Dec30

Dreaming of a Tropical New Year

December 30th, 2011 | by Scraps
Posted In: alphatinis

tangerine dream cocktail

Because you can always dream, right?

This week’s alphatini called for something fit to a tee–and I began thinking Tangerine.

Namely, the tangerine liqueur we picked up in Roatan on our last cruise (which has been far too far in the past). A Dreamsicle martini would be the easy route, but since I was thinking tropical, I figured the tangerine could use a few friends to make nice with in the glass.

Tangerine Dream

1.5 oz Heavy Cream
1 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 oz Tangerine Liqueur
1/2 oz Pineapple Rum
1/4 oz Banana Liqueur
garnish: citrus peel

Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice and make like your in a mini Conga-line for a moment or three. Strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a twist of whatever citrus you can get your mits on, and dream of your next vacation.

Yes, you can substitute a high-quality citrus liqueur like Cointreau if you don’t have any tangerine liqueur handy.

It may well be 2 years before my next cruise getaway (the honeymoon counter is ticking, folks), but until then I can sip this and remember the leisurely days from my last trip.

Cheers!

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Dec29

Think Pink!

December 29th, 2011 | by Scraps
Posted In: guest posts, reviews

When I was in high school I went through quite the musicals kick and one of my favorites was Bye, Bye Birdie (parodying the hoopla surrounding Elvis Presley joining the Army).

At one point Ann Margaret is slinking around the bar, acting older than she is, trying to make “Birdie” jealous, singing about how she’s “Got a Lot of Living To Do.” One of the things on the bucket list?

Drink Champagne, as if it were water,
Pink Champagne, and after a few…
Daddy dear, you won’t know your daughter!
She’s got a lot of living to do!

This is what comes to mind every time I think about pink champagne.

Australian label [yellow tail] has come out with white and rosé Bubbles just in time for New Years and it might just be worth checking out. This is a brand known for being affordable and reliable and the rosé is in a nice range of not being super sweet or super dry–it’s nice and light and a sweet pink color.

Another plus is it’s favor is the Zork closure: not a screw-top and not a traditional champagne cork that is almost impossible to get back into the bottle, the Zork closure easily pops back on the bottle with a press of the built-in button, making it easy to save the leftovers for brunch the next day.

And, of course, the good folks at [yellow tail] sent over a cocktail recipe in to make the most of their pink bubbles:

EXOTIC TEMPTATION

2 oz [ yellow tail ] bubbles sparkling rosé
1 oz peach flavored vodka
1 oz cranberry juice
1 oz lychee fruit flavoring

In a cocktail shaker with ice add all ingredients except [ yellow tail ] bubbles sparkling rosé. Strain into a chilled champagne flute or martini glass. Slowly fill with the [ yellow tail ] bubbles sparkling rosé. Garnish with a strawberry.

Image and recipe courtesy of  W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd.
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Dec28

A Trio of Champagne Cocktails

December 28th, 2011 | by Scraps
Posted In: guest posts

For some folks, leftover wine or champagne is a problem they never have. Todd and I, though, in exercising moderation, frequently have to store leftover wine for a night or two. While there’s nothing wrong with drinking it with more than one meal or even having a glass after work now and then, sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a bit.

This goes double for Champagne and other sparkling wines.

Maybe you chilled more wine than you needed and maybe you now need that space for non-festive groceries for the new year. Why not go beyond the brunch standards of mimosas and bellinis, and try a couple of these champagne cocktails courtesy of Sams Club.

The CÎROC® Royal Grape

Ciroc Royal GrapePreparation Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1

Ingredients

  •          1 oz. CÎROC® Vodka
  •          1 oz. white grape juice
  •          1 splash(es) champagne
  •          1 piece(s) grape

Directions

1.        Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled glass.

2.       Top with a splash of champagne and garnish with a frozen grape.

Smirnoff No. 21® Vodka & Champagne Sparkle

Smirnoff No 21 Vodka & Champagne SparklerPreparation Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

  •          1.5 cups SMIRNOFF NO. 21® Vodka
  •          2 bottles Moët & Chandon Champagne
  •          1.25 cups pomegranate juice
  •          1 cup simple syrup
  •          thinly sliced lemon

Directions

1.        Combine ingredients in a punch bowl with ice.

2.       Add simple syrup to taste.

3.       Mix in lemon slices.

GinZizzz

GinZizzz CocktailPreparation Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients

  •          3/4 ounce gin
  •          1/2 ounce Simply Orange®
  •          1/4 ounce Cointreau®
  •          Ice cubes
  •          2 to 3 ounces cold Champagne
  •          1 splash orange water or rose water, optional
  •          1 long strip orange peel for garnish

Directions:

1.        Pour gin, orange juice and Cointreau into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake to chill.

2.       Pour mixture into a Champagnes flute and top with Champagne. Add orange flower water or rose water, if desired.

3.       Garnish with orange peel, if desired.

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Dec27

Best for Less: Sparkling Wines for New Years

December 27th, 2011 | by Scraps
Posted In: reviews, wine notes

Have you ever heard of Cheapism.com? I hadn’t until a few weeks ago when I was contacted by one of their representatives about their findings for the best cheap champagnes. Of course, a true Champagne (from the right grape and region of France) is seldom if ever to be found “cheap,” but you can find plenty of lovely sparkling wines (the larger category that Champagne belongs to) in any price range.

Their suggestions?

Experts note that not all sparkling wines pass as a substitute Champagne, and champagne reviews discuss factors such as bubbles, sweetness, and taste. Topping Cheapism’s list of best champagne buys are Roederer Estate NV Brut, Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut NV, and Freixenet Cordon Negro Extra Dry — all priced at less than $20.

And if you try any of them to ring in the New Year, please let me know.

our sparkling wine choices for 2011Todd and I prefer our sparkling wines on the sweeter side, so those Brut recommendations just don’t do much for us. We rang in 2011 with a couple of inexpensive Italian sparkling wines on the sweeter side: one white and one red.

Wait, red sparkling wine? Oh yes, my friends, it’s out there and it’s fabulous!

The red is Costarosa Sangue di Giuda Oltrepo Pavese and is, as best I can tell as the label is 100% in Italian, a blended red wine with just enough bubbles to keep things interesting. It was recommended by the guy in the liquor store when I said I wanted anything but Brut. Good call.

The white is Ca’D'Gal Lumine Moscato d’Asti. Moscato is very popular these days as more are discovering this sweet wine in both still and sparkling styles. I think Moscato is doing quite a lot to dispel the negative opinions many people have of champagne. And we just a bottle of Cupcake M0scato d’Asti with Thanksgiving dinner that was pretty fabulous, too.

And sweet champagne is nothing new–in Europe it’s always been available but not a lot made it to the United States as our palates were, somehow, not interested in sweet wines.

Thank goodness times have changed!

We haven’t decided, yet, what we’ll be sipping when ’11 turns to ’12, what about you?

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Dec23

What a Way to End the Night!

December 23rd, 2011 | by Scraps
Posted In: alphatinis

Conventional wisdom suggests that Santa Claus is a devotee of milk (with cookies), hot cocoa and a certain red-canned cola.

Santa's Nightcap Cocktail

But if you ask me, after circumnavigating the globe in one night I’d want something a little stronger to take the edge off.

Which is why we’re devoting the ‘S’ alphatini to the jolly dude in the red suit.

Santa’s Nightcap

2 oz Vanilla Vodka
2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz  Buttershots
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/4 oz Goldschlager
garnish of icing, coconut flakes and a mini-marshmallow

To prepare your cocktail glass: paint the outer lip of your cocktail glass with icing or a thick sugar syrup and press on coconut flakes (it helps if they’re chopped a little finer than they come in the package). Let rest upside down so the sugar can dry while you mix the drink.

Combine vodka, juice, liqueurs and grenadine in a shaker over ice and ho-ho-ho your way to an icy finish. Strain into a prepared cocktail glass and float a mini-marshmallow on top. Kick off your boots and let the night melt away.

This cocktail is like a spicy cranberry cookie in a glass, made the perfect shade of red by the grenadine, but most of the fun–I admit–is in the presentation. The drink is good on it’s own but with the garnish it looks like an inverted Santa hat and, well, it’s just more fun that way!

Cheers to the Holidays!

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