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Happy Hour: Sparkling Pomegranate Elderflower Cocktail

partysugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:07 -0800

There's no better way to get in the spirit of the season than by pouring a fizzy and festive cocktail like this sparkling pomegranate-elderflower concoction. It's blushing color is reminiscent of Fall sunsets and falling leaves, while the effervescent texture screams holiday.

The elderflower adds a hint of syrupy sweetness that's not cloying or overly floral. This cocktail may be girlie, but it's elegant and smoothly sippable. Although a bottle of St. Germain is a bit of a splurge, think of the fragrant liqueur as an investment that you can enjoy through the New Year.

Start Thanksgiving with these rosy bubblers and during the weeks leading up to Christmas, make sparkling Shiraz punch! To get the easy, three-ingredient recipe, read more.

Sparkling Pomegranate Elderflower Cocktail
From The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions by Katie Lee

Ingredients

1 ounce St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1 ounce pomegranate juice
3 ounces Champagne or sparkling wine

Directions
In a champagne glass, combine the elderflower liqueur and pomegranate juice. Top with Champagne.

Makes 1 drink.

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Come Party With Me: Potluck Thanksgiving - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:49 -0800

If your house is the location of a Thanksgiving potluck, you're hosting duties not only include making the turkey, but also preparing a cocktail. When guests arrive offer them a glass to get things started. Since the meal is a big one, serve an apéritif - something not too sweet that will stimulate the palate like these campari triple-sec concoctions.

On the flip side, when attending a Thanksgiving potluck, don't show up empty handed. Bring a bottle of sparkling wine or Beaujolais Nouveau or a six-pack of festive pumpkin ale.

To look at the campari cocktail recipe, which can be easily adapted for a crowd, read more.

Bitter Orange Kindler
From Gourmet

Ingredients

2 ounces triple sec
2 ounces campari
tonic water
orange peel, optional for garnish

Directions

In a tall glass combine the triple sec and Campari with 3 cubes of ice.
Fill the glass with chilled tonic water and stir to blend. Garnish with a strip of orange peel.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Happy Hour: The Normandy

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:03 -0800

Over the weekend, something monumental happened: I discovered what is quite possibly the world's most perfect Fall cocktail. The Normandy, as it's called, has cool weather written all over it, with ingredients like cranberries, green apples, and Calvados, a type of French apple brandy from - you guessed it - Normandy.

The tipple balances all the elements you'd ever hope for in a drink. It's simultaneously cool and warm, sweet and tart. Despite being incredibly basic, its elegant simplicity has more sophistication than most of today's overthought cocktails. My only problem? Now that the pursuit for The Thanksgiving Cocktail is over, what do I look forward to? The drink to end all other Autumn drinks, when you read more.

Happy Hour: Sage Sangria

partysugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:50 -0700

Just because Summer is long gone but that doesn't mean you have to stop enjoying sangria. Depending on the ingredients you employ, the wine-based punch can be sipped all year round. Instead of using a warm-weather fruit like peaches, this sangria is infused with Fall's most woody herb, sage. The recipe is simple, but the resulting drink is complex and earthy, perfect for sipping in front of a roaring fire. Honey adds a subtle sweetness and the sage makes this concoction an ideal pairing for any Autumnal dinner. Want the easy recipe? Keep reading.

Come Party With Me: All Hallow's Eve - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:00:46 -0700

It's T minus two days until your big Halloween party! Since nobody wants to spend the entire night mixing cocktails, serve a punch. It's quenches the thirst of a crowd and is easy to make. All you have to do is dump the ingredients into a cauldron and stir. This potent concoction is a mixture of passion fruit vodka, cranberry juice, ginger ale, and sparkling apple cider. To achieve a smoldering affect, you'll have to get your hands on dry ice, but if you don't have time to seek it out, the punch is still enjoyable without the smoke. Also, stock up on beer or order a keg. To check out the apple punch recipe, read more.

Wicked Witch Apple Punch
From Skky

Ingredients

1 750 ml bottle Skyy Infusions Passion Fruit
1 750 ml bottle sparkling apple cider
1 64 oz. bottle cranberry juice cocktail
1 Liter ginger ale
2 cups pineapple juice
Red apple slices

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large black witch’s cauldron with ice and stir.
Garnish with large slices of red apple floating on top and if desired, dry ice.

Serves 12-14.

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Do You Accept Drinks From Strangers?

partysugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:50:31 -0700

Gruesome Halloween Cocktails: Love Them or Hate Them?

YumSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:00:22 -0700

My latest cocktail experiment left me wondering how you felt about creepy Halloween cocktails. I settled on the eyeball highball because it seemed to be the right amount of unsettling without appearing over-the-top gruesome. I love a little eeriness, although I think certain drinks, like bloody brain shooters, border on repulsive. How do you feel about these tipples?

Source: Flickr User Grant Mitchell

Happy Hour: Eyeball Highball

YumSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:29 -0700

All month I've been fixated on trying my hand at as many spirited Halloween cocktails as possible. And with only five more days until the scariest night of the year, I wanted to shake up something that was more frighteningly festive than anything else I've made.

I was going for something creepier than my slime rickey, but not as gross as the infamous brain hemorrhage. I found a happy medium in the eyeball highball, a riff on the classic martini that's bobbing with radish-and-olive eyeballs. Put a seasonal slant on America's most beloved cocktail when you read more.

Come Party With Me: Vampire Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:45 -0700

At my vampire party, I'll be offering guests dressed like Buffy and the Cullens an assortment of vampire-themed drink options.

Red wine is a no brainer: it's the color of blood. To tint beer red, I'll use the same technique I employed on St. Patrick Day's only with red food coloring instead of green.

I'll also offer this dessert cocktail. It's a mixture of raspberry vodka, white chocolate liqueur, and half and half. The dripping blood rim is made from strawberry syrup and the ingenious garnish? Plastic fangs! To get the recipe keep reading.

Corona Introducing 24-Ounce Cans

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:04:23 -0700

This news might come as a surprise to Anheuser-Busch, but Bud Light lovers aren't the only ones who like to get it in the can. So do Corona drinkers. Crown Imports, the importer and distributor for the popular Mexican beer, plans to roll out 24-ounce, single-serving cans of Corona and Corona Light. The cans - which contain twice the amount of beer as a typical bottle - make their debut in 26 initial markets this month, with Corona Light following soon. Considering Coca-Cola recently publicized plans to offer soft drinks in smaller can sizes, I'm surprised Corona has decided to venture in the opposite direction by scaling its sizes up. Even though Corona's one of my go-to beer brands, I wonder if a 24-ounce can will fall flat before I finish it. Would you buy Corona in a 24-ounce can?

Source: User dotbenjamin