Maybe because I always want ice cream? This is the quelque chose de spécial smoothie. Aka, the something special smoothie. What is that taste? Tart tangy and sweet. Not too sweet. And the texture? Well, I used goat milk. Rich creamy smooth chewy (thanks to the dried mulberries) and crunchy (thanks to the cocoa nibs). It’s a goodie. You’re going to love it!
On a Whim! 8/21 Smoothie
11/2 cup frozen passion fruit cubes
1 cup frozen black cherries
1/2 cup ish of frozen mango chunks
Tablespoon of honey
Pinch of ceremonial matcha for earth, teeny tiny
1 cup of goat milk
Pinch pink salt
1 scoop Sakara chocolate protein metabolism smoothie powder
1 scoop Agent Nateur Holi (mane)
Blend until smooth. Top with dried mulberries and cocoa nibs.
Glass: Bucket Glass
Garnish: Dried Mulberries and Cocoa Nibs
Chef Notes: both the protein powder and collagen powders come with scoops.
You have to like the seeds, ok, maybe not. It’s a requirement for this one only because they add texture and crunch. You’re going to love it!
Blackberries Smootie
1 1/2 cup frozen blackberries
3 tablespoons ish of cooked frozen cube spinach (I freeze steamed spinach in ice trays for convenience and extra nutrients anytime)
1 Tablespoon of ground Ceylon cinnamon
dash of Himalayan pink salt
1 1/2 cup of coconut water (with or without pulp)
1 scoop of Agent Nateur Holi (mane)
1 scoop of Sakara chocolate metabolism super powder
2 fresh basil leaves
3 frozen blackberries to garnish
Method
All all ingredients to a blending machine except three frozen blackberries. Blend until smooth. Pour into bucket glass and garnish.
Glass: Bucket Glass
Garnish: three frozen blackberries
Where to buy the goods? Bucket glasses protein powders and stuff? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I may receive compensation for eligible purchases.
It takes me about three days to taste most of the wine. The wine goes into the refrigerator sealed and dated. The next day, I pour another glass using two different style glasses – ISO and then a bucket – noting any differences. Does anyone else do this?
This wine is monumental. The beauty and feeling of this wine are unphotographable. Any attempt to capture it would not be god enough. This wine is pale yellow. This wine is clear. This wine is sparkling. This wine is Old World with gold flakes sparkling racing to the top leaving me to wonder did they inject gold into this bottle. The professional term known as vivacious. This wine is wow. This wine is extraordinary prestige, a true cause for celebration. This wine is mouth watering citrus. This wine is a gingerbread nose. This wine is a first burp. This wine is delicate and very much alive. This wine is its unique identity with every sip. This wine is 198 different wines from 11 years. This wine is 52% Pinot Noir 35% Chardonnay and 13 % Pinot Menuier. This wine is grapes from 1996 to 2012. This wine is cork received 2019. This wine is champagne. This wine is KRUG 168th. This wine is exceptional. This wine is unforgettable. This wine is.
This wine pairs well with the usual suspects: caviar, oysters, French fries, salmon, shellfish, frog legs, mushroom pâté, crispy cold salads, and ginger snap cookies. This wine retails for about $220 USA dollars. Drink now or hold. Buy two of you can.
Where to buy the goods? Glasses and champagne stoppers and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront. Please know I may earn commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.
I am addicted to Sakara products! I also have one or two smoothies a day. Sometimes, or most of the time, I don’t have time to sit down for a meal, so that’s when the smoothie comes in. This one is made with tiny blueberries from Maine, matcha, dragon fruit, and cocoa nibs for crunch and antioxidants, just because they are simply good. Other goodness is included as the recipe shows. You’re gonna love it!
Plaid Napkin Smoothie
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of little blueberries (Wyman’s of Maine my choice)
1 Pitaya Foods frozen dragon fruit packet
1 scoop of Agent Nateur holi (mane) marine collagen powder
1/4 teaspoon Hikari ceremonial matcha powder
1 tablespoon Ceylon ground cinnamon powder
1 scoop Sakara chocolate metabolism protein powder
1-2 tablespoons honey (both great depening on desired sweetness)
1 cup of water (1/2-3/4 if you like thicker)
1/2 frozen banana
Professional pour of cocoa nibs for the drink and garnish
Method
Add all ingredients to blending machine except some of cocoa nibs for the garnish. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into bucket glasses. Top with coca nibs.
Glass: Bucket glass
Garnish: Cocoa nibs
Bar Chef Notes: Making smoothies at home is less expensive, even with the cost of some protein powders. Once you have the ingredients, you can create delicious smoothies just like that.
Where to buy the goods? Protein powders, blending machines, collagen powders and bucket glasses and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.
Peel the orange and freeze it. Once frozen, add all ingredients to a blending machine and blend until smooth. Garnish with slices of cucumber, kiwi with skin on, and orange with skin on. I arranged a couple of oranges inside the glass and then poured the smoothie behind it. It felt creative this morning. Anyway, blend until smooth.
Glass: Bucket glass
Garnish: slices of cucumbers kiwi and oranges
Bar Chef Notes: UBE powder is purple sweet potato. Packed full of vitamins and goodness.
I was thinking about cereal milk the other day and decided to try something new. I saw some popcorn and milk, and I went for it! I steeped the buttered popcorn in whole cow’s milk for two days using this similar to movie theater popcorn. You could use butter extract for the cocktail (I’m guessing), similar to what would be used for butter tasting notes in a wine class. For the garnish, a fancy French buttered popcorn works best. That’s what I did anyway. I could have made an ice cream and done something affogato-style, but why not try something different. So here we are. A buttered popcorn martini. Your movie nights may never be the same.
Buttered Popcorn Martini
2 1/4 cups of buttered popcorn (1/4 cup reserve for garnish and munching)
1 1/2 oz of vodka of choice
1 oz of honey syrup (1:1 ratio)
2 1/2 oz of popcorn milk
Method
Pop popcorn. Steep buttered popcorn for two days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Strain with a fine mesh strainer. Pour ice and all ingredients into a shaker and shake, shake, shake until mixing tins are cold. Strain into a martini glass using a fine mesh strainer. Garnish with popcorn.
Glass: Martini glass
Garnish: Buttered popcorn
Bar Chef notes: add a pinch of salt or add 3:1 ratio of honey for sweeter. Or both. Citric acid for clarification. Lemon peels for brightness, steep in milk.
Where to buy the goods? Martin glasses popcorn and stuff? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront. Please know I may receive commissions for eligible purchases.
By the way, do you prefer my storefront to be organized by recipe or set up for general browsing? Comment below! Thank you.
Try not to wince at what I am about to suggest. I didn’t invent it. Same stance with my post on Kir Royal. Sometimes there is a sometimes, and this is one of those times. Hear me out, this is one of the most elegant cocktails. I won’t try to sell it to you; the cocktail can do that itself. I chose Veuve Clicquot for this one because this wine has structure and finesse. This champagne is a Pinot Noir-forward champagne followed by Chardonnay grapes and Pinot Meunier grapes for balance. The honesty of the bitters and sugar cube with this wine creates a beautifully blended cocktail. It maintains bold bubbles bright minerality with spice and a hint of sweetness in the finish.
This cocktail can be enjoyed anytime of day with or without food. I always picture it consumed in a sexy cocktail lounge bar. Poolside or at dinner. Basically anywhere anytime. I mostly prepare and serve them. The champagne cocktail pairs well with triple crème cheese and crusty baguette. This I know for sure, and I recommend you do too. Worth noting, this is one of the few times I drink champagne from a flute, if I can help it.
Champagne cocktail recap: elegant, super simple. Just three ingredients. No excuse not to try this classic. Sugar cubes, bitters, champagne – that’s it! Build in glass, ready for serving.
Classic Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label
Sugar cubes
A few drops of Angostura bitters
Method
Place a sugar cube at the bottom of a champagne flute (chilled glass recommended) and add a few drops of Angostura bitters. The sugar cube will dissolve as you pour in the champagne, creating a delicious aromatic drink with a touch of sweetness and spices because of the bitters.
Glass: champagne flute
Garnish: none
Side note: Bitters are herbal and spice extracts that often include botanicals and aromatics. “Traditional Bitters” do contain alcohol, although there are some modern versions that don’t. They are used in many cocktails to add balance or create a low ABV option (lowest being bitters and soda for example), remaining a staple in many bartender and home bars.
Bar Chef Notes:
There are several renditions of this cocktail. Some include cognac, some use only a sugar cube and bitters, while others incorporate a twist of orange and/or lemon, with some including all of the above and so forth. I prefer this version. It’s the one I have made the most throughout my career. Here it is, this is it.
This wine is I couldn’t keep it in the bucket. This wine is strawberries. This wine is Old World. This wine is birthday toasted in a bottle. This wine is longevity. This wine is bright. This wine is earth and chalk. This wine is pink. This wine is effervescence at its finest. This wine is delicate. This wine is Aÿ-Champagne. This wine is family. This wine is history. This wine is elegant. This wine is champagne. This wine is 55% Chardonnay from the Crus of Chouilly, Mesnil, and Cramant and 45% Pinot Noir from Verzenay, Mareuil, and Ludes. This wine is clear. This wine is Billecart-Champagne rosé 2010. This wine is.
Drink now or hold. Hold, if you can. Better yet, buy two bottles. This wine pairs well with a variety of dishes, from oysters and caviar to beef burgers with stinky cheese, charcuterie boards, roasted chestnuts, salmon beurre blanc, sushi, eggs Benedict, ice cream, chocolate cake and soufflé. This wine retails range is $119-$250 USD 750ml.
Where to buy the goods? Ice buckets, champagne stoppers, wine corkscrew, stemware and other stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I may receive compensation for eligible purchases. Thank you so much! Cheers!
Move over Aperol spritz! The oldest and greatest classic, The Americano, is here to beat the heat. What makes it greater? It’s made with Carpano Antica Formula.
The first time I saw a red (seemingly) paper back but really hard copy dog-eared version was next to the cash register in an Irish pub. Probably an old hardcover copy. The book was there. I haven’t seen this book “Mr. Boston’s Deluxe Bartender Guide”since the late nineties; in person, until last week. I have decided to make a drink from it each month, starting with the Americano since the book is organized alphabetically. Yes, there are other drinks listed before this one. A is still the beginning of the American alphabet. Additionally, I have these ingredients in my possession, so that a bonus. And yes, you are correct! All recipes straight from Mr. Boston’s book. If you’re interested, you can purchase the book from my Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront (shameless promotion, I know) and make the drinks with me. A- Z one drink each letter each week and then go back to A. For those who don’t drink and are here for the smoothies, I appreciate that too! Thank you!
Before we get to the recipe, what is sweet vermouth? There are many different brands. I prefer the Carpano Antica formula. It’s one of the first and supposedly oldest sweet vermouths, born in Italy, as you may have guessed from the sound of the name. 1786 in fact. That’s vintage, right? It has notes of cinnamon, licorice, and cherry and is more robust and viscous than some others. Feel free to use any vermouth you have on hand, as the guide does not specify a particular brand, not even the Mr. Boston brand.
The Americano
Ingredients
4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1 small bottle of San Pellegrino (unflavored)
1 lemon for a twist (skin on only skin)
Method per Mr. Boston reads as 👇 below.
Pour 4 oz. Sweet Vermouth into highball glass over ice cubes. Fill with carbonated water and stir. Add a twist of lemon peel.
Glass: Highball glass
Garnish: Lemon Twist
Photography Note: Fun fact – the ice in the photos isn’t real; it’s made using Encapso K. While not safe for consumption, it certainly helps with hot lights and solves the melting ice problem. I forgot to spray water for condensation at one point. Sheesh. Anyway, if you are working on your photography game too it’s also available on the Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront. And yes, there is a tiny piece of “ice” on the outside of the glass in one of the photos. That’s intentional. These are iPhone photos.
Writer Notes: I know it’s not my recipe…if this is copyright infringement someone let me know via comments. Thank you.
Where to buy the goods, you know glasses, stirring spoons and photography stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.
I had a real ice drink drinkable drink on the other side of these photos.
This morning, I went down a rabbit hole instead of doing all the things that I need to do. It’s almost like the example given in “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. Can any of you relate? I’ll try to clothes or take a shower, or basically do anything and everything but what I had on my list to do or in my scheduled blocked time. My other excuse is, it is summer. Oh, and what about you ask? The martini. I know. Piggybacking on an earlier post; team stirred or shaken.
Shaken, stirred, olive twist, dry rinse, classic, dirty, blue cheese olives, regular olives, a twist and onion, olives, a twist and onion olives, and no wait, three olives. One olive, two olives, caviar olives, and so on. Say that five times fast. For the record, onions and maybe onion juice and maybe a twist too make a Gibson. I’ll save that for another post and rabbit hole.
According to Mr. Boston’s martini book, a martini is 1 1/2 gin and 3/4 vermouth with one olive. And an extra dry martini 2 ounces of gin and 1/4 ounce of dry vermouth. And then there is the vodka version. I have decided each week to make one drink from the Mr. Boston’s book and add a tab named Mr. Boston cocktails. The first of this series coming soon. This one and my soufflé martini series. Non related to this post, not the series coming. In case you’re wondering.
I like the Tatum Barnes 2 oz alcohol split 1 oz gin 1 oz vodka a vermouth rinse blue cheese olives an onion and a pickle version with a side of caviar. Thats me.
In case you’d like to try here it is:
A Martini Tinytini
1 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
1 oz Ketel One
rinse of Dolin dry gin
Cornichon pickle, cocktail onion, one house stuffed blue cheese olive. Petrossian caviar.
Simple syrup (optional)
Method
Add ice to a mixing glass or tin. Rinse a chilled glass with vermouth. Add liquor to the mixing vessel and stir at least 10 times. Dash of simple syrup optional. Using a metal pick add onion blue cheese olive and pickle in no particular order. Pour into a glass.
Glass: martini
Garnish: cornichon pickle onion blue cheese stuffed olive and side of Petrossian caviar
Bar Chef Notes: If you enjoy a Vesper martini, then you will like this. I know there isn’t any Lillet Blanc, so if you need a hint of sweetness, add a dash of simple syrup and a couple of dashes orange bitters. The blue cheese can be any type. Creamy crumbly, doesn’t matter.
Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you!
