Cocktail Saturday: Meyers Whiskey Sour

It is Meyers Lemon season, which is one of our favorite cocktail ingredients! In the past we have made Meyers Lemondrop Cocktails ,which are delicious and still one of our go to drinks when Meyers Lemons are in season. This cocktail Saturday we tried a Meyers Lemon Whiskey Sour (one with egg whites and one without). We were pleased with both, but overall we like the addition of the egg whites.

As always it is important to stick with quality ingredients which includes a good Rye/Bourbon, fresh squeezed juice, and don't forget the brandied cherry for an extra treat! The first recipe uses rye and no egg white and the second uses bourbon and a egg white. Again, the egg white isn't necessary but it adds a silky texture to the drink. Make sure to use fresh egg whites or the drink can have an eggy flavor...which you don't want!

Whiskey sour without egg whites

Whiskey Sour with Egg Whites

Meyers Lemon Whiskey Sour

2 oz Rye Whiskey (We used Rittenhouse)

1 oz Meyers Lemon Juice

.5oz Regular Lemon Juice

.5 oz simple syrup

Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Serve with a brandied cherry for garnish

Meyers Lemon Whiskey Sour 

2 oz Bourbon (We used Bulliet)

1 oz Meyers Lemon Juice

.5 oz simple syrup

1 egg white

Dry Shake all of the ingredients. Then add ice and wet shake. Strain into a cocktail glass and add a few drops of bitters. Garnish with lemon peel or brandied cherry.

WORD OF CAUTION: When you dry shake with eggs whites they have a tendency to explode. Make sure you dry shake for just a few seconds, release the pressure and dry shake for a few more seconds. Then wet shake. If you don't release the pressure then you will end up with whiskey sour all over!

Book Club: Me Before You

The final gathering for 2015 was hosted by Katie at Cindy's house.  She came well prepared with her food ready to serve and anything else that we could have possibly needed for a great evening! Including a box full of wine and champagne! The book was Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.  Wow! A real tearjerker.

Cindy's Christmas Centerpiece 

Secret Santa Gifts

Jamie had a great idea to do a secret gift exchange.  We had a ten dollar limit but people got creative and got each other great gifts from blanket scarves to vintage cocktail glasses. Somehow, Goldie even got in on the action.

The Cocktail

Cider Rum Punch

Katie served a Cider Rum Punch as her opening cocktail.  It was a very interesting mix of flavors, including thyme simple syrup, but it worked. Here is the link to the recipe.

The Dinner

Katie planned a meal of chili and corn bread.  She showed up with all of the toppings ready to serve. All she had to do was warm the chili. The cornbread was loaded with cheese, corn and jalapenos. There was pie for dessert!

The Friends

So thankful for another year of getting together with these ladies! January’s book is a real doozy thanks to Jamie.  A hint: She has to slaughter a lamb to keep with the theme and we will all be eating with our fingers out of shared bowls! Should be fun.

Book Club: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is an easy and entertaining read.  It is a great choice for a book club group because it lends itself to a lively discussion. 

All of our members enjoyed it for many different reasons. Abbie hosted this gathering with the help of Cindy's decorating and Skylar's shopping assistance for ingredients she could not get in her small town grocery.

The Cocktail

      ·       3 cups cranberry juice *make sure it is 100% fruit juice

·       1 ¼  cups fresh lime juice 

*that is a lot of juicing but it should be fresh

·       1 ¼  cups tequila blanco

·       1 cup orange-flavored liqueur

       *We like 03 Premium Orange Liqueur. It has a nice flavor without a big price tag.  Avoid bottom shelf triple sec at all costs. It has a plastic taste.

·       ice cubes

·       frozen cranberries

Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher.  Serve over ice in a glass rimmed with a coarse salt and sugar mixture.

The Food

TuscanCarbonara click for recipe 

Spinach Salad with Warm Sesame Dressing

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Carbonara is a rich and delicious dish. It cannot be made before your guests’ arrival so the key to effortless service is to have all of your ingredients prepared ahead of time. Have your pancetta (a salt cured Italian bacon typically found in grocery stores at the meat counter) and onion finely chopped and your egg yolks separated. Also, make sure your cheese is grated and measure out your heavy cream. Have your pasta water ready to boil. Do follow the directions exactly.  Direct heat when adding the egg yolk mixture will lead to a gooey mess.

This spinach salad is a recipe Cindy has been making for years.  It is always a favorite, even with those who do not usually like spinach. In a saucepan combine 4 tablespoons white vinegar, 3 tablespoons cane sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon canola oil.  Cook until thick.  Add 3 tablespoons sesame seeds.  Toss over 1 pound baby spinach and add 3 to 6 slices of crumbled crispy bacon.

The Finish

The perfect finish to a decadent meal: dark roast coffee and Irish Crème with short bread from Zeppole. An inexpensive dark roast that we often serve is the Spanish Night Owl Roast from Whole Foods.

Cocktail Saturday: Orange Maple Leaf

What kind of cocktail do you make when you have an abundance of citrus and a growler of maple syrup….try a new cocktail.

This is  a spin-off of the Maple Leaf cocktail that replaces lemon juice with fresh squeezed orange juice. 

  The original Maple Leaf is believed to have first appeared in The Artistry of Mixing Drinks by Frank Meier and has had several adaptations since its publication  in 1936. While the original version is hard to beat- the Orange Maple Leaf was pretty delicious. Especially this time of year when oranges are abundant and lemons are a bit pricier. 

Orange Maple Leaf

2 oz Rye

2 tsp maple syrup

½ oz fresh squeezed orange juice

Shake all ingredients over ice. Serve with an orange peel garnish. 

Book Club: The New Neighbor

Don't we all do it... wonder about our neighbors. What are they up to now, who is that visiting, ect. The main character in Leah Stewart's, The New Neighbor, goes a little beyond being curious. While this probably wouldn't be picked as one of our favorites it was still an interesting read.

The Cocktail

   

Cindy picked a simple, refreshing cocktail. Add a shot of rum to a glass and muddle with fresh mint. Add some ice cubes and then top off with La Croix sparkling coconut water and a dash of mint infused simple syrup. The amount of syrup varies by guest! It is important to use good rum here since it will be the main flavor of the cocktail. Easy and delicious!

Away from the neighbor's prying eyes, Cindy hosted us in her backyard. She served a variety of finger food appetizers including cherry tomatoes from her garden. It will be hard to wait until next year for warm weather to enjoy book club outside again!

The Menu
Broccoli Casserole (similar recipe)

*We would just top with 2 Cups crushed cracker crumbs mixed with 

2 tablespoons butter before baking.

Basque Salad

The salad is a very similar recipe to one that was a favorite at a Basque restaurant that used to be in Mountain Home. 

The Dressing:

2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

1 to two cloves smashed garlic

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

Dash of salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender.  The dressing is best when it sits overnight in the fridge allowing the tastes to mix.

Toss the dressing a few tablespoons at a time over four or five  cups of chopped romaine lettuce.  This is a heavier dressing so romaine works best because it is a tougher lettuce.  

Top with a grated hard boiled eggs.

Book Club: The Girl on the Train

When you hear over and over about how great a book is you eventually have to give in and read it. November’s book club pick, The Girl on the Train, was hosted by Skylar. So many books have been written recently that have a “twist” at the end it is becoming harder to trick the reader. However, either our book club was off their game or Paula Hawkins did a nice job of keeping us guessing. Read this book before it becomes a movie!

The Cocktail

Skylar had to go with Gin and Tonics. She knew that no one would really want to drink them out of a can (as the main character did) so she just went with mixing them up! 

Overall, there was not a lot of eating in the book that would have made a good themed meal. On the other hand there was a lot, and we mean A LOT, of drinking so we went with it!

Each course included alcohol from Limoncello, Vodka to Brandy.

Shrimp Bruschetta with Limoncello

The Menu

 (links included)

Shrimp Bruschetta with Limoncello

Baby Greens Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

Drunken Honey Cookies

Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Pasta alla Vodka Sauce 

Drunken Honey Cookies made with local Valley's Honey

We promise next book club we will not be reading another suspense! We may thrown in something with a few tears... stay tuned.