Three French Hens - a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

You may have been expecting this one...

It's made with French (Vive La France!) sourced ingredients - Lillet, Grey Goose Vodka, and Grand Marnier.  To build the cocktail add the following to a shaker filled 1/4 with cracked ice:

2 1/2 ounces of Lillet Rose Apertif Wine
1 ounce of Grey Goose Vodka
1 ounce of Grand Marnier liqueur

Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with an orange twist.  If you'd like the cocktail more on the dry side, increase the Lillet by 1/2 ounce and decrease the Grand Marnier by the same.

Lillet is a nice apertif served over cracked ice on its own - especially the white or rose - in the warmer months.  As in this case, it can also make a nice base for a cocktail.

Bonus holiday cocktail - the Candy Cane cocktail by Sandra Lee from Food Network (a past favorite of my in-laws!):
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/candy-cane-cocktail-recipe.html 
Note:  I have substituted unflavored vodka in place of the vanilla flavored rum and it worked very nicely.  Try to find the old fashioned candy canes made with sugar (no corn syrup).

As always, enjoy responsibly.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Two Turtle Doves - a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This is easy and more of a dessert cocktail.  Just layer 10ml each in a tall shot glass of 1) Chocolate Liqueur (I used Godiva brand), 2) Smirnoff Kissed Caramel flavored Vodka, and 3) Frangelico (hazelnut flavored liqueur).  It will taste very much like the candy!  Ho, Ho, Ho!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

Have you ever noticed how many different birds are mentioned in the holiday classic "The 12 days of Christmas"?  Well, here's a cocktail to the first one.  I have two versions for you.

To build the cocktail add to a shaker with crushed ice:

2 1/2 oz of Absolut Pear Vodka
1 oz of either Pear Brandy (for a more traditional martini flavor) or 1 oz of Pear Liqueur (if you like a sweeter cocktail)
Juice from 1/2 a well ripened meyer lemon

Shake and strain into a martini glass

Garnish with a dash or two of cinnamon

That's the cocktail!

You can read more about the traditional Christmas song on wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song) 

Happy holidays

The Prickly Pear Cactus Wren (Margarita) – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

A work colleague has Prickly Pear Cacti in her yard in Santa Cruz and the fruits are now in season so I was lucky enough to be given a bag.  Getting to the fruit on the inside is tricky and there are several websites showing how it's done safely.  We had about 14 fruit and yielded about 10oz of the juice for this cocktail.  It's amazingly sweet and brightly purple-red colored.  You can also find the juice frozen in some stores in parts of the U.S.A!  If you don't have access to prickly pear fruit juice you can use strawberry juice instead.

Glass prep:  Rim two martini or cocktail glasses in agave nectar then in kosher salt.

In a cocktail mixer add
1 1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
4 1/2 oz. fresh Prickly Pear Cactus juice (or frozen if you don't have fresh)
4 oz. tequila blanco (I used Milagro brand)
2 oz. Cointreau

Shake over crushed ice and pour into the prepared glasses.  Yields 2 brightly colored and naturally sweet cocktails!

Here's a link to juicing instructions for prickly pear fruit (only do this if you are comfortable you can do it without getting hurt - else buy the frozen prepared juice/pulp):  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-eat-prickly-pear-aka-cactus-fruit-aka-tunas/

Note we used a juicer machine once we extracted the edible pulp from the inside of the fruit and that worked fine in place of a food mill.

The Wild Wild Turkey

Come on, you knew this one was coming!  Yes, in keeping with the U.S.A. tradition of Thanksgiving and the ubiquitous Turkey entree, we have to have a cocktail that celebrates the fowl part of the holiday.  Therefore, this cocktail will use the good-olde-American whiskey called Wild Turkey.  It's a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey - very Old West while hailing from the East (since 1855)!

This is a sipper cocktail that is nice to have while cooking that holiday bird or dressing the tree.


To a double glass add:
2 oz of Wild Turkey Whiskey (81 proof - you have work to do!  101 proof just won't cut it...)
about a half ounce of fresh squeezed orange juice
about a half ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice
a good squeeze of honey

Stir then garnish with orange peel and a stalk of lemon-thyme in a maraschino cherry.  Add a couple of 'ice-cubes' (the non-water kind).

That's the drink - Gobble, gobble!

The Magnificent Hummingbird (Margarita) – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

I was daydreaming about Baja Mexico when I came up with this one.  This margarita will give you a tingle on your lips from the cayenne in the rimming sugar/salt. 


Rimming mix:
2 tbsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
mix above then dust with cayenne pepper and mix again

Shaker:
Fresh squeezed tangerine juice (3 oz)
Fresh squeezed lime juice (1 oz)
2 1/2 oz of good quality 100% blue agave reposado tequila (I used Herradura)
1 oz of Agavero liqueur

Garnish:
cilantro
jalapeno pepper

To build the cocktail:
Rub some cilantro in your hands to release the oils and then rub the inside of the glass well with the crushed cilantro.   Rub rim of glass with left over lime and then rim in the sugar/salt mix.  Shake the cocktail over crushed ice then strain into your prepared glass. Garnish with a bit of chopped cilantro and a couple of jalapeno rings.

Notes:  

If you can't find Agavero you can use Damiana or Cointreau or another Agave nectar liqueur. If you want a spicier cocktail you can sprinkle some cayenne into your shaker.

The Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) is a native of Mexico and extends from the southwest U.S. into central America.  




If you want to know more about the Eugenes fulgens see this scientific paper at https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v089n02/p0357-p0363.pdf.

Cheers!

The Red-Eyed Raven – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

For this cocktail I got my inspiration from a recipe off of the Weight Watchers website for a mulled apple cider with some twists on the spices, juices, ratios and of course the addition of rum.  I used "The Kraken" black-spiced rum in this recipe.  This is a monsters and eyeballs drink and not for the faint of heart!

In a large pot combine

64oz of 100% apple juice

3 cups of cranberry juice (100% juice)

1/2 cup of pomegranate juice (100% juice)

* all above with no sugar added

Add

2 sticks of whole cinnamon

3 whole cardamom pods

1/2 whole nutmeg

1 tsp whole cloves

1/2 tsp whole white peppercorns

Bring to a simmer and keep on low heat for 30 minutes.  Strain into a crock pot to keep warm during a party or else just strain out the mulling spices and keep on a low heat on the stove.

To rim the cups pour some honey on a saucer and a pack or two of pop rocks (pumpkin patch orange flavor if you can find it) into a separate saucer.  Dip the cup into the honey and then swirl in the pop rocks.  You need the honey to make the pop rocks stick to the rim.  If you can't find pop rocks you can rim with a nice cinnamon-spiced sugar.

Add 1 to 2 oz of "The Kraken" black-spiced rum to a cup that has been rimmed with pop rocks and then 5 to 6 oz of the mulled apple-cranberry-pomegranate cider.  Garnish with a small skewer of two maraschino cherries that have been spiked with one whole clove each (the ‘eyes’).

And that's the Halloween cocktail!  Enjoy responsibly and have a spooktacular Halloween.  

Cheers!

Special Halloween Cocktail - coming soon!

Stay tuned for a special Halloween holiday inspired cocktail coming this Friday!

The Punchy Parakeet – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

I was lucky enough to find nice plump fresh persimmons in my local market.  These are fleshy fruit so to extract the juice you either have to squeeze them through your hand or just muddle them.  If you can't find persimmon, a tangerine will make a nice substitute.

Muddle, or juice as described above, one well ripened persimmon in the bottom of a glass then add:

juice from one lime
one generous squeeze of agave nectar
2 oz of white rum (I used Bacardi)

Stir above then top with crushed ice and a good splash of club soda.  Makes one nicely refreshing cocktail. See below.  Cheers!

The Salted Marbled Godwit – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This cocktail was inspired by a weekend on the northern coast of California and local produce from the nearby market.  It’s a take on the salty dog.  It’s slightly more work than normal in that it involves the making of an infused simple syrup but it’s really quite easy – trust me!

Shishito pepper-lemon grass simple syrup:

2/3 c. of white sugar

2/3 c. of water

2 in. stalk of lemon grass chopped

1 in. piece of shishito pepper (roughly chopped with seeds)

Boil and then simmer for 25 minutes.  Strain into bowl.  You will have left-overs that you can save in the fridge.

Cocktail:

4 measures of unflavored good quality vodka (I used stoli in this recipe)

6 measures of fresh squeezed grapefruit and lime juice (I used 2 small ruby red grapefruits and 1 lime)

1 measure of shishito pepper-lemon grass simple syrup

Glass prep:

Take one piece shishito pepper, seeds removed, and rub on rim and inside of cocktail glass.  Rim with fresh ground salt (sticks to the glass with the pepper juice).

 

To build the cocktail:  Stir cocktail ingredients in ice and strain into two prepared cocktail glasses.

Garnish: With a bit of lemon grass stalk (tough outer part removed), slim shishito pepper slices and a flower garnish.

Makes (2) lip-tingling cocktails great for watching the sunset.

Cheers!

The Sichuan Duck – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

This cocktail has bitter and sour ingredients so it's necessary to add sweetener to this one.

4 oz of a mixture of fresh squeezed lime and meyer lemon juices
6 oz of Bombay Sapphire "East" Gin
4 drops of bitters (suggest Bittercube brand "Jamaican #1" for this recipe)
1 tbsp of brown sugar 'melted' in about a teaspoon of hot water
about a quarter teaspoon of crushed Szechuan peppercorns

Shake ingredients in cocktail shaker with crushed ice and strain into two cocktail glasses.  Garnish with a floating sprig of lemon thyme.

Makes (2) cocktails.

I hope you enjoy this spicy, peppery cocktail.  Cheers!

Notes:
- you can use agave nectar in place of the brown sugar
- the Bombay Sapphire East Gin is blended with lemongrass and black peppercorns
- the Bittercube Jamaican #1 has allspice, ginger and black pepper
- I crushed the Szechuan peppercorns, wrapped in wax paper, with a meat tenderizer mallet

The Plummy Japanese Waxwing – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

If you are a fan of Japanese sake you will like this cocktail as the flavor of the sake comes through nicely.

2 oz sake (Junmai super dry style)

2 oz unflavored vodka (I used Grey Goose in this recipe)

2 oz black plum juice (freshly squeezed; it will take ~2 plums)

1 tsp mashed plum flesh (this adds body to the drink and gives it an unfiltered appearance)

You can juice the plums by squeezing the flesh through a sieve.  If your plums are on the tart side you can add a couple of drops of agave nectar.  I didn’t need any added sweetener as the black plums I used were nicely sweet and ripe.  The Junmai super-dry style sake has a similar flavor profile as vermouth in this cocktail.  The sake I used was Asabiraki Suijin from Iwate.

Shake ingredients with crushed ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail or martini glass.  Makes one nice sake cocktail.

Side note...  Here is a good website with sake cocktail recipes:

https://www.hakushika.co.jp/en/enjoy/cocktail.html

The finicky Pheasant - cocktail recipe

The finicky Pheasant - cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

 

A refreshing cocktail with a nod to fall.

In cocktail shaker with ice add:

5 ½ oz. Stoli Gala Applik vodka

1 ½ oz. St. Germain liqueur

4 oz. Apple Juice (100% apple juice with no added sugars)

Juice from ½ meyer lemon

A tad bit of freshly grated nutmeg

Strain into two cocktail or martini glasses and top with a bit more freshly grated nutmeg and a lemon twist if desired.  Makes two refreshing and tasty cocktails.  Cheers!

...and yes, I did take that picture of the Pheasant myself.

First day of Fall 2015

In case you missed it, today is the autumnal equinox.  With the first day of fall 2015 my thoughts are drifting forward to crisper mornings and mild days.  And with that thoughts of cocktails more reflective of the coming season while still acknowledging the warm days.  So stay tuned for the reveal of my next inspired cocktail coming soon.  Cheers!

The Royal Owl - cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

The Royal Owl Cocktail Recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

Rub one basil leaf to release oils and rub inside of 2 cocktail or martini glasses

In cocktail shaker muddle 1/2 lime and 1 small stone fruit (such as a nectarine minus the stone) with one large basil leaf.
Add:
4 oz. golden rum (I like Trader Joe's Barbados 'rum of the gods')
1 1/2 oz. Stoli Gala Applik
1 1/2 oz. Damiana Liqueur

Shake all in cocktail shaker with ice.  Strain into the two prepared glasses and top with a splash of unsweetened grapefruit flavored sparkling water.

Float one small basil leaf as garnish if desired

Makes two refreshing and tasty cocktails!  Enjoy!