MxMo LIX: Beer Cocktails!

Holy brewsky, Batman! My first official month participating in Mixology Monday! If you're not familiar with the event, you can read more about it here. One Monday each month cocktail geeks everywhere get together on the interwebs for a virtual cocktail party. A different blogger hosts each event and offers up a challenge: this month, Fred from Cocktail Virgin Slut invited participants to make drinks with Homer's favorite libation, beeeeeeeeer. *drools*

I'm super excited to have finally gotten in on the action.... maybe a bit over-enthusiastic, as I have somehow ended up with three- count them- three hopped up cocktails. So without further ado, let's meet the finalists!

Skip & Go Naked

2 oz Broker's London Dry Gin
2 oz Goose Island Summertime, or other kölsch beer
1-1/2 oz lemon juice
1 oz grenadine
2 dashes Fee Brothers Grapefruit bitters

Build ingredients in a blender, top with one metric ton of ice, and blend within an inch of it's life. Serve in a wide mouthed glass, and garnish with a cherry and a 'lil umbrella. Who doesn't love a drink with a tiny umbrella?


*This blog, nor its managing parties, are responsible for any mischief, shenanigans, or debauchery that may result from the consumption of this beverage.

As with many old-school cocktails, there seems to be a few different versions of this drink and how it came about. One version has Playboy magazine introducing the cocktail it's readers in 1970. Another less racy account credits a certain Butch McGuire of Chicago with the creation of the scandalously named sipper (as well as the Harvey Wallbanger,) in his eponymous Goldcoast bar. Some versions of the drink are made with vodka; my guess is that these came later after gin fell out of fashion, so to speak. Contemporary versions are made with pink lemonade concentrate, or worse, with fruit punch- swill... I did find one intriguing version that upped the ante by replacing the grenadine with pomegranate liqueur. I think I'm going to have to try that one...

For my recipe, I settled on the traditional base spirit, gin, and opted for freshly sqeezed lemon juice and pomegranate. I happened to have some fabulously perfect, sweet/sour lemons that day, but feel free to add a little simple syrup or a little extra grenadine if you need a touch more sugar- I happen to enjoy this drink more on the tart side. I also added the grapefruit bitters for a touch more complexity. I chose to blend the crap out of it to dilute it a bit more, making it ideal for a party beverage or for sitting around drinking all day on a sweltering summer afternoon. If you aren't worried about overindulging very quickly, it's great on the rocks too...



Sangrichelada
A Tipsy Vixen creation

2 oz El Jimador Reposado tequila
2 oz Goose Island Summertime or other kölsch beer
3 oz V-8
1/2 oz lime juice
2 dashes Annie's worcestershire
1 dash Cholula hot sauce

In a mixing glass, add all ingredients and stir well with ice. Strain into a chilled glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with cilantro and jalepeño-stuffed olives, duh!

I love Bloody Marys. A lot. So naturally, when I had Michelada (a popular drink among my latin friends featuring beer, salt, and hot sauce) for the first time at a house party a few years back, I thought it was the business! Then more recently, I learned of the tequila tag-along, Sangrita, which quite literally translates into 'little blood'. It's a non-alcoholic chaser, designed to cleanse the palate between shots of tequila (much the same way that rye bread is sometime eaten with vodka) and usually includes tomato juice, citrus juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce.

At some point, my brain decided all of theses things needed to live in the same glass. They seem to be getting on well- perhaps a little too well...

My roommate overwhelmingly preferred the kölsch-style version, but I thought it worked nicely with a citrusy, funky lager like Stella Artois for a crisper taste.



Beermosa

3/4 oz Gran Torres Orange (or Gran Marnier)
5 oz Goose Island Summertime or other kölsch beer

In a champagne flute, pour orange liqueur and top with kölsch beer. Express one orange twist over the top of the drink, and drop into glass for garnish.

I can't really claim credit for this one on my own: my good friend Nicole Farrow from Haymarket Brewery made the suggestion, and I ran like hell with it. Thanks, Nicole! ♥

The Ringwald

A Tipsy Vixen creation

1 oz VeeV Açai Spirit
1 oz Broker's London Dry Gin
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Flora syrup
12 drops of Bittermens Burlesque bitters


Cast your vote once daily here until June 3rd!



I was only 8 years old when Pretty In Pink was released, but I was already well familiar with Molly Ringwald; for whatever reason, my mother couldn't stand her and wasn't shy about discussing it, so naturally I thought she was the bee knees! To me, she seemed so grown-up, the epitome of cool and sophistication. There was something quirky and approachable about her that boys liked, and she was so very much the Average-Girl's girl; she wasn't the conventional beauty, but you wanted to be her, or at the very least be her friend. And then there's that oh-so-famous dress...




I started out this VeeV cocktail contest very much inspired by a Mojito variation served last summer at 676 Restaurant and Bar, called the Eco-Mojito. It was made with muddled mint and limes as you might expect, but with VeeV spirit instead of rum, topped with club soda and accompanied by cucumber. It was delicious. But the more I sniffed and sampled the VeeV, the more I was attracted to fruitier and more floral avenues. I played around a bit with some cognac and citrus, and came up with a rather tasty combination (I'll get into that one later this week,) but the favorite among some friends of mine was this little pink concoction.

If you remember from last week, I very quickly became obsessed with the floral angle, perhaps spurred on by the Mixology Monday challenge earlier this month: when I discovered the Bittermens Burlesque bitters contained both hibiscus and Açai, I was hell-bent. I ordered a bottle immediately from The Boston Shaker, and set to work making homemade syrups to experiment with. My favorite to make was the Flora syrup, which is essentially hibiscus with a little cinnamon and licorice for zing. I used Tea Forte Flora tea to make it, simply steeping 2 tea bags in 1 cup of boiling hot water. After removing the tea bags, I added 2 cups of white granulated sugar, and heated until sugar dissolved completely (perhaps it goes without saying, but let the syrup cool completely before you go dumping it into your mixing tin with ice, mmm'kay? Oh, and Captain Obvious also says to store it in the fridge.)

Ask just about any cocktail enthusiast, or bartender worth their salt, and they'll tell you that fresh squeezed citrus juice is essential in a drink. They aren't wrong! I suppose bottled juice is fine for everyday consumption (I keep it on hand at home for those moments when I don't have fresh lemons or limes, which is a lot, not going to lie) but it really, honestly, TRULY does make a difference to squeeze fresh lemon and lime juices for your cocktails. It's really quick if you get yourself one of those little hand-press types (kind of like a garlic press I guess,) and set aside a couple of small bottles to strain into and store them in.

I like to recycle and re-purpose the glass bottles from condiments like vinegars, chili oil, and grenadine because they're just the right size to store a few at a time in the fridge without hogging a ton of space, and they hold just enough juice/syrup to use for a few cocktails at a time. Less waste all around! But seriously, squeeze fresh for this; you won't regret it....

I enlisted my good friends Jennifer and Caroline to taste test with me (check out their respective blogs Thin Invisible Steel and Numinous Wilds) and they thought that the Ringwald tastes a bit like pink lemonade with lavender. I'd have to agree, and am really happy with the way that both the fruity and the floral flavors I was enjoying in the VeeV really come forward in the drink, but aren't too sweet or cloying. In fact; Caroline, who hates gin with a vehement passion, enjoyed the drink and was able to appreciate the floral and botanical notes of the gin in a way she hadn't been able to before.

Ultimately, I'm really pleased with the results of this adventure. I think that The Ringwald, while being a little bit of an oddball also manages to be approachable and delightfully sweet and snappy. A bit like it's namesake :)