The best part of writing about food is that everyone eats. We may all have differences of opinion on what we like or hate, but we all eat. So what makes eating great? I have always been a fan of the "quality, not quantity" approach to eating and this blog tends to show that. It would not be very healthy to only eat decedent, over the top, food for every meal, even elite athletes have a limit on what they can eat. That being said, writing about moderation is not as fun as writing about the things that make you drool when you think about them.
This is the first blog in a series highlighting my favorites. I'm going to start with drinks. Just as the Dos Equis man says, I don't drink often, but when I do, I drink....
I don't have a specific category of drink that I enjoy, there are a few beers, a few cocktails and some wines. Since beer and wine don't require assembly, they are the easy way to supplement a meal and really don't require much further discussion. Cocktails are far more difficult since they generally require ingredients you don't normally stock and although simple, you usually need some tools.
Tastes change from time to time, mine included. Here are my current top five mixed drinks.
1. Lychee Martini
2. Cucumber Martini
3. Blood Orange Manhattan
4. Lemon drop or Lemon Martini
5. Prickly Pear Martini
I'm guessing you can see a pattern here. I currently am on a Vodka Martini kick. The only exception is the Bourbon based Manhattan. The beauty of the vodka Martini is that is fairly simple to make up your own recipe. Pick a fruit (or even some vegetables, see #2!) and pair it with Vodka and usually something to add a little sweetness unless it is sweet on its own. Voila, you invented your own martini. As a rule of thumb, use a 1 to 1 fruit to vodka ratio. I'll include common recipes for these, but I'd also love to hear what great twists others like.
Lychee Martini
2 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Lychee "juice" (I basically drain the liquid from the can and then finely chop fruit into it, blender would probably be better)
Garnish with a Lychee fruit in the glass
Cucumber Martini
2 oz. Vodka
1/4 oz. Lemon Juice
2 slices Cucumber
3 pieces Mint
1/2 oz. Sugar Syrup
Muddle 1 slice of cucumber and mint and add to the shaker. Can also be made with half Vodka and half Gin or all Gin
Garnish with the other slice of cucumber, can be served in a martini glass or a Collins glass
Blood Orange Manhattan
2 oz Bourbon (Jack Daniels or Maker's Mark)
Heavy dash of Vermouth
Heavy dash of Blood Orange Bitters
(optional, add an oz of O.J., I don't use)
Garnish with a stem on Cherry
Lemon Martini
2 oz Vodka (lemon or citrus flavored work best)
1 oz Limoncello (if you don't have Limoncello, rethink how you stock your bar!)
1 oz Lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup (or use lemonade instead of juice and syrup)
Garnish with either a strip of lemon rind or a lemonhead candy
Prickly Pear Martini
2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1 oz Prickly Pear syrup
I've never had a garnish on one of these, I'm guessing a chunk of cactus just doesn't work! :-)
Tastes change from time to time, mine included. Here are my current top five mixed drinks.
1. Lychee Martini
2. Cucumber Martini
3. Blood Orange Manhattan
4. Lemon drop or Lemon Martini
5. Prickly Pear Martini
I'm guessing you can see a pattern here. I currently am on a Vodka Martini kick. The only exception is the Bourbon based Manhattan. The beauty of the vodka Martini is that is fairly simple to make up your own recipe. Pick a fruit (or even some vegetables, see #2!) and pair it with Vodka and usually something to add a little sweetness unless it is sweet on its own. Voila, you invented your own martini. As a rule of thumb, use a 1 to 1 fruit to vodka ratio. I'll include common recipes for these, but I'd also love to hear what great twists others like.
Lychee Martini
2 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Lychee "juice" (I basically drain the liquid from the can and then finely chop fruit into it, blender would probably be better)
Garnish with a Lychee fruit in the glass
Cucumber Martini
2 oz. Vodka
1/4 oz. Lemon Juice
2 slices Cucumber
3 pieces Mint
1/2 oz. Sugar Syrup
Muddle 1 slice of cucumber and mint and add to the shaker. Can also be made with half Vodka and half Gin or all Gin
Garnish with the other slice of cucumber, can be served in a martini glass or a Collins glass
Blood Orange Manhattan
2 oz Bourbon (Jack Daniels or Maker's Mark)
Heavy dash of Vermouth
Heavy dash of Blood Orange Bitters
(optional, add an oz of O.J., I don't use)
Garnish with a stem on Cherry
Lemon Martini
2 oz Vodka (lemon or citrus flavored work best)
1 oz Limoncello (if you don't have Limoncello, rethink how you stock your bar!)
1 oz Lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup (or use lemonade instead of juice and syrup)
Garnish with either a strip of lemon rind or a lemonhead candy
Prickly Pear Martini
2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1 oz Prickly Pear syrup
I've never had a garnish on one of these, I'm guessing a chunk of cactus just doesn't work! :-)
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