Crémant is sparkling wine from France. It’s typically made with more grapes than champagne. Champagne is made typically made using three or in some cases one grape varietals. The process, methode traditionelle, the same for both. The wine can only be called champagne if it’s from the Champagne region of France and crémant if it’s from one of its producing regions; Loire, Alsace, Bourgogne, and Limoux. Crémant was the name given in the 1980s because of law.
This one featured here is is Gratien & Meyer Cremant (Gra-shen My-er) De Loire Brut Rose. 100 % Cabernet Franc and has a price point range of $16-$20 USD per bottle. This wine is bright with berry fruit and dry. It’s excellent on its own or as a topper to many cocktails.
Last year I was asked to create a cocktail for the 20th anniversary of the Legally Blonde movie. There were a couple of must haves. It had to be pink and called The Bend and Snap. Why the Bend and Snap? It’s named after the movie’s famous how to secure a date scene featuring the “bend and snap » technique. The scene was written at the hotel bar called the Writer’s Bar and paying homage to the creators and technique, this is my 2021 Bend and Snap.
didn’t have any more purple flowers or this signifies a mocktail
This cocktail scheduled to be on the menu for one week. That was July 2021. It is still on the menu today. I am so proud of my little cocktail. I can’t promise it will secure you a date but sure is a tasty way to try.
Bend and Snap
2 oz Belvedere vodka
5-6 slides of watermelon
8 sprigs of fresh mint
1 slice of a jalapeño
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz agave syrup (add little water if too thick as this reduces the agave sweetness and adds more fluidity. This is a trick when using speed pour spouts at a bar)
Purple edible viola flowers
Method
1. Add 5-6 small slices of watermelon to a small mixing tin. Think watermelon cut for a breakfast fruit plate. Using a muddler, mash the watermelon to create a pulpy juice.
2. Add 8 sprigs of mint to the same tin. Gently press and twist the mint using a muddler.
3. Add one thin slice of jalapeño with the seeds. Turn once with the same muddler to extract the juices. Don’t over muddle. This drink isn’t a spicy drink. The heat and “snap” should be in the back of the throat a the finish of the sip.
4. Add agave, fresh lime juice, vodka and ice. Shake and double strain into a bucket glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with a purple or lavender viola flower.
Glass: Bucket glass
Garnish: purple or lavender edible viola flower
*** pro-tip if the jalapeño is too spicy or too green consider making or purchasing jalapeño bitters for consistancy
Side notes: I tested this cocktail with tequila and honey together and both with vodka. For this assignment, these ingredients work best.
« The Thing ».That’s it’s nickname for my Tatooom’s espresso martini. Or « The Thing ».
Tatooom’s Espresso Martini
Ingredients
2 oz of Kettle One Vodka
1 oz of Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur (cold brew coffee liqueur from Australia)
1-2oz of Umbria espresso depending on size of glass (Umbria is from Pacific Northwest of United States and espresso pods papers are made from recycled pineapple pulp)
1-2 bar spoons of simple syrup if your espresso is bitter or you prefer a sweeter drink as the simple softens the sometimes harsh espresso flavor
3 drops Chocolate bitters (add cocoa nibs to rye whiskey and let it sit in a closed jar at room temperature until chocolate desire chcokatebflavornisnacjieved. Longer is better if you ask me.
Coffee beans for the garnish
Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing tin. If your espresso is hot, add this to ice first and let it chill. Then add all ingredients and shake. Strain into a coupe glass.
My riff on the carajillo. What is a carajillo you ask? It is a coffee hard liquor drink. This one traditionally made using espresso and Licorice 43. I added some zing. Spicy ginger orange goodness creating an extra kick in a glass. It’s called the Sapid Canary.
Sapid Canary
Ingredients
3 Slices of Fresh Ginger
2 oz Umbria Espresso
2 oz of Luxor 43
1-3 Pinches of Cayenne Pepper (quantity depending on desired spiciness)
Method
Wash ginger. Scrape the skin using the edge of a spoon. Slice the ginger. Add ginger to the mixing tin. Muddle the ginger. Add all other ingredients. Then, add ice. Shake and pour over fresh ice.
I Scoop of Agent Nateur & Dr. Will Cole Holi Mane CollagenPowder
I Scoop of Sprouts Living Epic Vanilla Lucuma Protein Powder
Method
Add some hemp seeds to a saucer. Using a pastry brush, the back of a spoon or your fingers rim the glass with Manuka Doctor multifloral 80+mgo honey. Dip the honey rimmed glass into the hemp seeds. Set aside. The honey tastes great and is an excellent adhesive for the seeds. Add all other ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into prepared glass
Glass: pretty coupe glass (the one photographed is from Crate & Barrel
This was supposed to be a test batch, but the recipe is too good not to post. May I present the PRB float: Pumpkin Root Beer Float.
PRB float
Ingredients
1 can of pumpkin purée
1 can sweet condensed milk
1/4 t Ceylon ground cinnamon
1/4 t of allspice powder
1/4 t ginger powder
2 dashes of cayenne pepper
2 dashes turmeric powder
dash cardamom
3 dashes of Himalayan pink salt
freshly ground black pepper three or four turns of the pepper grinder
1 can of Root Beer
Method
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until smooth. For the first round, I poured the mixture into unlined and unoiled ice cube trays. The remaining mixture that didn’t fit into the ice cube trays was poured into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and lightly oiled with avocado oil. All vessels were placed directly into the freezer overnight. The mixture freezes softly and needs to be blended to create a smoothie-like soft serve texture. Think of it as soft serve ice cream. Once blended and creamy, pour it into a glass or bucket and top it off with root beer.
Ice cube tray batch needed the help of small spoon to be removed. Silicone trays would be better. The lined loaf pan was great. I picked up the parchment paper, transferred to the marble board and cut into pieces. I mostly stood in my kitchen eating the product from the ice cube trays. Luckily, I have since purchased better ice cube trays for this recipe.
Behind the scenes:
It’s me practicing my video eating from ice cube trays in a dim lit kitchen
Me again, in Tatum’s Tiny Kitchen practicing my video..Little frosty from my freezer..
Jalapeño peppers are fickle ones. Some spicy hot some spicy mild and some are more green in taste. Consistency is key when creating spicy cocktails. Mother Nature does what she does and that isn’t always the most agreeable to when selecting ingredients for year round menu cocktails.
How do we create the desired consistency for our year round cocktails? Bitters is one way. What is needed? A high proof grain spirit and jalapeños and some time. That’s it. Easy as that.
Jalapeño Bitters
4-10 jalapeños
10 oz of Everclear 190 grain spirit (it’s a whopping 95% alcohol by volume)
Method
Slice each jalapeño. Using a muddler, mash some of the slices extracting juice and crushing the seeds. Add all slices and muddle pieces to a container. Then add the alcohol to the same container. Cover with an airtight lid. Leave a room temperature for about a week. 7 days. Taste test for spice. Remove peppers once you have your bitters. Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature in a dropper bottle or sealed jar. Label and date.
making jalapeño bitters
So, wanna spicy margarita? Make it the same as you would and add your jalapeño bitters float at the end. Just like that.
I was having a conversation with two someones on different occasions recently. “It’s what we do when we are well that affects us when we are not well,” was the takeaway. This is a yummy, taking-care juice. As bright as the sun and feels good with every sip.
Golden Planet Juice
1/2 cucumber
3/4 Granny Smith green apple (I ate the other 1/4 while preparing the juice)
2 medium golden beets
1 cup of baby carrots
pinch of Himalayan pink salt
Wash and cut all fruits and veggies. Skin on or off. Feed produce though the juicing machine. Pour juice into bucket glass. Add pinch of pink salt.
Glass: bucket glass
Garnish: none
Where to buy the juicers and glassware and stuff? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront, of course. I may receive commission from eligible purchases.
I entered this one into a whiskey sour contest. It was one of two drinks required. This, the second assignment was be as creative as I wanted staying true to sour and using what I have learned from whiskey’s past to present. I clarified and chose a gender neutral color yellow. I added clarified lemon juice and brûléed the foam to remove any egg smell. Who wants a nose of egg white straight away? The flavors add simple complexity to the drink. With each sip the liquid dissolves the foam. All pleasantly pleasing and excite the palate. Think charred wood with ginger black pepper flavors of whiskey. The syrups add just the right amount of sweet and the citric acid brings back the pucker. The white chocolate was going to be slats of chocolate bark up and around the sides of the glass but I thought it too much and added the white chocolate shavings instead. The sugar pearls could indicate a wedding, a new year or perhaps just the intention, added texture.
This one goes down easy. Another question of is there or isn’t there alcohol in this sour. There is. It’s clear. It’s pretty and pale yellow.
May I introduce A Softer Side of a Gentleman (Jack) sour.
softer side of a gentleman
3 ounces of Gentleman Jack (goat milk lemons limes orange clarified)
1/2 ounce and a bar spoon of homemade fresh ginger simple syrup (bar spoon for the foam recipe below)
1/2 ounce of homemade toasted black peppercorn agave syrup (you can purchase a pre-made if you don’t want to make it)
generous pinch to 1/4 teaspoon of Cultures for Your Health citric acid powder (depends on how much pucker you want)
For the foam
1 chicken egg egg white for the foam
dash of cream of tartar (if using kitchen aid whisk attached mixer instead of canister)
1/2 ounce of clarified lemon juice
(1 1/2 teaspoons of agar agar to 8 ounces of lemon juice freeze 24 hours and throw using coffee filter fastened to a freezer safe lid container)
bar spoon of ginger syrup
pinch of pink salt
Add egg whites to a mixing bowl or canister cylinder. If using a mixing bowl and whisk add cream of tartar. Add salt and lemon juice and ginger syrup once soft peaks have formed in the mixing bowl.
For the cocktail.
Add all ingredients to a bucket glass. Add large clear ice cube (if you can). Crushed ice is great too. Add egg white foam.!
Garnish the cocktail with chocolate shaving, SLO food gold leaf for garnishing, Bamboo skewers and toothpicks to work with the gold, Vanilla candy pearls optional (sometimes I get carried away)
Butane torch to brûlée to give that charred campfire smell and taste
