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The Ultimate Bar: Muddler

partysugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:53:12 -0700

With spring break narrowing in on us, (woo-hoo! even though I'm not in school anymore I celebrate spring break each year by spending a long weekend away), it's the appropriate time to stock up on a bar tool that you will use a lot once the warm weather hits hard. A muddler is essential to making juicy, refreshing mojitos and caipirinhas. Sure you could substitute a long wooden spoon, but I find nothing crushes a lime and releases the essence of mint as well as a muddler. The handy, crushing one I have at home is this simple beachwood muddler. It's $5.00, a pretty reasonable price considering all of the use you'll get out of it and I get double the use out of mine by using it as a pestle to crush herbs and spices. I prefer wood over any other material because it's easy to clean and will last forever. However if you want something a little more fancy, check out these options and read more

This more pricy-$21.00-stainless steel muddler is specially designed to easily and quickly release citrus juice and the skins natural oils. The bright green head is crafted to hold the fruit in place and its extra long (10 inch) handle makes it perfect for mixing drinks in tall, slim glasses.

For the style conscious homemaker, may I suggest the fashionable silicon, stainless steel elongated muddler? It's $15.00 and will stand a lifetime of drink making so muddle away!

Definition: Muddle

partysugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:11:19 -0800

Muddle:
To mash, smash, or crush ingredients with a spoon or a long wooden/metal rod with a flattened end (muddler). A technique that is usually identified with the preparation of mixed drinks such as when mint leaves and cucumber are muddled together for a Limelight cocktail.

Happy Hour: Raspberry Shag

partysugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:00:38 -0700

As much as I love experimenting with new spirits, sometimes I just need a girlie pink vodka cocktail with a fun name. Enter the raspberry shag.

Don't be fooled by the vibrant color. This drink - a mixture of sugared muddled raspberries, vodka, lemon juice, and soda - is not overly sweet. It is smooth, refreshing, and fruity.

The original recipe calls for strawberries, but I decided to try raspberries instead. I think any berry, like blackberries or blueberries, would work well in this concoction, so use what you have on hand. To check out the recipe, read more.

Raspberry Shag
Modified from Sips and Apps by Kathy Casey

Ingredients

1 to 2 large sprigs of fresh basil
1/4 cup sugared raspberries, with juice (recipe below)
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 to 4 ounces chilled soda water
fresh raspberry, optional for garnish

Directions

In a cocktail shaker, press the basil and strawberries together with a muddler to release the basil's flavor.
Fill the shaker with ice. Measure in the vodka and lemon juice. Cap and shake vigorously.
Pour into a large glass, top with soda water, and stir. Garnish, if desired, with a raspberry.

Makes 1 drink.

Sugared Raspberries

1 pint fresh raspberries
1 1/2cups powdered sugar

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl and let sit for 15 minutes before using.

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Happy Hour: Blackberry Crush

YumSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:00:10 -0700

It's my favorite time of year in San Francisco: blackberry picking season. I discovered an especially fruitful patch on a frequent exercise route, and being an overly ambitious multitasker, I take a berry-picking break during my runs, and then jog home with my daily stash.

There are so many things I love about foraging for my own berries: being zero degrees removed from the local-food movement and knowing precisely what it is that I'm putting into my mouth; the gritty juiciness of the berries; the fact that they cost zero dollars. Oh, and the boundless possibilities of what I'm going to make!

Except I know, without a doubt, that the first thing I'll be doing is mixing myself a refreshing blackberry cocktail, muddled with lemon juice, syrup, and vodka, and garnished with fresh mint. See the recipe after the jump

Happy Hour: Kiwi Cobbler

YumSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:00:42 -0700

Last week at the market, I spotted some New Zealand kiwis for a good price. I know they're not local and organic, but they simply looked too plump and verdant to pass up, so I bought a ton. And, when life handed me a bunch of kiwis, what did I do? Make a kiwi cobbler, of course.

I'm a sucker for muddled fruit cocktails, and this one from Boston fine-dining institution Radius is no exception. I love how fresh it tastes with one whole kiwi, torn mint, and a splash of seltzer. Make it in a minute when you read more

Come Party With Me: Summer Cocktail - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:30:06 -0700

A Summer cocktail party must have a specialty cocktail. At first I thought to serve a classic concoction like a martini or Manhattan, but when I came across this updated version of the sidecar - a drink dating back to World War I that consists of cognac, lemon juice, and orange liqueur - I knew I had to make it. The basic three ingredients are there, but the addition of pineapple juice and muddled blackberries provide a distinct and deceptively delicious taste. To ensure that I'm not making cocktails all night, I'll set the ingredients up on a table in the garden and print out the recipe on nice paper. Then, I'll encourage guests to shake their own cocktails!

I've also asked everyone to bring either beer or wine, so they'll be plenty to drink when the cocktails run out. For the recipe, read more.

Blackberry-Pineapple Sidecar
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

7 blackberries
Ice
2 ounces Cognac
1/2 ounce Cointreau or other triple sec
1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
1 or 2 pineapple leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the berries. Add ice and all of the remaining ingredients except the garnish; shake well.
Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass and garnish.

Makes 1 drink.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Peach and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

partysugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:37 -0700

During the Summer I'm always looking for innovative new ways to serve stone fruit. While I've had my fair share of nectarine salads and muddled cherry cocktails, I've never enjoyed a peach stir-fry.

This creative and scrumptious dish combines succulent peaches with snow peas, tofu, and water chestnuts. The mixture is tossed with a quick homemade teriyaki sauce and served atop a bed of slippery noodles.

This meal comes together in less than 30 minutes, but if you are really pressed for time, simply use your favorite store brand teriyaki. Get the vegetarian recipe now.

Happy Hour: Gordon's Cup

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0700

I am always tempted by cocktails with cucumber in them but often disappointed. Aside from the classically refreshing Pimm's Cup, the cucumber-based recipes I've tried have either been too sweet, not sweet enough, or way too much trouble.

The Gordon's Cup, however, made me giddy, and it wasn't just the 1/4 cup of gin. This cooling Summer cocktail is easy to make: simply muddle lime and cucumber in a shaker, toss the other goods on top, give it a few shimmies, and dump everything out in your cup - no straining required. Shake up your Summer and get the recipe.

Happy Hour: Mo'Gingerito

YumSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:20:09 -0700

Waiting for a table at a Caribbean joint a few weeks back, my friends and I were enchanted - possibly a bit too enchanted - by the ginger mojito on the cocktail menu. Fresh and crisp like the traditional rum drink but with a kick of aromatic ginger to balance the tang of the lime and the coolness of the mint, these mo'gingeritos were so good, I had to replicate the recipe.

While I have no idea how the restaurant made its cocktail, my at-home version tasted remarkably similar. So get gingery at your next Summer soiree with this delicious recipe

Happy Hour: Peach and Mango Sangria

partysugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:00:02 -0700

Recently my parents hosted an impromptu barbecue. When I asked if I could make the specialty cocktail, my dad said, "nah, that's too much work." Then I politely reminded him that a specialty cocktail doesn't always involve muddling and exotic spirits. It can be as simple as a chilled sangria. Since sangria is my classic fall-back cocktail, he caved and let me experiment with a new mango-peach variation. Although the recipe doesn't require the sangria to be made in advance, I threw it together a few hours before the party to allow time for the flavors to blend. Choose peaches and mangoes that aren't too ripe, you want them to hold their shape when sliced. Beware: this sangria is wildly crowd-pleasing. I doubled the recipe, but ended up making four more batches throughout the night! To check it out, read more.

Mango-Peach Sangria
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup Grand Marnier
1 bottle Viognier
1 mango, chopped
2 peaches, cut into thin wedges
1/4 cup mint

Directions

In a saucepan, cook the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves; transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until cold.
Stir in the Grand Marnier, Viognier, mango, peaches and mint and serve over ice.

Serves 4.

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