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Happy Hour: Clementine Crush

partysugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:13:30 -0700

To me, the screwdriver is a pretty boring drink. Vodka mixed with orange juice is plain, unoriginal, and dull. However with a little innovation, it can be turned into a deliciously complex concoction. The mixologists over at Chicago's Mexx Kitchen at The Whiskey have done just that with their Clementine Crush. Sugar, ginger, and tonic transform the screwdriver into a whole new drink. This cocktail is great at happy hour, and makes a wonderful addition to any brunch menu. If you can, use fresh squeezed orange juice as it makes a huge difference in the flavor. To get the recipe, read more

Clementine Crush
From Life & Style magazine
Image Source

3/4 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 ounces orange flavored vodka (such as Svedka Clementine)
1/2 ounce tonic
3 small piece of peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sugar

Muddle the ginger and sugar in a cocktail shaker.
Add ice, vodka, and orange juice. Shake to mix.
Strain mixture into a fun glass filled with ice.
Top with tonic and stir gently to combine. Garnish with fruit, if desired.

Serves 1.

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Happy Hour: Greyhound

partysugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:03:57 -0800

The other day, while I was at one of my favorite bars - Cantina - I had a delicious and refreshing drink made with fresh grapefruit juice. A variation on the classic caipirinha, the cocktail was on the menu for that night only. I wanted to run home and re-create the delightful concoction, but I couldn't remember the list of ingredients. Since the grapefruit juice is what stood out the most, I settled on making a greyhound.

The close cousin of a screwdriver, a greyhound is a sublime blend of vodka and fresh grapefruit juice. To enjoy this cocktail now - grapefruits are in season - get the recipe and read more.

Greyhound
From Epicurious

2 ounces vodka
5 ounces grapefruit juice

In a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes, combine the vodka and grapefruit juice. Stir well.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Come Party With Me: Easter - Drinks

partysugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 05:51:32 -0700

Easter is this Sunday and naturally I am busy as a bunny prepping for a feast with my family. Easter is a wonderful holiday because you get to celebrate the refreshing beauty that is spring. Symbols of rebirth - crisp greens, sunny yellows, fresh herbs, blooming flowers, round eggs - will be the underlying theme of this weekend's party. Dainty Easter eggs inspired the invitations and I've come up with 2(!) delicious menus for a fabulous meal. Unlike Thanksgiving when everyone celebrates with a dinner, Easter is a holiday that is either celebrated with a brunch or a dinner - so in an attempt to really help each and every one of my readers, I've planned both. In PartySugarLand you can't have any sort of gathering without specialty cocktails so I've come up with drinks to pair with each of the menus as well. To take a virtual sip, read more

For the brunch: If you have access to an espresso machine, use it! Offer guests cappuccinos, americanos, or espressos. Fresh squeezed orange juice is another must, if you don't have a juicer get a nicer quality pulpy OJ such as Odwalla. Water, sparkling and still, is a must. Mimosas are a classic brunch cocktail but Blood Orange Bellinis are an elegant alternative especially if you make them with fresh squeezed blood orange juice. Harvey Wallbangers are a more festive choice than the regular old screwdriver. However if you want to make a new, unique cocktail specifically for the brunch try a sparkling combination of white wine and chambord in the form of a chambord spritzer.

Chambord Spritzer
From Gourmet magazine

1 ounce Chambord (black raspberry-flavored liqueur)
1 1/2 ounces white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Chilled seltzer or club soda
A twist of lemon peel for garnish

In a tall glass combine the Chambord, the wine, the lemon juice, and 4 ice cubes.
Fill the glass with the seltzer and stir the drink. Garnish it with the lemon peel.

Serves 1.

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For the dinner: At Easter dinner you must offer several bottles of wine. A rosé will complement the rosy pinkness of the ham because it has the refreshing crispness of a white wine, as well as the medium body of a dry red wine. For those whose hearts are set on pouring a red choose a cru Beaujolais, a varietal that I've heard a lot about lately whose rich complexity will pair nicely with the ginger ale glazed ham. Other options include Pinot Noir or Burgundy or a Chenin Blanc if you are looking for a white wine. Water, both sparkling and still, should flow freely from large pitchers strategically placed around the dining table. Fresh grapefruit juice mixed with your favorite lemon lime soda and a splash of lime juice makes a nice non-alcoholic option. Offer one specialty cocktail as an after dinner dessert drink. An Easter Bunny is a tasty vodka-chocolate-cherry combination that will be the finish to a wonderful evening.

Easter Bunny
From Drinks Mixer

1 1/2 oz dark creme de cacao
1/2 oz vodka
1 tsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp cherry brandy

Shake creme de cacao and vodka with ice.
Strain over ice in an old-fashioned glass.
Float chocolate syrup and cherry brandy.

Serves 1.

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What will you be pouring at your Easter celebration? Let me know your amazing ideas below!

Happy Hour: Harvey Wallbanger

partysugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:52:11 -0800

On Friday, when I got home from work, my dad made me a surprise cocktail. My dad is the coolest, he's always giving me fun food related surprises. It all started when I was little and he would bring me and my siblings doughnuts from Rolling Pin for a surprise breakfast treat. These days he continues to shower me with fabulous foodie finds (last Saturday he came home with a new Spanish Tapas cookbook!) and this drink was definitely a "taste treat" (that's a term my dad invented). It's called a Harvey Wallbanger and was apparently the drink in the 70s. In fact, my mom even called it the cosmo of her time. It's refreshing and delicious, with the taste of a suburban mall's Orange Julius. It's like a jazzed up screwdriver, and would be a nice alternative to a mimosa at a late brunch. If you haven't tried this yet, I highly recommend you make it this evening, so read more

Harvey Wallbanger
From Drinksmixer

1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Galliano liqueur
4 oz orange juice

Pour vodka and orange juice into a collins glass over ice cubes and stir.
Float Galliano on top and serve.

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