Posts tagged ‘drinks’

Now that you’ve heard all about our annual New Year’s Eve culinary traditions, did you really think with a food lineup like that, we’d just keep the drinks program to wine, beer and champagne? In keeping with our over-the-top presentation, it shouldn’t surprise you to know that we’ve instituted an Around-the-World hourly drinks schedule that puts your old fraternity’s mixer themes to shame.

It started a few years ago when Dan was ready for a cold one by mid-afternoon, long before the first guests were scheduled to arrive. Like the drinker’s motto, “It’s five o’clock somewhere,” he rationalized that it was already midnight somewhere off to the East, and cracked a beer.

Since then, it’s evolved from a tossed-off explanation to a full shot-an-hour docket starting at 3:00 PM and available until midnight for anyone who cares to join in, along with a toast in each country’s native language. It’s not as killer as it sounds, given that we’re doing small tastes (especially as the number of participants grows), and it’s educational to boot—how else would you learn how to say “Happy new year!” in Latvian?

This year’s lineup, below, featured a few out-of-the-box selections from Bryan and LeeMichael’s expanding liquor cabinet and a few repeats from years past that we love too much to take off the list. (That 8:00 PM Greenland shot will probably be on there until the polar ice caps melt, because we think we’re sooooo clever for coming up with it. Plus, it’s a good pacer!) Take a look and tell me what your favorite one would be.

last year's lineup

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.