Category Archives: Recipes

Warm Weather means Cool Spritzes

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Warmer weather always ushers in the season of the Spritz. It’s just goes hand in hand with the higher degrees outside. For me, it also brings up memories of Italy and good times. But it’s not just me. I was out for a girls’ night the other evening and I saw two ladies enjoying a spritz or two. They were having them in the normal big bulbous gin glasses and not the one I used for mine in this picture. The glass is less important than the ingredients.

The one pictured is a Campari Spritz. Which I love. But I have been known to enjoy other spritzes as well. The Spritz is great using Aperol instead of the Campari making it an Aperol Spritz. You can used St. Germain and make an elderflower spritz. Bonus points if you make it in their carafe with the proportions written on the outside. There is a new kid on the block, a bergamot- savory orange- forward liqueur called Italicus, which makes a pretty good spritz as well. I prefer the Italicus Spritz with gin to tame the sweetness. And lastly, my cocktail club–Shaker & Spoon–have a spritz called the Myrtle Spritz made with spiced blueberry syrup. No matter which spritz you chose, it is sure to be refreshing.

Campari Spritz

  • 1.5 oz Campari
  • 2 oz Prosecco/Sparkling White Wine
  • Splash of Sparkling water/Soda water/Fizzy water
  • garnish with a slice of orange and a green olive

Add the Campari and the Prosecco to a gin glass. Add green olive and stir. Top with ice cubes. Add splash of Sparkling water. Put orange slice along the side of the glass. Add a straw. Give it a small stir. Enjoy!

You can substitute Aperol,/St. Germain/ Italicus+Gin for the Campari in the recipe above. I would start with the same proportions and then add or subtract depending on your palate and whether you like it sweeter, more bitter forward, etc. With the St. Germain and Italicus+Gin, I would leave off the olive as a garnish. And maybe play around with some cool bitters. A peach one or a juicy orange one. Lots of new ones on the market out there. There is no end to the experimentation possible. And a whole Spring, Summer, and Fall in which to try things out.

Even out of Season, Bees Knees are Just That

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You wouldn’t think honey and gin and lemons would turn into something magical, but they do. It’s the Bees Knees, y’all. Really. No, really. It’s super delish.

I use Barr Hill Gin because it’s made with honey. But more importantly, they donate a part of the proceeds to sustaining honey bees. It’s a total win for me, for the bees, and for our planet. I can’t tell you how important it is to us and our plant to keep the bees around all happy producing honey and being like little flying sunshine nuggets. If I have to drink Barr Hill Gin to help out the bees, well, I can be a helpful bitch. I really can.

To make this yummy concoction, you will need a martini glass or a large coupe and a shaker.

Bees Knees

  • 2oz Barr Hill Gin
  • .5 oz honey
  • .75 oz lemon juice

Put all the ingredients into a shaker, fill with ice, shake for 45-60 seconds, Pour into a martini glass. You can garnish it with a lemon twist. Or you can just drink it down. Either way, know you are doing good for the world.

Bitter Bitches are Delicious… No, Really

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There was a whole movement of women who began drinking Bitter Bitches in response to the Supremes losing their damn minds and doing what no other Court has ever done before, claw back right already bestowed. Right or wrong. It was singular. Or was. Or will be… was. Who knows what crazy people will decide. Back to this delicious drink, it’s kinda of yum. And it’s a pretty color. What’s not to love?!?! Well, the reason it was invented. But if one was to mount a response, this isn’t a terrible one with which to begin.

Bitter Bitch

  • 2oz gin
  • 2oz limoncello
  • 1oz tangerine juice
  • 1oz lemon juice
  • orange bitters
  • .5 oz Aperol

Put first five ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake for 50 to 60 seconds. Pour into a martini glass. Take a spoon and invert it. Touch the spoon to the inside edge of your glass. Slowly pour Aperol over the spoon. It’s supposed to float, but will sink instead. The sinker is pretty, as I can attest. I have never made one that floats the Aperol so I can’t speak to that one.

If you have a small, bitter place in your heart for how some stuffy fuckers are taking away rights or for some romantic reason as it is February and Valentine’s Day is near and some fucker is breaking your heart in a different way… make a bitter bitch. And at least that shit will go down delicious.

Dirty Martinis are My Favorite Drink

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I’m not sure when I fell in love with the dirty martini, but I feel like it’s been years. And I haven’t been sad about it. At. All.

In the beginning, I would just order them at restaurants. Making them at home seemed to involved. Plus, they seem to taste better when someone else made them. Capital Grille in DC was a fav. A place I would return to again and again. They are also the reason I have upped my dirty martini game.

Stuffing your own blue cheese olives starts the endeavor known as a dirty martini. In some circles, a dirty martini with blue cheese olives are called a Dirty Executive. However, I think blue cheese olives are a standard in a dirty martini and doesn’t signify a different name. Grey Goose was also the vodka of choice for said dirty martini. It’s a clean vodka. And works well to carry the olive flavors necessary to this classic.

Adding a cocktail onions made total sense. A hit of pickled sweet after all the savory… Yummo! Then I learned about adding anchovies to the cocktail pick loaded with olives and onions. This was from a cookbook based on the Venice region of Italy. With these two additions to the cocktail pick line-up along with blue cheesed stuffed olives make my Dirty Martini complete.

Each drink and bite… or not… is unique. Adding little bits of flavor and texture and umami-ness. And since I use both vermouth and olive brine in my Dirty Martini, well shaken and not stirred, I also get a uniform canvas upon which to appreciate all the differences… and some sameness.

Dirty Martini

-makes a large pour

  • 4 oz Grey Goose
  • .75 oz olive brine
  • .5 oz dry or blanc vermouth
  • 3 dashes olive bitters
  • 1 spritz lemon oil
  • blue cheese olives, anchovies, cocktail onions

Put ice in a martini glass. Stick it in the freezer as you make the martini. Put the first four ingredients into a shake. Fill with ice. Shake it up. Take glass our of freezer, dump the ice, and pour the martini into the glass. Spritz with lemon oil or express some lemon oil from a cut rind. Garnish with olives, onions, and anchovies Enjoy!

Apples, Apples… Apple Cider Martini

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Fall and winter holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the others always brings to mind delicious apple cider. I love freshly-pressed juice of ALL THE APPLES. It was such a no-brainer to come up with a delicious apple cider cocktail.

After much experimenting, I came up with lovely Apple Cider Martini recipe that should hit the spot for the holidays. Add in a cinnamon stick and you have a festive cocktail you can have alone or batch for a group.

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 3 ounces apple cider
  • a pinch of cinnamon
  • .5 ounces lemon juice
  • cinnamon stick

Put all the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a martini glass. Light one end of the cinnamon stick, swirl the smoke over the glass, blow it out, and then use as a garnish. Drink and think of fall.

This drink is light and not very alcohol forward. Which makes it perfect for parties or the occasional martini alone. Plus, apples say fall.

The French Gimlet was my Fall Down the Rabbit Hole

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I knew I’d fallen irrevocably into the spirit world, and by that I mean HARD LIQUOR type spirits and not the kind who haunted a person or place, when I started loving Gin. Gin isn’t for the faint of heart. And many will tell you they hate the stuff. I was was on of those not too long ago.

But then it all changed.

I found Hendrick’s gin. And all its iterations. And while the juniper-forward gins made famous by the London Dry style left a lot to be desired for a young gin drinker like me, the floral-forward Hendrick’s was right up my alley. It was everything I’d been missing in gin. A little cucumber, a little rose, and juniper took a back seat. I mean, that pine flavor was still there, letting everyone and their brother know that this spirit was gin, but it was tempered and softened. And the limited edition release known as Midsummer’s Eve edition was all that and two bags of chips. I LOVED it. And I am so sad it is no more.

I like Hendricks for my French Gimlets. I tried it with Plymouth gin, which I normally favor for anything with sage in it, and I thought it would play well with the Elderflower liqueur, and it did. But I think it played too well. The French Gimlet with Plymouth gin was too soft. If you know what I mean. And then I tried it with a French gin, Citadelle, and I knew I had a winner, winner chicken dinner.

And that’s when I knew.

I’d been able to make a cocktail with various gins I had in my repertoire and some I didn’t and found the one I liked the best in the recipe.

I’d become a gin lover.

For a delicious French Gimlet shake in a shaker:

  • 2 oz gin
  • 1.5 oz elderflower liqueur
  • .5 oz lime juice

Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Amaretto Sour and the Beginning

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I think the search for a better Amaretto Sour might’ve been the beginning of my deep dive into the craft cocktail world. The ones I keep getting were too sweet, too hazelnut forward, not well-balanced–although, I wouldn’t know it then, or too something. I’ve never been a fan of whiskey so whiskey sours we’re just out of the question. Then I stumbled onto the Morgenthaler Amaretto Sour. Jeffrey adds in just enough cask-proof bourbon to the usual amaretto to make the drink more balanced and have more depth and more tasting notes. Just more of everything.

But I don’t like bourbon. And what I don’t like about bourbon is doubly present in over-proof bourbon.

Still, I made them the Morgenthaler way for years. That is until I discovered Japanese whiskey. They oak they use makes Japanese whiskey sweeter to me. The Mizunara oak imparts a taste not present in any other whiskey. And I love it.

My recipe for an Amaretto Sour is:

  • 2 oz amaretto
  • .5 oz cask-proof Japanese whiskey
  • .5 oz Suntory Toki whiskey
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1 tsp enriched simple syrup (2:1)
  • .5 oz egg white

Shake in a shaker. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cherry. Or three.

The Morgenthaler Amaretto Sour was a huge improvement over the regular one. But I think I’ve taken it to the next level with my substitution of Japanese whiskey for bourbon. And because I don’t like the boozy forward-ness over over-proof whiskeys, I did a mix instead. It’s damn near perfect when cherries are added to the mix. Luxardo cherries, to be exact. They are my favorite as well. And I’ve tried a LOT of cocktail cherries.

It’s been a few years since I perfected my Amaretto Sour recipe, well, perfect for me. And in that time, I’ve made a few more drinks. And then, I fell down the rabbit-hole of craft cocktails. And now my home bar has more bitters than most commercial ones.

I’m not sad about it. At. All.

Espresso Martini… and My Hunt for the Perfect One

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I discovered the Espresso Martini in the last couple of years. I’m pretty sure it’s a throw-back to the 1980s and my Kailua fueled college years. It’s taste reminds me of my past. Plus, they are super delicious.

The recipe I’ve been using lately is pretty simple:

  • 2 oz vodka
  • 2 oz espresso
  • .75 oz coffee liqueur

Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake. Pour. Garnish with 3 beans. Viola.

Sometimes, if I’m feeling myself, I will add a thin layer of fresh soft cream on top. I like cream with my morning coffee, so it’s not a stretch that I would like a little with my espresso martini. Other times, I add some Frangelico and add a little hazelnut flavor. That’s the beauty of this drink. With just a little of this or that, you can make it fresh and new.

Or be like me and just drink the classic.

Zucchini Blossoms- Deep Fat-Fried

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This will be the last month I do a recipe to help bring flowers into your life. I’ve always equated romance with flowers. Love of self, love for our parents, love for our “one,” and just joy really. I try to keep a bouquet in my house somewhere always. They just bring a smile to my face. And if you’ve read any of the about me posts I’ve done, you know I also try and buy a bunch when I travel to put into my hotel room. Again, it’s that jolt of happiness when my eyes hit those glorious colors and my nose smells those fabulous aromas. Flowers mean love.

I’m hoping to start a short serial. Yes, I know that many people don’t like installments. But you know what? I used to LOVE them when I was younger and weekly broadcasts were the thing.

But here’s the deal. I’m going through some stuff. And I’m not sure how regular I can be. So I ask for some patience, although some good old-fashioned sitting on the edge of your seat waiting with bated breathe for the next chapter/installment/episode will be allowed.

Now, it’s going to be a little erotic gothic-like horror. I’ve had a story running around my head for a while and you, dear reader, will be my guinea pig. However, some of the steamier portions won’t make it on this blog- we do strive to be all people friendly- and some portions might not mix with our youngest readers. I’m hoping that I can show the erotic portion without opening the door too wide and let the romance portion shine through. Along with some good spine tingling horror thrown in.

But until September arrives and I know just how much of my time will be spent on other things, here’s my last flower recipe.

STUFFED DEEP-FAT FRIED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS

2 dozens zucchini blossoms
salt and pepper
extra pecorino or parmesan
enough oil to cover 2″ of a large pot

Beer Batter Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounces chilled Pilsner, lager-style beer, or club soda

Stuffing Ingredients
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat about 2″ oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. Hold at this temperature by adjusting the heat.

2. In a small bowl mix stuffing ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl, then whisk in beer or other liquid until almost smooth (some small lumps are welcome; don’t over-whisk or you’ll deflate the batter).

4. Stuff the zucchini blossoms with the cheese mixture. Make sure to pinch and twist the flower closed so that the stuffing stays in and the batter coats the outside of the flower completely.

5. One by one, dredge the blossoms in batter, gently shaking off the excess; slowly lay them in the oil starting with the tips until the whole flower is in the oil, without crowding the pan. Cook, flipping once with a slotted spoon, until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes total. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

6. Sprinkle with sea salt or parmesan or pecorino and devour while hot. If you were smart, you have some marinara in a bowl to dip as well.

Fireweed Honey

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Being on vacation in Alaska means I see fireweed all around me. It also means many Alaskans are talking about or making fireweed honey, syrup, jelly… whatever. Fireweed is ubiquitous everywhere at this time of the year. And everyone knows that the taller the blooms, the later in the season it is. When the bloom hits the top, summer is over. In other words, is a measure of the season.

Jelly is delicious when made with fireweed, but making honey is what many do instead. Unlike honey that bees make, fireweed honey is really a simple syrup infused with the flower. And not only can this honey be used for biscuits, hot tea and the like… one can also use it in place of regular simple syrup in any drink recipe.

FIREWEED HONEY

50 red clover flowers
10 white clover flowers
25 fireweed flowers
1/4-1/2 cup karo syrup
5 cups sugar
3 cups water
3/4 tsp alum

1. Wash blooms in cold water and gently shake off excess water. A salad spinner is awesome for this purpose. Otherwise, let the blooms dry off on some paper towels. Make sure the blooms are insect free. And pick over to remove any green parts, otherwise your honey will taste grassy or “green.”

2. Put syrup, sugar, water and alum into a pan and boil for 10 minutes. Take off heat.

3. Add the cleaned, dry blossoms to pan and let steep for at least 10 minutes. You can let this steep up to 3 hours. The longer the steep, the more fireweed flavor will be imparted.

4. Strain through cheesecloth or a strainer lined with a paper towel. You want to remove any little bits.

5. Pour into jelly jars for water bath process. Boil for 10 minute before sealing lids. You can skip the water bath stage if you use the honey quickly. However, you will have to keep it refrigerated. Water bath processing will allow you to keep the honey for at least a year in the pantry.

*Note: you can omit the corn syrup- I use golden syrup from England, if you like. However, the corn syrup prevents sugar crystals from forming.

**Pro-tip: adding in corn syrup to any sugar recipe will help retard sugar crystal formation. I add in 1/4-1/2 cup to my sorbets. If you’ve ever eaten home made sorbets, water/sugar crystals can form making the mouth feel of the sorbet not quite right. Add in some corn syrup and you will have velvety sorbet. This holds true for regular simple syrups, as well as this delicious fireweed “honey.”

Make a batch. And share it. Puts some in your tea when you are curled up with a good book. Or add it to a cocktail when you are wanting something special to celebrate someone special.