Category: Weekly Whet (Page 14 of 16)

WARNING: The following cocktail may evoke uncontrollable feelings of affection. Please consume responsibly, away from children, small animals, and easily embarrassed friends and acquaintances.

Happy Valentines Day from into the Soup!

Ingredients

• Strawberry Liqueur      1/2 oz
• Vanilla Vodka               1 ½ oz
• Cranberry Juice          
• Pineapple Juice           
• Champagne                

1.)    Pour juice, liqueur, and vodka into a cocktail mixer with ice and shake well

2.)    Strain into champagne glasses

3.)    Top-off with champagne and enjoy 😉

Find more fun, romantic cocktails at cosmopolitan.com

Can I get a show of hands (or paws) from my fellow rabbits? That’s anyone born during the years of 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, and 1999.

According to The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, “People born in the year of the rabbit are articulate, talented and ambitious.” We get along with pigs, dogs, and sheep, and “(we) would make good gamblers for (we) have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, (we) seldom gamble, as (we) are conservative and wise.”

I think I’m tired of being conservative and wise…anyone want to grab a red lotus and try our luck at the poker table?

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz Vodka
• 1 1/2 oz Lychee Liqueur or Vodka (available at major wine, beer, and spirits warehouses and possibly Asian markets)
• 1 oz cranberry juice
  

As I took a big bite of perfectly grilled Mahi-Mahi and tore into a fresh corn tortilla yesterday at The Vig Uptown, I felt a devilish grin creep across my face; While other employees were stuck in break rooms heating up leftovers, I was sittin’ pretty at one of the best restaurants in town, listening to Heidi organize her thoughts for this week’s radio show.

if you’ve never been to either of The Vig locations, they’re worth entering in your GPS. The food is gorgeous, inventive, and delicious. Unexpected blends of ingredients and spices make for an incredible dining experience, and some of the names  of the dishes will make you chuckle. Oh–and did I mention the perfect service? Thanks for putting up with our silly banter, Adam, we’ll be seeing you again soon for Happy Hour. I’m sure Heidi will be ordering a “Neat-O-Tito”, and I’m gonna “Take Bethany Home.” Remember that, will ya?

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz Dry Vermouth
• 1 1/2 oz Tito Vodka

1.) Pour ingredients into a cocktail mixer with ice

2.) Shake “liberally”

3.) Strain the drink into a martini glass and garnish with two Bleu cheese-stuffed olives

Visit The Vig Uptown

6015 North 16th Street, Phoenix

The Vig

4041 North 40th Street, Phoenix

Click for menus and more location information

Valentine’s Day is still several weeks away, but heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and glittery cards are already lining the aisles of my local Walgreens. They seem to taunt me as I head to the refrigerated section for milk:

“Buy us now! Don’t worry—you won’t eat us before the 14th. You have more will-power than that!”

But this year, they won’t get me. This year, I’m sticking to homemade aphrodisiac-indulgences. After all, it’s a lot easier to toss a banana peel or two in the garbage than to strategically cover a wad of candy wrappers.

Ingredients

• 1  frozen banana, sliced
• 3/4 cup(s) milk
• 3 tablespoon(s) (or to taste) chocolate syrup
• 3  (or 4) ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Top with whipped cream and/or another drizzle of chocolate syrup if you like.

Find more great recipes at www.goodhousekeeping.com

While other parts of the country are inundated with snow and treacherous weather this time of year, we are knee-deep in citrus. Oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and lemons are ripening on our trees faster than we can pick or eat them, so what do we do? ‘Tis the season of anonymous fruit deliveries!

I remember cringing as my mother heaved yet ANOTHER bag of citrus that had been abandoned at our doorstep (probably under the cover of night) because it meant another week of grapefruit for breakfast, orange slices for snacks, and lemon-infused entrees for dinner. My mouth was in a constant pucker from January to March. To this day, I rarely eat citrus fruits because of my canker-sored childhood, but I certainly don’t mind a good citrus-based cocktail…the alcohol numbs the pain.

Ingredients

Gin                                  2 oz

Cranberry Juice                 2 .5 oz

Grapefruit Juice                 2 oz

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake for about 20 seconds. Pour the mixture into a tall glass of ice and garnish with a slice of grapefruit.

It’s not often that I see Manhattans ordered in bars these days, but when I do, it warrants a turn of the head to catch a glimpse of the person making the request. I’m always hoping it will be a dapper, young man, with classic rat-pack style. Unfortunately, when I turn around, my Michael Buble look-alike is never there.

We are in the thick of the (insert your favorite flavor here)-tini  generation. While the classic gin martini has largely been replaced by fruitier, vodka-based versions, it still exists in name and spirit. Perhaps it is time to re-vamp the Manhattan as well. Keeping the season in mind, this week, I bring you the recipe for a Maple Manhattan–because nothing says ‘winter’ like flannel clothing and warm maple syrup.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Bourbon
• ¼ oz Sweet Vermouth
• Dash of Bitters
• ¼ oz Maple Syrup
• 1 Maraschino Cherry Garnish

Place all ingredients except for the cherry garnish in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for at least 20 seconds, then strain into a glass (preferably a martini or high-ball glass). Garnish with cherry and enjoy.