to an Italian restaurant for dinner to celebrate my good friend Niki’s birthday, where the focus will be wine. And thanks to the KICKSTART, anyone who got up too early won’t be whining.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

BULLY HILL CHAMPAGNE SPECIAL

BULLY HILL CHAMPAGNE SPECIAL

Welch’s Grape Juice

Champagne

Anyone who has been to Bully Hill winery in the New York Finger Lakes Region knows that it’s a fun place with bad wine. But their champagne is good and their advice even better. When I was there this summer, the wine steward told me about a cocktail that sounded easy to make and delicious. It’s also another “make-ahead” cocktail that is good for those busy times.

I call it the BULLY HILL CHAMPAGNE SPECIAL and to make it you will just need some champagne and classic Welch’s grape juice. Put the grape juice into an ice cube tray and freeze it over night. The next day, pop those puppies out of the tray and put them into a champagne flute. Add champagne, the more expensive the better, and serve.

The BULLY HILL CHAMPAGNE SPECIAL is an interesting twist on champagne. The grape flavor added from the ice cubes, which melt quickly, turn the champagne into a flavorful rosé, and Hubby and I drank ours down in a flash. This cocktail will be a hit with grape lovers and champagne lovers. All others, don't bother.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

MERCURY RISING

MERCURY RISING

1 ½ measure vodka

1 measure orange juice

1 measure mango or tropical juice

½ measure lime juice

Dash of simple syrup

Mint leaf

On this day in 1946, Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the iconic British rock band Queen, and one of the most popular songwriters and performers in the 20^th century, was born in what is now known as Tanzania, Africa. Back then, the small island was known as Zanzibar and Freddie was known as Farrokh Bulsara. Though Freddie was lost to AIDS years ago, his beautifully strong voice lives on in the many great Queen songs. One of my favorites is “You’re My Best Friend.”

I found a new friend in the MERCURY RISING cocktail I drank today in Freddie’s honor. I got the recipe from freddieforaday.com, a non-profit that raises money for AIDS by asking people to dress like Freddie for a day. To make the MERCURY RISING, put the ingredients above, except the mint, into a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake and strain into a martini glass. Top it off with the mint leaf.

Like Freddie, the MERCURY RISING cocktail is flamboyant and powerful. The mint serves a higher purpose than just garnish. It mixes well with the cocktail’s citrus ingredients to make a unique and wonderful combination of flavors that sings in your mouth. The floating leaf makes a dramatic impression as well. I had to use tropical juice in my cocktail, which made it more “orangey.” It would have been better with mango juice. Still, Hubby and I both loved it, and our glasses were empty quicker than you can listen to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I imagine Freddie would have loved it too. And just like one of his songs, the MERCURY RISING cocktail gave me a buzz.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

PARK AVENUE DAR-LING!

PARK AVENUE

1½ measures gin

½ measure cherry brandy

¼ measure maraschino cherry juice

I had to go back to reality today after a long, fun holiday weekend. Luckily, I could use my daily cocktail to escape to Park Avenue in New York City. That is the classy part of midtown Manhattan, where the big corporate skyscrapers reside and a condo will cost you $25 million or more. A PARK AVENUE cocktail will only cost you about $5 to make. You just need gin, cherry brandy and maraschino cherry juice. To make the cocktail, put those three into a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake and strain into a small martini glass.

My initial reaction to the PARK AVENUE cocktail was to “oh” and “ah” at its pretty lilac color. It certainly made a statement and made me feel all “upper East-side” classy as I swirled the mixture in my martini glass. The cocktail’s taste was very potent, and it’s not for someone who doesn’t want to taste their liquor. But it also had a nice, smooth, and subtle flavor as well. It was overflowing with the aroma of cherries from the brandy and juice, and you could barely detect the gin. Make one soon. It will have you singing “Darling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue!”

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

SEA DOG

SEA DOG

1 sugar cube

2 dashes Angostura bitters

1 orange wedge

1lemon wedge

2/3 measure scotch

1 measure Benedictine

2 measures soda water

Labor Day began in 1882 as a way to keep the labor union workers happy, so they wouldn’t go on strike. The first Labor Day picnics included food, speeches, cigars and kegs of beer plastered on every tree. My own 2012 Labor Day celebration included a day off work, a steak dinner with family, toasts, a cigar-smoking Hubby, and the SEA DOG cocktail.

The SEA DOG cocktail was a little time-consuming to make, but the process was also like a fun little science experience. I started by dropping a sugar cube into a short cocktail glass, then adding about two dashes of Angostura bitters. I let the bitters sink in for a minute or two, then put one orange and one lemon slice into the glass and muddled it all together. The sugar dissolved, the juices flowed and I had a perfect base for the scotch and Benedictine. I added those two ingredients next, then topped it off with the soda water, before stirring and serving.

If you are looking for a good summertime scotch drink, you’ll find it in the SEA DOG. The cocktail is light and fruity. The citrus and sugar really comes through, and the scotch is not at all overpowering. If fact, the Benedictine was the stronger tasting alcohol. Benedictine is a cognac-based liqueur made from herbs, roots and sugar. The story goes that French Benedictine monks invented it in the 16th century for medicinal purposes. It is most commonly mixed with brandy, but I really loved it in the SEA DOG. Everyone who had one today agreed that if you are feeling kinda salty, reach for a great-tasting SEA DOG (and take a day off work.)

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie

FOG CUTTER

FOG CUTTER
1 measure rum
1 measure vodka
1/2 measure brandy
2 measures pineapple juice
2 measures tropical blend juice

Day number 247 of my cocktail year and I think today's FOG CUTTER cocktail was the first one I've had that came with a tiny umbrella. When I was a child, my parents use to make my night if they brought one of those umbrellas home for me from a night out.

Since it's a holiday weekend, I had today's cocktail before noon. I was at Li Wah chinese restaurant in downtown Cleveland enjoying Dim Sum with some good friends. To make the FOG CUTTER, the bartender just put the ingredients above into a fake bamboo glass, added ice, stirred, and garnished with slices of pineapple, a cherry and, of course, the umbrella.

The FOG CUTTER will clear your head of negative thoughts as you guzzle the tall, delicious drink down, but by the time the drink is done, you'll be in another fog. With three types of alcohol, it is strong, but also very good. The cocktail took a ride on the lazy susan in the middle of the table, and as everyone took a sip, the most common reactions were "Wow" and "I like it." When you want to get your tiki on, go for a FOG CUTTER and stay on course.

Drink Up^
Cocktail Connie

SAINT ANNE

THE SAINT ANNE

8 mint leaves

1 ounce lemon juice

2 ounces gin

1 ounce St. Germain

Dash sugar syrup

Anne is a great name. My grandmother was named Anne, my dog is named Annie, I have a good friend named Ann, and now I have a great-niece named Anne, and boy is she a cutie. She was born in Chicago about three months ago and traveled to Cleveland today for a baby shower, where I was serving SAINT ANNE cocktails.

To make the SAINT ANNE, I put mint leaves and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker and muddled them together. I then added the gin and St. Germain, along with a dash of sugar syrup, and lots of ice. I shook it up and strained it into a glass with ice, garnishing with a sprig of mint.

The SAINT ANNE was a pretty drink, full of refreshing minty and lemony flavors. It had complex undertones and flowery overtones, most likely from the St. Germain elderflower liqueur. The cocktail was both refreshing and sour, lovely and powerful. I certainly had no complaints from the crowd, and a request or two for seconds. Saint Anne the woman was the mother of the Virgin Mary. A very spiritual woman, she is the patron saint of mothers, making the SAINT ANNE the perfect baby shower cocktail. But you don’t need that excuse to have one.

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie