Cherry Firecrackers

I am co-hosting our Bunco group tomorrow night and we have decide to serve Cherry Firecrackers! I have “all of the fixin’s” as they like to say down here and I even made a demo drink this past weekend…you know to try them, road test them, and to make sure they were worthy of the Bunco Girls. And they are. They taste great, they are NOT too strong, they are pretty to look at, and have a high fun factor. The rims of the glasses are dipped in Cherry Pop Rocks candy. And they crackle and sizzle with every sip! I love this idea!

I got the idea a couple of weeks ago when I was reading Pink Martinis and Pearls and she had a recipe for a Boston Pops Cocktail just in time for the Fourth of July. The drink she posted had the glass rim frosted with the Pop Rocks Candy. Her drink is blue and calls for Blue Curacao. Click HERE to check our her recipe.

We decided we weren’t sure we wanted to drink “blue” drinks and because the only flavor Pop Rocks I could find was Cherry…we decided to go with this recipe instead.

Cherry Firecrackers

2 parts Cherry Vodka

1 part Amaretto

2 parts Cranberry Juice Cocktail

Cherry 7-Up or Sparkling Water (Pellegrino) or Club Soda

Pop Rocks Candy Crystals

You can make this drink by the pitcher which is what we are going to do.

For the pitcher size: the “parts” = cups.

For individual drinks: the “parts” = shots.

For an individual drink, fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the Cherry Vodka, the Amaretto, and the Cranberry juice and shake. Frost the rim of a martini glass by rubbing the edge with a wedge of lime, and then carefully dip into a plate of Pop Rocks candy. It will start to crackle and pop right away. Pour into a martini glass. Top it off with some Cherry 7-UP if you like your drinks sweet and if you don’t top it off with sparkling water or Club Soda. Garnish with a lime wheel.

It is not a good idea to frost the martini glasses with Pop Rocks in advance. As soon as the candy touches anything moist it start to activate. It is best to frost your glasses as you serve the drinks.

Tomorrow is the party. I can’t wait! I will let you know if these are a success or not. How could they not be???

Christmas Kiss Cocktails

Our neighborhood Christmas Tree Parade Party is tonight. It was a great idea that a friend of ours came up with since most of us who live in our neighborhood are from somewhere else and most of us do not have any family around to enjoy all the work we put into decorating our homes and Christmas trees. The Tree Parade lets us take turns hosting and let’s us oooooh and ahhhhhh over each other’s Christmas decorations. I think it is a great idea. And this year I am especially thinking it is a great idea since I don’t have to be one of the hosts! I took my turn last year. :)

We visit three houses over the course of the evening. The first home is usually appetizers and cocktails, the second home is the main course, and the third is dessert and after dinner drinks. Last year we hosted the last stop on the parade. It didn’t end until the wee hours of the morning. I thing everyone was in the mood for Christmas Cheer that night. ;)

I served hot Irish coffee, the usual beer and wine, and these wonderful little cocktails called a “Christmas Kiss”.

I made them by the pitcherful and they were well received!

Having a party and looking for something new to serve? These were definitely a hit.

CHRISTMAS KISS COCKTAILS

3 cups cranberry juice cocktail

1 cup vodka

1/2 cup Amaretto

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Ice Cubes

Clementines, peeled, separated into segments, fresh cranberries, and fresh lime wedges for garnish.

Mix cranberry juice, vodka, Amaretto, and orange juice in pitcher. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

DO AHEAD!: Can be prepared one day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

(Want to make only one? In a shaker filled with ice, mix 3 shots cranberry juice, 1 shot vodka, 1 shot ammaretto, and 1 Tbsp. orange juice. Shake well and pour! )

I am linking this post up to FOODIE FRIDAY over at Designs by Gollum. Stop by for more great recipes!

Cheers!

Pomagranate Martinis

I know it is only Tuesday but who couldn't use a great martini recipe? Besides, it gives you the rest of the week to shop for the ingredients so you are ready for Happy Hour this weekend! Anyway, as promised here is the Pomagranate Martini recipe that I served at my Bunco party this past week. It was the first time making these and they were really, really, really good. :) I will give you the recipe for making two (because who likes to drink alone? ;) and then also give you the recipe for 20 which serves a crowd, is easy to make in advance, and is guaranteed to make everyone happy. CHEERS!

Pomegranate Martini (for two)

2 oz. Orange Flavored Vodka

4 oz. POM pomegranate juice

2 Tbsp. simple syrup*

1 oz. Triple Sec

juice of 1/2 of a lime, squeezed

Sliced limes for garnish

Mix all ingredients in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and Pour! (When I make this size I consider a oz. measurement = to 1 shot glass full.)

Pomegranate Martinis for a Crowd (serves 20)

5 Cups of Orange Flavored Vodka (1 and 1/2 bottles)

10 Cups of Pomegranate Juice (1 and 1/4 bottles 64oz. size of Pomegranate Juice. I got mine at Costco.)

1 Cup Simple Syrup*

1 Cup of Triple Sec

Mix all ingredients in a very large container. I split mine into two pitchers. Chill in refrigerator till party time. Optional: Run the edge of a lime around the rim of a chilled martini glass and then dip in sugar. Pour and garnish with a slice of lime. (I did not include Lime Juice in the Party Size recipe. I didn't have enough limes and nobody missed them! ;)

*Simple syrup is easy to make. Take equal amounts of water and sugar and put them in a saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil and stir till all the sugar is dissolved in the water. Cool. That is it! Store in the refrigerator.

Cosmopolitans

I was late coming to the Sex and the City party. We were too cheap to get HBO and we lived with basic cable until just 3 months ago so I caught up on the show through my Netflix subscription. But that is the show that seems to get all the credit for putting Cosmos on the map...I mean the menu. Not sure where or when I had my first Cosmo but I am hooked and it is a favorite. I am not a huge liquor drinker and have no trouble when it comes to this recipe for a Cosmo. That can be a good thing and a bad thing if you know what I mean. The recipe belongs to my neighbor and he shall remain nameless but he deserves a huge amount of credit for coming up with this drink that is neither too sweet and not too strong. It is tart and refreshing and pretty to look at. I'll admit that it is a bit of a girly drink but I have known some of the men to partake once in a while. These are best made one at a time in a shaker filled with ice but I have made them by the pitcher before as well. Just keep the proportions the same. So if the recipe says 1 shot of vodka, 2 shots of Cranberry, then equate that with 1 cup of vodka and 2 cups of cranberry. Make sure your vodka is ice cold. We like Absolute Mandarin Orange Vodka for these and keep a bottle in our freezer at all times. You never know when you will have to pull it out for a deck or patio emergency and don't forget lots of fresh limes.

Cosmopolitans

1 shot of Absolut Madarin Orange Vodka (from the freezer)
2 shots of cranberry juice
1/4 of a fresh limes
Fresh lime or orange garnish

Fill a shaker with ice. Add the vodka and cranberry. Squeeze the juice of the lime into the shaker. Shake and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a small wedge of lime or orange.