Posts tagged ‘cocktails’

I was never really a rum drinker. I hate too-sweet drinks, so frozen red daiquiris were not part of my repertoire, and Malibu always smelled too much like Banana Boat suntan lotion to be considered an actual beverage. After a particularly rough summer house party in my early 20′s (yes, one of those experiences), it was rum—not SoCo, not tequila—that I swore off forevermore.

Then I met Zach Brinley and my rum worldview changed considerably.

Zach’s family business, Brinley Gold Rum, started in 2002 with his dad Robert, a scientific product developer who had been working in St. Kitts for two decades and saw an opportunity to reinvigorate the tiny country’s rum industry by taking over a former Rothschild rum factory on the island. Zach, fresh out of college, saw the opportunity to be more than the low guy on the trading rung in New York City and the father-son team jumped right in.

Though maybe not on the magnitude of the 1976 Judgment of Paris, where a Cabernet from California’s brand-new Stag’s Leap Winery shocked the world by defeating venerable French wines in a blind tasting, it was still a coup for the fledgling Brinley Gold Rum brand to win multiple gold medals at the International Rum Festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada in its first year of production.

>> The newest Brinley Gold flavor, Shipwreck spiced rum, after the jump. >>

Last month’s Bon Appetit came with a little present for me — no, not a subscription card to Gourmet; that came with the magazine’s final November issue, to add insult to injury — a cocktail recipe composed of my favorite components. Scotch, lemon juice, and elderflower liqueur combined to make something called the Highland’s Fall, and it was so enticing, it only took me six weeks to mix it up. (I have a bit of a recipe backlog going on.)

Surprisingly, I found the mix too harshly citric— and this coming from me, the most devout of the lemon lovers — but happily, I was simultaneously drinking a ginger beer while self-bartending, so I cut the twang with a little of my beloved carbonated beverage. The warmth of the ginger softened the citrus tones while blending with the smoky undertones of the Scotch and the delicacy of the elderflower. It’s definitely not as mannish as having a finger of whisky while you hunch over the bar and mumble about the underrated genius of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, but it’s still quite appropriate for a pre-dinner toast by a roaring fireplace. I’m renaming it the Glasgow Ginger in honor of its new ingredients.

Glasgow Ginger
(serves two)

• your finest Islay single malt (I am a Lagavulin/Laphroaig girl myself)
• 1/2 cup blended Scotch (I used Dewar’s)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp St. Germain elderflower liqueur
• 1/4 cup ginger beer

Pour just a drop of the smoky Islay Scotch into each of two cool retro coupes and swirl it around to “rinse” the glasses. Set aside. In a cocktail shaker, combine the blended Scotch, lemon juice, and St. Germain with five or six ice cubes. I don’t care what shape or size they are; I’m not a mixologist from PDT, for Pete’s sake. Just take what comes out of your freezer and shake it around for 30 seconds. Pour into the prepared glasses and top with half the ginger beer in each coupe.

Today’s guest post comes from Lisa Cericola, editor of Dinner Party and home entertainer extraordinaire. Although she’s an outstanding cook, Lisa also mixes a mean cocktail and is sharing one of her new summer finds. Check out more of her drink recipes on Design*Sponge and Shelterrific.

Do you remember getting Slurpees as a kid? It was all too exciting, wasn’t it? The choice of flavors (my tastes ran toward white cherry, or occasionally Cherry Coke), the machine’s giant lever, the snow-like beverage that snaked out, the dome-shaped plastic lid, the humongous straw. The frosty first sip was always the best part, but noisily sucking up the stray bits of ice at the bottom of an empty cup was also satisfying. Although annoying to adults for some reason.

I don’t really get cravings for Slurpees that much anymore. They are not made of things found in nature. They are sold in convenience stores, a place I don’t find myself too often. And I’m also not twelve years old anymore. But on a really hot day, there’s something to be said for a sweet, slushy drink filled with bits of ice.

So last Saturday, I wiped the sweat off of the back of my neck for the twentieth time and reached for the blender. I had lemons, I had sugar, I had two full ice cube trays. Working from Alain Coumont’s basil limeade slushy recipe from Food & Wine, I traded out the basil for mint, and the limes for lemons, adding extra seltzer for fizz.

In the end, the recipe made a tangy, bright green drink that immediately cooled me off. It didn’t come with a giant straw and I didn’t get to pull a cool lever, but some childhood memories are best left untouched. And being an adult isn’t all bad. One reason: cocktail slushies*.

Mint lemonade slushy
(Serves 4)

• 4 cups ice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup mint
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup seltzer, plus extra for topping off drinks

Place all ingredients in a blender and process on high until the ingredients form a slushy. Pour into glasses and top off with seltzer for extra fizz. Cocktail umbrellas optional.

*To make cocktail slushies, a great party drink, there are several ways to go. For a neutral lemonade flavor, mix in one shot of vodka for every serving. For a mojito-like drink, add one shot of light rum per serving. For a margarita-ish slushy, add one shot of tequila per serving.