Mess of Greens

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Beverages and Cocktails

What to drink before the parade: Le Roi Cafe’

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I LOVE Mardi Gras. I just love it. It turns out that I went a bit overboard this Mardi Gras season…buying King Cake Flavored vodka, and King Cake Flavored coffee… I drew the line at King Cake Flavored soda, but it’s a pretty thin line. But then I realized that most of the drinks people are making with King Cake vodka are just plain terrible and honestly I’m not sure that anyone but 21 year old tourists in New Orleans for the first time ever would drink them. King Cake coffee is pretty delicious, but maybe just a bit too much for everyday consumption.

So what do I do? I make a pre-parade slash post dinner party coffee cocktail (AND a virgin version for festive non-drinkers.) As a nod to KING Cake, I named it Le Roi Cafe.` You’ve had Irish Coffee, right? Well, this just might be better.

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The Seat Heater

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Are y’all watching the National Football Championship?!?
ermm.. probably not if you’re reading MoG, but YOU SHOULD BE if you’re a real southerner. I mean Clemson AND Alabama? C’mon.

As a born-and-raised Mississippi girl, I’ve gotta cheer for the SEC tonight (ROLL TIDE!) but my honey is a ACC guy all the way. Tonight would probably be contentious except I really only watch football as a social thing. (I am like 90% sure that a bunch of other southerners feel the same way but are too scared of the super intense football fans to say so. But I’ll say it. “Meh.”)

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Christening our New bar with an Old Fashioned

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The jazzed up Old Fashioned

Serves 1
I’d been on the hunt for the perfect piece of furniture to serve as our bar for months. 6 months, if you want to get specific. I went to new stores, I looked online, we’ve stopped at every antique or junk or thrift store in the surrounding 100 miles, but either found things that were perfect but too expensive (to the tune of $1,500) not so great, or lovely but way to big or too small for the space. then, on our country looping expedition the other day (read about that here) we stopped in a “junkique” in cleveland that’s only open on weekdays and found something that was PERFECT. It was the right size, the right era, and, best of all, the right price. We brought it home and after filling it with our collection of spirits and barware, decided that 4:45 wasn’t really too early to christen it with a drink.
But what drink? Well, we had about a zillion juice oranges and clementines, and we love bourbon, so we decided to mix up a few old fashioned… besides, who wouldn’t want to break in the new bar with an old fashioned. While I googled recipes I learned that there are right ways and wrong ways to make this classic cocktail, and that the midwestern version comes from Wisconsin and involves brandy, 7Up, and marachino cherries, while the southern version is Kentuckian by origin, decidedly less dressed up and made with bourbon or rye.
Obviously we were going with the bourbon version, but I couldn’t see what was so wrong about a little muddled fruit. I know…I know… no matter who or where you’re making the drink, technically, there is no cherry and no orange slice in a real, classic old fashioned. None. The classic involves bitters, sugar, a twist of orange or lemon, the spirit of choice and some ice. But, I had a new bar, a whole lot of oranges, and a desire to mess with tradition just a teeny bit. so there. If you’re looking to be a purist and make the classic, omit the fruit, but if you want something delicious, and a little bit irreverent, why not go whole hog?
What you Need:
2-3 oz Bourbon
One Orange Slice
1 or 2  frozen fresh cherries (the purists will frown on this, but I had them and they’re SO pretty)
2-3  dashes of Angostura Bitters
1/2 tsp Brown Sugar or one sugar cube
No more than 1 oz Water or club soda (optional)
Ice

What to Do:
Put the orange slice (with the peel), cherry, sugar, and dashes of bitters into an old fashioned style or double glass. It’s important to throw in the orange rind since it has so much flavor and the oils that seep out as you muddle it all together gives the drink a nice citrusy flavor..also, if you’re not sure what a “dash” of bitters is, don’t stress. The bottle top is specifically made for “dashing” and only allows a few drops out at a time (a lot like a bottle of tabasco sauce). I added two good shakes of the bottle and then one to grow on, because I felt like my bitters bottle was being a little stingy. The moral of the story- just go with your gut, there.
 
Muddle these together in the base of a glass with a muddling stick, or a lipstick, or the handle-end of a knife, or other blunt tool until the juices meld together and the sugar has been ground in and there’s a slight lining to the glass. Add in the bourbon (or your spirit of choice).
Now, at this point you can stop if you’re feeling serious about your cocktail, but if it’s a regular old Thursday night and you just wanted that one drink while you visit about the day and plan the dinner menu then add in the water to cut the sincerity, top with ice, and enjoy with style.
If you want to stop by to see our new bar, come on over around cocktail hour.

 

The Basic Bloody Mary

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I love, love, love day drinking. not day drunkenness, but you know, a beer at an afternoon BBQ, a mimosa at a girls’ morning out, and definitely, definitely, a bloody mary with brunch. I’ve made them all kinds of ways…with just tomato juice and then with mixes, with lots of condiments…with differne brands and types of vodka…..and really, I’ve never had a bad one as long as it had enough spicy kick and vodka.

The most recent version I made for some pals who spent the night after my 30th birthday bash (Top 40 karaoke! a dinner party! cocktails!)  involved Cat Head vodka, a local Mississippi vodka that donates $1 of every bottle to live music, V8 Juice, pickles, sriracha, lime juice, and woschester. pretty good. Seriously, you can make them so many ways depending on your taste, but this recipe is a good place to start as you test out your own favorite combination.

What You Need
Makes one 1 large or 2 small Bloody Marys.

1-2 oz of Vodka (Cat Head is a GREAT choice!)
1-2 cups of classic or reduced sodium V8 juice. I’ve used regular and off-brand and plain tomato juice often, but it just takes more seasoning. You can go this route, but double the salt and other seasonings for the right kick)
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 small squirt Sriracha (an asian hot sauce)
1 dash Woschester Sauce
3 teaspoons Black pepper
2 dashes Soy Sauce
1 Small pickle
1 celery stick
1 lime wedge

What to Do:
Mix all of these ingredients, taste it for salt and spice, and garnish with the pickels, lime wedge, and celery. If it’s not spicy enough, add in more tabasco and soy. Drink with reckless abandon.

Want more versions? I recommend Garden and Gun’s recent article “How to Build a Bloody Mary Bar”

 

 

Cooking & Drinking Downton: The Syllabub

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I already mentioned our AMAZING Christmas Eve, right? But I didn’t tell you how to make the magic elixer that that got everyone (I mean EVERYONE) to sing their hearts out…

I found this recipe in a fun newish southern food magazine, The Local Palate, and adapted it to my tastes… I feel like it could be fun to have on NYE or maybe in lieu of eggnog, but beware, they are strong, delicious, and super filling. seriously. Let me know what you think!

Coffee Syllabubs
Serves 8

2 C Whipping cream
1/2 C coffee flavored liqueur (like Kahlua)
1/2 Amaretto (like Disaronno)
1 C light brown sugar

Blend and whip the ingredients together until frothy (but not too frothy or the cream will be too stiff to drink easily) just before you’re ready to serve and garnish with nutmeg or cinnamon.

And a photos of the syllabubs in action, plus the singing and merriment!

Biz’s Note: Syllabubs got referenced by Ms. Padmore on the episode of Downton Abbey Airing 1/12/14. I was BESIDE myself!

THE tailgate cocktail: bourbon and ginger

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before we get started, a little confession: i’m really, truly, honestly not into college football. at all. not even a little bit.
now, i love a tailgate, and i love high school football (LOVE IT. there’s just something about cold weather, local pride, and a marching band that just tugs at my heartstrings) but i went to D3 schools for undergrad and grad school, and my folks just never were that crazy about it, so I just don’t really get the obsessive, soul-consuming passion so many southerners have about the college version. sorry, y’all.
really, i’ve tried to love it. boone is crazy about his alma mater’s team (the Demon Deacons) and my best friend katie sat next to me at an Ole Miss game a few years ago and talked me through every single play by play, thinking that if I knew what was going on, i’d enjoy it a little more…but nope. Now, I can sit still for 3 hours and cheer when I’m supposed to, but really I only want to watch games that I go to in person, and really only want to go to a game once or twice a year. oops. i hope this doesn’t ruin our relationship, y’all. even if I’m not crazy about the game, my love of social gatherings and reasons to cook and share food means i really, really love a tailgate. and who doesn’t have a delicious drink or two at a tailgate, am i right? it turns out that my favorite autumn and winter cocktail is a balance of warm bourbon and sweet, fizzy, spicy ginger ale. i’d been looking for a way to “fancy” it up a little bit this tailgate season (mostly for when i try to be supportive and watch wake forest on ESPN or the computer) when i found this garden & gun recipe for a homemade version of ginger ale and edited it a bit for my tastes. see if it hits your spot this football season.
Ginger Syrup for Bourbon and Homemade Ginger Soda
Makes approximately 15 drinks worth.
What you need for the syrup:
 2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 lb ginger root about 1/2 of one big piece you get from the store, peeled
1 tsp green or black peppercorns
For the cocktail
ice
bourbon
club soda
lemon
 
What to do:
after you’ve peeled the ginger, grate it using a cheese grater or microplaner. bring the sugar, water, and ginger to a boil in a small sauce pot. once it comes to a boil, and let it cook down until it is a little thicker (you’ll know if when you put a spoon into the pot if the liquid slides off slowly and leaves a residue, but you’re not looking for the consistency of glue or anything) this takes somewhere 5-10 minutes. remove the pot from the heat, add the peppercorns, and let the ginger steep and cool for about 30 minutes to an hour (if you’re in a rush, throw it into the fridge for a little bit.) strain the syrup and throw away the ginger, and store the syrup in an airtight container up to 4 weeks.

once you’re ready to enjoy your creation, fill a glass with ice and pour 2-3 tablespoons of the syrup with 1-2 oz bourbon. top with the club soda and a lemon or lime wedge and enjoy. you’ll find that this is significantly less sweet than a regular bourbon & ginger, and that the spiciness and flavor of the ginger comes through pretty clearly. it can also be served over ice cream or with pears, peaches, or apples. yeaaaah.

The Pink 75

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I mentioned back after the engagement ice cream party that I would post the recipes for the cocktails we enjoyed… they aren’t particularly southern, but they were pretty delish, so i figured it was worth sharing. The actual drink that I based this on, (the French 75) is a delicious light yellow drink,…not too sweet or fruity that packs a serious punch. (a combination of Gin, Champagne, and a fruit liqueur will do that, you know?) The name, French 75, apparently comes from the gun by the same name and originated just after the turn of the 20th Century and garnered fame as a lovely Champagne cocktail with a strong kick. my friend sam gave my my first French 75 on my 29th b-day at the Giardina’s and then i was reintroduced at my local neighborhood bar a month or so ago. To make my own version a girl-party worthy drinkity-drink, I added some grapefruit juice because nothing says girlie like pink, and served them in my antique champagne saucers. It seemed a little less french at that point, so I took liberties and gave it a new name. it was a big hit… no one wanted the wine or the grenadine-vodka cocktail i concocted once they’d tasted this. Let me know if this hits you as hard as it hit me…

The Pink 75
Makes 1 drink

What you need:
1 oz St Germain (Elderflower Liqueur)
1 oz gin
1 oz fresh lemon juice
Champagne
1/2 tsp sugar or stevia
3 oz Grapefruit juice or better yet, sparkling grapefruit juice
Ice

What you do:
Mix the St. Germain, the gin, the grapefruit juice, the lemon juice, and the sugar together with the ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake, and pour into a martini, tall highball glass, or a champagne saucer and top with the champagne. Garnish with a lemon peel or sugared rim.

Enjoy! (but don’t get too crazy…) What’s your favorite fancy cocktail?

frozen sweet tea cocktail.

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have y’all TRIED this firefly sweet tea vodka? as a southern gal who loves sweet tea i had been a little skeptical about it. also, i didn’t actually believe that you wouldn’t be able to taste it if mixed with regular sweet tea. but i was wrong. dead wrong.

now, this is dangerous, here friends… if you can’t taste your liquor, you might just drink waaaay too much. but it also is the best darn tailgating cocktail i’ve ever had. i started with the junior league of jackson, ms cookbook come on in‘s recipe for frozen sweet tea that is FINE.. then i mixed in a little firefly. delish. even if you don’t make this into a cocktail, the frozen sweet tea recipe is worth trying… trust me.

frozen sweet tea
2 lemons
1 orange

photo from martha stewart.