Firewater Friday - Strawberry Hefeweizen Shandy

This is a bright refreshing beer cocktail that mixes the tartness of lemonade, the sweetness of strawberries with the wheatiness of a good summer wheat beer.  

The perfect refresher for a hot summer day.

Strawberry Hefeweizen Shandy


2 Ounces Homemade Fizzy Lemonade (recipe below)
2 Ounces Strawberry Infused Vodka Liquor (recipe below)
12 Ounces Hefeweizen 

Pour lemonade and strawberry vodka into a 16 ounce glass.

Slowly, add the beer to the glass. I used Two Roads No Limits Hefeweizen.

Stir gently and serve.  







Homemade Fizzy Lemonade

1/2 Cup Raw Sugar 
1/2 Cup water 
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
2 Cups Plain Seltzer (to dilute)

Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 small lemons, enough for 1/2 cup of juice.

Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 2 cups of cold seltzer. 



Strawberry Infused Vodka Liquor

Take 2 cups of fresh clean strawberries, hulled and cut in half and put into a clean 1 quart jar   The stawberries should fill the jar halfway. Next pour in the vodka to the top leaving about a half inch of headspace.  

Place cool, dark place. Give the jar a little shake once a day.  

After a couple days you will notice that the strawberries are being leeched of color and turning a sickly albino white.  Don't panic, this is normal.  All the color and flavor is going into the vodka.

In a week strain the solids from the liquid.  You will end up with a wonderful strawberry flavored vodka that is a beautiful red color.

Mix it with a cooled simple syrup - 1/2 cup raw sugar dissolved into a 1/2 cup boiling water. 

Mix 1 part infused vodka to a 1/2 part of the simple syrup.  

Firewater Friday - Baby Guinness

I fell in love with Patron XO Café at first taste.  It is smooth and delicious and very coffee.  Mixed with Bailey's it simply wonderful!

Baby Guinness 

1.5 oz Patron XO Café Tequila
3/4 oz Bailey's Irish cream

In separate containers chill Patron XO and baileys over ice. Pour Patron XO in small cocktail glass, then slowly pour the Baileys down the side of the glass to float on top.

Firewater Friday - Javanilla Cocktail

This concoction is a match made in heaven.  The sweet richness of vanilla bean mead mixed with coffee porter tastes like a beerific cappuccino whipped up a coffeehouse barista.  

Javanilla Cocktail

2 Ounces Saphouse Meadery Vanilla Bean Mead
11 Ounces Berkshire Brewing Dean's Beans Coffeehouse Porter

Pour chilled vanilla mead into a 16 ounce glass.  Top with coffee porter.

Enjoy!

Firewater Friday - Moontini

I love a good martini.  I'm talking a real, honest-to-goodness martini.  Not one of those floofy cocktails that bars are trying to pawn off as martinis.  

A classic martini is made with a whisper of vermouth and a healthy pour of chilled gin or vodka.  Shaken or stirred - I like mine shake shake shaken, senora.  Served with a garnish of a lemon twist, cocktail onions or - my personal favorite - olives (preferably stuffed with sundried tomatoes, garlic or oh-my-goodness blue cheese).  If I'm feeling particularly spunky I might even throw in a pepperoncini.  

Yup, that's the way I like it.

_____________________

The other day I walked into a liquor store and there stood Jeff Conelius from Onyx Spirits offering samples of - **gasp** - moonshine.  

            Moonshine

 Free Samples

                                           Oh, hell yeah!

So, there I stood with a big, goofy grin on my face accepting a taste of Onyx Moonshine while Jeff explained its characteristics, nuances and attributes.  

It's actually quite interesting. It has a subtle whiskey like aroma.  The flavor is quite unique.  It has some of the taste profile of a good whiskey but way down low mellow.  It also has some of the qualities of a good vodka.  It goes down easy - no burn and barely a bite.  Easy enough to drink straight up or on the rocks and tasty enough to rock your favorite cocktail.

_____________________

The other day I had a bad day.  You know, one of those days where everything is crazy insane and there's a global conspiracy to irritate the bajoopies out of you.  I had one of those days.  By the time I get home from work and I had had enough.  I needed to wind down and relax.

I was thinking a martini would hit the spot.  Then I remembered that I had bought a bottle of Onyx Moonshine from Jeff.  So, I decided to try something different - a moontini.  If it was bad then that would just be the cherry on the top of my crappy day, now wouldn't it?  But if it was good . . . mmmm.

Here's how I make a nice dry martini and I make a kickin' martini!

You'll need a chilled martini glass and a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  

Fill the glass 3/4 full of gin or vodka - or Onyx Moonshine, in this case.  

Pour the our the gin or vodka or moonshine into the cocktail shaker.  Set a side.

Pour 2 or 3 drops of dry vermouth into the cocktail glass.  Swirl it around the inside of the glass and dump it out.  You don't want the martini to be overpowered by vermouth - just the slightest taste.

Skewer olives onto a toothpick and place into the martini glass.

Now turn your attention back to the cocktail shaker.  Cover it and shake, shake, shake vigorously.  Then strain the icy cold liquid awesomeness into the glass over the olives.

Cheers!  Enjoy!

How did I like my moontini?  Good.  It's different, for sure.  But, definitely, good.   

I felt a little like Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce  from M*A*S*H* sipping a martini from his homemade still while lounging on his cot reading a copy of Nudist Monthly - sans the dirty magazine.  

Firewater Friday - Cafe Picaro

Two things that go together well are chocolate and coffee.  So when I tasted Patron XO Cafe, a coffee flavored tequila, I thought, "Wow, this is goooooooood!"  And then I thought, "This would taste great mixed with a chocolate beer."

The first beer that came to mind was Rogue Chocolate Stout.   Which on its own is an outstanding beer and very chocolaty.  Mixed together with a dollop of Patron XO Cafe it is simply awesome.

I dub this concoction . . . 

Cafe Picaro

1 1/2 Ounces Patron XO Cafe
11 Ounces Rogue Chocolate Stout

Pour the Patron into a pint glass and top off with the chocolate stout.

Enjoy!

Firewater Friday - Aye Carumba Cafe

Patron XO Cafe is a blend of tequila and coffee. This rich coffee liqueur is wonderful all on its own but in a cup of coffee?  Aye Carumba!!!  

Mmm, sounds like a little piece of caffeinated heaven to me!

Aye Carumba Cafe

1 1/2 oz Patron XO Cafe
Brewed Coffee
Half-and-Half
Sugar (if desired)

In a heated coffee mug add Patrón XO Café. Add half-n-half and sugar (if desired).  Fill mug with coffee.

Firewater Friday - El Café Miel

A blend of Patron XO Cafe and Vanilla Bean Mead makes for a smooth, delightful cocktail - as elegant as it is lethal.  

El Café Miel

2 Parts Sap House Meadery Vanilla Bean Mead

1 Part Patron XO Cafe

Combine ingredients in an ice filled cocktail shaker.  Shake well and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Serve and enjoy!

Cheers!

Firewater Friday - Devil's Food

A concoction that is deep, dark and sinful . . . sinfully delicious!  

Imagine a devil's food cake topped with creamy vanilla frosting.  This cocktail is a combination of  bittersweet dark chocolate stout mixed with rich, sweet vanilla bean mead.  

Devil's Food

2 Ounces Sap House Meadery Vanilla Bean Mead
12 Ounces Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout

In a 16-ounce glass, pour the mead and top off with the stout.  No need to stir.

Simple but delicious.

Cheers!!

Firewater Friday - The Spin

Light and refreshing - a little sweet, a little tart.  The mixture of the ingredients give this drink an almost sweet grapefruit taste.  Delish!


The Spin


1 1/2 Ounces Vodka
1/4 Ounce Triple Sec
2 Ounces Fresh Cranberry Juice
1 Ounce Fresh Orange Juice
Orange Garnish


Combine all ingredients (except garnish) in an ice filled shaker.  

Shake and strain into a chilled wine glass.

Garnish with an orange wedge.

Firewater Friday - Paradise Punch

When it's cold and snowy here's a yummy cocktail to sit back, sip, close your eyes and imagine you're somewhere tropical.

Paradise Punch


1 Ounce Southern Comfort
2/3 Ounce Coconut Rum
1/2 Ounce Amaretto
1 2/3 Ounces Fresh Orange Juice
1 2/3 Ounces Pineapple Juice
2/3 Ounce Rose's Lime 
2 Dashes Grenadine



Combine all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Shake; strain into a glass filled with ice.

Enjoy!

Firewater Friday - Bacon and Eggs Cocktail

Bacon and eggs . . . it's not just for breakfast anymore.  And you don't necessarily have to chew it either.  

Don't worry, no one is going to force you to swallow fried eggs and crispy bacon without the benefit of using your choppers first.  Nor are they going to throw your breakfast in a blender and liquefy it into odd savory smoothy.

No, but you can drink your bacon in eggs . . . in a cocktail!  This recipe uses bacon infused bourbon (I infuse my own: Method 1, Method 2) and Advocaat which is a Brandy and Egg Liqueur (good in coffee, too).

Bacon and Eggs Cocktail

1 Part Bacon Infused Bourbon
1 Part Advocaat Liqueur

Pour bourbon and Advocaat into an ice filled cocktail shaker.  

Shake, shake, shake.  

Strain into a cocktail glass or serve over the rocks.

Garnish with a strip of bacon, if desired.

Firewater Friday - Frog in a Blender

Frog in a Blender

There's not actually a frog in this drink . . . it's supposed to look that way though.  Did it?  Kinda, a little, maybe.  Mmmm . . . but it tasted good.

1 Cup of Ice
2 oz Vodka
4 oz Cranberry Juice
2 Slices Lime

Place all the ingredients in a blender.  

Blend for 3-5 seconds.  You don't want it to be smooth, blended enough to chop up the "frog"/limes a bit.

Pour into a chilled hurricane glass.

Print Recipe

Firewater Friday . . . Great balls of fire!

Once a week hubby and I go out for a date night.  This typically consists of getting all googly eyed at each other over good hot wings and cheap cold beer.  Hey, what can I say . . . we're not classy but we have fun together.

This week was a little different.  Oh, there were plenty of wings and a big pitcher of beer . . . and googly eyeballing . . . to be sure.  But I saw a drink special above the bar I simply had to try.

Fireball Cinnamon Whisky Shooter!  

Our lovely server . . . brought over a little shaker . . . shake shake shaking it all the way . . . and a shot glass. 

She placed the glass in front me and pour a thick, cold, amber liquid into.   The enticing aroma of warm cinnamon wafted forth.  Drooool!

If you thought I wasted any time tasting it you'd be dead wrong.

Goodness gracious great balls of fire!  That stuff is GOOD!




If you're not a whisky drinker fear not . . . this tasted like no other whisky I've ever had.  There is no whisky flavor nor is there any whisky burn.   All that you taste is a Fireball . . . you remember those round red penny candies from when you were a kid?  Yup . . . just like that!

Seriously dangerous stuff.  And, oh my oh so yummy.

Firewater Friday - The Abbey

The Abbey

2 Shots Dry Gin
3/4 Shot Lillet Blanc
3/4 Shot Orange Juice
1 Dash Angostura bitters

Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice.  Shake and strain into cocktail glass.

Firewater Friday - Very Berry Deliciousness

Hubby and were out for our weekly date night and spied a jug of strawberries steeping in a clear liquid.  The sign above the container proclaimed one shot of strawberry vodka $6.  Okay . . . a bit pricey for a simple shot but I just had to try it . . . and try it I did.  And OH-MY-GOD-BECKY it was soooooooo good!  And then I had another one.   Yeah, you can call me a lush.  

I figured how hard could it possibly be to infuse vodka with strawberries.  Not hard at all . . . here's how to do it:

First, you must have fresh strawberries.  They're in season, relatively cheap and very, very sweet.

Second you must have a neutral flavored spirit . . . vodka.

Take 2 cups of fresh clean strawberries, hulled and cut in half and put into a clean 1 quart jar (I use a Mason canning jar).  The stawberries should fill the jar halfway.

Next pour in the vodka to the top leaving about a half inch of headspace.  

Then place cool, dark place (like a pantry or cupboard).  Give the jar a little shake once a day to move things around.  

After a couple days you will notice that the strawberries are being leeched of color and turning a sickly albino white.  Don't panic, this is normal.  All the color and flavor is going into the vodka.

In a week you will have strawberry infused vodka with very pale strawberries floating around in it.

Strain the solids from the liquid.  I do this by placing a stocking . . . you know, like a knee high women wear . . . over the top of another jar.  You can use cheese cloth if you want.  Then I put a canning funnel over that and pour the infused vodka into the funnel and through the stocking.

What you are left with is a wonderful strawberry flavored vodka that is a beautiful red color.

I found it to still be a bit strong.  So to add a little sweetness and to make it perfectly delicious I mixed it with a simple syrup.  Take a 1/2 cup raw sugar and mix it into a 1/2 cup boiling water and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.  Let it cool.

Mix 1 part infused vodka to a 1/2 part of the simple syrup.  Pour into a shaker full of ice.  Shake, shake, shake and strain into a cocktail glass.  Sip and be in absolute heaven.

Of course, you can use the infused vodka and a myriad of other cocktail recipes but I like it cold and simple.  

Delicious!

Firewater Friday - The mountains are calling and I must go

Mount Washington in New Hampshire is one of the most amazing places I've ever visited.  Home of the world's worst weather and record holder for the highest wind gust ever recorded in the northern hemisphere and second highest wind gust world wide at 231 miles per hour set in 1934.  









I've been to the top of the rock pile at least once a year for the past 10 years and several times prior to that.  Why visit the same place over and over again?  Because it's different every time I go.  I've been up in every season . . . fog, rain, hail, snow, sunshine, above the clouds.  It can be 80 degrees in the valley and freezing with snow at the summit.   You can drive up in the clouds and be above them at the summit.  It can socked in on the way up and clear blue sky day on the way down.  I've rarely seen animals up top and those I've seen are birds.  And it's always windy up there . . . that is except for my last visit last week.    There was just a whisper of a breeze.  



That was pretty cool but made it really interesting was the number of bugs.  I've never seen a bug on Mount Washington and this time there was a plethora of bug . . . so many varieties it was amazing.  Obviously, they're there all the time . . . they're usually just hiding out and laying low to avoid the weather and wind.


These are the bugs I encountered that day . . . stink bugs in a variety of colors, black flies,  stone flies, beetles and last but not least a yellow swallowtail butterfly.

Pretty neat, huh?






Fresh Lime Frozen Margarita


I think the secret to a really really good margarita is fresh limes.  Admittedly, its not as easy as pouring a margarita from a jug of TGIF mix . . . I guess it depends on how badly you need that margarita!


5 Fluid Ounces Tequila
3 Fluid Ounces Fresh Lime Juice
1 Fluid Ounce Sweetened Lime Juice
3 Fluid Ounces Triple Sec  
Ice Cubes
1 Lime, Cut Into Wedges
Kosher Salt


Measure the tequila, lime juice, sweetened lime juice and triple sec into a blender filled with 4 cups of ice.  Cover and blend at highest speed until drink is almost smooth.


Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a margarita glass and dip in salt.  Pour into a glass; garnish with lime. Serve immediately.

Print this Recipe

Firewater Friday - The Birth of a Blog Post

Have you ever wondered how bloggers get their ideas?  Think about it . . . some bloggers, like me, write about something or other every single day.  How do I get all those fabulous ideas . . . and all that time to cook, too!  For me sometimes it's a random thought that inspires a post and sometimes it's something like this (a real IM conversation between hubby and me) . . .

So there it is . . . sometimes that's how it happens.  And now I have a blogpost.  

Now, about those eggs.  Hubby's family has an Easter tradition where they bump their (presumably) hard boiled egg against someone else's.  Whoever's egg cracks loses.  What do they lose?  I have no idea . . . their sense of egg tapping pride perhaps?  I thought they made the whole stupid thing up . . . his family is pretty goofy (in a goodly way) and it would surprise me if this was some silly game they came up with.

Well, if Wikipedia is to believed . . . an if it's a Wiki page it just has to be true, right? . . . then apparently this is an Easter tradition that goes back a bazillion years or something like that . . . or 1979 years ago, at least.


Anyhoo . . . the egg fight is supposedly an Easter traditio wherein you are supposed to hold a hard-boiled egg and tap the eggs of other participants to break them but to keep your own undamaged.  Yeah, good luck with that!  Cheating is rampant but it's all in good fun.  


This egg tapping thing can be found in many different cultures around the world but has it's roots in pagan beliefs.  For obvious reasons, the egg was a Pagan symbol of the rebirth and early Christians co-opted this metaphor as the rebirth of man at Easter in light of Christ's ultimate sacrifice.

Speaking of Easter . . . do you know how our calendar Easter day is selected?  It is always the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox (thanks to Dicky for the bit of pagan holiday info).   


So . . . go bust up some eggs!  Happy Easter or Solar/Lunar Pagan Holiday

Coconut Cream Cake 


2 oz. Pinnacle Cake Vodka
2 oz. Milk
Splash Coconut Rum


Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.