a food journal
Summer time, and the livin’s easy….
The summer days are fleeting! We have to soak up every second before pumpkin spice invades all aspects of our lives. This coming from the person who just ordered her very first pumpkin coffee of the year yesterday. Shame on me, right? I hate myself just a smidge for that….
Who wants a pretty cocktail?
Me! I do! I hope your hand is raised, too, because not only is today’s cocktail PRETTY and DELICIOUS, but it helped me through some nerve-wracking television as well. I’ll explain that in a bit.
Are you a lemon fan? I know I’ve said this a bunch of times already, but I SO AM. I love lemons. If it weren’t for my husband’s aversion, I’d have something lemon-flavored for every meal. Sweet, savory, and everything in between. If it has lemon in it, it’s usually good in my book. I can’t even tell you how many arguments over lemon we’ve had in my house. They usually go something like this: “Ew, there’s lemon in this.” “Yeah, duh, because it’s the best flavor in the universe.” “No, no, it isn’t.” “You’re dumb.” The end….
Are you ready for the springiest of spring cocktails?
Wednesday calls for cocktails. And right now, I am DEMANDING spring. This cocktail is beyond necessary…and appropriate. This whole in-between-seasons stuff is getting on my last nerve. I either want it to be cold and snowy or warm and sunny. Things around here have been gray, gray, gray…with temperatures topping off in the 40s and 50s and still cooling down to the 20s! Not fun. I am dying to take the baby for a walk every day, and I feel like I can’t quite do that yet with this weather. We’ve squeezed a few in here and there on sunny days, but I’m still experiencing some heavy duty cabin fever.
Anyway. While I wait for spring to hit me full force, I’ll drown my seasonal sorrows in this amazingly refreshing, totally-seasonally-appropriate cocktail. It’s perfect for April Fools with it’s intense green color, too. Ya know, in case you want to tell someone you’re serving chilled slime for cocktail hour. Hopefully that didn’t just turn you off from trying this. Even I can admit that color is….well, I said it already and I’ll say it again: INTENSE. It’s good, though! Promise!
It’s been a few years since my first cucumber cocktail, and it seems that they are all the rage these days. Most menus include a cucumber variation of some kind, and I am usually tempted to order it. I adore the bright flavor of cucumber, and pairing it with vodka and a little sweetness makes it even better (really, though, ANYTHING would get a little better with some vodka and sweetness. Right?).
It all starts with some homemade cucumber-infused vodka, which is SO good on its own. I tasted it just because I was curious, and the cucumber freshness totally cuts down on the hard alcohol punch. It’s divine just shaken over ice. But I couldn’t leave well enough alone, and so I went ahead and made a fresh cucumber juice to shake up with the vodka. Fresh cucumber juice is really easy to make, and as long as you give yourself a little chilling time in the fridge, it makes marvelous cocktails. You could add it to all sorts of things: mojitos are the first thing that come to mind. Lemonade even…for a virgin mixer. Heck, if you love cucumbers as much as I do, you could even drink it plain over some crushed ice. This stuff is really wonderful. So fresh, so yummy, and packed with spring flavor and color.
Man. I brought up the color again. I should stop doing that.
1 (750-mL) bottle of plain vodka
1 large English cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 large English cucumber
2 cups water
½ cup sugar
Pinch of fine salt
1 cup of the cucumber juice
½ cup of the cucumber vodka
2 tablespoons melon-flavored vodka (optional – I used Van Gogh)
Juice of 1 lime
Sliced cucumber, for garnish
Place the cucumber in a large mason jar. Pour the vodka over top and seal the lid on the jar. Allow the vodka to sit at room temperature for at least 3 days and up to 2 weeks. Strain out the cucumbers and discard. Chill the vodka before using in drinks.
Chop the cucumbers into small pieces.
Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and then add in the chopped cucumber. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the cucumber is very tender. Allow to cool slightly.
Add the cucumber mixture to a blender and puree until completely smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the pulp and transfer the liquid to a mason jar or other resealable container. Chill the juice until ready to use.
To a shaker filled with ice, add the vodkas, cucumber juice, and lime juice. Shake vigorously until well mixed and chilled. Pour into chilled martini glasses and garnish with sliced cucumber. Serve immediately!
I have another cocktail recipe for you today. It’s a doozy. A boozy doozy. Hah. I think I’m funny.
Moving on…
Recently, while picking up some of my favorite beer at our local store, I discovered this:
Without hesitation, I picked up a bottle and bought it. No second thoughts. No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. I knew only delicious things could come out of this purchase.
On my short drive home, the wheels in my head were already turning, and I knew that I needed to try a twist on a classic espresso martini. It was kind of a “duh” moment.
I wanted to play on the cinnamon spice of the booze, so I kicked things up a bit with more cinnamon and fresh ginger….and a sweet dollop of cinnamon whipped cream (for those of you who know me well, you know this is a big deal for me. I generally do NOT like whipped cream on anything…except recently on coffee drinks. I know. It’s weird).
The result was heavenly: it was packed with coffee flavor and the warm spice of the season. I knew it was a drink that all coffee lovers could enjoy. Booze in coffee is just…the best. I don’t know why but it just makes everything about drinking coffee seem more special. Or maybe more risqué? Am I right?
Personally, I find the sweetness of Kahlua to be plenty, but if your sweet tooth isn’t satisfied, you could easily add in some simple syrup or agave nectar to the mix. Just make sure you taste as you go – because the Kahlua, chocolate liqueur, AND whipped cream provide a healthy dose of sweetness.
This is the perfect drink to end your night…I recommend serving this with dessert or AS dessert alone! It meets the criteria. I, for one, love dessert-y drinks after a meal. They meet my need for sweetness but without overdoing it.
Although, I could see myself easily “overdoing it” with these. Delicious.
Spiced Chocolate Espresso Martini with Cinnamon Whipped Cream (makes 2 servings)
For the Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cinnamon spice Kahlua liqueur
For the Martini:
⅔ cup freshly brewed espresso, cooled slightly
⅓ cup cinnamon spice Kahlua liqueur
⅓ cup plain vodka
2 tablespoons chocolate liqueur (I used Godiva)
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
Splash of heavy cream
Espresso beans, for garnish
For the Whipped Cream: place the cream in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or you can do it with a hand-held mixer, or if you’re really hardcore, by hand using a whisk). Beat the cream until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and liqueur. Continue whipping until soft peaks form, about 4-5 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to use (do not do this too far ahead or your cream will “deflate”).
Combine all the ingredients for the martini (except the espresso beans) in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain the mixture into two chilled martini glasses and garnish each glass with a dollop of the whipped cream and a couple of espresso beans. Serve!
