Tonight we opened a half-bottle of Inniskillin’s superb Icewine. It’s a 2006 Vidal. Very sweet and complex, yet smooth as silk. Excellent dessert wine.

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.

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.

Update: I ended up dumping the remainder of my martini. Something was definitely not right. I’ll give Grey Goose the benefit of the doubt for the time being until I try it straight up. Maybe it was the vermouth. Further updates to follow.

Update – 2/22/07: I tried Grey Goose ice cold and straight up. Still got a nasty after taste. I ended up using the rest to make a few vodka tonics. Yet even with the lime and tonic water, I was still getting an unpleasant after taste. I could chalk it up to a poorly stored bottle. Or it could be that Grey Goose is just not my type of vodka. Either way, I won’t be buying another bottle. Too many other brands to try. :v:

Hmm. Now there’s  an idea.

A couple of months ago we were in Schaumburg outside Chicago and we stopped in at the Weber Grill for dinner. We had endured a grueling ride out from Lakeshore Drive and I really wanted a good drink before dinner. We had a few minutes to wait for a table, so we slid into the bar and I ordered a very dry Stoli martini with lemon peel. It was perfection. Just what I needed. I complimented the bartender and he said the secret is to keep all the ingredients, and the glassware, ice cold. I don’t have enough space in my freezer for glassware, so before I start mixing a martini I fill the glass with crushed ice. Just before I pour the drink, I dump the ice. This usually serves to get the glass quite cold. I do store my vodka in the freezer, so I end up with a pretty frosty drink. Makes all the difference.

By the way, the steaks at Weber Grill are incredible. Treat yourself to a visit sometime.