Cocktails

Tart Cherry Margaritas

July 2, 2014 by Erica

It is definitely cherry season! Have you noticed huge displays of cherries popping up all over the place?

I am a sucker for big, beautiful displays of fruit. But even better, I recently realized that there are quite a few cherry trees in Salt Lake. Last week, multiple co-workers brought cherries into the office to share. And I couldn’t believe my luck on a neighborhood walk the other night when we happened upon a neighbor’s tree full of the ripest, juiciest cherries I’ve ever laid eyes on!

When do I get to move into a house with a cherry tree?! Based on the price of these little guys, I think I could pay June and July’s rent by selling one tree’s harvest alone.

Despite what you may be thinking, this recipe was not made with stolen cherries. I mean, I had to sample one from our neighbor’s tree, but I stopped there. As to whether or not I’m above taking a little walk back to accidentally shake down a branch… well, that’s still up for debate.

Sooo what do you do when a friend shares her cherry harvest with you? Well, you make margs, of course!

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Paloma Cocktails

April 30, 2014 by Erica

Paloma Cocktails
I’ll be honest, I went into this cocktail recipe with a bad attitude.

Mixology is not my specialty. I’ve never been too interested in booze, and pouring a glass of wine is just so much easier. Or a beer? Great, I don’t even have to mess with the cork! Nate shares my preference for wine and beer, and so there you have it. A very skimpy “drinks” section on the recipe page of this blog.

However. There was a little something called the 2013 fail post. And believe it or not, the jalapeno grapefruit margarita fail was the one I was most disappointed about. Margaritas are my cocktail of choice, and seriously, how hard can they be to make? All you have to is like… stir fruit juices together in a glass. Why can I not mix a cocktail to save my life? I needed some serious redemption after those failed margs.

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Chipotle Bloody Marys

October 17, 2013 by Erica

Chipotle Bloody Marys

It seems like forever ago that I promised you my co-worker’s Bloody Mary recipe. I hope you’ll forgive me for taking a while to get around to sharing, but I finally am! And I’m super excited about it, since I don’t often post anything boozy here. It’s always fun to shake things up a bit, right? And yes, having a brunch cocktail totally counts as shaking things up in my book. Number one partier right here!

Chipotle Bloody Marys

Not really.

If you know me, you know I’m not much of a hard alcohol lover. Though I mostly stick to beer and wine, I’ve broadened my horizons over the years, and the list of cocktails that I no longer find offensive is as follows: margaritas, mojitos, Bloody Marys. You can probably guess, given the fact that those three cocktails use three different liquors, that the alcohol is not what draws me in. Although I will say that a weak cocktail is pretty disappointing. Too bad I live in Utah, where there are laws that mixed drinks have no more than 1.5 oz of booze each. Don’t get me started on Utah liquor laws… That’s why we have to make our own Bloody Marys, people!

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Pomegranate Ginger Bellinis

December 31, 2012 by Erica

Here is an adult beverage for you, just in time for New Year’s Eve.

It comes with a secret: I don’t really like hard alcohol.

Shocking? Sorry. There are exceptions. Margaritas, bloody marys, even the occasional mojito… I like those. But for the most part, I’m a beer and wine kinda girl. Which is convenient, since I live in Utah where the liquor stores close at 7 pm and the grocery stores only sell 3.2% beer. Nate and I have gotten QUITE used to weak beer.

Anyway, that’s why I like bellinis, although I did have to plan ahead and buy some prosecco before 7 pm. (I don’t think these would be good with Utah beer.) They’re pretty much my ideal cocktail, since they look pretty, are easy to make (and don’t involve juicing 1,000,000 limes), and have nothing stronger than some Italian sparkling wine. Oh, did I mention that THEY ARE SO PRETTY? The colorful food kick continues and pomegranate is going to be my new favorite thing.

I also have to mention that, as the Italian cousin of the mimosa, these could totally be breakfast. So if you already have your drinks planned for tonight… get to the wine store before 7 pm and then make these for your New Year’s Day brunch.

Pomegranate Ginger Bellinis

Makes about 5 cocktails

Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 heaping Tbsp peeled and chopped fresh ginger

1 Tbsp sugar

1 bottle prosecco (I used Zonin)

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, bring pomegranate juice, ginger, and sugar to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. Continue to simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain into another container. Refrigerate (or put in the freezer if you’re in a hurry) until ready to serve. If you like, you can store the syrup in the fridge for several days.

When ready to serve, pour about a tablespoon of the pomegranate syrup into each glass and top with prosecco. If the syrup and prosecco do not readily mix, stir or carefully pour into a kitchen glass and then back into the serving glass to mix.

Time:

20 minutes

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