Tag Archives: celery

Ice Cubes That Are Everything But Boring

Cocktails / June 15, 2017 / No Comments.

Screen Shot 2017-06-14 at 2.49.31 PMMy girlfriend and I were planning our first visit to her family’s home in another state. In preparation, girlfriend’s mom called girlfriend to ask what kind of things I like, so she could stock up and make it a comfortable visit for me. Very sweet of her. My girlfriend’s answer was … ice.

My now-mother-in-law might have thought I was insane, but if so, she kept it well hidden. And, sure enough, the freezer was packed to the brim with ice cubes when we arrived.

It’s true: I use a lot of ice. Love the stuff. I want my cocktails packed with ice to the brim. I want my cooler full of so much ice that my hand goes numb while I’m fishing around for a beer.

So I appreciate any innovations in the ice game. Like those frozen-coffee ice cubes for your iced coffee, which are brilliant.

And now: flavored ice cubes for your summer cocktail, courtesy of those geniuses at People Magazine. I thought identifying the Sexiest Man Alive was People’s best idea ever, but they’ve outdone themselves with this one.

My favorite is ginger-cucumber ice cubes for your mojito:

Add ¼ cup thinly sliced seedless cucumbers to ice cube tray. Stir together 1 tbsp. grated ginger and 1 cup water; pour over cucumber, and freeze. Serve in a mojito.

The honey-lemon cubes are a close second, though.

Dissolve 1/2 cup honey and 1 cup hot water then let cool. Stir in 2 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice and sliced lemon peel. Pour it into your tray and freeze. Serve with bourbon or iced tea.

For more options, check out people.com. People, this ice aficionado thanks you.

Image via People.com

Top 10 Cocktail Garnishes, Ranked

Cocktails / April 26, 2017 / 3 Comments.

giphyWe’re about to get to the important business of ranking cocktail garnishes. But first, a few ground rules.

Rule #1: We’re talking about edible cocktail garnishes. We can debate the relative merits of cocktail umbrellas and those little plastic animals/choking hazards in your scorpion bowl another day.

Rule #2: If it’s on your spice rack, it doesn’t count. Sorry, salt and cinnamon rims.

Rule #3: No novelty garnishes. Because it’s clearly unfair to make fruit and vegetables compete against cheeseburgers.

Now let’s do this.

10. Celery
I guess you can stir your drink with it? Other than that, it tastes bad and it physically gets in the way of drinking the Bloody Mary you desperately need. Awful garnish.

9. Orange
Orange slices are for children’s soccer games, not cocktails.

8. Onion
I don’t understand why cocktail onions exist, but I’m willing to learn.

7. Lemon
Lemons, perhaps the most common drink garnish, are way overrated. Have you ever been truly excited there was a lemon in your drink? No.

6. Pineapple
A pineapple garnish means you’re at a tiki bar with some big, colorful, tropical drink in front of you. Nice work.

5. Cucumber
A wheel of cucumber on the rim of your drink instantly makes you 46% more classy. It’s science.

4. Cherry
Maraschino cherries are delicious. It’s like a free dessert with your drink.

3. Mint
What makes mojitos and mint juleps so great? Booze, yeah, but also mint. It gives the drink a unique flavor and it looks all cool and leafy.

2. Olive
We salute you, person who decided to plunk some olives in a glass of booze and call it a martini.

1. Lime
Coronas, cosmos, margaritas, mojitos, vodka-sodas, gin-and-tonics, rum-and-cokes… Lime makes so many drinks better, which is why we’re crowning it America’s Top Garnish.

The Very Best of Vegetable Cocktails

Cocktails / October 1, 2014 / No Comments.

Beauty-Aida-Mollenkamp-Carrot-Orange-Margarita-Cocktail-Recipe-vCocktails take their form in many different shapes and sizes, not to mention in an assortment of ingredients. You’ve probably sipped on something containing fruit, maybe herbs, or perhaps an edible flower, but we’re guessing you’ve never had a straight-vegetable based beverage (ok, besides a Bloody Mary). For World Vegetarian Day, we want to stop neglecting veggies by offering you few simple recipes involving a variety of vegetable components. Unlike a salad, there’s no dressing involved here, only alcohol—so let’s get started.

Carrot Mimosa (1 serving)

  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup chilled carrot juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 1/2 cup dry sparkling wine
  • carrot stems or parsley sprigs for garnish

Add the carrot juice and sparkling wine to a champagne flute. Stir gently. Garnish with the carrot stems and/or parsley sprigs and serve immediately.

Celery-Cilantro Cocktail (1 serving)

  • 2 small pieces of celery
  • 1/3 cup packed cilantro
  • 1 ½ oz. citrus vodka
  • 1 oz. fresh lime juice
  • 1 oz. simple syrup
  • ice

In a cocktail mixer, muddle celery and cilantro together. Add the ice, vodka, lime juice and simple syrup and shake well. Strain contents in a glass filled with ice. Garnish with celery greens and cilantro. Enjoy.

Bell Pepper Cocktail (1 serving)

  • 4 rings of any color bell pepper (we chose yellow)
  • 2 tsp. fresh mint
  • 3 oz. grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 oz. lemon juice
  • 3 oz. vodka
  • 1 ½ oz. Chartreuse

Muddle together the four rings of yellow bell pepper and mint. Add grapefruit juice, lemon juice, vodka, and chartreuse. Shake for at least 30 seconds, and then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a ring of bell pepper and drink up.

Beet Martini (1 serving)

  • 2 ¼ oz. vodka
  • 1/2 oz. fresh beet juice
  • salt
  • pepper
  • beet slice/olive for garnish

Line the rim of a chilled martini class with a mixture of sea salt and crushed black pepper. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add vodka and fresh beet juice. Shake well and then strain into a glass. Garnish with a sliced beet/cocktail olive.

 

Have another drink in mind that gives you a daily dose of vegetables? Let us know below!

Photo