Tag Archives: vodka

Spicy Bloody Mary in recognition of one more day of the weekend.

I was recommended this Vermouth on first visit to a  Whole Foods. I was lost and asked if they had Vermouth and was blown away when the answer was, “Well, My favorite is over here.” I will always be sucker for high-quality, hand-crafted Vermouth and, sadly, am still surprised when I find people who feel the same.

Sutton Cellars Brown Label Vermouth is a yummy Vermouth. It’s sweet smelling and tastes of gingerbread.

I really liked it in a “wet” vodka martini (3 of vodka, 1 of vermouth) with olive garnish. In a Hendrick’s Gin martini I thought the flavors conflicted unpleasantly.

I really like the Sutton Cellar’s Brown Label. My only gripe is that I wish it was available in half bottles so I needn’t worry about the open bottle turning funky. I do my part but can only drink so many Martinis.

Find this at Whole Foods stores or order it from the winemaker.

Combine the following in a shaker ⅔ full of ice

1½ ounces vodka
½ ounce triple sec
½ fresh lime juice
ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce cranberry juice cocktail

Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a slice of lime.

This makes rich and sweet version of a cosmo. Don’t skimp on the fresh juices, they make a big difference.

Adapted from Atomic Cocktails: Mixed Drinks for Modern Times

Bloody Marys are a standard at weekend brunches and they’re hard to mess up but as far as I’m concerned this is the recipe to beat.

Combine the following in a shaker ⅔ full of ice…

2 ounces vodka
4 ounces tomato juice
1 ounce fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Generous pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 dashes of Worcestershire suce
2 dashes of Tabasco sauce

Shake well and strain into a chilled highball glass (the hurricane shown here is impressive as well). Garnish with a stalk of celery and a slice of lime.

Adapted from William-Sonoma: The Bar Guide

Grab a Hurricane Glass Set from Amazon.

Combine following in a shaker ⅔ full of ice

2 ounces citrus vodka
½ ounce triple sec
½ ounce cranberry juice cocktail
½ fresh lime juice

Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a slice of lime.

This makes a drier, less sweet version of a cosmo. Often we even skip the citrus vodka and use an unflavored vodka.

Adapted from William-Sonoma: The Bar Guide

Stir ingredients together in your ice filled glass.

1 ounce of vodka
1 ounce of blue curaçao
top off glass with lemonade

This is a great drink for parties. Everyone loves a blue drink plus they’re trivial to assemble. The ingredients can be put out and people can mix their own making them stronger or weaker to their taste.

Recipe adapted from The Book of Cocktails

You can get your own cocktail mermaids from Amazon: Plastic Cocktail Drink Mermaids

Sugar the rim of a martini glass. Shake with ice:

1½ ounces of vodka
2 ounces of fresh lemon juice
1 ounce of fresh orange juice
superfine sugar to taste (1½ – 3 teaspoons)

Strain into the prepared martini glass.

Garnish with a lemon slice.

These are so fresh and smooth, not at all like the syrupy messes served up at so many bars.

Recipe adapated from Highballs High Heels: A Girls Guide to the Art of Cocktails

Shake with ice:

Strain into a chilled martini glass.

I like to garnish with a skewered olive, cocktail onion and a Tomolive (pickled green tomato). I call it a “Triple” or “Garnir de Trois.” It’s very much worth trying.

This martini has what many would consider a shocking quantity of Vermouth but the truth is that most Vermouth tastes awful. Vya Vermouth is made by Quady and is quite lovely. If you sniff your current vermouth it will probably make you gag.