Holiday Bucket List - Iced Chocolate Cocktail

You've heard of hot chocolate, right? But have you tried the Iced Chocolate Cocktail? No! Well it's time you do. I've been at it again, testing out cocktails in the kitchen, and so far this one is winning in taste votes! You don't even have to wait for cocktails with friends. Whip this one up this weekend, just to test the ingredients, and then have a tasting party next week! 

Here is what you'll need! Chocolate Liqueur (go with standard chocolate on this one), Whipped Cream Vodka, Whipping Cream, Whipped Cream (you can totally make homemade), crushed candy canes, and a mini cane for stirring!

Fill a glass half way with ice and add a shot of the chocolate liqueur. Then add a shot of the whipped cream vodka. 

Stir to mix. Then, here's one of the decadent pieces, add a splash of whipping cream! You add milk to your hot chocolate, right? Then there's nothing wrong with whipping cream in your drink!

Top with a mound of whipped cream and crushed candy cane. Add a mini candy cane for presentation and stirring! Drink! And let me add, when you take a sip, and get a mix of the candy cane, whipped cream, and the cocktail, dear lord the combination is heavenly!! Seriously, the best little sip this holiday season! 

Happy Friday!

XO,

Andrea

Holiday Bucket List - Cocktails with Friends

I learned early on that every party deserves a signature cocktail. And who better to learn the ropes than from Sandra Lee! It's always cocktail time at Aunt Sandy's. I've used her cocktail recipes for years. However, I've been dabbling in dessert versions of cocktails over the years so I decided to take a crack on creating my own holiday cocktail to serve the girls when toasting them this season.

I got to work yesterday at my mom's house, she has all the booze, and came up with two versions of what I'm calling the Peppermint Stick! And man was it tasty! Here is what you'll need!

I am using a milk chocolate liqueur and a white chocolate liqueur. I've also got peppermint Schnapps, smashed up candy canes, and candy canes for garnish. The marshmallows are for a follow up cocktail..... I love making drinks in Mason Jars, but you can also get super festive and make them in fun holiday glasses. I have a shot glass and small spoon for mixing.

Fill your glass half way with ice. Pour in a shot of the milk chocolate liqueur, the peppermint Schnapps, and stir until mixed. Top with crushed peppermint and garnish with a broken off piece of a candy cane for a instant stirrer!

Do the exact same thing with the white chocolate liqueur and use a mini candy cane for garnish. It can also be used for a stirrer when the cocktail needs to be mixed! My mom preferred the white chocolate version and I preferred milk chocolate!

I love the idea of having all of my mixes in cute little pitchers versus having all the bottles out. It's less cluttered and makes it a little fancier. If you were going to have a Self Serve bar, write out the direction on a tiny chalk board so your guests know the amounts to add to their glass. Obviously, they can add more or less depending on taste. 

If you want to make a non-alcoholic version, use chocolate milk and peppermint simple syrup. You can still add the crushed peppermint candies and a candy cane for garnish. Perfect for the kiddos!

XO,

Andrea

Holiday Party Planning - The Menus

I've been doing a lot of research when it comes to a retro cocktail party. I'm trying to be as authentic as I can possibly be with the menus. And when I say menus, I mean the hors d'oeuvres, the cocktails, and the desserts. I've used Pinterest and Google and I've received a ton of information back! And, I've used my parents as reference guides, although they weren't old enough to attend or throw a cocktail party in the 60s. 

As it turns out, I've been throwing a semi-retro party all these years. The only difference are things like deviled eggs and marinated olives. I generally reserve deviled eggs for BBQs and I've never really thought to serve marinated olives. And I love olives! The other interesting things I've discovered is molds of all kinds! It doesn't have to be a Jello mold, which I'm not unfamiliar with, but there are sold food molds. Apparently, my mom has a recipe for a shrimp mold which will make its way to the table this year. Speaking of food, here's what I plan to serve:

Meatballs

Mini Quiches

Deviled Eggs

Marinated Olives

Shrimp Mold

A specialty cheese on top of a Crostini drizzled with honey

Cheese Platter with Crackers

Sounds pretty delish, no? There's substance and there's lighter eats as well. You don't want to fill up and miss out on dessert!

My desserts are going to be pretty different this year. I generally go with the same baked goods every holiday. I will find time to make the chocolate chip cookies, the sugar cookie cutouts, and Seven Layer cookie. But for this party, I'm going old school. 

Fruitcake Cookies

Chocolate Fudge

White Fudge with Green and Red Candied Cherries

Pecan Tassies

Peppermint Bark

Brach's Old Fashioned Candies

Then there's the drink menu. If Sandra Lee has taught me one thing over the years, it's to serve a signature cocktail. And I always do! This year we will have two. I know I'm serving a Champagne Cocktail, but I need to test the others. I'm looking at a Sidecar Martini, an Old Fashioned, or a Manhattan. I'm leaning toward the Sidecar, sounds like something I would drink verses the others, but I'll let my parents to do some taste testing for the final vote.

And there you have it! I've finalized all of my menus and I'm set with the grocery list. I plan to start baking fudge tomorrow and a few other goodies before Friday. Fudge will stay the freshest longest. From there, I will just continue to follow the food portion of the checklist to have it all prepped before Saturday afternoon!

What are you serving up? Have you done as much research as myself or just going with what works? How much will be store bought verses homemade? I'm a little mix of both. It's so much easier to same yourself some time when throwing a party! 

Meet you back here tomorrow!

XO, 

Andrea

Mama Drinks: The Bloody Eyeball

With Halloween right around the corner, I started thinking about fun and spirited cocktails. While browsing through my parents liquor cabinet, I found orange liqueur and vanilla vodka. Blood orange came to mind and then I took it a step further.....Bloody Eyeball. Gross right? But tasty at the same time!

Here is what you'll need:

Orange Liqueur, Vanilla Vodka, Simple Syrup, Peeled Grapes, Red Food Color, Club Soda (not pictured)

Add one shot of orange liqueur and another shot of vanilla vodka to a glass filled with ice. Add a splash or two of the simple syrup.

Add several drops of red food color to the drink and watch it swirl around the drink. So cool!! 

Peel grapes to resemble an eyeball. Poke a small hole in the center of the grape and add a drop of red food color to the hole. Watch it spread..... Plop it into the glass!

I added a little cupcake pick to the grape for a little added decoration. Such a cute, eerie drink!

 

Just look at that "eyeball" floating around in your drink. If you want to make it even more realistic, purchase a bag of fake eyeballs. Just wash them before adding them to your drink. Totally gross!

Side Ingredient: Upon tasting the cocktail, it was a little sweet. We added club soda to cut the sweetness and it was perfect! 

I have another concoction up my sleeve for next week! We need to get our spells ready for the big night, right?

Cheers!

XO, 

Andrea

Mama Drinks: Two Ginger Beer Cocktails

With fall weather finally here, I've been thinking more and more about fall cocktails. I had apple cider on the brain and really wanted to mix it with ginger beer. Guess what? I didn't have any apple cider on hand. Apple brandy? Nope. So, my mom and I brainstormed about flavors that mixed well with ginger and it turns out most berries work. And in true research form, I made two cocktails just to make sure. That's right, it's a two for one post with one main ingredient, ginger beer.

Cherry Ginger Cocktail

Here's what you need:

Cherry Liqueur, Ginger Beer (we used Crabbie's), Club Soda 

Add a shot to an ice filled glass. Or in my case, over pour a shot and have it run all over the place!

Add the ginger beer leaving a little room at the top for the club soda.

 

Add a splash of club soda for a little extra fizz and to cut the sweetness. Stir and enjoy!!

Creme de Cassis Ginger Cocktail 

Here's what you need:

Creme de Cassis, Ginger Beer, Club Soda (optional)

Add a shot of the Cassis to an ice filled glass.

Fill with ginger beer and stir. I opted not to add the club soda to this version.

I love the color! This was our favorite, but we had my dad test both, and he sided with the Cherry Ginger Beer Cocktail. Why you ask? Because it wasn't as sweet. Turns out the club soda really does cut the sweetness, so add a splash if you want something a little more refreshing. And he was right. Once we added a splash to the Cassis version, it really did change the taste! 

Both of these drinks were delicious! If you aren't one for ginger beer, you need to give it a shot. A shot of liquor that is! I am still going to try it with apple cider because I'm thinking it would be divine. And, I'm even thinking something on the pumpkin spice wagon as well. I mean when in fall, right?

 Hope you guys enjoy them! Till next cocktail time, cheers!

XO, 

Andrea

 

 

Mama Drinks: Apple Cider Cocktail

Happy First Day of Fall! Here in Kansas City, it doesn't feel anything like fall, but next week things are changing! I'm not really ready to say goodbye to summer, but I do love this time of year. All the fall festivals are in full swing, visiting pumpkin patches where we pick our fair share of variety of pumpkins for the front stoop, and yummy fall drinks. And I'm not just talking about pumpkin spice drinks! However, I do have one of those I'll be sharing. But today, I'm talking about apple cider!

This drink was inspired by our apple picking trip several weeks ago. It's too hot for a warm apple cider, but it is warm enough for an iced drink! And that's what I'm bringing you. An iced versions of an Apple Cider Cocktail.

 Here's what you need:

Apple Jam/Jelly, Cinnamon Simple Syrup, Vodka, Club Soda

Let's talk about the cinnamon simple syrup. I made my own, but I guess you could buy some. To make it you need a cup of water, a cup of sugar, and one cinnamon stick. Allow the sugar to dissolve in the water over a low heat. The cinnamon stick will infuse at the same time in the water. Allow the mixture to cool before removing the cinnamon stick and use. You can store this in the fridge for a couple of weeks in an air tight container. Would be so good in your morning coffee for a little taste of added warmth. Or yummy in a bowl of oatmeal!

And while we're talking about the ingredients, seen below, I will now talk about the apple jam/jelly. I had a little remaining in my jar, not enough to use on toast, so I decided to use it in a cocktail. Place a tablespoon or so of jam into a bowl and add a little bit of water. Stir to combine and then heat for a few seconds at a time in the microwave. You want the jam to be thin but not soupy. You still want to see the color in the cocktail. Set aside.

Fill your glass with ice and add several teaspoons of the apple jam mixture to the bottom of the glass.

Add a shot of vodka or more to taste.

Fill the remaining glass with club soda and top with the cinnamon simple syrup. Mix well. You want to make sure you get all that apple jam mixture from the bottom of the glass. Top with a slice of dried apple or apple chip! 

Sip and enjoy!

Another great apple substitute would be apple cider beer or apple brandy!

I loved this drink and I'm ready to make it again soon. There is nothing like fall when blended with apple, cinnamon, and vodka!

Cheers!

XO,

Andrea