Tag: blue curacao

Blue Christmas

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Well I decided I better come back for at least once cocktail before the end of the year. The “Blue Christmas” I created specifically for my annual party, and based the color/title off of the old Elvis Presley Song of the same name. I went through a couple iterations creating the drink, but settled on potato vodka and the highlight special ingredient Rosemary Simple Syrup.

Base presentation is key here. A stemless cocktail glass makes for a short easy to hold but elegant designed drink. As the name suggests it’s a bright blueish/green cocktail, garnished with a lime wedge for some seasonal green. On the nose you’re greeted with mild citrusy notes. The palette on first sip is where things get interesting. If you go with a potato vodka (vs wheat like Absolut or a corn like Titos) you’ll get smooth refreshing start, which quickly moves to a sweet rosemary and vermouth flavor, and finishes with a slightly sweet and sour citrus from the lime. If you opt for a different vodka, you’ll likely get a little more burn on the back end. Either way this is a very easy drinking cocktail for your seasonal parties. If you’re less of a vodka fan and want to push the juniper flavor out more, I’d highly suggest trying the same recipe with a London Dry Gin such as Bombay or Beefeater!

Alcohol Taste Rating: 6/10
Overall Rating: 8.9/10

Blue Christmas

1 1/2 oz Vodka (Can also use Gin)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Blue Curacao (Increase to 1/2 if you want it bluer)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Rosemary Simple Syrup*
Lime Slice

Shake all liquid ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Float a thin lime slice on top.

*Rosemary Simple Syrup – Boil 1 cup of water with 2 large springs of rosemary for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved and pour into a clean glass jar. (Optionally add the boiled rosemary springs into the syrup for further maturation of flavor) Refrigerate once cool.

“I’ll have a blue Christmas without you”

Mipha’s Grace Cocktail

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Sometimes I’m just inspired and two original cocktails back to back area clear indication when something is going right. Continuing my journey into Zelda: Breath of the Wild Cocktails, I present Mipha’s Grace. In the game this power-up brings you back from the brink of death with the power of the Water Champion Mipha! I wanted to do a whiskey based drink for this particular cocktail as whiskey comes from Gallic meaning “water of life,” which is the perfect definition for this cocktail and the power in the game.

With a deep blue/green color and select lemon, cherry, and sugar garnishes this cocktail is a beauty in it’s presentation and it’s taste. The aroma is a neutral citrus and sweet, with a hint of apple on the back end. The drink starts with a cool and sweet flavor which moves to a sweet citrus, then finally finishes with a slight burn of apple, lemon, and cherry/berry. It’s not the best cocktail in the world, but it’s a great representation of the theme with a solid drink behind it. If you’re throwing a game themed party this might be a great choice for you. Outside of that it’s a fun novelty for an evening, but nothing special enough for a regular cocktail.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Rating: 7/10

Mipha’s Grace

1 1/2 oz Apple Whiskey
1/2 oz Blue Curacao
1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Orgeat (Almond Syrup)
1/4 oz Blackberry Brandy
Cherry with stem
Lemon Wedge
Sugar

Prepare a cocktail glass by rimming the edge with a lemon wedge and coating in sugar. Chill. Shake whiskey, curacao, gin, syrup, and brandy together with ice. Strain into prepared glass over a single cherry (keep stem on). Squeeze remaining lemon wedge over drink and drop it in.

UPDATE 2019: This drink actually doesn’t need the orgeat syrup. Leave it out and you get a more well balanced cocktail that’s less sweet and more “rounded.” New overall rating at 8/10. With alcohol taste rating at 6.5/10

Mipha's Grace Cocktail
“It was my pleasure.”

Revali’s Gale Cocktail

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I’ve been off and on returning to my “wandering around” in the game Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and I was struck with inspiration on the 4 “powers” you get in the game (Incoming SPOILERS). Revali’s Gale lets you glide upward with a gust of wind, making it easier to traverse mountains. For this original cocktail I wanted to play with both the visuals of the power and the flavors of the game’s region. Specifically using Grey Goose vodka to mimic the Rito (bird-like race) and the regional wheat flavor (wheat vodka); I played with various iterations of a mix of flavors to get the desired color and flavor. It had to be green, light, airy, and in a tall glass. Thinking about it more and more I wanted to also incorporate some mint to reflect the tall mountains and snow shown in the game. For that reason I decided to do a riff on the classic Mojito.

The “Revali’s Gale” is a light summer style drink, with refreshing flavor that will elevate you to new heights. The drink looks very similar to a classic Mojito, but is considerably greener and the bottom. It has a light minty aroma and paired with a few visual mint leaves a very inviting presentation. Like any Mojito you’re greeted with a light taste of your choice spirit and club soda which moves quickly to a little sweet lime. With this variation you get a finish of melon and mint which keeps you going back for more. As you drink to the bottom and start to mix in the darker liqueur components, you get more melon and citrus, but it’s not overpoweringly sweet. Overall this is a nice twist on the summer classic, and can really be enjoyed in any season. If you’re not a huge rum person and want to go for a vodka variant, this might be the cocktail for you!

Alcohol Taste Rating: 4/10
Overall Rating: 7.7/10

Revali’s Gale

2 oz Grey Goose Vodka (or other Wheat Vodka)
1 oz Lime Juice
2 sugar Cubes
6-8 Mint Leaves
Club Soda
Splash Blue Curacao
Splash Midori

Muddle Lime Juice, Mint, and Sugar in a mixing glass. Add ice, and vodka. Shake well. Strain into an iced collins glass and top with club soda. Add a splash of blue curacao, then a splash of Midori. Serve to a wandering hero.

Revali's Gale Cocktail
“Revali’s Gale is now ready!”

Water Tribe’s Frozen Vodka Blizzard

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I had thought for sure I had lost this recipe, and then I found it sitting in the drafts for the blog and I was pleasantly surprised. So picking up another bottle of bottom shelf blue raspberry vodka, I knew it was time to remake this drink for a new post.

In my continued efforts to create a set of 4 distinct cocktails based on the Avatar: The Last Air Bender series. Previously I brought you Uncle Iroh’s Pai Sho Earth Tea, and today the series continues, with the “Water Tribe’s Frozen Vodka Blizzard”. Designed to feel like an iceberg floating onto of cartoon blue waters this is a great summer drink to cool off and get tipsy at the same time.

A refreshing blue color makes for an inviting modern style cocktail. The smell is strong of the candy blue raspberry flavor of the vodka. Your first sip will begin with the cool ice on top (not a lot of flavor comes through initially). The cocktail hits to a tart flavor on the mid-palette thanks to the cranberry and lemon juices. Then the finish is where you’re punched with the candy blue raspberry with very little alcohol burn (as it seems more sweet).

Like the other drinks I’m working on for this series it’s mostly about the look and a bit less about the taste. That said however, this is a great starter for the 4 cocktails.  Despite the volume of vodka it’s a very sweet and refreshing cocktail and is easy to toss together larger batches for a party. Just be sure you bring your trusty boomerang with you.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 3/10
Overall Rating 8/10

Water Tribe’s Frozen Vodka Blizzard

3 oz Freezer Chilled Blue Raspberry Vodka
1 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Blue Curacao
1 oz Simple Syrup
2 Dashes Orange Bitters
(Optional: Additional 1/2 oz Blue Vodka)

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until ice is broken into very small pieces. Serve in a pint glass. Optional Float additional 1/2 of Blue Vodka

Frozen Vodka Blizzard
“It’s the quenchiest!”

Witch’s Brew

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So I thought I should throw something quick together for the holiday, and what I came up with was actually pretty solid! The Witch’s Brew is loosely based on the Rainbow Road Cocktail, but with a bit less red and yellow and more violet.

As with any layered cocktail the Witch’s Brew has a killer presentation with three distinct layers and multiple flavors for your cackling palette. As for the flavor, again you’re looking at traditional layered drink fare. So the flavor will change the more into the drink you get. It starts with the melon and sweet rum both in flavor and aroma. The back flavor once it settles leans to the citrus of the juice, but then you get pulled back into overproof rum territory quickly as it settles in. As the upper layer slowly disappears, you begin to get a sweet and floral flavor creeping in. Overall it’s a simple drink, but complex in its ingredients list…I’d say that’s perfect for a true brew.

Alcohol Taste Rating (8/10 then 4/10)
Overall Rating (7/10)

Witch’s Brew

1/2 oz Blue Curacao
1 1/2 oz OJ
1/4 oz Grenadine
1/4 oz Creme de Violette
1/2 oz Midori (Or other melon liqueur)
3/4 oz 151 Rum
Maraschino Cherry

In an iced mixing glass stir Blue Curacao and Orange juice to chill. Strain into a cocktail glass. Then stir grenadine and Creme de Violette with ice, and strain pouring on the side of the glass (should sink to bottom). Finally stir Midori and 151 rum with ice, and strain on the side of glass (or with a spoon) layering mixture on top. Garnish with a cherry (with stem).

DSCF7471
“Cold Hot Fresh Witch’s Brüe only 10 bucks a pop! ” -Homestar Runner

Piranha Club Initiation

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This is a great example of a very STUPID drink! The only way a drink like this will impress your friends is if they’re looking for the cocktail equivalent of a bottle of knockout drops. That said this IS a surprisingly well balanced cup of citrusy rum.

A visual spectacle (as any layered drink is) the Piranha Club Initiation (or just The Initiation) certainly seems like a “dare” awaits you for your first sip. With the aroma at the front of your choice dark rum, you can only imagine the layers of flavor to come. Deciding to go with a Black Seal over my usual Kraken, you start with a strong and rich rum flavor and move to a smooth citrus blend with a sweet finish inviting you back for more (which isn’t a good idea at all). Overall it’s actually a fairly well balanced drink if not a little strong on the edges (and in the middle too for that matter).

The Initiation is actually worth a try for it’s great blend of rum and juice…provided you don’t drink more than one of them in a night.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 8/10
Overall Rating: 8/10

Piranha Club Initiation

1 1/2 oz 151 Rum
1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
3/4 oz Blue Curacao
1 1/2 oz Sweet/Sour Mix
Fill with Orange Juice
3/4 oz Dark Rum

Straight build in an iced tumbler. Float the dark rum on top.

“You’re in!”

Perpetual Midnight (Elite Dangerous Cocktail)

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Taking a bit of inspiration from The Drunken Moogle once again, this is my first original video game cocktail. The game if you are unfamiliar with it is a large open world space simulator. While there is some trading, bounty hunting, and exploring, most of the time you’re enjoying the soundtrack while flying through empty star filled space. The inspiration of this drink was the basic cockpit view of mostly orange over the darkness of space. I played quite a bit with the idea of an orange liqueur floating over the drink, but decided to use an actual orange slice as a garnish to get the right balance of color for the drink.

Image source: https://www.reddit.com/comments/267m1k

So on to the drink’s flavor and presentation. The drink itself is a deep purple color, but if you weren’t holding it up to the light all you’d call it was “black.” The orange on the drink gives bit of mystery as to exactly what flavors are in play here. The drinks has an inviting juicy aroma, with a subtle bit spiced rum. The drink starts with a nice sweet start, a strong rum taste on the mid-palette, then finishes to a complex fruity taste of the mix of juices and moonshine. It should be noted that the grenadine you use will be very important here. Don’t use a cheap bottle of Rose’s but instead look for something that actually gives you the natural pomegranate flavor. I’m also not usually one to specifically recommend a brand name alcohol, but I think anything other than Kraken would ruin the cocktail.

This drink is to give you the idea of life in a large galaxy of traders, explorers, and pirates. It’s a drink that inspires the makeshift alcohol of space living (thanks to the moonshine) but the complexity of 1000 years of cocktail evolution. Take a sip and jump into hyperspace with this MoM Original!

Alcohol Taste Rating: 8/10
Overall Rating: 9/10

Perpetual Midnight (Elite Dangerous Cocktail)

½ oz Grenadine
1 ½ oz Cranberry Juice
1 oz Blackberry Moonshine
½ Blue Curacao
Dash of Cherry Bitters (Optional)
½ oz Kraken Dark Spiced Rum
Orange Slice or Thin Wedge

Mix all liquid ingredients, but the Kraken in an iced tumbler or lowball glass. Float Kraken Rum by pouring it slowly over the ice. Slowly add in orange (as to not break the rum float). Enjoy!

perpetual midnight
“Frameshift Drive Charging…”

Flaming Blue Blaster

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Well this is certainly an interesting drink for my return from another blog hiatus. The “Flaming Blue Blaster” starts out by breaking a simple rule of mixology: “Don’t shake drinks that are alcohol only. Stir them.” NOPE we’re shaking this drink for some weird reason.

An interesting blue-green color starts you off questioning what is even in this drink (besides curacao). You’re greeting with a pleasant peppermint aroma, with a subtle note of oaky bourbon. The drink starts out sweet and tangy thanks to the curacao, it moves to an oaky alcohol taste in the middle (thanks to the Oakheart Rum, and if finishes in two segments; first a bourbon taste then a refreshing mint. I think my use of both the 100 proof bourbon and 100 proof schnapps for this drink fit the name quite well. For a less intense variation you could easily move to a more moderately proofed variation of either. Even with the intense flavor and proof components it’s still a very good drink and not too overpowering. I’d recommend giving this one a try for a slow sipper style cocktail.

Overall Rating: 7.8/10
Alcohol Taste Rating: 9.5/10

Flaming Blue Blaster

1 oz Bourbon
3/4 oz Peppermint Schnapps
3/4 oz Blue Curacao
1/4 oz Spiced Rum

Shake and strain with ice. Strain into an iced tumbler.

"You Crazy Blaster-ed!"
“You Crazy Blaster-ed!”

Blue Tropical Waters

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Well I’m back from a long hiatus here on the blog and I’ve got with me a brand new MoM original. Today we’ve got the “Blue Tropical Waters” inspired by a recent switch from 99 Bananas to a more traditional banana liqueur. A wonderfully colored drink with a crisp blue jewel color makes for an inviting cocktail creation. The drink has a clean orange and banana aroma to start you off. On first taste you get a clean and sweet coconut flavor, mid-pallet you’re greeted with some refreshing lime, and it ends with a banana and coconut balance that invites you back for more. I pretty much created this one on the fly, and am impressed with how well the flavors balanced each other out, as well as the 3 distinct flavor profiles. Give this one a try for yourself

Alcohol Taste Rating:
Overall Rating:

Blue Tropical Waters

1 1/2 oz Coconut Rum
1 oz Banana Liqueur
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur (Preferably Cointreau)
3/4 oz Rose’s Lime Juice
Dash Blue Curacao
Maraschino Cherry

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

blue tropical waters
“Cheer up, don’t look so blue.”

 

Alien Brain Hemorrhage

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Today we’ve got a pretty (in)famous shooter. It has a nice citrus and peach taste but a VERY crazy texture on the way down as you get some weird separation between the grenadine and Irish cream.

Not sure what I mean, then check out this special bonus episode of the show: Halloween Episode

Alien Brain Hemorrhage

3/4 oz Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz Irish Cream
1/4 oz Blue Curacao
Dash Grenadine (Syrup)

Layer in a shot glass. Add a few drops of Grenadine for “Hemorrhaging Effect.”

Alc. Rating: 5/10
Overall Rating: 6/10

alien brain hemorrhage
“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”