Results for category "Drinks"

If there’s wine…, they will come

Anamaris 5 Comments

A few weeks ago, The Hubbz, The Pup and I took a few days off to visit the Texas Hill Country. If you followed my tweets that week, you know that we started off in San Antonio. A required stop whenever there, is Chris Madrid’s. Who is Chris Madrid? I have NO clue, but they make the best burger in the world in his honor (or hers, if Chris is short for Christina).

The Tostada Burger is simply the most ingeniously delicious burger you’ll ever eat. It starts with the buns, which I think must be homemade and taste like a brioche. The buns are then stuffed with a homemade all beef patty (you can tell its homemade because the shape is all irregular and imperfect). Not much seasoning on the beef, just fresh, juicy stuff. Then comes a smear of homemade refried beans, a handful of broken tortilla chip pieces. Then it happens. Cheddar cheese. A thick, almost vulgar blob of melted cheddar sits on top. And to crown it all,  about a tablespoons of chopped sweet TX onions. Ay bendito! Its crazy; its good, its crazy good!

After stuffing our faces, we were Fredricksburg, TX bound. I made reservations a little motel just on the edge of town, this was my first time staying at a roadside motel. The Country Inn & Cottages was a simple, quaint little motel with tiny, but über clean and comfortable rooms and an open heart for dogs. ‘Nuff said.

That was the extent of my trip prep, another first for me. I usually know every attraction, restaurant, hot spot and gas station available at my intended destination. Not this time. I really enjoyed not having the pressure of a fully planned itinerary…, this time. One thing I did know, was there was wine. Lots and lots of local wine. Tastings began Saturday.

I’m going to list these as a countdown, leaving our absolute favorite for last. Before we get started, I want to say we did not have a single glass of bad wine. In fact, we bought bottles upon bottles at each of  these wineries, but there were definitely some incredible wines out there and each winery had a different feeling.

Grape Creek Vineyards ~ This is a gorgeous place, they’ve set it up to look and feel like a winery would in Tuscany. There’s a grand entrance and a beautiful patio with a fountain. The attendants were a bit stuffy for our taste, but the wine was lovely.

We each sampled a couple of different wines and settled on: the Cuvee Blanc, Mosaic and the Grand Rouge.

Fredricksburg Winery ~ this winery sits right on the main drag. Like many of the wineries in the area, it is a family business. We walked up to the counter and chatted it up with the attendant who was a Houston transplant (we bumped into lots of those here). We ended up with 2 bottles: one of each. A Vintners Cuvee and the most amazingly flavorful spiced red. I’ve never had spiced or mulled wine, you know, the stuff that is served warm? But OMG! I couldn’t stop smelling it or drinking it. Now I’m waiting for the temps to drop again so I can polish off  our bottle.

Torre di Pietra ~ This winery sits right next to Grape Creek, but it was much more low-key. After our tastings, we just sat outside enjoying the sun, the cool wind and wine. It was just heavenly.

They have this Tango Port that is just unbelievable, and I’m not even a fan of the stuff. However, for us, there were 2 clear winners here: Amore di Toscano, a lovely almost chocolatey blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Syrah. When he poured this one, he told me he called it ‘Trouble’, man, was he right. The second bottle we brought home was their Late Harvest Zin…, oh my. This guy is oh so yummy and kinda raunchy in the best possible way. Here’s a description of all of their wines.

The last winery is our favorite. Chisholm Trail Winery is located just outside Fredricksburg. It may be out in the middle of nowhere, but their wines are full of life, personality and sass. Rebecca was our tasting expert and she explained and answered every question we had and even the ones we didn’t ask.

She told us about Paula’s passion for wine and her very personal approach when mixing the grapes. She told us all about Lenoir grapes, a TX-specific crop, and how it tints the wines and makes them oh so dark and rich looking. She was honest about her favorite wines, about how some needed a bit more time to mature and come into their own. Rebecca left us unwilling to leave and wanting to throw caution to the air, pack our bags and never leave that little town. Thanks, Rebecca!

The Hubbz and I loved every wine we tasted at Chisholm, but were sucker-punched by 3 in particular.

Diablo, what a devil this one is. A blend of Lenoir and Syrah grapes, it is spicy, rich, sweet, dark. Very, very dark.

Lone Wolf. This one got them a gold medal. It is made from 100% TX grown Lenoir grapes and it just explodes in your mouth. Un.be.lievable. Our third choice was a Bella Star a tasty white.

Beer is also big in this area, there are a few breweries in Fredricksburg and the whole Hill Country region. If you haven’t already, add it to your list of places to see. You will not regret it.

Oh, did I mention this…?

Buzzily yours,
Anamaris

Thanksgiving Dinner: The Cocktail

Anamaris 1 Comment

You know how the say Disney is the happiest place on earth? I think cocktail hour is the happiest hour of the day. I don’t want you to think of me as a drunken floozie, though I am, but I love a good cocktail and I wanted to bring one to the table for the Thanksgiving dinner.

I have to say I’ve been thinking about this long and hard. I wanted to stay away from cranberries, because I wanted the drink to be in a shade of orange rather than red. I kept eyeing persimmons, but the price point is pretty high and I don’t even know what they taste like, do you? If you do, please share.

I also thought the drink should be flavorful, a nod to all the spices used throughout this holiday, but I wanted to keep it light. So, off I went to my local super liquor store and then I saw it. It was love at first sight.

Have you ever seen a prettier bottle? And filled with ginger goodness no less! I was in love for sure. The other components fell right into place and these cocktails are very special. Enjoy!

Apricot Gingersnap

2 ozs apricot juice
1-1/2 ozs spiced rum (Myer’s)
1 oz ginger liqueur
Ginger ale
Lime squeeze (optional)
Ice
Sugar to rim the glass

After you’ve rimmed the glasses with sugar, fill with ice before layering in the rest of the ingredients. Give it a stir and enjoy!

Salud! Check out the full photostream here and for the rest of the Thanksgiving meal, click this link.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris

How to plan your Thanksgiving Dinner

Anamaris 1 Comment

I told you before I would make a pre-turkey day dinner for your benefit, but I lied. Don’t get me wrong, you do benefit from this, but I didn’t make this dinner just because of you. The truth is, I love turkey and would eat it year-round, so when this time of the year comes and the turkeys are plentiful… I eat and eat and, well, eat.

So, I set out to put together a Thanksgiving meal that spoke to my Latin roots while still honoring the traditional ingredients. With a little push from The Hubbz and an abandonment of safety nets, I came with what I believe is an incredible menu.

yep, that's the beginning of the menu

Pay attention, this is where you benefit: I’m about to share all of it with you! The menu. The thought process. The planning. The execution. I’m sharing it all with you in the hopes that you’ll be encouraged to recreate one or more of the dishes or that you’ll through caution to the wind and try something you’ve been thinking about for while.

The Thought Process:
Cocktails: I didn’t want anything too heavy or pumpkiny, but I still wanted to keep Thanksgiving colors in mind. I knew it needed to be spicy/flavorful.

Appetizer: I went for a soup, but wanted to keep it light while flavorful and I wanted to work sweet potatoes in the menu.

Turkey: Moist is always my first priority, so I knew I would brine it. I wanted to pick up on subtle Latin flavors without fussing too much over the bird.

Gravy: It’s like the chicken & the egg. Can’t have one without the other.

Accompanientment: Usually cranberry and, I’m sorry but I have to admit I love the canned stuff, but I needed to kick up a notch. I immediately thought guayaba! Or guava as its known stateside.

Dressing: Cornbread dressing is my absolute favorite even if traditional. My thoughts were to have corn patties topped with the extras usually found in dressing. I wanted to recreate a sophisticated version of a Panamanian tortilla.

Vegetables: Indispensable, and these pickled ones help cut through the heavy meal.

Dessert: A traditional dessert found at weddings in Panama. This is pumpkin brought to Jimmy Choo levels.

The Menu

Apricot Gingersnap Cocktail


Sweet Potato Cream with Chorizo Garnish


Achiote & Herbs Turkey
-Garlic Butter Gravy
-Guayaba Compote

Polenta Tortillas with Sausage & Chicharron Picadillo


Green Bean & Carrots Escabeche


Pumpkin Sopa de Gloria

The Planning

Putting a big meal together, particularly when you have to stick to a schedule or a set dinnertime can be overwhelming. Lists make it easier. It doesn’t matter what type of project I’m working on, a list always makes me feel at ease, like I can get it done. When I just think of the big picture or the end product I can’t help but feel a bit of anxiety, like I’m going to forget something or that I don’t have enough time to finish. Lists are good. Lists are your friend.

After I had finalized the menu, I wrote down each dish and broke it down by steps. I then prioritized the order in which to execute each step.

pardon my handwriting...

The Execution - for the recipes, click on the links.

Gobble, gobble!

Cookingly yours,
Anamaris

Take me to Margaritaville

Anamaris 5 Comments

No, I’m not a Jimmy Buffet fan, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the whole song. I just thought this would be a catchy title. It was all about drawing you into my bloggy web.

Living in Houston means, among other things, that you live in Tex-Mex country. It also means sweltering heat 9 months out of the year. Luckily, those 2 little facts make a Margarita a necessity. Simple as that. Margaritas are how we quench our thirst and cool down from the heat in Houston.

You know I like my cocktails, so I’ve dubbed myself something of a Margarita connoisseur. I’ve had good ritas and awful ones. Sometimes they taste great, but don’t have a punch, while others are all punch with absolutely no flavor. Personally, I like mine to be tart and sweet and punchy. Frozen with salt. That’s what I’m talking about.

Some places, most of them, really, will offer the top shelf margaritas. I say go for the house Margarita first, if that’s not good, don’t waste your time or money on the rest. Top shelf ingredients are supposed to make a basic better, but if the basic recipe sucks…, you catch my drift.

Here I’m sharing my ‘recipe’ for basic Margaritas. No fancy ingredients, but this is a very good ‘rita. So if you feel you must use top-shelf liquors instead of some Sauza Gold and Triple Sec, you can do so without any reservations, but don’t skimp on the fresh fruit juices.

Margarita YAY YAY!

Orange juice, 1/2 oz
Lime juice, 1 1/2 oz
Lemon juice, 1/2 oz
Tequila (I use Sauza Gold), 2 oz
Triple Sec, 1 oz
Sugar, to taste (2 tbsps)
Ice
Coarse salt for the rim

This is how it goes, for 2 large glasses: Mix the juices and liquors with sugar, until it dissolves. Put it into the blender with ice and crush.

Rim the glass with a lime wedge, then dip it into the salt. Pour the frozen goodness into the glass, drop a straw in it, and guzzle it down. How could you resist? See that straw beckoning for you?

Cookingly yours,
Anamaris

That Bloody Mary!

Anamaris 6 Comments

There’s this place in the French Quarter called Yo’ Mama’s. They serve 2 of my must haves when in the area. A Peanut Butter Burger and THE best Bloody Mary’s I’ve ever had. Since I’m still having FQ withdrawals and because it is Social Friday, I thought I’d try my hand at the Bloody Mary, a first.

When in New Orleans, the only way to have a Bloody Mary is spicy, at Yo’ Mama’s extra spicy is how they serve them. Watching Erica put it together is like watching a mad scientist at work. A bit of this, a lot of that, splash and sprinkle then garnish with the popular spicy pickled green beans and olives and you’re in business. Obviously she has it down to a science, but I’m going to attempt to offer some measurements. As with any drink or food, adjust it to your personal taste.

N’awlins Spicy Bloody Mary
Makes 2 cocktails

4 oz  Vodka
V8 Juice (about 1 cp)
1 tbsp horseradish
2 tsp celery salt
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (such as Tabasco, Crystal)
1 tsp ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 each fresh lime and lemon
Olives and pickled green beans for garnish
Splash of olive juice
Few dashes of cayenne pepper

Didn’t I tell you she was a  mad scientist? Combine all the ingredients, except for the garnish, and stir. Fill a glass with ice (a tumbler if you’re being modest, a highball glass if you’re really going for it).

Here’s the interesting part, she doesn’t shake it or do a lot of stirring. She pours it from one glass to another about 5-6 times to mix  it before serving.

As I mentioned, adjust to your taste. I like mine with lots of horseradish and black pepper, not to mention quite spicy. Enjoy!

Drinkingly yours,
Anamaris

Drink me, I’m Irish!

Anamaris 1 Comment

Oh, St. Patty’s Day. I remember rushing out after work and commencing a night-long celebration filled with green drinks. No longer inclined to drink dye-colored drinks, I’ve decided to acquaint myself with a few traditional, or not so much so, Irish inspired drinks.

Feel free to pop open your favorite bottle of Irish Whiskey and whip one or all of these up. I can tell you we enjoyed the research!

Irish Buck


1 1/2 ounces Irish Whiskey
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz ginger ale

Combine whiskey and lime juice pour over ice into a tumbler or Collins glass. Top with ginger ale or ginger beer. For garnish, top  with a lime wheel. The Hubbs and I liked this one, it was nice and refreshing.

Wild Irish Rose


2 oz. Irish whiskey
¾ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. grenadine, to taste
2 oz. soda water

Pour all ingredients into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Stir & serve. This was Hubbs’ favorite. We did add a bit more grenadine, probably a full ounce per drink. It was yummy!

Irish Kilt Martini

2 oz Irish Whisky
1 oz Scotch
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz sugar water
3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. This was my favorite. Lemony, sweet, tart and the bitters gave it a hint of clove. Oh yeah.

Lemon Drop Martini

Anamaris 4 Comments

I’m sorry. I’ve neglected my responsibilities in the bartending department. I know. It’s a terrible, unforgivable offense. I will do better. How about I make it up to you with this little yummy gem?

Lemon Drop Martini
Makes 2 servings; trust me, you won’t be able to stop at 1

3 oz vodka
1 oz orange liqueur (like Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, etc.)
2-3 tsps sugar
1-1/2 oz fresh lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
Ice cubes
Martini glasses
Sugar for dipping
Lemon twist/peel

Yes, you want fresh lemon juice. Suck it up!

First, get your glasses ready. I like to fill my glass with ice and water, then I put them in the freezer while I mix the drink.

Second, dissolve the sugar: if you have a cocktail shaker, use that, otherwise a glass or measuring cup will do. Combine the sugar and vodka until completely dissolved. Then add the lemon juice and orange liqueur, and half-fill with ice; shake well.

Shake it until it feels like your hands will freeze… :-0 Set it aside, it’s time to rim the glasses.

Empty the glasses and let the water drain a bit.  Take a lemon wedge and rub it all around the edge of the glass so it is barely moist. Pour some sugar on a shallow plate, then dip the edge of the glass into the sugar.

Pour strained cocktail into the prettied-up martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Bourbon Blinker Revisited

Anamaris 2 Comments

My little McGhetto sis turned me on to this drink. I enjoy the fact that it isn’t a sweet cocktail, yet the grapefruit isn’t overwhelming or bitter. It’s one of those old-fashioned, classic and classy cocktails. I can almost picture Ingrid Bergman sipping on one of these as she awaits for Bogie.

The traditional recipe, and the one Brandy shared with me, calls for grenadine syrup. I switched it for some Creme de Noyaux instead; the result is a cleaner, more grown up taste. Me thinks. I have been serving them on the rocks, but it is possible the original recipe called for it to be strained and served up. Enjoy it either way, just do!

 

Bourbon Blinker-Nouveau
Fill a tall glass with ice, add:
1-1/2 to 2 oz bourbon, (go for decent quality)
1/2 oz Creme de Noyaux
2 oz white grapefruit juice
Add all the ingredients and stir. Top it off with diet ginger ale (this is optional, but I find that it makes the drink light and airy).

Thanks, B. Here’s looking at you, kid!

Bebida brasileira (Brazilian drink)

Anamaris 0 Comments

Dana, I hope this is ok with you, but I’m sharing this recipe. I was introduced to Caipirihnas on a visit to NYC a few years back. There’s this little lounge/dive/bar called Baraza somewhere in the East village. It’s one of those dark, sultry, hot and bothered, jammin’ kinda places. Love it! That’s where I had my first one of these. Then my dear Swinda taught me how to make ‘em. YUM!

This is Dana’s recipe, with some commentary by me. Say thank you, everyone.

Caipirinha (k-eye-per-reen-yah) is made with Cachaça (kashasah) Brazil’s version of moonshine ; a liquor distilled from fermented sugarcane.

Ingredients
1 lime
2 oz Cachaça
3 tsps sugar, or to taste
Club soda (Seltzer)
Ice

First, prepare the limes: rinse and dry the lime. Then remove the thicker rind top and bottom ends and any unsightly blemishes.

 Half the limes with a knife and cut a “V” groove to remove the center pithy part from each half.

Slice each lime half into thirds, then half those pieces.

Place lime pieces in glass and add sugar. Muddle (what a great word!)
Muddle, grind, pulverize, mash those lime pieces right in the glass with a “mashing stick”.

Add the cachaça and fill the glass with ice. Top it off with the fizzy water, stir and enjoy! 

Bendy straw and all!

Cocktail Hour

Anamaris 2 Comments

Adult beverages. They rock. They’re necessary. And I’ve been known to enjoy them. Often. Here’s another concoction I put together. Mind you, it may be an official drink, it may have been around for years, but I’m not aware of it. And, frankly, it’s alcohol, who cares who made it first, right?

I’m going to call it… Orange Breeze and it goes a little something like this:

Orange Breeze
1 oz lime juice
2 oz orange juice
1 to 1-1/2 oz Vodka
1-1/2 tbsp sugar
2-3 oz ginger ale
Ice
In a highball glass, mix the first 4 ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Fill the glass with ice and top off with ginger ale.

Bottoms up!