WHITE RUSSIAN

I was eating ice cream again today when I came across this idea. As a result, I did a bit of research, and discovered this article;

View Article Here

fortunately, if you cram ice cream full of alcohol, it won't freeze. If only there were a way... Meet Valerie Lum and Jenise Addison. They figured out how to stabilize the alcohol using gelatin. After countless nights of trial and error these two awesome women (who should win Nobel Prizes) have come up with a system that will allow you to incorporate a cup of 80 proof booze into a quart of ice cream. That nets ice cream that's approximately 13-percent alcohol by volume. The duo came up with 50 recipes for boozy ice creams and sorbets in their book Ice Cream Happy Hour. 

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 packet (1 tablespoon) gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2/3 cup cold (refrigerated) vodka
• 2/3 cup cold (refrigerated) Kahlúa

Procedure 

View video Here

Notes 

• You want to scald the milk/cream/sugar mixture, not boil or simmer it. Overheating the milk may cause curdling.

• The reason for the tempering is that if you add the eggs to the hot milk too quickly they can cook, which would give you chunks of egg yolks in your ice cream. No bueno.

• Once the custard is made, you have to let it cool and set in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. Patience, my friend (or advanced planning, at the very least).

• The strainer is important, especially when you're transferring the booze/gelatin mix into the custard. Ideally, it won't have solidified much, but there will almost certainly be some very strong-tasting chunks that you don't want to end up in your ice cream.

• This stuff is ready to eat straight out of the ice cream maker, but if you want it to be a little firmer, then you can put it in the freezer for a bit, as in the video.

Now the only question would be ... how creative can you get? 

CHOCOLATE MOOSE

I was craving a milkshake earlier today + wanted to experiment with some basic ingredients. Long story short, I came up with this: 

Drink

Chocolate Moose

Origin 

There probably is a real milkshake that goes by a fancier name with a monumental historic past attached to it, but for the sake of feeling "original", this idea came to me while debating what to cook for lunch.

Glassware 

I used a glass mug however, you can get away with a Collins glass.

Ingredients 

• Chocolate Ice Cream 
• Milk
• Bailey's Cream (I used Jamaican Rum Cream) 
• Chocolate (for garnishing) 

Procedure 

1.    Put glassware into freezer to chill 

2.    Put 3 scoops of ice cream into blender 

3.    Pour 8oz of milk into blender 

4.    Pour 2oz of Rum Cream into blender and blend.

5.    Pour contraption into glass/mug, garnish with a piece of chocolate and enjoy. (Makes one drink - roughly 10oz/300ml)

HOW TO: OPEN A BOTTLE OF WINE - WITHOUT A CORKSCREW

Excellent advice for the next time you're in a hurry.

HOW TO: MUDDLE

First, let me explain to those whom are not familiar with the term "muddling".

Muddling is a bartending/mixology term for crushing fruits or herbs to release their full flavour into a cocktail in the same way a chef would use a pestle and mortar to prepare food ingredients.

And now a short in-depth tutorial from CHOW on how to do it...the RIGHT way.

Interesting 

Muddle away mes amis!

B&B

Drink

Brandy & Benedictine


Origin 

By Tim Rodgers

"Last year (2011) marked the 500th anniversary that the French Benedictine Monk Dom Bernardo Vincelli concocted Benedictine.   It was lost over the annals of time before another French merchant discovered the Benedictine recipe that is is a subtle alchemy of 27 different plants and spices.  According to the producers of (B&B) Benedictine D.O.M. in 1863, in the process of sorting out some very old family papers, a wine merchant in Fécamp, with the evocative name of Alexandre Le Grand, came across an old recipe book that has been tucked away in his library for years.  Although he had extensive knowledge on how to produce wine and spirits, it took him years to unravel the secret recipe of the monk Vincelly. He also chose to keep the indication D.O.M.,  the motto of the Benedictines standing for Deo Optimo Maximo (God infinitely good, infinitely great). It also refers to the Latin word Dominus (Master) given to Benedictine abbots.

Even today, the recipe for Benedictine is a closely guarded secret.  On a side note, I think Benedictine is used to make a Singapore Sling.  But I prefer mixing it with Brandy.  Essentially, what we know as B&B today was invented in the 1930′s by a bartender in the famous Club Twenty One in New York who thought to mix this interesting Benedictine Liqueur with Brandy. Thus, B&B as we know it was invented.  It was originally 86 proof up until the late 1970′s and today it is an even 80 proof spirit.

I was first introduced to B&B some time ago amongst some family members with a slight dusting of alcoholism who sought to run up the bar tab at some function.  Not having much of a developed palate at the time and being relatively young, I still enjoyed the liqueur.  The sweet and spice of the Benedictine really enhanced the nice burn of the cognac.  Today, B&B is one of my favorite after dinner drinks."

 Early bottle of S.A. Fecamp Brandy & Benedictine

Glassware 

• Cordial Glass

Cordial glasses small, stemmed glasses generally used to serve after-dinner liqueurs. Alternatively, they may be used to serve drinks at a party, reception or other gathering. The use of fine cordial glasses lends a touch of elegance to any gathering.

Cordial glasses are smaller than a typical wine glass, holding approximately one and a half ounces (± 45 ml) and are often (though certainly not always) made with thinner, more delicate glass.

Cordial glasses are also (incorrectly) known as pony glasses; a pony glass is not stemmed, despite holding the same amount of liquid, and is more commonly known as a Shot glass.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 oz brandy
• 1/2 oz Benedictine herbal liqueur

Preparation 

1. Pour Benedictine in cordial glass 
2. Float brandy on top of Benedictine without mixing
3. Serve 

AMERICANO

Drink 

Americano

Origin 

This not-too-strong drink is the first cocktail James Bond orders in Ian Fleming's first-ever Bond book, Casino Royale. In later books, he famously switches to martinis, and the Americano has been largely forgotten as a Bond drink. The Americano was created in the 1860s in Italy and was originally named the Milano-Torino because it was made with the bitter red liqueur Campari, which comes from Milan, and the red vermouth , which comes from Turin. Bartenders noticed that the drink was particularly popular with visiting Americans, so they renamed it the Americano, and the name stuck.

Let your mates drink their Jäger bombs and have yourself a classy man's drink. Don't worry, Bond approves. 

Glassware 

• Collins glass 

Ingredients 

• 1 oz. Martini & Rossi Rosso Vermouth 
• 1 oz. Campari 
• Club Soda 
• Lemon or Orange (garnishing)

PREPARATION

1. Pour the Campari + Vermouth into a highball glass filled with ice
2. Add a splash of club soda
3. Garnish with an orange or lemon twist 

Try making one yourself, or order one the next time you're at the bar for some European greatness.


*Drink responsibly* 

APPLETINI

Drink

Apple Martini

Origin 

Well... there really is not a definite history for the Appletini, simply because it is a variation of a basic martini. So... yea *shrugs*

Glassware 

• Cocktail Glass

A cocktail glass is a stemmed glass which has a cone-shaped bowl which is rounded or completely flat on the bottom and placed upon a stem above a flat base. Though they are often referred to as martini glasses, they differ from martini glasses in that they have smaller, narrower bowls with rounded or flat bottoms, while martini glasses generally have larger, wider bowls which are fully conical at the bottom.
It is mainly used to serve cocktails. Its form derives from the fact that all cocktails are traditionally served chilled and contain an aromatic element. Thus, the stem allows the drinker to hold the glass without affecting the temperature of the drink, and the wide bowl places the surface of the drink directly under the drinker's nose, ensuring that the aromatic element has the desired effect.

A standard cocktail glass contains 4.5 US fluid ounces (13 cl).

Ingredients 

• 1 part of Vodka
• 1 part of Apple Schnapps
• 1 splash of dry Vermouth

Preparation 

1. Add ingredients to shaker with ice
2. Strain into a chilled glass
3. Garnish with an apple slice 

TOM COLLINS

Drink

Tom Collins 

Origin

Most people know that a Tom Collins is a type of gin cocktail made with lemon juice, soda water, and sugar.

But you probably never knew that it's named after a really lame joke from 1874.

Here's how it went: A man would approach his friend and ask, "Have you seen Tom Collins?"

"Why no!" the second man would say. "I have never made his acquaintance."

"Perhaps you had better do so, and as quick as you can, for he is talking about you in a very rough manner — calling you hard names, and convincing people there is nothing you wouldn't steal short of a red-hot stove."

This would upset the second man, who would stomp off to go looking for this rascal Tom Collins, but — twist! — he didn't actually exist.

It's a pretty lame joke, but it went viral and became all the rage in New York and Philadelphia. It was so popular, in fact, that it was dubbed "The Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874."

Seriously — some newspapers at the time even printed stories containing false sightings of Tom Collins, and several songs were written that memorialized the joke.

Eventually, one intrepid bartender caught on and named a drink "Tom Collins" so that if anyone came rushing into his bar seeking revenge and asking for Tom Collins, they would unknowingly have ordered a tall gin drink instead.

Oh, and just to remind you what people looked like in 1874, this was the height of fashion:

(article by Megan Willett)

Glassware 

• Collins Glass 

No...it's not that "one mug" you have tucked away in your cabinet for special drinking occasions. A collins glass is a glass tumbler which typically contains 300-410mL (10-14 fluid ounces). It used primarily to serve mixed drinks, especially, as you've probably guessed, Tom Collins cocktails. It's cylindrical in shape and narrower than a highball glass. 

Typical Collins glass 

Ingredients 

• 1 Whole Lemon
• Sugar 
• Gin
• Shaker 
• Ice Cubes
• Carbonated water or soda (7up, Sprite) 
• Stir Stick
• Cherry (for decoration) 

Preparation  

1. Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze juice into shaker. 
2. Add one teaspoon (tsp.) of sugar to shaker. 
3. Add 2 ounces of Gin to shaker.
4. Shake with ice and strain into collins glass.
5. Add several ice cubes, fill with carbonated water, and stir. 
6. Decorate with slices of lemon, orange, and a cherry. 
7. Serve with straw. 

Annnnnd your done. 

Now you can show all your friends how cool you are. 

- Enjoyeth and drink responsibly. 

SEA BREEZE

Drink 

Sea Breeze

Origin 

In Dale Degroff's  book, The Craft of the Cocktail, he says that "The Sea Breeze was created as a promotion by the Ocean Spray Company in the 60's to take advantage of the growing popularity of vodka. They even participated in the release of a new spirit product called Tropico (not to be confused with today's Bacardi Tropico) that was a blend of Don Cossack vodka and cranberry juice. The Seagram Company used the Sea Breeze to promote its aged Ancient Golden Gin in the 60's and set the stage for the tremendous popularity of the Cosmopolitan."

Glassware 

A highball glass, a glass tumbler, contains 8 to 12 fluid ounces (240 to 350 ml). It is used to serve highball cocktails and other mixed drinks.

A highball glass is taller than an Old Fashioned glass, and shorter and wider than a Collins glass.

Ingredients 

• 1 3/4 oz vodka
• 3 oz cranberry juice
• 1 oz grapefruit juice
• Grapefruit slice for garnish

Preparation 

1. Pour the vodka and cranberry juice into a highball glass with ice cubes.
2. Stir well.
3. Top off with the grapefruit juice.
4. Garnish with the grapefruit slice.