Category: Beverages

I recently read an article (this one in New York magazine, I think?) about Laurent Tourondel’s “BLT Market” restaurant in New York and a cocktail that he serves there called a “Jackrabbit”. The article gave the ingredients (organic carrot juice, ginger simple syrup and vodka), but not the proportions, but I thought that I would give it a try. Boy has recently decided that he likes this organic carrot juice that is available at Costco, so I had it on hand, anyway. The final result was tasty and would be a great brunch alternative to a Bloody Mary or Screwdriver, but will definitely NOT be giving the Lime-Basil martini a run for its money. If you really like carrot juice, then you’ll love this cocktail. The drink is very sweet and filling, so I recommend serving it in very small cocktail glasses.

Jackrabbit cocktail

Makes eight 4-ounce drinks.

1 cup carrot juice
4 Tbsp ginger simple syrup (recipe follows)
3/4 cup vodka

Combine ingredients in a large cocktail shaker or lidded plastic container. Add a few handfuls of ice. Replace lid and shake until the liquid is well chilled and the outside of the container has condensation on it and is “frosty”. Strain the drink into small (4 oz) chilled cocktail glasses.

Ginger simple syrup

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 large “knob” of ginger – about 4 inches long

Peel ginger and chop coarsely. Combine water, sugar and ginger in a small saucepan and simmer until the liquid has evaporated a bit and started to become syrupy. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature. Pour into a lidded plastic container and refrigerate overnight. (You can use the syrup at this point, but the flavor will be better/stronger if the ginger “steeps” a little longer.) Strain to remove the ginger. Keep finished syrup in the refrigerator. Will last approximately 1 week.

The ginger simple syrup is also delicious if combined with vanilla-flavored vodka for a delicious holiday drink.

If you really like the flavor of carrot and ginger together, give this recipe a try.
Carrot-Ginger Bisque
My best friend and her husband serve this bisque EVERY single Thanksgiving. I made it one year and served it (VERY well pureed), as an appetizer/first course, in antique china teacups.

A batch of my burgeoningly famous Basil-Lime martinis, packed and ready for a friend’s recent party. I usually bring the glasses, too, because these are so potent that it’s best to keep the serving size small (refills don’t count, right?). Lately, I get asked to bring these to potluck functions, instead of food. Should I be offended?

Classic Dry Martini

1/4 cup gin (The better the gin, the better the martini. I like Tanqueray #10 or Bombay Sapphire.)
1 tsp. dry vermouth
2 good olives (I like big ones, stuffed with bleu cheese)

Shake gin and vermouth with ice cubes in cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives.

I was introduced to these by my buddy, Eileen. Having really good olives is key.
Yummy, but these pack quite a punch. You know the old saying:
Martinis are like boobs; one’s not enough and three is too many.

Lime Basil Gimlet, frosted glass, salty snacks…..it just doesn’t get much better.

Spring Break started 3 hours ago at Boy and Girl’s school. Boy and Girl are both spending the night away. TGIF, my friends……

Here’s the recipe, if any of you would like to start your Spring Break off similarly:
http://www.feedyourkids.com/2006/10/basillime_martini_this_is_not.html

Hubby and I went to a wine-tasting class at Whole Foods last night. I highly recommend their programs, if you are lucky enough to live close to a store with a Culinary Center. We went to a Family Cooking Night on Saturday and the kids made pasta and a sun-dried tomato and ricotta sauce. It was really yummy and lots of fun. So, the class last night covered lots of different wines, but our favorites were:

Nozzole Chianti Classico (Italy) – This was medium-bodied, with spicy hints of cherry and rosemary. I was wishing for a big plate of Spaghetti Bolognese to go with it.

Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva Rioja (Spain) – Beautiful color and subtle oak flavors. I thought I tasted a bit of caraway/celery flavor, too.

Ben Marco Malbec (Argentina) – VERY dark, smooth, full-bodied. Plum flavors.

Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon (California) – Mmmm…..full, rich, chocolate-y flavor.

Hubby and I have a decided preference for red wines, but this one was good, too:

Reinhold Haart Piesporter Spatlese Riesling (Germany). Normally, Rieslings are way too sweet for me, but this one was very good and spicy, even though “Spatlese”, we learned, means that the wine was made from the last grape harvest of the season, so the grapes are usually a little more mature and sweet. I actually bought a bottle of this and will serve it the next time we have something really spicy (Thai?) for dinner.