Cocktails | 20something cupcakes

Archive - Cocktails RSS Feed

“mangria” = blue moon sangria.

January 26, 2012 in Cocktails, Dinner Party Worthy with 5 Comments

It’s not a secret that I love sangria.

It’s not a secret, and it’s really not that exciting. Us ladies, we like sangria. Not rocket science. Heck, most dudes I know will polish off a glass (pitcher?) or two if it’s put in front of them. Daniel certainly will, and that’s because of more than the fact that I make it so damn often, in every flavor combination I can dream up to go with every season, every type of menu, every type of, well, everything.

Yes, Daniel will polish off a pitcher of sangria because he likes it – quite possibly as much as I do.

But don’t get it twisted…he likes beer even better. You’d be disgusted to know how many beers he can throw back in a sitting. Let’s just say we don’t have enough pitchers in the house to make a fair comparison. So what happens when I concoct a beverage that combines the the best of both worlds?

Other than the obvious result – a super-crunk Daniel – “mangria” is born.

Ladies, don’t be fooled by the name – I think you’ll love this cocktail, too. Even if you don’t like beer, I think you’ll be into this. I mean, why didn’t we think of it sooner? The beer is a perfect vehicle to get a good sangria going. Blue Moon and citrus, as we all know, are already pretty much going steady, and the pear-vibe adds another crispy-sweet dimension. I used the Winter Abbey Ale – because hey, it is winter after all, and why not get totally seasonal here, what with the citrus and the pears? I’ve made it with the regular version as well, which is a bit lighter and less caramel-ly and just begging to be made on a hot summer day.

champagne {margarita} brunch.

December 28, 2011 in Cocktails, Complete Menus, Weekend Brunch with 2 Comments

As a person who adores both margaritas and champagne, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the brilliant idea to combine them.

This is beyond brilliant. This is the stuff people should win awards for coming up with… Is anyone surprised it was Rick Bayless’ creation? Didn’t think so.

Champagne is a perfect match for my beloved margarita, because it adds just the right amount of sweetness – and the bubbles provide a great balance against the 1:1:1 ratio of tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice. Plus, we now have an excuse to drink tequila at breakfast.

And my, oh my – champagne margaritas open the door for endless Mexican brunch menu opportunities, don’t they?

pomegranate-champagne punch.

December 26, 2011 in Celebrate, Cocktails with 5 Comments

This is just about the prettiest punch you can make this holiday season.

Don’t you think?

It makes use of everything wintry and wonderful and worth celebrating: pomegranate (both the juice and the arils), mint leaves for a pop of festive color, Meyer lemons – which are seasonal and just.the.best, and champagne – a celebration in itself. Plus, it’s served in a punch bowl. Guys, this is pretty much a guaranteed good time.

festive cranberry-mint cubes.

December 24, 2011 in Celebrate, Cocktails with 0 Comments

Merry Christmas Eve!

I’ve got a rad little last-minute idea for you. It’s super, super-simple. You’ll need fresh cranberries, mint, and an ice cube tray.

I bet you’re smart enough to figure out what’s happening here.

Yep, a cranberry and a couple of mint leaves go right into each of the ice cube cells. Fill with water – or, if you’re making something with lemon or lime in it, you could use a mixture of citrus and water. I think it’s best to stick with a relatively clear drink – because you want to see the pretty red and green party in the glass. White wine or champagne are a perfect vehicle.

The time to freeze varies depending on your freezer and the size of the ice cube tray, but you should be good in a few hours.

I got off, like, ridiculously easy this year. I was going to make this insane tiramisu eggnog trifle, but instead I was gifted a beautiful cheesecake that we’re going to enjoy.

All I’m in charge of is, as always, the cocktail – I’m making this gorgeous pomegranate-champagne punch – and putting together Ina’s sopressata and gruyère puff pastry appetizer from her latest cookbook, How Easy Is That?.

I mean, seriously…how easy is that?

*Cheers* and happy holidays to all!

the perfect {holiday} punch.

December 13, 2011 in Celebrate, Cocktails with 3 Comments

The other day I came across an article on what your drink says about you.

You know vodka-cran made an appearance on the list. And what’d they have to say about it? “When in doubt, you stick to what you drank in college.” And it’s true – I definitely drank my share of vodka-cran in college. So much so, that the thought of it makes me cringe a just a bit. I’ll still have one if it’s completely necessary, but these days I’ll take it with soda water and just a splash of cran.

This is not the college variety of vodka-cran. This is the older, cooler sibling. It’s the adult version, and it’s a reason to appreciate getting older – because this cocktail totally kicks the other’s ass.

You’re essentially making your own cranberry juice by cooking down fresh cranberries with water and sugar. This is the key, because I’m really not a fan of the artificial flavoring of cranberry juice cocktail – which is really, like, a doctored-up apple juice. So fresh cranberries, right, in all their tangy glory…and then we pop in some beautifully woodsy rosemary sprigs for a little infusion. The combination of the two is strikingly perfect, and yes – the color combo makes this punch as holiday-festive as it gets.

the perfect {spicy} bloody mary.

November 30, 2011 in Cocktails, Recipe Arsenal, Weekend Brunch with 1 Comment

Today, we’re bringing sexy back.

C’mon…you know a bloody mary is totally hot. Hot as in spicy. Sexy = hot = spicy. Are we on the same page? Good.

Today, I’m bringing sexy back in the form of the perfect bloody mary. This is not a new recipe to these parts, but because I make these *so* often, I felt compelled to take a shiny new picture and share it with you and remind you how awesome they are.

So you can make them. Like, this weekend. Or today. I surely wouldn’t judge you for imbibing on this fine Wednesday morning.

I love a good bloody mary for so many reasons. Most importantly, it’s usually the sign of a great weekend. This goes for both the “hell yeah, the weekend is here!” bloody mary and the “I had too much fun this weekend” hair of the dog bloody mary. I equally love that it’s considered totally normal to enjoy one (who are we kidding – several) before noon. In fact, having a bloody mary at any other time of day just seems downright wrong.

anytime mojitos.

September 29, 2011 in Cocktails with 2 Comments

It’s raining. It’s pouring. And I’d like a mojito.

The great thing about these mojitos is that it doesn’t matter what the weather’s about. It could be raining, sleeting, snowing, hailing – or whatever other craziness you Northerners must face… With a little prep in advance, you can enjoy a mojito anytime.

mimosa bar.

September 13, 2011 in Cocktails, Weekend Brunch with 1 Comment

Add it to the bucket list: Host brunch with mimosa bar.

Unless you’re not into hosting, in which case you might change it to: Get invited to brunch with mimosa bar. It shouldn’t be that hard. I mean – you do know me, right?

The first ladies-only {more affectionately known as bitches} brunch I hosted became infamous because of the mimosa bar. It’s a brilliant concept, really. Everyone brings a bottle of champagne, and you provide the mixers. You can keep it as simple as buying a variety of juices at the grocery store, or you can be mental like me and make it all from scratch, like I did this second time around. The choice is yours, and I promise – no matter which way you go, everyone will be impressed. And happy.

I’m going to call this the holy-trifecta of champagne mixers: Orange-Pineapple Juice, Fresh Peach Nectar, and Strawberry Lemonade. I used three 1-quart capacity glass carafes that I was *so* excited to snag from work. Let me tell you – it’s a beautiful thing to now have access to every kitchen utensil or serving piece you can imagine!

watermelon sangria.

August 16, 2011 in Cocktails, Dinner Party Worthy with 2 Comments

Here’s what I can tell you about this sangria: It’s dangerous.

I’m going with dangerous in a good way. I consider any specialty cocktail that has you and your guests dancing on the couches in the middle of the day to be a great thing, in fact. I suppose it could be dangerous in a bad sense, if you consider how your head feels the next day.

I’ve also discovered as I’m writing this that I’m somewhat obsessed with sangria.

{life’s a} peach sangria.

August 2, 2011 in Cocktails, Dinner Party Worthy with 1 Comment

Tell me you’ve walked by the peaches at the grocery store or the market lately.

The scent of peaches this time of year is just *intoxicating.*

I buy them every time I pass them – I can’t help myself. Usually, I take them plain. No cutting them up or anything silly like that. Just sticky, fresh peach juice dribbling down my chin, and probably falling onto whatever papers I have sitting in front of me while I work. Because no amount of napkins ever seems to be enough for the juice of ripe, fresh peaches.

I also like to bake with them. If I had a grill, I’d love to cook with them. And, of course, I like to make drinks with them.

This sangria is special because not only are you using diced peaches, you’re also adding fresh peach pureé to the mix. The end result is so much… peachier… than what you’d get from adding the diced fruit alone.

You can use any other fruit you’d like. I used green apples, because I love apples in sangria – and their crisp flavor is a natural match for peach sangria. You could go solo on the peaches – you could do thin, pretty slices instead of dicing them, if you prefer.

No matter which way you choose, life’s a peach – enjoy it.

Peach Sangria

2 bottles of pinot grigio
1 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur
4 peaches (2 pureéd and strained, 2 diced)
1 cup diced fruit of your choosing
1/2 cup – 1 cup simple syrup

Combine chilled ingredients in a large pitcher, adding simple syrup to taste. If possible, make a few hours in advance to give the flavors time to meld.