Tag Archives: whiskey

Amaretto Sour

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Danguole| 9 Comments

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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Posted in Drinks, Entertaining

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Smoked Spicy Bourbon-Maple Almonds

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Danguole| 5 Comments

Things I’m learning from my continuing Weeds marathon:

-The scary guys (usually guys, but I say “guys” gender-neutrally) aren’t really that scary.  They’re scared of the other scary guys, and so forth.  A moratorium on being scared is much needed in the world; can I get an “Amen”?

-In TV fantasy land at least, being a pretty white lady can get you out of a lot of trouble.  LOTS.  I have a lot of ambivalent, rambling thoughts on this (which mostly go in circles).

-I need to wear more denim jackets and artfully layered delicate necklaces.

-Don’t send flowers to a Jewish funeral.  Did not know that (embarrassing but true).  Send food!  I can do that.  I’m prepared.  The more you know!

-It’s far, far too easy to consume a pound of delicious almonds rather quickly.  Wowza.  That’s not Weeds–that’s me, watching Weeds on my couch.  Hi.

We already know how much I love my smoker, but I think I need to emphasize that it’s useful for so much more than meat and fish.  Nuts, for example, are full of oils, and take to smoking beautifully.  If you’ve had smoked almonds before, I don’t need to convince you that they’re crazy delicious.  But I may need to convince you that it’s easy, and fun, and worthwhile to make your own.

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Posted in Appetizer, Entertaining, Healthy (?), Smoking, Vegetarian

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Grilled Cherry Old Fashioned

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Danguole| 13 Comments

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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Posted in Drinks, Summer

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Peach, Cinnamon and Bourbon Milkshake

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Danguole| 6 Comments

The rules of the booze shake are as follows:

(1) The first rule of Booze Shake is…  You can totally talk about Booze Shake.  Why do you ask?

(2) Go easy on the alcohol, then add more if necessary; we’re not making a cocktail.  I find that half a shot per shake is plenty–of course, this varies on how sweet/easy to drink your chosen liquor is.

(3) Use quality ice cream.  The stuff that is pumped full of air, when blended, will deflate faster than the wide-eyed romantic ideals of tween Twilight fans everywhere.  (If you are judging me for knowing anything about this… That makes two of us.)  Anyway.  I usually make sure to pick up ice cream that feels relatively heavy and has a relatively decent amount of calories.  Julie’s Organic did the job beautifully in this case.

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Posted in Dessert, Drinks, Summer

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Kumquat Ginger Whiskey Cocktail

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Danguole| 1 Comment

I don’t usually take this long to part with seasonal favorites.  By the time I’m scanning aisles for canned pumpkin, I’m happy to say my goodbyes to sweet summer corn.  I’m happy to let it settle back into the dirt, take a long nap, a bubble bath or two, read Better Homes and Gardens, or whatever it is delicious grains do to recharge (I’m not a scientist).

For reasons then-unknown, the other day I couldn’t just stroll by a pint of end-of-season kumquats at Whole Foods.  Guilt?  Because I had spent all of this kumquat season without so much as stopping to appreciate and consider the tart, bright-orange, tiny winter beauties and what I might be able to do with them?  Like muddle them with spicy, sweet ginger syrup and pour whiskey on them?

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Posted in Drinks, fruit, Winter

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Cassis Manhattan

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Danguole| 2 Comments

Oh my first night in New York, I managed to hurt a bartender’s feelings, and I STILL feel terrible, while I’m sure he’s long forgotten me.  Anyway.  Travis and I wandered his neighborhood looking for a place to grab after-dinner drinks, and we ended up at a quiet (it was Wednesday night) little cocktail bar.

My eyes scanned the chalkboard menu and settled on the least syrupy-sounding thing.  When the bartender set it down in front of me and I took a sip, I was blissfully unaware that he was watching my face like a hawk.  A hawk! 

As soon as I let the glass go, he snatched it and down the sink it went.  The horror.  “You’re not feeling it.  I can tell you’re not really into that drink.”  He wasn’t wrong, but still–it’s not like I made a face or did this:

I’m just not a syrupy kind of lady.  I have simple syrup, mint syrup and ginger syrup in the fridge, but I use them so sparingly that they go bad more often than I like to admit.

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Posted in Drinks

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