Thaw in the Straw

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Peg

Thaw in the Straw ©PEGhardee

Don’t sit under the apple tree; sit under the honeycomb, like Judy and Matt do…notice their Beelicious honey on my breakfast table! Our most recent excursion to Boston found us enjoying a delicious, low key brunch at Puritan & Company in Cambridge. How we navigated there beats the heck outa me…Gray and Marc drive the streets of that city as if it’s a one stoplight town in southern Georgia! Since it was Sunday Funday, we ordered adult beverages; Marc enjoyed what they call Thaw in the Straw. Upon returning home I called and kindly asked to speak with the bartender. I inquired about this concoction and he was friendly and forthcoming. You may be asking yourself how I even knew that I wanted to re-create it. We are a bourbon loving family; but here’s a confession. Marc stepped away from the table with Liam for a split second, and TD, Gray, and I all tasted it! Oopsie!! Thanks Marc. Here ’tis!

1 1/2 oz bourbon
3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz honey
2 oz ginger beer

Mix bourbon, lemon juice, and honey together in glass.
Fill with ice.
Top up with ginger beer.
Stir.

Puritan & Company, Cambridge

Liam and Puritan's Boston Cream Donut, Yummy!

Liam enjoying Puritan’s famous Boston Cream Donut, Yummy!

Winter Mojito

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Peg

©Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

The evening began with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin at The Kennedy Center. ‘Nough said! Then we made our way to Kafe Leopold where I tried, and fell in love with this Winter Mojito (along with their warm tomato mozzarella tea sandwich). The groundhog insists that we have a few more weeks of winter remaining, so give this a whirl. It is after all M.O.N.D.A.Y…Get your cocktail on!

PtotheS. I think this would be excellent any time of the year, snowy outside or not.

Sorry, not a great pic. Taken with phone in dimly lit wonderful Kafe Leopold!

Drunken Cranberry Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup cranberries
2 cinnamon sticks
Zest of 1 orange, in large pieces
Combine all in sauce pan.
Bring to boil, stirring, until berries open, about 1 minute.
Drain liquid in to a container.
Discard orange and cinnamon, reserving berries.
Add 1 cup light rum.
Stir and allow to cool.

The Cocktail:
2 t drunken berries
2 t drunken berry liquid
2 lime wedges
8 mint leaves
3 oz dark Rum
2 oz club soda

In cocktail shaker, muddle together berries, berry juice, limes, and mint leaves.
Fill with ice.
Add rum.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into Manhattan glass.
Top with club soda.

Alternatively, fill a cocktail glass with ice.
Strain mixed cocktail into iced glass.
Top with club soda and stir.

Snow Cream White Russian

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Peg

View from my Kitchen Window this Afternoon!

“Three Tuesdays in a Row” is what I should’ve named this post. The past three weeks have seen winter storms invade our lively lives here in ENC and the South. td had patients to cancel for this afternoon and tomorrow as well, so here we sat watching old James Bond movies and yearning for a call to action. Creativity and innovation followed. Light bulb; make a drink using the still falling snow. Just the right amount of wrong! Prepare to indulge. Mighty yummy and I don’t even like sweet drinks. PtotheS: I used Covington Vodka for this recipe today. It is made right here in our own ENC, so why not?! Right?! More on Covington later gaters! Enjoy and be safe out there.

8 cups freshly fallen snow
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 oz vanilla flavored Kahlua (or plain Kahlua)
3 oz Vodka
Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
Nutmeg for garnish

Place snow in freezer while you prepare the cream base.
Whisk together milk, sugar, Kahlua, Vodka, and salt.
Fold in frozen snow.
Pour into glasses.
Sprinkle nutmeg on top.

Serves 2!

Bloody Mary Special

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Peg

Ho Ho Ho! I’ve made my list, and checked the darn thing at least thrice (maybe 9 times!). Everyone has their own unique recipe for a Bloody Mary, so I will leave that specific concoction up to you. However, for the Holiday Season I highly encourage making Bloody Mary ice cubes for your guests, and of course for you! I combine Zing Zang mix with a dash of Tito’s vodka in a small pitcher, then pour it into the trays (you don’t want the cubes really strong!)…that is if you want them to taste your fabulous cooking that you have literally fretted about for weeks. Ha! Fill an old timey ice cube tray and allow to freeze. After frozen I like to pop them out of the cube tray and store in a sealed ziploc, so there is no freezer aroma in the cubes. Then after you whip up your batch of B Mary’s, plop a couple of frozen cubes into the glass, fill with your B Mary and relax…I promise that the day will float right by with lots of love, laughter, delightfulness and not a single snafu! Happy Holidays! See you on the other side of the Holiday Season, if not before! PS…I do love celery salt, fresh celery, hot sauce of your choice, and a fresh lime in my Bloody!

Big Ice!

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Peg

So The Don enjoys a nice bourbon, and while he drinks it “neat” quite often, occasionally he prefers a chilled sip. And when you pour that nice Blantons over the normal size ice cubes, you have yourself a quick melt and just as quickly, a watered down mess. Kinda makes TD an unhappy camper. So I snagged this over-sized ice tray and guess what? Mission Accomplished. You use one cube, that’s it AND It takes hours for it to melt. Savoring the flavor here in ENC!

Umm Hmm. Tasty Sipping!

Tipsy Palmer

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Peg

Calling all bourbon lovers, golf fanatics, sports fans everywhere. This one’s for you folks. Football tailgates, football home parties, golf tournaments, hell baseball playoffs and World Series (go Sox, in honor of Marc!). This is your drink, trust me. Again, from Curtis Stone, dang handsome chef that he is. His friend Steven took a detour in spiking the traditional Arnold Palmer and created this concoction. As always, sip with care! PtotheS! This post is in honor of my dear Cat and Drew who were married this past weekend … not because they served this drink, but because I found this napkin today from a previous party this summer! Take a gander at this amazing bride and groom and their fun-loving attendants! Rock on people!

1 cup good quality ginger ale
1 cup lemonade
1/2 cup bourbon
1 small lemon, sliced
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
3” piece fresh ginger
2 cups ice cubes

In pitcher, combine ginger ale, lemonade, bourbon, lemon, cucumber, and mint.
Peel ginger.
With vegetable peeler, shave ginger in thin ribbons.
Add ginger to ginger ale mixture.
Stir well and muddle mint and ginger.
Fill 4 high ball glasses with ice, preferably crushed.
Place a lemon slice and mint leaf on top.
Pour in this goodness!

Orange Champagne Cocktail

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Peg

All eyes on this! We happened to be in DC immediately following the big snow of February, 2010 bidding farewell to Brenton, who was on her way back to London for the spring. The very adept snow plow operators left 10 foot banks of filthy snow all along the curbsides, so very few were venturing out. Thus the hotel bar was over hyped with boisterous activity. This little jewel was their Friday night special. I know, it’s only Wednesday; but it is h.u.m.p.d.a.y after all. A National Treasure in the Nation’s Capital!

1 oz Mandarin Vodka
6 oz Brut Champagne
Slice of orange for garnish

Pour Vodka in flute.
Fill with champagne.
Float a small piece of orange on top.
Drink!

Pimm’s Cup

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Peg

Put a little Saturday in your Monday tonight. It’s Pimm’s O’clock! Created in 1823 by James Pimm, this cocktail has been a favorite of the Brits since its inception. I made it just to share with you!

1 1/4 oz Pimm’s No. 1 Liqueur
4 oz lemonade
1 oz Club Soda
Cucumber slice for garnish

Fill a glass with crushed ice.
Pour Pimm’s, lemonade, and Club Soda into glass.
Stir well.
Submerge cucumber slice in to glass.

Cubano

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Peg

It’s M.O.N.D.A.Y. Get your cocktail on! My children had a sweet friend, Burke who established a Monday evening cocktail group. Just for the hell of it. Just to begin the week properly. So, today I give you yet another delicious cocktail, The Cubano. Friday found TD (the don for new readers!) and me swooping up Gray and Liam at RDU and making the baby visiting rounds in “Dash” (affectionate name for Winston-Salem). The last stop was Single Brothers, the Yelle’s favorite watering hole from their lives there, prior to the Boston move. There we met up with two other babies/toddlers and their parents, where we shared a table and libations. The new seasonal drink menu had just been established and I enjoyed this Cubano. Remember, I love champagne! So, here you have it!

1 1/2 oz 10 Cane Rum
1 oz simple syrup
4 mint leaves
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
Splash of champagne

Muddle mint and syrup in cocktail shaker.
Fill with ice cubes.
Add lime juice and rum.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into stemmed glass.
Top off with champagne.

The French 75

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Peg

It is S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y! Get your cocktail on! I enjoyed this a couple of weeks ago with The Yelles at the lively Oak Long Bar at the Fairmont Hotel, Boston. I inquired about the seemingly odd name and quickly received an education of its history from our brainiac bartender. The cocktail pays homage to two powerful French icons – guns and champagne. The French 75mm field gun was a powerful weapon in WWI and the American soldiers were impressed with its power in battle. Adding a bit of muscle to solo champagne, the soldiers mixed in Brandy. Thirst Quenched. The cocktail evolved further when the American soldiers returned to the USofA and aptly named it to honor the allies. And now I present The French 75!

2 oz Brandy
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbs simple syrup
2/3 cup chilled champagne

Pour Brandy, lemon juice, and simple syrup in to cocktail shaker.
Fill with ice cubes.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into 2 champagne flutes.
Top with champagne.
Garnish with lemon or orange peel.

PegHardee.com Insight into Southern Cuisine and Hospitality

Southern Cuisine, Gracious entertaining, Floral arrangements, Travel experiences, Fun Times

Category Archives: Adult Beverages