Festive/Party food - Day 3 - Drinks

How ever you plan to spend this Holiday, here is more recipes to add to the atmosphere and event!

Having good drinks at a party is for most of the people even more important than food, so here are some creatives to have on the list:

MY FAVORITE COCKTAILS

Modern Lemonade

This is one of my first cocktails. I tried it twenty years ago and the taste always bring back the memories of that time, people and some unforgettable parties. 

Cheers to all that great people that are now who knows where!

1 1/2 ounces sherry
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
4 tablespoons lemon juice
3 or 4 ice cubes
Twist lemon peel
Chilled club soda(optional)

Combine sherry, gin, sugar, lemon juice and ice cubes in a mixing glass or shaker and stir well. Strain into a highball glass, add the lemon peel. You can drink it this way or fill up with soda if you prefer. 

Lady joy

one of my favorites cocktails but men can't resist as well

 1 serving

 2/3 fluid ounce lemon or mango rum

 2/3 fluid ounce Blue Curacao

 6 fluid ounces champagne

 1 twist lemon zest, garnish

In a champagne flute, pour the lemon rum and blue curacao. Fill glass with champagne and garnish with a twist of lemon.

Blue Hawaiian Punch

1.75 Liter Malibu 

1 Liter Blue Curacao 

2 Quarts Pineapple Juice 

8 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix 

Mix all ingredients in a large punch bowl. 

Serve well chilled and garnish with pineapple wedges.

                                                          

Punches and bowls

Champagne bowl

serves 20, or 2 who don't care about their live(r)s

4 tbsp sugar
juice of 12 lemons
2 cups of brandy
1 cup curacao
2 bottles of chilled Champagne
16 oz. club soda
strawberries, orange slices

Stick one ice block in a punch bowl. Mix sugar with lemon juice and pour over the ice. Add brandy and curacao.
 Add Champagne and club soda. Garnish with fruits.

New Year's Sangria

makes 12 serving 

 2 navel oranges, thinly sliced

 2 lemons, thinly sliced

 2 limes, thinly sliced

 1 pear, cored and chopped

 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced

 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice

 1/2 cup white sugar

 1/2 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur

 1 cup white rum

 1/3 cup coconut-flavored rum

 2 cups orange juice

 2 (750 milliliter) bottles dry red wine, chilled

 1/2 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

 1/4 cup lemon juice

 2 tablespoons lime juice

 1 cup lemon-lime soda, chilled

Place the oranges, lemons, limes, pear, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple chunks and juice, and white sugar into a large bowl. Pour the Cointreau, white rum, coconut-flavored rum, and orange juice over the fruit. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Add the red wine, pink lemonade concentrate, lemon juice, and lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.

Before serving, add the chilled lemon-lime soda. Serve over ice, spooning the fruit into the glass with the liquid. Garnish with an orange slice or maraschino cherries.

Holiday Mimosa

Original recipe makes 6 drinks

 1/4 cup orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier®)

 2 tablespoons white sugar

 1 cup orange juice

 1  bottle of champagne, chilled

Pour the orange liqueur in a shallow bowl; put the sugar in a saucer. Dip just the rims of 6 glasses in the orange liqueur and then in the sugar to form a thin sugared rim.

Divide remaining orange liqueur and orange juice among the 6 prepared glasses. Top with champagne. Serve immediately.

****************************************************************

Rhumbar’s Hot Holiday Cocktail 

12 raspberries
3 orange wheels
4 Constant Comment tea bags
3 cups of Captain Morgan spiced rum
1 cup of rock candy syrup
3 cups water
Whipped cream

Served with a raspberry and a mint sprig 

Using a coffee pot, place the raspberries, orange wheels and tea bags in a coffee
filter. Add the rum, rock candy syrup and water to the coffee pot reservoir. Brew the ingredients. Pour into a glass mug and top with whipped cream, a raspberry and a mint sprig or garnish.

Gingerbread and espresso martini

This velvety smooth coffee and gingerbread cocktail is the perfect warmer for chilly days .

Vodka 50ml

espresso coffee 25ml, chilled

gingerbread syrup 15ml

coffee beans 3

Rim a chilled martini glass with cinnamon and sugar. Shake all the liquid ingredients together with some ice and strain into the glass. Add the coffee beans and serve.

Ginger Lemon Soda 

and other variations (e.g. Mint Lime Soda)

1 + 4 cups of water
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of yeast

First create a ginger syrup by bringing 1 cup of water, sugar and ginger to a boil and simmer  for 15 minutes. Strain it to remove ginger pieces and transfer to a 2-litres bottle. Add rest of the water, lemon juice and yeast. Close it with a lid, shake to combine and let it rest on a room temperature for two days. Refrigirate and drink.
Some diferent flavouring can be made by adding mint or lime instead of lemon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For this next recipe, real vanila bean infused in water instead of vanilla extract could be more genuine solution.


Italian cream soda - vanilla flavour 

1 l bottle                                    
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of yeast
Water

Pour 1/2 cups of sugar into a 1-litre bottle. Add vanilla extract and yeast. Fill the bottle with water, close it and shake until the ingredients have dissolved. Leave the bottle to sit at room temperature for about 48 hours. Do not leave finished cream soda in a warm place any longer than the time it takes for the bottle to feel hard, it might explode. Place bottle in refrigerator for 24-48 hours to stop fermentation and let the yeast settle.

You can serve it with an ice-cream on top.

Lavander/Rose variation

Other ladies favourite drink flavours dating from the middle ages are rose and lavender. If that's the case, you should soak lavender or rose petals (rose essence can be substituted, but it's not that genuine) in a water over night and than proceed as with a ginger.

Coffee drinks and cocktiails are on my Coffee page