Tag: cranberry juice

Pink Lemonade

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Really? Pink Lemonade? Yes, but it’s a bit better than the syrupy fountain bubble from your favorite casual restaurant.

The appearance is similar to how you’d expect the common “virgin” version of the cocktail to be, but with a slightly darker color. On the nose it’s very clean and citrusy with not much else going for it. The cocktail starts sweet from the sprite/7up, moves to a clean mix of cranberry and citrus, then finishes with whatever liquor variants you used. The finish and in many ways star of this cocktail will all be about which vodka and which orange liqueur you add. For this evening’s recipe I went with my Boyd and Blair Potato Vodka and some Grand Marnier, the latter of which really classes up an otherwise simple (and frankly boring) recipe. Alternatively I think this cocktail could really benefit from a dash or two of orange bitters and/or some orange flower water to round out the flavor. Overall it’s a very simple drink, but a good starter if you’re new to mixing. A little extra attention to things like fresh juice and higher end spirits really can make this cocktail a bit better, but if you cheapen out on everything you’re going to get a mediocre experience.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 3/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10

“Pinky and the Booze”

Pink Lemonade

1 1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Triple Sec (or other orange liqueur)
1 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
4-5 oz Chilled 7up or Sprite
Lemon Wedge

Shake all liquid ingredients except 7UP. Strain into an iced collins glass and top with pop. Stir gently. Squeeze in lemon wedge and drop it in.

The Lusty Lady

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So, earlier today I was digging through my recipe book, looking for something else when I came across the recipe for “The Lusty Lady.” It was a featured cocktail on the back of a sampler pack of bitters, and given the elegant design of the cocktail I decided it would be worth featuring here on the blog…and it does not disappoint!

Though the recipe isn’t a super easy one in it’s execution, it is a good test of the home bartender to give a little extra class to a simple gin based recipe. Now in advance this cocktail calls for an egg white, and subsequently a dry or reverse dry shaking method. Although it is perfectly safe to consume egg whites in cocktails as the alcohol kills off any latent bacteria, it is worth noting that if it bothers you, you might want to pass this one by.

That said this is an impressive and deceptively simple cocktail. Any drink with egg white is going to create a nice foamy head and be velvety smooth on the tongue and this drink certainly fills that standard out nicely. The texture is extremely light and smooth from start to finish. The aroma is mostly blocked by the egg white foam, but there is a slight hint of the lavender bitters that comes through. It begins with simple and sweet tastes, but without a lot of distinguishing flavors, it then moves to a warm gin on the mid palette, and finishes with a slight hint of citrus and lavender with very little burn. Do note that I opted for an American Gin, which is significantly milder and than a traditional London Dry or Ginever. With that change up you can expect an earthier and more pronounced flavor to come through across the entire cocktail.

This is simply an OUTSTANDING cocktail, and with fresh ingredients it really takes a simple recipe to a new level. If you’re looking to impress a friend or date (with restaurants being closed) this will certainly do the trick.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 3/10
Overall Rating: 9.5/10 (Could be higher with a London Dry)

The Lusty Lady

2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/8 oz (A bar spoon) Cranberry Juice
1 Egg White
2-3 Dashes of Lavender Bitters
2 Cherries

Shake all ingredients without ice for 8-10 seconds to emulsify egg. Add ice and shake for an additional 15 seconds to chill. Double Strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with two cherries on a pick.

thelustylady
“Oh, whoa, whoa, she’s a lady!”

Valentine

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So I’m fairly embarrassed that the first cocktail of 2019 is in the middle of February, but I’m proud to finally be a day a head of a holiday for releasing a drink. This should give everyone the day to snag the ingredients if you don’t already have them.

Consulting a cocktail book of mine I was intrigued by this simple, but interesting cocktail. A visually simple light rose color, with an inviting nose of a light banana and tart berry. The drink starts off sweet with a mix of the flavors, hits with a banana and light vodka burn on the mid pallete, and finishes with the tartness of cranberry. I fell like this is a cocktail that could really be changed based on your choice of ingredients. A sweet banana liqueur will make a sweeter drink, while a stronger 99 Bananas will get you a punchier cocktail with less flavor and more burn. Additionally a cheaper vodka would make this drink more harsh than smooth and complex, so if you’re making it for a lover spend the extra cash and get a nice top shelf vodka.

Overall it’s a simple but interesting cocktail. Inviting in color and flavor, but not complex enough for the experienced mixologist to call a “regular.” If you’re looking to impress, but still keep under a budget this might be a good choice. Outside of that, I think there are better options for these three flavors.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Valentine Cocktail

2 oz Banana Liqueur
1 oz Vodka
3 oz Cranberry Juice

Shake and strain into a wine glass (no ice).

WIN_20190213_20_28_14_Pro
“Won’t you be mine?”

Ambassador

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So it’s half way through the year, and I’m wondering why all of my time went recently. Thinking about making drinks I realized I’m about due to start curating my list of cocktails for my annual Christmas Party. I know what seems really far away for most of you, but building the right drink list for that party is everything to me, and it was recently that I tried today’s cocktail and it really stuck me as a strong contender for my party. If you yourself host guests around the holidays I highly suggest you work on your drink list now, and possibly include this one.

The Ambassador is the second rum cocktail listed in one of my recipe books, and I was shocked I hadn’t made it sooner. Granted I may have been looking for “Passion Fruit Liqueur” which it does call for, but I realized when it’s only about a 1/4 oz then it’s really not about the liqueur and more about the flavor, which can be done with juice or syrup, thus I’ve reflected that in the recipe below along with my substitution of Crown Royal Regal Apple for the Apple Liqueur (because apple pucker won’t cut it for this)

As for the cocktail itself, we’re looking at an inviting reddish color, and a rich apple and cranberry on the nose. The drink starts with a sweet and tart cranberry, moves quickly to a sweet apple, and finishes with a whiskey and passion fruit finish. The rum really feels lost in this drink, but I’m really not complaining here. It fills space in the glass and makes room for other great flavors! The Crown Apple is really the star of this drink. Granted it might be different if you can find an apple schnapps in your area, but I don’t feel it would really be worth it to cheapen out of this drink. From start to finish it’s a smooth and simple cocktail with rich flavors. It’s not perfect, but it’s really close. Perhaps some orange bitters or even a orange peel twist would make it just a little better.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 4/10
Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Ambassador

1 oz Light Rum
1/2 oz Apple Liqueur (or Apple Whiskey)
1 oz Cranberry Juice
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Juice or Syrup

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

WIN_20180816_16_30_57_Pro
“Diplomatic Immunity”

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!”

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…”

Frozen Blizzard

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Here’s something a bit different to close out “Blended Cocktail Week.”

I realize it might seem a bit redundant to say “Frozen Blizzard” but it it important to note that this drink can be make shaken with ice, or blended with it. The drink also calls for 3 ounces of bourbon or blended whiskey which are two very different categories of whiskey which could shift the drink to either side of the taste spectrum. For this variation I decided to mix both the blended whiskey and the bourbon for a more well rounded taste (and also because my bourbon is 100 proof).

The drink has a strong and unblemished whiskey aroma which to any lover of the spirit is quite welcoming. This unique blended cocktail starts off a little sour, then leaves you with a tart whiskey taste on the mid palette and the finish. I do think the drink lacks a bit of flavor complexity despite the mixing of blended whiskey and bourbon. However, if you’re looking for something to blend that isn’t a vodka or rum based drink, this is well worth the try.

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

Frozen Blizzard

3 oz Bourbon (or Blended Whiskey) [1 1/2 oz of each used]
1 oz Cranberry Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Lemon Slice

blended blizzard
“Extra Chilly! To warm you up.”

Combine all ingredients in a blender with 1/2 cup of ice. Pour into a tumbler or wine glass. Garnish with a lemon slice (wheel).

 

Slipped Disk

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Well this is one of those cocktails that can be described as “everything but the kitchen sink.” The drink actually doesn’t have much of an aroma which starts off very deceiving. The drink starts off like snow cone…sweet and icy, you’re then greeting by the wonderful mixing of rums, and you’re left with a complex mixing of juices, and liqueurs. The Grand Marnier and Amaretto are very subtle in this drink, but they are there. If you weren’t told about them you might just say “oh that tastes like spiced rum,” but when you recognize the flavors in the drinks aftertaste you’ll want to go back for more!

Alcohol Taste Rating: 5/10
Overall Rating: 9/10

Slipped Disk

1 1/4 oz Gold Rum
1 oz Spiced Rum
3/4 oz Amaretto
3/4 oz Grand Marnier
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Sweet/Sour
1 oz Coconut Cream Syrup
1 oz Pineapple Juice

Blend all ingredients with ice. Pour into a large pint, or 3-4 short glasses.

Slipped Disk Cocktail
“Drink this too fast and you might just slip a disk”

Simply Crimson

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Well it had to have happened sooner or later the first mediocre cocktail of the year. The Simply Crimson just lacks something interesting and tries to replace it with something bitter…and it just doesn’t really deliver. The drink smells a bit like oranges thanks to the Cointreau, but also a bit like a generic brown soft drink which isn’t super inviting. The drink starts sweet and pleasant moves quickly to a orange and cranberry mix, and finishes with a harsh bitter taste that just doesn’t belong at all. It is a drinkable cocktail, but it certainly isn’t one I’d choose to drink (or even make again).

Alcohol Taste Rating: 6/10
Overall Rating: 4/10

Simply Crimson

1 1/2 oz Cointreau
4 dashes of Bitters
1 1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
Splash Club SodaOrange Slice and Cherry (Garnishes)

Stir Cointreau, bitters, and juice with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, top with club soda.

simply crimson
“Simply… not worth it.”

 

Midnight Berry Blast

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Man it’s been a while here. I’ve been so focused on working on stuff for the youtube channel that I’ve let the blog lapse a bit. So that being said here’s a little something I threw together the other night to satisfy a craving for a hard but fruity drink.

The Midnight Berry Blast is a new Medium of Mixology (or MoM for short) original. I’m hoping to post more original drinks this year so this makes for a nice starter. The Drink starts off sweet moves to a tart/sour, then finishes with a hard blackberry. If you’ve got the ingredients and want to go for a lazy drink, this might be a good choice.

Overall Rating: 7/10
Alcohol Taste Rating: 3.5/10

Midnight Berry Blast

1 oz 99 Blackberries
2 Dashes Cherry Bitters
Fill with Cranberry Juice
Lime Wedge

Straight build over ice in a short glass. Squeeze lime wedge over drink and drop it in.

midnight berry blast
“Because it’s midnight” -Limozeen (The Brothers Chaps)