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Posted by on Aug 31, 2013 in shaken | 0 comments

ohio-rita

ohio-rita

  A refreshing Midwestern twist on a timeless drink, the Ohio-rita features Columbus-based Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. This cocktail was developed specifically for the Patrón Cocktail Lab – Regional Pride Contest. Voting runs from August 31 – September 13 (click on “browse & vote”), so please check it out and vote for our creamy concoction that’s part cocktail, part dessert! Jeni prides herself on using locally and regionally sourced organic ingredients to produce her nationally renowned ice creams. Known for her innovative combinations, Jeni takes a standard lime frozen yogurt and adds a spicy note of cardamom in her summer specialty, Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt (available online and in some specialty markets and shops nationally). We paired it with Patrón Silver and added triple sec, lime juice and smoked sea salt to bring a little bit of Mexico to the Midwest. The sweet creaminess of the frozen yogurt balances the bite of the tequila, and Indian cardamom serves as a nod to the place Columbus was trying to find...

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Posted by on Aug 22, 2013 in shaken | 0 comments

oranjack and coke

oranjack and coke

  Jack and Coke is a classic combination. It’s an easy go-to cocktail when you’re at a bar and don’t want to have to think too much or peruse a six-page cocktail menu. It’s simple. And it’s very tasty. But it’s a little… boring. I was staring at a half-full bottle of Mexican Coke (leftover from my mexican mexican coke experiment) and wondered what I could do with it. I opened the liquor cabinet, and the Jack Daniel’s jumped out at me. Okay, nice. But what else? How could I brighten this standard beverage and make it more interesting? I started looking around the kitchen, and that’s when I saw it. Sitting in a beautiful red wooden bowl, just waiting and hoping to be noticed. The humble orange. Orange zest takes this classic cocktail from boring to bright. From tasty to frickin’ terrific. Seriously, my first sip elicited a “Holy crap, that’s excellent!” (Actually, I don’t publish any recipe that doesn’t produce that reaction.) And it’s easy. Just grab a fine grater and...

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Posted by on Aug 8, 2013 in shaken | 0 comments

nutty vodka gimlet

nutty vodka gimlet

  The vodka gimlet was my very first cocktail. When my parents had guests over, there was always a pitcher on hand, and I would sneak a sip when I could. I don’t know if it was the lime or the hazelnuts that I found more appealing. Yes, you read that correctly: Hazelnuts. After pouring a glass, one or two hazelnuts were dropped in, to be enjoyed at any point during the imbibing process. Once I became old enough to have my own, I would put three or four hazelnuts in my glass. While developing my own vodka gimlet recipe, I wanted to get even more of their flavor incorporated into this drink. Toasting them helps bring out the flavor-intensive oils, as does bashing them around with some ice and an acid in a cocktail shaker. If you’re a little doubtful, trust me on this one – you’ve just got to try it. (Unless, of course, you’re allergic to nuts – then please, don’t try it.) The hazelnut flavor is subtle but enhances both the aroma...

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Posted by on Jul 29, 2013 in shaken | 0 comments

mexican mexican coke

mexican mexican coke

  This recipe features some of the tastiest ingredients from Mexican cuisine – cilantro, lime and jalapeño – resulting in a very refreshing and unique cola cocktail. All three of these ingredients are beautiful aromatics, and they complement and balance each other perfectly. You will notice (and appreciate) the delicate sweet, spicy, and green notes in both the aroma you get before taking a drink, and in the flavor of the drink itself. Mexican Coke (I’m talking about Coca-Cola here!) contains real sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup. Actually, most of the rest of the world gets real sugar in their Coke, and to me, it tastes better. You can find it at most Latin food markets and many superstores, and it comes in glass bottles, which some would argue makes it taste even better. If you can’t procure any, the American stuff will work just fine; you will just have to call it “Mexican American Coke” instead. And if you can’t find or don’t feel like buying Absolut Cilantro, you can muddle some fresh cilantro with the...

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Posted by on Jul 20, 2013 in shaken | 0 comments

my mai tai

my mai tai

  I love rum. A lot. A great local tiki restaurant here in Columbus, Ohio has a drink called Rum and Happiness, and for me that pretty much describes any drink that has rum in it. This drink has three rums, so according to my math, that’s three times the happiness. Coconut is one of the aromatics in this recipe: one of the rums is infused with it, and the coconut water (which is one of the unique modifications I’ve made to make it my mai tai) adds another dimension of tropical nuttiness. If you can find raw coconut water, such as Harmless Harvest, all the better. my mai tai 1 cup dark and/or spiced rum ¾ cup coconut rum ½ cup citrus rum ¾ cup triple sec or mango vodka 1½ cups mango lemonade (or ¾ cup mango nectar plus ¾ cup lemonade) 1 cup orange juice 1 cup pineapple juice 2 cups raw coconut water (also may use flavored, such as mango, peach, or pineapple) one can lemon-lime soda or sparkling lemonade Add all ingredients...

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Posted by on Jul 11, 2013 in featured, shaken | 0 comments

shaken cocktails

shaken cocktails

  Using a cocktail shaker is much more than just a cool-looking way to mix a drink. It actually performs several important functions: Shaking with ice helps chill the mixture before pouring it into in a glass, so it’s ready to drink and doesn’t melt the ice in the glass as quickly. Shaking with ice also helps bruise or crush any herbs or other aromatics that you have added. This process helps release oils and other flavor-intense elements to produce a better-tasting cocktail. Most shakers have a built-in strainer in the lid that helps keep your drink neat by preventing the larger chunks of ice and ingredients from getting into the serving glass. Shaking also helps incorporate thicker liquids into the mixure more effectively, such as fruit juices, dairy products, egg, etc., producing a smoother cocktail. (Try my mai tai and see for yourself!) Because all of the recipes in this section use various aromatics that will benefit from this process, shaking will generally be preferable to stirring. (Stirring is thought to be a better...

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