Cocktail O'Clock -

by BS

Cocktail O’Clock: Brothers’ Quarrel

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, this drink, which comes from the W Austin, is a good pleaser. It’s manly enough for a football party (Bourbon-based) but sweet enough to please those of us who are manly enough to admit we’re in it for the taste. It also pays homage to this year’s brother vs. brother Super Bowl coaches plotl ine by mixing St. Germaine and Canton, two liquors made by two different brothers. According the legend:

The maker of Chambord liquor had two sons. He gave each of his sons a sum of money and said “I want you to take this money and go out and make a liquer better than mine. The catch is that I want you to make a liquer better than each other’s.” With the money in hand and passion in their hearts, each son created a great spirit, one making St. Germaine and the other Canton. Much like the whiskeys also found in this cocktail, an American Bourbon and an English scotch, the brother’s quarreled over which is better.

Who’s right? We have no idea, but this drink sure is a strong one!

Brothers’ Quarrel

1.5 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon
.5 oz st. germain
.5 oz canton ginger
.25 oz pineapple

Shake all, pour over rocks in rocks glass. Then Spritz with Laphroaig and garnish with burnt lemon.

Find more party drink ideas in Endless Cocktails.

(Photo courtesy W Austin)

by BS

Drinking the Season: 7 Holiday Cocktail Recipes

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, you know what ES has up our virtual sleeves for you…a holiday cocktail! Or seven!

OK, fine, we don’t actually have a Kwanzaa cocktail (Sandra Lee…where aaaaare you on this one?) but from peppermint to gingerbread, there’s something on this holiday cocktail list everyone can get behind.

1. Seven Layer Cookie

3/4 oz. Godiva® Liqueur
3/4 oz. Coconut rum
1/2 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
1/2 oz. Partida Anejo Tequila
1/4 oz. Frangelico
1/2 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream®
1/2 oz. Amaretto

Garnish rim of a martini glass with crushed cookie crumbs. Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into martini glass.

2. Wine Me Up Santa

From: W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island

1 750ml bottle red table wine
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves
¾ teaspoon whole pink peppercorns
2oz honey
2oz vodka
1oz triple sec
.5oz soy lecithin
Cinnamon powder

Warm all ingredients except soy lecithin in a saucepan at a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not allow the temperature to exceed 140°F / 60°C (If mixture starts to boil, lower the heat.) Seal and chill. Take ¼ of your mixture and use an electric hand blender to mix in soy lecithin to create an airy topping. Pour in liquid mixture to fill half of a glass mug or teacup, top with mulled wine, air, and lightly dust the top with cinnamon.

3. Chocolate Peppermint Cookie

3/4 oz. Partida Blanco Tequila
1 oz. Peppermint Schnapps
3/4 oz. Godiva® Liqueur
1-1/2 oz. Cream

Rim martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes. Shake ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into martini glass.

by BS

Cocktail O’Clock: 5 Thanksgiving Cocktails

Come on, America — Thanksgiving isn’t just an excuse to gorge yourself. It’s also a great reason to get sh*tfaced!

Check out these recipes for 5 Thanksgiving cocktails that have piqued our interest this fall…

1. The Spiced Cloud

In a shaker combine:
1.5 parts Gekkeikan Nigori Sake
.75 parts pear nectar

Shake well with ice, strain into a chilled martini glass garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

2. Hunters on Holiday

In a shaker combine:
1.5 parts Jägermeister
.5 parts Don Q Anejo Rum
2 bar spoons of leftover cranberry sauce (yes, cranberry sauce!)
.5 parts fresh lemon juice

Shake well with ice, strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon peel and grated cinnamon.

3. Nutty Pilgrim

2 parts Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey
1 part DeKuyper Hazelnut Liqueur or 1 part Kamora Coffee Liqueur

Garnish:
Orange Wheel

Build all ingredients over ice into a double Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a half moon orange wheel.

in Drinks / Lists / Recipe 2 comments

by Twin Tastes

Cocktail O’Clock: Waquila

One of the best things about summer is buying a big, ripe striped green watermelon on a scorching afternoon. While a few slices are great, the remaining bright pink interior remains, calling to you on the kitchen counter. So what do you do with it? Make it booze!

Last summer, we decided to feature the leftover fruit in a cool and refreshing cocktail, pureeing the watermelon with tequila and a splash of lime. Our friend, Kristen thought of the clever name, ‘Waquila.’ It has since become a summer staple for us, perfect for any summer fiesta.

Waquila

in Drinks / Endless Cocktails / Recipe 1 comments

by Twin Tastes

Cocktail O’Clock: Spiked Coconuts

Sitting in the sand, we sipped our spiked coconuts while sampling grilled mussels, pulled pork tacos, and assorted kebabs, and taking in the vast ocean views. Yep, coconut is yet another food that’s even better with booze.

The best thing about this beverage is that it’s beach-friendly: it can rest upright in the sand without tipping or getting sandy inside. Also, even if you’re not at the beach, one strawful of the subtly sweet spiked juice transplants you to a coastal town on the South Atlantic Ocean.

Directions:

Using a small drill bit or screwdriver, punch a hole through the exterior of the coconut until you reach the center. Insert a small funnel into the hole and pour 1 shot of vodka inside. Cap with a small cork or whittled piece of wood, and refrigerate. The longer you let the coconuts steep, the stronger!

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by BS

Cocktail O’Clock: Beer Syrup

Beer cocktails are everywhere lately, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen this twist.

At The Fifth Floor in San Francisco, bartender Brian Means takes Anchor Steam beer, combines it with sugar and cooks it down into a beer syrup, which is then used to enhance this savory whiskey drink. So this isn’t really a beer cocktail, but a strong, cocktail lover’s cocktail infused with a little taste of beer.

Hops & Dreams

in Drinks / Endless Cocktails / Recipe / Trends 0 comments

by snebbu

Cocktail O’Clock: Blue Moon Brunch Punch

Ever hear of brunch punch? I didn’t until we visited my college friend in Baltimore. In preparation for a day of beveraging at the Preakness, she made us a brunch punch. This punch consisted of a mix of orange-pineapple juice, Malibu, and champagne. It was refreshing, while also giving you a bit of a buzz to start off your morning.

At the beach this past weekend, I decided to make my own version of brunch punch with one of my favorite beverages—beer. The result: positive reviews and an empty pitcher of my Blue Moon brunch punch.

At first I served the brunch punch with just the orange-pineapple juice, champagne, and vodka. But I realized we had Blue Moon in the fridge, and added that to the mix. Blue Moon particularly complements these flavors because of its citrus undertones and sweet taste. The punch actually tastes better with the beer—and I wasn’t the only one that thought such. Why didn’t I think to put this on the list?!

Blue Moon Brunch Punch

in Drinks / Recipe 0 comments