Tag Archives: cocktails

Strawberry-Tarragon Gimlet

Meet the cocktail that was inspired by a sandwich…  A sandwich I never even ate.  (Someday I’ll make sense, but that day is not today.)

See, I’m a fan of a local cheese shop/deli.  Somewhat masochistically, I read their Facebook updates on what they’re serving for lunch, even though I cannot get there during the day because of dumb logistic reasons.  Occasionally, their lunch creations involve strawberry-tarragon jam.  (…And brie–ugh, told you.  It’s downright painful and I don’t know why I do it to myself.)

So what’s a girl to do?  Oh, I don’t know.  Let’s try pouring gin on strawberries and tarragon.  It’ll be fun–I promise.

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Amaretto Sour

Let’s have a look at our liquor cabinet, shall we?  Bourbon is having a serious moment, deservedly so.  Rum is just moping around unshaven in a bathrobe, gazing at the fruit basket.  Your time will be here soon, little guy, no worries.  Gin is taking a nap…  Gin gets grouchy in the winter, too.  It’s tough being away from limes and tonic that long; I get it.

Vodka is…  Good for keeping your ice cream from freezing too hard?

Of course, that’s not everything–not nearly.  If you happen to like alcohol, you REALLY like it.  Like me, you might be a booze hoarder.  Without even looking, I can tell you I have bottles upon bottles of things I’ve used once or twice.  Maraschino!   Creme de violet!  Both kinds of vermouth!

Which leads me to my main point: today in Nice Problems to Have news, I need to drink more.  So let’s make us some drinks.

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Thyme Paloma Cocktail

But wasn’t I whining about the cold a couple of days ago?  Why, yes.  But alcohol is delicious!  Also, I make zero sense.

What does make sense is taking beautiful, in-season, ripe, juicy grapefruit, and putting tequila on it.  Nature’s most tart, refreshing citrus graces us in the winter.  We may not need refreshment from the heat, but we do need refreshment from…  Everything else.  So let’s drink.

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IPA Cocktails with Aperol and Pomegranate

Whoa.  Say hello to the manliest fizzy pink cocktail of all time.  Actually, I prefer the more unisex “most suited for grown ass adults who like to drink like adults fizzy pink cocktail of all time.”  It’s a mouthful, but it’s accurate: what we have here is sheer sophistication.

There are only three ingredients, and all of them are fragrant and delicately fruity, with a bitter bite.  Naturally, if you throw them all into the sandbox (or a cocktail glass), they play nicely.

I really wasn’t sure this would work, but I nearly cried tears of joy when it did.  There’s a lot of fun to be had with beer as a cocktail ingredient, whether you’re looking for a light maltiness or big, bold flavor, as is the case here with IPA.  Trivia bit: India Pale Ale was created out of necessity–more hops and more alcohol in traditional English pale ales meant they could be shipped to India without spoiling.

(Personal sidenote: There was once a time when the initials IPA immediately made me think of the International Phonetics Alphabet–when I was busy studying linguistics, not drinking.  Times have… changed.)

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Lea’s Killer Sangria

It’s been a busy week here at The Headquarters (which is, uh, my bedroom).

There was a quick trip to Sacramento to see some good music.  (On a weeknight!  Maybe I am in my 20s after all.)

A coffee date with Cindy, who is totally lovely and has a beautiful blog with lots of drool-worthy treats that you should check out.

Henry Rollins on a Friday night–just a personal hero in the flesh, no biggie.

Anyway.  This is the perfect time to share something simple, quick, and wonderful with you.  I threw it together with my Denver friend a couple weekends ago, and it has already made a welcome encore appearance in my life.

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Grilled Cherry Old Fashioned

You know what time of year it is.

Shark.  Week.

A wise man named Tracy Jordan once said, “Live every week like it’s Shark Week.”  That’s sage advice; Shark Week is not the time to doubt ourselves, or hesitate, or worry, or apologize needlessly.  Shark Week is the week for your tallest heels, and whatever the manquivalent is.  Shark Week is for doing bold things that make you feel like a pygmy shark (those exist!) in a big, huge, scary ocean.  Shark Week is a good time to tell your neighbor that your name is not, in fact, Daniella, even though he seems so content calling you that (maybe I’ll hold off on that one till next year, though).

Shark Week is perfect for having a whiskey cocktail “too early,” whatever that means.

And look–I made us one.

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