Sunday, January 11, 2015

Big Red Martini - perfect for watching the big Red Carpet?

What better way to enjoy the Big Red Ball dinner/dance than with a Big Red Martini?

The Big Red Ball - a wonderful evening of cocktails and conversation, dining and dancing... all shared with great friends and toasted with this magical martini! But given the timing, I'm thinking this might be the perfect way to watch the red carpet and the Golden Globes tonight! (Yeah, I know it's Sunday. Just have one.)

Here's the recipe:





 
Big Red Martini
4 oz. vodka
2 oz. Triple Sec or Cointreau
2 oz. pomegranate juice
1 oz. cranberry juice
1 t. Rose's lime juice


Measure: Making them for a group, measure into a 4-cup measuring glass. I started with 2 cups of vodka and kept the proportions from there.

Rim the glass: I used Williams-Sonoma Cosmopolitan Froster. Pour the sugar onto a small plate and dip the lime-wiped top of the glass into it. Swirl the glass in the rimmer until you get a nice even coating.

Shake: Pour a batch of the martini mixture into a shaker 2/3 filled with ice. Shaking is key - shake vigorously for a good 15-30 seconds.

Pour into rimmed glass.

sip. savor. celebrate!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

For your OSU pre-game: The Buckeye-tini!

GO BUCKS!

Inspired by fervant OSU fans (my friends), excellent tailgating and a delectable little treat that just happens to share its name with our mascot, I present The Buckeye-tini!

This extra-yummy sip features a chocolate martini with a peanut butter rimmer...and a special surprise inside.

The Buckeye-tini
1.5 oz  Godiva® chocolate liqueur
1.5 oz Creme de Cacao
1 oz vanilla vodka
2 oz half & half
Rimmer:
     2 parts peanut butter powder (Just Great Stuff®)
     1 part powdered sugar
One Buckeye (If you don't know about these little devils, I've included details below.)

Rimmer ingredients
Prep the glasses: A vital step for this one.  Mix the powdered peanut butter and powdered sugar and pour onto a small plate. Pour a small amount of the chocolate liqueur on a second small plate. Dip the top of the glass into the liqueur. Then, swirl the glass in the powder until you get a nice even coating. Place one Buckeye* into each rimmed glass. (A mini-Reese cup could be used as a substitute.)

Measure: Pour all of the cocktail ingredients into a glass measuring cup with a spout - assuming you're making a big batch for a crowd.

Shake: Shaking is key. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. Get it good and frothy.

Pour into rimmed glass.

Buckeye candies
    sip.  savor.  celebrate!


* Buckeyes (the candy, not the team)
Buckeyes are peanut butter balls dipped not-quite-all-the-way in chocolate, so they look a lot like the buckeyes that grow on the Ohio state tree. You can find them in stores, especially in Ohio, but they are easy (although a bit time consuming) to make. Here is a link to the recipe I used: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buckeyes-i/ Although I didn't need nearly 6 cups of powdered sugar - follow the advice of the comments and just add sugar a bit at a time until the dough is firm.




Martini ingredients