Some of you may have noticed that I have been MIA for a while now. No, nothing happened on my trip to Italy (other than confirming that I do not like Negronis, I do not like them, Sam-I-Am), I have not become disillusioned, nor was I just plain lazy (well, maybe a little of this one). Frankly, life just got in the way. Anyway, I am back now and will be posting quite a few, hopefully interesting, newsletters for you throughout the year. Replete with cocktail recipes and notes/comments in each post, I’m hoping to get into cocktail/bar book reviews, bartending tool ‘must haves’, various alcohol series’, how to throw a cocktail party (or two), sprinkled with a bunch of the fun/quirky/eclectic. Okay, speaking of fun stuff let’s get back to it, as according to Dr. Seuss, “Fun is good”….hard to find fault in that… Happy B-Day, Dr. Seuss!!

Green Eggs and Ham

½ oz cream

¼ oz rum

¼ oz vodka

¼ oz melon liqueur

¼ oz Jagermeister

¼ oz coffee liqueur

¼ oz crème de menthe (green)

1 splash orange juice

Shake ingredients over ice and serve in a highball or Collins glass.

Comments: If I didn’t have such a large liquor cabinet (I willingly take the bullet for you readers!) I am not convinced that I would go out and buy everything for this. I’m just sayin’… Oh, and obviously I didn’t serve it in a highball ’cause it was wayyyy too little liquid! I would either serve it in a lowball or in a large shot glass.

Tasting Notes: first word out of my mouth = ‘bizarre’; strange-looking (reminiscent of the Avocado appliances of yore); undertone of mint with a melon aftertaste; nice mouth feel/creaminess

The Grinch

2 oz Midori

1/2 oz lemon juice

1 tsp simple syrup

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with a maraschino cherry if desired.

Comments: I actually had planned on sharing this with you in my Christmas newsletter but it, um, got lost in the mail. We served this at a dinner party and the results were split between those who thought it was perfect and those who thought it was a bit too sweet. I quite like the flavour of this drink and find the almost neon colour gives it a quirky, somewhat fanciful quality. Dr. Seuss would have certainly considered this one ‘fun’.

Tasting Notes: lemon juice does a very good job of tempering the sweetness from the liqueur; not actually that sweet (certainly not cloying, by any means)


Pink Yink Ink Drink

1/2 cup frozen blackberries

1 cup milk

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

2 oz white rum

1 tablespoon honey

Put the blackberries in a blender and purée them. Pour into a highball. Put the milk, strawberries, rum and honey into the blender, blend until smooth. Pour the strawberry mixture carefully on top of the blackberry purée and serve with a large straw.

Comments: You can use fresh berries, but I suggest throwing them in the freezer for half an hour before you make this. Definitely use a big straw (e.g. a bubble tea type) otherwise the fruit will clog it up.

Tasting Notes: tastes like a mixed berry daiquiri (understandable, considering the ingredients are almost the same); using the straw to incorporate the blackberry purée makes it much tastier

 


 

 

(This newsletter was brought to you by the Cat in the Hat)

 

One Comment

  1. Barry Mack

    Nice to have you back again.
    I think i’m going to have to build a new, much larger liquor cabinet so I can enjoy some of your finest suggestions.
    Keep them coming.

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