THE NIBBLE Gourmet News & Views
Trends, Products & Items Of Note In The World Of Specialty Foods
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Archive for Cocktails & Spirits
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June 27, 2008 at 9:29 am
· Filed under Beverages, Cocktails & Spirits, Entertaining, Recipes
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The ever-popular Margarita seems to be a classic with every generation. |
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Modern mixology, like today’s fine cuisine, has become a throw-down to see who can create the most complex, fascinating drinks with new flavors and nifty ingredients. In the process of entertaining cocktail customers with new wow factors, many of the classic drinks have fallen by the wayside. While some, like the Martini, are enjoying a renaissance (including hundreds of variations on the theme that make the drink unrecognizable, as in the Plum Sakétini), when was the last time anyone ordered a Tom Collins—even though a bar glass is named after it?
This summer, treat guests to a retro cocktail hour. Here are cocktail recipes for some oldies but goodies that haven’t been seen for a while, along with some classics that seem to be high on the list of the cocktail menu top hits:
-Bellini Recipe
-Grand Margarita Recipe
-Mojito Recipe
-Scotch & Ginger Recipe
-Tom Collins Recipe |
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June 24, 2008 at 4:48 pm
· Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, July 4th
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Tart cherry juice is a flavor-rich ingredient for cocktails. Photo by Liv Friis-Larsen | IST. |
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One of the healthiest juices you can drink is tart cherry juice. Sometimes called a superfruit,* tart cherries (also called sour cherries and Morello cherries) have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, as compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries), fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamins C and E. A growing body of scientific research links cherries to health benefits, from helping to ease the pain of arthritis and gout, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Cherries also have been found to help regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process. You can read more about the fruit at the website of the Cherry Marketing Institute, ChooseCherries.com.
*A superfruit is one that has a high antioxidant level as well as nutritional density. Others include açaí, blueberry, cranberry, grape, guarana, mangosteen, noni and pomegranate.
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| Most of us are acquainted with the fun side of cherries: cherry pie, ice cream, yogurt and other delights. Now consider the cherry cocktail. These bright red cocktails are also perfect for red-themed holidays like Independence Day, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Find recipes for a Cherry Red Eye Mojito and Red Alert Cherry-Coconut Fusion on TheNibble.com. |
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June 19, 2008 at 8:55 am
· Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Tip Of The Day
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Try adding some tangy yuzu juice to your next frozen daiquiri for an new twist on a classic cocktail. |
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The Yuzu Daiquiri is poised to be a new favorite. Buy yuzu juice (an Asian citrus) at your specialty food store and make this recipe, courtesy of Riingo restaurant in New York City: Take 4 sprigs of mint, 4 raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, a dash of simple syrup, 1/2 ounce yuzu juice and 2.5 ounces of Bacardi rum. In a mixing glass, muddle the mint, raspberries, sugar, simple syrup and yuzu juice. Add ice and rum and shake vigorously. Strain and serve up in a martini glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Head over to THE NIBBLE for more cocktail recipes. |
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June 13, 2008 at 8:25 am
· Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Tip Of The Day
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| Whether you drink spring water, single malt scotch or premium vodka, using an ice cube made of tap water drops chlorine and fluorine into your deluxe beverage. The solution: Fill your ice cube tray with good bottled water. The cost is negligible compared to the cost of the rest of the contents of the glass. ISI North America makes nifty color-coded ice cube trays with a built-in lid that stack easily, so you can tell tell your “designer ice” from the everyday ice you’d drop into your cola. Read THE NIBBLE’s full review. And for creative cocktail recipes and reviews of our favorite mixers and spirits, check out our Cocktails & Spirits section. |
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Don’t forget the iSi Orka ice cube trays for your next cocktail party.
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May 22, 2008 at 10:20 am
· Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Entertaining, Tip Of The Day
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| Make your ice cubes a focus of attention by freezing fruit, herbs or small vegetables in the cubes. For sweet drinks, add a raspberry, small strawberry, red grape, mint leaf or lemon peel curl to each section of the ice cube tray. For savory drinks like Bloody Marys, use a grape tomato, small basil leaves or a snip of rosemary. For ice water, quartered cucumbers (leave the peel for color), mint and lemon curls are pretty. Read about our favorite ice cube trays from iSi Orka. Plan a fancy cocktail party with recipes from the Cocktails & Spirits section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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Gussy up your plain water with herbs, citrus peel or cucumber-embedded ice cubes.
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April 22, 2008 at 8:30 am
· Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Recipes
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Think green, and celebrate Earth Day with two cocktail recipes from 360 Vodka. |
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Celebrate Earth Day, April 22nd, by drinking tap water. Refill a bottle and carry it around with you. And especially purchase a Better Drinking Water Filter Bottle—a biodegradable corn resin bottle with a built-in filter top that is good for purifying 90 bottles of tap water.
Now you’ve earned a cocktail, so celebrate with 360 Vodka, a “green” company that produces its vodka to be as earth-friendly as possible, in both manufacture and distribution. The company has created two special Earth Day cocktails, Greentini and Planetary Punch. Enjoy the recipes and learn more about the vodka.
Find more cocktail recipes in the Cocktails & Mixers Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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April 10, 2008 at 5:07 pm
· Filed under Travel, Cocktails & Spirits
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| Our childhood favorite, Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin cheese, still tastes great on a bagel, as part of an hors d’oeuvre (we stuff cherry tomatoes with it), on a sandwich, crumbled into salads and pasta dishes, in a stuffed chicken breast and any number of uses. Now, the brand has partnered with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, making a $50,000 cash donation plus a special consumer mail-in offer. Through April 30th (while supplies last), you’ll get a free pink tote and will donate $1 to the foundation for two proofs-of-purchase from any Boursin flavor. The ladies at THE NIBBLE were tickled pink with this purse-size tote, and your teen, tween, young adult or eternal pink-lover will want it too. It’s a great deal, and a great cause. During the special promotion, Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs will wear pink packaging, too (shown in the tote bag), and is joined by a new flavor, Garlic & Roasted Red Pepper Boursin (in front of the tote bag). Other flavors include Fig Raisin & Nut (try it with fruit for dessert), Garlic & Fine Herbs Light, and Pepper, Shallot & Chive. Learn more at Boursin.com. |
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 How can you resist! Buy two packages of Boursin and send for your free tote bag by April 30th. |
| Read about our favorite cheeses in the Cheese Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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March 6, 2008 at 8:36 am
· Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Recipes, St. Patrick's Day
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Skip the green beer, have a green Grey Goose cocktail, the “Dublin Delight.” |
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Don’t color the beer green at your St. Patrick’s Day party. Let the beer drinkers enjoy fine craft beer in the golden color it should be. Those who want a vodka cocktail can go green with a Dublin Delight from Grey Goose Vodka. It was specially created to abet drinkin ‘o the green by master mixologist, Nick Mautone, author of Raising the Bar (“Better Drinks, Better Entertaining”). Starting with Grey Goose Vodka’s popular Le Citron lemon-flavored vodka, the ingredients include kiwi, simple syrup, a sprig of mint, a small piece of vanilla pod and a splash of club soda.
It’s not as simple as pouring tonic water into the gin, but once you make up a pitcher, it’s smooth sailing—and you have something memorable for your guests.
- Read the full Dublin Delight recipe.
- Find more seasonal cocktails in the Cocktails Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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March 3, 2008 at 9:36 am
· Filed under Kitchenware, Cocktails & Spirits, Recipes, Daily Food Holidays
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| You’ve heard of mulled wine, you say, but you don’t really know what it is? You’re not alone. So we’ll take a moment on National Mulled Wine Day to give you some information to mull over, as well as recipes for mulled wine and its Scandinavian cousin, glögg (pronounced glugg—add Aquivit or vodka along with the brandy, plus almonds and raisins). For those who don’t drink alcohol (or for the kids), there’s also a recipe for mulled apple cider. The basics: Take a modest red wine and add water, brandy, spices and some sugar or honey. Simmer on the stove top (read the recipe) and serve in mugs. Glass mugs are preferable, since, as with any wine, one likes to enjoy the color of the beverage. But any mug will do. (If you’re going to buy glass mugs, we love the double-walled Bistro series from Bodum. They’re beautiful, keep the beverage hot longer and don’t require a coaster because the double wall keeps the heat and moisture raised above your tabletop.) |
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A cinnamon stick for garnish is optional. |
| The word “mull,” referring to sweetening, spicing and heating of wine or ale, has been traced back to 1610 or so. Wine and ale often went bad; by adding spices and honey (sugar was not widely available for another two centuries), it could be made drinkable again. Almost every European country has its version of mulled wine (even the French make vin chaud), and it is popular in South America as well—today as a comforting drink, not to cover up bad booze. The spicy-sweet aroma of the mulling wine will fill your home—it’s the beverage equivalent of baking cookies. You can buy premixed mulling spices in a specialty food store or spice shop (or even in some supermarkets); or you can measure out a little allspice, some dried orange rind (a.k.a. orange peel) and a few whole cloves into a muslin pouch or spice ball (add peppercorns if you’re into pepper, and star anise if you have it), and throw a few cinnamon sticks into the brew. Historical note: The holiday wassail bowl of yore was a mulled ale, flavored with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, topped with slices of toast (think croutons). The wassail served at today’s Medieval holiday reenactments is likely to be mulled cider, to accommodate modern palates. Find more drink recipes for entertaining in the Cocktails Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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March 2, 2008 at 9:01 am
· Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Snacks, Tip Of The Day
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Not every type of peanut goes well with beer. |
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March is National Peanut Month. People (and bars) commonly serve goobers with beer; the idea behind giving them away at bars is that salty peanuts make you thirstier for more beer. But there’s an art to pairing peanuts with libations. German Hefe-Weizen beers, with their scent of roasted hops and wheat, echo the same notes in peanuts. A perfect match! Sherry is known for its nutty qualities, so serve roasted peanuts with a sherry aperitif. Honey-roasted peanuts match better with a fruity wine, and hot chili peanuts also beg for a wine with residual sugar to offset the heat of the chilies. Visit the Snacks Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine to find our favorite gourmet peanuts. |
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