Grapefruit Sour Sparkler

Let's see a show of hands of who has actually infused alcohol before.

Not many of you, OK, no worries.....neither had I before making this cocktail.

I was sent a sample of Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit candy to create this cocktail with.  All opinions are my own.  I was not paid for this post.

First of all, who knew Hi-Chews came in sour flavors?

Me either!  I had no clue!

That being said, WOW, infusing them with brandy.....GENIUS!!

I'm extremely happy that my very first try at infusing alcohol was a success!  I honestly didn't realize that it would take a few days to do (I believe it was more like 4 or 5 days total).

That being said, it was well worth the wait.

I will say that it's kind of like waiting for a pot to boil on the stove though.  I feel like I checked on it 38473463276 times in those 4-5 days.

Once it's done, it looks something like this.

Looks pretty creamy.  Tastes pretty darn good all on it's own as well.  Which was a nice surprise.

So how do we make this cocktail?

Easy.

First pour in the Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit Infused Brandy and add a dash of bitters.

Top it off with sparkling wine.

Garnish with, yup you guessed it, Sour Grapefruit Hi-Chew.

Easy right?

Super easy.

The hardest part is waiting for the brandy to finish infusing!

The easiest part?

Enjoying this delicious cocktail!

Grapefruit Sour Sparkler

ingredients:

• 4 ounces sparkling wine
• 1 ounce Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit Infused Brandy
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

instructions:

Cocktail

1. Pour Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit Infused Brandy and bitters into glass.
2. Top off with sparkling wine.
3. Garnish with Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit candy.

Infused Brandy

1. To infuse the brandy for this cocktail, take 1 Sour Grapefruit Hi-Chew and add it to 1 ounce of brandy.
2. Let this mixture infuse for 3-5 days, until candy has disappeared.
3. When ready to use stir well.

Created using The Recipes Generator

That's it.  Easy enough.  Very enjoyable.  

Just remember to think ahead and infuse MORE than an ounce of brandy like I did.  You just might want to make a second cocktail.

Judy's Manhattan

My mom passed away 5 weeks ago tomorrow.  WOW, still doesn't seem real.

At her service I made a speech and spoke of my mom's favorite cocktail.  The Manhattan.  For the past 5 weeks I have on and off heard the mention of her Manhattan and then the other day one of my cousins asked for the recipe.  Which reminded me that I need to share it with the world.

Now my mom was VERY particular with her cocktails.......especially this one!  Her Manhattan had to be Per-Fect!

There is a local restaurant in our city that you can go to and order a "Judy Manhattan" and they'll know EXACTLY what you want.  No kidding!!  

(OH!  For those of you who do not know, my mom's name is Judy)

How exactly would she order this Manhattan of hers?  Well let me tell you!  The script goes as follows:

"I would like a Dry VO Manhattan......UP......with 4 drops of bitters, a cherry and a twist....and a splash of cherry juice."

I can literally hear her saying it now.

Anyways, I knew that I wanted to give you all a brand new cocktail.......and I knew that it had to be my mom's Manhattan.  Plain and simple.

Let's get to making this Manhattan shall we?

VO goes in the shaker first

Next is the dry vermouth

Don't you dare forget all 4 drops of those bitters

Strain, then add the cherry juice

Cherries and twist

Here are the ingredients and how to make a Judy's Manhattan:

Author: The Cocktail Lady

Judy's Manhattan

ingredients:

• 3 ounces VO (Canadian Whisky)
• 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
• 4 drops bitters
• splash of cherry juice
• two cherries
• lemon twist

instructions:

1. In a shaker, add ice, VO, dry vermouth and bitters.
2. Shake and strain into a martini glass.
3. Pour in a splash of cherry juice and garnish with a cherry and lemon twist.

Created using The Recipes Generator

There it is!  My mom's favorite cocktail to enjoy!  

Judy's Manhattan

Cheers to you Mom!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  We have a weekend filled with softball opening day and a softball game.  Fingers crossed that the rain doesn't ruin our plans.

Cheers!

The Cocktail Lady

Dirty Bastard

I keep telling you how crazy our weeks are, thinking that this next week will settle down a bit........ but they continue to be crazy.  

Another crazy week gone and we're relaxing this weekend and getting ready for the next.  

This is the first weekend in a long time that I can remember that we have been able to just (more or less because there's always "something" kid related that gets us out of the house) stay home and relax.  

It is really nice being able to sit around the house all day in our pj's.  

I love weekends like this.

I found this cocktail recipe on the Cosmopolitan website.  

I still don't have a copper cup like the one pictures on Cosmo, but the directions say to strain it into a glass, so I did.  

Let me just say, LIME, yes lime is the one thing in this cocktail that I really really taste.  At the end of my sip I can taste a smidgen of the Irish Whiskey, but that's it.  

I think maybe half the amount of lime juice I used would be a lot better, especially for those of you who enjoy the taste (and would like to  actually taste the whiskey) of Irish Whiskey.  

Now this cocktail is not horrid, but it is quite limey.  If you REALLY enjoy the taste of lime juice in your cocktails, then I believe this cocktail is for you!

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Dirty Bastard:

• 1 1/2 ounces Irish Whiskey
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup
• 5 dashes bitters
• 1/2 ounce ginger beer

In a cocktail shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above except for the ginger beer.  Shake and strain your cocktail into a short glass.  Top off your cocktail with the ginger beer.

Here's to everyone having a great weekend!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Income Tax

Income Tax

2.5 shots out of 5

It's Income Tax Day, it's Income Tax Day!!  

That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether or not you are getting or paying money.  

I have been so busy this last week I have not been able to post in over a week.......I'm sorry.

We have been putting off doing our taxes (which usually I'm on it as soon as the W2 comes), so we needed to get that done, plus I had my next article due today for the Simply Gluten Free magazine.  

Toss those in with too many baseball games, a soccer game, I lost count of the number of practices and 3 days of Tae Kwon Do.........phewph........just typing it out exhausts me!

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

My new friend gin.  

I had found a few different versions of this cocktail online and decided to go with the one from Kitchenriffs.  

This one looked like the best quantities of each ingredient.  

This is not a bad cocktail.  

The gin does give you that "gin burn" a bit as you swallow it, but it's not too bad.  

Vermouths (sweet or dry) usually make me run the other way, but the amount you actually put of them into this cocktail isn't horrid......which is a good thing!  

All in all, if you like gin and vermouth, I think you will absolutely like this one!

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Income Tax:

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 1/4 oz dry vermouth
• 3/4 orange juice
• 2 dashes of bitters

In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above.  Shake and strain your cocktail into a martini glass, sit down, sign your taxes and mail them in!

Here's to a day that scares a whole lot of Americans and a cocktail that goes along with it!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Perfect Manhattan

Day 357

Perfect Manhattan

1 shot out of 5

I have known that I would need to make some version of a Manhattan during my year.  Whether it was a Dry Manhattan, a regular Manhattan or a Perfect Manhattan it really didn't matter to me.  I knew that I was not going to like this cocktail no matter how I made it, but to honor my mom and her signature drink, I had to make one.  My mom drinks them dry, but I decided on the perfect.

I gave tonight's cocktail 1 shot out of 5 (and I was feeling generous).  I really hoped that I would like this cocktail a lot more then I did, especially since to my surprise I did like the Kentucky Waffle.  I can hear and feel you shaking your head in disappointment.  I apologize for not being a bourbon person.  My mom had given her her recipe for a perfect Manhattan, which with a 3:1/2:1/2 version I knew I couldn't handle so I turned to the internet.  At many different sites I found more or less the recipe over and over so I decided to go with it.

Here is the recipe for a Perfect Manhattan:

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• cherry or lemon to garnish

In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above except for the cherry or lemon (which ever you choose).  Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with your choice of a cherry or lemon.

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here's to a Perfect......or not so Perfect Manhattan.

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Papa's Cocktail

Day 293

Papa's Cocktail

4 shots out of 5

We're well into December now.  Before we know it New Years will have come and gone and we'll be wondering where the holidays went.  Before all of that happens, I'd like to wish a very Happy Birthday to my Dad.  He called me yesterday with his cocktail that he wanted me to make for his birthday.  Since it's what my kids call him, I named it Papa's Cocktail........no they don't use the word cocktail in his name!

I gave tonight's cocktail 4 shots out of 5.  My dad created his own version of a Captain and Coke and added a little something to it.  He also actually drinks this same cocktail, minus the rum when he is not feeling like alcohol (crazy right? haha).  This cocktail is a good, safe one to make when you're just not sure what you feel like.  The only thing I would do differently in this cocktail would be to add like 3 olives......but that's just me and my LOVE for olives.  Thank You for tonight's cocktail Dad and I look forward to celebrating you tonight at dinner!

Here is the recipe for Papa's Cocktail:

• 1 oz Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum
• 2 oz diet coke
• 2-3 drops of Angostura bitters (both quantities tasted good to me, I went with 3 in the end)

In a short cocktail glass filled with ice, pour in all of your ingredients and give it a good stir.

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

I hope you all have a great evening and a great cocktail to go along with it!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Rum Swizzler

Day 207

Rum Swizzler

5 shots out of 5

Rum Swizzler, just the name intrigues me!  I do love a good rum cocktail!

Did you hear that?  

Screaming coming from the front room?  

Must be football season!  

I'd better hurry up and get out there so that I can scream along with my husband!  

Tonight's cocktail ends another weekend here which means it's time to get ready for another week of craziness!

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

I got tonight's cocktail recipe from Matt who enjoyed this cocktail while he vacationed in Bermuda.  Thank You Matt for a perfect cocktail to end my weekend!  

I had to do a double take when I read 1/8 tsp. of bitters......you mean not a dash or two, but actually 1/8 tsp?  

I've never heard of a cocktail having that much bitters in it, but apparently this one does and I'll admit, it's good!  

Matt gave me the option of Dark Rum or Spiced Rum, I went with Spiced, but I have a feeling that Dark Rum would be good too....maybe even better?

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Rum Swizzler:

• 1 oz dark rum or spiced rum
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1/4 oz lime juice
• 1/4 oz grenadine
• 1/8 tsp angostura bitters

In a shaker add ice and all of the ingredients above.  Shake it up real good to give it a nice froth.  Strain your mixture into a cocktail glass and enjoy!

Here's to an awesome colored and tasting cocktail!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Old Fashioned

Day 104

Old Fashioned

3 shots out of 5

Tonight I'm turning back the clock to make a cocktail that our Grandparents.......probably even their parents enjoyed to sip on.  

This cocktail was so popular, the cocktail glass that they made it in became named after it.

I gave tonight's cocktail 3 shots out of 5.  

I was torn on how to rate this cocktail.  I'm not a straight whiskey fan by far......I initially thought of giving it a 2.5.  

If I had a bigger taste for whiskey it would have gotten a much higher rating.  

I did like it more then a 2.5 if I took little sips (which if you know me, that's something I "rarely" do).  

I think this cocktail is supposed to be sipped in little sips (the way I'm sipping it), therefore I decided to rate it a 3.  

I had a great Memorial weekend with my family and my folks and got talking with my mom about my blog and she had asked me if I had done a Manhattan, Old Fashioned and a couple other older cocktail that I can't remember.  

It got me to thinking that I need to throw some "classic" cocktails in there from time to time.

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for an Old Fashioned:

• 1 cube of sugar (or 1 tsp. if you don't have a cube.........I didn't have a cube)
• 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters (I had bitters that were similar to Angostura)
• 2 ounces of whiskey (just under a shot and a half)
• dash of club soda (a little less then 1/4 shot)
• 3 ice cubes

In a short cocktail glass pour in your sugar, then put your dashes of bitters on top.  Pour in your club soda and muddle them together.  Put in your ice cubes, then your whiskey and stir real well.

Here's to taking a step back and enjoying a cocktail that my Grandpa used to enjoy.

Cheers!

The Cocktail Lady