Margarita Christina

Here is another recipe that I have thought that I had already posted at least a dozen times, only to find that I hadn't.  Seize the day -- Here is it!

This weekend, my friends and I celebrated a big birthday for our friend Christina down in Newport, RI.  To kick off the evening, I brought margaritas.  My thoughts on margaritas -- there are ok margaritas, there are bad margaritas, there are VERY BAD margaritas, and then there are REALLY GOOD margaritas.  My favorite has long been the ones from Acapulcos -- cadillac margaritas; but I have always wanted to be able to make one for myself.  Most recipes I have seen generally call for the premixed margarita mix or a sweet and sour mix.  To me, those fall somewhere between the bad and the VERY BAD of margaritas.  And then margarita nirvana was bestowed upon me by my friend Stephanie, who contributes articles to the "Miami Examiner", about 18 months ago.  This article marked the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, in the middle of September, and to announce a special margarita created to commemorate the occasion -- the Margarita Francesca.  To commemorate our own special occasion, I renamed it in honor of my friend's birthday -- the Margarita Christina.

Happy Birthday Christina... and THANK YOU STEPHANIE!!!!!!

• 1.5 oz. triple sec(In full disclosure, the recipe originally calls for Grand Marnier, who co-created this recipe; however, I didn't  have any and triple sec is less expensive, so I used what I had)
• 1 oz. silver tequila
• 1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
• ½ oz. orange juice
• ½ oz. simple syrup

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice
2. Strain into a tall glass with ice and garnish with an orange wheel and lime wedge

Adapted from Miami Examiner article

Cranberry Lime Infused Vodka

Having leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving, Jim and I made two bottles of Cranberry Lime Infused Vodka to become Christmas gifts for our siblings, along with the bottles of Raspberry Lime Infused Vodka we also made.  Jim asked “what would someone use Cranberry Lime Infused Vodka for?” – Ummmmm… COSMOS!!!

In my last entry for the Raspberry Lime Infused Vodka I said I loved martinis.  Why do I love martinis?  I blame my old friend Sherrill.  We had worked together for years, and back in the day, we had a team off-site in Armonk, New York, where we would get together after a day’s worth of meetings at the bar for some drinks.  I had never had a cosmopolitan before, until Sherrill suggested I have one.  By the end of the night, I had had three, not to mention having polished off Sherrill’s last one.  So I blame her for making me love them (I blame her for a lot more, but that’s a whole other story)!  I MISS YOU SHERRILL!

January 2013 Update:  So cranberries seem to be out of season now and no one has them, yet I want this for myself!  Just made a batch using one whole bag of Dole frozen cranberries that I bought at Wegmans (still hard to find), the rind from 3 limes, and 2 Tbsp. of sugar.  I'll be back in two weeks to let you know how it turned out.

• Cranberries
• Shaved rinds of lime, about 1-3 limes 
• 1 ½-2 Tbsp. sugar 
• Vodka
  (I used Three Olives)

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash cranberries and strain dry. 
2. Poke small wholes or make a couple slits with a knife in each cranberry.
   (This is time consuming, but it'll help infuse the flavor of the cranberry into the vodka.  I used a lobster pick, and despite accidentally pricking my finger a few times, seeing the vodka turn a cranberry color after only a day makes me think this was well worth it)
3. Place a layer of cranberries, a couple inches tall, in a non-reactive container, followed by a thin layer of the shaved rinds of lime.
   (I used a clear glass bottle with a stopper that I found at Ikea) 
4. Using a funnel, add about 1 ½ Tbsp. of sugar.
   (The original recipe called for “less than 2 Tbsp. of sugar).  Since we won’t get to taste this for 2 weeks to 2 months, I can’t say just yet if we used the right amount… stay tuned!) 
5. Repeat cranberries and lime rinds until you reach the neck of the bottle. 
6. Using the funnel again, pour enough vodka to reach the neck of the bottle, ensuring that all of the fruit is covered. 
7. Close container and shake. 
8. Store in a cool, dark place until ready to use – 2 weeks to 2 months (the longer you leave it, the sweeter the end result will be). 
9. Shake every day or two until the sugar is dissolved.

Adapted from Fancy Napkin blog 

Raspberry Lime Infused Vodka

Martinis are my thing – I love ‘em.  I had been thinking of trying to infuse vodka and went surfing around on Pinterest; at the same time, my friend Lora had mentioned making a fabulous raspberry martini.  I thought it would be cool to try to make Raspberry Lime Infused Vodka, kind of along the lines of a Raspberry Lime Rickey, but with vodka.  Sounded scrumptious.  Jim and I made two bottles to give as gifts to our siblings for Christmas.  I think in about 1 to 3 months time, we are going to have to go visit whichever brother or sister gets this and have a drink!

• 1 large container of fresh raspberries
• Shaved rinds of lime, about 1-2 limes
• ½ cup sugar
• Vodka
  (I used Three Olives)

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash raspberries and pat dry.
2. Place a layer of raspberries, a couple inches tall, in a non-reactive container, followed by a thin layer of the shaved rinds of lime.
   (I used a clear glass bottle with a stopper that I found at Ikea)
3. Using a funnel, add about ½ cup of sugar.
   (The original recipe called for 1 ¾ cups of sugar, which seemed like an extreme amount of sugar.  Since we won’t get to taste this for 1-3 months, I can’t say just yet if we made the right decision to cut the amount of sugar)
4. Repeat raspberries and lime rinds until you reach the neck of the bottle.
5. Using the funnel again, pour enough vodka to reach the neck of the bottle, ensuring that all of the fruit is covered.
6. Close container and shake.
7. Store in a cool, dark place until ready to use – 1-3 months.
8. Shake every day until the sugar is dissolved. 

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Weddings website

Hurricane Sandy

Trick or Treat!  Or if you are on the Circle... TRICK OR DRINK!
I had originally intended to make something else, but after we had Hurricane Sandy sweep through the Northeast earlier this week, and one of my friends from high school posted on Facebook a "Hurricane" drink, I decided to make a "Hurricane Sandy" for my trick or drink offering.  So thank you Elaine for posting the recipe, and thank you to the Circle for another great Halloween!

• 1 oz. vodka
• ¼ oz. grenadine syrup
• 1 oz. gin
• 1 oz. light rum
• ½ oz. 151 rum
• 1 oz. amaretto almond liqueur
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 2 oz. grapefruit juice
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• Diet Sprite (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour all but the juices, in order listed, into a hurricane glass, three-quarters filled with ice.
2. Fill with equal parts of grapefruit and pineapple juices, approximately 2 oz. each.
3. If drink is too strong, add Diet Sprite (or Sprite, or Fresca).

Mai Tai

About a month ago, Jimmy and I went to Fusion Cuisine for dinner, where I got a Mai Tai to drink.  Getting Mai Tai's at Chinese restaurants has always been one of those special things that I never thought I would be able to make for myself at home.  Thinking that set me on a mission to give it a try.  I found a recipe on allrecipes.com and gave it a try tonight.  I was shocked that it actually tasted like one I would get at a restaurant.  Pretty dang good for my first try!

• ½ cup light rum
• ¼ cup dark rum
• ¼ cup 151 proof rum
• ¼ cup triple sec
• ¼ cup amaretto
• ¼ cup simple syrup
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 cups orange juice
• Splash of grenadine*

Mix all ingredients together and shake.  Serve over ice.

Yields about 6-8 servings

*  The original recipe on allrecipes.com says not to use grenadine, but I just added a quick splash to give the same color/flavor of what I'm used to having when I go out.

Mango Margaritas

Mexican themed Family Game Night needed a Mexican themed drink.  A couple weeks ago, we were all shopping at BJ's and Catherine wanted to try mango.  Well, you know shopping at BJ's... you don't leave with just one mango -- you come out with a package of 6 huge mangoes.  Not surprising, I'm not sure how much Catherine really managed to eat, but I remember that I gave at least 2 or 3 to LaDawna, and I think we cut up at least 1.  Looking in the fruit drawer, there were still 2 remaining.  I had asked my friends "what to do with mango?", hoping to get ideas.  My friend, Cindi, came up with the awesome idea of Mango Margaritas, and gave me her recipe.  For our game night of 6 people, I quadrupled this recipe, and had a little leftover for me to enjoy tomorrow.  Muy delicioso!

• 1¼ oz. silver tequila  (Oops!  I think I actually used white)
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 1½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 oz. simple syrup  (See instructions below)
• ¾ cup partially frozen mango, unsweetened  (Jim actually added a little of the tequila before he put in the freezer)

DIRECTIONS

1. Make simple syrup -- In a small saucepan, boil 1 part water.  Dissolve 2 parts sugar into the boiling water, stirring constantly.  Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat.  Allow to cool completely and thicken.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into hurricane-style glasses.

Glass Jaw

This is an "everything but the kitchen sink" drink. Nick gave me this concoction as a "knock you on your a$$" kind of drink. I am modifying the whiskey to be only a half-ounce because I like a little taste of it, but not too strong.

Mix and serve in a tumbler:

• 2 oz. coconut rum
• 1 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. tequila
• ½ oz. whiskey
• Orange juice and ice to taste

Bourbon Slush

This delicious concoction comes from Nick's Uncle Bob. It brings back memories of summer vacations in Wells, Maine. Although Halloween is not a summery time of year for a nice slush, I ended up pulling out this recipe for our contribution to the Sherborne Circle Halloween of 2010 Trick or Drinking exchange. I got many compliments, mostly from the dads of the neighborhood. I'll have to remember to make this again next summer, when it's not so chilly out.

• 2 cups boiling water
• 4 tea bags
• 1 12-oz. can of frozen lemonade
• 1 6-oz. can of frozen orange juice
• 7 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ cups bourbon (12 oz.)

Directions
Steep 4 tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water until cool, and then remove the tea bags.
In a sealable tupperware container, mix together remaining ingredients with the tea water.
Freeze covered, stirring occasionally, as you remember.