One of My Favorite Things

I'm feeling especially festive, because my birthday is coming up!  So, I thought it the appropriate time to share one of my favorite cocktails :)   It is called Rum Chata, and you must try it.    What exactly is it(?), you may be wondering.  As the above picture states, it is "a delicious blend of sweet dairy cream, rum and cinnamon".   Truly, it is heaven!   It makes the most delicious cocktails, including a martini that tastes just like Tiramisu ~ YUM!    Still don't believe me?  Check out these other recipes, and I'm sure you'll find one you can't resist.   

As I like to say often ~  "It's Rum Chata time!!!"

Shaken, Not Stirred - Raspberry Crush Martini

On my birthday, I had a delicious cocktail called a "Raspberry Crush Martini". I love raspberries, so I loved it. Luckily I was still coherent enough to make a mental note of what went into it, so I was able to recreate it at home for friends one night. Below is the recipe, if you'd like to try it too:

Raspberry Crush Martini

1 part Raspberry vodka, such as Stoli or Svedka

1/2 part Cointreau

1/4 part Rose's Lime Juice

Fresh raspberries for garnish

Add the first three ingredients to a martini shaker filled with ice. Shake until nice and cold. Pour into glass and garnish with raspberries. Or, for a more intense raspberry flavor, squeeze the berries through a garlic press and into the glass.

Cocktail Hour: Treat Yourself to a Pallini Fresco

Yesterday was spent chillin' around the homefront; enjoying the Spring-like weather and watching the Spartans beat the Huskies. The R&R was long overdue for us, and so was some happy news for the people of Michigan. A celebratory mood quickly replaced the dark cloud that has been hanging over this state. Even if short lived, I plan to bask in the glory.

I decided to break open a bottle of Limoncello liqueur that my friend Amie brought me a few weeks ago. It's really good stuff ~ lemon-y and very refreshing. You can drink it straight, but it's a little too sweet for me, so I decided to make the Pallini Fresco recipe that was on the bottle. It went a little something like this:

1 Part Limoncello

1 Part Cranberry Juice

1 Part Club Soda

Garnish with lemon or lime (I had neither)

The result was super refreshing and deeelicious!!! I think this is my new favorite cocktail. Surely I will be enjoying a few of these on a warm summer day.

Milkshake for the Big "Kids"

Just in time for football season and those tailgating parties where the beer is usually flowing! If you're like me and not so much into massive beer consumption, here's the perfect alternative. It starts with beer, and a few other simple ingredients are added. I'm willing to bet that you've never had anything like it before ~ at least, I had not. It reminded me of a root beer creme soda float. Give it shot!

Vanilla Beer Shake

Ingredients:

12 oz of your favorite beer

1 shot vanilla extract

1 can "Reddi whip"

2 shots vanilla vodka

1 shot heavy cream

Directions:

Pour beer into a 16 oz beer glass (any glass will work, just make sure it's big enough!) Add the vodka, extract and the heavy cream. Top the glass with the "Reddi whip". This recipe makes one shake as pictured above.

Must Try: Lychee Martini

For the past several months, I’ve been on a quest to try a Lychee martini. I had first read rave reviews about this amazing cocktail and then received an overwhelming testimonial from Janna of jac jewelry as to just how delicious they are. I believe her exact words were “You’ve got to try one ~ NOW!!”

And so I did. The picture is proof ~ it is an “Amici Lychee” from Amici’s Living Room, located in Berkley Michigan.

I must say, locating a venue that serves this fine beverage was a challenge. Many a bartender looked at me as if I was from another planet when I requested it. In case you never heard of one, a lychee is a fruit bearing tree that grows primarily in Asia. The picture shows what the fruit looks like. The drink tasted refreshingly fruity ~ both sweet and a little bit tart. It went down with no problema. So be careful not to overdo it, and make sure you have a DD :)

In case your local drinking hole doesn’t yet have one on their menu, here’s a recipe I found so that you can make one yourself:

Ingredients: Ice 3 ounces lychee nectar or juice 2 ounces vodka 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons Simple Syrup

Directions: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the lychee nectar, vodka, lemon juice and Simple Syrup and shake well, then strain into a chilled martini glass.