Drinks – Page 4 – First Look, Then Cook

Meyer Lemon-Infused Vodka

Published on March 4, 2012March 5, 2012 by Dawn10 Comments

Well, the results are in, and I came in second in the Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Contest! I was hoping for first, although when I found out exactly what that meant, I have to say I am just a little relieved that I came in second. I found out last Thursday that the winner would go on television with their creation, and hand out samples to the audience – that meant 80 mini cheesecakes that I would have to make. My weekend was already booked baking for an auction, so I must say I was a little stressed about the whole thing. As much as I like to win, that really would have set me over the edge. Now my team will have enough Girl Scout Cookies to snack on to last a year – and I plan on giving half to a local shelter!! 48 boxes is a lot of Girl Scout Cookies. Thanks everyone who voted – there is always next year!

My pantry…it is my favorite room in the house. When we decided to build a house almost 9 years ago, I remember talking to the architect about the kitchen and the fact that I needed to have a pantry. I wasn’t sure at that point why I needed one so badly, I just did. When my kids were young, it was like a play room for them, they would close the door and play with everything inside. It provided hours of entertainment. Now that they are older, I am starting to fill the pantry with all sorts of fun stuff – especially glass jars. I bought these Weck Jars recently, and I am in love. They are beautiful, functional, and makes me want to fill them with beautiful and colorful things. My kids don’t eat a lot of candy, which is why we always have a lot lying around from birthday parties, Halloween, and baking. Once I ran out of candy, my mind went to infusions. I had a bunch of Meyer lemons in the refrigerator that I wasn’t sure what to do with, and it hit me. Meyer Lemon-Infused Vodka – perfect for cocktails. I found a recipe from the Martha Stewart website, and in less than 15 minutes the infusion began. I still have another week or so before I can test it out, but it looks wonderful, and in a few days, the vodka has already begun to take on a nice yellow color.

You can find these jars online – they are selling them everywhere these days. So, I just have to ask – what’s in your pantry?

Ingredients

1 750 mL good quality vodka
4-5 Meyer lemons

Directions

Peel Meyer lemons using vegetable peeler. Add vodka. Let steep for at least 2 weeks.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Meyer Lemon-Infused Vodka

Cucumber Cooler

Published on October 1, 2011 by Dawn5 Comments

Happy October!! I can’t believe it is here already, but I am not complaining, since it is one of my favorite months of the year. My favorite baking season definitely, with all those scrumptuous pumpkin recipes. I can’t wait for my house have that fall baking aroma.

So, I am sure you are wondering why, on this first day of October, I am posting a Cucumber Cooler? Well, I just couldn’t get into fall just yet without posting one more cucumber drink. I saw this drink in Bon Appetit called Ruben’s Cooler No. 2, which I adpated heavily to create this new drink called the Cucumber Cooler. I had all the intentions of following the recipe exactly, until I got to the liquor store. I saw this Cucumber Liquor, and I couldn’t pass it up. It actually tastes good enough to just serve by itself on the rocks.

So – here I am, toasting to the end of summer, and the beginning of fall, with my beloved Cucumber Cooler – cheers!

Ingredients

2 cups thinly sliced unpeeled cucumber
2 1/2 cups Hendrick’s Gin
1 1/4 cups Cucumber liqueur
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups club soda

Preparation

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange cucumber slices in single layer on prepared sheet. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour.

DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.

Combine gin, liqueur, lemon juice, and 2 cups ice in a large pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Stir club soda and frozen cucumber slices into pitcher. Fill 12-ounce highball glasses with ice. Pour cocktail into glasses and serve.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Cucumber Cooler

Mango-Cucumber Wine Cooler

Published on August 13, 2011 by Dawn1 Comment

I figured it was time for another cucumber drink, just in case you are still wondering what to do with all those cucumbers in your garden. Even though we don’t have cucumbers, we certainly have mint..and plenty of it. There is a section of the yard next to the garden boxes that started off with Rosemary. Rosemary grows like weeds in Seattle, there are people who actually have it growing like hedges – what a wonderful smell they have walking up to their front door. Back to our garden – so even though it started with Rosemary, and we figured we would have to trim it back it would grow so big – it only lasted a season. I guess Rosemary has not been happy with the cold winters we have been having – and it hasn’t been doing as well in the recent years. Two years ago, my husband decided to plant some mint in that space – we heard that mint also grows like weeds, so we figured we would give it a try. Sure enough, it is perfect for that area – it dies in the winter and comes back in the spring – and so far (knock on wood), it hasn’t taken over the entire yard yet.

Needless to say – I have been making a lot of drinks with mint this summer. Cucumber and Mint is a wonderful combination (as I proved here), but add some Mango to the mix – and you’ve got yourself a party in a glass. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit, and I had to give it a try. This was almost like a Sangria – alcohol soaked fruit with a wine base – it was wonderfully refreshing. What I love most about these drinks, is you get a little snack with every glass. I served this to some friends, and it went quickly. A perfect summertime drink – now only if we could get Mangos to grow in the Pacific NW…we would be set!

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 750-ml bottle Sauvignon Blanc
1 hothouse cucumber, peeled, cut into 1/4″ rounds
1 mango, pitted, peeled, finely diced
12 sprigs fresh mint, divided
1 cup ginger ale

Preparation

Stir sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water in a large pitcher until dissolved. Add wine, cucumber, and mango. Remove leaves from 6 sprigs of mint; stir into pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours.

Stir ginger ale into pitcher. Fill 6 large wineglasses with ice. Divide wine cooler among glasses. Garnish with remaining 6 mint sprigs.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Mango-Cucumber Wine Cooler

Cucumber and Mint Martini

Published on July 23, 2011 by Dawn7 Comments

Cocktail time!! The sun is finally shining, and it is a balmy 75 degrees here in Seattle, time to celebrate! As you know, I am addicted to cocktails made with cucumber. If I am ever out and see one on the menu, I look no further. I am starting to think I am not the only one out there, since I am starting to see them more and more – which makes me very happy…

About a year ago in New York City, I met an old friend from high school at Mercer Kitchen in SOHO. I heard the bar was decent, but I had no idea what I was in for. I got there first, and I didn’t see a cocktail menu, so I just went safe and ordered a Cosmopolitan. It was excellent, I must say. My friend came, and she ordered one as well. Just as they were delivering her drink, I noticed the bartender out of the corner of my eye – she was garnishing a martini glass with a cucumber. I asked her what it was, and she told me it was a Cucumber Mint Martini (or something like that) – I really only heard the cucumber part, and I ordered one. It was amazing – seriously amazing, I had two. I don’t drink a lot, but these were just too good. My friend also ordered a couple and she was hooked.

It just so happens that this friend moved to Seattle just nine months later…and I told her that when I have her over for dinner, that I would figure out the recipe for our favorite drink. I think I got it – at least she thinks so as well. Now I keep sliced cucumbers and simple syrup in the refrigerator so I am ready whenever I get the urge…just like tonight.

Ingredients

5 thin slices of cucumber
1 1/2 tablespoons simple syrup
10 mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup Hendrick’s Gin (or Vodka if you prefer)
Ice

Preparation

To make simple syrup, put equal parts of sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until all the sugar is dissolved and bowl for a few minutes. Cool.

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cucumber, simple syrup and mint leaves. Add the fresh lime juice and the gin or vodka. Shake with ice, then strain in a martini glass.

Makes 1 delicious martini.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Cucumber and Mint Martini

Cucumber Yum Yum Cocktail

Published on April 9, 2011 by Dawn72 Comments

I have yet another obsession to confess…cocktails made with cucumber. I am not sure what it is about them that make me go nuts, but they do. If I see one on a menu, I can’t resist. More often than not, they are not sweet, but just extremely fresh and clean tasting. I especially love a good cucumber drink made with Hendrick’s Gin – which is also made with cucumber.

We had some friends over for a drink the other night before going to dinner, and I decided I wanted to have one “special” cocktail. I went to epicurious and searched on cucumber and cocktail – and this is what came up – published in Bon Appetit. The title sold me right away. Yum Yum did the trick – and boy was the title correct. I did adapt it slightly below – it was a little too sweet for me at first – but once I cut down on the honey, it was perfect. It was slightly sweet, had a slight citrus flavor – and it sang of spring. Just putting it up to my nose, I knew it would be the perfect cocktail. Go ahead, it is time to toast spring – if not for the weather, at least for this terrific cocktail.

Ingredients

12 1/8-inch-thick slices English hothouse cucumber, divided
10 fresh raspberries, divided
1/4 cup gin
1 tablespoon acacia honey
2 tablespoons (scant) aquavit*
2 tablespoons (scant) fresh lime juice
Crushed ice

Preparation

Using muddler or handle of wooden spoon, mash 10 cucumber slices and 8 raspberries in cocktail shaker. Add gin, honey, aquavit, and lime juice. Shake vigorously 20 times. Fill 2 old-fashioned glasses with crushed ice. Strain cucumber mixture into glasses, dividing equally. Garnish each drink with 1 cucumber slice and serve.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Cucumber Yum Yum Cocktail

Fresh Pear Cocktail

Published on January 13, 2011January 13, 2011 by Dawn3 Comments

Boy do I need a cocktail right now, this has been quite a week, and it is not over yet. I have 100 things running around in my mind right now, having a party in my head. When life gets so crazy like this, it is hard for me to even think about cooking – yet I power through it, and more often than not, it actually relaxes me. The sizzle sound the hot pan makes when I add something to it, the caramelization that occurs, and then the smell…there is really nothing better.

It is pear season, pretty much the tail end of it here in the Pacific Northwest. My husband is the pear connoisseur of the family – he knows exactly the variety to buy, and when the pear is at its peak of ripeness to eat. I am not a huge pear fan, but occasionally the pears will be so ripe and delicious, I can’t resist a little bite. Making cocktails is like cooking to me, I love creating something new all the time. So when I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, I had to give it a try. It was delicious – I used a comice pear that had more than enough juice for the recipe below – and the juice was so sweet, I only used half the agave syrup. This cocktail was light and refreshing yet perfect for this time of year. Go ahead, it is almost Friday – give it a try – and cheers to tiring out the party going on in my head so I can actually relax…

Ingredients

1 medium Bosc pear
2 tablespoons citrus-infused vodka
1 tablespoon pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon agave syrup (or sugar syrup)
3 tablespoons har apple cider or cidre doux
Pear slices

Preparation

Shred pear; place pulp on several layers of cheesecloth. Gather edge of cheesecloth together; squeeze over a glass measuring cup to yield 1/3 cup juice. Discard solids. Combine pear juice, vodka, pomegranate juice, lime juice, and agave syrup in a martini shaker with ice; shake. Strain about 3 tablespoons vodka mixture into each of 2 martini glasses. Top each serving with 1 1/2 tablespoons hard apple cider. Garnish with pear slices.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Fresh Pear Cocktail

Watermelon and Cucumber Tonic

Published on July 13, 2010 by Dawn4 Comments

Every once in a while I get inspired to make a special drink. For a while it seemed that every drink I made had simple syrup in it. Yes it is very simple to make, but it is just so sweet – even too sweet for me, and I like sweet drinks. Last summer I decided I was going to try and make drinks without sugar – but with fresh fruit instead. I found this recipe in Cooking Light (I know, sounds strange, but true!), and I was very intrigued. I decided to make it one night, and I was blown away with how good it was. It was so refreshing, and flavorful – and had the perfect amount of sweetness. I couldn’t wait to make it again.

Summer came so slowly here this year, that I couldn’t wait. I ended up making this when it was still pretty cold, but it didn’t matter. Drinking this made it seem like it was summer. I highly recommend using Hendrick’s Gin when making this – if you haven’t had this gin before – go to the store right now and pick some up. It is muddled with cucumber and rose petals, and I promise it will be the best gin you have ever tasted in your life.

Ingredients

6 cups cubed seeded watermelon, divided
1/4 cup mint leaves, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided
1 English cucumber, peeled, sliced, and divided (about 3 cups)
2 1/2 cups tonic water, chilled
1 1/4 cups gin

Preparation

Combine half each of watermelon, mint, juice, and cucumber in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Line a fine sieve with 4 layers of cheesecloth, allowing cheesecloth to extend over edges; strain watermelon mixture through prepared sieve over a bowl, reserving juice mixture. Gather the edges of the cheesecloth together. Holding cheesecloth over sieve, squeeze to release the remaining juice mixture. Discard solids. Repeat the procedure with the remaining watermelon, mint, juice, and cucumber.

Combine 2 1/2 cups juice mixture, tonic water, and gin, stirring well to combine. (Reserve any remaining juice mixture for another use.) Serve over ice.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Watermelon and Cucumber Tonic