Blood on the Rocks
I just recently finished reading How’s Your Drink, a book that made me feel really guilty about not being a cocktail snob. It’s not that I’m against cocktail snobbery; it’s just that I never really thought about it. With all that time spent being a wine snob, a cheese snob, even a pasta snob, who has time to think about liquor? When I walk in a bar I hardly even know whether I want liquor or beer, much less whether I’d prefer vodka or gin, shaken or stirred, straight up, or…you get the point. I know nothing.
But this book, which is all about classic cocktails whipped up from egg whites and bitters and simple syrup and all that, made me feel like I should at least start putting down the PBRs and learn a little something about drinks. So when I recently read a recipe in New York magazine for a blood orange margarita, instead of saying ‘mmmm, that sounds good’ and flipping on, I actually ripped it out. Mind you, I’m not such a cocktail convert that I actually followed the recipe or anything, but it did inspire me to make my own, somewhat less professional version…
I happened to have a whole bunch of pomegranate juice on hand, thanks to the Wonderful people over at Pom Wonderful, who sent me a whole case of it, along with a bunch of info on all its nutritional benefits and antioxidant properties, etc… Yeah, sorry guys, but I ignored all that and just used it in booze. On the plus side, it goes well with tequila!
Pomegranate Blood-Orange Margarita
– Peel and seed 5 blood oranges. Toss these into a blender with:
– 12 ounces pomegranate juice
– Juice of one lime
– Blend
– Strain (or don’t if you’re into all that pulpy shit)
– Mix with white tequila, to taste/desired drunkeness
– Garnish a glass with salt, pour drink over ice.
I seriously thought you were going to tell us we should all be liquor snobs because rail vodka is farmed on the backs of Congolese babies. I’m glad your guilt only stemmed from foodie principles. Phew. I’ll stick to wine (but I might add a splash of pom wonderful to my wine – I’ve gotten super into pomegranate of late. Just call me Persephone)
@BS – impressive pic! phew on not following the directions. i thought i lost you!
@maids. you fucking kill me.
so i ordered a dirty martini w/ vodka at BLT Steak in DC and after a few sips i started getting friendly w/ the bartender. he then started railing on said dirty martini and how it’s gross to add this briney salt-water solution to the pureness of alcohol. and then he went on to say a dirty martini is like drinking douche.
he is my favorite bartender. i will never drink dirty martinis again.
@gansie – what’s with the hating on dirty martinis? the salty olive-y goodness cuts the edge off one-step-above-rail vodka (I wouldn’t necessarily order Grey Goose dirty, but Stolichnaya or Absolut? Hell yes.) Plus you get to eat something with your drink during the interminable wait for food, and you still get tipsy. Also it is fabulous on a hot summer day with seafood – tastes like you just got out of swimming in the ocean. Finally, since vodka is somewhat watery-flavored (the name “vodka” is derived from the Russian word for water, “voda”), pretty much ANYTHING you drink with it other than ice violates the “pureness of alcohol.” Lemon, sugar, cranberry juice, and tonic water included. Is he against mixing in general? Possibly he shouldn’t bartend in that case.
@Maids: Isn’t vodka made from potatoes or wheat? How do Congolese babies figure into that? There are plenty of poor Eastern European/Russian babies deserving of your attention here – don’t forget them! 🙂 Also, red wine has antioxidants, so no need to pollute that with pom juice. It could be really good in a sangria, though – could that be a future post, pomegranate sangria? Mmmm.
@ LaMorgan: sounds like you are volunteering? Why don’t you make me a pitcher of pomegranate Sangria and take a picture of it and then write an ES post on the subject!?!
@LaMorgan – the bartender suggested that instead of ordering a dirty martini to order a martini w/ olives (sans juice)
I made a pickletini a while back, not wanting to waste the pickle juice. I should have wasted the juice.
@gansie, that’s simply not the same. Your favorite bartender might have the palate of an eighty-year-old woman who can toss back a “clean” martini without batting a lash, but I can’t…
I tried to be a cocktail snob about 8 years ago. I cut a recipe out of the Daily News for a blood orange martini – never made it, but if I want to snob it up I know it’s there.
Dirty martinis are vile, vile stuff – even worse if you use a bad vodka. Grey Goose isn’t anything special – it is the result of marketing.
Re: Cocktail snobbery – I hate those people who insist on calling common drinks special names. Vodka + Cranberry juice = “Vodka Cranberry,” not “Cape Cod,” douchetard. And then the ones who decide to modify that further by simply naming a local geographic feature. Please die.
@gansie: I had a similar experience at Ocean Grill in NYC but not only would the bartender not let me have the martini – he didn’t want to make it with vodka at all because it’s the simplest and most boring alcohol possible. He insisted on making me try Hendrix gin even though my gin privleges have been revoked since what i refer to as the “incident.” He almost converted me to a gin drinker and cocktail snob because that gin tasted like springtime and rainbows. His scolding also won him a place among my favorite bartenders.