Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Pink Sunrise


Ingredients:
- 5 seedless black grapes
- 1 1/2 oz Ciroc vodka
- dash of fresh lime juice
- dash of simple syrup
- 1 red globe grape, quartered into wedges

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the black grapes. Add vodka, lime juice, simple syrup and ice. Shake well; strain into rocks glass. Garnish with quartered grape. (Cocktail created by Eben Freeman)

Berry Blush Martini


Ingredients:
- 2 oz berry flavored vodka
- 1/2 oz Monin raspberry syrup
- 3 oz sweet & sour
- 4 raspberries
- 4 mint leaves
Garnish: mint sprig, lime twist in the shape of the breast cancer ribbon

Muddle mint and raspberries in a mixing glass. Add vodka, syrup and sweet and sour to shake with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with mint sprig and lime twist.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Cherry Berry Smoothie

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup frozen tart cherries, pitted
- 1/2 cup 1% low fat milk
- 1/4 cup plain lowfat yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon cherry juice concentrate
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)
- 8 ice cubes
Garnish: 1 tablespoon slivered toasted almonds, 1 tablespoon chopped dried tart cherries

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Pour into two chilled glasses. Garnish with almonds and dried cherries. Serve immediately. (Makes 2 serving)

Nutrition Info:
Nutritional Analysis for one serving: Calories 164, Total Fat g 3, Sat Fat g 1, Chol mg 5, Sodium mg 57, Total Carb g 30, Fiber g 1, Sugars g 27, Protein g 5 (Recipe: Cherry Marketing Institute)

Raspberry Resort


Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Frida Kahlo tequila (silver)
- 1 oz rock candy syrup
- 1/2 fresh pressed lime
- 2 or 3 fresh blackberries and raspberries
- ginger ale
Garnish: fresh berries, lime wedge

Build in mixing glass. Shake the ingredients and strain into an ice short glass. Garnish with fresh berries and lime wedge. (Cocktail created by: Diablo's Cantina at Monte Carlo Resort & Casino/Light Group)

Monday, September 10, 2007

Gourmet Pita Toast with Figs and Black Olive Tapenade


Tapenade
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces black olives, pitted
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- 2 teaspoons brandy (optional)
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons olive oil

Blend all the ingredients except oil in food processor until smooth. With processor still running, slowly add oil and process until smooth. Set aside.

Caramelized Onions
- 1 1/2 pounds pearl onions
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup California figs, diced
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 whole wheat pita breads
- 4 ounces shredded Mozzarella

Peel and slice the onions. In a heavy-bottomed saute pan or skillet in which onions will fit in a single layer, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they are well coated with the butter. Add water to a depth of 1 inch. Cook, turning the onions occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the figs, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste and stir well. Saute the mixture and add water, as needed, until the onions are golden and caramelizes, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the onions, turning once or twice, until most of the liquid evaporates. Adjust the seasonings. Set aside.

Basil Shandy


Ingredients:
- basil lemonade*
- pale lager
Garnish: basil leaves

To make a pitcher of basil lemonade, in pitcher, add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice and 1 large stalk basil. Stir every twenty minutes or so until sugar dissolves. (Be sure to stir the sugar that settles to the bottom of the pitcher) Allow to sit for at least an hour so that basiil flavor is extracted. Pour the equal part beer and basil lemonade into a beer mug and garnish with basil leaves. (Cocktail created by Gwen Sutherland Kaiser, Photo by Mary Claire Miraldi)

Friday, September 7, 2007

Chien Chaud




Ingredients:
- habanero-infused grapefruit juice
- 1 1/2 oz Ciroc vodka
- salt, optional
- 1 chile pepper, julienne

Pour vodka over ice in an 8-ounce collins glass. Fill glass with grapefruit juice. Garnish with chile pepper. Salt glass rim, if desired. (Cocktail created by Eben Freeman)

Spicy Cucumber Margarita



Ingredients:
- 1/2 cucumber (peeled and cubed)
- 1 slice seedless jalapeno pepper (minced)
- 1 oz tequila Don Julio reposado
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- splash of sour mix
- 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
- 5 ice cubes
- 1 cucumber slice
- 1 mini pepper

In a boston shaker, muddle cucumber and jalapeno pepper. Add tequila, fresh lime juice, splash of sour mix, Grand Marnier, and ice to shake. Strain into a tall glass and garnish with mini pepper. Note: For added bite, premix Kosher salt with chili powder to taste. Rim the glass with salty pepper powder before adding the mixture.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Aperture

Sex Week at Yale

I was going through this article on Men's Health, when I read about sex week at Yale University. Website could be found here.

On another note, it looks very interesting and exciting that human being is getting closer to liberation of all sorts everyday but a completely "free" world, at least according to today's standards, look pretty dull to me: if there's nothing you "can't" do, what will give you extreme joy when you overcome? What will you dream and fantasize about?

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Say "Cheese"

Cocktailtimes.com has become one of my favorites. And the latest is about cheese: Types of cheese and how to serve cheese for a cocktail party.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Battle of Thermopylae

What really happened? Whatever happened, is not the way you'd see in the 300. These are the believable tales:

The Battle of Thermopylae according to Wikipedia and this site which I found the later highly informing with respect to the before and after struggles.

Another friend also forwarded this one which I liked too. And as the same friends concluded:

"...I believe this movie is a natural and late response to our savage during the last 30 years (firing the flags, dawn to everybody (!) and some aggressive talks of our own governments and radicals). I think we have to thankful of the writer and director who shocked us to think about our aggression during those years."

'nough said.

The Original Irish Coffee

  • Cream - Rich as an Irish Brogue
  • Coffee- Strong as Friendly Hand
  • Sugar - Sweet as the tongue of a Rouge
  • Irish Whiskey - smooth as the Wit of the Land

    In a warm stemmed whiskey goblet, pour one jigger of Irish whiskey. Add one spoon of brown sugar and fill with strong black coffee within one inch of brim. Stir to dissolve the sugar and top off with whipped cream, slightly aerated by pouring it over the back of a spoon. Do not stir after adding the cream as the true flavor is obtained by drinking the hot coffee and Irish whiskey through the cream.
  • Leprechaun's Irish Coffee

    Ingredients:
    - 1 part Jameson Irish Whiskey
    - 2 parts Kahlua
    - 2 parts half & half
    Garnish: fresh mint sprig and vanilla bean

    Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with fresh mint sprig and vanilla bean.

    Irish Snakebite

    Ingredients:
    - equal part dark Irish beer
    - equal part hard cider
    - shot of blackcurrant syrup

    Fill pint glass with equal amounts of dark Irish beer and hard cider, leaving about 1/3 inch space at top. Add a shot of blackcurrant syrup and stir gently to mix...

    Friday, March 2, 2007

    San Francisco

    I rarely fall in love with soil. Concrete is different:

    The loveliness of Paris
    Seems somehow sadly gay
    The glory that was Rome
    Is of another day
    I've been terribly alone
    And forgotten in Manhattan
    I'm going home to my city by the bay.

    I left my heart in San Francisco
    High on a hill, it calls to me.
    To be where little cable cars
    Climb halfway to the stars.
    The morning fog may chill the air
    I don't care.
    My love waits there in San Francisco
    Above the blue and windy sea
    When I come home to you, San Francisco,
    Your golden sun will shine for me.

    I Love you.

    Balsamic Pear Cocktail

    Ingredients:
    - 2 oz freshly juiced pear nectar
    - 2 oz sake
    - 1/2 oz balsamic syrup
    - 2 drops bitters
    Garnish: Pear slice

    ***to make balsamic syrup: Simmer 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cup balsamic vinegar for twenty minutes. pour into final storage container, adding approx. 1 oz vodka to aid in preservation.

    Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with pear slice. (Cocktail created by: Gwen Kaiser, Cocktail Times Master Mixologist)