Smooth and creamy, the Brandy Alexander is a delicious way to end the week. White and innocent in appearance, this “milkshake” is full of dark chocolate flavor with the benefit of a brandy kick. As an after dinner drink, or with dessert, the Alexander will soothe away any concerns that might be lingering and relax you into the weekend ahead.

The Brandy Alexander has been around for a long time and is believed to have been invented in the early 1920’s during prohibition. Bootleg liquor was not always known to be tasty, so drinks using creams and sweeteners became very popular.  As with any cocktail that dates back aways, there of course are differing stories as to the actual origin of the drink. One account is that the drink was created in London to celebrate the wedding of Princess Mary to Lord Lascelles. The story I prefer is that the drink originated in a premier New York City speakeasy and lobster palace, when a bartender by the name of Troy Alexander concocted his creation in order to be able to serve a white drink at a dinner celebrating Phoebe Snow. I know you are thinking this can not be correct, however we are not talking about the “Poetry Man” Phoebe, rather a fictitious character created for marketing campaigns by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. The company was promoting its use of anthracite, a clean burning coal to power its locomotives, and showed Miss Snow not afraid to travel in a snow-white dress and gloves. Interesting to me that the propaganda for clean coal is nothing new.

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Brandy Alexander

White and innocent in appearance, this “milkshake” is full of dark chocolate flavor with the benefit of a brandy kick.

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz brandy or cognac
• 1 ½ oz dark crème de cacao
• 1 ½ oz half-n-half

Instructions

• Measure all ingredients into a shaker filled half full of ice.
• Shake hard, and strain into a chilled martini glass.
• Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh ground nutmeg.

Notes

This drink is also sometimes blended with crushed ice and served frozen.

I wish everyone a great weekend no matter what you do.

Life is short, so try to make some time to relax.

I must confess, the warm sunny spring weather we are having lately is making me a bit thirsty. As I sat outside on the porch a couple of days ago enjoying the sun on my pale winter face, the thought of a margarita crept into my head. Then yesterday at the store, I saw a mountain of beautiful Ruby Red grapefruits, and suddenly I had a plan, Grapefruit Margarita’s. Well the plan worked brilliantly. The tart yet sweet flavor of the grapefruit works perfectly with the lime to make an amazingly fresh, well-rounded drink. I can’t wait to stir up a pitcher of these for some friends, maybe it is time to plan a backyard barbecue. In the mean time, I probably better test a few more myself, just to make sure.

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Grapefruit Margarita

A citrus version of the classic margarita.

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Jose Cuervo Silver Tequila
• ½ ounce Cointreau
• 2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice

Instructions

• Salt the rim of a martini glass.
• Add all ingredients into a shaker half full of ice.
• Shake well and strain into glass.
• Garnish with fresh grapefruit and lime.

I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful holiday weekend.

Life is short, make some time to relax and enjoy!

Few things seem to shout spring has arrived to me like fresh herbs, and what better way to savor the flavor of the season than with a Lemon Basil Martini.  Light and refreshing, this cocktail is a great way to leave the week behind and usher in the weekend. Who knows, it might even inspire you to plant a herb garden in your yard this year.

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Lemon Basil Martini

Light martini with the fresh garden flavor of basil

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 3-4 large basil leaves coarsely chopped
• 2-3 slices of lemon
• 1/2 oz. of simple syrup
• 3.5 oz. citron vodka
• Splash of orange flavored liquor
• Splash of Orange Juice

Instructions

• In a cocktail shaker, muddle chopped basil leaves with 2-3 slices of lemon.
• Add 1/2 oz. of simple syrup, vodka, and crushed ice.
• Shake vigorously.
• Strain mixture into a martini glass and serve.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Well here we are, the Friday before one of the most famous party holidays of the year. You might be surprised to know that while St. Patrick’s day is often thought to be one of the biggest drinking days of the year, it actually appears down the list a ways, with Thanksgiving eve ranking #1 among the hoisting holidays.

Because St Patrick’s day falls on a Sunday this year, you can expect that happy hour today will most likely kick off a three-day brawl for many. Bars and pubs will be shoulder to shoulder full of patrons dressed in green, speaking in tongues, and probably spilling about half as much of some green drink as they consume.  Sounds like a party I hate to miss, but since I have a fear of bag pipes…….. I guess I will be content to stay home.  But there is no reason I can not celebrate in my own fashion, with a Dublintini, that way if I get a wee bit flathered or knackered, I won’t have far to be a going.

December 15, 2018 – A little update to our post.  We are very excited to have had our drink included by USA TODAY in their Thanksgiving & CO. America’s Home for the Holidays drink guide.

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Dublintini

An Irish spin on the martini. This one will definitely get you in the mood for the wearin’ of the green.

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz Irish Whiskey
• 1 oz sour apple schnapps
• 2 oz white cranberry juice

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a shaker.
• Add ice and shake vigorously until your hands are frozen.
• Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a slice of fresh green apple.

And if you are going out, here are a few toasts that might come in handy:

May your home always be too small to hold your friends.

May you never forget what is worth remembering or remember what is best forgotten.

May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.

Here’s to you and yours and to mine and ours. And if mine and ours ever come across to you and yours, I hope you and yours will do as much for mine and ours as mine and ours would do for you and yours!

Here’s to a long life and a merry one.  A quick death and an easy one.  A pretty girl and an honest one.  A cold beer – and another one!

May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, but never catch up.

May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.

I hope every one enjoys a safe and fun weekend!  Sláinte!

The post TGIF with a Dublintini first appeared on James & Everett.]]> https://jamesandeverett.com/2013/03/15/tgif-with-a-dublintini/feed/ 0 2065 https://jamesandeverett.com/2013/03/01/tgif-with-a-brown-derby/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tgif-with-a-brown-derby https://jamesandeverett.com/2013/03/01/tgif-with-a-brown-derby/#comments Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:32:04 +0000 https://jamesandeverett.com/?p=1831 I guess it was a couple of weeks ago while doing a bit of research on the history of the Oscars that I stumbled upon this delight, the Brown Derby, an interesting, slightly sweet bourbon drink with a surprisingly fresh citrus finish. The Brown Derby …

I guess it was a couple of weeks ago while doing a bit of research on the history of the Oscars that I stumbled upon this delight, the Brown Derby, an interesting, slightly sweet bourbon drink with a surprisingly fresh citrus finish.

The Brown Derby became popular in the 1930’s in Hollywood, but not where you might guess.  The cocktail was actually created at a Tinsel Town hangout named the Vendome Club, a rival of the Brown Derby and a popular haunt of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, as well as many other famous stars.

 

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Brown Derby

Refreshing bourbon martini with a citrus sweet kick

Course Cocktails

Cuisine American

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Bourbon
• 1 1/2 ounces fresh Ruby Red Grapefruit juice
• 3 /4 ounce Honey Syrup

Honey Syrup

• 1 part honey
• 1 part water

Instructions

Honey Syrup

• Simmer together in a sauce pan until almost boiling.
• Allow to cool before using.
• Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Mix

• Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake to mix, strain, and serve up in a chilled cocktail glass.

 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Life is short, get out and have some fun!

The post TGIF with a Brown Derby first appeared on James & Everett.]]>

There is something very magical about the idea of a white Christmas, almost every mental image we have of this holiday includes drifts of frosting like snow.  Dreaming that I’ll be home for Christmas by arriving in a one horse open sleigh, traveling through a winter wonderland, only to find chestnut roasting on an open fire, is something that we have harmonized about for years.  And snowmen, sleigh bells  reindeer, and Santa all depend on piles of the white flakes.

This year is seems like a lot of the country may not have snow for Christmas.  I realize there are many parts of the world that never have seen a flake, and they are able to celebrate the holiday just fine. I guess I am just a dreamer when it comes to Christmas.  Well I guess if we are not going to have snow on the ground for the holiday, we can still have a White Christmas in glass.

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White Christmas Cocktail & Southern White Christmas

Creamy, dreamy and white. This holiday drink captures the flavors and feelings of the holidays.

Course Cocktails

Cuisine Holiday

Servings 4

Ingredients

White Christmas Cocktail

• 1 quart egg nog
• 1/2 cup white rum
• 1/2 cup white chocolate liqueur
• 1 cup whipped topping
• Grated white chocolate garnish
• Pumpkin pie spice garnish

Southern White Christmas

• 4 oz Eggnog chilled
• 1/2 oz White Chocolate Liqueur
• 1 oz Southern Comfort
• white chocolate flakes garnish

Instructions

White Christmas Cocktail

• In a large pitcher combine egg nog, rum and white chocolate liqueur.
• When you are ready to serve, whisk the egg nog to make it frothy and pour the mixture into cups. Place a heaping tablespoon of the whipped topping into each cup.
• Garnish each with the grated white chocolate and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice.

Southern White Christmas

• Stir together lightly in a martini glass or even a snifter.
• Top with white of dark chocolate flakes.

Notes

White Christmas Cocktail recipe from Sandra Lee

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It was not until I moved to the alpine environment of Dillon, Colorado that I had ever heard of Hot Spiced Wine.  Growing up on the plains in central Nebraska I personally had never been exposed to such a thing.  I am sure it existed (with all the ethnic diversity found in a rural farming community), and very well may have been a part our neighbors’ holiday traditions, however the knowledge of this drink had somehow escaped me.

Within hours on my first shift working at the ski resort, I was bombarded with requests for drinks that sounded very odd to me.  Glue wine?  Mold wine?  Neither sounded very good, and I could not help wondering why people would choose to drink something that contained adhesives and spores.  Of course my naive inquiry’s led to laughter (at my expensive of course), but I was quickly educated on this seemingly strange multi-named beverage, and after sampling it for myself, everything became clear.

Hot Spiced wine, Glühwein, Glögg, Gløgg,  Glögi, Mulled wine, Vin Chaud, Quentão, Svařené,  Vin Brulé,  Glintwein, and Caribou are just a sampling of some of the names this consumable pot of simmer potpourri goes by. The exact origin of the drink is unclear, but appears to date back as far as people have been making wine, and is thought that to have been invented by placing a red-hot fire poker into a glass of wine to kill the bacteria (early fermenting processes left a lot to be desired).  Fruits and herbs were added to enhance the taste. The drink was also considered a digestive, and a way to warm the soul on the long dark winter days.

Not long after making the transition from a flat-lander to a mountain boy, hot spiced wine became part of one of my winter traditions, the making of holiday wreaths.   I discovered that I enjoyed the aromatic and warming effects of a glass of mulled wine after returning from gathering boughs and branches in the forest behind my house.

Few things I have ever experienced are as wonderful to me as spending time in the winter woods.  There is a deafening silence that’s only broken by the crunch of snow under foot, and the sound of your own breath that brings a complete sense of tranquility. I find solitude while at the same time feel somehow embraced by the needled giants that surround me. It is one of my favorite place to be, and maybe that is part of the reason I started making my wreaths, as an excuse to go into the woods.

I was delighted to share this tradition with my good friend and kindred spirit Kathy.  With empty packs on our backs and armed with our clippers and cross-country skis, we would head out of the back of the house across the small meadow into the woods.  Fall scouting missions had mentally marked the spots for the best blue spruce and jack pine boughs, holly and mistletoe, and willow branches.  After carefully trimming each plant so as not to cause harm or visible damage, we would offer thanks to each of them for their contribution, and rush back home to a pan of simmering hot spiced wine.

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Hot Spiced Wine

A warming aromatic and festive drink of red wine and spices.

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Servings 24

Ingredients

• 2 bottles Merlot or other fruity red
• 1 bottle Chablis or other sweet white
• 8 ounces cognac or brandy
• 2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar or more to your liking
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 orange sliced
• 1 lemon sliced
• 1 apple sliced
• 1 cup raisin
• 1 cup blanched almonds
• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla pod
• 25 whole cloves
• 20 cardamom seeds
• 4 star anise
• 2 tablespoon whole allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon mace

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer for at least one hour before serving.
• Ladle into cups and garnish with an orange twist and a cinnamon stick.
• Add water as needed if the wine becomes thick.

Notes

There are as many different recipes for hot spiced wine as there are pots to cook it in. This is simply my version that I have adapted over time that I think you might like. As with many recipes, this is merely a map to get you started, feel free to add, omit, or adjust any of the ingredients to your personal taste.

I like to make a sachet with cheese cloth to hold all of the spices to prevent small pieces in the drinks.

One winter I made a wreath and sent it to my sister which she hung on the front of her house for the holidays. About the end of January she had decided that enough was enough, and as much as she had enjoyed the fresh wreath it was time for it to go. When she went to remove the wreath, she discovered that a house wren had built a nest in the wreath, and to her surprise there was a baby hatch-ling and several eggs, so she snapped a quick picture and left everything untouched. The wren family lived in the wreath until the babies were big enough to fly away. I don’t think I could have ever received a bigger compliment on a wreath than this!

Crisp and sparkling the Noel Spritzer heralds the season in style. Bubbly, fresh, and light, this festive drink is the perfect thing to serve at your holiday mixer.

December 15, 2018 –  A little update to our post, we are very excited to have had our drink included by USA TODAY in their Ultimate Christmas Dinner recipe compilation.

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Noel Spritzer

Crisp and sparkling the Noel Spritzer heralds the season in style. Bubbly, fresh, and light, this festive drink is the perfect thing to serve at your holiday mixer.

Course Cocktails

Cuisine Holiday

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1 part chilled chardonnay
• 2 parts chilled cran-apple juice
• 1 part chilled sparkling water
• apple slice and mint sprig for garnish

Instructions

• Mix wine, juice, and water in a pitcher or punch bowl.
• Pour over ice and garnish with apple slice and a sprig of fresh mint.
• Freeze some of the Noel Spritzer in a mold to use for the ice in your punch bowl.

Notes

This recipe can be adjusted for any size group.  Mix individual drinks or make a punch bowl full of the festive beverage.

Chocolate and mint, the combination that reminds me the most of the holidays. This flavor duo brings to me the sensation of icy cold air filling my lungs on a winter’s night wrapped up in my warmest woolen sweater. Maybe it was the years I spent working at the ski resort, and the thousands of these hot cups of goodness that we served, but I find this treat is still one of my favorite ways to warm up after ice skating under a blanket of stars or playing outside on a snowy day.

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Peppermint Patty

Here are two versions of this classic chocolate and minty drink. Whichever strikes your mood; I think you will find they are both wonderful.

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

Hot Mug

• 1 ounce peppermint schnapps
• ½ ounce dark crème de cacao
• hot chocolate
• whipped cream optional

Martini

• 1 ounce White Godiva liqueur
• 1 ounce White Crème de Menthe
• ½ ounce Green Crème de Menthe
• Chocolate syrup for drizzling

Instructions

Hot Mug

• Pour schnapps and creme de cacao into a mug.
• Fill with hot chocolate, and top with whipped cream.
• Garnish with a candy cane, drizzle of Crème de Menthe, or colored sprinkles.

Martini

• Combine White Godiva Liqueur and White Crème de Menthe and shake.
• Pour into a martini glass.
• Float ½ ounce Green Crème de Menthe and drizzle chocolate syrup on top.

Even though the Peppermint Patty is named after the candy, I like to think that Charlie Brown’s baseball buddy Patricia would most certainly find this her drink of choice.

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Ultimate Hot Chocolate

The creamiest smooth chocolaty cocoa ever!

Course Cocktails, Drinks

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 split vanilla bean
• 10 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate cut into small pieces
• Whipped cream and Chocolate shavings

Instructions

• Heat milk to scalding in a medium saucepan.
• Add cinnamon, mint, or vanilla, if desired. Let steep 10 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat; strain, and return to saucepan.
• Reheat milk; using a whisk, stir in chocolate until melted and milk is frothy.
• Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream garnished with chocolate shavings.

For many of us, the weekend after Thanksgiving marks the “official” beginning of the holiday season. Folks seem to really swing into action running through malls searching for gifts, and neighbors with boxes of tangled lights are climbing ladders. Everyone is suddenly on the move. Perhaps it’s our subconsciousness way of trying to burn the excess calories that we ingested the past few days and the new-found feeling of freedom from hours spent with family that gives us this burst of energy. Or maybe it’s our awareness of the lack of time before large men in red suits start climbing down our chimneys, whatever the reason, people are bustin’ a move.

I think this weekend is the perfect time to kick back and watch the hustle from a safe distance with a warm and soothing holiday cocktail, a hot apple pie. Made with Tuaca and spiced cider, this festive drink will help you escape the madness. After a few of these tasty beverages, you just might come up with the perfect gift ideas for those on your holiday shopping list, or plan the ultimate outdoor lighting extravaganza. Just leave the credit cards in your wallet, and the ladder in the garage. Relax, there is still plenty of time.

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Hot Apple Pie

This festive cocktail tastes amazingly like a piece of apple pie, freshly baked right out of the oven. It puts all the comfort of being wrapped up in a warm blanket right in a mug, and is the perfect way to relax after a hectic day of holiday preparation.

Course Cocktails

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces Tuaca
• 4 ounces hot apple cider
• whipped cream optional, but tasty
• cinnamon stick and nutmeg for garnish

Instructions

• Place Tuaca and hot cider in a mug.
• Top with whipped cream, garnish with cinnamon stick and nutmeg.
• Enjoy!