Tag

martini

Aztec Soul Chocolate Martini

written by Ali

This post is sponsored by Forte Chocolates. All opinions are mine alone. Content is for 21+.

I’m a such a fan of the chocolate martini, so we can’t end #choctoberfest2018 without me sharing my recipe for an Aztec Soul Chocolate Martini. It feels like it’s been forever since I posted a cocktail. Maybe you’ll be seeing more of these from me as we get closer to the holidays.

In the meantime, you can make up three or four of these and be perfectly satisfied. I am so glad that Forte Chocolates was a sponsor for #choctoberfest2018. They were so generous in the product that they sent and they are extending an amazing coupon to all the #choctoberfest readers. If you are interested in getting a buy 3 and get 1 free deal (and who wouldn’t be!), go to this link. You’ll also learn more about the chocolate bars that the #choctoberfest bloggers have been working with this week.

I was lucky to get a pack that included Aztec Soul (Chili Peppers in Dark Chocolate), Orange Jazz (Dark Chocolate and Orange Essence), and a Gusto Lemon and Pepper Bar (Lemon and Pepper in White Chocolate). I used the Aztec Soul and Orange Jazz for my Aztec Soul Chocolate Martini. I couldn’t resist -the sweetness of the orange really set off the chili peppers in the dark chocolate. I have a little of both bars still squirreled away for when my keto month is over. I might need a martini or two to celebrate.

I totally love the packaging on their chocolate bars. It fits so well with their motto of “Celebrate Life Through Chocolate!”

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Aztec Soul Chocolate Martini

Ingredients

Aztec Soul Chocolate Syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ounces Forte Artisan Aztec Soul Chocolate

Martini

1 1/2 ounce chocolate liqueur
2 1/2 ounces creme de cacao
1 ounce vanilla vodka
1 ounce Aztec Soul chocolate syrup
1 ounce half and half

Rim Garnish

1 ounce Forte Chocolates Orange Jazz Dark Chocolate
1 ounce Aztec Soul Chocolate Syrup

Instructions

Aztec Soul Chocolate Syrup

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool. Refrigerate for up to a week.

Rim Garnish

Grate the orange dark chocolate. Dip the martini glass rim in a bit of the Aztec Soul Chocolate syrup. Roll the rim in the grated dark chocolate. Freeze the dipped rim martini glass for thirty minutes.

Martini

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into your prepared martini glass.
Enjoy! Serves 1.

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There’s still a giveaway going on! Don’t forget to enter to win a great package from our wonderful sponsors for #choctoberfest2018!

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An InLinkz Link-up

October 18, 2018 0 comment

Beverages

Lilac Lemon Drop Martini

written by Ali

We’ve lived in our little coastal town for just slightly over a year now. One of the best parts about being settled in is that I got to start gardening at the start of gardening season. As a result, we have peas, radishes, and kale looking great, along with about a half dozen pots of assorted herbs. (I want all the mints, please.) Even better, we’ve been able to watch the established plants – the rhododendrons and lilacs – start blooming.

Which, combined with an obsession with learning all about what can be foraged here, has led to a lot of research on what’s edible in my own backyard. I learned last year that lilac flowers are perfectly safe to eat. However, last year, the lilacs were just about done when I figured that out, so I managed one cocktail and then made a note to myself to do some more experimenting this year.

First off was lilac jelly. Of course, once I’d made that, I had to try it in a cocktail, which resulted in this lilac lemon drop martini. This is a fruity and floral martini – perfect for early grilling or for a fancy brunch. If my itty bitty Meyer lemon tree grows up to actually produce Meyer lemons, I can imagine using them in place of regular lemons. If you have a bit of lilac sugar hanging around, it makes a great sugar rim for the lilac lemon drop martini.

Yum

Lilac Lemon Drop Martini

Ingredients

2 1/2 ounces vodka
juice from one lemon
1 ounce lilac jelly

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake to combine. Strain in to a martini glass (you may have to press down on the jelly as it strains to get it into the cocktail).
Serves 1. Enjoy!

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May 18, 2018 0 comment

Beverages

Dilly Bean Dirty Martini

written by Ali

It’s been so long since I’ve posted a cocktail here – I’m delighted to be starting again with my weekly fix me a little drink with a Dilly Bean Martini! I don’t have any good excuse other than a super-packed busy schedule. That said, I was in Seattle a few weeks ago having dinner with a good friend, who ordered a dirty martini. It got me thinking about how much I really love a good dirty martini, too. (Even more so, because I was sipping a drink that tasted a little bit like cough syrup and I had a case of cocktail envy going on).

Combine all this with a sudden desire to start cleaning out the cupboards from all of last season’s canning. The weather is getting warm and summer will be here before we know it. We’re almost to the end of the tomato sauce, but I’m pretty sure there are about a dozen jars of various pickles lurking. So to get a start on it, I opened up a can of dilly beans.

I love dilly beans so much! I’ll eat them by the handful for a snack. I’ll add them to a cheese board and I’ll chop them up in tuna salad. So why have I never used dilly bean brine in a dirty martini? This recipe fully remedies that oversight. A dilly bean dirty martini is a perfect weekend drink. Dilly beans are a lovely garnish for any savory cocktail and the brine is just a perfect compliment to vodka and vermouth.

Plus, I finally got to pull out my dirty martini cutting board for photos! How cute is this?

I’m so looking forward to summer and green bean season – I can’t wait to make more dilly beans (I’m down to just a few jars, as it turns out). I’m also eagerly awaiting a warmish day so that I can sit on the patio and sip one of these beauties.

Yum

Dilly Bean Dirty Martini

Ingredients

2 ounces gin or vodka
1/2 ounce Vermouth
1 ounce dilly bean brine
3 or 4 dilly beans for garnish

Instructions

Combine the gin or vodka, the vermouth, and the dilly bean brine with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the dilly beans.
Serves 1. Enjoy!

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March 23, 2018 0 comment

Beverages Holiday Recipes

Meyer Lemon Curd Martini

written by Ali

Confession time – my meyer lemon curd martini may just be my latest cocktail crush. I could drink one of these just about any day of the week, but I’m working on being healthy this year, so I’ll save it for the weekend.

My inspiration for this beauty of a cocktail started with Meyer lemon mini-tarts that I made for New Year’s Eve dessert. Every year, I aim for a fancy dessert at New Year’s. It just seems like the right way to end, and start, the year. 2015 ended with Kahlua cheesecake; 2016 ended with tiramisu; and 2017 was all about the Meyer lemon. I bought mini tart pans just days before the end of the year (yay for Amazon Prime!). I made my own pastry crust. And then I made the lemon curd. It was tart and sweet and perfectly creamy and I had way more than I had expected to make.

First week back at work after New Year required curd in my yogurt. Yes – required. There was still leftover Meyer lemon curd. So I obviously started thinking about cocktails.

All this meyer lemon curd martini takes is some curd (here’s a great recipe for making your own)., some gin, and meyer lemon juice. If you like your cocktails on the sweeter side, feel free to add a spoon or two of simple syrup. Otherwise, be prepared to pucker up and enjoy.

Yum

Meyer Lemon Curd Martini

Ingredients

2 ounces gin
Juice from 1/2 Meyer Lemon
2 tablespoons meyer lemon curd

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain and serve in a martini glass. Enjoy!

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January 12, 2018 1 comment

Beverages Foodie Parties Holiday Recipes

Bay Leaf Infused Cosmopolitan

written by Ali

Bay leaf infused gin, which is the basis for this bay leaf infused cosmopolitan, might just be my newest favorite infusion. This recipe is part of the Food Advent Calendar “Spice it Up!“. When Jenny from Jenny is Baking was looking for contributions based on holiday spices, the first thing that came to my mind was bay leaves. Bay leaves are such a ubiquitous and underappreciated spice. I toss dry bay leaves into all manner of savory dishes. But for the holidays, I wanted to try something different to showcase bay leaves.

I really wanted to try this out with fresh bay leaves, but couldn’t find them in any of our local groceries. If I’d had more time, I would have tracked down a plant, because honestly, I suspect that a bay tree would probably grow pretty well on the Southern Oregon coast. That’s an experiment for another day. If you happen to have access to fresh bay leaves, I’m sure this would be as good with fresh as with dry.

I used gin for this infusion because I really like gin. I also spiced it up a little more by adding dried juniper berries, mandarin orange peel, and cranberries. The subtle spice of the bay leaves, especially coupled with the citrus and juniper berries is heavenly. I could easily use this infusion for a regular gin and tonic. But I wanted to do something just a bit more festive. So I opted to make a bay leaf infused cosmopolitan. Beyond the infused gin, this takes just a couple of ingredients: freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice and cranberry juice. Garnish with a bay leaf and call it a weekend. I especially love the dark red of this cocktail – this one is going on my list for holiday imbibing.

Definitely check out all the great recipes from the advent calendar. You’ll be inspired to spice up your holidays!

Yum

Bay Leaf Infused Cosmopolitan

Ingredients

Bay Leaf Infused Gin

4 dry bay leaves
1 teaspoon juniper berries
1/4 cup cranberries
Peel from one mandarin orange
Gin

Bay Leaf Infused Cosmopolitan

2 ounces bay leaf infused gin
Juice from one mandarin orange
2 ounces cranberry juice

Instructions

Bay Leaf Infused Gin

Combine all the spices and fruit in a jar. Cover with gin. Let infuse overnight. Strain into a clean jar through a coffee filter or cheese cloth.

Bay Leaf Infused Cosmopolitan

Combine all the ingredients with a few cubes of ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a martini glass. Enjoy!

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December 14, 2017 2 comments

Beverages

Winter Solstice Sunset Martini

written by Ali

I know we are still a month away from the winter solstice but the time just seems right to share my Winter Solstice Sunset Martini. The days are definitely getting shorter. I’ve been leaving work in the dark and looking forward to getting home where it’s warm and cozy.

We’re also coming up quickly on Thanksgiving, which is the perfect holiday to celebrate by mixing up a Winter Solstice Sunset Martini. One of the great things about this cocktail is that it uses homemade grenadine syrup, which is so easy to make! Pomegranates are in abundance at the grocery store this time of year. I usually buy two or three and then freeze the seeds to use in cocktails and other recipes throughout the winter. Ok – mostly I just use the seeds in cocktails. I recently discovered how incredibly easy it is to get pomegranate juice out of the seeds. Simply put the seeds of one pomegranate into a quart sized freezer bag, seal, and use a rolling pin to squeeze out all the juice. Strain -and there you go – pomegranate juice! From there, it’s easy enough to add a tablespoon of sugar and heat the pomegranate juice and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Cool and use in your favorite cocktail (like this Winter Solstice Sunset Martini).

If you don’t use that much grenadine syrup in a weekend or week, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray and thaw out the cubes on an as needed basis. I find this an easier approach than leaving a little jar of grenadine syrup in the fridge for weeks at a time (mostly because I tend to forget that it’s there).

This cocktail also takes advantage of the great citrus seasonal abundance. You can use orange juice or mandarin orange juice for this – or any variation of citrus you can imagine. This would be great with Meyer lemons or blood oranges. Add some vodka, garnish with some pomegranate seeds and enjoy!

Yum

Winter Solstice Sunset Martini

Ingredients

2 ounces vodka
1 ounce grenadine syrup
Juice from one Mandarin orange

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a martini glass and serve. Enjoy!

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November 17, 2017 0 comment

Beverages Holiday Recipes

Fall Cocktails for November

written by Ali

Now that the the winter weather is back, it’s time to celebrate fall cocktails for November. In fairness, this is a great list of six cocktails that would be pretty tasty in December, too. And you might find one or two that will get you through the bleak part of January, as well.

First up is a Blood Orange Cosmopolitan. Toss in some cranberries for garnish on this one and you will be good to go for all of your fall and winter entertaining needs.

Next up are two of my favorite apple sangrias. The first is a roasted spiced apple sangria. This combines the spicy scents of apples caramelized with brown sugar with a fruity sweet wine. The second is apple cider sangria. Both are sure to please on a cold autumn or winter night.

While you are enjoying all the fruits of the season, why not relax with a kumquat Meyer lemon martini?

November starts the season for decadent treats. Why not enjoy a super chocolaty cocktail with this Almond Brownie Martini?

Last, but not least, is my favorite cocktail for November: a mandarin orange mule.

Hoping you enjoy your fall cocktails for November! I’d love to hear what your favorite cocktail is for the season in the comments below!

November 10, 2017 0 comment

Beverages

Best Summer Cocktails

written by Ali

As we slide into the last month of summer, it’s not to late to take advantage of the season and make these best summer cocktails.

So I’m the first to admit that I’m not a huge fan of “clips” episodes – you know, those annoying t.v. episodes that just round up all the various events that happened over a season. I ran across one the other day in the most unexpected t.v. show – the 1990s and early 2000s version of The Outer Limits. It was a clip episode of all the alien encounters on the show – with some loosely affiliated story line surrounding it. We made it half way through before it dawned on me it was a clips episode…so we skipped the rest of it. And yes, it’s that time of year when there’s nothing new on, so we are diving at the bottom of the barrel on Hulu and Netflix trying to find something that has lots of seasons to watch. We’re both sci-fi fans, so The Outer Limits is mostly working.

But frankly, sometimes it’s better with a cocktail in hand. This time of year, it’s just warm and sunny enough, even here on the temperate Southern Oregon coast, to want a light and refreshing drink. These are five of the best summer cocktails on the blog (more or less as determined by statistics – with one or two thrown in because they are just my favorite).

First up is a Thyme Cucumber Martini. This is a great way to make use of both abundant thyme, but also abundant cucumbers. Personally, I’d make this with whatever kind of cucumber I have on hand, but wouldn’t it be adorable with a watermelon cucumber for garnish?

Next is The Storm Cocktail. This one takes advantage of generous usage of blue caracao, which kind of happens to be my favorite summer liqueur. I love Tiki style drinks with paper umbrellas – and even more so of they are served at a swim up bar, say, in Mexico.

As the temperatures sore into the 100s in some parts of the country, you may need a Limoncello Lemon Drop to cool off. Bonus points if you still have homemade limoncello hanging out in your fridge to use on this one.

One of my personal favorites is the Cherry Vanilla Vodka Cola Cocktail. This is a great cocktail for early afternoon imbibing (ok, so I’m old enough to avoid caffeine after sundown).

Last, but not least, whether you live on the coast or just dream about it, it’s always a good time for a Vitamin Sea Martini.

So kick back this weekend, relax, and enjoy one of these best summer cocktails.

July 21, 2017 0 comment

Beverages

Vitamin Sea Martini

written by Ali

If you can’t make it to the beach this weekend, you can at least sip on this Vitamin Sea Martini. In my case, I live near enough to the water to be able to enjoy it on a regular basis, but will more than likely be drinking this martini this weekend and watching the fog creep in off the coast. It seems that summer is taking its time getting here this year. Regardless, we’ve been able to enjoy all the great things the Oregon coast has to offer.

Last weekend, we were fortunate to be included in an excursion for some out-of-town guests (students from South Korea) to go crabbing. As you might know, one of the culinary highlights of living in Oregon is access to fresh Dungeness crab. And in theory, you can bait a crab pot, dump it off a dock, tie it off, and catch some crab. The catch is that the crabs need to be a particular size and male to be legal to keep to eat. As it turns out, this is easier said than done. After nearly four hours of watching crab pots go down and then come back up, we ended up with zero Dungeness crabs. We did, however, get a close up look at the Charleston (Oregon) fishing fleet, saw several harbor seals playing in the bay, and learn that Dungeness crab are really feisty and pretty grumpy about being caught. I also have a whole new found respect for why Dungeness crab is expensive. We gave up, bought stuff to grill, and bought some already cooked and cleaned crab from the seafood shop at the dock. Totally worth it – sunburn and all.

The experience also inspired me to create this Vitamin Sea Martini. I’m all for blue-green cocktails this time of year. To me, the quintessential summer drink is one with plenty of pineapple juice and blue curacao. For this cocktail, I also used a hearty couple of shots of vanilla vodka. So wherever you might be this summer, make a Vitamin Sea Martini and imagine relaxing in a light sea breeze.

Yum

Vitamin Sea Martini

Ingredients

3 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces vanilla vodka
1 ounce blue curacao

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain and serve. Could serve 2, but would also make 1 very happy. Enjoy!

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July 14, 2017 0 comment

Beverages Farmer's Market

Mint Mojito Martini

written by Ali

A mint mojito martini might become your go to cocktail for the summer. I’m lucky that my CSA (community supported agriculture) basket has included a steady supply of herbs so far this season. There was a hefty bunch of mint in the second week’s basket. At first, I puzzled over what to do with it. I considered making mint chutney, but the immersion blender is still MIA from the move. I contemplated chocolate and mint, but didn’t really have the time to get creative. I landed on dumping the mint leaves into a jar of light rum and walking away from it for a week. (I refrigerated the infused rum, just to stay on the side of food safety).

Once the mint had infused for a week, I pulled it out and took a taste. It was definitely minty. I strained the rum through a coffee filter into another jar so that it would be ready to go for future use. While a mojito is traditionally muddled mint with muddled lime, I opted to use my infused mint in this mint mojito martini, along with fresh squeezed lime juice and a touch of agave nectar. With a mint infused sugar rim, this mint mojito martini was perfect for sipping in the afternoon out on the patio.

Yum

Mint Mojito Martini

Ingredients

Infused Mint Rum

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup white rum

Mint Mojito Martini

2 ounces mint infused white rum
1 ounce agave syrup
juice from one lime
Ice

Instructions

Mint Infused Rum

Muddle the mint leaves and combine with the white rum in a small jar. Cover and refrigerate for a week. Strain through a coffee filter to remove the mint leaves and store in the refrigerator.

Mint Mojito Martini

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake and serve in a martini glass.
Serves 1. Enjoy!

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June 23, 2017 0 comment

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