The Summer Daze – Memorial Day

On May 25, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn OriginalsLeave a comment

Happy summer everyone! Right now I’m in Palm Springs and it is appropriately hot and sunny. So, a drink to celebrate the new season, whether it’s already arrived where you are, or if it’s coming soon.

The Summer Daze

2 oz tequila
1 oz key lime juice
10 drops “Lindsay” pecan, habanero, magnolia bitters (I understand if you don’t have this; the spice and nut flavors are the most important so many substitutions can apply)
4-5 oz apple soda (this I found at a craft cocktail festival, but there are definitely many options I’ve seen)

Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice.
Stir gently to mix.
Enjoy, while poolside with a giant inflatable donut.

Tasting Notes:

BN: I liked this more than the individual ingredients. The apple soda which was too strong and candy-esque (tasted just like a Jolly Rancher) was nicely tempered by the lime, and altogether it was a really nice summer drink. Sort of like a slightly appley margarita. The bitters are AWESOME, and if you can get your hands on them, do!

PiC: I love tequila, and I love key lime, so the chances were good that I would like this – and I did. It was almost like drinking sour apple candy (big fan of the sour candy over here) but still crisp and refreshing. I would drink many of these.

The Congratulations, Princess – Royal Baby is Born

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

One very important thing happened today — I learned that I don’t have normal champagne flutes in my house. Also, the new royal baby was born to Prince William and Kate! Hurray for the monarchy, God save the queen, and all that jazz. In honor of the as-yet-unnamed baby princess, I give you the Congratulations, Princess (which you would feel silly ordering at a bar but might anyway, because it’s pretty good).

Champagne is for celebrations, pink is for girls (only traditionally, of course), and also these are the ingredients I happened to have around. Enjoy!

The Congratulations, Princess

3 oz fresh-squeezed ruby grapefruit juice
3(ish) strawberries
6 oz champagne

Dice strawberries (reserving one for a garnish) and muddle in a mixing glass with the grapefruit juice. The ratio is about one strawberry for every 2 ounces of juice, maybe err on the side of more juice.
Strain juice/strawberry mixture into a (real) champagne flute.
Pour in champagne; if you want a larger or smaller drink the ratio is 2 parts champagne to 1 part juice.
Slice the remaining strawberry into, well, slices, and use one as a garnish.
Eat the rest of the strawberries.
Enjoy, while imagining what your life would be if you were a member of the royal family.

Tasting Notes:

BN: This is not dissimilar to the Academy Awards drink I made a while ago, but still very enjoyable. As I noted above, I could have used a little more grapefruit in this, as the strawberry was a strong flavor, but it was a very nice brunch drink, something I enjoyed much more than regular mimosas, which are okay but not amazing. In general, I think I need to work on making drinks with all sorts of crazy ingredients, but in this case, a three ingredient cocktail is perfect.

PiC: This is probably my favorite drink so far. This is delicious and I could drink it all day.

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.