Beverages
Lavender Lemonade Martini
My daughter was out with friends one night and came home with instructions, “You have to make this drink I had!” It was like a lemon drop martini but with lavender infused vodka. That was sometime this past winter and I wasn’t inclined to make that effort until summer when I thought it just seemed [...]
Leopold Brothers Tart Cherry Liqueur
I love this liqueur! I recently sampled it at a Spirits tasting held by a local cheese shop and now it’s a sure thing to become a staple in my bar. It’s great on the rocks but my favorite way to serve it is adding it to my ‘house’ sparking wine, Cristalino Brut Cava which [...]
St. Supéry Endive, Pear & Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
I love the wines from St. Supéry. I’ve been the lucky recipient of some of their wines and love the experience of tasting the wine with one of their own recipes.A testimony to the power of social networking; I’ve been fortunate to get to know Rick Bakas through Twitter. Rick is a Denver area native [...]
Cranberry Liqueur
Makes a beautiful red liqueur with a great crisp taste! 1 cup water 2 cups granulated sugar 2 cups fresh cranberries 3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice 1 tablespoon grated orange rind 2 cups vodka (Use decent vodka for the best results) Directions Combine sugar and water in heavy saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer [...]
Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
I love this drink from Starbucks Signature Line of Hot Chocolates; for those who love the combination of sweet and salty; this is one drink to try. The hot chocolate is smooth, creamy, thicker than a lot of hot chocolates and very rich; it’s really best served with Fleur De Sel salt; using regular table salt [...]
Fig Cooler
This recipe will take around 2 days to finish. Keep vodkas refrigerated, can scale down if needed. (This is our restaurant recipe) 4 bottles Finlandia (liters) 1 pint Dried Black Mission Figs (8 ounces by weight) 4 ounces sugar 1 package Trader Joes unsweetened blueberries (freezer section) Knuckle of Fresh Ginger Quart of water 16 [...]
The Strawberry Muddle
This drink was featured in the July ’09 issue of Bon Appetit; my personal food bible! I had just received the magazine and was having friends over for a cocktail and luckily had the fruit on hand along with some sparkling wine. The drink was created by Jon Hoeber, a mixologist at Rustic Canyon Wine [...]
Leopold Brothers Tart Cherry Liquor
I love this liquor; first tried it at a Spirits tasting and now it's a staple; our favorite combination is to add it to the Cristalino Brut Cava we keep on hand by the case! More info from the Leopold Brothers website: Cherries are generally categorized as either sweet or tart. The former predominates and [...]
The BEST Fresh Margarita
The first touch of warm weather and I start to think of Margaritas. I love wine, but this cocktail is a summer mainstay; and expected by friends when they do a patio visit! You really can shortcut the recipe by using limeade and lemonade as indicated, but do the longer version if possible; it’s really [...]
White Peach Sangria
I’ve often had Sangria made with red wine and it’s been OK but I’ve never really been a big fan. Funny thing is I prefer red wine but for Sangria, prefer this one made with white wine; courtesy Chef Bobby Flay. A perfect drink for summer get togethers. [print_this] White Peach Sangria 1 bottle white [...]
Mojito
1 oz. Cointreau® 1 oz. Rum Fresh mint 1 tsp. sugar syrup Muddle mint, add ice, ingredients & stir Top with soda water
Lemon Drop Martini
1 oz. Cointreau® 2 oz. Vodka 1 oz. Lemon juice ½ oz. Sugar syrup Shake with ice and strain into a Martini Glass rimmed with sugar.
Cosmopolitan
1 oz. Cointreau® 2 oz. Vodka Cranberry & lime juice Shake with ice and strain into a Martini Glass
Cranberry Champagne Cocktail
2 well-chilled 750ML bottles champagne or sparkling cider 1 cup well-chilled cranberry juice cocktail, or to taste 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier In a large pitcher, combine all ingredients; serve in champagne flutes. Makes 7 cups, serving approx 8
Cranberry Mimosa
This is a standard Mimosa I love to serve over the holidays; for brunch or with early appetizers. 4 cups orange juice 4 cups cranberry juice cocktail, chilled (2) 750ml. bottles Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled ( I always use Cristalino Spanish Cava) 12 slices fresh orange, for garnish (optional) Prepare glasses by filling with [...]
Hot Chocolate
This is so good! I’ve often made the mix as an easy holiday gift, just mix all but the milk and present to recipients in a container with a recipe card with instructions for use. 8 cups milk 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon ground [...]
