BOULEVARDIER and RUM SWIZZLE and ADONIS and THE DOGWOOD and GRAPEFRUIT VESPER

I was deeply disappointed to miss cocktails at a friends house, due to a combination of my car not being drivable in the ice and snow, and having a sick child.
In an attempt to stop feeling sorry for myself, I mixed up my own cocktail, a poor substitute for the delicious sounding lavender cocktails she had prepared, but still delicious. I searched a long time to find a cocktail recipe, and almost gave up hope, until I unearthed The Boulevardier. It was interesting to note, while looking through magazines and my pile of recipes, that the older the magazine, the fewer, if any, cocktails were featured.

BOULEVARDIER

Combine 2 ounces of bourbon, 1 ounce of Campari and 1 ounce of sweet vermouth in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir until shaker is very cold, about 1 minute. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon slice.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, March 2013
www.bonappetit.com/recipes‎

RUM SWIZZLE

ice cubes
2 ounces rum
juice of half a lime
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon agave nectar
generous dash of angostura bitters

In a rocks glass filled with ice cubes, combine ingredients. Use a swizzle stick to blend.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray
www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/‎

ADONIS

In a cocktail shaker, combine 1 1/2 ounces sherry, 1 ounce sweet vermouth and 2 dashes of orange bitters. Add ice and stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, October 2010
www.foodandwine.com/recipes‎

THE DOGWOOD

Combine 1/4 cup white grapefruit juice, 3 tablespoons vodka and 1 tablespoon elderflower liqueur in a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes.
Cover with lid and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled, about 30 seconds.
Strain into a glass filled with ice cubes.
Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, March 2013
www.southernliving.com/food/‎

GRAPEFRUIT VESPER


GRAPEFRUIT VESPER

In a cocktail shaker, combine 1 ounce each of vodka, gin, grapefruit juice and sauvignon blanc. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey and 1 cup of ice. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine, November 2011

www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/‎

VANILLA BEAN OLD FASHIONED and SMOKED SALMON ON RYE

This has been one of my favorite food and beverage pairings - the smoky rye flavor of the particular bourbon I used was a wonderful compliment for the smoked salmon on rye appetizer.
It was a fun evening of food and friends, and although we haven't yet had the chance to invite our guests to return, I have repeated the cocktail, it was so tasty and delicious.

VANILLA BEAN OLD FASHIONED

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 vanilla beans split lengthwise
1 teaspoon orange bitters
1 orange
1/2 cup bourbon
2 maraschino cherries

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add the vanilla beans, let them steep for 15 minutes. Scrape the seeds out of the beans and leave them in the syrup, remove the bean. Cool simple syrup.
Place a piece of orange peel and 1/2 teaspoon bitters in each of 2 old fashioned glasses. Add 1 tablespoon simple syrup and juice of 1/2 orange to each glass. Fill glasses with ice. Pour 1/4 cup bourbon over ice in each glass, stir to blend. Garnish with a cherry.
Serves 2.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2008
www.bonappetit.com/magazine/toc/october_2008_toc

SMOKED SALMON ON RYE

4 ounces of cream cheese
2 to 3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
8 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped
12 slices of mini rye bread

Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, dill and smoked salmon. Refrigerate until ready to use. With a 1/2 inch cutter, cut out a circle from each slice of bread. Toast them in a 325 degree oven until crisp.
Put a dollop of the smoked salmon mixture on each toast round and garnish with a bit of dill and caviar if desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Morning News, December 2004

CREOLE OLD FASHIONED

I recently sorted through and cleaned out my recipe box. I had accumulated so many, that it was taking me a ridiculous amount of time to search through them all when I was looking for something to cook.
Like clothing, food is seasonal, and there are certain items for special occasions - so I separated my collection into winter and summer and then further divided the recipes into categories such as St Valentines day, Halloween and Easter.
Since I was looking at so many fabulous sounding food and beverage combinations, I thought I would mix up a little something fun, and of course, seasonally appropriate.

CREOLE OLD FASHIONED

Fill a glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker, stir together 1 ounce cognac, 1 ounce dark rum, 1 to 2 teaspoons of agave nectar, and a dash each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters.
Pour the mixture into the prepared glass and serve.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, July 2012
www.foodandwine.com/‎