Mexican Mimosas

It's May. Like, what? Where did the year already go? Oh, I know. Wedding. Honeymoon. Boom, May. To celebrate the gorgeous weather we are having here in AZ (the calm before the fiery pits of hell come upon us), I made us some celebratory drinks. Oh, and because tequila rhymes with Cinco de Mayo. So there's that. Consumers beware, these babies are lethal. I wouldn't suggest serving these as a bottomless mimosa brunch if you know what I mean. Or maybe you should? Things could get a little rowdy. The jalapeno simple syrup gives them the perfect punch of spice, and the mango puree just goes down so smoothly! So break open the tequila, pop the champagne, and let's get some Mexican Mimosas flowin'!

Mexican Mimosas
Makes 1

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. tequila
• 3/4 oz. jalapeno simply syrup *
• 2 oz. mango puree (process peeled, seeded mango in a blender or food prcoessor)
• 3 oz. champagne

Add the tequila, syrup, and mango puree in a champagne flute. Carefully stir together, then top with champagne. Serve cold. 

* To make the simple syrup, simmer together 1/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water and 4 slices of fresh jalapeno. Whisk until the sugar is completed dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Can be kept for up to 2 weeks.

Homemade Eggnog

Let's take a minute to talk about egg nog. Egg nog was always a holiday staple in my house growing up. Like, would beg my mom the second it showed up in the fridge section at the store. We usually got our way (lucky kids). But we were never to drink out of dad's glass, because he added a little something special that us kids were not allowed to have. Now as an adult, I am fully within my rights of adding that something special, and I prefer mine to be a nice shot of Bourbon. But instead of making single servings of egg nog,  I made you all a giant bowl full so you can share with your friends and family during this festive time of year. Have a lot of friends? Simple double the recipe and party on!

Plus, how adorable are these Santa mugs that my future mother in law got us?! They are just dying for me to drink egg nog out of them!

Homemade Eggnog

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, yolks separated from whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup bourbon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped out

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until creamy and light yellow in color, about 1-2 minutes.

Whisk in the milk, cream, bourbon, nutmeg, and vanilla bean seeds. 

In a stand mixer, whisk egg whites until foamy, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue to whisk until medium peaks form. Fold the whipped egg whites into the egg nog base that you made earlier. Add the vanilla bean pod, cover, and chill for 4-6 hours before serving.

Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg as garnish. 

Watermelon Lemonade

Watermelon Lemonade. While the concept is so simple, I feel like we don't see this option enough. It's summertime, the official season of lemonade, yet we almost only ever see the classic lemon rendition, but what about all of the other flavors in the world? Peach, blueberry, and today's twist, watermelon all come to mind when I think of flavored lemonade. So today I'm bringing you my simple no-fuss version, feel free to serve as is, or spiked with a little vodka when you're feeling extra dangerous! Cheers.

Watermelon Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 4 lemons, juiced
• 3 cups watermelon juice (I used my juicer, or you can use your blender and then pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve)
• 1/3 cup find granulated sugar
• 2 cups water
• ice
• fresh mint leaves for garnish

 

In a large pitcher, mix together the lemon juice, watermelon juice, sugar and water. Stir, allowing the sugar to dissolve into the liquid.

Fill glassware with ice and top with lemonade. Garnish with mint leaves. 

Peach Bourbon Basil Smash

Warning: this recipe requires muddling. Do not attempt to muddle a delicate glass with a metal muddler. It will case the glass to shatter and you will be down a cocktail. Now on to the real fun stuff. Cocktails! Summer is all about fresh flavors, fresh fruit, and fresh herbs. I put all three together and created the most amazingly light bourbon cocktail. That's right. I said light, bourbon cocktail. Usually, bourbon is considered a heavy drink to be had, but it can easily be lifted up. Carbonation from ginger beer definitely helps, as well as perfectly ripe peaches and freshly torn basil right from my own planter. So what are you waiting for? Get to muddling!

Peach Bourbon Basil Smash

Ingredients:

• 1 peach, pitted and chopped
• 5 large basil leaves, torn
• 2 tsp. simple syrup
• 3 oz. bourbon
• crushed ice
• ginger beer

Split the chopped peaches and basil between 2 large glasses.  Muddle well, smashing the peaches and bringing out the aroma from the basil. Add 1 tsp. simple syrup to each glass, then top with the bourbon. Fill the glasses half way with ice and then fill the remainder of the glass with ginger beer. Stir the drinks, using a spoon to bring the mixture from the bottom up to the top. Serve cold.

Refreshing Elderflower Soda

It's about time I tell you about my favorite way to beat the heat this summer. And it calls for one of my top-3 favorite flavors, Elderflower. If I find an item on a menu that includes elderflower, you better believe that I am gonna order it. Something about its fruit-forward yet light and airy notes takes me beach front with the wind in my hair and the water at my toes. Instead of facing reality that I am sitting 2 inches away from the stand fan on the floor of my room, waiting to cool off enough to apply my make-up for the day. I found a bottle of elderflower cordial at my local Cost Plus World Market for $8, and I'm never looking back. This sweet treat and refreshing drink can be served kid-friendly, or jazz it up with a splash of gin for an adult beverage!

Elderflower Soda

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. Elderflower cordial
• 2 cups club soda
• ice
• mint or basil for garnish

In a cocktail shaker or large mason jar, mix together the Elderflower and the club soda, carefully, otherwise the club soda will explode and you will lose half of it (I personally learned this from experience).

Pour over ice and garnish with fresh herbs.

Whisky Smash Batch Cocktail

I have had a rough week to say the least. Just after having the best 2 weeks worth of visitors, birthdays, and an engagement party I came down with the stomach flu. It was bound to happen. I somehow escaped multiple rounds of it between work and friends, but it found it's way to me. So while I may not be in any position for cocktails right now, I am really craving this. We served this serve-yourself cocktail at our engagement party last weekend, and it was a perfectly refreshing. Plus it allows your guests to make their individual cocktail as sweet or as strong as they prefer. Serve them up with a some fresh lemon and mint and you've got yourself a 5-star libation.

Whisky Smash Batch Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
• 1/4 cup whole mint leaves
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• 1 bottle of good quality bourbon

Add the water and sugar to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is completely dissolved into the water, add the chopped mint leaves, remove from the heat, and allow to steep for 30 minutes. 

Pour the simple syrup through a fine mesh strainer into an airtight bottle or container. Place in the refrigerator until party time.

Place the syrup, bourbon, whole mint leaves, and lemons wedges out with a sign that says "Mix 1 1/2 oz. bourbon + 1/2 oz. simple syrup, then garnish with mint and lemon". Serve over ice. 

Blood Orange Margaritas

I'm thinking about making Margarita Monday a thing? You in? It's like the perfect company to a "case of the Mondays". You can feel bad before a margarita. You can feel really bad after a few margaritas. But have you ever felt bad while having a margarita? I didn't think so. What's even better is the fact that these are made with my obsession at the moment, blood orange. The ingredients are simple, but the flavor is out of this world. Serve these up tonight after a day at the office, and even if your troubles can't be drank away, at least you're in good company. 

Blood Orange Margaritas
Makes 2 Margaritas

Ingredients:

• 2 blood oranges, juiced
• 2 small limes, juiced
• 2 tsp. agave nectar or honey
• 4 oz. silver tequila
• ice

Add a handful of ice into a cocktail shaker and add in the juices, honey, and tequila. Shake vigorously and strain into 2 glasses filled with ice.

Cranberry Ginger Gin Fizz

Andrew and I decided to host cocktails and appetizers at our house before everyone went our for New Year's Eve last week. We made sure to have plenty of beer and wine on hand, but we also wanted to serve up a cocktail of sorts. It has been a very odd winter here this year, aka snow in Scottsdale on Thursday (unheard of), I wanted to do something festive. I muddled cranberry simple syrup, oranges, and lemons, and soaked them in gin before straining and topping with a hit of ginger ale. These were refreshing, but also kind of suck up on you quickly! I may or may not have had 2 and been feeling nice and toasty on a cold NYE night. Try this big batch cocktail for your next gathering, and if you instagram be sue to tag your photos with #hdfb and me at @hotdogfoodblog.

Cranberry Ginger Gin Fizz

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 3 lemons, sliced
• 2 oranges, sliced
• 4 cups gin
• 3 cups ginger ale

In a pot bring the sugar and water up to a boil, whisking until the sugar completely dissolves. Add in the cranberries and simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes until the cranberries begin to pop open and soften. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely to room temperature or in the fridge before making the cocktails.

When you are ready to make the batch of cocktails add the cranberry simple syrup to a large pitcher, the oranges, and the lemon slices. Using a large wooden spoon or a muddler, mash the fruit all together, getting as much juice out of the oranges and lemons as you can. Pour in the gin and allow it to steep for 5-10 minutes.

Using a fins strainer, strain the infused gin into another pitcher. Feel free to squeeze any excess juice from the fruit as you can into the pitcher. Place in the fridge to stay cool until you are ready to serve.

To serve pour 1/2 cup of the infused gin into a cup over ice. Top with 1/4 cup of ginger ale and stir. 

Sparkling Pumpkin Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktails

WARNING: these are both delicious and dangerous at the same time. All you can really taste is the cider, so maybe you just might have 1 too many? But it's Thanksgiving, and what's wrong with a little extra holiday spirit?! Feel free to use your favorite apple cider, or homemade (even better!), I just couldn't turn down this pumpkin apple cider at my local market, and I loved it so much that I used it again in some cider margaritas for taco night with friends. The point is, you need a good cocktail on Thanksgiving. And this my friends is it. 

Sparkling Pumpkin Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktails
Makes 2 cocktails

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. sparkling pumpkin apple cider (I used Sprout's Farmer's Market Brand)
• 2 1/2 oz. bourbon
• ice
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
• 2 rosemary sprigs for garnish
• 2 cinnamon sticks for garnish
• 1 orange slice, halved for garnish

Pour sugar and cinnamon onto a small plate and mix well. Run orange halve around the rim of each glass and carefully set the glass rim into the cinnamon sugar. Fill the glass with ice.

Combine the cider and bourbon in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Pour over the iced glasses and garnish with a rosemary sprig, a cinnamon stick, and an orange slice.

Pineapple Lime Basil Mocktail

The secret is finally out! My best friend is pregnant! Her and her husband are welcoming a baby girl due on Valentine's Day 2015, but I'm secretly (or maybe not so secretly) hoping that she is a week late and delivers on my birthday. What a cool present that would be; wink wink. Obviously along with baby comes many lifestyle changes; including, but not limited to, watching what you drink. While I'm not giving up my red wine anytime soon, I gotta keep momma happy, so I came up with this "mock"tail of sorts for her when we hosted an impromptu game night at our house last weekend. This was extremely easy to throw together, and I actually ended up liking the mocktail better than my beer! And if you're not expecting, feel free to throw in a splash of vodka or gin and make this into a real party! 

Pineapple Lime Basil Mocktail

Ingredients:

• 1 large pineapple, skin removed and cored
• 1 handful fresh
  basil leaves
• 2 limes, juiced
• club soda
• ice

Run the pineapple and basil leaves through your juicer on low speed. Add in the lime juice and shake to combine.

Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

When you are ready to mix up some mocktails simply pour 1/2 cup pineapple mix over ice and top with a splash or two of club soda. You could also add the pineapple juice, ice, and club soda to a cocktail shaker and shake until frothy and cold. The choice is yours!

Moscow Mules

The proper way to send you all off into the weekend is with this Moscow Mule recipe. Obvi. A few weeks ago, Andrew and I house/dog sat for my best friend and her husband while they whisked away to Grand Cayman Island. We considered getting to live in their new home paradise for 6 days a gift in itself, but then they outdid themselves by making us a basket of boozy goodies to thank us; complete with ginger beer, a bottle of vodka, and some fancy copper mugs. All the essentials needed to make the perfect moscow mule. 

Moscow Mules
Makes 2 Mules

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large lime, juiced
• 4 oz. good quality vodka
• 10-12 oz. ginger beer
• ice

Juice lime into a cocktail shaker, then drop in the lime rind. Pour in the vodka, ginger beer, and fill the shaker with ice. Shake shake shake!!

Place a few ice cubes into each copper mug and strain the cocktail into the mugs. Garnish with lime wedges. Bottoms up!

Raspberry Chia Seed Lemonade

Pinterest. How I love to hate you. Case in point being that the second I saw this recipe online, I HAD to make it. I mean, come on. Raspberry lemonade for one is delicious. Then add in some chia seeds and coconut water. Perfection. Now, if you are a texture person, this might not be for you. You could omit the chia seeds completely to avoid the tapioca-ish feel of this. But I for one am a strong advocate of the chia. With the 3-day weekend behind us, it is officially summer time. And what's summer without some homemade lemonade?!

Raspberry Chia Seed Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raspberries
• 2 cups coconut water
• 4 tbsp. chia seeds
•  1/2 cup lemon juice
•  1 tbsp. honey

Place the raspberries in a food processor (or muddle by hand) until smooth. Add the pureed raspberries, lemon juice, coconut water, and chia seeds into a large pitcher or mason jar. Shake well until combined. Place in the fridge and allow the chia seeds to absorb some of the liquid, becoming soft, for at least 30 minutes. Drink cold. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Coconut Cucumber Cooler Cocktail

I'm not even sure how it's Memorial Day weekend already, but it's here. It's happening. This year I will be attending our 2nd Annual Bocce Ball Tournament, which I happen to be the reigning champion of, and while there will be plenty of jello shots, beer, and Smirnoff Ices to go around (somehow we still thinking icing is funny. I'm 27 going on 21), but this would be a great addition to the lineup. Freshly muddled cucumber, shaken with cucumber vodka, then finished off with some coconut water. It will hydrate you while you get a little loosey goosey! Happy Memorial Day from HDFB to you!

Coconut Cucumber Cooler Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 1 inch piece cucumber, diced
• 1.5 oz. cucumber vodka
• 3 oz. organic coconut water
• 1 tbsp. coconut shavings
• 1 drop honey
• ice

In a cocktail shaker muddle the cucumber until well smashed. Add in the vodka, coconut water, and ice. Shake, shake, shake!

Prepare a glass by rubbing the honey around the rim and then rolling the rim in the coconut. Strain the drink and pour into the glass. Serve with a cucumber slice and more ice if you prefer.

Ahhhhhh!

Chocolate Cake Parfait with Whiskey Caramel Sauce

This. OMG. This is the dessert of all desserts. We celebrated my boyfriend's birthday this week. Which if anyone is keeping count, makes me the older woman. By 9 days. 10 days if it's a leap year. And in my 9 day head start of being 27 years old,  I found the inspiration to create this masterpiece. Moist chocolate cake with whiskey baked right inside, is then topped with fresh homemade whipped cream. And finally, the star of the show. Whiskey caramel sauce. It's sweet. It's boozy. It's sinful. 

Chocolate Cake Parfait with Whiskey Caramel Sauce
Makes 4-6 Parfaits

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. warm water
• 2 tbsp. of your favorite whiskey or bourbon
• 2 cups homemade whipped cream
• 1 batch whiskey carmel sauce

Whiskey Caramel Sauce:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp. whiskey or bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add in the egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and warm water. Mix until just combined with the dry ingredients. Stir in the whiskey and then fill the prepared muffin tin cups about 2/3 of the way full until all of the batter is used.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack at room temperature until completely cooled.

Meanwhile, make the whiskey caramel sauce. Add the sugar and the cream of tarter into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the water around the edges of the pan, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Then remove the cover and continue to cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, without stirring. The sugar mixture will begin to turn an amber color. Watch carefully, for the sauce can turn from golden amber to burnt very quickly.

Once the caramel turns amber, remove from heat and quickly whisk in the heavy cream and butter. The mixture will bubble up. Just keep whisking until the caramel turns smooth and no more "chunks" exist. Lastly, whisk in the whiskey. Pour into a heat proof bowl and allow to cool at room temperature for about an hour until the caramel cools and thickens, but is still pourable.

To prepare the parfaits; crumble some of the chocolate cake into the bottom of a bowl. Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Then pour some whiskey caramel on top. Repeat another layer.

Serve immediately. And trust me. You won't want to wait.

Hella Bitters Gimlet

After a long day, it's always nice to come home and pour an ice cold cocktail. My boyfriend and I decided to get a little creative in the kitchen and shake up some new drinks using some of our fun tools that we bought for our dry bar in our house. I also got some Hella Bitters from the Williams Sonoma sale at work, so that was fun to use! First up on the menu, this bitters gimlet. The citrus from both the gin and the bitters were refreshing, and made us feel like it was summer time again.

Bitters Gimlet

Ingredients:
Makes 1 gimlet

• 2.5 oz. gin (I used Tanqueray Ten)
• .75 oz. fresh lime juice
• .5 oz. simple syrup
• 2 dashes Hella Bitters citrus
• splash of club soda

Combine all ingredients except for the club soda into a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Pour over ice and top with a splash of club soda. Enjoy!