Category Archives: Recipes

Sweet Sweet Heat

Ok … wrap your head around this: ghost pepper simple syrup.  Sounds weird as s**t, right?  Well, as it turns out … it’s pretty freaking awesome.

I had a few of my writers (and some +1s) over Sunday for a cocktail before we went to gorge on Endless Appetizers and had decided to make Blueberry Lavender Mojitos (from Market-Fresh Mixology).  Well … since I’m a goofball, I thought my homemade lavender gin was actually lavender syrup*, so they ended up being gin mojitos (if that’s a thing).  To make things even more fun, we tossed some Torani Sweet Heat syrup into the cocktails.  (Recipe below.)

We each tried the syrup on its own first (both as a contest to see who would drink the most and to actually taste it … obvi) and it has some serious kick to it.  Unlike most spicy flavors, this spice sticks in the back of your throat instead of burning your tongue.  (Ghost peppers are said to be 125x hotter than jalapeños.)

I’m excited to try this syrup in more of my cocktails.  While I usually hate margaritas, spicy margaritas are OK in my book, so I’m half considering smuggling some of this into the next Tex-Mex restaurant  I visit.  (No, Mr. Manager … this flask doesn’t have alcohol in it.  Why?)

Buy Torani Sweet Heat online or at a retailer.  (Call ahead to check since it’s one of their more unique flavors.)

BLUEBERRY LAVENDER GHOST PEPPER (GIN) MOJITOS
12 mint leaves
2oz lavender gin
juice of 1/2 lime
15 blueberries
club soda
1/4oz Torani Sweet Heat Ghost Pepper syrup

Muddle the mint leaves, lime juice, blueberries, and gin in a tall glass.  (Don’t over-muddle.)  Add pepper syrup and stir.  Add ice, top with club soda, and stir carefully with a bar spoon.

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Here are some other recipes that Torani suggests for Sweet Heat:

HANDCRAFTED SWEET HEAT LIMEADE
½oz Torani Sweet Heat syrup
1¼oz fresh lime juice
8oz soda water
Ice
(Add a shot of vodka for a little more fun)

HANDCRAFTED HOT LEMONADE
1½oz Torani Sweet Heat syrup
1oz simple syrup
1¼oz fresh lemon juice
8oz water
Ice
(Add a flavored vodka for a little more fun)

*For Christmas I made some of my friends infused liquors.  To make lavender gin, I had to make lavender syrup.  So yeah …

***Torani sent me a bottle of Sweet Heat syrup to try out.***

Recipes for the World Cup Finals

Brazil

KETEL ONE CITROEN TRIPLE CCC
1.5 oz. Ketel One Citroen
.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
.5 oz. simple syrup
10 mint leaves
Lightly muddle the lemon juice, mint and simple syrup in a rocks glass. Add crushed ice and vodka and stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge and sprig of mint.

KETEL ONE ORANJE CAIPIROSKA
1.5 oz. Ketel One Oranje
.75 oz. fresh lime juice
.25 oz. simple syrup
3 lime wedges
2 orange slices
Lemon-lime soda
Muddle two lime wedges and two orange slices in the bottom of a rocks glass. Fill with ice and add remaining ingredients. Top with lemon-lime soda. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Germany

KETEL ONE GLÜHWEIN (created by Jaren Singh – Nolet Spirits U.S.A. Mixologist)
750 ml. Ketel One Vodka
3 oz. Kirsch
1500 ml. grape juice
10 sugar cubes
1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick
1 whole nutmeg
1 whole star anise pod
1.5 bags mixed berries (frozen)
1 orange, thinly sliced

Combine the sugar cubes, Ketel One, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and star anise in a saucepan. Heat over medium heatuntil the mixture begins to foam. Remove from heat and transfer to a Slow Cooker to keep warm. Stir in the frozen mixed berries and their juice; add the Kirsch and the orange slices. Strain out all ingredients.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve chilled in a glass mug.

Argentina

KETEL ONE CLERICO
1 bottle BV Coastal Estates Sauvignon Blanc
6 oz. Ketel One Oranje
3 oz. Grand Marnier
3 oz. pomegranate juice
3 oz. orange juice
2 oz. white grape juice
3 oz. lemon juice
2 oz. simple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher half filled with ice. Stir. Pour into a wine glass filled with ice. Garnish with raspberries and pomegranate seeds. Serves 8-10.

Netherlands

KETEL ONE ORANJE NATIONAL
1.25 oz. Ketel OneOranje
1 oz. ginger liqueur
1 oz. fresh lime juice
2 barspoons orange marmalade
2 drops orange bitters
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange peel.

KETEL ONE CLOCKWORK ORANJE
1.5 oz. Ketel One Oranje
.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. white crème de cacao
Add all ingredients to a Collins glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Use a swizzle stick to stir and blend ingredients. Garnish with an orange wedge.

 

Cinco de Mayo Events and Recipes

Horny ‘Rita (recipe courtesy of TGI Fridays)

  • 3 parts Hornitos Reposado Tequila
  • 1 part Margarita Mix
  • Shaken and strained over ice
  • Garnish with a salted rim and fresh lime


Conquistador – created by Milagro Brand Ambassador Jaime Salas
Chill coupe glass with ice and water and set aside. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until well chilled and diluted. Discard chilling ice from the coupe. Strain ingredients into chilled coupe. Using a vegetable peeler, remove a long piece of orange peel. Express the oil over the cocktail, rub the peel around the rim of the glass, and place atop the cocktail

  • 1 ½ parts Milagro Reposado
  • ½ part Ancho Reyes
  • ½ part Crème de Cacao
  • ½ part Manzanilla Sherry
  • 1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

 

Sombrero (recipe courtesy of TGI Fridays)

  • 1 part Kahlua
  • 1 part Half & Half
  • Build over ice

Chupacabra from Dirty Habit restaurant in San Francisco (recipe courtesy of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants)
Shake and strain into an old-fashioned glass rimmed with sal de gusano

  • 1 ounce Partida tequila
  • 1 ounce Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
  • 1 ounce Lime Juice
  • .75 ounces Grapefruit Cordial or Pomelo Cordial
  • .5 ounces aperol

 

Ancho Old Fashioned – created by Milagro Brand Ambassador Jaime Salas
Combine all ingredients in a mixing beaker. Add regular ice and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a double old fashioned glass over large hand cut ice block. Using a vegetable peeler, remove long orange and lemon peels. Express each over the top of the cocktail and rub them together around the rim of the glass. Roll peels together into a rosette and place atop the cocktail.

  • 1 part Milagro Silver Tequila
  • 1 part Ancho Reyes
  • ¼ part Rich Simple Syrup
  • 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • 2 Angostura Orange Bitters
  • 1 hand cut ice cube


Jalapeño Mang-O-Rita (recipe courtesy of Bud Light)
Muddle 5 thin slices of jalapeño with a dash of simple syrup and agave nectar. Add ice and pour Mang-O-Rita. Stir and serve with a salt rim.

  • Bud Light Lime Mang-O-Rita
  • Jalapeños
  • Simple syrup
  • Agave nectar
  • Chili salt/pepper rim
  • Jalapeño

Crabbie’s

Don’t you hate it when you’re drinking a Moscow Mule and think, “Oh, gee, this is delicious, but I wish this was a bit stronger.”  (Yeah, me, too.)  Here to answer the call: Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer, the UK’s best-selling ginger beer … that just happens to be alcoholic.

Good enough to drink by itself (over ice), Crabbie’s is made with four secret fruits and spices, combined with ginger and then steeped for eight weeks. At 4.8% ABV, it’s in the same ABV bracket as the Buds and Millers.  It is fermented, which really comes through in the taste, which (thank God) isn’t too spicy.

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Check out some of the drink options to use with Crabbie’s below (other than Moscow Mules … if you must, you must).

GINGER MIST
– 1oz gin
– two small slices of lime
– 4 small sprigs of cilantro
– crushed ice
– Crabbie’s

Muddle three sprigs of cilantro and one slice of lime in a shaker.  Add gin and ice and shake.  Strain into a martini glass and top with Crabbie’s.  Garnish with cilantro sprig and slice of lime.


CRABBIE’S CUP #1
– 2 slices of cucumber
– berries
– 1/2oz sweet vermouth
– 1/2oz triple sec
– 1oz gin or vodka (drinker’s preference)
– Crabbie’s

Muddle cucumber and berries in pint glass.  Add ice and other ingredients and top with Crabbie’s.  Garnish with mint.


HORSE’S NECK
– 1.5oz brandy
– 5oz Crabbie’s
– thin twist of lemon peel

Mix all ingredients together in tumblr glass over ice.  Stir.

Crabbie’s is now also available in strawberry, orange, and diet.  (I didn’t try those … but they sound good!)

***Please note, Crabbie’s sent me a bottle to try, but I’d already ordered one of my own at Trinity Hall … and loved it both times!***

RECIPE: Apple Pie Bourbon

I got a wild hair about a month ago and decided that this year’s holiday gift would be homemade infusions.  I decided to make jalapeño vodka, lavender gin, and (wait for it) apple pie bourbon.

The bourbon was very easy to make.  I began with Jack Daniels, a middle-of-the-road liquor without any wild flavors in it.  I began with a recipe for small batch infusions and ended with the proportions below.

APPLE PIE BOURBON
1.75L bourbon
3-4 Golden Delicious apples, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 sticks of cinnamon (roughly 3-inch sticks)
roughly 1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup simple syrup

Place apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg in an airtight container.  Pour bourbon over ingredients, ensuring the ingredients are covered by the bourbon.  Seal the container and let sit at room temperature for three days.  Shake or stir periodically to agitate the ingredients.

After three days, take a sip to test your infusion (it’ll be a bit bitter).  Add more ingredients if necessary, and seal for another day.  Test one more time after four days (total).  Some infusions may take up to five days.

When you’ve achieved the desired flavor, strain the solid ingredients out of the bourbon using a colander.   To remove the small sediment, strain the mixture using a cheesecloth.  Add the simple syrup and stir for at least thirty seconds.

Bottle your mixture in an airtight container.  I ordered swing-top bottles from specialtybottle.com and painted them using chalkboard paint.  For gifts, I added a tag with recipes to use the bourbon.  Your apple pie bourbon can be stored for up to two months in the refrigerator.

Classic Margarita

1.5 oz tequila
1 oz orange liqueur
.75 oz fresh lime juice
.25 oz simple syrup (1:1)

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

garnish: lime wheel

glass: rocks

 

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Piña Margarita

.75 oz rum
.75 oz tequila
.5 oz lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice

garnish: Tajín-dusted pineapple

glass: rocks

 

Combine mezcal and lime and pineapple juices in a shaker with ice and shake to mix and chill. Pour into glass over fresh ice and garnish with a Tajín-dusted pineapple wedge.

 

recipe by Betty Cocktail

SETENTA Y CINCO

A fresh take on a French 75 … this tequila version is bright and approachable.

 

1 oz tequila
.5 oz orange liqueur
.5 oz lemon juice
sparkling wine

Combine tequila, orange liqueur, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice and shake to mix and chill thoroughly. Pour into flute, then top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

garnish: lemon twist

glass: flute

 recipe by Betty Cocktail