Friday Happy Hour: Aperol Spritz

So I've been trying to organize all my pictures on my computer (there are a LOT), and have been coming across some pictures I meant to blog about but for whatever reason never got around to... so there might be a few throwback pictures and posts that are a LONG time coming... this is one of them :)

Ever since I visited Lutz a few Thanksgivings ago (way back in 2010 JEEZ!) and he introduced me to Aperol Spritzes, I've LOVED them!! Flossie and I met for drinks while I was still in Orlando and I had one at Brio and it was as good as I remembered. :) Aperol is definitely an acquired taste, it's a little bitter, but it's so refreshing when you mix it with champagne. I usually pour almost a full glass of champagne and just add in a topper of Aperol. A little goes a long way!!

Try something new for 2014!!

Lutz & I at a German Christmas Market (Nov 2010--told ya, throwback!)

xoxo,

janie from scratch

Friday..err Monday Happy Hour: Coquito aka Puerto Rican Eggnog

I've been remiss about keeping up with this blog this year :( and I've made so many delicious things! One of my favorite part of the holidays is hanging out with the bees when they make coquito (the bees are a group of girls in Orlando). I got a recipe from one of the gals at my new job (YES! new job in Tampa!) and decided to make some to share at Christmas this year. It's pretty simple... here goes:

Coquito

• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 14 ounce can cream of coconut (you can usually find this with the mixers in the supermarket)
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup white rum (okay, I used a whole cup)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Start by cooking the egg yolks & evaporated milk over a double boiler until it reaches 160 on a candy thermometer or it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

In a blender, combine the rest of the ingredients. 

When the egg mixture is cooked, add it to the blender and blend for 30 seconds. I left the little middle lid off and covered with a towel just in case it tried to explode like that one time at BTW's (cleaning gazpacho off blinds is NOT fun, FYI). 

Then I cleaned out two wine bottles and poured the mixture into both. It made a LOT! Almost two full wine bottles! 

Then, just let cool and sit overnight and you're ready to share with all your alcoholic friends and family! I should've made fancy labels but it's almost Christmas and ain't nobody got time for that! 

Hope you have a great holiday :)
xoxo,
janie from scratch

Friday Happy Hour: Basil Caipirinha

OMG YALLLL!!!! Why haven't I done a Friday Happy Hour post in like 23434534531123945 years?!??! Because, let's be frank, I've done a LOT of drankin' in the past 2 months since I've been enjoying funemployment. 

So, bear with me as I digress... I left Ft Lauderdale on February 20 for a short 2-week road trip to Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville (this trip was basically based around a few races I'd committed to). Well, this 2 weeks turned into 3... then 4... then a month... While I've been gone I was so lucky to spend amazing quality time with my long lost Tampa/Orlando peeps, run 3 races (10k, 15k and 5k) and met an amazing man :) But I am SO GLAD to be home again home again jiggity jog! I have a LOT of changes going on in my life and once things are settled I'll share, but until then, it's basically time for me to soak it all in and enjoy it!

I've been having a slight caipirinha obsession in the past few months. A caipirinha is similar to a mojito, but made with fancy pants Brazilian "rum". It's refreshing, semi-healthy, and tasty! I made a few regular ones the other night for the bf and again tonight with basil when I got home from Tap42 (side note: this place is AMAZEBALLS!). So... here goes nothing! (And a big apology to you cocktail snobs out there...)

Basil Caipirinha

• 1/2 lime cut into wedges
• basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/2 ounces cachaça (you can find this in fancy liquor stores, I got mine in Total Wine; there's several brands, Leblon seems to be the middle of the road)
• ice
• water/soda water

In a pint glass, muddle half a lime cut into smaller wedges, a few basil leaves, and a teaspoon or so of sugar. Before I cut the limes, I always roll them a bit to get the juices flowing. Then add 2 1/2 ounces of Cachaça (now listen here, you know I am HUGE proponent of "use what you have"... but do NOT use just regular rum... I promise you cachaça has a completely different taste, and since you don't put a lot into this cocktail, it will absolutely alter the taste). So, once you have all this, add ice until the top of the glass. The liquid will not fill up to the top. So, top it off with water or soda water. You can stir it to combine, or I like pouring it all into a shaker, then pouring it all back into the glass. You can garnish with a lime or basil leaf or just drink it! HAHA!

Then take your cocktail to your balcony and really enjoy it :)
xoxo,
Janie from Scratch

Friday Happy Hour: Sparking Pomegranate Cocktail

YAY!! My first Friday Happy Hour post in about 14.765 years :)

At my Coq au Vin dinner party a few weeks ago I made this cocktail to have with our appies. It was super easy and yum!

Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail

• 1 ounce simple syrup (equal parts sugar & water, bring to a boil and let sugar dissolve, cool)
• 2 ounces vodka
• 2 ounces pomegranate juice
• 3 ounces sparkling wine

In a shaker, mix simple syrup, vodka and pomegranate juice. Strain into ice-filled glasses and top with sparkling wine. ENJOY!

(Sorry there's no pics, of course they were all drank before I had a chance!)

Cocktail Time: Chateau Gib

Hi my loves (the three of you that still read this practically defunct blog),

I'm always mixing up random cocktails, since my mom doesn't really ever have a ton of mixers. But what she does have is a lot of random booze. For example:

What the hell cocktail am I supposed to make with this?!?!

Anyhoodles, as a result, I usually just whip up whatever I can find. I used to do this a lot in college, especially for making shots (just ask my friends the crazy concoctions I put together!). Tonight, I made some banana cupcakes and made a random cocktail to have with. I posted it on my twitter, and one of my friends encouraged me to name it, so I deemed it the Chateau Gibb (although, don't be mad if I make something else that has that name too! I need a "house" cocktail for the Chateau). Here goes nothin... :)

• 2 parts citrus vodka
• 3 parts pomegranate-cranberry juice
• 1 part OJ

Mix it all in a shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Enjoy!! And be adventurous, don't always go running to the store for your favorite mixers! Unless you go totally wackadoo, almost any booze and juice you mix together will taste at least decent. :) And topping almost anything with Sprite taste delish too!

On a side note, I will fervently try to write more for you three readers. I do have a lot of recipes to write up, I just never feel very inspired to write something witty and educational. But, it'll be my personal goal for August to blog more than once! And if you're lucky, maybe I'll come up with some wackadoo cocktail that uses that Hot Damn! cinnamon schnapps. (Wonder what the hell Jane B ever used that for??)

Friday Happy Hour: Pink Chateau

Gosh, it's been awhile since I posted a Friday Happy Hour! And lately at home I've just been making the usual Lemon Drops or Cosmos. But my mom bought this cran-pomegranate juice so I concocted a new cocktail using it--the Pink Chateau, in honor of Chateau Gibb, my home!

For this one I didn't really measure in terms of ounces, I just used the cap to my shaker, so just use the proportions and it should come out okay. :)

Pink Chateau
1 shaker cap lemon juice
1 1/2 shaker cap citrus vodka
2 shaker caps cranberry-pomegranate juice
a few drops of honey (I couldn't find the super fine sugar, so I just substituted honey)

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. You could even rim the glass with sugar if you wanted to.

Enjoy!

Friday Happy Hour: Jalapeno-Cucumber Margarita

TGIF!! And TG I only have a week left of my MBA!

Ryan and I have EPCOT After-4 passes and so often we go and hang out at the World Showcase on the weekends. They recently opened a Tequila Bar in Mexico, and that's always our first stop. The bar has all sorts of specialty margaritas but Ryan loves their jalapeno-cucumber margarita. So I decided to recreate it for him at home.

Jalapeno-Cucumber Margarita
jalapeno slices
cucumber chunks
2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce grand marnier
1/2 ounce triple sec
juice of one lime
juice of 1/4 orange

First, in the bottom of your shaker, put the cucumber slices (add more if you want it cooler), jalapeno slices (add more if you want it hotter), and sugar. Using a pestel (or wooden spoon if you don't have a mortar & pestel set--Ryan bought us one awhile back and we NEVER use it... except for this), muddle (that means smush) together the jalapeno, cucumber and sugar until you get a paste. If you want it even spicier, make sure all the jalapenos are crushed really well. If you leave them partially whole, all their spiciness won't come out. Add in the booze, juices and some ice. Shake well, and pour into a rimmed margarita glass (I forgot to rim my glass first, oops!).

Hope it's not too spicy for you!

Friday Happy Hour: Pomegranate Blossom

TGIF!

Today's cocktail is from the Social in Hollywood, California. My friend Jennifer sent me a few cocktails to test out, and this one is definitely a keeper!

Pomegranate Blossom
1 tablespoon simple syrup (Revisit my margarita post for a reminder on how to make simple syrup!)
2 ounces citrus-flavored vodka
1 ounce pomegranate juice (look in the section with the orange juice for this)
1/2 lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon slice and enjoy!

Friday Happy Hour: Strawberry Lemon Drops

WOOO FRIDAY!! Cocktail time:)

A few weeks ago I made lemon drops, and my friend Ashley wanted me to make strawberry lemon drops. I found a recipe online, and they were super easy to make. Make them today, or for your next party!

Strawberry Lemon Drops
1 1/2 oz strawberry vodka
2 oz sweet and sour mix
3 drops lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar (I had simple syrup on hand, so I used that instead of sugar. I used about 1 1/2 tsp simple syrup.)

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass rimmed with sugar. Garnish with a lemon and 1/2 teaspoon of grenadine, if you want it to be pink.

Enjoy!

Friday Happy Hour: Peach Bellini

It's Friday again... and that means it's cocktail time!

Today's cocktail is really simple--another champagne cocktail. I just LOVE champagne (as you know). It's already a "special" drink, and it's so easy to dress it up. This past weekend I had a delicious pomegranate-flavored champagne out at a bar, but today I'll show you how to make an easy peach bellini at home (for a fraction of the cost).

Start with those little bottles of champagne. I always have them on hand if I need a little pick me up in the middle of the week and don't want to pop the cork on a bigger bottle. Next, get some peach nectar, you can also get little cans so you don't have to open a big can for a few cocktails. Mix some of the peach nectar with the champagne and voila! How easy is that? (As Ina would say!) If you like your drinks a little sweeter, add more peach nectar to make it to your tastes.

Enjoy and happy weekend to you!!

Friday Happy Hour: Scarlett O'Hara's Summer Breeze

I know I'm a little early on this post, but I'm leaving for the UK tonight and won't be able to post this tomorrow.

Some of you may know that I'm (slowly) making my way through Gone with the Wind on my Kindle for iPhone. I have a feeling that Scarlett O'Hara sat around on her porch sipping sweet tea and wondering what her life was all about. So this cocktail is inspired by her.

Scarlett O'Hara's Summer Breeze
2 ounces sweet tea vodka
lemonade (Today I cheated and bought Publix-brand lemonade, since I can't stand the lemonade that the soda companies make, but if you have the time, make some from scratch, it'll just make this drink that much better!)

Mix both over ice and garnish with a lemon. How easy is that?? And it tastes just like an Arnold Palmer--truly delicious.

Friday Happy Hour: Canadian Princess Champagne Martini

In honor of the Olympics in Canada and America's own Olympic figure skating princess--Johnny Weir (sadly Johnny did not win a medal last night), today I decided to create my own Canadian Princess martini! Many of you know my love for champagne, and Johnny loves champies as well (I double-checked his website), so I made that a part of it! :)

(Yes, that is Johnny's outfit for his short program in the 2010 Olympics. Unfortunately from this angle you can't see his pink tassel. He also performed to Lady Gaga's Poker Face in an exhibition last year--I highly recommend you check it out on youtube!)

Canadian Princess Champagne Martini
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce peach nectar/juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
splash grenadine
champagne

In a cocktail shaker, mix the vodka, peach and pineapple juice and shake to chill. In the bottom of your martini glass, put a splash of grenadine (more if you like it sweeter). Pour in the juice mixture, and fill the rest of the glass up with cold champagne. Today I bought the little cans of peach and pineapple juices and the little bottles of champagne--that way I don't have to drink an entire bottle of champagne by myself and I can enjoy this delicious and fruity martini on demand. (The fruit is what makes it healthy, as Paula would say.)

Hope you enjoy the martini and the rest of the Olympics! GO USA!

Valentine's Day Cocktail--Pomegranate Champagne Punch

So I've been super busy this week, and didn't get a chance to write the usual Friday Happy Hour Cocktail....so instead, I'll write one that you can share with your honey on Valentine's Day. I made this one for Christmas and it was delish!

For a larger batch you can double this.

Pomegranate Champagne Punch
1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup sugar: make simple syrup (if you've forgotten, check out this blog to remind yourself!)
1 750-ml bottle champagne, chilled
3/4 cup white rum
5/8 cup pomegranate juice
1 lemon, sliced
pomegranate seeds
chopped mint leaves

Make sure all your liquids are chilled, and mix together. If you want, you can create some ice cubs with chunks of lemon or pomegranate seeds or mint leaves in them to keep your punch cold while you're serving it.

Check out this website if you need help getting the seeds out of your pomegranate.

I didn't take a picture when I made this for Christmas, but here's a pic I stole from Bon Appetit (where I found the recipe):

Enjoy!

Friday Happy Hour: Lemon Drop Martinis

It's Friday again, and that means it's cocktail time!

I truly love martinis, perhaps a little too much (judging from some of my behavior after a few). But a martini at the usual bar is at least $10, more if you're at a ritzy place! A few of those plus tip, and there goes a nice chunk of your weekly paycheck. My solution (as always): make them at home. Today I decided to make Lemon Drop Martinis, because who doesn't LOVE lemonade? Especially the kind you get at the fair with all the sugar at the bottom. And a Lemon Drop is basically the grown up version of lemonade. It's delicious, and made with four ingredients. How easy is that?

Lemon Drop Martini
1 1/2 ounces citrus vodka
1/2 ounce triple sec
3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
Rim: lemon juice & sugar

First, a word on the superfine sugar. You really want to use superfine sugar. If not, the sugar won't dissolve, and you'll end up with sugar crystals at the bottom of your drink. When you make things at home, you want them to come as close as possible to the "real thing" you get out at a restaurant or bar, or else, it won't be as appealing to stay in. So, go to the sugar aisle at your grocery store and pick up a small contain of the superfine sugar. It'll set you back a couple bucks, but make a huge difference in the final product. This is the only kind I found at Publix today, but if you can't find "superfine" look for "extra fine".

By now, you know I'm big on the 'use whatever you have at home' bit, which is totally true 99.999% of the time. The sugar is one where you need to get the right thing. For the vodka, well, that's up to you. But I just want you guys to know that I REALLY care about you all, so I made and taste-tested two lemon drops: one with regular vodka and one with citrus vodka (I know, it's a real rough life I live, huh?). Turns out, the one made with the citrus vodka did taste more lemony, which I liked. So if you have it, use it, if not, no worries, but next time you're at the liquor store, pick up a little (or large) bottle of the citrus vodka just to have on hand. It'll come in handy, I promise. Citrus vodka makes cosmos and vodka-cranberries taste better too. :)

Break out your cute martini glasses again, and juice and sugar the rims. I find if you let them sit a few minutes after that to "dry" it makes things easier, and you don't have sugar dripping down your glass. Officially, you're supposed to use a lemon peel twist as a garnish, but for all the gadgets I have in my kitchen, I do not have one of those fancy tools (come to find out it's called a citrus zester) that creates the pretty peel twists. So, in lieu, I just cut a thin slice of lemon and put that in.

When you go to shake this bad boy up, I put all the liquid in first so I could shimmy around the sugar with the liquid to help get it dissolved first. Add the ice, and shake away! Pour into your rimmed martini glass, and enjoy.

Friday Happy Hour: Sangria!

TGIF--The weekend is only hours away, and it's time to celebrate with a homemade cocktail!

I love sangria.

Friday Happy Hour: Cosmopolitan

TGIF--and that means it's Friday Happy Hour again!

Sex and the City made the Cosmo fashionable. I'm going to make it do-able for you:)

Cosmopolitan:
1 1/2 oz. Citrus Vodka (if you don't have citrus-flavored vodka, regular vodka is TOTALLY okay too)
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. Triple Sec (I used Grand Marnier though, so just use what you have)
1/4 cup cranberry juice

Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and pour into your favorite martini glass (or regular glass if you don't have martini glasses). Enjoy!

If you aren't big on keeping liquor in the house and just want one or two drinks, buy the little nips at the liquor store. They're the perfect size for just one or two drinks:)

Friday Happy Hour: Margaritas!

So, every Friday I'm going to try to put a cocktail recipe for everyone out there that's trying to save some money and skipping happy hour out at a bar. Honestly, sometimes I think it's better to just chill out at home, rather than fighting the crowds in a packed bar. Plus, a while back, my dear friend Brett gave me this amazing cocktail set, and I just have to use it!

This week, I decided to make some margaritas (Ryan's fave). Last weekend we had margaritas made with margarita mix, and I wasn't a huge fan. So today, I made the sour mix from scratch and threw together a delicious margarita!

Sour Mix Recipe:
1 cup simple syrup
1 cup lemon juice

Mix & chill.

Some tips on juicing lemon or limes. To ensure that your lemon is as juicy as possible, roll firmly on counter before cutting.

I bought a Williams Sonoma Lemon & Lime Juicer and it's probably one of the best cooking investments I've made. It's super useful, not only for drinks, but for any recipe that calls for juice. I even made orange juice with it a few weeks ago--I just had to cut the oranges into quarters so that they fit in the juicer.

Simple Syrup:
Equal parts of water and sugar. Heat until sugar dissolves. Let cool.

Easy enough, right??

Margaritas:
1 1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz Grand Marnier (orange-flavored liqueur)
squeeze of lime juice
3 oz sour mix


Mix all in a cocktail shaker with ice.

Pour over ice in a salt-rimmed glass.

Garnish with a lime wedge and voila! Homemade and DELICIOUS margaritas:)

Happy Friday!!

--Please let me know if there's any specific recipes you want me to try or write about on my blog--I'm totally open to suggestions and requests, plus you'll get a shout-out on my blog. :)