Tonight it was margaritas made with Jose Cuervo Citrico. I usually shy away from buying any high priced brand if I’m going to be making a mixed drink, but the JC Citrico was on sale for a really good price, so I gave it a shot. It does make a really smooth ‘rita with a little extra lime oomph. I like it. Maybe there is something to using the good stuff in mixed drinks after all.

My ‘rita recipe:

1) MinuteMaid Limeade (large size) with 3 cans of water added instead of the recommended 4-1/3. This is the mixer.

2) Add a good couple of shots of tequila and a shot of triple sec over a good amount of ice and fill remainder with mixer.

3) Squeeze a lime section and drop it in, then stir. Enjoy.

For frozen ‘ritas:

Fill a blender 3/4 with ice, add the container of limeade and a good portion of tequila and tripl sec. For a starting point, try filling the limeade container half full with tequila, then add triple sec to 3/4 full. Dump into the blender. Next time, adjust the tequila and triple sec to taste. Blend thoroughly until pourable. Personally I don’t like a salted rim, but if you do like it, use coarse sea salt or dedicated ‘rita salt. And remember to salt the rim before you fill the glass.

After a year and a half away, I’m back at it. I’ve decided  to take this blog in a slightly different direction. I’ll be talking about all drink recipes and reviewing some wines and beers. No sense painting with just one brush, eh?

Tonight I made up some White Sangria. It’s a recipe told to me by the staff at Escobar’s, an excellent restaurant in Champaign, IL. You start with ice, lots of fruit (I used lemon, lime, orange, and strawberry), a couple shots of peach schnapps, and fill with Riesling wine. Vary the sweetness by adding more or less schnapps. It’s very refreshing but also fairly strong. Nearly a full glass of wine and two shots of schnapps. You can also make it by the pitcher for a group. Add everything except the ice and let it sit in the fridge for a while. If you add the ice too soon, it melts and dilutes the sangria. Wait until you’re about to serve it before adding the ice. Experiment with it first to find the right balance of schapps and wine. It’s a great drink for a cookout.

After a walk tonite I was really in the mood for a tall, cold drink. I’ve always liked vodka tonics, so at the risk of offending any martini purist who may stumble upon this site, I decided to see if top shelf vodka (Level) can really make a difference in a mixed drink. The first thing I’ve noticed is that the vodka really stands out, as opposed to cheap vodka that gets buried in the tonic water and lime. And as always with V-&-T’s, I could see where it would be very easy to overindulge, as it makes a really tasty thirst quencher.

Distilled from 7 pounds of potatoes per bottle, Chopin is the world’s premier luxury potato vodka. The potatoes are sourced from the Podlasic area of Poland, a supposedly low industry area that is touted as being healthy and fertile. I can’t help but think about it’s proximity to Chernobyl, though. Healthy is a relative term here, I guess. 

Chopin is hand-crafted in small quantities. It shows. It is supremely smooth and drinkable. You can almost taste the earthiness of the potatoes. This is the vodka to drink if you like it neat. The Poles know their vodka, after all. I hope I’m not being predictable, but I went with the same Richard Nixon recipe as before. The result is an easy drinking martini, albeit with less of a pleasant burn than Ketel One or Level.  

I highly recommend Chopin if you like it ice cold and neat. Just be prepared to pay-to-play. Chopin doesn’t come cheap. I had to have the staff at Friar Tuck’s open the locked case for my bottle.

Beefeater has been producing gin since 1820. Beefeater is distilled from grain spirits and is 47% alcohol or 94 proof. Like most gin, Beefeater adds a bit of juniper berry to produce the distinctive gin “pine tree” taste. Otherwise gin is virtually tasteless. Much less oomph than vodka, too. Still, a fair burn going down. Tonight I used the same “Richard Nixon” technique as I did with the previous vodka martinis, although I left maybe a teaspoon more vermouth in the shaker than before. The result is a very smooth and drinkable martini. So drinkable, I may make another.

Tonight I cracked open the bottle of Level vodka. Level is the ultra-premium label from Swedish vodka producer Absolut. First released in 2004, it’s a winter wheat based vodka which uses both continuous and batch distillation. Level exhibits a hearty bite when sampled straight up, but is nonetheless smooth and clean finishing. Tonight I used the same martini recipe from last night. It produced a flawlessly smooth and enjoyable martini. Much less lemony, of course, but still very refreshing. Well worth the premium price. If you’re skeptical, grab a small sampler bottle and set it in the freezer overnight. Then have it in a martini. But be forewarned, you’ll be kicking yourself for not buying the full size bottle.  

After 315 years of making vodka in Holland, the Nolet family certainly has a mountain of experience. Ketel One vodka shows every year of it. It is very smooth and finishes cleanly. The Citroen (lemon flavored) version has just a hint of lemon and does not overwhelm the vodka. This is not “hard lemonade.” It is excellent vodka. The name comes from the Distilleerketel #1, an alembic copper still. Ketel One is wheat based and charcoal filtered. Vodka connoisseurs will tell you that wheat produces the finest vodka, yet there are also excellent potato based vodkas. I plan on trying those as well. All in the interest of knowledge, you understand.

Tonight I made a very dry martini using the “in-and-out” method favored by Richard Nixon. Pour dry vermouth in to a shaker with ice and shake, then dump the vermouth down the drain and add vodka to the vermouth coated ice. I also added some lemon peel. Shake until frosty cold and pour into a glass. I tossed in a lemon peel. Even with the Citroen vodka and the use of lemon peels, it is still not too lemony. It’s actually quite drinkable. I like it.