Coco Cherry Mist

I don't know what it is about infusing spirits that I like so much. Especially considering you can buy practically any flavor ready made.

There's lemon, cranberry, cucumber, raspberry, grapefruit, vanilla, pepper just to name a few and that's just vodka. You can also buy flavored rum and gin.

Maybe it's the sight of jars chock-full of fruit lined up on my kitchen counter, or how I can control exactly what goes in those jars - like the freshest, local ingredients combined with the highest quality booze, or perhaps it's the creative license the do-it-yourself method provides.

If you want to try infusing, here are a few basic guidelines and recipes that I find helpful.

For today's cocktail, I chose Bing cherries simply because they looked irresistible in the market not because I had a specific recipe in mind. But that's the fun part for me - researching, mixing and tasting, and tasting some more.

And then there's the question of what to call this drink? Of course, Cherry Bomb comes to mind - and speaking of happy hour starter, 20+ years later and this song STILL makes me very happy. 

As it turns out, there are already several drink recipes called Cherry Bomb. But that's okay, it implies a much heavier impact than what I had in mind anyway.

I used part coconut rum and some sparkling wine. So I think I'll call it Coco Cherry Mist - you know, more of a slow jam than a full-on jubilee.

Coco Cherry Mist

1 1/2 oz cherry-infused rum

1/2 oz coconut rum

1/2 oz Cointreau

1 T fresh lemon juice 

1 T thyme-infused simple syrup* 

dash of sparkling wine

*combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 6-8 springs of fresh thyme in sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20  minutes. Cool completely before proceeding. 

Combine all ingredients, except sparkling wine, in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into champagne glass, top with dash of wine, garnish with lemon twist and enjoy!

Caipirinha Punch

Well, I've never been to Brazil but I want to go. And I totally get why the Caipirinha (pronounced cai-pe-reen-ya) is their famed national drink. I imagine it's the perfect accompaniment to the balmy weather, beaches, and all-night dancing - plus it's just a damn good cocktail.

I'm not sure if it's the raw sugar cane rum cachaça, because to me rum spells tropical getaway or if it's because I was actually on vacation the first time I tried one.

In June of 2008 I took the brilliant recommendation of a bartender at Sushi Samba in South Beach who insisted it was well-suited for their Latin-infused menu and the new "it" drink. Long after I left SOBE, I still wanted the "it" drink which meant I probably needed to learn to make one.

The basic recipe is simply 2 oz cachaça, 1 lime and 1 tsp of sugar muddled, shaken and then served over lots of crushed ice. But cachaça is a fun spirit to experiment with so that is what I did.

First I tried raw sugar instead of white, then brown - I recommend both of those. Then I tried some lemon juice in addition to the lime, then mint, then green apple and eventually cucumber. And one day I wanted to make a lot of them for a party, got crazy and used all of the above.

Saúde! The Caipirinha Punch was born - my idea of a quick getaway for sure!

Caipirinha Punch

1 bottle cachaça 

1/2 bottle Cointreau

1/2 bottle white cranberry juice

1 cup simple syrup made with raw sugar (1:1 water + sugar)

2 green apples sliced

1 cucumber sliced

4 limes sliced

2 lemons sliced

1 bunch of mint leaves

1 bottle soda water

Combine all ingredients except the soda water in a large pitcher or punch bowl and let stand at room temp for 2 hours. Fill glasses with lots of crushed ice and top with soda water just before serving.

Tamarind Margarita

I love it when Cinco de Mayo falls on a weekday - that just means we have the weekend to celebrate too!

In my opinion, a staple of this fiesta is a well-crafted margarita. Normally I like a very straight forward approach to this drink but the addition of the exotic tamarind is well worth a try.

Tamarind a tangy, chewy fruit indigenous to North Africa and Asia is a common ingredient in Indian, Thai and Mexican foods alike. It is also a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. Often referred to as Indian dates, the sweet varieties like those from Thailand make an excellent snack food albeit a bit tedious to peel and eat.

For this drink make sure you buy the pulp sold in specialty markets NOT the concentrate in a jar. There is a huge difference in taste, texture and color.

Tamarind Margarita for 4

1. 1 Tbsp tamarind pulp 
2. 3 Tbsp water
3. 1  cup silver or blanco tequila
4. 2  Tbsp superfine sugar
5. Crushed ice
6. 1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
7. 1/4 Cup Cointreau
8. 2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
9. 1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt mixed with 1 tsp ground Ancho chile powder & 1 tsp finely grated orange zest for spicy salted rim

1. In a saucepan, simmer the tamarind and water over low heat, stirring, until the pulp dissolves. Press the mixture into a shaker through a fine-mesh sieve. Add 1/2 cup of the tequila and the sugar; shake vigorously. Add ice to the shaker, then add 1/2 cup of lime juice, the Cointreau, the orange juice and the remaining 1/2 cup of tequila; shake well.
2. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice and the salt/chile/orange zest mixture into 2 bowls. Dip the rims of 4 glasses first in the lime juice and then in the salt mixture. Strain the ice cold drink into the glasses and enjoy!

If you're only willing to try this drink if it magically turns up in your hand - with no shopping for ingredients, mixing or shaking and you're in the SF Bay Area, I highly recommend this place.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Mint Julep

When I came across this opener in Imbibe Magazine - "Bourbon is as synonymous with the South as sweet tea..." - I had to smile. Not about the Bourbon, although that has been known to loosen up the frown lines, but about the sweet tea.

My California friends don't really know much about sweet tea and when they hear me say it - especially if I put on an accent, they wonder why I'm being so redundant. The look on their face says - why sweet + tea? It's just tea right?

Only if you've never gulped it down in a futile attempt to stay cool on a sweltering hot August afternoon. Then you would know why it's called sweet + tea.  With that said, today's drink is another example of a Southern obsession involving sweet elixirs.

World-renowned as the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby, the Mint Julep is as steeped in Southern tradition as Coca-Cola. Maybe more so considering a projected 100,000+ will be consumed next Saturday during the famed event.

There are only 4 ingredients in this drink. So you know what that means right? Yep, you gotta use the good stuff. A quality Bourbon is key and I'm using this one.

The next critical step is taking the time to make a proper mint-infused simple syrup. You will read dozens of recipes that call for simply muddling the mint and sugar. Trust me on this one y'all - make like you're below the Mason-Dixon line and take it SLOW. It takes time - overnight to be exact, to infuse the syrup with mint.

Mint Julep

1 oz mint syrup

1 oz water

2 oz Kentucky Bourbon

Crushed ice and mint for muddling and garnish

Gently muddle a handful of mint leaves in a cocktail glass - a silver cup if you really want to run with the Derby theme. I say gently because you don't want shredded mint in this drink - only the mint flavor. Fill the glass with crushed ice - yes, it MUST be crushed. This drink is strong and you want the ice to melt quickly to dilute it a bit. Add the Bourbon, mint syrup, water, and garnish.

Mint Syrup

1 cup sugar - (raw sugar enhances the caramel flavor of the Bourbon)

1 cup water

1 bunch mint

Bring water and sugar to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add mint to a large jar with lid, gently muddle and pour sugar water mixture over it. Allow to cool, close jar and refrigerate overnight - remove the mint before proceeding.

Cheers Y'all! Don't forget to place your bets.    

Michelle's Ultimate Bloody Mary

While the origin of the Bloody Mary is a bit unclear, most accounts give credit to Fernand Petiot for creating this American classic.

While bartending at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the 20's, Fernand mixed equal parts vodka with tomato juice, took the recommendation of a patron and called it "Bloody Mary". The patron said it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago and a girl there named Mary.

I'm so happy the story did not end there - not only was that tale boring, so was the drink. In 1934 Fernand came to the King Cole Bar in NYC and he added spicy ingredients kicking this drink up to the version most of us know and love today.

And I do love this drink - especially with brunch. However, two features are critical for me. Consistency - I cannot take a second sip if it's too thick like soup or ketchup. I do not drink those and adding vodka will not change that. The second feature is aggressive and complex layers of spice.

There are a few ways to thin a tomato juice drink apart from the obvious one of adding more vodka than the recipe calls for. You can do that but pace yourself - we are talking brunch here.

I never start with plain tomato juice. Using a Bloody Mary mix or veggie juice mix like V8 is half the consistency battle plus it adds more flavor. The other half is lots of fresh citrus juice - I like using both lemon and lime. 

Regarding spice, less is definitely not more in my opinion.  I take a everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach here and add practically everything I have on hand. With that said, there are two ingredients I must have on hand - Worcestershire and fresh prepared horseradish. If I don't have those, I don't make this drink.

Michelle's Ultimate Bloody Mary - A Generous Pitcher

Ingredients

• 2 cups vodka
• 3 cups Bloody Mary mix 
• Juice of 2 lemons plus 1 cut into wedges
• Juice of 2 limes plus 1 cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• generous amount of fresh cracked black pepper
• 1-3 dashes of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
• garnish - celery stalk, lime wedges, olives, or cocktail onions

Muddle lemon wedges, lime wedges, horseradish, jalapeno and celery salt in the bottom of a pitcher. Add vodka, Bloody Mary mix, juice, Worcestershire and stir to combine. Add black pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste. Pour into glasses over ice, garnish and serve.

Cheers! Here's to a Happy Easter brunch!