Pisco Sour

After a trip to Peru in June where the cocktail of the day (every day) was a Pisco sour, I was craving the cocktail at home. I found some Peruvian Pisco at Hazel's in Boulder, Co. Here's the recipe with a little history.

Chile and Peru bicker fiercely over the Pisco Sour’s origin (and that of pisco, too), but by most accounts, the drink’s genesis is tied to a United States citizen. Expat bartender Victor Morris is believed to have concocted the frothy, smooth cocktail at his Lima bar around 1915 or perhaps the early 1920s. Blending pisco, lime juice, egg white and Angostura bitters, the Pisco Sour is earthy, sweet and tart—a cocktail worth fighting over.

Pisco is a grape-distilled spirit that was first made in the 16th century. Piscos vary in style and grape variety, with different expressions ranging in flavor from dry and earthy to floral and fruity. The Pisco Sour doesn’t call for a particular pisco, so enterprising drinkers can experiment to find which they prefer.

Spirit, citrus, sugar and egg white are the core ingredients in a good sour, including the popular Whiskey Sour. But one small difference that’s become emblematic of the Pisco Sour is its inclusion of Angostura bitters. The aromatic bitters, which are usually applied as a garnish, add color and fragrance to the cocktail. Those bitters sit on the drink’s fluffy head, a trait achieved by dry-shaking the cocktail. That means shaking it first without ice to incorporate the liquid ingredients with the egg white before shaking it again with ice to provide chill and dilution.The result is a delicious cocktail with a silky mouthfeel that can provide refreshment whether you’re hiking in the Andes or drinking on the beach.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces pisco
• 1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1 egg white
• Garnish: Angostura bitters

Steps

1.      Add pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and egg white into a shaker and dry-shake (without ice) vigorously.

2.      Add ice and shake again until well-chilled.

3.      Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. (Alternatively, you can strain it into a rocks glass over fresh ice.)

4.      Garnish with 3 to 5 drops of Angostura bitters. Using a straw, toothpick or similar implement, swirl the bitters into a simple design, if desired.

Classic Margarita

It seemed like winter was coming a little sooner than I wanted. After all, it was only October 23 and too early for snow and 16 degree temperatures that were forecasted for Sunday, October 25. My sister and her husband live in Colorado Springs, where it was predicted to be close to 70 degrees on Saturday. The drive is about an hour and a half to two hours from Boulder, depending on road construction and traffic. We decided to stay the night on Friday and go for a bike ride on Saturday after it warmed up. Mary selected a dirt trail and all four of us rode 20 miles on a beautiful sunny afternoon, wrapping up around 4 pm. With limited happy hour options, the best place was home where we decided to make margaritas. I went for the Patron classic recipe and must say, it is the best margarita I ever! Here's how to make it:

Recipe for 1 drink

1.5 oz. Patron Silver

1   oz.  Patron Citronge Orange

3/4 oz.  Fresh lime juice

1/4 oz.  Simple syrup

1. Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously with ice to chill.
2. Strain onto fresh ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
3. Optionally, salt half the rim of the glass with kosher salt.

The French Blonde

This is my friend Georgia's favorite summer cocktail (2019)  Funny that this recipe mentions it as a cold weather cocktail. In this cocktail, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice rounds out Lillet's inherent bite, creating a sweet, citrusy drink that's perfect for brightening up cold weather.

Yield: makes 1 Cocktail

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ oz. elderflower liqueur, like St. Germain
• 1 oz. dry gin
• 2 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
• A few dashes lemon bitters

Instructions

1. Vigorously shake together all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker for at least 30 seconds. Strain into a martini glass.

Sex on the Beach -- summer cocktail

My neighbor Marilyn introduced me to this drink when she hosted a summer backyard party to celebrate the completion of a big landscaping project. The finished results were beautiful and achieved what she wanted. Below is a recipe I found on line. Wonderful refreshing drink on a hot summer night and I imagine it would work well with substituting the vodka with rum (white rum.)

This is a popular summer drink and what is most likely the original. Popular substitutes include using pineapple for the orange, or Midori & Chambord instead of schnapps.

Scale ingredients to 16 servings

24 oz vodka

8 oz peach schnapps

32 oz cranberry juice

32 oz orange juice

Add vodka and peach schnapps to a highball glass over ice. Fill with equal measures of cranberry juice and orange juice, and stir.

Hemingway Daiquiri

We saw the film, The Buena Vista Social Club Farewell Tour, one afternoon several years ago. The film was shot mostly in Cuba and rum was the featured beverage.  Following the movie, we felt in mood for a cocktail made with rum and dropped into the Copper Onion next door to the Broadway Theatre. On that day, we could sit at the bar and order a drink (Utah liquor laws are always changing...) We told the bartender about the movie we had just seen and asked him for a recommendation of a cocktail made with rum. He suggested the Hemingway Daiquiri, which we order and we loved it. And it has since become one of our favorite cocktails.

Recipe for one Hemingway daiquiri:

1 1/2 oz. light rum
3/4 oz. pink grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice (I simplify with half a lime)
1/4 oz. cherry liquor
1/4 oz. simple syrup

Add all ingredients to ice in a cocktail shaker and shake it up. Pour through a strainer into coup glasses.

Prickly Pear Margarita

El Charro-Rita:  A classic Mexican specialty drink designed by Chef Charlotta Flores, owner of El Charro Cafe in Tucson, Arizona.

• 2oz Gold Tequila
• ¾ oz fresh lime juice
• ¼ oz fresh orange juice
• ½ oz Cheri’s Prickly Pear Syrup• ¼ oz Cointreau (I use Triple Sec)
• 1 Hot chili pepper, fresh or dried, seeded and diced  (optional)
• Ice
• Kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Allow ingredients to sit for 15 minutes. Add ice, shake and strain out peppers before serving. Moisten glass rim with lime juice and dip in salt. Enjoy!

Sunset Beach

Great cocktail we had on the 2014 White Rim (along with others...)

For 8 servings:
12 oz. vodka
4 oz. peach schnapps
16 oz. cranberry juice
16 oz. orange juice

Pour over rocks and enjoy!

Cool drinks for summer's heat

Ruby Red Grapefruit Martini

I TBSP white sugar

2 oz. Ruby Red grapefruit juice

1 oz. vodka

1 oz. triple sec

1 cup ice

Sgroppino

Sgroppino, a slushy combination of lemon sorbet, vodka, and prosecco, is common in Italy as a palate cleanser, a dessert, or a pre-dinner drink. We prefer this version by Marc Vetri's beverage director Steve Wildy, with the ingredients whisked together to create a chilly, frothy libation.

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup lemon sorbet

3 oz. prosecco

1 oz. vodka

INSTRUCTIONS

In a stainless steel bowl or cocktail shaker, whisk together the sorbet and a splash of the prosecco until fully incorporated. While whisking, slowly pour in the vodka and then the remainder of the prosecco. Serve in a martini glass or coupe.

Lavender Mojitos

My sister Ann sent me this recipe.  I love lavender and with several plants, there seems to be an adequate supply of lavender buds to use for summer drinks and sorbet.  This drink is so utterly refreshing that it has become my mainstay this summer.

Start by making lavender simple syrup:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup lavender buds

Bring it to a boil, then simmer for five minutes. Strain and refrigerate. Should keep for 7-10 days

The mojito:
In a tall glass, combine these ingredients:

ice
1 shot rum
1 shot lavender simple syrup
1 sprig of mint, muddled
1 lime, juiced
top with club soda

Hot Spiced Wine

Great winter time drink after a day outdoors in the mountains.

2 bottles of light-bodied red wine
Or for a lighter version:
1 bottle of light-bodied red wine
3 c. of brewed apple-cinnamon tea
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
3 black peppercorns, crushed
2 cardamom pods, crushed
1  3-inch cinnamon stick, crushed
1 clove, crushed
1/2 c. Kirsch

In a large saucepan, combine wine (and tea, if going with less wine) sugar, and orange and lemon zests. Put the spices in a tea ball and add to the saucepan. Bring the wine to a very slow simmer over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, discard the tea ball and stir in the kirsch. Ladle the spiced wine heatproof glasses and serve at once.

Make Ahead
The spiced wine can be kept overnight at room temperature and reheated before serving.