Cocktail Experiments

[noshittycocktails]

GOLD RUSH!  refreshing, bright, and a little “spicy”... 1.5oz of bourbon (don't go cheap!), 1oz. of Domain de Canton, 1 lemon (well, just the juice, DUH!)... put it all in a shaker with ice... shake shake shake shake shake shake shake... pour into a martini class... very nice... 

[noshittycocktails]

Tequila Mockingbird... so, there are a TON of drinks out there called “Tequila Mockingbird”, but we had one at Matador downtown, it was tasty, so i went home and experimented the next day... here’s what i did... for 1: in a shaker with ice in it, put 2oz of Tequila, .5 oz of pineapple, .5 oz of jalapeño vodka, juice from 1/2 a lemon, simple syrup (to your “taste”) and SHAKE it up... pour it into a martini glass, top it off with a little ginger beer.... very tasty... not shitty! 

[noshittycocktails]

pretty refreshing little drink experiment... in a shaker with ice: 2 oz. Bourbon (we used Knob Creek, so use something tasty), 1 oz. of St. Germain (elderflower liqueur), squeeze a whole lemon... shake that up, pour, into a cocktail glass with ice, then add in some ginger beer (i like ginger beer, so i used a lot, like 3 oz.)... add a lemon wedge and maybe some candied ginger (a little sweet, with some bite)... SUPER tasty... 

[noshittycocktails]

i told you... we had a lot of extra grapefruit... this time i mixed it with tequila... super refreshing, very tasty... i used Altos Reposado Tequila... so for 2 in a Shaker with Ice: 3.5 oz of Tequila, squeeze a full lemon, 1/4 of a grapefruit, 1/2 oz. of Cherry juice... 1/2 oz. simple syrup (really, to taste)... SUPER refreshing... ice in a glass... 

[noshittycocktails]

This might be a variation of the Hemingway Daiquiri… but whatever. We had an extra grapefruit, some rum, so, we experimented… in a shaker:  2.5oz of rum, 1oz fresh grapefruit juice (? maybe it was more like 1.5 quarters of a sliced grapefruit, squeezed), ½ a lime, 1oz of Cherry Juice (fresh stuff), some simple syrup… very refreshing and the sour of the grapefruit matched really well with the simple syrup and the rum… i think i’m going to have to start experimenting with a garnish… 

[noshittycocktails]

Sparkling Lavender... this was DEFINITELY an experiment... i was assigned to come up with a cocktail for a friend who was retiring... i was told, “She likes wine... that’s all we know, but we want a cocktail.” ok... SO i talked to my friend Kat (she’s a freaking WINE GENIUS), and we talked about what would work (i know SHIT about wine). here’s what we came up with... i made some lavender infused vodka (easy peasy: add a shit ton of lavender sprigs (the stick, the flower, etc.) to vodka, keep it in a cool place for a month, filter out the lavender sprigs), she pointed me to a couple of sparkling wines (women LOVE their sparkling wines - champagne, prosecco, some Spanish thing (i forget)).  COOL side effect: the bubbles from the sparkling wine “carry” the lavender - that was a nice little surprise. Anyway, this turned out to be NOT shitty: 1.5oz of vodka (lavender infused), 1/2oz of Triple Sec (or Grand Marnier), 1/2oz of lime juice, “some” simple syrup (taste the mix and add however much you want, or none). Shake this over ice, get it nice and frosty... pour into a flute or a glass... top it off with several ounces of the sparkling wine (you can add ice to this as well). 

[noshittycocktails]

Ginger Martini: OH MAN... this one is so tasty... to make 1: 2oz of Domain de Canton, 2oz of vodka, juice from 1/2 a lemon, simple syrup (1oz? 1/2 oz? i dunno, “to taste”)... shake over ice... pour into a martini glass... couple dashes of bitters... b00m! so so yummy! 

[noshittycocktails]

My version of the Margarita... great for the summer... tasty, refreshing, blah blah blah... i LOVE using a Jalapeño Limeade, it’s awesome! anyway, i make these in the summer, so, in a shaker: 

2oz of Tequila (you pick, but don’t be cheap); 1oz Triple Sec; 4oz of limeade, or lime juice from 1 lime; SHAKE IT... 

Cocktail glass, coat just the rim in salt, cut THIN lime wedges... 

Pour the mix over ice into the glass, add the wedge... FREAKING tasty!!

[noshittycocktails]

This is kind’ve a new one... more a “version” of a cocktail we had at a local bar... called “The Conundrum” ... we had it and my wife said, i bet you can’t make this... and it was ON! it’s super good, and super spicy... the vodka and Domain go at a 1:1 ratio, and you can add more of the habanero or less, depending on how hot you want it and how hot you make your vodka... anyway, here is the CONUNDRUM: 1 oz of Domain de Canton; 3/4 oz of vodka; 1/4 oz of habanero vodka; juice from 1/2 of a lime; about 1 tsp of simple syrup; fresh ground black pepper (like 6 or 7 rotations)... all in a shaker with some ice... pour into a cocktail glass with some ice... stir it with a sprig of rosemary and leave that in the glass... super super tasty!  

[noshittycocktails]

The Moscow Mule... one of my favorites, great summertime drink! get a copper mug... i don’t know why - i’m sure there’s some physics reason and you can look it up if you want, but i’ve had with the mug and without - mug = better. 

Fill the mug about 1/2 way with ice, 2 oz. of Vodka (get some good stuff, i like Stolichnaya, and keep it in the freezer!); juice from 1 lime; fill up with Ginger Beer (we go to Trader Joe’s, beats me if there’s better stuff out there); add some more ice if you want, a little lime wedge looks nice, but it’s a waste of a good lime. 

[noshittycocktails]

So... I’ll start with our favorite: The Manhattan.  It’s a classic and it inspired me to start experimenting with other cocktails.  This is the drink that my wife comes home and says, “Mommy NEEDS a cocktail... and don’t fuck it up!” Here’s my recipe (serves 2): 3 - 3.5 oz. of Rye (I prefer Bulleit); 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth; 1 oz. Dry Vermouth; I put in maybe a teaspoon of cherry juice; ice and SHAKE that sucker! Serve in a martini glass; THEN add 2 dashes of Bitters in each glass; drop a cherry in. B00M! best Manhattan ever!