Tag: cranberry juice

Sassafras Sunset

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Possibly one of the more interesting names for a drink I’ve come across and it certainly didn’t disappoint on taste. The Sassafras Sunset has a pleasant citrus aroma and starts with an equally light citrus flavor with a bit of fizz. Mid palette it hits you with a nice juicy mix and finishes off with a mild rum and hit of raspberry. The shift in flavors in this drink are exactly what I like to find in a drink, and the addition of club soda makes this a perfect drink for any occasion. The taste of alcohol in the drink in minimal sitting at around 3/10 and overall it’s a solid 7/10. I do wish the juice and club soda was a bit more balanced, but that is something that can easily be tweaked depending on which type of tall glass is used.

Sassafras Sunset

1 oz Light Rum
1 oz Gold Rum
3/4 oz Triple Sec
1 oz OJ
1 1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1 1/2 Sweet/Sour
Club Soda
3/4 oz Raspberry Schnapps
Orange Slice and Cherry

Shake Rums, triple sec, and juice ingredients with ice. Strain into an iced pint or highball glass. Top with Club soda and float raspberry liqueur (sinks to bottom). Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

sassafras sunset
“Kick back and enjoy the sunset”

 

Tidal Wave 2

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Today’s drink is one of many drink variations, this one I actually didn’t even know I made before. Actually it was a blue tidal wave, this however is more of a brownish rum drink.

This version has a simple appearance which could be improved with a lemon wedge to bring some life into the drink. It has bits of citrus and rum aromas and tastes as well. It starts light with a sweet cranberry flavor. Mid palette you’ll get a sweet and sour rum taste, followed up by a tart spiced rum burn. It’s a decent drink, but certainly isn’t one of my favorites. It could be improved a bit with some bitters.

Tidal Wave (2)

1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Gold Rum
1/2 oz Spiced Rum
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz Sweet and Sour

Shake and strain into a chilled rocks glass.

Overall Rating: 7/10
Alcohol Taste Rating: 7.5/10

Tidal Wave
“Look out! Oh, never mind it’s pretty plain.”

Vampire Cocktail

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Well it still might be a little early for some (myself included) to be thinking about Halloween themed drinks, so this one will work for both the holiday and all the annoying Twilight fans out there that also drink (which is probably a very small area on a venn diagram).

The drink is simple enough. Berry aromas to start, with a sweet start and a slightly sour finish with a mild bite (no pun intended). It’s a good themed drink, but it’s lacking in a lot of complexity so there’s not much to talk about. It tastes a bit like each of the constituent parts. Perhaps a drop or two of grenadine after shaking could add a little more flair to the drink, if it doesn’t get lost in the rest of the “red.”

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

Vampire

1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Chambord (or other raspberry liqueur)
1 oz. Rose’s Lime Juice
1 oz. Cranberry juice

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. (Arm yourself with a stake and a garlic necklace).

 

vampire
“I vant to zack yaur blahd!”

 

Red Snapper and 4th of July

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So today I need recap on the past month from episodes of the show. First we have the Red Snapper Shot from June 4th which is a great recipe that yields 2-3 shots.

Red Snapper Shooter

3/4 oz Canadian Whiskey
3/4 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz Amaretto

Shake with ice, strain into (Chilled) shot glasses (makes 3oz)

Next up we’ve got a side by side comparison tasting of two blue summer-style schnapps. Dekuyper’s Island Punch Pucker and Maui Blue Hawaiian. Where I’m from the Pucker is VERY difficult to find so I had to seek out some kind of alternative. While the Blue Hawaiian has a similar flavor it may require a little bit of sweet/sour mix to use it as a “substitute.” More on that in Episode 8.5:

Finally we have today’s festive 4th of July Shot. It’s a powerful orange blast both in aroma and taste. The presentation (as with any layered drink) is quite impressive and really matches with the Red, White, and Blue theme. Although there is also a “Red, White, and Blue Shot” (made with peach schnapps instead of Cointreau), I found this version layered much easier and made for a better demo. For my initial reaction check out the new episode (9) of the show.

4th Of July Shot

1/3 Grenadine
1/3 Blue Curacao
1/3 Cointreau

Layer in order in a presentation shot glass.

Ruby Red Herring (Mocktail)

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Today I bring you the first original drink in quite awhile. This is my first Mocktail creation for the morning mixologist.

Recently I bought a little white grapefruit juice to find out that as a mixer it’s far inferior to its sweeter ruby red brother. So I’ve been mixing it with simple syrup to cut back on the sourness that it inherently brings to the table. With a little grenadine and cranberry you’ve got yourself a…

Ruby Red Herring (Mocktail)

1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Grenadine
3 oz Cranberry Juice
Top with White Grapefruit Juice

Straight build in a lowball glass (ice if desired)

ruby red herring mocktail
No ratings, because it’s all just juice…

Kool Aid (Late)

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So this week I’m late by a day again, but here to bring you a very interesting mix. The Kool Aid is nothing like the name suggests. It’s not very attractive nor very tasty. While it is a decent drink, I was confused on how exactly to place the taste. The flavors don’t really meld together that well, and your left tasting each of them a little at a time. This is one of those drinks like the “watermelon” that I certainly wouldn’t serve first. Try it if you’re looking for something different, but it’s not something I can recommend very much. There are two versions of this drink found in my recipe book. The first is without the “optional” ingredients. The second is with both of them. Maybe this recipe just needs tweaking a bit. My guess is to ditch the amaretto as it’s the strangest ingredient of the set.

Kool Aid

1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Midori
1/2 oz Amaretto
2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz Southern Comfort (Optional)
Splash of Grenadine (Optional)

Straight build in an iced tumbler.

OH YEAH!
OH YEAH!

’57 T-Bird with Arizona Plates

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57 tbird arizona
~ A trip through the dusty desert.

I’m not even going to talk about how good this drink is. Make it for yourself and don’t ask questions.

’57 T-Bird with Arizona Plates

1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Amaretto
1/2 oz. Midori
1/2 oz. Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Grenadine
1 oz. Orange Juice
1 oz. Cranberry Juice

Straight build in a rocks/bucket glass.

Fruitti Tutti

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Well last Wednesday I posted up the new episode of the show which featured a Fruity drink that simple, sweet, and not too hard. Be sure to check out the Episode 3 over on the show page.

Fruitti Tutti

1 oz Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz Raspberry Liqueur
1/2 oz Midori
Splash of Cranberry Juice

Shake all ingredients together and strain into a rocks glass
OR
Add alcohol ingredients into an ice filled rocks glass. Top with cranberry juice to 2/3 full. Stir.

frutti tutti
“It’s not Tutti Fruity… or is it?”

Cape Codder

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Well as I remember that it’s Monday and I need to post a drink of the week, here’s a simple, tart, and sour drink for a lazy evening blog. The Cape Codder is a great drink shaken or stirred.

Cape Codder

2 oz Vodka
4-5 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz Lime juice
Lime Wedge

Combine ingredients together in an iced filled highball glass. Squeeze lime wedge over drink and drop it in.

Photo Source: thedrinkchef.com

Sorry for not getting a picture of this one myself, but it’s been a long day.

The Skinny Dipper

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Well this is one of those drinks that you can serve to someone who says, “I really don’t drink much.” The cranberry and Midori nullify eachother’s strong flavors and makes for a light fruity drink for any occasion.skinny dipperSkinny Dipper

2 oz Midori
4-6 oz Cranberry Juice
Lemon Twist

Straight build in an ice filled Collins glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.