Champagne Martini's

In preparation for 2010 everyone is planning their exciting New Year's Eve Plans.

Ringing in a new year deserves some bubbly, and ringing in a new Decade, deserves something more than just bubbly....

Here are some martini recipes that include champange.

Enjoy!


Bubbly Martini

1 part chilled Vodka (try flavoured if you wish)

1 part chilled Champagne.

Pour vodka into chilled martini glass, top with Champagne. Garnish with a frozen strawberry, raspberry or fruit of your choice.

That is the most simplest martini to make. Experiment with different flavoured vodka. Feel free to add other splashes of flavour with fruit juice.


Sex & The City Flirtini

3 parts Vodka

1 part Raspberry Liqueur

4 parts Champange

1 spalsh Pineapple Juice

Mix with ice in a shaker. Serve in chilled glass. Garnish with pineapple wedge and cherry.

Caribou Martini

4 parts chilled Coffee Vodka

1 part chilled Champagne

Pour both into chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist and coffee bean.

Dixie Stinger

6 parts Bourbon

1 part Peach Schnapps

1 part Champagne

1 splash Southern Comfort

Mix all but Champagne with ice in shaker. Serve in chilled martini glass. Top with Champagne. Garnish with peach slice.

Flirtini

1 part Rasberry Vodka

1 part Orange Liqueur

1 splash Lime Juice

1 splash Pineapple Juice

1 part Champagne (Brut)

1 splash Cranberry Juice

Muddle a few raspberries in the bottom of the chilled martini glass. Mix all but champagne with ice in shaker. serve in chilled martini glass. top with champagne. garnish with mint sprig.

Here are some more that have a Bellini taste....

Cape Cod Bellini

4 parts Champagne (Spumante)

1 part Vodka

1 part Chambord

Pour Champagne in chilled martini glass. Mix other ingredients with ice in shaker. Strain into Champagne. Garnish with Raspberry.

Bellini Martini

2 parts Vodka

1 part Peach Schnapps

1 part Champagne

Mix all but Champagne with ice in shaker. Serve in chilled martini glass. Top with Champagne and garnish with Raspberry.

Happy New Year to All... May 2010 Bring you all the joys and happiness you deserve.

Left Over Turkey

We usually do Turkey at my parents and don't have left-overs, which is a shame, because I love left over turkey dinner food... you can do so much with it - here are some suggestions...

Sandwich

Turkey (I prefer white meat personally) with stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy... delish!

Soup

This is really simple, you can make your own broth using the turkey bones or use canned and add your meat, veggies and whatnot... Mmmm

Casserole

Bake turkey, stuffing, gravy and veggies and top with cranberry sauce... you can also add rice or potatoes to this... do it in layers works best, but a mix-mash is ok also.

Sometimes I will add veggies to the casserole for some variety (I mean, how many days can you really eat yams, turnips and brussell sprouts? honestly, I can't even eat them one day, I dislike ALL of those veggies and those are the ones my momma makes, so typically I make carrots, corn, green beans... but to each their own)

If you want unique ideas try This Website with a ton of recipes for you and your left-over turkey dinner.

Boxing Day

If you are American you may not know what this day is about... heck, if you are Canadian you may not know the REAL meaning behind this day... but let me enlighten you ;)

No, it has nothing to do with fighting...

Today, it means the day after Christmas, in which there are major sales and everyone goes shopping.... think "Black Friday" in the USA.... though not as good.... I always score amazing deals Black Friday and Boxing Day, well, I don't even bother going out anymore, the sales are good, but never that great in my opinion....

Wikipedia states:

Boxing Day is a bank and public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ghana, Switzerland, Germany, Greenland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. In South Africa this public holiday is now known as the Day of Goodwill. Though it is not an official holiday in the United States, the name "Boxing Day" for the day after Christmas has some currency among Americans, particularly those that live near the Canada – United States border.

As for the term "Boxing" Day.. there are several ideas on where the term came from...

The most prevelent of course is that after Christmas Day, people would take left overs of food and other items in "boxes" and give to the poor and needy. Those who had not had such a glorious feast or celebration on Christmas Day. In old times servents had the day off and would celebrate with meals they prepared earlier, often buffet style, which is why many still to this day have buffet brunch on Boxing Day (we often do with any family who was with the in-laws instead of with us on Christmas Day)

Wikipedia states:

The traditional recorded celebration of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes were placed outside churches used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.

So there you have it... Boxing Day... December 26 every year....

New Year's Eve Parties - Things to Consider

Alot of my Christmas Party Must-Have's apply to New Year's Eve.

Music

Food

Decor

BOOZE

Safe Ride Home

What is also important for NYE is style... I always buy a new fancy dress (though not always expensive, I am deffo a bargain shopper ;) tee hee) for my New Year's Eve Party.



I host a massive Club Crawl in Vancouver and we have several hundred people at our party which features 4 nightclubs and party bus transportation to each venue. We arrive at our last venue in time to ring in the New Year with Champagne and a Party Blast (confetti, balloons, party favours, and someone to kiss... luckily my somebody is my husband tee hee)

Each year I look forward to this event because all my closest friends join me and I meet so many new cool people. We enjoy great food, drinks and company and get to see four different venues in our wonderful city.

Most of the clubs we go to go all out for NYE with amazing decor, top dj's and great drink features.

What I like best about this event is that we have buses to transport people to each venue and this way they aren't driving around town. One ticket gets you access to 4 parties and at the end of the evening taxi's are ready waiting to take people home.

What's awesome about Vancouver also, is that on NYE transit runs late and is free!

While this is how I spend NYE, before I got involved with this company planning events, I used to always do the house party.

Friends over with a stocked liquor cabinet, appies all night and of course watching the ball drop on television. [One day I want to be live in NYC]

I enjoyed that because it was intimate, cozy and everyone could just crash, no need to worry about safe rides home.

But it lacked the fancy style I so crave... it's nice to put on a fancy dress and hit the town to ring in the New Year....

though my event isn't over the top fancy, and the tickets range from $25-$50 (depending on how early you buy the ticket) versus some NYE events that are $50-$200 in Vancouver.

Granted, many of those events include a several course dinner, party favours and great decor, drink and fun.... but my event features 4 parties and everything else the expensive parties include, except the fancy dinner... although 2 of our 4 venues do offer a fantastic menu!

Usually the decision is to go out or stay home... and I say, either is great... as long as you have your loved ones with you and someone to kiss at Midnight, who cares!

I prefer to go out only because it is fun to dress up and party like a rockstar... but as I get older, I am sure stayingin with friends will be more fun as finding a flattering dress will become more and more difficult ;)

No matter what your plans, I hope you have a safe and wonderful New Year's Eve.... and May 2010 Bring you all you deserve!

Happy Holidays from Martini Mandy!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope to bring you many more fun drink recipes and fun party tips in the New Year!

Jazz up that Coffee with a Shot of this...

My rule is you can add almost any kind of booze to hot cocoa, coffee and if you are aware of appropriate flavour mixtures, tea too.

I drink flavoured tea such as peach, pomegranate, acai berry, etc. I generally don't add booze to these, but when they are iced teas in the summer I do - but we will get to that when the weather warms up.

For now, Hot Cocoa, Hot Coffee, and a shot of something to jazz it up...

Here are some of my faves that I recommend.

Hot Cocoa or Coffee.... Pick one of these.... Garnish with Whipped Cream and choco shavings....

Add Baileys

or

Add Dark Rum

or

Add Peppermint Schnapps

or

Add Butterscotch Schnapps

or

Add Vodka

or

Add Creme de Cacao

The list goes on... really, almost anything goes good...

Also, another drink I love in the winter...

Hot Spiced Cider
Non-Alcohol

•1 gal apple cider
•1 allspice
•1 clove
•1 cinnamon stick

Add allspice, clove and cinnamon stick to the apple cider and let simmer for 1 hour (or longer). This may not look like much spice, but it really does make a pleasantly spicey cider.

You can add dark rum, spiced rum or bourbon to the cider... for that extra kick ;)

Also, here is a martini that brings the essence of apple cider taste to it, in a cool, stiff martini...

Pear Cider Martini
Ingredients:
•3/4 oz. brandy
•1/2 oz. pear brandy
•4 to 5 oz. apple cider
•ground cinnamon
•ground nutmeg
•1 apple
•ice

Preparation:
Mix brandy, pear brandy and apple cider with ice in shaker. Add two dashes ground cinnamon. Add one dash ground nutmeg.
Shake.

Strain into a martini glass or serve on ice in cocktail glass. Garnish with an apple slice.

So deffo try the apple cider if you like... it's easy and warm and delicious... and next time you pour a nice cup of coffee, toss in a shot of something with kick ;)

Simple Truffles

They are so easy....

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate cut in bits

2 Tblsp unsalted butter

3/4 cup heavy whipped cream

2 Tblsp booze (Cognac, Grand Marnier, Rum, Kaluha etc.)

Put chocolate bits in a bowl (Stainless steel medium sized) Bring Cream and Butter to boil in a pot. Pour boiling cream over the chocolate and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add Booze. Cover in the fridge until firm. (Usually over night, or all day)

Place toppings on a plate. Make balls with the mixture (hands or melon baller) Roll on plate in toppings (I like coconut, but you can use crushed nuts or anything you'd like) then place on wax paper on cookie sheet. Cover and put in the fridge until firm. Eat whenever, for long lasting truffles you may Freeze for a couple months or refridgerate for a couple weeks. They taste better at room temperature so plan ahead if you are preserving them for later.

Experiment with different booze and toppings. You can use a drizzle on them with liquid toppings or roll them in various dry toppings.

Makes Great gifts in a decorative tin or baggie with ribbon.... <3

Mandy's Macaroon's

Macaroon's are a confection I over indulge in every holiday season.

The perfect mixture of coconut and chocolate is heavenly.

I want to share with you a few variations of Macaroon Recipes to try.

Let's [of course] start with drinks...

Macaroon Martini

6 parts Vodka

1 part Chocolate liqueur

1 part Amaretto

Mix with ice in shaker. Serve in chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Now Eagle Brand has a recipe on the can that I have used and enjoy, though adding different items can spice it up.

Macaroon's

3 packs of 200g Flakes Coconut

1 can 300ml of sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Melted Chocolate *optional*

Mix all ingredients together. Drop onto wax paper on baking sheet. [I use an ice cream scoop to keep them round as possible for chocolate dipping later] Bake for aprox 12 minutes at 323F/160C. Remove once edges brown. Place on cooling rack. Recipe makes aprox 4 dozen. You can also add a tblsp of sour cream if you choose. I have seen recipes use this and have done it before, it just gives it a thicker consistency.

I like to dip them in melted chocolate after they cool. If you choose this option simply melt chocolate in microwave (you can over hot water but if water or steam gets into it it will streak). Then dip cooled macaroons into chocolate and place on wax papered baking sheet and put into the fridge to cool/harden.

So yummy!

I will add photos later today as we are making a batch for Christmas now.

Cheers!

Midnight Martini

Not just for midnight ;)

3 parts Vodka

1 part Raspberry Liqueur

Mix with ice in shaker. Serve in chilled glass. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Really Good HOT Spinach & Artichoke Dip

An old friend taught me how to make this dip years ago. I've since modified it slightly, but that's what everyone should do with recipes to find what they like best. I don't know exact amount because it depends on how thick or creamy you want it... Here are aproximates.

Block of Cream Cheese.

1/2c. Mayo

1/2c. sour cream

Block of Havarti Dill Cheese

Can of Artichoke hearts (I only use half)

block of frozen spinach

Dash of Cayenne

1. Thaw and Drain Spinach. (Be sure spinach is patted as dry as possible)
2. Open and drain artichokes (I only use half a can)
3. Mix cream cheese, mayo, sour cream in bowl,
4. Grate in Havarti Dill Cheese.
5. Spice to taste with Cayenne.
6. Slowly mix in Spinach and Artcihokes (You may also use crab meat if you wish)
7. Spoon into baking dish.
8. Top with Grated Havarti Dill Cheese.
9. Warm in oven until slightly bubbly.
10. Serve with torilla chips or sour dough bread.

It's been a hit every part I've made it for. I used to make it all the time. feel free to adjust to your liking (for example I only use a half can of artichoke hearts and lot's of cayenne pepper)

Christmas Parties

Last year I tried to go to 3 holiday parties in one evening and made it to one. A mixture of alcohol and snow prevented me from getting to all of them in one evening.

This year I limited myself to two an evening. Weekends are busy and December only has a few weekends before the holidays, so they get pretty packed.

There are different kinds of Holiday Parties I attended this year, work, friends, family, acquaintences.... bars, houses, halls, resturants..... large, small, intimate, professional..... but all had amazing food, delicious drinks and great company.



Here are some things I look for at Holiday Parties:

Star Cookies - My friend Sarah makes these tiny gingerbread star cookies. She sandwiches them together with home-made carmel and they are delicious! Every year she saves me some, even if I can't make her annual shindig (I did make it this year!!! and was rewarded with EXTRA star cookies - SCORE!)

Fondue - fondue parties are so much fun... I am lucky to have a bunch of fondue stuff but haven't hosted a fondue party (yet). The first one I went to was the best a couple years ago they had three tables of fondue set up with everything you can imagine. I will do a fondue party post soon I promise.

Music - I like classic Christmas Music playing softly in the background, nothing loud or overpowering, my fave part of holiday parties (besides great food and drink) is mingling and chatting with people.

Festive Decor - I am not saying go nuts, but if it's a holiday party, we need some lights, greenery and red or gold colour themes people!

Naniamo Bars - Any home-made version of this is amazing, store bought is ok the rest of the year, but at Christmas, home-made it is.

Artichoke & Asiago Dip - I go crazy for this stuff.

Spinach Dip & Sourdough - What can I say? I am a dippy girl... I love dips, fondue, sauces.... Spinach Dip is a classic appie but I can make an AMAZING dip that an old friend taought me years ago. I will post the recipe soon.

Eggnog - Holiday Must. Avec Booze.

Alcohol - I like a wide selection. If it's a bar or restaurant it's all good, house parties should have a variety of booze or let guests know to BYOB. I often Bring a bottle of my fave when i go to a dinner party or house part, or if I host I plan a feature drink and have a wide selection of alternatives... I also tell people to bring a bottle for the bar that way we have even more variety and everyone can help themselves. Beer Drinkers... you are outta luck, I am not a beer drinker, I usually have a case in the fridge for my hubby and that's that.

Tarts - A typical dessert but if done right are memorable and a sweet treat & easy to serve at parties, less mess than cake or pie or other desserts.

Meat - Sausage Rolls, Swedish Meatballs, boneless wings, anything bite-size and hearty... I am all for vegetarian alternatives but we need to keep the carnivores happy also. I was a vegetarian for 10 years, but now, meat is on the menu always.

Safe Ride Home - If it's a small party, spare rooms, DD's or transit/cab ride home should be available or planned. Larger parties I think cab vouchers are a great neccessity, though I hope everyone is responsible enough to plan ahead and plan a safe way home.

I know that's fairly random and broad but those are the things I like most and/or need from Holiday Parties.

Great Rims for your Martini Glasses

I have had a bunch of people ask me about rimming... *giggles*

A Martini Glass filled with a stiff drink is great, but a fancy martini glass rimmed with something flavourful and fancy is better.

We all know Margarita's are often rimmed with Salt... though I prefer mine with sugar (except lime / traditional Marg's get salt... the other sweet flavours I use sugar) but in recent years rimming martini glasses has become quite the trend and I wanted to share with you some of my favourite rims and some tips on doing it correctly.

The easiest way is this:

Two side plates.

One with liquid (juice for example), One with powder (salt, sugar, etc.)

Dip glass rim into liquid, then into powder.

You can also use a lemon or lime wedge to rub along rim and then dip into the powder of your choice, but usually that doesn't moisten the rim enough *giggles* to pick up enough flavoured powder.

It's very simple to do, if you are feeling uneasy you can always buy a kit but try the two plates first....



Now, which liquids and powders you use is your decision, here are some recommendations:

Fruit Juice - I often use this for my liquid rim before dipping it in powder. Pick a flavour that matches or enhances your martini flavour.

Salt - Salt is quite traditional and easy to use. It works well with anything citrus. I generally only use it with Lime Margarita's.

Sugar - is my favourite powdered rim because it is sweet and easy to use. Like salt, you can colour or flavour it how you would like [See Below]

Chocolate - You can use syrup as your liquid rim or to draw fancy designs on the inside of your glass. You can also use chocolate flakes or powder for your rim.

Honey - It is a thicker liquid rim but sticky and sweet so it works really well. I like to use honey alone or with a powdered rim. I always chill the glass after preparation so the honey doesn't melt and drip creating a mess. This is especially good for using heavier powdered rims as it holds them to the glass better (such as our next one....)

Candy - I like to crush mints or candycanes very finely and use that as a festive and minty fresh rim. I suggest using honey as your liquid to ensure the candy stays put. Also chill the rimmed glasses so the honey hardens a bit and you don't have a huge mess.


This list goes on, but this should be a good start.

Be Creative, Try new things, that's what I did and still do... it's amazing how many interesting things you can come up with.

If you have specific suggestions or questions let me know in the comment section and I can reply.

There are also great martini/cocktail rimmers you can buy (flavoured powders) but save some money and try homemade flavouring and colouring....



Colouring and Flavouring Sugar (or Salt)

Put powdered sugar or salt into a bowl or bag.

Add a few drops of colouring or flavour (food colouring or food flavouring such as vanilla or any extract you choose)

Mix Well.

Add colour or flavour to your liking, stirring as you go.

Allow to dry.

Have fun mixing and matching various rims.... it is a great addition to any martini along with garnish and the wonderful alcohol inside the glass.

Cheers!

Egg Nog is Good, Egg Nog is Great...

Part of the Holiday Season for me involves Egg Nog [that and Mandarin Oranges]

My mother makes her own home-made Bailey's Every Year which is always a great addition to Egg Nog... along with Rum... I prefer Spiced Rum and my new fave this year is Sailor Jerry Rum.

It is the perfect blend and mixes so well with Egg Nog. If you like sweet, this you will love.

Other Sweet Egg Nog drinks include:

Butterscotch Schnapps and Eggnog

Coffee Liqueur and Egg Nog

Kaluha and Egg Nog

Brandy, Creme de Cacao and Eggnog

....the list goes on and on and on....

Martini Mandy loves... well.. Martini's... and here is an Egg Nog Martini... [I usually don't like creamy drinks but this one at Christmas is acceptable]

Egg Nog Martini

1 1/2 ounces Dark Rum

1 ounce Captain Morgan’s spiced rum

1/2 ounce Stoli Vanilla vodka

3 ounces Eggnog [ I often do 2 oz Egg Nog and 1 oz Milk ]

1/4 ounce Simple syrup

Prepare Chilled Martini Glass Rim by dipping in honey and then crushed graham Cracker Crumbs. Set Aside. Mix dark rum, spiced rum, Vodka and Eggnog/Milk with a dash of simple syrup with Ice in Shaker. Shake well. Strain into Prepared Martini Glass. Garnish with a cinammon stick.

I've never made my own Egg Nog, I usually do store bought and even dilute mine with about 50% Egg Nog and 50% Milk (but I don't like the thickness of eggnog and grew up with a mother who liked to make things last with 4 kids so she would mix a 4L jig [or gallong] with hald milk and half Egg Nog.... Side Note - don't bake a cake using Egg Nog instead of Milk... it leads to a rubbery substance in the cake... I won't go into details on how I learned THAT lesson....

Anyways, I searched online and found this great post and recipe for Home Made Egg Nog:

This year I finally decided to give homemade eggnog a try. I searched through countless recipes and tried quite a few to limited success. I ruled out anything that involved cooking the eggs, since I already knew that wasn't what I wanted. I did not like the recipes that needed multiple bowls for beating multiple components. Since I never exactly wanted to indulge in eggnog in the first place, I didn't want an overly indulgent recipe, either.

Finally, I came across this recipe, which I liked because I wouldn't have to separate and independently beat the eggs and because there is no cream to make it too rich. After a few tries, a few eggs and a few modifications, I had eggnog. And it wasn't bad!
This eggnog is very easy to make and is relatively low in fat. You can use any kind of milk, though I recommend low fat. The resulting nog is creamy and slightly eggy, without having a trace of store-bought taste. It reminds me of a thin, but enriched, milkshake. The vanilla and nutmeg really compliment eachother. The alcohol is entirely optional and you can substitute bourbon or rum to suit your tastes.

Homemade Eggnog
2 eggs, room temperature
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg, plus more for serving
2 cups low fat milk
2 oz. brandy (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until light in color and sugar is dissolved. Whisk in vanilla, nutmeg, milk and brandy, if using. Strain into a small pitcher and chill.
Pour into glasses and sprinkle with additional nutmeg.
Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

Personally....

This whole Raw Egg thing makes me uncomfortable... I guess with store-bought I feel assured it's been "taken care of" to be healthier and that I could always sue a ton of people if it made me sick... but home made - well, pretty much it's all up to you....

Personally, I like sticking to store-bought (diluted with milk) and adding a variety of booze to it for kick....

But you do as you wish ;)

Bellini's

I love Bellini's.

More specifically, the frozen bellini.

Wikipedia says:
A Bellini is a long drink cocktail that originated in Venice. It is a mixture of sparkling wine (traditionally Prosecco) and peach purée often served at celebrations. It is one of Italy's most popular cocktails. A frozen Bellini is the signature drink of Romano's Macaroni Grill.

I have to admit I have yet to master the art of making a frozen bellini at home, but we just bought a new blender which we hope will help us perfect this drink.

At Cactus Club, Milestones or many other resturants I order Bellini's that are made to perfection. Boston Pizza (and other resturants also) serve flavoured bellini's such as Mango and Raspberry, but the most common flavour is simply Peach.

I like all the flavours but prefer the blended frozen version to be topped with sangria.

Which by the way, I have amazing recipies for also... coming soon.

Here is a site who found the Milestones recipe:
North Space:

Milestone's uses “A cool blend of Lamb’s white rum, peach liqueur and champagne, topped with sangria” however the “peach liqueur” is actually peach drink flavoured crystals [the grocery store has packets] mixed with 7-Up. Milestones mix it all up in a slushy machine ready to pour into a martini glass, top it with sangria around the edges, and garnish with a plastic toy monkey, mermaid or elephant. [Frogstone grill uses frogs]

You can do this....

Try this:

-9 parts 7-Up mixed with peach crystals (frozen beforehand to form the slush.. I have tried to do this blended with ice and it isn't as tastey)
-12 parts champagne
-4 parts white rum
-“Sangria” topping [I will have sangria recipes coming soon, for now try red wine, 7-Up, brandy & orange juice.

Be sure to fiddle with the ingredients to suit your personal taste. I usually just pop up the street to Milestones, Cactus Club, Earl's or one of those kinds of places that have slurpee machines and ingredients ready to serve me.... at home it tends to get messy and takes time to sort out exactly how you like yours.... but for those not in Vancouver or near a bellini haven like myself.... give it a go!!!

My only advice about bellini's is to sip slowly.... or you will get a brain freeze!!!

Damsel in Distress

This is such a sweet & tastey martini. I am only in distress from this after too many.... like *ahem* my birthday *cough*

-2 parts Lemon Vodka
-1 part Coconut rum
-1 splash Orange Juice
-1 splash Sour Mix
-1 splash Scotch

Pour Splash of Scotch into chilled martini glasses. Pour Remaining ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake Well. Strain into prepared martini glasses.

Cosmo Varies from bartender to bartender....

Saturday Evening I went to a friend's birthday bash at an Irish Pub and although they allegedly had superb food [a friend had Bangers & Mash that was apparently delish...look at this photo, mmmm...]

They didn't have martini's *gasp* The server, who I actually knew through a mutual friend, said "Well, I could probably make a cosmo"

*gasp* I can't imagine what an Irish Pub's version of a cosmo might be.... I opted for whiskey... I do like whiskey... but I am not a beer drinker [despite the numerous beers they had available... their whiskey selection was equally impressive]

Anyways, it got me thinking, of just how different a cosmo is at different bars... I mean it SHOULD be straight forward, but too often people mix, adjust and create.... and I love it...

Here are a few of my fave versions of the popular Cosmopolitan Martini:

#1
-8 parts vodka
-2 parts cranberry juice
-1 part lime cordial
-1 part triple sec

Garnish with a Lemon Twist.

#2
-4 parts citron vodka
-3 parts triple sec
-1 part carnberry
-1 part lemon juice

Garnish with a Lemon Slice

#3
-2 parts vodka
-1 part triple sec
-1 part lime cordial
-1 part cranberry juice

Garnish with a lime wedge

#4
-8 parts vodka
-4 parts triple sec
-1 part lime juice

Garnish with a citrus slice or wedge.

#5
-8 parts vodka
-8 parts carnberry juice
-4 parts lime juice
-4 parts grand marnier

Garnish with a Lime Twist.

Guacamole Recipes

I will add to this as I learn and try more.

Homemade Guacamole:
- 3 ripe avocados
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Dash of Tobasco sauce
- salt and pepper (to taste)

Simply mash the peeled avocados with the other ingredients to make your own guacamole.

Chocolate Lovers Dream - Martini Recipies

Chocolate Dreams

-2 parts vodka
-1 part Bailey's
-1 part Creme de cacao

Pour all into a shaker with ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Top glass with whipped cream and a drizzle of bailey's

Chocoalte Martini

-6 parts vodka
-1 part creme de cacao

Garnish with a Choclate curl.

This one is good if you like those Terry's Orange Chocolate's that you smack to crack.... mmmm

Chocolate Devil Martini

-3 parts vodka
-1 part creme de cacao
-1 part melon liqueur
-1 part cranberry juice
-1 part orange juice

Garnish with an Orange slice

Another Orange one (even better than previous if you like the orange/chocolate combo - i know some do not)

Chocorange Martini

-2 parts vodka
-2 parts creme de cacao
-1 part orange brandy

Garnish with an orange slice.

I, as a rule, do not do banana drinks... too often they come out icky... I love banana's but not that fake banana flavouring... however, this one is really quite yummy.

Chocolate Monkey

-6 parts vodka
-5 parts creme de cacao
-1 part banana liqueur

Garnish with a chocolate dipped banana slice.



I could go on - there are so many chocolate martini's.... but I will save those for another day ;)

**TIP - If you use thick chocolate syrup to line your glass before carefully putting drink in - you can acchieve neat designs such as this: