Tag Archives: gin

Million Dollar Cocktail

There’s lots to love about Rosé Cider.  Read about my favorites ciders with tasting notes in the Roanoker Magazine behind the page:

https://theroanoker.com/blogging/behind-the-page/the-romance-of-rose-cidre/

Million Dollar Cocktail

I love any recipe that is named “Million Dollar”. This Million Dollar Cocktail recipe is worth its weight in gold!  Absolutely divine!

Place Nick and Nora style cocktail glass in the freezer to chill while you prepare the cocktail.

For each cocktail:

2 fl ounces Gin (Sunset Hills Gin, made in Virginia, is my favorite gin of the moment.  Light and delightful, it does not have a strong juniper taste.)

1/2 fl ounce freshly pressed pineapple juice (I blended fresh pineapple in my blender to make “juice” which was more like a thin puree.)

1/4 fl ounce Grenadine syrup

1/2 fl ounce pasteurized egg whites (find these in the refrigerated egg section of the grocery store)

A few drops of Blood Orange Bitters

Pineapple chunk garnish

Shake the gin, pineapple juice, Grenadine syrup and egg whites with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into the chilled cocktail glass. Place a few drops of blood orange bitters on the top of the cocktail.  Garnish with a pineapple chunk.

bright bubble color flatlay

Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Pexels.com

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Time To Tailgate With Bloody Marys ~ Yellow and Red!

It’s Time To Tailgate!

…and that means it’s time for Bloody Marys! 

River and Rail bloody mary

A Virginia Favorite! 

Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix

Available locally at Mr. Bill’s Wine Cellar

$7.99 a bottle

For Real Bloody Mary Drinkers!

I love this Bloody Mary mix, tastes like a fresh tomato with just the right amount of spice.

https://www.texasbeachbloodymary.com/

Texas Bloody Mary Mix was created by three friends from Richmond, Virginia. While Working in the industry as bartenders, they realized there was an immediate need for a mix with all the good stuff already in the bottle. So we set out on the long journey to create the tasty, authentic and responsibly produced Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix.

The name Texas Beach comes from our favorite part of the James River located in lovely Richmond, Virginia at the end of Texas Avenue. Cheers!

bloody mary

Yellow Tomato Bloody Mary

Yellow Tomato Bloody Mary

I found this recipe for Yellow Tomato Bloody Mary in Bon Appétit Magazine. Fresh and delicious.  It’s always fun to garnish Bloody Mary cocktails ~ I chose celery stalks, golden cherry tomatoes, pimiento stuffed olives, crispy bacon and pickled green and purple beans.

Recipe from the August, 2018 issue of Bon Appétit. Recipe by Molly Baz.

Bruised tomatoes dripping with juice are tailor-made for a fresh Bloody Mary. They might not be on display at the farmers’ market—beauty queens, they’re not—but they’re often there if you ask.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 lb. very ripe yellow tomatoes, cored, coarsely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped, plus celery heart stalks with leaves for serving
  • 6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup Castelvetrano olive brine, plus olives for serving
  • ¼ cup finely grated peeled horseradish
  • 3 Tbsp. hot sauce (preferably Cholula)
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • 4 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
  • 1 lemon wedge
  • 6 oz. gin
  • 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. mild red pepper flakes
  • Sun Gold tomatoes (for serving)

RECIPE PREPARATION

  • Blend yellow tomatoes and chopped celery in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a large pitcher, pressing on solids to extract as much juice as possible. Whisk in lemon juice, olive brine, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and 3 tsp. salt. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

  • Combine black pepper, red pepper flakes, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a shallow bowl.

  • To make each cocktail, rub the rim of a 12-oz. glass with a lemon wedge, then dip into spicy salt. Fill glass with ice and pour in 1½ oz. gin. Top with 5 oz. Bloody Mary mix; garnish with cherry tomatoes, celery heart stalks, and olives.

    If you are not a gin fan, try making this cocktail with Plymouth Gin. Plymouth does not have a strong juniper flavor. It is smooth with just the right amount of floral notes.

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The Bee Sting Cocktail ~ Oh Honey!

light

September Is National Honey Month!

A new mead and honey tasting room recently opened in our city. After tasting their delicious honey I want to put it in everything from hot tea to cocktails! OH HONEY! The Bee Sting Cocktail is my new favorite!

Bee Sting Cocktail new one

Bee Sting Cocktail

…honey makes this cocktail sweet and jalapeno gives it the sting!

Honey simple syrup (enough syrup for 3 cocktails)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

Combine honey and water in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring until the honey dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Bee Sting Cocktail:

Makes one cocktail.

1  jalapeño slice (about 1/2 inch thick slice)

1 ounce gin

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ounce honey simple syrup

Jalapeno strip  or lemon twist garnish

Gently muddle the  jalapeño slice in cocktail shaker, add remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with  jalapeño strip or lemon twist (or both!).

gin

Sunset Hills Gin, made in Virginia, is my favorite gin of the moment.  Light and delightful, it does not have a strong juniper taste.

Here’s the 411 about the Mead and Honey Tasting Room:

Blacksnake Meadery…from bee to bottle

https://www.blacksnakemead.com

The Hive (1116 A Main Street SW, Roanoke, VA) – Open year-round
(540) 597-8739
Thursday & Friday 5:00-8:00
Saturday  1:00-8:00
Sunday  1:00-6:00

mead bee hive

honey samples

Honey Flight

samples:  top left: Orange Blossom, top right Avocado

middle left:  Raspberry, middle right:  Buckwheat

bottom left:  Thistle, bottom right:  Wildflower

Orange Blossom and Wildflower honey are my traditional favorites to add to hot tea, so it was fun to taste some different honey made from some surprising nectar.

The most pleasant surprise was the avocado honey….YUM! Avocado honey is made by the bees from the nectar of the avocado blossom.  Rich, soft, creamy honey.  Perfect to drizzle over cheese as an hors d’oeuvre. Raspberry honey would also be a good choice for the drizzle.

Buckwheat honey is dark and delicious with molasses undertones. Buckwheat is not wheat, it is a fruit related to rhubarb. I would use this honey  for cooking and baking.

Thistles have prickly stems and leaves with a rounded head of purple flowers.  The thistle is the national symbol of Scotland. The flavor of this honey can vary depending on the variety of thistle blossoms that are the source of the nectar. It can be light and sweet or more earthy with cinnamon or anise undertones. Thistle honey is my new favorite to add to my hot tea.

honey drip

mead samples

My husband and I enjoyed a Mead and Cider tasting at The Hive. Our flight included:

Hoppy Bee Brew ~ tastes like a fizzy light beer, lots of Cascades hoppy flavor. The Hive recommends pairing this brew with burgers, earthy foods such as pasta with porcini as well as pizza.

Lime Bee Brew ~ Light, dry and carbonated made with lime puree.  The Hive recommends pairing this brew with Thai or Mexican dishes or other spicy fare.

Foggy Ridge First Fruit Cider ~ Crisp, fruity cider made from early season heirloom apples. Tart apple aromas and flavors.

Foggy Ridge Serious Cider ~ Dry cider with floral and apple aromas made with high tannin heirloom apples.

(Blacksnake Mead and Foggy Ridge Cider are both made in Dugspur, Virginia. https://foggyridgecider.com)

Meloluna ~ Blacksnake calls this their “honeymoon” mead (Latin, mel = honey; luna = moon). This sweet dessert mead has aromas and flavors of honey with hints of caramel. The Hive recommends pairing the Meloluna with your favorite dessert or a good cigar.

Ziggy Elman

This little 4 month old kitty just joined us in his new forever home. His name is Ziggy Elman (American Jazz Trumpeter). I will include a photo of his brother Artie Shaw in future blogs…he has not decided to come out from under the bed yet, a little shy.

Bee happy

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Gin Glorious Gin And Pimiento Cheese & Lobster Potato Chips!

http://riverandrailrestaurant.com

I have a new appreciation for gin. Shane Lumpp, Bar Manager, River and Rail Restaurant introduced us to the nuances of gin in his Cocktails 101 Class earlier this month. Here’s some fun facts about gin from class:

The word Gin comes from the word Genever which in Dutch means juniper.  The English shortened it Geneva which lead to the term “Gin”. 

Gin was first produced by the Dutch in Holland where the term “Dutch Courage” comes from.   Dutch mercenaries hired out by the English would consume vast amounts of Gin which made them more aggressive in battle.

I usually prefer vodka in my martinis, but I found Plymouth Gin to be delightful in this River and Rail Martini.  It was made with Plymouth Gin. Plymouth Gin is produced at a single distillery in Plymouth, England at the Blackfriars Distillery. It has somewhat more earthy flavors and typically not as juniper flavor.  (That is probably why I liked it so much. I appreciate the juniper in Gin, but it is a bit “flowery” for my taste.)

Plymouth Gin

gin martini

Shane rubbed lemon peel around the rim of the martini glass and then he rubbed the peel on the stem of the glass.  He explained that the scent of the lemon will adhere to your fingers. People naturally wave their fingers in front of their face when they are talking and having a good time so the lemon will permeate the air and enhance the lemony cocktail experience.   Love this!

The River and Rail Martini is very simply gin, vermouth and orange bitters, with a lemon peel garnish.  Shane explained that the garnishes he puts on cocktails always have a purpose, they are not just there for looks.

Shane explained to us that when olives are served in a martini they should have an odd number – one or three. Having an even number of garnishes in a cocktail is considered bad luck.

Shane invented the “Pink Panther” cocktail that is served at River and Rail.  Broker’s Gin, Capalletti Aperitivo, Lillet Blanc, Lemon, Peychaud’s Bitters. Peychaud’s is a key ingredient in the Sazerac® Cocktail, with light notes of cherry, nutmeg, and clove.

bitters r and rbitters hell firebitters

We had fun asking Shane questions about the bitters that were lined up on the bar.  One that was completely new to me was the ‘Elemakule Tiki” bitters.  Here’s what Bitterman’s says about these bitters on its website:  A taste of the islands. We recommend adding a dash to libations served in shrunken heads, volcanoes and miniature ceramic Moai.  Cinnamon and Allspice with a strong cast of supporting spice flavors.

Shane said that they use the Hellfire Bitters  (Habanero Shrub) in their Michelada Spicy Margarita and when a guest wants a spicy Bloody Mary.

Pimiento Chips

Lillie’s Q Pimiento Cheese Potato Chips

Seriously GOOD kettle cooked potato chips.  Jalapeno powder and paprika add a zesty zing to the pimiento cheese flavor in these chips.  The Lillie’s Q chips are based on Lillie’s Q sauces and rubs:  Carolina Dirt, Sea Salt and Black Pepper, Hot Pepper Vinegar, and Original.  I found these at our local Fresh Market.

lobster chips

Here’s some fun chips that I found at Tinnell’s Finer Foods in Roanoke, Virginia (also available on-line for a limited time).  They do have a subtle lobster taste and here’s a link to a fun review of these chips from the Junk Food Guy:

http://www.junkfoodguy.com/2017/08/14/lobsterutz/#sthash.s2rZ5qQR.dpbs

Happy Friday!

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