The Best Egg Nog Ever

My most favourite holiday egg nog mix is this:

-Just over Half a glass of Egg Nog (I use store bought)
-quarter glass of 2% milk
-a shot or two of Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum
-dash of nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)

The thing about Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum is that it is the perfect mixture of flavour. I think it's that carmel flavour but who knows. It is absolutely, by far (and I have tried many rums) the BEST rum to mix with egg nog.

Last year I posted some home made egnog recipies and other delicious ways to make egg nogg drinks. Click here to see.

Go - Try it!

Cheers

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!

Lychee Liquer Recipies

One of my most favourite flavours is the Lychee.

What is a Lychee?:
The lychee (pronounced lee'chee) nut is a rare, sub-tropical Asian fruit that grows on a 20-40 foot tall lychee tree with smooth gray bark and dark green leaves. Lychee nuts are similar in shape to a strawberry, with a red, bumpy outer shell that is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The shell protects the sweet, sticky, white fruit holding a seed. That little, white globe of flesh is the object of desire and has a sweet, juicy flavor and aroma incomparable to any other fruit. Lychee are also known as lichee, litchi or alligator strawberries.

At duty free I always grab a bottle of Soho Lychee Liqueur when I am running low.

I enjoy it with cola or in a cocktail or martini.

Lychee Fruit is sweet and delicious.

If your bevereage can capture that taste, it is a good drink. I have mixed drinks that didn't have that sweet taste... Soho is very strong and even removing the cap from the bottle results in the sweet Lychee scent filling the room.

Red Lotus Martini:

2 parts vodka

1 part lychee liquer

Cranberry Juice

Lychee Syrup (not usually needed)

Mix Vodka,Lychee Liquer and Cranberry Juice on ice in shaker.
Strain into chilled martini glasses.
Add a few drops of Lychee Syrup to taste if needed.
Garnish with a slice or skewered Lychee Fruit.

I use the cranberry juice to give it the red hue Lychee's have when they are ripe and still protected by their outer shell. You can substitute lime juice for cranberry for a different but equally yummy taste.

Crouching Tiger Shooter:

1/2 oz. Tequilla

1/2 ox. Soho Lychee Liqueur

I suggest you mix it then pour it into shot glasses rather than free pour half and half in a shooter. The sweetness wipes away the tequilla sting.

I rarely am able to get fresh Lychee [a few weeks in the summer only] but the canned Lychees are fine, though the juice they sit in can be cloudy and so rinsing them off first is a good idea to keep your drink clear. Some suggest frozen Lychee's but I have never seen these.

Lychee Liqueur in a martini is fabulous but there are a number of cocktails you can enjoy. Try mixing it with any citrus, cranberry, fruit juice or Midori. It sweetens up any drink.

This website lists a number of things to do with Lychee's... I prefer to just drink them although we did use them as eyeballs in a haunted house we ran for the community centre (saved time peeling grapes)

Cheers!