My Sparkling Clementine

Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clementine...

Seriously dreary lyrics if you examine them closely - which I did before I started writing this post. But never mind that. It's on to the topic at hand - a drink recipe that is far more cheery than that crazy, corny song.

Speaking of cheery. It is hard to beat the uplifting effects of citrus. The vivid colors, the fresh aroma, the perky taste - all of that makes me very happy. Plus I am hard-pressed to think of many great drink recipes that do NOT include some kind of citrus - at the very least as a garnish.

With that said, there are only so many ways to blend in the run-of-the-mill lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit juices. But that's where the fun begins, when you start experimenting with more exotic varieties of this incredibly versatile fruit and mix up drinks like these with blood orange, or Buddha's hand, or ruby red grapefruit or in this case clementine and kumquat.

This drink is an excellent addition to a Thai dinner like this one and it makes for a very bright and festive presentation.

It also includes 2 of my favorite techniques - infusing your spirits before you mix them (In this case with a pint of sliced kumquat). And making a flavorful homemade simple syrup with fresh ginger and lemon grass. It also includes something else I like - bubbles or sparkling juice. That's where the clementine comes in.

I might just call this My Sparkling Clementine.

• 2 cups of vodka - infused with 1 pint of sliced kumquat for at least 2 hours
• 1 cup of coconut rum
• 1 cup of lemon grass/ginger simple syrup - combine a handful of chopped ingredients with 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water and simmer for 20 minutes
• 1 bunch of fresh mint

Combine all ingredients in carafe or punch bowl and let stand for at least 30 minutes. To serve, pour over ice leaving enough room for a generous pour of sparkling clementine juice - I found a tasty one at Trader Joe's.

Bourbon and Blood Orange Blast

Today's happy hour starter represents collaboration at its finest. First there was this beautiful image I found on someone else's board on Pinterest, which lead me to the source of this awesome cocktail recipe, which lead to finding an excuse to try this new drink.

So now excuse = large dinner party which means I will need to make A LOT of these. And of course new drink recipe = blog photo op. The problem with that is it's hard to stage a photo op when 14 people are coming for dinner in 40 minutes. In steps my good friend and photographer Michael Rubottom, who just happened to be here for dinner. Voilà - now I have a massive quantity of drinks, food AND a great photo for today. Collaboration is a beautiful thing.

Now on to the drink of the day. Granted the name, Bourbon and Blood Orange Blast, does sound very catchy. However, a closer look at the recipe revealed only 2 ingredients - 3 if you count the garnish and that just didn't seem complex enough for a "signature drink" to kick off my party. A simple way - pun intended, to add layers to a drink is a homemade simple syrup. It's a fast, easy and very versatile way to infuse flavors. Get crazy - fresh thyme, jalapeno, maple syrup, lemongrass, fig leaves - all of these make great syrups.

Bourbon and Blood Orange Blast (Enhanced)

(Makes approximately 20 servings)

3 cups high quality Bourbon - I like this one and it's very reasonably priced at Trader Joe's

5 cups fresh blood orange juice

2 cups ginger/mint/rosemary simple syrup

slices of blood orange and bunch of mint for garnish

Pour all ingredients in a large punch bowl, stir and allow to rest for 30 minutes prior to serving so flavors can meld. Float orange slices and mint. Add ice to the cocktail glasses - NOT the punch bowl.

Ginger/Mint/Rosemary Simple Syrup

1 lg ginger root peeled and sliced

1 sprig of rosemary

1 bunch of fresh mint

1 cup of raw or brown sugar for more depth. Use white sugar if the brown color will have a negative impact on the appearance of the drink - like a lemon drop.

2 cups of water

Bring water and sugar to a boil, stir, add other ingredients and turn down to simmer for at least 20 minutes. Cool completely and strain.

Hot Buttered Fernet

Admittedly, I'm not much for enduring cold, winter nights - I'm a Southern girl and we like it hot. But I do love the idea of warming up with a "hot toddy". And by that I simply mean a hot cocktail, not the original Hot Toddy that usually involves some kind of whiskey and tales of miraculous powers for fending off cold and flu - at least that's what my grandmother said.

Drinking something that is both hot and imbibed has an immediately comforting effect when you're literally chilled to the bone in my opinion.

However, when it comes to actual drink recipes I realize I only have a few. Well, one really - hot buttered rum. The other "recipes" entail adding something alcoholic to something piping hot - like Baileys in coffee, or brandy in hot apple cider or Kahlúa in hot chocolate.

While all of these will get the job done, I still think my hot toddy repertoire needs a little lift - I need something a bit more complex, more sophisticated.

I am thrilled to stumble upon this article in SFGate which fits the bill perfectly, and it gives me another excuse to crack open that bottle of Fernet-Branca I bought for another recipe a few weeks ago.

Hot Buttered Fernet

Adapted from a recipe by Bradford Scott Knutson, Swing Wine Bar in Olympia, Wash.

• 3/4 ounce Fernet Branca
• 3/4 ounce Laird's Applejack
• 1/2 ounce apricot liqueur
• 6 ounces apple cider
• 1 teaspoon spiced butter (see below)

Instructions: Combine all the ingredients, except the butter, in a saucepan; heat. Pour into a coffee cup, add the spiced butter, and stir well.

Spiced butter: Blend together 1/4 pound (1 cube) butter, 4 teaspoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and a pinch salt. Wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator.

Still feeling chilly and need a few more ideas? Try these.

Coffee Caipirinha

Leave it to Imbibe Magazine and their clever article entitled Brave New Buzz to turn me on to this zippy idea.

Iced Coffee + Cachaça + Turbinado Sugar = Coffee Caipirinha. So simple, so delicious and so effective as an eye-opening happy hour starter.

Coffee Caipirinha

• 6 oz coffee (only use the good stuff - the stronger, the better)
• 1-2 T turbinado sugar
• 1.5 oz cachaça
• 1-2 oz milk
• cinnamon stick

Brew the coffee and sweeten to taste with the turbinado or raw sugar - do NOT substitute with white sugar as the rich caramel flavor is key. Let it chill completely before adding to a cocktail shaker - if not the ice will melt too quickly and dilute the drink. Add 1.5 oz cachaça (Brazilian rum) and milk to taste. Shake vigorously and pour over ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Now go forth and conquer coffee nation!

Eva Peron

I chose this concoction for this week's happy hour starter for two reasons, well three really.

It's a great way to use up that Domaine de Canton - assuming you still have some on hand from the Ginger-Spiced Paloma and I wanted to experiment with the exotic and complex Italian liqueur known as Fernet-Branca. If you're in the SF Bay Area and want to try Fernet as a shot, the traditional serving method, Mayhem in the Mission District has it on tap.

And finally, how can I resist a cocktail named after the sassy and remarkable Evita?

Eva Peron

(Adapted from a recipe by Darren Crawford and Scott Bordy. Photo by Erick Wong.)

• 1 ounce Fernet-Branca
• 1 ounce Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
• 1 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice
• 1 ounce ginger beer
•  Lime wheel, for garnish

Instructions: Combine the Fernet, vermouth ginger liqueur and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Add ice; shake 15-20 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with the lime wheel.

¡Salud!