Beet Negroni

If imitation weren't the best form of flattery well this blog wouldn't even exist. Way back in December we were introduced to a beet Negroni in Parm in New York and we couldn't wait to try it out ourselves at home. Finally got our act together in February (we move slowly round these parts) and it was worth the wait. We infused thinly sliced raw peeled beets in gin and let it sit for 3 days. We strained the gin and stirred it with equal parts Campari and Sweet Vermouth and lots of ice with a slice of orange. Very satisfying and such beautiful deep rich reds and oranges.  

This has a very earthy flavor so if you like it lighter I'd suggest infusing it for a shorter time - I just couldn't take my eyes off the infuser to strain it sooner.

Be My Yes

My little Be My Yes hashtag in liquid form. The drink is actually a marriage of two recipes for the same drink (Clover Club); they each shared only the gin and the lemon juice as ingredients. Totally not planned out that way but now that I think of it very apt as I am thinking very strongly of my homeland tonight and anxiously awaiting the marriage referendum results.

2 oz gin
.75 oz dry vermouth
.75 lemon juice
White of one egg (used one for 2 drinks)
1 tsp raspberry jam (more if you like it sweeter)
Fresh raspberry for garnish

Mix all ingredients together with ice, shake well to make sure the jam has dissolved. Strain into chilled cocktail glasses.

Serve with a decent dose of optimism for a bright future for all.

Light n' Stormy

It's no secret our love of a good Dark n' Stormy - we've mentioned a couple here but a pitcher version grabbed my attention recently in Better Homes & Garden (can't find the link online to the exact recipe but the ingredients were sweet vermouth, lime juice and ginger beer) but I riffed it a little more. This was for four people and we had the pitcher gone before I even thought of taking a picture. Alas, no picture of the pitcher.

2 cups Sweet Vermouth
1 cup of Goslings Dark Rum
1 cup fresh lime juice (or to your taste - we don't like it too sweet)

1/2 cup Ginger Liqueur (we love Domaine de Canton)
2 12 oz bottles Reeds Ginger Beer
Lime slices
Oodles of ice

Add all the ingredients in a pitcher except the ice and stir. Pour over ice filled glasses.

Mother's Day

We make cocktails to match flowers for Mother's Day round these parts. It will be all the rage next year.

     1 1/2 oz tequila blanco
     1/2 oz Campari
     1/2 oz sweet vermouth
     1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
     2 dashes of rhubarb bitters
     Orange for garnish

Mix all ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice and pour into chilled glasses. Garnish with an orange wheel.

Now sit back and wait for someone to cook you dinner.

Bloody-tini

 

Gearing up for Halloween around here but this drink was actually inspired by all the rain last weekend - which really begs for (well, ok, begs me) to have a bloody Mary (or Maria) first thing.

I held out till the evening and made this instead.

2oz Stollichnaya Stolli Hot (Hot pepper vodka)
1/2 Molly Prat dry vermouth
1 oz bloody Mary mix
A squeeze of lime
Old bay seasoning for rimming the glass (rub lime around glass and turn upside down on saucer of old bay)

Mix all in cocktail shaker with ice and pour into rimmed cocktail glass. Bloody hot and bloody good.

Manhattan Bing

Himself loves a Manhattan and was one of the reasons we made cherry bitters to try it in one of these. It did not disappoint.

2oz James E. Pepper 1776 rye whiskey
1/2 - 1oz sweet vermouth
Bada Bing cherry to garnish (much preferred to the maraschino)
12-18 drops/2-3 dashes cherry bitters

Negroni plus

 

More than pasta or gelato, a Negroni is a taste of Italy for me and it's so easy to make - equal measures of gin, campari and sweet vermouth stirred in a glass of ice with a slice of orange. I had a longing for one recently and it was perfect - all I needed was to drink it standing up at a bar after my evening passegiata.

Of course I had to play around with some other ingredients to make it mine (it's a hard job I do you know) and this is what I we had on hand: 

1 1/2 oz Absolut citron

1 1/2 oz Campari

1 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (You should always have this in the fridge)

To make it a long drink, add a little soda water (or lavender soda if you just happen to have it in the fridge). Now splash out for a table on the piazza and waiter service. 

 

Blackthorn Bush

It's March, let's get the whiskey out!

1 part Irish whiskey (Black Bush)

1 part dry vermouth (Molly Prat)

A splash of pastis (Ricard)

A dash or two Angostura bitters

Mix in shaker over ice and pour over a cherry in a cocktail glass. 

If Ireland was an island off Southern France this would be the perfect drink there.

Hot and Dirty

We like a dirty martini. We also like it hot. Trader Joe's jalapeno stuffed olives and its juice gives the right amount of kick but we upped the heat factor with this and made it with chili infused vodka (Stoli Hot) and an Aribibi pepper which looks like a yellow grub floating in it. Creepy!

With Halloween approaching I upped the creepy factor with ‘bugs’(olives with rosemary legs) frozen in ice. Creepier.

Drink it if you dare!

4 parts Stoli hot

½ part dry vermouth

½ brine from olives
Grubs & bugs to taste