bartender Archives - Page 8 of 14 - blonde behind the bucket

the factory wine

This wine is clear. This wine is ruby in color. This wine is berries. This wine is cherries and cranberries. This wine is light in body with little to mild but elegant tannins. This wine is strawberries. This wine is spice. This wine is silky smooth. This wine has oak. This wine is a red wine. This wine is New World. This wine is California. This wine is 2018. This wine Pinot Noir (also a grape found in champagne). This wine is Sleepy Hallow vineyards. This wine is l’usine 2018 Saint Lucia Sleepy Hallow Pinot Noir. This wine is art. This wine.

l’usine translates from French to English meaning the factory. Yes, Warhol tribute. This wine in particular hangs out in French oak barrels in Saint Lucia Highlands Monterey County California for several months. It is available for purchase on their website and through select retailers (New York and Los Angeles looking at you). Unfortunately, at this time, there isn’t a formal tasting room on location. Drink it now or hold.

This wine pairs with pork, duck, salmon, tofu, and morel mushroom dishes. It also pairs well with brie cheeses charcuteries caramels and chocolate mousse.

The pricing of the l’usine is $100-110 USD.

l’usine cellars

Oh, I’m not sure who the model is on the bottle. I have a vague recollection of a couple of conversations about this from pre-COVID days. Is she a daughter, a niece, a friend, or a sister? I can’t say for sure. I called the number on the website, and the lady I spoke to wasn’t sure who the model was either.

Where to buy glasses, wine openers and stuff?

Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

*I may receive commissions on eligible purchases

Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne

This wine is light pink. This wine has hints of citrus and berries fruit. This wine has rose. This wine is sparkling. This wine has medium body with tannins. This wine is fresh. This wine is dry. This wine is bright. This wine is chalk. This wine is right amount of fruit perfectly moist crust doughy pie? (This is my kind of pie.) This wine is Old-World. This wine is a blend. This wine is from is from Champagne, France. This wine is non-vintage. This wine is champagne. This wine is elegant. This wine is finesse. This wine is Billecart-Salmon brut rosé champagne.

This wine retails for $90-$100 USD. This wine can be enjoyed immediately or for the everyday or held and reserved for any special occasion. This wine can be enjoyed on its own or with food. This wine pairs perfectly with caviar, lox, salads, or anything really. Certain foods will be better of course but if you want this with steak or a burger with caramelized onions on brioche, by all means.

This one is almost always in my refrigerator. The only reason it wouldn’t be is because an empty bottle sits on my counter. This house is over 200 years old located in Mareuil-sur-Ay near Épernay and has been making rosé champagne since the 1800s. It’s is Chardonnay dominate wine followed by Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This wine.

More about champagne check other blog posts here.

Where to buy the goods? Glasses champagne buckets and stuffs Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

*i may earn commissions from eligible purchases

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The Best Smoothie Ever Today Recipe

the best smoothie ever today recipe

1 cup of Costco Kirkland’s Signature unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 cup Whole Foods 365 frozen pineapples chunks

1 cup of Whole Foods frozen cherries (I love the Whole Foods 365 brand frozen fruits)

1 frozen Sambozon original açaí packet or two who’s counting ok me, just one

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper

1 1/2 scoop of Agent Nateur holi (mane) collagen a powder

1 heaping scoop of Sakara protein and greens protein powder

Blend until smooth. Pour into coupe glass. Gold stars and candles optional.

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

*i may receive commissions on eligible purchases

Chocolate Chia Seeds Smoothie

This swirl looks like a Magnolia cupcake frosting, doesn’t it? Ok maybe only a little..right?

Someone told me my blog was boring because there are only pictures and recipes. Uh-huh. Perhaps. To that I say, Cheers! To your health. Tequila! And my boring blog that is slowly but surely going to become less boring or not. Happy mixing. Let’s face it, don’t most of us skip to the recipe anyway?

Chocolate Chia Seeds Smoothie

Ingredients

1 scoop of Sprouts Epic Kingdom Protein and Greens powder

1 cup of Whole Foods 365 frozen black cherries

1 cup of Whole Foods 365 frozen passion fruit chunks

1 cup of Costco Kirkland’s unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tablespoon of chia seeds

1 tablespoon of dark chocolate chia seeds

Method

Blend all ingredients together in a blending machine except the chocolate chia seeds. The chocolate chia seeds are for the garnish but who and I to say you should add some to the mix. As for blending machines, You know I love a Cuisinart.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: chocolate chia seeds

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront and may I add, please pardon the appearance of the store. Enhancements are in progress. Need something I don’t have listed in a category, lemme know. I’ll add it. Thank you so much.

*i may receive commissions from eligible purchases

Mango Mango Pistachio

Mango Mango Pistachio

1 1/2 cups of frozen mangoes chunks

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 scoop of Agent Nateur holi (mane) collagean powder

5 tablespoons of hulled hemp seeds

2 tablespoons of ground pistachio and some for the rim

1 tablespoon of date syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 tablespoon of avocado oil

Method

Add all ingredients to a blending machine and blend until smooth

Rim glass with date syrup and coat with ground pistachio

Garnish: ground pistachios powder

Glass: bucket glass

Where to buy the goods and stuff? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course! Please know I may receive commissions from edible purchases.

Doogh 2.0

Years ago.. I’m talking twenty plus years I met a friend on a random job in NYC.. we became friends after a few hours and went to shop at Bloomingdale’s for swimming suits after work that day….
When I moved to Los Angeles, she came to visit. We went to a restaurant in Westwood and after my first doogh I was hooked..
I bought mint a few times but it went bad as I was working on something else…today I finally made it. I blended some ice and mint with plain non fat yogurt (this one is cow as I ate the vanilla sheep yogurt the other morning at 4:am). I added dried rose petals sugar and a raspberries rose probiotic drink and of course rose water…

If you want alcohol you can use sparkling Crémant rosé.. it’s excellent without it though..
Yogurt works with the spicy foods from Middle East Africa and India ..
Garnish with mint and sugar. I highly recommend a rose petal sugar rim.
I bought the rose petal sugar at Surfas Culver City, CA location which if you are local to Los Angeles this could be great news. I will put a similar one in my store Blonde Behind the Bucket storefront if you aren’t though.

AND No! No! no..
This drink is not sweet and isn’t meant to be although it translate to mean« treaty »..
Maybe that’s what I will do with my mangoes…

Doogh 2.0

Ingredients

6 oz of plain nonfat yogurt (this Norr organic sure does taste full fat to me)

10 sprigs of mint (and one for the garnish so 11 sprigs of mint)

1 cup of ice

2 oz raspberry rose probiotic drink

2 Tablespoons of agave or honey one for the drink and one for the sugar rim

Pinch of fine salt (think Maldon because it is a fine flakey sea salt and dissolves almost instantly)

Dried edible rose petals to mix with sugar or premade rose petal sugar

Method

Place rose petal sugar on a saucer. Add honey or agave to the rim of a glass. Roll glass in the sugar mixture and set aside or refrigerate. The remainder sugar in saucer can be used to top the drink.

Add all ingredients to a blending machine except sparkling water and one sprig of mint. The sparkling is the topper and that one extra mint sprig is for the garnish. Blend until see a crushed ice consistency. Kinda slushy like. Pour into rose petal sugar rimmed glass. Top with sparkling raspberries rose water. Top with rose petal sugar sugar and mint.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: dried rose petals sugar and mint sprig

Arti Berry Cynar Granita Slushy

Before we get to the recipe, let’s talk about what Cynar is and how to pronounce it. Cynar is an Italian artichoke bitters digestivo that belongs to the amaro family. It is pronounced Cee-NAHR or CEE-nahr, depending on who you ask. The suggested serving recommendation is to enjoy it on its own or with cola and lime. You can find more information on the back of the bottle. I decided to have a little fun with it on a couple of occasions, adding fruits, molasses, and agave. Last October, I featured it in a post (see last October’s post here), and just recently, I created a delicious concoction with it. After all, who doesn’t love a frozen boozy treat to complete dinner?

Arti Berry Cynar Granita Slushy

Ingredients

1 cup of mixed berries (blueberries raspberries strawberries)

8 oz Cynar

1 oz agave

1 oz molasses syrup

Scrape using a fork to break up the mixture

Aren’t these ice crystals beautiful

In the glass..

Method

Muddle mixed berries. Add Cynar and berries together in a plastic container with a lid. Store at room temperature for about three to five days. Remove the berries by straining them from the mixture, if you like. To slow the infusion process refrigerate for the same amount of time to about a week. Check and taste to determine whether more time is needed for the berry infusion. Add agave and molasses. Stir. Place in freezer. Check it every few hours and break up the forming solid with a fork. I forgot one batch longer and left it I there longer than a week and after removing I did the scraping process with a fork and it worked fantastically. The mixture only partly freezes because of the alcohol content. I figured that out once by leaving my Lillet in the freezer. Once you have scraped a few times, add to a coupe glass and enjoy.

Glass: coupe

Garnish: extra frozen berries

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront.

Please be of the legal drinking age and drink responsibly

Pear Mocktail

This is the mocktail of your dreams. I say that about all of them, I know. You won’t miss the vodka or bourbon, I promise. Sweet without being too sweet, thanks to the date syrup. Thanks, date syrup! This A-team brings it. Yes, pear and ginger, I’m looking at you. Don’t you just feel healthier looking at them? The thirst-quenching lemon sparkling water tops it off, bringing it all together. Oh, and the two dots of caffeine from Tazo ginger pear green tea provide a subtle jolt—just enough to leave the caffeine-sensitive unaffected. So, not to worry; you shouldn’t be climbing the walls. I wasn’t, and I haven’t had coffee in over two years. Besides all of the above, who can resist the extra botanicals and aromatics from nonalcoholic bitters for that final je ne sais quoi? Who can resist all the bitters and aromatics they bring? This mocktail certainly has a certain something, alright. I’d be surprised if you didn’t want to drink more than one. Cheers!

Pear Mocktail

2 different types of pears (Bosc, Comice, Anjou, Bartlett, Starkrimson—you choose) were given to me.

1 small knob of ginger for slicing ginger chards

1 oz Trader Joe’s date syrup

2 ounces of Tazo ginger green tea

1 oz of sparking lemon mineral water (I use Pellegrino)

3 drops of baking spice, ginger All the Bitter aromatics alcohol-free bitters

Method

Place bucket glass with ice into the freezer.

Wash all produce.

Boil water. Remove tea bag from packet. Add both to a glass or mug. Steep ginger green tea for 3 minutes. Refrigerate until cold. Best results overnight.

Add several slices of fresh ginger, equal to about 1/2 teaspoon. If you like it spicy, increase it to 1 teaspoon. Next, add 3/4 of a chopped medium-sized pear to a mixing glass. Muddle until the juices are extracted. Then, add 1 oz of date syrup and 2 oz of ginger green tea. Add ice and shake well. Strain into your chilled, ice-filled glass. Don’t forget the 3 drops of bitters. Top with lemon sparkling water. Garnish with a slice of pear or the whole pear—your choice! I prefer the whole pear.

The topper

The pour

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: whole pear

Bar Chef Notes: For an adult version, sneak in a little Grey Goose La Poire when no one is looking—if you must! The recipe may need to be modified as a result though.

Where to buy the goods, ok- glasses and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

Please know I may receive compensation for eligible purchases. Thank you!

The Sunshine Glass Smoothie

The Sunshine Glass Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup of fresh mango from Erewhon market or your local farmers market or favorite supermarket

1/2 cup of Whole Foods 365 brand frozen pineapples chunks

3/4 cups of Pitaya Foods frozen passion fruit chunks

2 tablespoons of hemp hearts shelled hemp seeds -the protein comes from these babies. The recommended serving size is 3 tablespoons

1 tablespoonful of Manukora MGO 200+ manuka (or any of your favorite manuka honey) Manuka honey that I use is from New Zealand

1 tablespoonful of a local honey (I use Topanga honey with honeycomb. Fun fact: taking a small dose of honey helps with some allergies)

1 scoop of Agent Nateur & Dr. Will Cole holi (mane) hair ski nails supplement

1-2 tablespoonful of La Tourangelle Avocado oil

3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk

5-7 Whole Foods 365 brand mango passion fruit fruit bites for the garnish and eating while making the smoothie. Let’s be real. This will happen. At least for me it did.

Method

Add all ingredients to the Cuisinart To-Go blending cylinder. Blend on the smoothie setting until the mixture is smooth. If you don’t have a Cuisinart, any blending machine should work. Pour into a glass and garnish.

Bar Chef Notes: a pinch of saffron is great too. I tried both ways, with and without.

Glass: glass bucket glass

Garnish: several passion fruit mango balls

Passion Fruit Pineapple Mango Protein Smoothie

Where to buy the goods: Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

I may receive compensation for eligible purchases. Thank you.

Mint Cacao Nibs Smoothie T#2

Mint Cacao Nibs Smoothie T#2

1/2 cup of Costco Signature brand unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup Whole Foods 365 frozen black cherries

1/2 frozen banana (peel and freeze your bananas)

1 1/2 cups of Whole Foods 365 brand chopped frozen kale

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 scoop Sakara Organic Protein + Greens Super Powder

1 scoop Agent Nateur Holi (mane) Hair, Skin, Nails Supplement

1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s agave (just enough to take the edge off the cacao nibs and greens)

12 fresh mint leaves and a sprig for garnish

1 1/2 tablespoons Navitas Organic cacao nibs and some to garnish

Handful of Pitaya Foods Aloe Vera pieces

Top with water for fluidity if consistency seems too thick as it should be l similar to a milkshake. The reason I needed water is because I ran out of almond milk and added the powders last. It worked out. This smoothie is a smooth creamy icy texture.

Method

Add all ingredients to your smoothie blending machine of choice. Hey Cuisinart, hey. Blend blend blend and maybe a pulse or two until smoothie. Pour into your glass and garnish.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: mint sprig and cacao nibs

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

I may receive compensation for eligible purchases. Thank you.