Birthday Punch

Want a punch that's going to, well, pack a punch? Well, I found one.

I found the recipe in O magazine. I'll be honest I was surprised to see one so boozy which is probably why I tore the page out to bring on vacation and make on my birthday - hence the name change.

1 medium seedless watermelon, halved and diced
1 pint blackberries
1 cup vodka
1 cup St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/4 cup lime juice
1 750ml bottle of chilled Prosecco

Place the diced watermelon and blackberries on a lined cookie tray and freeze for at least 2 hours. Pour the vodka, liqueur, lime juice into punch bowl* (with ice if you wish), add frozen fruit and finally the prosecco. Keep enough fruit for a second, or even third batch.

*If you're in a vacation rental use what you can.

Thanksgiving Cheer

 

For our anniversary this year we treated ourselves to a cocktail dinner at Catoctin Creek Distillery - the first legal distillery (since Prohibition) in the wine producing area of Loudoun County, Virginia. We came away with brandy (and more besides!) - a brandy made with a pear wine from the area. Thanksgiving was a great reason to open the Pearousia to toast and give thanks.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

1/2 - 3/4 oz Pearousia Pear Brandy

1 tsp Sugar

4-5 oz Prosecco

 

Pour brandy in champagne flute and add sugar to dissolve. Top with prosecco. At the distillery they made this with sparkling apple cider which was also good - if you do that there is no needs to add sugar. 

Rainy Playdate

The kid was playing quite happily in his PJs on this warm wet Sunday but reached a limit come early afternoon. "Why not call a friend and see if he wants to come over," I said. Before I knew it he was dressed and heading out the door to his friend's house. "Come over for drinks and snacks," I said to the friend - thinking they would need one if they had my kid for a few hours. And come over for drinks they did. This is what I made, riffing (by reducing the gin) on this one called Nomayo (doesn't that sound like something you say at a deli counter?).

1 oz gin
3/4 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lemon juice
Prosecco
Lemon twist

Mix first 4 ingredients in shaker with ice. Pour into chilled glass and top with chilled prosecco or champagne. Add the lemon twist. This could also work prepared in a jug I think.

I had to make a second batch. The best play dates are the unplanned ones.

SpiBOC (Spiced Blood Orange Champage Punch)

 

A tad late with this Thanksgiving aperitif - we were traveling for the holidays, doing a lot of drinking and then a lot of recovering.  My sister created this for the feast, another sister created the hors d'oeuvres you see behind and we created an appetite and much deserved compliments.

Ingredients
3 cups blood orange juice (if you can find them - orange juice makes a great substitute)
3 tblsp sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole star anise
1 cup dry white wine
1 bottle brut champagne, chilled

Place the juice, sugar, cinnamon and star anise in small pot and bring to a boil, then simmer until the liquid is reduced by half - 30-40 mins. Remove from heat but while the mixture is still hot stir in the white wine until completely combined. Cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill (at least 2 hours).

When ready to serve, pour 3 tablespoons of the mixture into the bottom of champagne flute and top with chilled champagne.


Perfect for a holiday brunch too and a nice change from mimosas.

Nine +

 

It was our anniversary recently and we needed a little something something to make with the cava I'd bought to celebrate. This is what we came up with based on John Cusimano's drink Mid Morning Nap.

Ricard Pastis
1 1/2 oz brandy
Some freshly squeezed lemon juice
Dollop agave syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Cava

Coat the inside of a cocktail class with the pastis. Shake the brandy, juice, syrup and bitters with ice in shaker. Strain into the glass and top off with cava (or prosecco or champagne).

Here's to more drinks to share together on this day!

 

Princess Peach

1 1/2 oz Brandy
1/2 tsp Pastis
1 tsp Grenadine
Slice of peach
Top with sparkling wine/champagne
Shake first three ingredients together with ice in a shaker. Pour into flute, top with sparkling wine and add slice of peach.

We picked peaches yesterday and it was reason enough to open a bottle of prosecco but what to put with it that used peaches and wasn't the ubiquitous Bellini nor too taxing to make? Thanks to mixology ap we found one called American Rose that required nothing more than a slice of peach in it. That I could handle! After making a cobbler and peach ice cream it was all I was able to muster but we thought there was nothing necessarily 'American' about the drink with French liqueur, Spanish brandy and Italian bubbles so we changed the name. 

And yes, it was good enough for this princess. 

Blue Tang

This easy concoction was revisited this week while we're in the Outer Banks with family and (after much creative input) was renamed after Dory in Nemo.
Perfect freshly showered from the beach while thinking about dinner.