Mulled Wine

Have you ever had Mulled Wine?  You know hot wine.......spices.......citrus.  Ever?

OK, I will admit.......I was very scared to try it.  The thought of hot wine with different spices......well it kinda scared me.

A few weeks ago.......or a month ago......OK, no a month and a half ago, a friend of mine and I did a paintnite.

It was fun!  Another things that I honestly wasn't sure that I'd like, but decided to do my first one about a year ago and have done 3 more since!  Love it.

Anyways, back to the last paintnite.  Well this was the first ever paintnite where they had a raffle. 

How fun!

What's even more fun?  The fact that I won a bottle of wine, that's what!  Since I hadn't opened the bottle yet, I decided to use it in my first ever creation of Mulled Wine.  Glad I did!

OK, so how exactly do you make mulled wine?  It's actually pretty simple, I must say.

Get all of your ingredients together.  Slice the orange and stick two cloves into one slice and two into another.

Add most of your ingredients.  Warm it up on the stove.  Give everything a good stir.  Once it's all ready, add in the Cointreau.  Mmmmmm.

Be prepared to really like this recipe!  I mean it.  Don't be fooled like I was and think you won't like it.  

OH AND YOU KNOW WHAT?!?!  Later on in the evening, we poured a glass and stuck some ice in it to cool it down and make it cold.

GUESS WHAT?!?!

IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!!!!  I MEAN REALLY DELICIOUS!!!!

Author: The Cocktail Lady

Mulled Wine

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 750 milliliter bottle of red wine (I used Merlot)
• 2 cups apple cider
• 4 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 orange (cut into slices)
• 1/4 cup Cointreau

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Slice the orange into even 1/4 inch slices.
2. Stick two cloves into the skin of one of the orange slices and two into the skin of another orange slice
3. In a pot on the stove, pour in the wine, apple cider, sugar, cinnamon sticks and orange slices (including the slices that have the cloves in them).
4. Heat on medium until it begins to simmer, once you have a simmer, turn the burner to low and let it cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. After 30 minutes of cooking, add the Cointreau, stir and serve.

Created using The Recipes Generator

So whether you try it hot or chilled.  I say try it both ways!  This here is the best mulled wine I've ever had.  Granted I've never had Mulled Wine before this, but I can't imagine any other Mulled Wine being better!

Holiday Mint Cocoa

Hello.  Hello.  

WOW we have been in High School crazy town.  

Our oldest just had his "final" freshman orientation and registration on Thursday.  He received his classes and school starts on Wednesday.  He is very excited to be starting high school and we are very excited for him.  

It's hard when one of your children starts getting to that age where you need to take a step (or three) back and just let them begin to handle things on their own.  

He is very smart (3.80 GPA), very athletic, funny (must be he has my sense of humor, ha ha), relaxed and handsome all at the same time.  

He is SO ready for this next chapter in his life and we are ready to cheer him on.

My girls have been asking for hot cocoa a LOT lately.....which makes me think of winter.  

That is what gave me the idea of creating a hot cocoa and adding some yummy liqueurs to it.  

When I think of winter and cocktails the flavor of peppermint comes to mind so I knew I had to include it in tonight's cocktail.  

This cocktail is really good.  

I usually just put a packet of hot chocolate (the one with mini marshmallows of course) inside a hot cup of water and call it a day.  

I knew for my blog that I had to step it up a notch and use warmed milk and cocoa powder instead.

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is my recipe for a Holiday Mint Cocoa:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa/chocolate powder
• 3/4 ounce peppermint schnapps
• 1/2 ounce Kahlua (you can use coffee liqueur also)
• marshmallows and/or whipped cream to put on top

Pour the milk into your coffee cup and heat it up in the microwave.  Heat it until it is warm enough to drink, but not too hot.....you don't want to burn your mouth.  Next pour in the cocoa/chocolate powder and stir it up until it all dissolves.  Pour in your peppermint schnapps and Kahlua.  Stir and top with marshmallows and/or whipped cream.  

Here's to my girls inspiring tonight's cocktail!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Irish Coffee

Day 345

Irish Coffee

2.5 shots out of 5

I can't believe we made it......sometimes it seems like the shortest weeks can be the longest.  

I am super glad that this week is over and that we are onto the weekend.  


Since it has been such a long week and I feel like I lost this weeks energy yesterday, I decided to find and make a coffee (hot coffee) cocktail this evening.

I gave tonight's cocktail 2.5 shots out of 5.  


First off, I was supposed to "float" the cream on top of this cocktail.  

Yea......didn't work.  

Reason being is that I needed my cocktail to be higher up in the glass so that I could get my spoon down to the top of it while I layered the cream.  


Oh well, a quick stir fixes everything, I guess.  


I can definitely taste this cocktails potential and if I liked whiskey a bit more, this cocktail would be better.  

What I really taste is this cocktail is the whiskey.....don't get me wrong I can totally taste the coffee and cream as well, but the whiskey gives me too much of a bite which turns me off to this cocktail a bit.

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for an Irish Coffee:

• 2 1/2 oz hot coffee
• 1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 oz whipping cream

In a glass coffee mug pour in all of your items except for the whipping cream.  Stir them up well. Float your whipping cream on top.

Here's to a long week being over and a fun weekend on the horizon!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Broken Leg

Day 305

Broken Leg

3.5 shots out of 5

June 14th Marks National Bourbon Day!  What better way to celebrate it then with a Broken Leg.  It's a surprisingly delicious cocktail!

⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻

Did you see it?  


The weekend?  


Oh........you just missed it!  


There goes another one.  


What a fun-filled weekend we have all had.  Two family Christmas get together's, one photo with the World Series trophy and a whole lot of fun in between them all.  It was a good weekend.  The kids are super excited that they only have one more week of school left for the year, actually we are too.

I gave tonight's cocktail 3.5 shots out of 5.  


I received tonight's cocktail recipe from Stacy.  Thank You Stacy for sending it to me!  


First off, I feel it's right to let you all know that I have always associated bourbon with my Mom.  

I've never really cared for it a whole lot.....maybe that's because she drank bourbon and waters, and if it was up to me, I'd add more flavorful ingredients in to cut back the bourbon taste.  


Tonight's cocktail does just that.  

The hot apple cider mixed in with the bourbon allows each ingredient to complement the other in a very nice way.  

This cocktail would definitely be a cocktail to enjoy on a cold winter night.....or whenever you feel like a hot cocktail really.

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Broken Leg:

• 1 1/2 oz bourbon (Stacy recommended Jim Beam)
• 4 1/2 oz hot apple cider
• lemon wedge and/or cinnamon stick to garnish

In a coffee mug, pour in your apple cider and heat it up in the microwave.  When it is done, pour in your bourbon and give it a good stir.  You can garnish it with a lemon wedge and/or cinnamon stick.

Here's to a great weekend!  I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as well.

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Spiked Apple Cider

Day 275

Spiked Apple Cider

4 shots out of 5

It's raining again.  The girls are finally napping and it's so cold, I'm glad I have tonight's cocktail. 

A while ago, Marie (Thank You Marie!!) sent me the recipe for tonight's cocktail.  I figured this would be the time of the year to make it, since it has apple cider as the main ingredient.  
Boy was I right!

I gave tonight's cocktail 4 shots out of 5.  This spiked apple cider is a perfect warm cocktail to have on a cold day or night.  

The vanilla vodka and butterscotch schnapps mixed in give this cocktail a nice warm bite.  I am enjoying this cocktail very much right now as it's warming my insides and it's making me get "a little bit" more excited about the upcoming holidays.  

If you are looking for a warm cocktail that is not another coffee cocktail, this just may be the one for you!

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Spiked Apple Cider:

• 6 oz apple cider (warmed)
• 1 oz vanilla vodka
• 1 oz butterscotch schnapps

In a coffee cup, pour in your apple cider.  If your cider is cold (out of the fridge) like mine, stick it in the microwave to warm it up (mine took 45 seconds).  If your cider is already hot/warm you're a step ahead of the game.  Next pour in your vanilla vodka and butterscotch schnapps and give it a good stir.

Here's to a deliciously warm cocktail to warm up your insides on a cold day like today!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Pumpkin Chai Coffee

Day 267

Pumpkin Chai Coffee

5 shots out of 5

It's raining, it's pouring........what better on a rainy day then a hot coffee?  

I'll tell you, a hot coffee with some liqueurs in it, that's what!  

Tonight's the night, we go to our oldest son's high school orientation and finally have to admit that, Yes, our son is old enough to be starting high school next year.

I gave tonight's this afternoon's cocktail 5 shots out of 5.  

I still had not finished my coffee I had made from this morning, so why not create a cocktail with it?  

I have already created Jen's Chai Coffee a little while back and now that I have purchased this pumpkin pie liqueur, I thought it would make a great addition to my coffee.  

I was right!  This is going to be a Fall-time favorite around here, I just know it!

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is my recipe for a Pumpkin Chai Coffee:

• 5 1/2 oz coffee
• 1/2 oz Voyant Chai Liqueur
• 1/2 oz Pumpkin Pie Liqueur

In a coffee cup, pour in all of your ingredients, stir and heat until it's comfortable for you to drink!  You can add whipped cream on top, which I would have done if the kids hadn't used it all and put the empty can back in the fridge.

Here's to warm Fall cocktails!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Jen's Chai Coffee

Day 230

Jen's Chai Coffee

5 shots out of 5

I finally caught what the kids have had for the past week and a half.  

Being sick combined with it being hotter then it really should be = Not a fun day for me!  

I'm just glad that today is Tuesday and we don't have any baseball, soccer, softball or Tae Kwon Do today.  

I gave tonight's cocktail 5 shots out of 5.  

I created this one myself, so I'm naming it after me!  

I literally took today's coffee, some Voyant Chai and whipped cream and mixed them together to make my new favorite home made (minus the growing of the beans and harvesting and all that) coffee!  

I first tried it with cold coffee, since the Voyant is cold........um.....NO!  Then I stuck it in the microwave for 25 seconds and YUMMY!!  

I think tonight's cocktail will help me feel better....coffee? Voyant? whipped cream?  I think so!  

(Remember if you can not buy Voyant Chai in your state, you can order it online at drinkupny or at astorwine)

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for Jen's Chai Coffee:

• 3/4 C coffee (which also equals 6 3/4 oz.....I know......I measured it out)
• 2 oz Voyant Chai
• whipped cream to squirt on top

If you have cold coffee, pour the amount above into your coffee mug, add your Voyant Chai and stick it in the microwave for 25 seconds (may be more of less depending on your microwave).  Stir it up and put some whipped cream on top.

If you have hot coffee, pour the amount above into your coffee mug, add your Voyant Chai, stir and squirt some whipped cream on top.

Always test your cocktail before squirting the whipped cream on top to make sure it's warm/hot enough for you.

Here's to being sick and being able to have a warm cocktail to make me feel better!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady