Lookin At Lucky, Ice Box and a field of beautiful three year-old thoroughbreds will be running for the roses in Louisville, Kentucky this Saturday. It’s the 136th Kentucky Derby!
The Kentucky Derby is considered by most to be the most prestigious horse race in the world. It’s the first leg of the famous “Triple Crown,” followed by the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.
The one and a quarter miles of track at Churchill Downs doesn’t take long to run: It’s known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” or “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.” A blanket of roses is draped over the winner.
Certainly, it’s an occasion to invite friends over to watch the Derby and enjoy a cocktail.
We’ve got two cocktail suggestions: the special “Run For The Roses” cocktail from Grey Goose, below, created for the 2010 Kentucky Derby; and the classic Mint Julep in the next post.
Run for the roses, run for the cocktails.
Photo courtesy Grey Goose.
RUN FOR THE ROSES COCKTAIL
Ingredients
3 parts Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka
2 parts peach brandy
2 parts southern-style sweet iced tea (recipe below)
2 parts fresh lime juice
2 organic rose petals for garnish (organic flowers are not sprayed with chemical pesticides)
Chambord (raspberry liqueur) for floating
Ice cubes and crushed ice
Preparation
1. Combine the first four ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into two rocks glasses filled with crushed ice.
2. Slowly pour Chambord so that it floats on the top of the drink.
3. Garnish drink with rose petals.
Southern Sweet Iced Tea Recipe
1. Add five tea bags (or equivalent loose black tea) to one quart of boiling water.
2. Steep for ten minutes and add one cup of sugar while tea bags are steeping. Stir to dissolve.
Before cutting a lemon, lime or orange, whether to juice it or to cut a wedge or wheel for a beverage, try these two tricks (either one works on its own; together they help maximize juice you can squeeze):
Trick #1
Zap the citrus in the microwave for ten seconds. This activates the juice in the sacs so it’s ready to burst forth when juiced.
Trick #2
Next, press down on the whole citrus and roll it for another 15 seconds or more on the kitchen counter or a cutting board.
This applies pressure that releases more juice from the sacs.
You’ll get more juice for your recipe or a bigger squeeze of juice from the wedge.
Save The Zest
You can zest the citrus before or after juicing, and toss fresh zest into salads, onto cooked vegetables, in soups, cookie and cake recipes, cocktails, the pickle jar—just about anything.
Want to know more about lemons and limes? Check out our:
Here’s your chance to get a taste of an outstanding chocolate nominee. Sweet Marguerites was recently selected as a Silver Finalist for both Outstanding Chocolate and Outstanding Food Gift in the 2010 awards from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. And they’re giving away some of their chocolate in this week’s Gourmet Giveaway!
THE PRIZE: One grand-prize winner will be sent a 24-piece box of assorted Sweet Marguerites chocolates, including seasonal favorites. (Retail value $34.00)
Two runner-ups will win a 5-piece sampler box of Umami chocolates, known for their unusual combinations. That assortment includes Malted Bacon, Plum Sake, Sweet Potato Caramel, Sesame-Tahini and Green Tea & Ginger. (Retail value $9.00)
To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Mother’s Day Chocolates Gift List and enter your email address for the prize drawing. This contest closes on Monday, May 3rd at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!
Umami chocolates will be awarded to two
winners. Photo courtesy Sweet Marguerites.
April 27, 2010 at 7:21 am
· Filed under Books, Contest
Create your own family cookbook (or any
type of album) with a customized Picaboo
book. Photo courtesy Picaboo.
Have you always wanted to create your own recipe book?
Do you want to create a memorable volume of recipes from different generations of your family?
Do you want to create a memorial to Grandma by publishing her recipes?
Do you have a special group of family members and friends who would treasure copies of a professionally bound, great-looking book of recipes, photos, memoirs and anything else you’d like to add?
Picaboo could be the answer! Picaboo is a fun and easy way to create a customized book of photos with captions, essays and more. You can create your own cookbook of family recipes, vacation journals, wedding albums, family photos for the grandparents—just about anything.
THE PRIZE: The winner of this week’s Gourmet Giveaway prize will receive a $50 gift certificate to use on Picaboo.com.
To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Best Reads Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing.
25% DISCOUNT FOR NIBBLE READERS: If you aren’t the prize winner, you can still get 25% off your own custom photo books. Just order a Classic, Classic Leather or Classic Custom book by the end of May and enter SPRING25 at checkout.
Today is National Pretzel Day. Bake up a delicious batch of soft pretzels with this recipe.
Pretzels were created in 610 C.E. by a European monk whose name is lost to history. Food historians trace him to Italy or Southern France.
He formed leftover bread dough in a shape that represent children’s arms folded in prayer. The baked pretzels were given as a reward to children who had successfully memorized their prayers. The original word, “pretiola,” is Latin for “little reward.”
We’ll bite to that!
Don’t want to bake? Find reviews of our favorite pretzels in our Gourmet Snacks section.
