Category: cocktails

Friday Cocktails: The Great Gatsby

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, Recipes6 Comments

Friday Cocktails

Writing this blog is so hard.  I mean, just last night I was sitting in a bar asking the bartender to “Surprise me!” and make me something fun and summery.  All for the sake of this blog.  I know, right?!

I have been wanting to bring you weekly cocktail recipes on Fridays so you can go into your weekend with some fun new ideas.  I absolutely love trying new cocktails.  It’s one of my favorite things to do.  But, it’s challenging to make a new cocktail each week without totally breaking the bank buying all the ingredients.  Orange bitters, Angostura bitters, cointreau, curaçao, simple syrup, not to mention all that actual liquor.  I said as much to my blogging friend and blogging co-conspirator K.C. (her blog Word Savvy is so great) and she recommended I just go out and order the drink.  It’s like the heavens opened up and the angels sang.  The idea was that good.

So back to last night when I asked the bartender to surprise me, and out came something called The Great Gatsby.  Made from three simple ingredients: grapefruit juice, Lillet Blanc, and vodka, it was light and a tad sweet but not overly so.  The flavors were bright thanks to the citrus. It was refreshing and easy to drink after a sweaty round of golf. If you want a sweeter cocktail you could add a few drops of simple syrup or a sugared rim. My bartender served it up in a martini glass, but you could also serve it in a stemless wine glass with ice.

Overall I give it an 8/10 and will probably buy some Lillet Blanc so I can make this easily at home.  It would be a fun alternative to a vodka tonic and just as easy to make. Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 ounce vodka
  • 1 ounce Lillet Blanc
  • 2 1/2 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

METHOD:

Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add vodka, Lillet Blanc, and grapefruit juice. Stir until cold. Strain into ice-filled glass. Garnish with a lemon or lime twist.

So, three cheers for the Great Gatsby!  Happy Weekend!

Cocktails! Prickly Pear Margaritas

Weekend Cocktails! Brandy Old Fashioned

 

 

Cocktails! Prickly Pear Margaritas

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, health, Health and wellness, Recipes3 Comments

We just returned from our spring break vacation in Arizona.  I grew up there and I relished the idea of showing my 11 year old all the things I loved about such a beautiful state. Like this sunset:

 


And this mountain vista: 

And this blooming cactus:


And this sunrise:


And the Grand Canyon:

Are you kidding me?  Where else do you see things like this?  We had the best time traveling from the valley to the Grand Canyon and back again.  We were there eight days and could have been there for weeks and weeks.  But we hit some of the best parts and most important of all, my daughter came back appreciating the same things I do about Arizona.  Like the food (oh my gosh the Mexican food).  And the stunning desert landscapes.  And the way the pine trees up north smell like vanilla.

One thing I brought back from Arizona that my daughter didn’t was a love for Prickly Pear Margaritas (yes it’s in caps. They are that good).  I mean, she’s 11.  Funny story: our first night in Arizona my husband ordered a prickly pear margarita. It came out hot pink.  He was secure enough in his masculinity to enjoy every sip.  Anyway, I procured a bottle of prickly pear syrup so that I could recreate these sensational margaritas (and any other cocktail I deem fit) anytime I wanted.

I think it’s my duty to inform you that in Mexico prickly pear is used widely as an anti-hangover remedy.  It’s also high in vitamin C and is full of anti-inflammatory compounds. A very tiny study seems to show that it might also help lower your LDL (the bad) cholesterol levels. Do with that what you will (I write a wellness blog after all, I think you should know these things).  As always, don’t take my word for it.  Talk to your doctor about this stuff.

Anyway, I think this will be the drink of the summer.


PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITAS

Ingredients:

3 ounces tequila of your choice
1/2 ounce Cointreau
2 ounces lime juice (Or more to taste. I squeezed another wedge of lime in my glass)
2 ounces prickly pear syrup (I like Cheri’s Harvest because it’s all natural and doesn’t use preservatives or artificial colors or flavors)
Margarita salt for garnishing the glass

Method:

Combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and prickly pear syrup in a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Use a wedge of lime to wet the rim of a margarita glass and dip into the margarita salt that you’ve poured onto a plate. Pour margarita into glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Keep an eye out for more prickly pear syrup recipes, because YUM!

 

Weekend Cocktails!

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, Recipes2 Comments


We’ve made it to the weekend, and for that we all deserve a big hearty “CONGRATULATIONS”! Don’t you think?

I’m going out for dinner tonight at a restaurant that is known for its cocktails and live music.  I’m excited because I love trying new cocktails.  It’s one of my favorite things to do.  And since I’m a lightweight and can only drink one (mayyyyyyybe two) I want it to be impactful and delicious.

One of my favorite go-to cocktails is the martini.  I love that there isn’t any ice to water it down if I feel like sipping slowly.  I love sweet and savory martinis all the same, depending on my mood.  And I’m not afraid of unusual or unique flavor combinations, either.

This dry vodka martini is appealing because of the addition of herbs.  It’s spring and that means it’s almost time to plant fresh herbs in the garden. If you’re lucky, like me, you remembered to harvest all the herbs last fall before first frost and put them in the freezer for use throughout the year.

This recipe is insanely easy and elegant.  I hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

  1. ice
  2. 3 ounces vodka (I love Prairie Organic)
  3. dry vermouth
  4. 2 sprigs of fresh lavender or thyme (I think basil would also be quite nice)

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a shaker with ice, mix 3 ounces vodka and a drop of dry vermouth.
  2. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with 2 sprigs of your favorite herb.

 

Super Bowl Cocktails! Spicy Michelada

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, eating, health, Recipes3 Comments

michelada

Nothing says “Super Bowl” like beer, am I right?  I like a good beer. But I’m also a lover of fun cocktails and I really enjoy trying new recipes.  Enter the Michelada.  It’s a sort of like a Bloody Mary made with beer instead of vodka.  For sure it’s an acquired taste.  But we are all adults still figuring stuff out are and willing to try new things, right?

I love spicy cocktails — jalapeños floating in my drinks make me happy.  So I am sharing a recipe for a Spicy Michelada.

The fun thing about this is drinking it at night instead of at brunch, like with a Bloody Mary.  If you think this is crazy, you wouldn’t believe the other things I do to keep my life on the edge.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup kosher salt or margarita salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 limes, juiced (plus extra lime wedges to garnish)
2 cups light Mexican beer
2 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce (Tabasco is a good choice)
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)
Black pepper

METHOD:
1. After you’ve squeezed your limes for juice, use them to wet the rims of your glasses
2. Place salt, paprika and cayenne (if using) into a small bowl and whisk the ingredients together.  Pour onto a plate and rim glasses with salt mixture. Fill your glasses with ice.
3. Fill a large cocktail shaker or small pitcher partially with ice followed by the remaining ingredients, except for the jalapeno. Shake or stir until mixed. Divide mixture among the two prepared glasses and finish with lime wedges, black pepper and jalpaenos (if using). Serve.

I know what I’ll be trying this Sunday!

 

Weekend Cocktails! Brandy Old Fashioned

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, holiday, Recipes3 Comments

brandy old fashioned

Tonight is the night we trim the tree.  It’s been sitting bare in the living room waiting for us to have enough time to decorate it.  It’s been a really busy week with work travel and school work (mine and the kid’s) and all the normal stuff a family deals with.  Poor tree has been just sitting there since Sunday waiting patiently.  So tonight we are ordering in some Thai and Vietnamese food (my kitchen is always closed on Fridays.  I don’t think I’ve made dinner on a Friday night for years).  We’ll eat our pho and spring rolls and curry and pad ze-ew and then we’ll get down to business.

I love a good winter cocktail, something fun and festive.  So I think tonight calls for something more than just a glass of wine, at least to start.  This is where the apple brandy comes in.  I have a bottle that I bought for a yummy cider punch I made last year.  So this recipe seems like the perfect choice for tonight.

I love an old fashioned, and I love apple brandy and so what’s not to love about this cocktail?  Bonus, did you know bitters are really good for digestion?  If you’re having some issues after a meal, have a teaspoon of bitters and it should help.

CHEERS!

APPLE BRANDY OLD FASHIONED

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 oz simple syrup OR 1 sugar cube
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 1/2 oz apple brandy (such as Clear Creek)
  • lemon twist

Method:

  1. If using sugar, place the sugar cube in the bottom of the glass and add the 2 dashes of bitters. Muddle well to blend the sugar and bitters, then add a few drops of water and stir to dissolve the sugar.
  2. If using simple syrup, add the syrup and bitters to the glass.
  3. Place a large chunk of ice into the glass filled with sugar and bitters and add the apple brandy. Stir well to incorporate the sugar and brandy.
  4. Twist the lemon peel over the top, drop it into the glass and serve.

Cocktails! The Sidecar.

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Health and wellness, Recipes1 Comment

Sidecar in a Martini Glass garnished with lemon wedge

The Sidecar.  It’s one of my go-to cold weather drinks.  It’s what I order when I want something sweet rather than savory (like another one of my favorites — the dirty martini). There are different variations of this cocktail.  Some use cognac, others brandy.  Sometimes it’s made with triple sec and sometimes cointreau.  Where I usually order it, they use brandy and triple sec.

The Ritz Hotel in Paris claims they created the drink in the early 1900’s, but a couple of British gentlemen have also claimed to be the inventor.  Regardless, it is named after the attachment on a motorcycle.  The drink has morphed and changed a lot since then, going through numerous variations.

Fancy people in England and France drank this cocktail over 100 years ago, which makes me feel very cool when I order it even though the bartender probably laughs about me behind my back.

I really like my cocktails served up so that I can sip and savor them without worrying about ice watering down the flavor.  So I love that this is served in a martini glass.

If you want to try this at home, it’s pretty simple!

INGREDIENTS:

Freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar if you want to frost the rim
1 cup Cognac or good brandy
1/2 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Maraschino cherries (I like Tillen Farms all natural) or lemon peel, to garnish

METHOD:

If you want to frost the glasses, swipe the lemon wedge around four martini glasses and then dip in a shallow plate of sugar.

Combine the Cognac, Triple Sec, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and pour into the martini glasses. Garnish with a cherry or lemon peel (or both, if you feel like living on the edge).

CHEERS!

Friday Night Cocktails! Tonight: The Moscow Mule

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness1 Comment

moscow mule

I think I’ll start featuring a new cocktail or mixer recipe each Friday to celebrate the end of a busy week.  I love trying new flavor combinations and recipes, so I will share them with you and we can have a digital cocktail party together 🙂

The Moscow Mule is hands down my favorite go-to cocktail, especially when the weather turns cold.  The concoction of vodka, ginger ale (or my preference, ginger beer) and lime juice is easy to make at home.  The spiciness of the ginger is hearty and warming.  And I like to believe the fresh lime juice gives me the Vitamin C I need to keep my immune system strong during cold and flu season.  Shhhh.  Don’t say it.  My favorite vodka is a local brand called Prairie Organic.  I keep it in my freezer so it’s always cold.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that I first learned of the Moscow Mule by watching Oprah’s camping adventure with her best friend Gayle.  Apparently the Moscow Mule is a traditional camping drink, although the origins of the name are disputed.  Well anyway, thanks Oprah for introducing me to my favorite cocktail!

Here’s the recipe.  Traditionally the Moscow Mule is served in a copper mug but any glass will do.

INGREDIENTS:
4 oz Ginger beer (my favorite is Reed’s.  It’s the real deal)
1 1/2 oz Vodka (I use Prairie Organic because it’s local and has won awards!)
Juice from 1/2 lime
METHOD:
Combine vodka and ginger beer in a copper mug or highball glass filled with ice. Add lime juice. Stir gently and garnish with a lime slice.
CHEERS!

Weekend Cocktails –Blueberry Balsamic Liqueur 

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, Health and wellness, Recipes4 Comments

blueberry_smash_646

Last year for my birthday my good friend Angie gave me a cocktail “cookbook” called Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits. She knows me so well. I love a good cocktail. You know, antioxidants and resveratrol and all.  I had a lot of free time today with my 10 year old being in camp and so I decided to try my hand at the Blueberry Balsamic Liqueur.  What I love about making my own is that I know exactly what’s going in there.  Did you know that liquors aren’t required to have labels with their ingredients or any nutritional information?  They can put whatever they want in there and you wouldn’t know.  So, sometimes it’s nice to make your own.  I have more blueberries than I can handle right now (see my previous post about my kiddo going on a produce strike) so the Blueberry Liqueur seemed like a great choice.  The following recipe is inspired from the original in the book.  You take the blueberries, muddle them with the simple syrup, and then add in the vodka, wine and balsamic.  Put the lid on it, store it in a cool dark cabinet for a week, and when you take it back out, strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean container. Seal it up, store in a cool dark cabinet, and use within 1 year (if it lasts that long).
Ingredients:

  • 2 pints fresh blueberries OR 1.5 lbs. frozen blueberries, thawed
  •  2 cups simple syrup (2 cups sugar stirred together with 2 cups water in a sauce pan over medium high heat, brought to a boil and then let to cool)
  • 2 1/4 cups vodka (I absolutely love Prairie Organic Vodka made right here in Minnesota)
  • 1 cup fruity red wine like Merlot or Cabernet
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

CHEERS!