While in the Czech republic, Jeff and I got introduced to a “Beton” – a very tasty combination of Becherovka and tonic water. The basic recipe can be summarized as 1 part Becherovka with two parts tonic water and a squeeze of lemon served over ice.
Jeff is also fond of drinking Becherovka as straight shots.
For a fascinating overview (really!) of Becherovka’s history and lots of recipes, go here:
One of Jeff’s favorite beers is Guinness. Since I am of Irish descent, I approve J For interesting Guinness trivia, go to http://www.guinness.ie/
An intriguing recipe for Guinness ice cream can be found here:
http://www.milk.com/recipes/dessert/guinness-ice-cream.html
Vodkatini (aka “Vodka
martini”) – This is a drink that a lot of “authorities”
on alcohol think is a desecration of the “pure” gin
martini, which they say should only be garnished with a lemon
twist. Um, whatever. I happen to like vodka and don’t
care for gin, so poop on them. And if it was good enough
for James Bond, who am I to argue?
If you want to be very
swanky, garnish with “tipsy olives” – which can be
purchased here:
http://www.sableandrosenfeld.com
For homemade cocktail olives, you can marinate them in vermouth, lemon peel, and juniper berries to taste.
Some people warm the
vermouth and juniper berries together to enhance the flavor
before adding the lemon peel and olives. I think it would
be interesting to add a sliced jalapeno pepper to the mix towards
the end of the steeping time for extra spice. These take a
while to “mature” but can be quite good. I
would probably use these in a “real” martini because
juniper berries are often used to flavor gin.
Note: For a “dirty” vodka martini, substitute olive brine for the vermouth – yum!
Jeff and I make our vodka
tonics by filling a highball glass with ice, adding a shot of
Grey Goose Belvedere Vodka and topping with
Schweppes (gotta be Schweppes!) tonic water. The drink is then garnished with a
lime wedge (two for me), which gets squeezed into the drink.
Sometimes I like to drink Bloody Marys. I have found that the recipe on “Mrs. T’s” Bloody Mary mix suits my taste. Sometimes, however, I cheat by doctoring V-8 with the some combination of the following.
- Dave’s Insanity Sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Celery Salt
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Horseradish
- Pickle juice (the shame – up to now this has been my dirty little secret)
Garnishes
- Lemon or Lime wedges
- Celery sticks
I have also heard of using either cocktail shrimp or pickled green beans as a garnish, but I haven’t tried them yet.
These three recipes were found on the net several years ago…unfortunately I don’t have the attribution for them.
This is a favorite summer drink.
10 tea bags
2 cups boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 6-oz. can frozen orange juice
1 12-oz. can frozen lemonade
2 cups whiskey
5 cups cold water
Put tea bags in hot water. Let set until room temperature. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Add lemonade and orange juice concentrates and mix until melted. Add whiskey and water and stir well. Freeze overnight in a large container. Serve with ginger ale.
This drink is almost as good as the iced tea one…
1 16 oz bag frozen strawberries or raspberries
2 12 oz cans frozen lemonade
1 12 oz can frozen limeade
2 cups white rum or vodka
6 oz grenadine
48 oz cold water
Crush the strawberries and mix everything together in a 5 quart Tupperware container. Freeze mixture for 48 hours. Spoon into glass and serve with ginger ale.
This drink is traditionally served in December in honor of St. Lucia.
2 tsp dried orange peel
1 tsp whole cloves
4 whole cardamoms, cracked
3 short cinnamon sticks
cheesecloth
1 cup dark seedless raisins
8 oz package chopped dried apricots
2 fifths burgundy wine
1 fifth vodka, gin or aquavit
¾ cup sugar
1 cup whole blanched almonds
Place orange peel and spices in a piece of cheesecloth and tie with a string to form a bag. In a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat simmer raisins, apricots, spice bag and one bottle of burgundy wine for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and discard spice bag. Stir in vodka, sugar, and remaining burgundy. Cover mixture and let stand overnight at room temperature.
To serve: Over high heat, heat mixture until piping hot, but not boiling, stirring occasionally. Carefully ignite mixture with a long match. Let burn a few seconds then cover pan to extinguish flame. Strain if desired. Add almonds, pour into heated punch bowl. Serve hot.
A great reference book for alcoholic drinks is “American Bar” by Charles Schumann. It can be purchased from
There are a few sites on the web that I especially like to consult for interesting drinks. Links are below:
www.beveragerecipe.com - All drinks on this site have been submitted by users, some are quite good
www.webtender.com - An online bartender – what more could you ask for?
http://cocktails.about.com/food/cocktails/mbody.htm - a drink site from the always topical about.com
http://drinkinfo.com - a ton of drink recipes
http://brewery.org/brewery/cm3/CatsMeow3.html - a good selection of alcoholic recipes
This page was last edited on January 8, 2004
Copyright 2001-2003, Heather M. Groves