Craving Cocktails...

Yup.  Need I say more?

Officially 9 months pregnant and day dreaming this morning.  Is it too early to day dream about this kind of stuff?  I don't care.  Listen, I don't completely deprive myself during pregnancy and enjoy the occasional glass of wine with dinner (or Guinness beer, mmm), but what I really want right now is to sit in this hot, humid heat and sip a crisp, cold cocktail (alliteration at its finest).  

These are the 5 I'm craving the most: 

Old Fashioned 

Carson's Bloody Mary

Blood Orange Margarita

Rose Sangria

Extra Dirty Martini

What cocktail (or food) did you miss the most during pregnancy?

Vodka with Jalapeno, Basil, Cilantro and Lime

Over the weekend, I went to this fabulous restaurant with even more fabulous friends.  (Off the subject but related to the word "fabulous" - did anyone see Kristin Wiig do Kim Cattrall on SNL last week? Amazing.)  Most of us ordered their signature cocktail, the Tavern on the Green, which was rum, basil, cilantro, jalapenos and lime.  Because I am a mom, I didn't drink 15.  And because I am a mom, I decided we should recreate it the next night at home.  Project!  (If I wasn't a mom I'd pour Kettle in my coffee.)

So I minced up some jalapeno into teeny, tiny pieces (*see note below) and added them to a bottle of vodka.  We only had the patience to let it sit for about 30 minutes, but the longer you do I imagine, the better.     

In the meantime, I finely chopped some basil and cilantro, let that sit in a bowl of lime juice and whisked it all together with a couple teaspoons of brown sugar.

Lots of ice, lots of jalapeno vodka, a couple spoonfuls of the lime/herb mixture and Fresca for fizz (club soda would work too).  Lime for garnish.  Holiday straw for adorableness.  

*NOTE: Never, ever, under any circumstances in the world use your fingers to get the seeds and ribs out of a jalapeno.  You're like, no shit Sherlock, are you slow??  Yes.  Yes I am slow.  I don't know what I was thinking, but the knife seemed like too much work and I am part cave-woman.  It didn't hurt at first. But an hour or so later, the burning.  The throbbing.  THE BURNING.  Every single fingertip, I was ready to cut off.  I tried everything: soaking them in milk and sugar, washing them with lemon juice, dish soap, coating them with toothpaste.  Only temporary relief.  Meditating through the pain was the only thing that helped, and I'm serious, I tried that.  And then I drank some more vodka.

For some creative DIY alcoholic gift ideas: Holiday Spirit(s)

Sirious Sips: Ginger Infused Vodka

Hello people who drink like me. Sorry I've been away for awhile, but WOOO WEEEE do I have something awesome in store for you. But before we go into the recipe, we're going to have to wait two days.

TWO DAYS?! Why so long Brother Dylan??

Well I'm glad you guys are so full of questions! We're going to be making ginger infused vodka, and that takes at least two days to infuse. So bear with me and let's make some ginger vodka.

All you need is ginger and vodka.

I like to peel my ginger before I chop it, about 1/3 cup in total....

After you've chopped the ginger, get a large container and pour in your vodka...

Don't forget to shake it up every couple of hours, or whenever you remember. It'll help mix in all the awesome ginger flavor.

Stay tuned for a SIRIOUSLY delicious Ginger Fizz recipe in a couple of days!

*Thanks Brother Dylan, I would love to sip Ginger Infused Vodka on a crisp fall day while eating THESE.

Sirious Sips: The Old Fashioned Cocktail

I hope everyone got to try the Eastside Cocktail that I made last week. Gin is one of my favorite spirits to make cocktails with because it's a complex spirit; depending on what you mix it with, different subtleties appear. But before I make more cocktails with gin, I want to talk about my other favorite spirit, and that is Rye.

Everybody say it with me… RRRYYYEEE!

I recently went to Rye House after work, and had one of the best Sazeracs I've ever tasted. But I'm not gonna make that for you today. That was mean, wasn't it? I'm sorry. To be honest, I actually had that AFTER I took all the pictures for this blog. So, maybe I'll go back, dissect the ingredients, and make it for you next week. At least, what I'm making for you today is similar to a Sazerac; it's my version of the Old Fashioned Cocktail.

The Old Fashioned Cocktail
Printable Recipe

1 Sugar Cube or 1 Spoonful of Sugar
2 dashes of Angostura or Fee Brother's Old Fashioned Bitters
1 Large Orange Peel
2.5 Oz. Rye Whiskey


First, put a sugar cube in a rocks glass with 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters.


Now, if you don't have or you can't get sugar cubes then just use a spoonful of sugar. I have La Perruche pure cane rough cut sugar cubes by Béghin Say, and I got them at Zabar's (which is an awesome specialty foods market in Manhattan).

Muddle the sugar and bitters together until it creates a rough paste.


Cut a large orange peel and make sure to get rid of as much of the bitter white pith as you can.



Once you've got the orange peel, squeeze and twist it over the glass until you see all the delicious oils glistening; add the peel in and muddle away some more.



Next, add your 2.5 ounces of Rye and then add your ice. Stir it (I use a chopstick because I don't have a long bar spoon).



And now, my weekly cocktail snob remark. Ice! I like to use bigger than normal ice cubes. Sister Hannah gave me some rubber ice cube trays that make big, perfect cube ice cubes and they work great (I'm sure you can find them at any sort of housewares store). The bigger the ice cube, the slower they will melt. The slower your ice melts in your cocktail, the less diluted your cocktail will be.

Enjoy!

Sirious Sips: Setup & The East Side

I am very excited to announce a new series that my brother, Dylan Pinter, is going to write for this blog called...


It will be all about Adult Beverages, don't you know. He'll try to share one cocktail a week with you fine people. So let's get to it...


As a former bartender in NYC for 3 years, my tastebuds may have been a little spoiled. Although I was relieved to get out of the service industry, I missed having the ability to make delicious cocktails at my fingertips. So, I decided to build up my bar at home. Now, some people have called me a "cocktail snob" and think they can't make the "fancy" cocktails that I make, and to that I say nay! The cocktails I make are not that fancy, and in fact, they're quite simple to make.

First and foremost, there are a few essentials tools and ingredients that you'll need in order to make cocktails at home without turning your bar/kitchen/wherever it is you so choose to make cocktails into a wet, sticky mess.


1. Bitters (Angostura is the most common, but I like Fee Brother's Old Fashioned Bitters)

2. Simple Syrup


This is just equal parts sugar and water, brought to a boil and slightly reduced for about 7 minutes

3. Fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice


Make sure to juice these over a strainer at to avoid pulp and seeds.

4. Mixing tins (You can find these at most liquor stores or restaurant supply stores. I like to stay away from the conventional household cocktail shakers that have a lid on them, because a lot of times the lid is difficult to get off, and it limits the amount of cocktail you can shake. Either use a Boston Shaker, which is a big tin and a pint glass, or a big tin and a small tin)

5. Jigger (This is what you measure your ingredients with. Mine measure 1/2 oz. and 1 oz.)

6. A small fine mesh strainer

7. Pestle (aka muddler)

Once you have these, your life will be a lot easier, and now you can make delicious "fancy" cocktails!


THE EAST SIDE
Printable Recipe

This a classic cocktail called the East Side, and it's one of my most favorite summer cocktails. Some people make the East Side with cucumber and mint, but I think it tastes way better with just cucumber. The mint just over powers the delicious subtle flavor of cucumber, which mixes so damn well with gin.

That being said, let's make it!

Ingredients:

2.5 oz. Gin
1 oz. Lime juice
1 oz. Simple syrup
2 slice of cucumber

Muddle 2 slices of cucumber (about 1/2 inch thick each) in the the bottom of your mixing tin.



Add the rest of the ingredients into the tin. Add ice, and secure your tins, making sure they're airtight.


Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds and strain over a small fine mesh strainer over fresh ice. Garnish with a thin slice of cucumber, and enjoy!


Yum.

This cocktail is actually meant to be served up in a martini or cocktail glass, but that makes life a lot more difficult at home. Especially if you have pets and/or kids that like to knock stuff over, like my cat Rudy. Also, if you don't like the taste of gin, then you can always substitute it for vodka. But, I recommend trying the gin, before you make any decisions you may regret. It's awesome…