Category Archives: drinks

Rhubarb Mojito

I love rhubarb and I love mojito’s so what better cocktail than this winning combination of two favorite tastes! A delicious simple syrup made with rhubarb not only infuses the  cocktail with the taste of rhubarb but it creates a beautiful pink hue to the beverage!  You’ll love kicking off your summer with this beverage in hand!

From by the bay wishing you, delicious rhubarb food memories!

Maryann

blog rhubarb mojito

Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Ingredients

4 cups fresh chopped rhubarb

lime rind

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

Directions

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, water, rhubarb and rind. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved and rhubarb has softened. Using a fine mesh sieve to strain. Allow to cool. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use. Will keep for one week.

Rhubarb Mojito

Ingredients

3 ounces rhubarb syrup

1 ounce lime juice

1 lime wedge

2 ounces white rum

5 mint leaves

1sprig mint

ice

sparkling water

Directions

Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add rhubarb simple syrup and lime juice, and muddle. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with carbonated water. Stir. Garnish with the remaining mint. Enjoy!

Spicy Bloody Mary with Pickled Tomatillos

This Spicy Bloody Mary recipe is my light version of one of my favorite drinks. I use low sodium vegetable juice as the base of the drink. Instead of horseradish, I gave my bloody mary it’s heat from fresh slices of jalapeno peppers and hot pepper sauce. This combination makes for a light and refreshing drink. Garnish with olives and pickled tomatillos and enjoy!

From by the bay, wishing you spicy and pickled food memories!

Maryann

blog bloody mary tomatillo

Spicy Bloody Mary with Pickled Tomatillos

Makes 3 to 4 drinks

Ingredients

16 ounces low sodium tomato or vegetable juice

4 ounces good quality vodka

1/2 teaspoon red hot pepper sauce

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce ( I like to use bourbon barrel aged)

2 jalapeno peppers sliced

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

juice of 1 lemon

pickled tomatillos and green olives

Directions

Combine all ingredients except tomatillos and olives in a pitcher. Mix well. Pour into glasses filled with ice. Garnish with picked tomatillos and green olives.

Recipe for pickled tomatillos below.

blog pickle tomatillo

Pickled Tomatillos

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 peeled garlic clove
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 jalapeno
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed, cored, washed, and into quarters or eighths depending on size

Directions

Heat vinegar, sugar, salt, and 3 cups water in a medium saucepan until simmering. Put garlic clove, jalapeno and cumin seed into 1 widemouthed pt. jars. Fill jars with tomatillos, pushing down to pack. Pour hot brine over tomatillos to fill each jar to the top. Seal with lids. Chill to develop flavor, at least 1 day and up to 1 month.

Bourbon Spiced Cider

Kick off your holiday season with the perfect cocktail , this bourbon spiced cider will keep you warm through the holidays! Start with an easy spicy simple syrup, I use my favorite mulling spices to infuse lots of flavor into the simple syrup – then it’s just warm a little cider on the stove top or mircrowave oven , mix with bourbon and the syrup and serve!

From by the bay, wishing you warm spiced holiday memories!

Maryann

blog bourbon cider

Bourbon Spiced Cider

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. Apple Cider (hot)
  • 1 oz. Bourbon
  • 1 oz. Spiced Simple Syrup recipe below

Directions

Combine everything in a heat-safe glass or mug and give it a good stir. Garnish with cinnamon stick. For a non-alcoholic version, mix 1 oz. Spiced Simple Syrup with 4 oz. hot cider and stir.

Spiced Simple Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon mulling spices
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes until sugar has completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat and let the syrup cool. Strain syrup into a clean jar; discard solids. May be refrigerated for a week.

Pear Royale

Kicking off my series of Thanksgiving recipes with a the perfect festive fall cocktail, Pear Royale. Easy to make with pear simple syrup and your favorite champagne! Follow along all month as I share recipes to make a delicious Thanksgiving feast!

From by the bay, wishing you bubbly food memories!

Maryann

blog pear royale

Pear Royale

Ingredients

  • 1 glass of champagne
  • 1 tablespoon pear simple syrup ( recipe follows)
  • optional: thin pear slices

Directions

In a champagne flute  add the pear simple syrup, top with champagne.

Pear Simple Syrup

Ingredients
3 pears
2 cups water
2 cups sugar

optional: pear slices to garnish

Directions

Peel, core and cube pears. Place in a medium saucepan with water and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Use a potato masher to mash pear.  Use a fine mesh sieve to strain mixture pressing the liquid through with a back of a spoon and cool. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use. Keeps for a week.

White Sangria

blog peach

Inspired by the abundance of fresh peaches here on Long Island , I made a white sangria perfect for me. I prefer my sangria to be crisp, cold and not too sweet. This recipe is my perfect sangria with no sugar and just letting the sweetness comes from the fruit and orange liquor. I like using one a favorite sauvignon blanc for this sangria and then add some sparkling dry white wine. I love using California wines for this sangria. Enjoy the fresh, light taste of this sangria.

From by the bay, wishing you sunny sangria food memories!

Maryann

blog white sangria 2

White Sangria

Ingredients

1 bottle sauvignon blanc

3 cups fruit, such as peaches, cut green grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/4 cup orange liquor

1 bottle sparkling white wine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and chill. When serving fill 1/2 the glass and top off with the sparkling wine and serve.

 

Rose Sangarita with Mixed Fruit ( Rose Sangria with Tequila)

As we appropriate Labor Day weekend, I decided for my official Labor Day cocktail to combine two of my favorite drinks, rose and a margarita – and the combination of these two drinks is a Rose Sangarita, adding some of the fresh seasonal fruit so abundant right now to enhance the flavor. i like to use berries combined with some stone fruit so bring in the blackberries, raspberries and blueberries along with the peaches, apricots and plums to make your favorite sangarita!

From by the bay, wishing you sangarita food memories!! Maryann

blog sangrarita

Rose Sangarita with Mixed Fruits ( Rose Sangria with Tequila)

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle Rose ( 750 ml)
  • 2 ounces gold tequila
  • 2 ounces triple sec
  • 2 ounces fresh berries ( raspberries, blackberries or blueberries)
  • 2 ounces fresh pitted and chopped stone fruit ( peaches, plums or apricots)

Directions

Put all the ingredients into a carafe. Mix well and refrigerate for minimum 3 hours and up to 1 day. Serve cold.