blonde behind the bucket Archives - Page 12 of 15

Iced Chocolate Garnish

Almost ready.

This is a fun one. Ok, I tested using semi-sweet chips with dark chocolate chunks (1:1) and I tested using a Belgium dark chocolate bar from the 99Cents stores. Both melting techniques using a Bain-Marie. Microwave a great second if you have one and don’t want to go through the extra steps.

For the ice, I tested two ways. The first piping the chocolate into a bowl of water with ice cubes. The second filling a large ziplock plastic bag with water then freeze to have the now ice in a bag. Both work. Some of these chocolates came out a bit clunky. All are usable, even if only for the snacking while you watch the others set.

Ingredients

Chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, chocolate bars

Water

Ice

Method

For the ice both method

1. Over medium beat, place a heat safe bowl on top a pot of water on the stove. This technique is Bain-Marie. The bowl should be large enough as not to touch the water or fall into the pot. Water should not touch the chocolate.

2. Add chocolate to the bowl and let it sit. As it starts to melt stir slightly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula intermittently until smooth.

3. Once chocolate is melted, remove from the bowl from heat. Set aside. Let the chocolate cool slightly. Once cooled add to a zip locked bag for the piping.

5. Add ice and water to a bowl. If the zip locked bag method is the choice, roll the sides of the bag down over the ice or remove and float in water.

6. Snip the tip of your piping bag and swirl the chocolate. Make any shape you like. I practiced writing my name.

7. Once chocolate starts to lift from the ice, remove using an offset spatula or dinner knife. Place your chocolate shapes onto a chilled plate and refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove using any knife. I call this one a butter knife. It’s not a butter knife but it does the trick.

Place the bag into a glass making it easier to fill with melted chocolate. All the chocolate should settle into nicer of the bag.

Where to buy? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

*** I may receive commissions from eligible purchases

tomorrow’s amaro

Tomorrow’s Amaro

For the Cynar infusion I made a few different batches. One with mixed berries, one with blueberries and one with strawberries. Clear case of indecision as they all sounded good. This recipe is with the strawberries. The other infusions taste were tasty. Strawberries, artichoke molasses and key lime the winner. Yes, please and thank you. Some drink Cynar with cola and lime wedge. This is my version of that.

10 partially thawed Whole Foods 365 organic frozen strawberries with any residual juices

4 oz of Cynar

Method

Remove 10 strawberries from the freezer. I purchased Whole Foods 365 Brand. Let them thaw slightly in a bowl. Add Cunard and berries with the juices into a container. Seal with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for a 2-7 days. Remove the fruit and keep the Cynar.

For the molasses

Add 1 part water to 1 part molasses. Consistency should not be thick but fluid.

For the cocktail Tomorrow’s Amaro

2 oz of strawberry infused Cynar (Cynar is a bitter artichoke Italian apéritif)

1/2 oz of molasses syrup

4 oz of LaCroix key lime soda

Method

Add all ingredients to a bucket glass. Add ice. Crushed chunks cubes, whatever you like.

Garnish: none unless plopping a boozy infused strawberry sounds good

Where to buy the goods? You know soda, molasses, bucket glasses and stuff?

Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

Cucumber Ribbons and the G&T

G&T

There is an elegance in simplicity. Cucumber ribbons are an easy example of this. May I present my cucumber ribbons in the G&T.

Cucumber Ribbons and the G&T

Ingredients

1 medium size cucumber

2 oz of gin of choice

1 bottle of Fever Tree tonic water

Method

For the cucumber

Using a (paring) knife, slice off the bottom pointy end of the cucumber making it easier (and safer) to use the vegetable peeler. Then stand the cucumber on diagonal securing its stance at the top with one hand. The hand you won’t be using to hold the peeler. Starting from top to bottom carefully pressing the vegetable peeler away from you peeling along the length of the cucumber. Make several thins of cucumbers. Trim to tidy any jagged or unclean edges and line your glass. Add ice. Add gin and top with tonic.

For the drink:

2 oz Hendrick’s gin. Add ice. Top with tonic water.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: cucumbers (obviously)

Please drink responsibly.

Yes, the skins look great and can be used as ribbons too. Remember the videos above?

Where to buy the OXO peeler and a bucket glass? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront.

** * I may receive commissions from eligible purchases

My Orange Juice

Just look at it. Isn’t it beautiful.

Up close and last looks before the gulp..

It’s light bright sweet slightly savory and energizing. Perfect for a cool early morning or midafternoon pick me up as the season changes. It’s autumnal colors certainly signaling fall is here and hinting Halloween is around the corner. No matter the season, drink happy.

My Orange Juice

1 1/2 cups of baby carrots

1 medium knob of ginger

2 Granny Smith apples

1/2 naval orange

Fresh ground black pepper, dried turmeric powder and manuka honey for the rim of the glass.

Method

Paint or roll your glass rim with PRI Manuka honey 10+. Set aside. Add dried turmeric powder and several turns of the fresh pepper from the grinder to a saucer. Mix together using your finger or a fork. Twist and roll the honey coated rim of the glass into the pepper turmeric mixture. Refrigerate while you juice.

Wash fruit. Add all to a juicer. I use Omega. If you don’t have a juicer use a blending machine and strain with a cheese cloth or coffee filter. Add juice to the prepared glass and enjoy.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: black pepper and turmeric

Where to buy? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

*** I may receive commissions from eligible purchases

The CCTB

Infuse your Campari with cacao nibs. This I call chocolate Campari. Recipe available on the home page under category bitters extracts and syrups..

The CCTB Cocktail

2 ounces of Campari cacao nibs infusion

1 ounce of Bauchant orange cognac liqueur

10 small ice cubes from an ice tray

5 dashes of angostura bitters (optional)

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Pulse until the ice melts, giving froth to the cocktail. Pour into a glass. Peel the orange with a peeler to create what is called the horse’s neck. Use a lighter to burn the orange peel. The heat will release the oils from the orange skin. Express and rub the peel on the edge of the glass, then add the finished cocktail. Enjoy.

Please drink responsibly

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

*I may receive compensation from eligible purchases. Thank you.

Chocolate Campari

Soaking cocoa nibs in Campari is a method of infusion rather than flavoring, providing an enhancement to the alcohol’s flavors, that Campari needs it.

Chocolate Campari

Ingredients:

1 cup of cocoa nibs

12 ounces of Campari

Method:

Add ingredients to a jar. Pour with your heart but if you need a recipe. Cover the jar with a lid or plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature or refrigerate. Wait two days to two weeks, depending on the desired chocolate taste. Add to your favorite cocktail or drink over ice. An orange twist is optional but certainly recommended.

Where can you buy the goods? Cocoa nibs, glass jars, jiggers, photo equipment, and other items? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront, of course! Please note that I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you so much.

Please be of the legal drinking age and enjoy responsibly.

10.05.22 smoothie

I managed to put this one in a glass. More often than not I use the Cuisinart To Go cylinder and spoon (I don’t like to do extra dishes) but I need to apply makeup to my face today and transferred this one to a glass because. Inspired by my cluttered vanity, I decide to snap a few iPhone photos. This smoothie is a goodie. Sweet salty and satisfying. Tastes too good to be healthy but it is.

Cuisinart To Go

10.05.22 smoothie

1 cup frozen cubed mangoes

1/2 cup frozen cubed pineapple

1 frozen banana

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

3 tablespoons of hemp seeds

2 Tablespoons of Amazing Grass greens blend powder

1 scoop of Agent Nateur & Dr Cole ho l i ( m a n e ) hair, skin, nails, 2 daily combined

1 Tablespoon of Matcha Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides powder

1 scoop of Vega Vegan Vanilla Protein and Greens

1 1/2 Tablespoons Sunflower kernels roasted and salted 1 inside the smoothie. 1/2 for the garnish

Method

In a blender, in my case the Cuisinart To Go cylinder, add all ingredients. Blend until smooth. Pour smoothie into a (chilled) glass to enjoy. Top with many roasted salted sunflower kernels.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: roasted and salted sunflower kernels

Where to buy ingredients and stuff?

Blondes Behind the Bucket Storefront

Please know I may receive commissions on eligible purchases. Thank you so much.

Tatum’s Margarita!

2-1-1/2-squeeze. Salt salt salt. Repeat. 2-1-1/2-squeeze. Salt salt salt. That’s the margarita mantra. Some of your no salt margaritas made a photo though. Shoulda had salt. You’re gonna wanna drink two (or more). I promise. iPhone photos from the bar counter.

Tatum’s Margarita

2 oz repo tequila

1 oz of fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 oz agave syrup

Squeeze a quater of an orange

1 or 2 dehydrated lime and/or lemon wheels

Method

Add coarse sea salt to a saucer. Diamond Kosher salt is great salt choice. If you can’t find Diamond, any medium to coarse salt will work. Set salt filled saucer aside. Cut a washed orange into quarters. Set aside next to saucer.

Using a jigger, add all wet ingredients to a mixing tin. Order and quantity below.

1. 1/2 oz add agave

2. 1 oz juice of a fresh squeezed lime (rolling the lime at room temperature is best before juicing)

3. 2 oz Repo tequila of choice. I say Repo. Why Reposado? Because I said so. Lobos, Clasa, Casa, Patron, Don Julio, Fortaleza. Oh, and Reposado is aged from 2-12 months in case you were wondering what is Reposado.

4. Use the 1/4 piece orange to moisten the rim of the glass. Salt the glass by Turing the drinking side of the glass upside down and twisting the rim in the salt. Set aside. Squeeze the orange into the mixing tin with other wet ingredients. Toss inside after for the shaking.

5. Add ice to the salted bucket glass. Then add ice to the mixing tin.

6. Shake until tin feels cold or ice sounds like sand. Depends on the type of ice you are using for the sand sound. Kold draft vs regular 7-Eleven. Just shake shake shake the until cold.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: dehydrated lime or lemon wheel and salt

That’s my margarita. Cheers!

** Bar Chef tips** if you don’t like salt or can’t have it for health reasons, I get it. If you want a stronger alcohol flavor double the tequila only. The longer you shake this drink the more bitter the lime juice and more butter the drink.

*** jalapeño and Grand Mariner excellent additions to this recipe. Muddle the jalapeño and then follow order of ingredients and/or float the Grand Mariner on top.

Please drink responsibly

You can use a dehydrator you purchase from my Blonde Behind the Bucket storefront or place limes slices on a baking pan in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit oven for a for a few hours. Depending on your ovens calibration it could be a 2-7 hour process. Dehydrator is a little easier but both work.

Where to buy bar stuff?

Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

Please note I may receive commissions from eligible purchases

Matchatini

Ok, what is matcha? It’s an earthy tasting powder made from shade-grown green tea plants. Typically a chasen is used to create a uniform consistency when mixing the matcha with water or milk.. I broke tradition? Instead of using a chasen, aka a bamboo whisk, I use a Kitchen-Aid whisk attachment to mix my matcha water mixture to make a paste after dumping two heaping demitasse spoons (only clean spoons I had at the moment) into a bowl made from a coconut shell. It is possible if you don’t have a chasen. Don’t tell anyone.

This one can be a Machatini or a Matcha Mocktail. Foam is optional. Vodka or Kikori (rice grain spirit) both work—different drinks, equally as good. It’s quick and easy. The more earthy matcha flavor, the better, as far as I am concerned; it is the main ingredient, after all. Don’t tell the alcohol. All measurements are with a demitasse spoon and jigger. Oh, and one eyeballed tablespoon of my vanilla extract. Sometimes I pour with the heart (Wink, wink). Cheers!

All ingredients listed below are quantities for mixing the matcha and Matchatini.

Ingredients

2 ounces of vodka or Kikori

2 tablespoon of vanilla (from my homemade batch as seen in the syrup extract category on home page of this blog)

1-2 ok maybe 3 large drip drops of orange flower water

6 ounces of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 demitasse spoons of Manuka honey (Manuka Doctor multifloral 80+MGO)

2 heaping demitasse spoonfuls of NAOKI matcha powder (ok, let’s face it’s; I eyeballed most of this)

2 teaspoons of warm water to blend matcha and prevent excess clumping

Chef note: The hotter the water, the more bitter the matcha. It’s also excellent for what I like to call the un-clumping. This was supposed to be a test recipe. I decided to post anyway. It’s a goodie.

Method

For the matcha milk

Add two demitasse spoonfuls of matcha powder to a bowl. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of hot water. Whisk matcha until a paste forms. Next, add Manuka honey. Proceed with a little more water and whisk until smooth. Then add 6 ounces ounces of unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Let mixture cool before you refrigerate.

After the matcha milk has chilled add 2 ounces of vodka (or a Kikori whiskey substitute) and 3 ounces cooled matcha milk to a mixing tin. Add ice. Shake to wake and strain (strain not really necessary) into a martini glass.