Cocktail of the Week – Page 2 – Li Halpern Events Ltd

Cocktail of the Week: Blackthorne

Blackthnorne Cocktail from Li Halpern Events

Cocktail of the Week: Blackthorne

You’ll have a happy Saint Patrick’s Day with this sophisticated take on an Irish Whiskey Manhattan. A dash of Pernod adds a hint of anise to spice up the smooth Irish Whiskey.

2oz Jameson or your favorite Irish Whiskey
1oz Sweet Vermouth
3 Drops of Angostura Bitters
A Dash of Pernod
A Lemon Twist for garnish

Fill a shaker with ice and add Whiskey, Vermouth, Bitters and Pernod. Shake well. Strain as you pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with a Lemon Twist.

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Cocktail of the Week: Irish Rose

Irish Rose Cocktail

Cocktail of the Week: Irish Rose

Many of you know I’m from Chicago where the river and beer taps run green and everyone is Irish this time of year. If you are looking for an Irish libation, this pink drink is a great alternative for your Saint Patrick’s Day celebration!

2oz Bushmills Black Bush or your favorite Irish Whiskey
¾oz Grenadine
½oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Club Soda
Lemon Twist for Garnish
Fill a shaker with ice and add Bushmills Black Bush or your favorite Irish Whiskey, Grenadine and Lemon Juice. Shake well and strain as you pour into a chilled glass. Top with Club Soda and garnish with a Lemon Twist.

About Grenadine. The cocktail ingredient (not the liquor) is sweetened pomegranate juice and can be found at major grocery stores. To make your own, pour two cups of Pomegranate juice in a small pot on the stove, bring to a boil. Once boiling turn down the stove and simmer the juice until reduced in half. Add one cup of sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Homemade Grenadine should last for two to three weeks refrigerated in an air tight container.

Cocktail of the Week: Kentucky Mule

kentucky-mule Cocktail of the Week: Kentucky Mule

A delicious reason to break out my favorite copper mugs! While specialty barware is not required, you will want to celebrate this southern sipper!

2oz Maker’s Mark or your favorite Kentucky Bourbon.
Ginger Beer (4-6oz per cocktail)
Fresh Lime (one half per serving)
2 sprigs of Fresh Mint

You can make this drink right in your mug but to meld the Mint and Lime flavors, I prefer to mix in a shaker. Place one sprig of Mint in a cocktail shaker and muddle with a muddler or the back of a spoon crushing the leaves to extract flavor. Roll the Lime on your counter applying pressure to help break the juice capsules inside. Slice the Lime in half through the middle. Squeeze ½ of the Lime over the crushed Mint then drop it into your shaker. Add enough ice to the shaker to fill your glass and top with Maker’s Mark or your choice of Bourbon. Cover and shake hard. The ice will help macerate the Lime and Mint further enhancing the flavor. Pour everything into a copper mug or a chilled glass, top with Ginger Beer, garnish with Mint. Sip and enjoy!

What’s ginger beer? Ginger Beer is a fermented beverage made from ginger. Ginger Beer has a deeper flavor, cloudier appearance and frothier pour compared to its sweeter, bubblier carbonated cousin ginger ale.

Citrus Tip: When using lemons, lime or other citrus juice in cocktails or cooking, try microwaving your fruit for 20 – 30 seconds before slicing to aid in bursting the juice capsules inside.

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Cocktail of the Week: The Jasmine Cocktail

Jasmine Specialty Cocktail

It is Oscar Sunday and if you are looking for a sophisticated specialty cocktail to brighten your party try a Jasmine Cocktail. This twist on a Negroni blends the earthiness of Campari with smooth citrus Cointreau and Lemon for a snappy sip.

1 ½oz Gin
¾oz Fresh-squeezed Lemon Juice
½oz Cointreau
½oz Campari
Lemon Twist for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add Gin, Lemon Juice Cointreau, Campari. Shake well then strain as your pour into a chilled martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a Lemon Twist.

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Cocktail of the Week: Pisco Sour

specialty cocktail pisco sour Cocktail of the Week: Pisco Sour

An unseasonably warm weekend deserves a drink reminiscent of good weather and great times. This delicious cocktail is adapted from a recipe shared by my Peruvian sister-in-law Yani. You won’t be disappointed – her side of the family knows how to make a tasty celebration!

3 ounces of Pisco
2 ounces Fresh Lime Juice
1 tablespoon Egg White (approximately one white of an extra large egg)
1 1/2 ounces Simple Syrup*
1/4 cup Ice
2 drops Angostura Bitters
Lime wheels for garnish

In a blender, combine Lime Juice with the Egg White and blend until lightly frothy. Add Simple Syrup, Pisco, and Ice and blend at high speed until ice is crushed and the drink is fully frothy.
Pour into a glass, top with drops of Angostura Bitters, Garnish with a Lime wheel – enjoy!

*Simple Syrup is really simple. Just put 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer for a few minutes to dissolve all the sugar. Store in a tightly closed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

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Cocktail of the Week: Thin Mint Martini

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and nothing says “I love you” like girl scout cookies! So buy a box or two of your favorites and then toast to the women of Girl Scouts as you sip this minty martini!

2 oz Vodka

1 oz Crème de Menthe Liquor + 2 tsp for garnish

1 oz Godiva or your favorite Chocolate Liquor

2 Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies – and more for snacking

Crush two Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies into fine cookie crumbs; this takes just a minute in a food processor, spice mill or blender but you can chop or smash the cookies any way you like. Pour 2 teaspoons of Crème de Menthe on a plate, pour the crushed cookies on another plate. Dredge the rim of a glass through the Crème de Menthe and then dredge the coated rim through the cookie crumbs. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add Vodka, Crème de Menthe, Chocolate Liquor and a teaspoon of cookie crumbs. Shake well and then strain as you pour into the prepared martini glass. Sip and enjoy! #thinmintthursday

For over 100 years Girl Scouts have been building girls with courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. There is much more to Girl Scouts than cookies! But when you see cookie sellers this season, buy generously, enjoy the cookies and know you are contributing to our future. Can’t find Girl Scout cookies? Send me a message and I hook you up with cookie sellers.

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Cocktail of the Week: French Kiss

French Kiss Cocktail

Getting ready for Valentine’s Day? This sparkling cocktail will put your and your special someone in the mood for love!

2 oz Absolut Citron (or your favorite lemon flavored vodka)

3/4 oz Chambord

½ oz Grand Marnier

1 ½ oz Dry Sparkling Wine or Champagne

Lemon Twist for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add Absolut Citron, Chambord, Grand Marnier. Shake well then strain as your pour into a chilled martini glass or coupe. Top with Dry Sparkling Wine and garnish with a Lemon Twist.

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Cocktail of the Week: A Fresh Gimlet

Wedding or Party Specialty Cocktail a Fresh Gimlet Cocktail of the Week: A Fresh Gimlet

Looking for a way to brighten up a snowy day? Try a fresh twist on a classic Gimlet! Skip the sweetened lime juice and use fresh juice. If the spirit moves you, try some flavored simple syrup such as rosemary , ginger or clove to spice up your cocktail.

2 ½oz Gin (or Vodka – your choice!)
½ oz Simple Syrup*
½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
Lime Wheels for garnish.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, Gin (or Vodka), Simple Syrup and Fresh Lime Juice. Cover and shake well. Strain as you pour into a martini glass or over ice in a small tumbler. Garnish with a Lime Wheel. Sip and dream of spring!

Cocktail Trivia! The Gimlet is reportedly named after British Naval Officer and fleet surgeon, Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette (1858 – 1943). In an effort to create a concoction to ward off scurvy, Sir Thomas added gin to lime juice to mask the bitter taste. In Gimlette’s day officers drank gin but the ranks were given rations of rum – we’ll save the rum with lime for another week.

* Simple Syrup is really simple. Just put 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer for a few minutes to dissolve all the sugar. To flavor the syrup, choose your flavoring e.g., sliced fresh ginger, mint, cloves, lemon peel… and add to the saucepan with the water and sugar. Let the flavored syrup simmer a little longer or cover the saucepan, turn off the stove and let the flavoring steep into the syrup for at least 30 minutes. Strain before storing in a tightly closed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

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Cocktail of the Week: Rosemary Whiskey Sour

Before the Rosemary in my garden is buried in snow, I thought I would snip off a few sprigs to make this aromatic cocktail. No sour mix here – the fresh lemon juice gives this drink a nice citrusy tang. This is definitely not your grandfather’s whiskey sour.

2oz Jack Daniels or your favorite Whiskey
1oz Rosemary Simple Syrup*
1oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Rosemary Sprigs for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add Whiskey, Rosemary Simple Syrup and Fresh Lemon Juice. Cover and shake well. Strain as you pour into an ice-filled rocks glass. Enjoy!

*To make Rosemary Syrup, place 3 – 4 sprigs of Rosemary in a small saucepan. Muddle the rosemary slightly with a muddler or the back of the spoon – to release the flavor. Add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to the saucepan and heat on medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then simmer on low for 30 minutes. Let Syrup cool before mixing into cocktails. Store Rosemary Syrup in a tightly closed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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Cocktail of the Week: Samoa Martini

It’s that time of year again – Cookie Season is here! Toast to the women of Girl Scouts as you sip this deLiteful caramel, coconut and chocolate creation.

2oz Smirnoff Caramel Vodka
1 ½ oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1 ½ oz Malibu Coconut Rum
2 Tablespoons Chocolate Syrup
2 Tablespoons Shredded Coconut Flakes
1 Samoa or Caramel deLites Girl Scout Cookie – you only need one per cocktail but support Girl Scouts and buy a few boxes!

Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Place the coconut on a foil or parchment covered cookie sheet and toast in the oven until the coconut is golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Pour the Chocolate Syrup on to a small plate. Pour the toasted coconut onto another small plate. Dredge the rim of a martini glass in the chocolate syrup. Dredge the chocolate coated rim through the toasted coconut. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour Caramel Vodka, Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and Coconut Rum over ice. Shake well and strain as you pour into your chocolate and coconut rimmed glass. With a sharp knife, carefully cut a slice into your Samoa cookie, and then a second slice to create a very, very small wedge in the cookie. Garnish your cocktail by using the wedge to hang the cookie on the side of the glass. Enjoy!

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