San Diego Super Chargers Cocktail

Photo: James Wojick, Vogue Studio Campaign

I hate to admit it, but I didn't think the San Diego Chargers would be in this situation this year. I mean, think about about it? Our season started AWFULLY. We lost the first two games, and ended the season at 8 and 8. And yet, through luck, hard work and lots of karma, we made the playoffs!!! I have to admit it, I was ready to admit defeat but we made it. We defeated the Colts, but now comes the real test with the Steelers. So, no matter what happens today, I think we all need to have a Chargers cocktail, right? Comon, they made it this far!!!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 oz Tequila
• 1 oz Blue Curacao
• 1 oz Triple Sec
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• Margarita Salt
• Garnish: Lime Wedge

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a margarita glass rimmed with salt (optional). Garnish with lime wedge.

(This is actually a Blue Margarita cocktail, but the colors are SO Super Chargers!! Recipe and picture from CocktailTimes.com)

Amaretto Sour Cocktail

In my family, the siblings each have their own favorite cocktail. My brother, Tom, fancies bloody Mary’s; I, of course, love champagne and champagne cocktails; and my sister, Nathalie, is an amaretto sour kind of girl. She showed me last night how to make this pretty good and sweet, yet slightly sour, cocktail. The maraschino cherry is paramount, so don't forget it!

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 fabulous cocktail)

• 1 1/2 oz. DiSaronno Amaretto Liqueur
• 2 splashes Sweet and Sour Mix
• maraschino cherries
• slices of orange (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Pour the amaretto liqueur into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Add a splash or two of sweet and sour mix, and shake well. Strain or pour into an old-fashioned glass, garnish with a maraschino cherry and a slice of orange, and serve.

Cocktails: Black Velvet

If there is a cocktail that best describes me and my boo, I think this is the one! This cocktail contains Guinness, for the Irishness of Matt, and champagne, for the fabulousness in me. How perfect is that? Cheers!

INGREDIENTS

• Champagne
• Guinness

DIRECTIONS

Half fill a champagne flute with Guinness and gently pour the champagne over the back of a spoon so the liquid runs down the sides, this avoids mixing the two liquids.

VARIATION

Is champagne too spendy for you, or not your thing? Then make a Poor Man's Black Velvet by replacing the champagne with hard apple cider. In a pint glass, add the cider halfway up as the bottom layer and then slowly add the Guinness over the back of a spoon, to make the top layer.

Jim Blaha's Margaritas

My father-in-law, Jim Blaha, makes an awesome margarita-on-the-rocks, or a Blaharita, as I like to call them. One evening while I was in Minnesota visiting them, I saw his "secret" recipe on the counter and immediately my spy instincts took over and I took a picture of the recipe. Anyhoo, I got his secret recipe, but later I found out that his recipe was a modification of the Applebee's margarita recipe! Nevertheless, this margarita is quite tasty and will most definitely get you schnokered.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 oz. 1800 Tequila
• 3/4 oz. Grand Marnier
• 3/4 oz. Cointreau
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• 4 oz. sweet and sour mix

DIRECTIONS

Salt the rim of your margarita glass; add ice into the glass.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine tequila, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, simple syrup, lime juice and sweet and sour mix and give it a good 10 second shake. Strain into your margarita glass and garnish with lime wheel. Salud!

Thai Basil Mimosa

It is a lovely Sunday afternoon. The temperature in San Diego is in the mid 70s with a slight breeze...so what is a girl to do? Well, of course, sit out by the beach and have herself a mimosa, you silly goose! But not just any mimosa, my friend, this refreshing basil mimosa came about after I found some lovely Thai basil for 69 cents at the North Park Market. I had tons of limes, and as always I keep sugar cubes in stock in case I get a mojito craving. I have to say, this was quite a refreshing drink. I'm pretty sure you can try it with seltzer water instead of champagne and make it non-alcoholic...but what fun is that?

INGREDIENTS (makes 2 mimosas)

• 8 Thai Basil leaves
• 3 sugar cubes
• Juice of 1 lime
• Handful of crushed ice
• Simple syrup
• Sparkling wine or champagne, preferably Brut

DIRECTIONS

In a martini shaker, add the Thai basil, sugar cubes, the lime juice and a small amount of crushed ice. Muddle the heck out of it. Add 1 tablespoon of simple syrup (or more, if you prefer), the rest of the crushed ice and cover tightly. Shake. Shake. Shake. Strain the green goodness and pour into two champagne glasses, then slowly top each glass with champagne or sparkling wine.

How To Drink Tequila

There are two schools of thought on how you properly drink tequila. There's the infamous Lick-it, Slam-it, Suck-it method (salt first, tequila second, suck on lime wedge last) or the savour-it method, where you sip your glass of tequila slowly, similar how you would enjoy cognac (this is usually done with really good tequila like Cazadores Reposado, Tres Generaciones Añejo, or Herradura Silver).

But if you're like my family, which you probably are, then my tio Alex and tia Marisa's method will probably work best for you--just don't use any of that Jose Cuervo stuff--it's too harsh for your pipes! Salud!

Blood Orange Mimosa

To me, Sunday's are bittersweet. They are great because it's usually on a Sunday that you get to eat a big breakfast, or even have crepes for brunch, and/or you're nursing a hangover from the awesome night before. Yet, it's also bitter because you know that Monday is coming and you have to start the daily grind again. But, in order to ease you into your Monday humdrum, having a mimosa on Sunday will do you wonders. Now this particular mimosa is not just your typical OJ and champagne. No, no, darling, this is freshly squeeze blood-orange (or sangüina in Spanish) and slightly more expensive champagne. So buy yourself a bottle or Korbel or Mumm, and serve up the blood-orange mimosas, or Bomosa, as I like to call them.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8 people--or 4, if I'm there)

• 1 bottle Korbel champagne
• 2 cups blood-orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 8 blood-orange slices

DIRECTIONS

Mix the champagne with the blood-orange juice in a large jug. Garnish each glass with a slice of orange. Serve, enjoy and eat your crepes!

Valentine's Day Cocktail

Love, actually, is a husband who can keep your cold toes warm, the smell of a newborn baby, the puppy-dog eyes your pets give you, and a fabulous cocktail. Happy Valentine's!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2, or one big cocktail if you're alone tonight :(

• 4 fluid ounces raspberry vodka, chilled in freezer
• 1 fluid ounce triple sec
• The juice of one lime (don't use the bottled stuff, please)
• 3 fluid ounces cranberry juice
• A handful of frozen raspberries
• 2 slices fresh limes

DIRECTIONS

First, put the vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice into a shaker add as much ice as you can. Shake. Shake. Shake.

Pour straight up in a martini glass, or over ice. Garnish with lime slices and frozen raspberries, which helps keep the cocktail chilled.

Ultimate Mint Julep

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love, love, love mint! Like mint chocolate chips, mint ice cream, mint gum, minty puffy cookies like the ones Matthew's grandma makes, mojitos, Mentos, minty toothpaste, and of course, mint juleps. If you decide to make this delicious mint julep, I beg of thee to not use any bottled mint crap that they sell at the store...use real mint leaves, for crissakes. Believe me, it makes all the difference in the world. Now, one thing I did change in this recipe is that I used Jameson Irish whiskey—yes, I know sacrilege—however the darn thing still tasted pretty good. Cheers, y'all!

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 cocktail)

• 10 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
• 1 ½ teaspoons superfine sugar**
• Seltzer water
• Crushed ice
• 2 ½ ounces Kentucky bourbon whiskey

DIRECTIONS

Place the mint leaves in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass and top with the sugar. Muddle these together until the leaves begin to break down. Add a splash of seltzer water, fill the glass 3/4 full with crushed ice, and add the bourbon. Top with another splash of seltzer, stir, and garnish with a sprig of mint.

**To make superfine sugar, simply put ¼ cup regular white sugar in a food processor. Process until sugar is less grainy, and has a more powdery look to it, about 15 to 30 seconds.

Ultimate Bloody Mary

We all have gifts: I have the gift of cooking. Matthew has the gift of handiwork. My sister—and my sister-in-law—have the gift of shopping, and my brother, Tom, has the gift of making excellent Bloody Marys. Below is, more or less, his secret recipe. I was only able to figure [part] of it out by spying on him.

I don't particularly like my bloody Mary’s super spicy, so you can add more Tabasco or Shirasa to yours, if you prefer. Remember to first run a cut lime around the rim of the glass before you dip it in the celery salt. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 cocktail)

• celery salt
• 1 ½ - 2 oz vodka
• dash ground black pepper
• dash of salt
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash Tabasco® sauce
• 1 dash of Shirasa chili sauce (optional)
• 2 to 3 green olives
• 2 to 3 cocktail onions
• spoonful of baby clams
• Clamato juice

DIRECTIONS

Rim a tall glass with celery salt. Fill it with clean ice and the rest of the ingredients. Garnish with a celery stick and lime.

Basil Martini

The Vagabond restaurant in South Park is all the rage here in San Diego. I haven't been to it yet, but I plan to go very soon. What I keep hearing from my friends that have eaten there is not only that they have great food, but they also serve spectacular cocktails. One of their signature cocktails is a basil martini. Yes, I know...I cringed a little when I heard about it, too, but surprisingly it is a very refreshing and smooth cocktail. Try to use good vodka, such a Grey Goose or Absolut. YUM! TGIF!!!!

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 martini)

• 2 Oz Vodka
• 1 Dash of Dry Vermouth
• 4-5 Fresh Basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and lightly muddle the basil leaves with the back of a spoon. Let mixture set for 30-60 seconds. Add ice cubes and shake. Strain and serve. Garnish with a basil leaf.

SIMPLE SYRUP RECIPE

You can use simple syrup in various cocktail recipes such as mojitos, sweet martinis, and even in non-alcoholic drinks such as iced coffee. The recipe is super simple, and you can keep it in your fridge for months at a time.

1. Put one cup of water in a small saucepan.
2. Add two cups of sugar.
3. Heat to a boil while stirring.
4. Reduce heat and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves.
5. Cool to room temperature.
6. Find a clean container that will hold at least a cup and a half.
7. Using a funnel, pour liquid into container.
8. Seal and store in refrigerator indefinitely.
9. Use whenever a recipe calls for simple sugar or simple syrup.

Nathalie's First Cocktails

During Christmastime, my sister, Nathalie, came to San Diego for a visit all the way from Hawaii. And now that she's finally 21, Matthew and I were finally able to take her to The Turf Supper Club in Golden Hill. The Turf Club is a bar and grill restaurant with a very 40's retro feel. Here you cook your own steak in an indoor grill right smack in the middle of the restaurant. The food is good, and very affordable, but I especially like their cocktails. My sister tried two of their best: the sidecar, made with tequila, and, of course, a sex-on-the-beach.

TEQUILA SIDECAR

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ounces 1800 Anejo Tequila
• 1 ounce Torres Orange Liqueur
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• lemon twist
• sugar, for the rim

PREPARATION

In an ice-filled martini shaker, combine 1800, Torres Orange Liqueur and juice. Shake well and strain mixture into a Martini glass rimmed with sugar. Garnish with a lemon twist.

This cocktail is quite fruity and sweet, and it's specially good for people who are not into hard alcohol. It's usually good to only have one or two of these because sometimes you tend to forget that they are loaded with alcohol.

SEX ON THE BEACH

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• 3/4 oz peach schnapps
• 1/2 oz crème de cassis
• 2 oz orange juice
• 2 oz cranberry juice
• Orange slice for garnish
• maraschino cherry for garnish

PREPARATION

Pour all the ingredients, except for orange slice and cherry, into a shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the orange slice and maraschino cherry.

Hot Buttered Rumsfeld

As you may have heard, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down. This, of course didn't come as a big surprise after the GOP didn't do so good at the polls on Tuesday. One of my spies in the capital told me that right after el presidente Bush announced Rumsfeld's resignation, el Rummy texted one of the senior pages in the White House. The text message read: brng me 1-hot butrd rum NOW :'( Hmm, okay, I'm making this up, but it could've happened.

INGREDIENTS (10 to 12 cocktails, or 2 big ones for Rumsfeld himself)

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• Pinch salt
• Bottle dark rum
• Boiling water

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Refrigerate until almost firm. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into 12 small mugs. Pour about 3 ounces of rum into each mug (filling about halfway). Top with boiling water (to fill the remaining half), stir well, serve immediately, and waive your arms in the air like you just don't care!

Irish Coffee

We had incredible weather during our travels to Ireland earlier this month. Most days were in the low 60's farenheit and it rarely rained. But, on our last couple of days in the Emerald Isle, it finally did rain and it got cooler...so what do you drink when it's raining outside? Irish coffee, of course. And yes, you have to use authentic Irish whiskey for this. Jameson is probably the best one; however you can also use Irish Mist--which I prefer. Make sure the coffee is strong and hot (like my husband, hee hee) and that you use real fresh whipped cream, not the canned type. Cheers!

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 delicious serving)

• 1 oz. Irish whiskey or 1-1/2 oz. Irish Mist liqueur
• 3 sugar cubes
• 1 cup black coffee, strong and very hot
• Fresh Whipped Cream
• 1 heat-proof glass mug or Irish Coffee mug, pre-warmed

DIRECTIONS

Using a pre-warmed heat proof glass mug, add the measure of whiskey together with the sugar cubes. Stir in the hot coffee to about 3/4 of the way up the glass. Float a couple of heaping tablespoons of the whipped cream on top. Don't stir the coffee, just serve and drink immediately. If you want to be even more authentic, you can buy Waterford Crystal Irish Coffee mugs.

Key Lime Pie Martini

Sometimes after dinner I'd rather have a digestif than a heavy dessert. Usually Matt and I like to drink a fine port or his favorite tequila liquor, but for those of you who want the taste of a dessert but not the heaviness, you'll love this cocktail. It tastes just like a wedge of Key Lime Pie, but it's in a martini form. How fabulous is that?

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 martini)

• 3 tablespoons Licor 43 vanilla liqueur
• 1 tablespoon lemon-flavored vodka
• 2 tablespoons key lime juice or fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 lime wedge for garnish
• 1/8 teaspoon finely crushed cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, for the rim

DIRECTIONS

Chill the martini glass.In a shaker filled with ice combine Liquor 43, vodka, key-lime juice& heavy cream. Shake till shaker is icy cold to hold. Rub rim of chilled martini glass with lime wedge then dip into graham; strain drink into martini glass and enjoy, my friend.

Lame Duck Cocktail

I was looking up the term "lame duck" in the web dictionary today and this is exactly what is says:

1. An officeholder who has chosen not to run for reelection or is ineligible for reelection.
2. An ineffective person; a weakling

Immediately, George W. Bush came to mind. So, in honor of our ineffective and weak president, I came up with a Lame Duck Cocktail. It's sweet and bubbly at first but the finish is bitter and full of disappointment.

INGREDIENTS (serves one)

• 2 ounces Cold Duck® Champagne or Andre's Cold Duck Champagne (very cold)
• 1/2 ounce of Bushmills Whiskey
• 1 ounce lemonade
• 2 dashes of bitters

In a Champagne flute or tall glass combine the Cold Duck, whiskey, lemonade and bitters. Give it a gentle shake then drink it like an angry liberal. Enjoy!

Beermaking with a Brew Kit - Part 3

To view part 1, click here.

To view part 2, click here.

Well, my friends, our beer is finally ready. After 40 days and 40 nights, we finally opened up the bottles of our homemade beer, and boy was it good! Since this was our first time making beer, we decided on an American Pale Ale from the Mr. Beer Premium beer kit. The flavor was very crisp and the beer was quite bubbly. It did not have a bitter taste and the finish was very smooth. My friend Leo told us it reminded him of a Miller High Life, the champagne of beers, while my brother said it tasted somewhat like hard cider.

I have to say that my husband and I had a lot of fun making the beer; waiting for it is the hardest part, but after you taste the goodness, you'll want to make more beer. I think we're going to try an IPA or a stout next. We'll keep you posted.

Beermaking with a Brew Kit - Part 2

We used the Mr. Beer Premium Kit

Last month we left off after my husband and I began the first part of our beer making process (click here to see part 1). We brewed our wort, added the yeast and we left it alone to ferment. The yeast created a fiesta of foam--I think this was the bacteria feeding. Anyhoo, we placed the brew in a cool, dark place.

We let the yeast do its thing for 7 days. After all the foam subsided the next step is to bottle our beer! Our kit came with eight 20-ounce PET bottles and screw caps. As always, with beer making, we sanitized the bottles and the caps before bottling.

After each bottle was sanitized, I added 2-1/2 teaspoons of white granulated sugar. I made a quick funnel with aluminum foil, or you can use a plastic funnel--just make sure to sanitize the funnel, too! A precaution here is to not add too much sugar as it will over carbonate the beer resulting in gushing or bursts of bottles. So follow the directions.

Next, my husband held a bottle at an angle and he used the tap (attached to keg) to fill each bottle about 2 inches from the top. He then placed the caps and hand tightened them. I shook the bottles gently to help dissolve the sugar.

The instructions say that we must give the beer a MINIMUM of 7 days to carbonate. So, we have to be patient and wait again. We placed the bottles in my mom's garage because it stays cool in there and it's generally dark.

Please check back with us in another week or so to find out how our beer came out. In the meantime, Princess, our old Chihuahua is going to keep an eye on the beer for us!

Beermaking with a Brew Kit - Part 1

This may come as a shock to you, but I don't particularly like beer. I've never been a huge fan of beer and if I ever do drink it, it's usually hard cider or a light beer. However, a couple of years ago I had my first taste of home brewed beer and boy was it good! I tasted my friend Leo's brew and, although he makes darker ales, his beer is fabulous.

Then, a few months ago my father-in-law sent us some of his homemade Blaha brew. He has been making his own beer for years and years and he is always coming up with new flavors and recipes. Recently he sent us some of his sage beer and mead beer. His beer is quite tasty and refreshing that we can't get enough of it.

So, I decided to give beer making a try. Since we live in a small apartment I decided to buy the Mr. Beer Premium Kit. The kit comes with a plastic keg, tap, all of the ingredients, sterilizing powder and six 20 ounce plastic bottles. The only equipment I need to provide is a mixing spoon, a plate, can-opener, a measuring cup and a 3-quart pot. The key to great homemade beer is cleanliness. You want all of your equipment to be sterilized because this creates a clean environment to your ingredients and giving you less of a chance to mess up your beer.

What I like about the Mr. Beer Premium Kit is that the steps are easy to follow and the entire process took about 40 minutes. The bad thing is that now we have to wait. Fermentation takes a minimun of 7 days, after that we have to bottle the beer and condition it for another 7 days...so come back in a couple of weeks to check on part 2 of my beermaking progress!

Adding the beer mix (malt) to the hot water and corn sugar mixture.

Mix the malt and hot water until dissolved.

Then add it into the keg which is filled with 4 quarts of cold water...

Finally, we add more cold water to reach 8.5 quarts and add the yeast. Tightly put on the lid and we have to let it ferment for 7 days in a dark, cool place.

to be continued...

Champagne Mojito

Okay, I admit I'm obsessed with mojitos. Ever since I had my first mojito back in 2000 in Cambridge, Mass, I've been experimenting with different mojito flavors. So, naturally, a champagne mojito was next in my list.

INGREDIENTS (1 cocktail)

• 4 to 5 fresh mint sprigs
• 3 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• Wedge of a lime
• Champagne, chilled

In a glass add the fresh mint sprigs, sugar, fresh lemon juice and lime wedge.

Muddle with the back of a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds. Strain the concoction into a champagne glass.

Top off the glass with chilled Champagne and garnish with a spring of mint.