Archive for the ‘Spirits’ Category

With Halloween just around the corner, why not give your guests something to howl about?  We’ve found the perfect thing to spice up your Halloween party and have your guest talking for days after.  It’s the Frightful Freeze Ice Trays!

Add a gnash of Transylvanian teeth to your next Bloody Mary with the fangtastic Frightful Freeze Ice Tray or chill your favorite drinks – cold to the bone with the Skull and Crossbones Ice Cube Tray.

Easy to use, just fill with water or fruit juice and put them in the freezer for a bit. Then, pop them out to create an icy array of terrifying refreshment chillers. Flexible and almost indestructible, these food-grade silicone ice trays are simply immortal…in that they can be used over and over again. For extra fun, try Jell-O!

These Frightful Freeze Ice Trays are sure to keep you guests in a ghoulish spirit!  They are also great for any kids parties that you may be having…  And at only $6.49 each, you can’t go wrong in treating yourself to this great little find, or give it as a gift to someone else as it’s the gift that keeps on giving as you can use it for years to come.  For more information, please log onto: www.HomeWetBar.com.

We have two of these for the taking…  If you would like to sample one of these neat ice trays, simply fill out this entry form for your chance to win.

Good luck!

Maureen

American Grana Delicious with Rich Red Wine and Dark Sipping Rum

Grana Padano is a cow’s milk cheese primarily made in northern Italy.   To me, Grana is a sweeter, less salty relative of Parmesan. Grana is one of those sleeper cheeses many cheese lovers pass by when shopping for cheese.  But not me.   I discovered a USA-made Grana called American Grana.   It’s a hard cheese with a highly fragrant nose.   The nutty richness of the quality cow’s milk will make your mouth want more.    American Grana can travel from eating a chunk on its own to a being a headliner on your antipasti plate…or, with dark sipping rum for a different and delicious dessert.

Many fine restaurants also grate American Grana as a recipe enhancer or piled on pasta.    I love to shave it in thin ribbons and lay them on a selection of charcuterie…more

Peter B’s Brewpub, located behind Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey’s first and only Silver LEED® EB certified hotel, has won the bronze medal for their Fort Ord Wheat Ale at the World Beer Championships. The Fort Ord Wheat Ale received excellent recognition and a high 84-point rating. This bronze medal is the second award that Peter B’s Brewpub has received from the World Beer Championships.

Tastings.com, Beverage Tasting Institute’s (BTI) website, describes the pub’s Fort Ord Wheat Ale as golden in color, and crisp with hints of orange citrus.

Guests at Peter B’s Brewpub can enjoy the award-winning Fort Ord Wheat Ale paired with delicious sustainable dishes prepared by the Portola Hotel & Spa’s Executive Chef Jason Giles.

Peter B’s Brewpub has also previously won a silver medal for their inclusion Amber Ale and a bronze medal for their Ford Ord Wheat at the 2011 World Beer Championships, as well as a bronze medal for their Fort Ord Wheat Ale at the 2012 World Beer Championships.

Recently, Peter B’s Brewpub harvested their first hops from Rancho Cielo, a restored piece of Salinas Valley natural history.

For more information on Peter B’s Brewpub and Portola Hotel & Spa, please visit http://www.portolahotel.com/

Did you know that today is National Lemonade Day?  Well let’s celebrate with a lemonade cocktail!  Below is a quick and easy recipe perfect for the adult version of this occasion to share and enjoy with friends. 

Enjoy!

Viktoria

Avión Lemonada

Ingredients:

2 parts Tequila Avión® Silver

4 parts Fresh Lemon Juice

½ part Agave Nectar

1 Lemon Wheel for Garnish

Directions:

Add 2 parts Avión Silver, 4 parts Fresh Lemon Juice and ½ part Agave Nectar into a shaker with ice. Strain the cocktail over a tall glass of ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel and enjoy!

Cruzan Rum’s Mixologist Jesse Card, straight from the island of St. Croix, has created specialty cocktails to help you celebrate this ”holiday” properly!  These cocktails are perfect to enjoy while kicking back, relaxing and embracing the “Don’t Hurry” that the Cruzan rum tribe embodies.  Enjoy these favorites by Jesse below…

CRUZAN® ”DON’T HURRY” CANE

Ingredients:

1 part Cruzan® Vanilla Rum

2 parts Cruzan® Aged Light Rum

1 tsp Sugar

3 Lime Wedges

Method:

Combine 2 of the lime wedges, sugar & Cruzan Vanilla Rum in a tumbler and lightly muddle for ten seconds. Add Cruzan Aged Light Rum and a scoop of ice and shake hard for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled Hurricane glass and garnish with the final lime wedge.

CRUZAN® TAKE 9

Ingredients:

1 1/2 parts Cruzan® 9 Spiced Rum

3/4 part Dry Vermouth

1/4 part Curacao

1/2 tsp Grenadine

Orange Twist

Method:

Combine all ingredients over ice in a tumbler and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled Martini coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

CRUZAN® COCONUT OLD FASHIONED

Ingredients:

2 parts Cruzan® Single Barrel Rum

1/2 part Rich Simple Syrup

3 dashes of Bitters

Coconut Water Ice Cubes (see additional recipe below)

Method:

Cut a wide swath of orange peel and lightly press it in the bottom of a rocks glass. Add rum, syrup and bitters. Now drop in a few Coconut Water Ice Cubes and stir gently.

Coconut Water Ice Cubes Recipe: Pour a can of Coconut Water (strain the pulp out first, if needed) in an ice cube tray – the bigger the cube try the better – and freeze for several hours.

Applaud the spirit that is quickly rising in popularity on its national day of celebration ~ National Tequila Day is July 24^th!

5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Tequila

• Blue weber agave plants only flower once, but when they do they are pollinated by bats
• Tequila is made from agave which is actually a desert lily
• The leaves of agave are so sharp that they are used as cutting instruments
• Margaritas are the number one cocktail in the United States
• The United States is the largest tequila consuming market (yes, even more than Mexico!); almost half of which is women

This year, vodka’s prestige is falling fast while artisanal, 100% agave tequilas are more chic than ever. While popularly considered for only shots and margaritas, tequila—specifically premium tequila—is becoming the spirit to sip and mixologist’s choice spirit to use in intricate cocktails.

On National Tequila Day, go with only the best and choose premium Tequila Avión. Tequila Avión stole the show this year at the San Francisco World Spirits Challenge winning Best White Spirit (beating all vodkas, gins, rums, and tequilas) in addition to Best Tequila. Sip and enjoy Tequila Avión Silver, Reposado and Añejo, or go with a classic and make an Elevated Margarita on this fine summer holiday!

The Elevated Margarita

Compliments of Tequila Avión

Ingredients:

2 parts Tequila Avión Silver

1 parts Fresh Lime Juice

½ part Agave Nectar

Directions:

• Add all ingredients in shaker.
• Shake and strain over fresh ice.
• Enjoy!

The Lemon Ginger “Tulep”

Compliments of Gail Simmons,

Judge on BRAVO’s “Top Chef” and Food & Wine magazine contributor

Here is a unique take on the traditional Kentucky Derby mint julep from Gail Simmons, host of Bravo’s Top Chef. This “Lemon Ginger Tulep” with Pure Leaf Iced Tea is perfect for upcoming festivities. Enjoy!

Lemon Ginger “Tulep’”

Makes one serving

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons ginger simple syrup (recipe below)

6 to 8 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish

Ice

1 cup Lemon Pure Leaf Iced Tea

Cold club soda

Candied ginger, for garnish

Directions:

• In an old fashioned glass, muddle ginger simple syrup with mint leaves.
• Add ice and Lemon Pure Leaf Iced Tea; stir well.
• Top with a splash of club soda and garnish with a slice of candied ginger and a sprig of mint.
• To make a cocktail: Add 1.5 ounces over proof Kentucky bourbon before adding the tea.

Ginger Simple Syrup

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

• In a saucepan, combine the ginger, sugar, and water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Remove the pan from the heat and then set aside to cool.
• Strain the syrup and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.

Enjoy Authentic Exotic Drinks Made Famous at Tropical Beach Bars and Historic Island Hotels—Each with Its Own Story to Tell

Bahama Breeze Island Grille, the island-inspired casual dining restaurant that reflects the feeling of a Caribbean escape, announces its new premium list of tropical drinks, “Legendary Island Cocktails.” With its rich history in island lore, Bahama Breeze has traveled the tropics to discover iconic and unique drinks and bring them to our restaurants across the country. From a blend of exotic liquors, to their famous namesakes and origins, Legendary Island Cocktails are “the next best thing to being there.”

The Legendary Island Cocktails include eight authentic custom-made drinks sourced from world-famous locales such as the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands, the famed five-star Hotel Nacional in Havana and Old San Juan’s Parrot Club in Puerto Rico.  The cocktails are created with the same techniques and ingredients that made them famous.

“Bahama Breeze is known for its hand-crafted tropical drinks and adding Legendary Island Cocktails to our extensive bar menu is a great next step in the Caribbean escape experience,” says Peter Olsacher, Executive Chef for Bahama Breeze. “I personally visited many of these exotic locations to learn more about their storied histories. Bahama Breeze was among the first restaurants to introduce the Mojito Cubano and Brazilian Caipirinha cocktails to mainstream America, and now we can’t wait to continue that tradition by introducing new Legendary Island Cocktails and their stories each quarter.”

The Original Daiquiri was named after a small beach on the East Coast of Cuba. Legend has it that The Original Daiquiri was developed in the late 1800s as a medical treatment for tropical ailments but quickly found other fame and became a favorite in old Havana, especially of Hemingway, who’d sip on the drink at Cuba’s famed La Floridita bar. Created with a blend of Bacardi Superior Rum, fresh lime, two types of ice, and fresh squeezed sugar cane pressed daily in house, The Original Daiquiri is hand-shaken (not blended as is common today) and served in a tall glass.

The Painkiller was invented at the famed Soggy Dollar Bar against the beautiful setting of White Bay on the island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands, where guests swim in from their boats to the dockless island just for a taste of this drink. The Soggy Dollar Bar has only six bar seats and uses a clothesline to hang-dry wet dollars that patrons use to pay for their drinks. With a smooth mix of Cream of Coconut, pineapple, orange and finished with freshly ground nutmeg, the Painkiller can only truly be called a Painkiller when made with Pusser’s Dark Rum.

Legend for the origin of the Dark ‘N Stormy has it that a bartender poured a sailor a glass of ginger beer, but left out the rum and then added the rum afterwards. With the rum floating on top, the sailor remarked it resembled a storm cloud over the ocean—thus coining the name. Now often referred to as Bermuda’s National Drink, the Dark ‘N Stormy is a distinctive mix of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and ginger beer. A Dark ‘N Stormy must be made with local Bermuda favorite Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, known for its rich, flavors of butterscotch, vanilla and caramel.

The Goombay Smash, known as the Bahamian National Drink, was initially created in the 1960s by Miss Emily at the Blue Bee Bar in Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay. Legend has it that the grandmotherly Miss Emily, who passed away in 1997, never drank and therefore never actually tasted the creation that made her bar famous as a watering hole for the local community in the Abacos—the group of Bahamian islands touted as the sailing capital of the world. The drink is named after the Goombay, a form of music in the Bahamas and the goatskin-covered drum used to create it.  It’s made with the combination of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Meyer’s Original Dark Rum, mixed with fresh orange and pineapple juice.

Batida de Coco is Brazil’s answer to the classic piña colada. This quintessential coconut cocktail is made with Leblon Cachaca Rum, Cream of Coconut and pineapple juice.  An indispensable part of Brazilian bar culture, Batida cocktails, pronounced “ba-chi-da” in Portuguese, means shaken, and in addition to fruit juices and sugar, often contain condensed milk which is why they are sometimes referred to as milkshakes.

The official welcome drink at the famed Sandy Lane resort and other luxury hotspots in Barbados, Barbados Rum Punch is touted as the best rum punch in the region, made with Mount Gay Eclipse Rum, sweet and sour mix, fresh lime juice with Grenadine and Angostura bitters, finished with freshly ground nutmeg. Mount Gay Rum was created in Barbados in 1703 and is known as locally as “the rum that invented rum.”

The Havana Hotel Special is the signature drink at the famed five-star Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba. For more than 80 years, Hotel Nacional has been “the destination” in Havana to see and be seen, with fans from Winston Churchill to Marlon Brando to Frank Sinatra. The refreshing pineapple punch is made with the tantalizing trio of Bacardi Superior Rum, pineapple and fresh lemon juice rounded out with splash of DeKuyper apricot brandy.

Parrot Passion is the premiere cocktail at the world-renowned Parrot Club in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The Puerto Rican Parrot is actually one of the world’s rarest birds with only 30-40 still in existence.  Puerto Rico’s tribute to these famous icons is the Parrot Passion, a blend of passion fruit juice, orange juice, Cointreau and Bacardi Limon.

For more information, visit www.bahamabreeze.com.

Refine Cranberry Peach Limeade

1 part Vodka
2 parts refine Margarita Mix
A splash of refine Cosmo Mix
Fresh peach slices
(Under 100 Calories)