Rum Punch

I’ve recently decided that punch is close to the best thing ever.  I had a bourbon pineapple one recently, and loved it, and figured that making a big pitcher of one to enjoy on a Saturday afternoon would be just about perfect.

• 8 ounces dark rum
• 4 ounces light rum
• 2 ounces triple sec
• 16 ounces orange juice
• juice of 2 lemons
• juice of 1 orange
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/2 orange, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup mint, roughly torn up
• 1 can ginger ale

Mix all ingredients in a pitcher and serve over ice.

Strawberry Mint Sangria

I loaded up on strawberries this weekend at the farmers’ market.  It was a busy Memorial Day weekend, so I was not able to do as much cooking as I would have liked, but I did manage to do a couple strawberry recipes – this strawberry sangria and a strawberry rhubarb tart I’ll post soon.  I do hope to get another big batch of berries this weekend to make strawberry jam and ideally can a few jars.  We’ll see how that ambitious plan turns out…

The perfect drink for the Memorial Day BBQ I was headed to.

• 1 bottle white wine (I used a fairly dry Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1/2 bottle rose wine (again, I used a fairly dry one)
• 3/4 cup Triple Sec
• 1/4 cup simple syrup
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup mint, roughly tore up

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher.  Let flavors come together for at least 2 hours before serving.  Serve over ice.

My First Gin Concoction

Well, I promised, and now I deliver.  I have created a Gin drink!  I knew I wanted to get some kind of aperitif (wiki definition is a drink before a meal to stimulate the appetite) to mix with it, and I wanted it to be versatile enough I could use it in multiple cocktails, and so I finally decided on Aperol, which is a kind of Italian bitter orange-y, rhubarb-y aperitif, similar to Campari, but a little sweeter.   I went with Death’s Door Gin, as I had tasted it and liked it, plus it is made in Wisconsin from organic products by a company that supports local ingredients.

My new Orange Betty drink that is calling my name.

Orange Betty

• 1 1/2 ounce Death’s Door Gin
• 3/4 ounce Aperol
• 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 ounce simple syrup
• 3-4 dashes bitters
• Orange Peel Garnish

Fill a short glass (practically over the brim) with ice.  In a larger glass, combine all ingredients except orange peel and stir with a spoon.  Pour into ice-filled short glass and garnish with orange peel.  Give drink a nice little swirl in your hand to chill and come together.

My Notes:

• To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil on the stove.  Let boil 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.  Transfer to container to be stored in fridge for a couple weeks.
• For the brand of gin, use whatever you want.  I’m sure once I’m done with this bottle, I’ll try another brand.  I think it goes without saying, though, to not use the cheapest gin you can find.
• I used Angostura bitters.  I would have tried some different ones, but it was all the liquor store carried that I was at.  I’m going to keep my eye out for some more exciting ones, though.
• I think this cocktail would be great with the addition of some sort of herb, too – possible thyme or mint.

Milk and Coookies, Anyone?

I rarely (read: almost always) over-indulge, so I thought I would make a treat the other evening.  I’ve been in the process of perfecting white chocolate martinis, but I thought I would really turn up the level of indulgence and make some cookies to go with it.  I wanted something a bit more over the top than just your standard chocolate chip, so  I decided to go with chocolate toffee cookies.  The cookie itself has a chocolate base, and toffee pieces are mixed in.   Be sure to use good toffee – like Heath or better – because it really helps to make the cookie something special.

chocolate toffee cookies

Courtesy of the Food Network

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate-covered English toffee (such as Heath bar; about 7 ounces)
• 1/2 cup chopped almond

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add egg, rum and vanilla and beat until well blended. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into small bowl. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. Mix in toffee and chopped almonds.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto heavy large ungreased baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies puff slightly and crack on top but are still soft to touch, about 11 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet 1 minute. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely (cookies will become crisp). Repeat shaping and baking with remaining batter. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

 

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

white chocolate martini

Makes 2 Martinis

• 4 oz Vanilla Vodka
• 3 oz White Chocolate Liqueur
• 4 oz Half and Half

Fill 2 martini glasses with ice and water to make them nice and cold.

Fill shaker 1/2 full with ice.  Add all ingredients and shake well.

Dump out ice water from martini glasses and strain martinis into glasses.

 

Mmmm...my kind of milk and cookies!

My notes

The cookie dough will seem very dry.  This is ok.  Just go with it.

For the vodka, I just use Sobieski.  It’s inexpensive, but I don’t feel it is low quality.

White chocolate liqueur is expensive (hence our lower priced vodka choice).  We have used Godiva and Mozzart.  Both delicious, both expensive.  Apparently, they have not started making a generic, cheap version yet.  If you know of one, please let me know (as I will promptly go out and by some!)

I like to garnish my martini with some fresh grated nutmeg.  It’s pretty, and is a tasty touch to the drink.  If I happen to have Piroulines on hand, I think those look really cute stuck in the martini as a garnish (plus, they are delicious).