RSS Feed

‘Alcohol’ Category

  1. Christmas Cake Flavoured Vodka – Oh My!

    December 11, 2011 by Chrissie

    Christmas demands just two things to keep me sane, booze and cake. Actually that’s year round isn’t it? Okay, so howsabout for Christmas we merge our two favourite things and create….. Christmas cake vodka! Sounds good!

    A lot of effort may go into making a Christmas cake, but Christmas cake vodka is really easy and really tasty. Basically what you are making is a vodka infused with all the flavours and aromas of Christmas, you can alter the recipe as you see fit. For instance, we’re using real almonds and vanilla essence, you can if you prefer use vanilla beans and almond essence – you get the picture.

    Here’s what you need:

    Ingredients:
    1 bottle vodka (one litre/700 ml)
    1 tbsp dark muscovado sugar (refined sugar cane also called Barbados sugar if you can’t find it use brown sugar to taste)
    1 tbsp honey
    1 tsp vanilla essence
    2 cinnamon sticks
    1tbsp mixed spice
    50g raisins
    50g almonds, roughly chopped
    peel from one large orange
    peel from one lemon
    8 cloves

    Instructions:

    1. (If you have the time, do this step two months before drinking.) Throw all ingredients in a large container and seal or cover with plastic.
    2. If you have two months prep, turn or stir mixture once a week, if you only have a week or so before beverage is required, stir everyday or every other day.
    3. On day of consumption, strain mixture through very fine sieve or coffee filter paper, squeezing to remove all liquid.
    4. Pour into bottle, screw on lid and place in fridge.
    5. Save all removed fruits and fold into ice cream for a very alcoholic Christmas dessert!

    There you have it, a really easy way to bring the festive season into your usual vodka tipple, enjoy and remember to always drink wisely!

    Category Alcohol, Christmas, Treats | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Halloween alcoholic drinks

    October 12, 2011 by Chrissie


    Tomato juice and grenadine are your best friends at Halloween. Naturally all Halloween cocktails and alcoholic drinks need to look like blood so red mixers are the way to go. If you have a red coloured cordial or fruit juice, use that to add a fruity and gory splash to your favourite beverage.

    The Bloody Mary is the most obvious choice for a Halloween drink. This is a simple concoction of vodka, tomato juice and (veggie) Worcestershire sauce. You can add all sorts of spices and trimmings to a Bloody Mary, including horseradish, celery sticks, black pepper and salt.

     

     

    Admittedly tomato based drinks, especially ones that are spicy only appeal to a certain palette, so whilst you want a traditional cocktail on hand for Halloween, think about a fruity mix for your less adventurous guests.

    A fruit punch is great if you are having a party and you can add whatever alcohol and mixers you want. For a simple punch, use a red fruit juice mix and add fresh fruit to a vodka base. You can add whatever alcohol you like, but just make sure you are not mixing too many choices so that you’re not left cleaning up drunk people’s vomit the next morning (sad but true!).

    Of course any drink can be ‘Halloweenified’! Once you have your punch ready to drink, add fake eyeballs, rats tails, spiders and bats. Better still, serve in a cauldron style bowl for that extra bit of spook. If you do add spooky accessories to your alcoholic drinks, just make sure that your guests are aware so that no one runs the risk of choking and are not terrified when they spot a spider in their glass!

    Category Alcohol, Treats | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Is Cava As Good As Champagne?

    April 22, 2011 by Chrissie



    If you know your booze and have enough in your pocket to buy the perfect alcoholic accompaniment to every occasion, then it’s likely the thought of coiffing cava instead of champagne is not that appealing. But if you like me, are just an average Joe who likes a party and the company of some sparkly every once in a while, then cava or any sparkling wine is an acceptable libation. It might be the alcoholic equivalent of Whitesnake to Champagne’s Led Zep, but David Coverdale was a pretty good singer in his day and likewise if you get the right Cava, you’ll be verging on the taste of a lower end bubbly. Remember that Cava and Champagne are made with the exact same process.

     

    If you’re going all out trying to impress, for instance, there’s a proposal on the cards or it’s your folks’ 50th wedding anniversary, then presenting Cava over champagne, unless you’re 15 years old, is not the greatest offering. However, if you’re buying in bulk, the main example being for a wedding toast or engagement, then Cava is just fine. Spruce it up with some strawberry syrup if you must, but remember it’s likely that your guests are going to enjoy about 4 gulps of the sparkly stuff, before you switch them to wine.

    Saying that, it still comes down to moulah. If you can afford it then there’s nothing better than a celebratory flute of champagne and it’s a great treat to bestow on friends and family. Just remember to do a taste test and buy something that suits your palate and can accompany your menu. You never know, you might actually prefer a Cava and unless you’re a drinks snob, which you never should be, then that is absolutely fine.

    Category Alcohol | Tags: | No Comments