Caipirinha Cocktail Recipe

July 11, 2014July 11, 2014 Dani Malloy2 Comments

caipirinha cocktail recipe with cachaca

You know those words that you pronounce incorrectly 100 times before you finally get them right? Otolaryngology, the name Saoirse, etc. This particular drink involves two of those words: the name of the cocktail, caipirinha (kai-pur-EEN-yuh), and its main component, cachaça (ka-SHA-suh). At least, that’s how my non-Portuguese-speaking self understands them to be pronounced.

caipirinha cocktail cachaca Brazilian recipe

The caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail, and cachaça—a distilled liquor made from sugarcane juice—is the country’s most popular liquor. I was hoping to whip up a pitcher when Brazil played Argentina in the final of the World Cup… (insert the tears of 190 million Brazilians). Sadly, consolation third place cocktails will have to do!

I picked up some Leblon cachaça and used the classic caipirinha recipe found on the back of the bottle:

Caipirinha

4 lime wedges
2 tsp. superfine sugar
2 oz. cachaça
Ice

In a rocks glass, muddle the lime and sugar. Top with ice (I had cubes in my freezer but will probably used crushed in the future), add the cachaça, and stir. Add a lime wedge for garnish. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!

caipirinha cocktail recipe leblon cachaca brazil world cup drink

This drink was a little stronger than expected, but that might have to do with the fact that I used a past-its-prime lime that didn’t produce a ton of juice (bad form, I know). The Leblon also had a surprising banana-esque aftertaste. This cocktail would probably lend itself really nicely to some fresh-fruit flavors—maybe strawberry or blackberry? Thoughts?

Happy sipping, and may Brazil redeem themselves with a third place victory on Saturday!

Ruby Red Grapefruit Beergarita

June 26, 2014 Dani MalloyLeave a comment

Vacation brain.

Heard of it? I feel like I’ve been suffering from some serious vacation brain ever since I came back from a glorious week of relaxation in Florida, followed by a fantastical three-day Beyoncé-themed bachelorette party in Nashvegas.

Needless to say, it’s been a little painful getting into the swing of my everyday office life. To ease the burden of entering back into normalcy, I’ve been making what I like to call Summer Break Cocktails. My current obsession: the beergarita.

If you like a super-sweet frozen margarita/beergarita, then by all means pick up one of those delicious concentrate cans that you pop into the blender—that’s all I was drinking on vacation. This particular beergarita is a less sweet, on-the-rocks version, which I think makes for a more refreshing summertime drink.

Grapefruit Beergarita

Makes two servings

Juice from one large ruby red grapefruit
Juice from one lime
4 oz. blanco tequila
1 oz. orange liqueur (I used Cointreau)
12 oz. bottle of Corona (or similar)
1–2 tablespoons of sugar (to taste)
Optional: kosher salt and chopped rosemary for the rim

If you like a salted rim, combine chopped rosemary and kosher salt on a plate.

rosemary salt rim beergarita recipe

Moisten the rim of a mason jar with a lime, dip in the salt mixture, and set aside to dry. Combine the grapefruit juice (I kept the pulp) and lime juice, and stir in the sugar until it’s dissolved. In a cocktail shaker filled with a handful of small ice cubes, combine the juice mixture, tequila, and Cointreau, and shake until chilled. Pour the contents (including the ice) into the mason jar, and top off with cold beer.

Side note: these pics were taken on an enormous floral Pendelton beach towel—an Easter gift from my mom that I’m a littttle too excited about Anywho, you could always omit the beer and serve this in a martini or margarita glass.

Enjoy! What’s your favorite beer cocktail?

El Grito Tequila Cocktail with Sriracha Ice Cubes

June 17, 2014August 10, 2014 Dani MalloyLeave a comment

After a weeklong Florida vacation full of sun, sand, and tropical cocktails—Piña Coladas, Beergaritas, Mojitos, and Caipirinhas galore!—it finally feels like summer.

I’m nothing if not a sucker for the spirits of the season. In summer’s case, this usually means opening my mind and liver to two liquors I don’t usually drink: rum and tequila. (Chances are you know at least five people who’ve had “a really bad night” with tequila and generally stay away from the stuff. My really bad night involved too many Tequila Sunrises mixed with a smidge too much freshman-in-college idiocy.) Tequila agrees with me well enough now, especially if I mix it with margarita mix and a Corona to make the all-powerful Beergarita. I could go on about Beergaritas for days, but I’ll save that for another time.

The original recipe for the El Grito calls for a smokier reposado tequila, but I enjoyed the blanco tequila from Espólon so much on vacation that I decided to swap the brown tequila for white. I should note that Marc found this recipe in Spirit—the in-flight magazine for Southwest Airlines. I’d always thought that airline reading was limited to learning about dog stairs in SkyMall and perusing those terrifying “In Case of Water Landing” safety cards. Who knew!

el grito tequila cocktail

El Grito

Adapted from Aaron Post’s recipe in Spirit magazine

1 oz. Sriracha and 3 cups water (for Sriracha ice cubes)
2 oz. blanco tequila
1 oz. Cointreau
Juice from half a large lime (or about 1 oz.)
Kosher salt
Sprig of rosemary

Mix the Sriracha and water and pour into ice cubes trays. Freeze overnight. Shake the tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes. Moisten the rim of a tall, skinny glass with a lime wedge, then twist in kosher salt to coat. (I used a Collins glass at first, but it was too big.) Pour the drink over three to four Sriracha ice cubes. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.

The ice cubes melt as you drink, infusing the cocktail with that spicy, smoky Sriracha flavor as you sip. And it’s definitely a sipper. Enjoy!

Phony ‘Groni with Luxardo Bitter

May 20, 2014 Dani Malloy1 Comment

Faux Negroni? Doppelgröni? Call this frankensteined cocktail whatever you like, except a “Negroni.” Apparently, one without Campari just isn’t a Negroni—the bitter aperitif is essential to the drink.

I first learned of Campari at about 16, when I was reading the Gossip Girl YA book series well before Blake Lively ruined it for me on TV. In the books, these Upper East Side high school WASPs drank Campari on the rocks. Naturally, I assumed the drink was some sort of sweet, fruity concoction, probably because all I’d tasted at the time was Watermelon Pucker and Malibu Coconut Rum.

Negroni recipe with Luxardo Bitter

Eventually I learned that Campari is a bitter liqueur, but I was still surprised by its intense taste the first time I had a Negroni. It took me a couple tries to warm up to the flavor of the drink, but now I crave ’em. Unfortunately I don’t have any Campari in my bar yet, so when I saw Luxardo Bitter on sale at Binny’s Beverage Depot, I snagged it up. (Apparently $9.99 is an insanely low price.) I’d heard it was a good introduction to bitter aperitifs, and god knows I can’t pass up a 50% sale on booze.

Here’s the recipe for the slightly controversial drink. Admittedly, it isn’t quite as punchy as a standard Negroni, but it still tasted great and quenched my craving for a bitter pre-dinner cocktail.

Phony ‘Groni

1.5 oz. dry gin
1.5 oz. Luxardo Bitter
1.5 oz. sweet vermouth (I used Dolin)
Splash of soda (optional)
Slice of orange peel for garnish

Fill a lowball glass with ice. Pour the gin, Luxardo Bitter, and sweet vermouth into the glass and gently stir to mix. I added a splash of soda, but that part’s up to you. Add a slice of orange peel for garnish.

Enjoy! Have you used Luxardo Bitter before?

Make Mint Simple Syrup, and Then Make These 3 Cocktails

May 1, 2014May 13, 2014 Dani Malloy1 Comment

It’s confession time.

I’m becoming somewhat of a cocktail fiend, and up until last week, I had never made simple syrup. What was I waiting for?! Not only is it pretty damned easy to make, you can also infuse it with nearly anything your heart desires: berries, herbs, spices, tears—you name it.

After a slight mishap with some blackberry-basil simple syrup (I used too much basil and it smelled like Fruity Pebbles pesto), I decided to go with a simpler infusion: mint. I used raw cane sugar, so the color of this simple syrup isn’t the most appealing, but I swear it’s delicious.

I (mostly) followed a recipe from The Hungry Mouse, which goes something like this:

Mint Simple Syrup

Chop up roughly 1 cup of mint leaves and transfer them to a heat-resistant container.
Bring 1 cup of cold water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil, whisking occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove pot from heat when the sugar is completely dissolved.
Pour the sugar over the chopped mint, and cover with foil or plastic wrap. The steam helps to infuse the mint flavor and fragrance into the syrup.
When it’s cooled, pour the mixture over a strainer (I used cheesecloth), making sure to press or squeeze the mint to extract every ounce of flavor.
Store in an airtight container in your fridge, where it’ll last for up to three weeks.

And now for the best part: mixing up your drinks. Try these three mint-infused spring and summer favorites to get your creative cocktail juices flowing.

Mint Julep

1 tablespoon mint simple syrup
2 oz. Kentucky bourbon
Crushed ice
Mint for garnish

Pour the simple syrup and bourbon in a glass, then top with a hefty amount of crushed ice. Add a sprig of mint for garnish. Oh, and if you have a silver mint julep cup, obviously use that.

This one’s a little time-sensitive, what with Derby Day being this Saturday, but this potent drink is great all summer long thanks to the refreshing mint and generous amount of crushed ice. Lots of recipes call for you to muddle mint leaves with sugar, but this one is actually the official recipe of the Derby. (Minus the Early Times). It’s best consumed when wearing a giant floppy hat and screaming obscenities at the TV for 2.5 minutes straight.

Mojito

2–3 teaspoons mint simple syrup
1.5 oz. white rum
Juice of half a lime
Club soda
Ice

In a tall glass, combine the simple syrup, rum, and fresh lime juice. Fill the glass with ice (preferably crushed) and top with club soda. You can garnish this however you’d like; I usually use a slice of lime and some extra mint leaves for an added burst of freshness with each sip.

Watermelon Agua Fresca with Vodka

(Makes about 5 servings)

Quarter of a large watermelon, seeded and cubed
1/2 cup water
Mint simple syrup, to taste (I used about 3 tablespoons)
Juice of 1 lime
5 oz. vodka
Lime slices and mint leaves

In a blender, puree the watermelon and water. You can leave it as it is for a pulpier drink, or you can strain it through cheesecloth for a thinner, more juice-like consistency. In a glass pitcher/large container, combine the puree with the lime juice and simple syrup, tasting as you go to determine your preferred level of sweetness. Then add the vodka (this part is also to taste). Fill serving glasses with ice, dropping a lime slice and a few mint leaves into each one. Pour the agua fresca over the top and serve.

I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to enjoy these refreshing cocktails on the roof after work. Happy sipping!

Guava Mojito Recipe

April 24, 2014 Dani MalloyLeave a comment

The mojito might be the most polarizing drink on the Internet. Stirred, shaken, or just plain poured? Simple syrup or sugar? And then, what kind of sugar—coarse or confectioners’? Is it okay to add a flavor?

So. Many. Questions.

Maybe one day I’ll subscribe to the whole “there’s a right and a wrong way to make a cocktail” mantra, but for now, I’m going with what tastes good. And if there’s one tasty cocktail that I’ve been jonesing for to remind me that summer still exists, it’s the mojito. More specifically, the delicious fresh guava mojito at Paladar Cuban Restaurant and Rum Bar in Logan Square. It was really love at first sip with that cocktail, and I’ve been unable to order anything else with my cuban sandwich ever since.

To make my own version, I had every intention of buying a whole guava and trying to puree it in my blender. Unfortunately, Mariano’s produce department forsook me and I was forced to buy bottled guava nectar. The brand I bought, Hero, turned out to be pretty delicious, plus it doesn’t have any pesky high-fructose corn syrup.

I used Cruzan white rum, because apparently white rum is the one absolutely necessary component to a mojito—the brown stuff just won’t do. Feel free to play around with the proportions of this recipe or swap out the guava nectar for another juice.

Guava Mojito

10 fresh mint leaves
Juice of half a lime
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cane sugar (to taste)
3 oz. guava nectar
1.5 oz. light rum
Crushed ice
Soda water

In a tall glass, gently muddle together the mint, lime juice, and sugar until very fragrant. If you’re like me and don’t have a muddler handy, the back of a wooden spoon works just fine. Add a generous amount of crushed ice, then top with the rum and guava nectar. You can adjust the amount of sugar or guava nectar depending on your desired sweetness. Fill the glass to the top with soda water, and give it a quick stir. It might not be traditional or “right,” but hopefully it’ll be tasty and refreshing!

Have you made mojitos at home before? Any tried-and-true tips or tricks?

James Bond Got It Right with the Vesper Martini

April 16, 2014May 13, 2014 Dani Malloy2 Comments

“Shaken, not stirred.”

We all know this is how Bond likes his martinis. But in Casino Royale (the movie and the book), we learned just exactly what makes 007’s cocktail so singular.

James Bond drinking a vesper — Jimmy sippin’ on a Vesper (image: cinefantastiqueonline.com)

In this clip, Bond orders a drink that’s three measures Gordon’s gin, one measure vodka, half a measure Kina Lillet, and a thin slice of lemon peel for garnish. Lillet doesn’t make Kina anymore, but Lillet Blanc—aka white Lillet—is Kina rebranded into a similar formula.

I’ve had this version of the Vesper before, and it’s strong, yet dangerously drinkable. The vodka you use should be smooth—you don’t want its “flavor” to overpower the drink. I usually add a little bit more Lillet than what’s called for, and sometimes even a squirt of fresh lemon juice if I’m in the mood.

At least that’s the recipe I was planning on sharing before I stumbled onto Q Lemon: lemon-flavored tonic water that’s light, tart, and subtly sweet. Its the perfect complement to the Vesper’s components, plus who doesn’t like a few bubbles in their glass?

The Bubbly Vesper

1 oz. vodka
1 1/2 oz. dry gin
3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz. Q Lemon
Lemon peel

Shake the vodka, gin, and Lillet over ice until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and top with chilled Q Lemon. Garnish with a lemon peel. Tastes best when gambling for millions in your best cocktail attire.

The Best Cocktail I’ve Ever Made

April 3, 2014April 3, 2014 Dani MalloyLeave a comment

In my quest to find cocktails that utilize Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, I stumbled on a real gem: the Martinez. This subtly sweet drink gets its bite from a base of Old Tom gin, another one of my recent go-to liquors. If you’ve never had Old Tom, it’s a pre-Prohibition-era libation that’s what I assume gin would taste like in the 1920s. This old-school blend is lightly sweetened with sugar and aged in oak barrels—that’s what gives it it’s light-brown, bourbon-like color. At least that’s the case for the Ransom that I’ve been drinking. I can’t speak for many other brands, but Ransom’s Old Tom is great.

wpid-2014-04-02-14.32.38.jpg.jpeg

But enough about good ol’ Tom. The Martinez is kind of like a Manhattan-on-steroids when you look at the components: gin that resembles bourbon, sweet vermouth, maraschino, and a dash of bitters. For cocktails like this, the kind of sweet vermouth you use can really make a difference. When I first started making cocktails, I bought the kind that you can get at nearly every grocery store: $6 Martini Rossi. Then someone suggested Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Rouge, which runs about $13/750mL at Binny’s. I can’t pretend to be an expert on vermouth, but what I do know is that Dolin is a lot smoother and lighter than cheaper stuff. But what really makes the Martinez so delicious is the added cherry kick of the Luxardo Maraschino. You can use less if you’re not a huge fan of cherry, but if that’s the case then ~~you are a monster~~ this might not be the drink for you. I, on the other hand, love me some maraschino.

The Martinez

Recipe adapted from Post Prohibition

2 oz. Ransom Old Tom gin
3/4 oz. Dolin Rouge sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino
Dash of Angostura bitters
Lemon twist

Pour all liquid ingredients over ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a twist of lemon. If you’re feeling really crazy, you could swap out the lemon and garnish with a cherry. Warning: once you start making these, you will probably crave one around 7 p.m. every night. Enjoy! And sip slowly. (Or don’t. It’s your liver.)

Sewing & Cocktails

Come for the drinks. Stay for the clothes.

Category: Cocktails