The Hubble 25 – The HST’s 25th Anniversary

On April 26, 2015May 2, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

I learned today that this past week (the 24th, specifically) was the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. Which is pretty awesome! 25 years of giving us cool images like the one at the end of this post (which are public domain, so I can use them. Thanks, NASA!) So, in honor of space, NASA, and all of that good stuff, a drink! Mainly created because the St. Germain bottle is kind of star-shaped. I originally wanted something with champagne (bubbly is like sparkles are like stars) but then decided the champagne would overpower the St. Germain.

The Hubble 25

1.5 oz gin
0.5 oz St. Germain
~10 shakes lime bitters
6 oz club soda (this is a Soda Stream, clearly, but normal stuff will do too)

Combine first three ingredients in a rocks glass. Add ice, and fill the remaining space with the club soda. Enjoy, while staring a) up at the sky or b) at pictures of space on your computer.

Tasting Notes:

BN: Well the fact that this came out clear was a surprise to me. I guess there are clear cocktails, like gin and tonics, and vodka sodas, and so on, but it’s sort of an odd experience looking at it, nonetheless. I can’t decide if I like it. I guess it’s like a big lens, like the one on the Hubble? And it didn’t work exactly as expected, like the Hubble. There we go, justification! Tastewise, I liked this. The gin melded with the St. Germain really well, and though it wasn’t a super strong flavor it was a nice floral note. Nothing too intense, but very drinkable.

PiC: It’s not the most visually arresting cocktail, for sure. It kind of…tastes clear? But not in a bad way. It doesn’t taste like water, it’s just very neutral tasting. I like it. It highlights how good that gin is, and the St. Germaine adds a hint of sweetness that really works well with it. I can’t really taste the bitters, but it’s good.

The Slaver’s Bay – Game of Thrones Premiere

On April 12, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

Some of the first drinks I made as mixology experiments were for a Game of Thrones watching party. Some were better than others, but since the new season is about to start, I thought I should go back to my roots, so to speak.

To that end, I thought about what I would make for today, and I decided to go down the track of not necessarily something related to the show itself (White Walker Russians being the old standby) but rather making a cocktail that, if they had the ingredients, the characters in the show would actually drink.

Everyone loves the Daenerys storyline, and when I thought about where she was, the following came to mind. There are slavers, there are ships, so dark rum seems piratey and appropriate, but it’s also sort of Middle Eastern, so maybe some weirder spices — lavender, and what I wanted to be asian pear but they didn’t have it at the store, so just pear.

And this is what came out! Enjoy. Both the drink, and the premiere tonight!

The Slaver’s Bay

1.5 oz dark rum (Greyjoy brand works! Erm, I mean Kraken.)
1.5 oz dry vermouth
4 oz pear juice (try to get actual pear juice not just a can of pears; this was all the store had)
1 tsp lavender
1 pear slice (for garnish)

Muddle the lavender and the vermouth in the bottom of a mixing glass. Let it sit for a little bit to infuse. Pour in the other ingredients, stir, and double strain the full mixture into a rocks glass over ice. To make the garnish, I rolled the pear slice in the lavender to get it coated, which looked cool but made it kind of gross to drink as it fell apart into the drink. Maybe just use a sprig of lavender and a pear, separately.

Tasting Notes

BN: I liked this a lot. What could have been too sweet was nicely tempered by the vermouth, adding a great smoothness and a little more flavor to the drink. It’s rare to have a dark rum drink that isn’t super sweet and this did the trick nicely. The lavender and pear went very well together (somewhat surprising to me, to be honest) and as the ice melted a bit different flavors came out and it melded even more. A good sipping drink, and a fitting drink for the Queen of Dragons.

PiC: I like this! You can actually taste the lavender – it’s very nice. It’s also really smooth, like it has almost a creamy feel when you drink it. And not too sweet. Very good!

The Ale-Pril Fool – April Fools’ Day

On April 1, 2015April 1, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

Happy April Fools’ Day! That’s all I have to say on this one. It looks like a drink that it isn’t! Get it?! Also terrible puns are awesome. Due to the quantities, this is a drink to share. But you could also obviously make less of it.

The Ale-Pril Fool

4 oz dark rum (Kraken!)
16 oz cream soda
2 egg whites, whipped (may be hazardous to your health, &c., &c.)
4 dashes cinnamon

Whip the egg whites, and when almost ready add in the cinnamon. You want them to still be fairly liquid-y (see below) but with lots of foamy bubbles. Pour the rum and the soda into a stein glass, and top with the egg white cinnamon foam, like a head of beer.

Tasting Notes:

BN: I mostly liked this, but I was upset when I was told that it was basically butterbeer because what am I, a hack? Ah well. It was kinda sweet, and also gigantic but it looked great and that was mainly what I was aiming for. Maybe do it yourself in a smaller glass and it will work out better. I also whipped the egg whites too much and while they looked great, they were kind of solid, and unpleasant to drink. Make sure they’re still a little liquid.

PiC: This was good. It kind of reminds me of what butterbeer would taste like but I like the cinnamon in the foam. It’s kind of a giant drink which isn’t necessarily bad but maybe it could stand to be a little less sweet. And yes you were right, we should have whipped the egg whites less.

The No Power Hour – Earth Hour

On March 28, 2015March 28, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

If you know what Earth Hour is, hopefully you’re not on your computer reading this right now! That is, if I manage to post it in time. For those of you that don’t, it’s basically a world-wide (supposedly 7,000 cities) show of support for conservation, climate change awareness, etc., sponsored by the WWF. For an hour (8:30–9:30 local time) everyone shuts off the lights, both in their own homes and on big monuments like the National Cathedral, the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel, and so on. And so it’s cool! The first one I took part in was in 2009, I think, in London, and it was surprisingly cool to wander around and see things like Nelson’s column and the National Gallery all pitch black. So, to commemorate the occasion, here’s a drink, with ingredients that seem somewhat natural and earthy (including limes from a bush that grows in my yard!).

The No Power Hour

2 oz vodka
4 oz coconut water
2 oz pomegranate juice
0.5 oz lime juice (fresh is best)
lime wedge for garnish

I initially mixed everything but the pomegranate juice together, in hopes of layering the pomegranate on the bottom and making a cool sunrise-y type look, but that didn’t work at all. So, you can ignore that, mix everything together and garnish with the lime wedge. I really need to work on drinks that have more fun techniques.

Tasting Notes:

BN: I like this! The weirdest thing is that it doesn’t taste like alcohol at all, when I specifically made it a little stronger so that it would get you through that dark hour of potentially nothing to do… But it tastes good! A lot of coconut flavor with a little acid from the pomegranate and lime. I wish it looked a little more interesting, but then again if you’re drinking it in the dark it shouldn’t matter too much.

PiC: I think coconut water tastes like human sweat, so I didn’t love that part of it… But it was better than coconut water usually is, and if I liked coconut water I’d probably be super into it. As it stands, it’s very pretty.

The First Round Upset – March Madness

On March 20, 2015March 20, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

It’s that time of year again! The time of year where I pretend to care about sports, and more importantly basketball, when all I really care about is gambling and looking at statistics. Or something. In any case, although my alma mater is already out of the running (it was not, sadly, a first round upset), I’m enjoying this wholeheartedly so far. Lots of upsets, lots of weirdness, and great close games.

So what better way to celebrate than to drink! Although this particular cocktail came out pretty well, its connection to March Madness is a bit of a stretch… Basketball… The ball itself… Round, and kind of orange… Oranges! And, well, that was it.

The First Round Upset

1.5 oz gin (I used this amazing gin we found in Prince Edward Island, which is smooth and not super-junipery. If you’re ever there, go here!)
3/4 oz amaro (It was in a jar, but I swear that’s what it was)
4 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
3 dashes cardamom bitters (not pictured… reason to be discussed below)
orange peel

Combine elements in a mixing glass and stir. Pour out (strain if you haven’t strained the orange juice already) into a martini or rocks glass, and garnish with the peel for a little extra bitterness.

Tasting Notes:

BN: I liked this! In the end, that is. I first pulled it together without the bitters (as pictured in the ingredients shot) and it was just a little too sweet. This may be because of the drink, but I actually have a sneaking suspicion it was because of the oranges. One of the ones I juiced was super red and I think a lot sweeter than you would normally want a plain orange to be (I don’t think it was a blood orange…). The drink needed something to cut that sweetness, and my thought went to the cardamom bitters I don’t generally use enough. When I added them in it was much better, and with a more complex flavor. Still would have liked a little more bite, I think, but it was a pretty nice drink overall.

PiC: This is very drinkable. It’s super tasty, but could maybe use a tad more punch. Maybe the orange that was used was a bit sweet? I do like it, though, and the aftertaste of the bitters adds nice complexity.

Intolerable Heat – Heat Wave #2

On March 15, 2015March 15, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn Originals1 Comment

It’s that time of year again, I guess. Spring has sprung and therefore it’s in the 90s here in Los Angeles. For some of you, this may be a good thing, but for people like me, I am unhappy. Therefore I took it upon myself to make a drink that embodied my feelings about the heat. That is, I set out to make a drink that I was pretty much certain I wouldn’t like. It’s a shot (not my favorite method of alcohol consumption), and contains two things I’m not a huge fan of. The result? Well, let’s see.

Intolerable Heat

2 parts Fireball cinnamon whiskey (shudder)
1 part Southern Comfort Pepper (now I’ve never had the pepper version before, but Southern Comfort is pretty gross. So, shudder)

Mix ingredients together in a shot glass. Enjoy?

Tasting Notes:

BN: Wow. This was, weirdly, actually kinda good! While both ingredients by themselves were not pleasant at all, the two heats of the cinnamon and the pepper cancelled out the sweetness of the whiskeys. I’m not going to go around making these every day, but I was pleasantly surprised, and I liked it much better than going outside this weekend. It wasn’t the prettiest drink, but it served its purpose.

PiC: It’s not bad! I mean, it still totally makes me make my “shot face,” but as far as shots go, I sort of enjoy the aftertaste. The spiciness is kind of like a built-in chaser.

The Red Carpet – The Academy Awards

On February 22, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

It’s the Oscars! Time for me to lose $10 with my extremely researched ballot that never manages to win. In the meantime, let’s drink to all of the nominees, and the winners-to-be.

When I think of the Oscars, I think of gold, red, and actors and actresses drinking weird health drinks. I also wanted to try alcoholic kombucha, and this was an excuse. Not that bad!

The Red Carpet

1/4 oz ginger syrup (I’m still trying to use this up)
1 oz strawberry kombucha (I used GT’s Strawberry Serenity Kombucha, which is presumably one of the few that exist)
2 oz champagne
red glitter/sprinkles

Dip a champagne flute in the ginger syrup, and rim it with the sugar sprinkles. Mix the kombucha, champagne, and syrup in a separate glass (lightly stir, since they’re bubbly), and then pour it into the glass over the back of a spoon (this makes it easier not to mess up the rim).

Tasting Notes

BN: I really liked this! It was sweet and strawberry-y, and brought together the three tastes in a surprising way (I thought the kombucha was very strawberry itself, but it wasn’t really, not without the other flavors. They actually built on each other very nicely. It’s a tad sweet for something I would drink every day, but for a special, movie-related occasion, it was perfect!

PiC: This was awesome – so pretty and sweet but not too sweet with just a tiny hint of the ginger. I would drink a thousand of these and then be dead. In fact, make me another one right now.

The Cherry Tree – Presidents’ Day

On February 16, 2015February 17, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

Hey everyone, I’m back! It’s been a while, but I’ve been distracted with things. Anyway, for my first – poor (you’ll see) – attempt at getting back into writing this blog, I figured I’d start with an easy one – Presidents’ Day!

If there are two things the leaders of our country are known for, it’s never telling a lie and bourbon. Clearly. Therefore, cherry juice (see what I did there? Washington? Cherry trees?) and, uh, bourbon. Because it’s American. Or something.

The Cherry Tree

3 oz bourbon
3 oz cherry juice
6 shakes orange bitters
orange slice for garnish

Combine, serve on the rocks.

Tasting Notes

BN: Oh man, this was not good. I thought it didn’t have enough cherry so I added more and then it was just as bad. Tasted at first just like pure bourbon, and then like medicine. It needs some other flavor to distinguish it, maybe a vermouth or a brandy or something? Not a good first showing of 2015, but I’ll improve! Maybe I’ll make a better version of it for next year. We’ll see.

PiC: When you said cherry and alcohol, I thought cough syrup. And it tastes like cough syrup. But like, fancy cough syrup, at least.

The Freebeard – End of No-Shave November

On November 30, 2014November 30, 2014 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

I’ve somehow always missed No-Shave November, because I forgot to shave until a few days in, and that kind of defeats the purpose… But this year I remembered! I didn’t raise money for anything yet, but it was a fun experiment to see how much beard could be grown in a month, and the answer was a fair amount. But today is the last day, and unlike NaNoWriMo I actually got to the end, so I made a drink to celebrate the occasion.

I figured it should be something manly, and what’s more manly than scotch? I put some other things in there to keep it interesting (not that I would be opposed to just drinking the scotch…), and I called it the Freebeard because puns. It’s based off of a Rob Roy, sorta, but with a slight twist.

The Freebeard

2 oz peaty scotch (I picked Oban)
1 oz triple sec
6-7 dashes rhubarb bitters
orange twist for garnish

Combine all ingredients (except for the orange peel) in a mixing glass over ice. Stir, and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a twist of orange.

Tasting Notes

BN: I liked this a lot more than I planned to. The flavors actually melded pretty well, and it wasn’t too orangey. I was a bit worried about the rhubarb bitters because they smelled like medicine, but the taste was weirdly completely different. Hurray for scotchtails!

PiC: I suspected from the start that this would not be the cocktail for me, and though I could tell it was a good cocktail it is not something I’d go drinking. That said, the Oban was a key choice here, as it was smooth but added a really good smokiness that even I appreciated, and if I had to drink something this strong, this might be it.

The Sagetini – Thanksgiving

On November 27, 2014November 27, 2014 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

Happy Turkey Day! In honor of the day — and the best part of the meal, stuffing — I have made a drink based on sage, which is the primary spice in stuffing. And is delicious.

Interesting note in the preparation of this drink: I wanted it to be like a martini and even though it’s not, it’s still very small. You might want to double it to make it more of a normal size, but keep in mind that then there’s a lot of alcohol. Not the worst thing after a day of eating, but still. Why are martinis usually the same price as other cocktails? They’re so alcoholic, so you’d think they’d cost more. I’m confused. Anyways, on to the drink.

The Sagetini

2 oz gin
a bunch of fresh sage (I used all but one of the leaves in the picture above, and that one I used as a garnish. so 10-15 leaves?)
.5 oz simple syrup
7-8 dashes orange bitters (to taste, and if you don’t have bitters you can substitute triple sec)

Muddle the sage in the bottom of a mixing glass. Muddle it real good! Pour in the remaining ingredients, stir, and strain into a chilled martini glass. You can double strain if you want to get rid of all the herb bits but I kind of like them. Garnish by floating a sage leaf on top of the drink. Tasting Notes

BN: I really liked this. I was worried a little about how simple it was, but the orange and sage worked really well with the gin, and it had the right amount of sweetness to counteract the fact that I don’t like gin. I loved the way it looked, with such an interesting shade of green and the floating leaf (though it does slowly sink which is a little awkward) and would be interested to see how a full-sized version would hold up. Not that I meant for this to be a mini size, but that’s how it turned out. I would make this again!

PiC: I appreciate that this is probably a good drink, even if I don’t like it – too alcoholic for me. Still, I can tell it has the right amount of sweetness to temper the gin-ness, and the sage is a nice flavor. In summary, it’s probably perfect for your more boozy relatives (read: most of mine) pre-turkey dinner.