Friday, November 30, 2012

Turtle Dove

Day 289



Turtle Dove
3.5 shots out of 5




You don't even know how happy I am that it's Friday.  

Not only is it Friday, but this weekend, this very weekend, we don't have any children's sporting events!  

Hip hip hooray!!!!  

Our plans are to watch our youngest son receive his green belt and then (weather permitted) get our Christmas tree and decorate it and the house.  

Fingers crossed that the weather doesn't interfere with our plans.


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

When my last cocktail that asked for a cinnamon and sugar rimmed glass, Spiced Pumpkin, was made I didn't have any pre-made cinnamon and sugar mix so I literally used half sugar and half cinnamon and made my own.  

This time I used 2/3 sugar and 1/3 cinnamon....much better!  

This cocktail is a pretty good one.  

The cream sort of takes over the other ingredients flavors in this cocktail which makes them not as noticeable as I would have liked.  

I think the one other flavor I can pick out is the hazelnut liqueur.  

If you like creamier cocktails, then this just may be the cocktail for you.


Here is a photo of the end result:

turtle dove cocktail, christmas cocktail, vanilla vodka, hazelnut liqueur, amaretto, cream

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

turtle dove cocktail, christmas cocktail, vanilla vodka, hazelnut liqueur, amaretto, cream


Here is the recipe for a Turtle Dove:

  • 1 oz vanilla vodka
  • 1 oz hazelnut liqueur
  • 1/2 oz amaretto
  • 3/4 oz cream
  • cinnamon and sugar mixture

Rim your martini glass with your cinnamon and sugar mixture.  In a shaker, add ice and all of the remaining ingredients.  Shake and strain your mixture into your rimmed martini glass.



Here's to a weekend that I get to spend with my whole family.....all....weekend......long!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Midori Sour

Day 287



Midori Sour
4.5 shots out of 5


First off, let me say, I'm a complete ass.  My VERY good friend Stephanie O'dea's birthday was less then a week ago and I completely forgot to make her favorite cocktail for her birthday on my blog!!!!  I did not forget that it was her birthday, I even brought by her birthday present......it's just the cocktail part that I forgot, and for the I am so very Sorry!!  I think if I run her down a Midori Sour that she'll forgive me, hee hee.

I gave tonight's cocktail 4.5 shots out of 5.  Hence the name......it's sour!  I was totally afraid of the entire ounce of lemon juice I was going to put in this cocktail.  Reason being, cocktails in the past that have asked for an ounce of lemon juice.......frankly I don't remember liking too many of them.  In this cocktail the sweet and sour mix cuts up the lemon juice so that it's not an overwhelming flavor, and it makes its presence quite enjoyable I must say.  All in all, good choice for your cocktail Steph!!  I got this recipe from the Midori site.

Here is the recipe for a Midori Sour:

  • 1 oz midori
  • 2oz sweet and sour mix
  • 1 oz lemon juice
In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above.  Shake up your mixture well and dump everything into a cocktail glass and enjoy!!

Here is a photo of the end result:




Here is a photo of the ingredients:






Happy Belated Birthday to you Stephanie!  Sorry for not posting this earlier.

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Coco Snowball

Day 286



Coco Snowball
4 shots out of 5




Yes another blue cocktail!  

Not as dark as others I've made, but blue non the less.  

Today I had breakfast with my youngest and our dear friend Stephanie and her youngest.  

Everything was great.....except for this odd moving scarecrow that was on the booth we were sitting at.  

It's nose......was........well, big, long and very very odd looking.  I had to turn it away from us and unplug it as my daughter was getting a little too freaked out because of it.  

Besides that, we had a great time!


I gave tonight's cocktail 4 shots out of 5.  

I must say I sucked that thing down pretty darn fast.  

I thought it would have more of a coconut taste to it I'll admit.  

I was able to taste the coconut from both the rum and cream, as well as the vanilla vodka flavor.  All three of those ingredients were accounted for.......I just wish that one of them had a little bit more of a presence then the others.  

I found this cocktail on Pinterest and followed it to a blog that led me to another site, wedding blog by the breakers.  

I didn't have the coconut shavings that they used to rim their martini glass, and wasn't quite sure about the "Coco Lopez" they used.  

I searched for it online and found cream of coconut, as well as coconut juice and coconut milk........so I'm not even sure if I'm using the exact ingredients they used.  

Since I had cream of coconut on hand, that's what I used.

Here is a photo of the end result:

coco snowball, christmas cocktail, blue christmas cocktail, vanilla vodka, coconut rum, Malibu rum, cream of coconut, blue curacao

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

coco snowball, christmas cocktail, blue christmas cocktail, vanilla vodka, coconut rum, Malibu rum, cream of coconut, blue curacao


Here is the recipe for a Coco Snowball:

  • 1 oz vanilla vodka
  • 1 oz coconut rum
  • 1 oz cream of coconut
  • 1/8 oz blue curacao

Rim a martini glass with blue sparkly sugar sprinkles........only if you want.  In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above.  Shake and strain your cocktail into your rimmed martini glass.



Here's to blue cocktails and coconut flavors in them.  I enjoy drinking both.

Cheers!!

The Cocktail (almost typed coconut) Lady

Monday, November 26, 2012

Kinky Collins

Day 285



Kinky Collins
2 shots out of 5


Tonight's magic number is 81.  81 nights of cocktails left until my year long adventure is done.  That's not even three months.......WOW.  When I first started this blog, I wrote down a good amount (so I thought) of cocktails that are pretty common and would be good ones for me to try.  As time went on, I received a lot of amazing cocktails from a lot of you wonderful readers.  I've been searching for more hours then I'd like to admit online to find other delicious (and some not so delicious) cocktail recipes.  I will admit that finding a cocktail recipe is not just as easy as typing in what you want and taking the first thing that pops up.  There are a LOT of different variations of a lot of different cocktails out there......a lot.  Another challenge is sitting in front of my computer, having NO idea what so ever of which kind of cocktail to make.  Do I search by liquor, by mix, by liqueur.....maybe I should check the liquor brands sites for their recipes.....some nights were really hard.  All in all, I am SOOO very happy that I have done this blog and stuck with it for 285 nights so far.  Without it, I would not have been able to try all of these amazing cocktail and I would not have been able to meet all of you amazing people.

I gave tonight's cocktail 2 shots out of 5.  All I can say is lemon.  It's what I taste the most of, and I wish I didn't.  I can feel the club soda tingle my tongue and taste the lemon juice in this cocktail.  I'm sure if I really really concentrated really really hard, I could taste more of the gin and kinky, but I don't want to have to do that to taste it.  Needless to say, I won't be making this cocktail again.  I found this recipe on Kinky's facebook page.

Here is the recipe for a Kinky Collins:

  • 1 oz Kinky
  • 1 oz gin
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 3 oz club soda
In a short glass, fill 1/2 way with ice and pour in all of the ingredients above.  Give it a good stir and you're done.

Here is a photo of the end result:




Here is a photo of the ingredients:






Here's to adding another cocktail to my list of 2's.

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Eggnog Martini

Day 283



Eggnog Martini
4 shots out of 5





I had found this cocktail on Pinterest a while back and pinned it to my cocktails board waiting in anticipation for Thanksgiving to be over so that I could try it.  

Not that I'm a huge eggnog fan, but it is the season for eggnog and what better way to drink it then with alcohol mixed inside?  

I followed my pin and it led me here to Single Minded Women.


I gave tonight's cocktail 4 shots out of 5.  

As I guessed, the eggnog is the main flavor of this cocktail.  

The smell of the cinnamon that I had sprinkled on top is a nice smell, especially since I don't have to taste it.  What I mean is that it's a pretty strong smell because you're basically sticking your nose in it when you take a sip, which tricks you because you think each sip is going to taste up to high hell with cinnamon........but then it doesn't.  

Basically it's a nice surprise.  

The vanilla vodka and amaretto are more or less masked by the eggnog taste.  

I know they're in there (I poured it myself, ha) and I think I can faintly taste them, or it may just be that they slightly dull the eggnog flavor enough to where you can tell that you're not drinking just straight eggnog.  

Anyways, if you enjoy eggnog, you should enjoy this.  

If you enjoy vanilla vodka and amaretto......I'd put some more of each in (or even lessen the eggnog), to your liking of course.



Here is a photo of the end result:

eggnog martini, eggnog, vanilla vodka, amaretto, christmas cocktail, winter cocktail

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

eggnog martini, eggnog, vanilla vodka, amaretto, christmas cocktail, winter cocktail


Here is the recipe for Eggnog Martini:

  • 2 1/2 oz eggnog
  • 1 oz vanilla vodka
  • 1/2 oz amaretto
  • ground cinnamon

In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above except for the ground cinnamon.  Shake and strain your cocktail into a chilled martini glass.  Sprinkle the cinnamon on top, to your liking.



Here's to my first eggnog cocktail.  My dad makes one every year, so I'll have to get his recipe and make it another night.

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Friday, November 23, 2012

Candy Cane Martini

Day 282



Candy Cane Martini
5 shots out of 5



Halloween and Thanksgiving down, Christmas and New Years to go.  

It seems that once Halloween hits the rest of the holidays come at full speed ahead!  

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with my family........and yea........maybe I did have a bit too much wine.  

Tonight we're celebrating with my husbands family, so bring on the food!


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

This is a super delicious cocktail, I must say!!  

What a simple cocktail to make too.  

Don't worry it's not over the top with peppermint at all.  This is a perfect blend of the vanilla vodka, creme de cacao and peppermint schnapps.  

The candy cane cocktail sugar I found at BevMo, it's amazing!  

It's also what gives this cocktail it's color, otherwise it would be a clear cocktail.  

When the sugar slips down the inside of the glass from the rim it slowly starts to turn this cocktail pink.  

Last night I made my Pumpkin Pie Martini for my family and they ALL loved it, this year for Christmas I'm going to make Candy Cane Martini's and I know they'll all love it.


Here is a photo of the end result:

candy cane martini, christmas cocktail, vanilla vodka, white creme de cacao, peppermint schnapps



Here is a photo of the ingredients:

candy cane martini, christmas cocktail, vanilla vodka, white creme de cacao, peppermint schnapps

Here is the recipe for a Candy Cane Martini:

  • 1 1/4 oz vanilla vodka
  • 1 1/4 oz white creme de cacao
  • 3/4 oz peppermint schnapps
  • candy cane cocktail sugar to rim the glass (if you can't find any, you could always crush up an actual candy cane to use)

Wet the rim of your martini glass with water and twirl it in the candy cane cocktail sugar (or crushed candy cane).  In a shaker, add ice and all of the remaining ingredients.  Shake and strain your cocktail into your rimmed martini glass, sit back and enjoy this delicious cocktail!!



I sure hope you're ready for winter holiday cocktails, and if you have any favorites of your own, please send them to me at cocktailady@gmail.com.

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving Cocktail (A different version)

Day 281



Thanksgiving Cocktail (A different version)
1.5 shots out of 5


Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!  



I am sooo very Thankful for my amazing family, friends and all of you wonderful people who tune in with me every day (or so) to see what new cocktails I've made.  

Thank You to all of you who have made this blog what it is, without you......well.......I'd be drinking alone!


I gave tonight's cocktail 1.5 shots out of 5........and on Thanksgiving!!  

I found this cocktail at about.com, after I was raving about them the other day I unfortunately found a cocktail on there that I did NOT like.  

That's OK though, I'm still going back for more in the future.  

Thankfully I have quite a few good cocktails that you can make for Thanksgiving, such as my Thanksgiving Cider, Kinky Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Cocktail (my version), and one of my favorites Pumpkin Pie Martini.  

One (or all) of those are sure to please your crowd.



Here is a photo of the end result:

Thanksgiving cocktail, gin, dry vermouth, apricot brandy, lemon juice, fall cocktail, autumn cocktail

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Thanksgiving cocktail, gin, dry vermouth, apricot brandy, lemon juice, fall cocktail, autumn cocktail



Here is the recipe for Thanksgiving Cocktail:

  • 3/4 oz gin
  • 3/4 oz dry vermouth
  • 3/4 oz apricot brandy
  • 1/4 oz lemon juice

In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above.  Shake and strain into a cocktail glass (any kind will do.........so will the sink).



Happy Happy Thanksgiving you, your family and friends from The Cocktail Lady!! 

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Twinkie

Day 280



Twinkie
5 shots out of 5




Happy Day before Thanksgiving!  

There's no denying it now, Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  


The boys got out of school early today and our oldest has a couple friends over to hang out and have dinner before they go home.  


Now, there has been a lot going on in the Twinkie world lately and my friends at Pinnacle had tweeted a recipe for a Twinkie cocktail.  


I unfortunately did not have both flavors of vodka in the Pinnacle brand, so I used what I had........hopefully they won't be mad at me.


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

This cocktail grows on you quite quickly.  


This cocktail smells amazing for starters.  


Since it's mostly vodka, I think I talked myself into thinking that the first sip tasted like vodka.  

Each and every sip after that one tasted delicious, sweet and more or less reminded me of a Twinkie!  So if you're feeling nostalgic and you simply can not find a Twinkie at the store (like me), then make yourself one of these and I think you'll definitely be happy!



Here is a photo of the end result:

Twinkie martini cocktail


Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Twinkie martini cocktail



Here is the recipe for a Twinkie:

  • 2 oz whipped vodka
  • 1 oz cake vodka
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 2-3 drops vanilla extract (I say 2-3 because I am 99% sure I used 3, but if it was 2, I don't want to lie)

In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above.  Shake and strain your cocktail into a martini glass and enjoy!!




Here's to enjoying a Twinkie dessert as a kid and a Twinkie cocktail as an adult!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Apple Coffee Cider

Day 279



Apple Coffee Cider
4 shots out of 5


Two more days until Thanksgiving (still in denial).  



The kids get out early tomorrow and my oldest is having a friend over to hang out.  

Tomorrow marks my last photo shoot of the year (I think hope).  

Photo editing, proof passing out (a total Jen term) and I'm done until the orders come back for me to place them.  

All in all, it's been a good year and I'm getting excited for the holidays.  


I gave tonight's cocktail 4 shots out of 5.  

I found a recipe online for a cocktail and amended it just a little bit, which I think technically makes it mine, therefore I renamed it.  

The apple vodka and cider definitely give this cocktail an appley taste for sure.  

The coffee liqueur flavor is a surprisingly nice mix with the apple flavors.  

Before making my Spiked Apple CiderThanksgiving Cider and tonight's cocktail I honestly did not think that apple cider would be good in a cocktail.  

I'll admit it, I was wrong.........WAY wrong!



Here is a photo of the end result:

fall cocktail, autumn cocktail, thanksgiving cocktail, apple vodka, coffee liqueur, apple cider, cream


Here is a photo of the ingredients:

fall cocktail, autumn cocktail, thanksgiving cocktail, apple vodka, coffee liqueur, apple cider, cream


Here is my recipe for an Apple Coffee Cider:

  • 1 1/2 oz apple vodka
  • 3/4 oz coffee liqueur
  • 1 1/2 oz apple cider
  • 1/2 oz cream

In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above.  Shake and strain your cocktail into a short cocktail glass.



Here's to being wrong and enjoying it!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Monday, November 19, 2012

Beam Me Up Scotty

Day 278



Beam Me Up Scotty
4 shots out of 5


Three more days until Thanksgiving!!  

We're celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday, so I get to make my De-Licious mashed potatoes twice.......I can't wait!  

If you'd like my recipe for my creamy mashed potatoes send me an email at cocktailady@gmail.com.

I gave tonight's cocktail 4 shots out of 5.  

This shooter goes down pretty smooth.  

I get excited when I get to add creme de banana in......well......anything!  

Tonight was no exception.  

In this shooter the Baileys and creme de banana blend together as the first taste and then the Kahlua is the kicker at the end.  It's a good shooter and....did you notice my awesome layering skills?  

Have I come a long way or what! 

I found this recipe here at about.com, I've got to say I've found a lot of good recipes there throughout my blog.



Here is a photo of the end result:




Here is a photo of the ingredients:






Here is the recipe for a Beam Me Up Scotty:

  • 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur
  • 1/2 ounce creme de banana
  • 1/2 ounce Irish cream

In a shot glass layer each of your ingredients.  First pour in your coffee liqueur, then your creme de banana and last your Irish cream.




Here's to memories of watching Star Trek when I was a kid!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady