Raspberry Liqueur (Liquore al Lampone) →

During Prohibition, like many people in the Italian community where she lived, my grandmother made homemade liquors. When she passed on, I inherited a beautiful marquetry box with several flavoring agents she used to make her homemade spirits. When I was young, it was a tradition for my father and me to make wine every season…sweet grape wine, elderberry, or dandelion wines. Now, to keep the family tradition alive, each spring when local fruits come into season, I make a fresh batch of fruit liqueur in their honor. Salute Nonna e Papà! 

RASPBERRY LIQUEUR (LIQUORE AL LAMPONE)
Ingredients
· .75 liter- 100 proof vodka or Everclear grain alcohol (.75 liter = 3 cups)
·   2 cups fresh raspberries broken up or lightly mashed
·   ½ - 1 cup of simple syrup to taste (1:1 sugar to water)

Preparation:
Use a sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid.
1. Break up or mash the raspberries and place them in a large, sterilized glass jar.
2.  Combine the fruit slurry with half the vodka and shake to mix well.
3.  Close the container and rest in a cool dark place for 3 weeks.
4.  After 3 weeks, strain the raspberry-vodka slurry through a fine sieve, pressing down to express as much juice as possible. Rinse the glass jar to remove any bits of fruit and pour the raspberry-vodka liquid back into the jar.
5.  Make the simple syrup by adding equal amounts of water and sugar; bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature before using.
6.  Add the remaining vodka and ½ cup of simple syrup (see *Note); shake, seal, and rest for six weeks in a cool dark place.
7.  Strain the liqueur through a double layer of cheesecloth or a non-chlorinated paper coffee filter.
8.  Bottle, using sterilized bottles. Store the liqueur in a cool dark place. Serve chilled. 

*Note: when adding the simple syrup, start with a half cup and taste the liqueur for sweetness. If you want a sweeter liqueur, add an extra ¼ cup of simple syrup at a time until you reach your desired sweetness.

Strawberry Rhubarb Liqueur →

Two wonderful, complementary springtime flavors are sweet, juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb. Sweet and tangy strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert; sweet, tangy, savory strawberry rhubarb compote to accompany grilled meats; strawberry rhubarb jam for morning scones, and how about Strawberry Rhubarb Liqueur for an after-dinner treat? It’s easy to make, beautiful to look at, and delightful to taste with subtle notes of strawberry and rhubarb. The liqueur develops its flavor and complexity over time, so be patient. Your patience will be rewarded. Tchin, tchin!  

Strawberry Rhubarb Liqueur

Ingredients
· .75 liter- 100 proof vodka or Ever-Clear grain alcohol (= 3 cups)
· 1 cup rhubarb pulsed and broken up in a food processor or chopped
·  1 cup strawberries chopped or pulsed and broken up in a food processor.
·  ½ - 1 cup of simple syrup to taste (1:1 sugar to water) 

Preparation:
Use a sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid.

1. Chop or pulse the rhubarb in a food processor until broken up; repeat with the strawberries and add to the sterilized jar.

2. Combine the fruit slurry with half the vodka and shake to mix well.

3. Close the container and rest in a cool dark place for 3 weeks.

4. Make the simple syrup by adding equal amounts of water and sugar; bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature before using.

5. After 3 weeks, strain the slurry to remove the pieces of rhubarb and strawberry.

6. Add the remainder of the vodka and the simple syrup to taste; bottle, shake, seal, and rest for six weeks in a cool dark place.

7. Strain the liqueur through a double layer of cheesecloth, or a non-chlorinated paper coffee filter.

8. Bottle, using sterilized bottles. Store the liqueur in a cool dark place. Serve chilled.

Cara Cara Orange Liqueur →

The Cara Cara orange was discovered in Venezuela in 1976. A cousin to the Blood Orange, it is often mistaken as a cross between a grapefruit and a Navel orange. Cara Caras are medium-sized, seedless oranges with red to pink flesh and a pronounced sweet citrus flavor. While the Navel orange is sweet and a bit acidic, the Cara Cara has a more complex sweet, tart flavor with notes of cranberry, blackberry, raspberry, and rose. Not surprisingly this cross between a Washington Navel Orange and a Brazilian Bahia Navel Orange has become widely popular with cooks and chefs. When my wife surprised me with a bag of Cara Caras, the game was necessarily afoot. If you enjoy Limoncello or other homemade fruit liqueurs, you will love this Cara Cara Orange Liqueur. If you can’t find Cara Cara oranges, try Navel oranges, Blood Oranges, or Tangelos. Salute!

Cara Cara Orange Liqueur
Yield: about 4-5 wine bottles

INGREDIENTS
·  10 Cara Cara (or other) oranges: juice and zest
· 6 cups sugar
· 2 cups water
· 1.75 liters vodka (100 proof)

PREPARATION
1.  Sterilize a gallon glass jar with a tight lid by running it through the dishwasher or immersing it in boiling water for 10 minutes.
2.  With a vegetable peeler, remove the peel, not the bitter white pith, from the oranges. Cut the strips of zest into 2-3 inch pieces. Place the zest into the jar.
3.  Juice all the oranges to yield about 4 cups of liquid. Strain the juice through a fine strainer, pressing to remove the pulp and seeds.
4.  In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add the juice to the sugar syrup in a steady stream, stirring continually. Bring the flavored syrup back to a boil, then pour into the jar.
5.  Allow the mixture to cool completely, then pour in the vodka. Shake the jar well to mix, cover tightly and store it in a cool dark place like the back corner of a closet or your basement. After one month, strain the liquid using multiple layers of cheesecloth. Pour the liqueur into sterilized bottles with caps or corks. It will be ready to sample then but will become even more flavorful after it ages for another month. Be patient and you will be rewarded! Salute!
6.  Serve chilled.

Adapted from a recipe by Cathy Barrow: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12370-cara-cara-citrus-liqueur

Lemon Ginger Martini →

The inspiration for this drink comes from a recipe for a ginger kaffir lime granita. The combination of flavors sounded so appealing, I decided to make it into a refreshing summer drink. Tchin-tchin!

Lemon Ginger Martini
1 serving

Ingredients:
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce ginger kaffir lime simple syrup (recipe below)

Mix the ingredients with a cup of ice in a shaker. Shake well. Enjoy!

Ginger Kaffir Lime Simple Syrup
Yield 1 cup of simple syrup

• 1 scant cup of water

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves (or 3 teaspoons of finely grated lime zest)

• 4 fresh mint leaves

• 1 ½ inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated

Combine the water, sugar, kaffir lime leaves, mint, and ginger in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, without stirring, for 2 minutes. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to steep and cool.

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Will keep refrigerated in a tightly closed glass bottle for 2 weeks.

Lemongrass-Lemon Drop Cocktail →

Lemongrass is not just for cooking or flavoring teas! Here’s a slightly exotic version of the classic refreshing, citrusy “Lemon Drop Cocktail”. Replacing plain simple syrup with Lemongrass-infused simple syrup adds a subtle Asian herbal citrus note to the “Lemongrass-Lemon Drop Cocktail”. In my book, Limoncello is indispensable for full appreciation of either the Lemon Drop or the Lemongrass-Lemon Drop. Either way...Tchin Tchin!

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Lemongrass-Lemon Drop Cocktail
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1-ounce Vodka

• 1-ounce Limoncello

• 1⁄2 ounce Triple sec

• 1-ounce Lemongrass simple syrup (or plain simple syrup for the classic Lemon Drop Cocktail)

• 1-ounce fresh lemon juice

Garnish: Sugar rim (optional) or lemon twist

Preparation:

Make the Lemongrass simple syrup:

1. Chop the lemongrass stalk into 1-inch pieces, and bruise using a mortar and pestle or rolling pin.

2. Place them in a pot with 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the syrup infuse for about 2 hours before using.

3. Strain the syrup, pressing down on the lemongrass stalks to extract maximum flavor. Chill until ready to use. Once the syrup is strained, it will keep in your fridge for a couple of weeks.

Assemble the cocktail:

1. Optional: coat the rim of a cocktail glass with sugar and set aside (do this a few minutes ahead of time so the sugar can dry and adhere well to the glass).

2. Add all the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake.

3. Strain into a coup or small martini glass neat, or a cocktail glass over ice

*Note: Use a citrus-infused vodka for more citrusy depth. Homemade Limoncello, which should be in everyone’s freezer, is a good choice.

Adapted from: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/lemon-drop/#gs.9egdtl

Limoncello →

Close family friends brought this recipe back from Italy 50 years ago. Many homes in Italy keep a chilled bottle of homemade Limoncello in the fridge to serve as an after-dinner “digestivo”. It’s so easy to make, with a little patience you will never buy Limoncello from the store again. Salute! Note: waste-not, want-not. You can easily make delicious homemade Lemonade with the leftover peeled lemons.

Limoncello

Ingredients:

• 10 thick-skinned lemons

• 750 ml bottle 100 proof vodka

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 1/2 cups water

Steps:

1. Wash the lemons with hot water and a soft brush to remove any wax. Dry.

2. Carefully peel the lemons avoiding cutting into the bitter white pith. Alternatively, you can use a Microplane to zest the lemons. Put the lemon zest and ½ bottle of vodka in a jar and seal for 2 weeks. Note: if using a lemon peeler, break up the lemon peels so they are submerged in the vodka.

   After 2 weeks:

3. Make a simple syrup: in a small saucepan, over medium heat, mix the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved; let it cool and add it to the jar with the zest and the remainder of the vodka.

4. Let it sit in a dark, cool place for 6 weeks.

   After 6 weeks:

5. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth into clean bottles and seal with a cap or tight-fitting cork.

6. Keep Limoncello in the fridge or freezer because it is best served cold.

Waste-no, want-not. You can make delicious homemade Lemonade with the leftover peeled lemons.

Lemongrass-Basil Vodka Gimlet →

Here’s an exotic riff on the classic Gin or Vodka Gimlet. Fragrant, delicious, and refreshing, it’s easy to imagine yourself on a white sand beach in Thailand while sipping one of these. Like any recipe, it is a road map for you to use to fine-tune the finished drink to your tastes. Once you have made the lemongrass simple syrup, the drink comes together in minutes. Tchin-Tchin!

Lemongrass-Basil Vodka Gimlet
Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients:

• 1 stalk lemongrass chopped into 1-inch pieces and smashed

• 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 cup of water

• juice of 1 lime

• 3 large leaves of basil

• 2-3 ounces Vodka (to taste)

• ice, to chill

Method:
Make the lemongrass simple syrup:

1. Chop the lemongrass stalk into 1-inch pieces, and bruise using a mortar and pestle or rolling pin.

2. Place them in a pot with 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the syrup infuse for about 2 hours before using.

3. Strain the syrup, pressing down on the lemongrass stalks to extract maximum flavor. Chill until ready to use. Once the syrup is strained, it will keep in your fridge for a couple of weeks.

To build the cocktail:

4. Arrange a cocktail glass on a work surface and place 1/2 teaspoon sugar in the glass. Add the lime juice to the glass along with the basil, and muddle together.

5. Pour in 2-3 ounces vodka and 2 ounces lemongrass syrup. Add the mixture to a cocktail shaker with a ½ cup of ice and shake to chill.

6. Strain into a coup or small martini glass neat, or a cocktail glass over ice and serve garnished with a lime round or basil leaf.

Adapted from: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-thai-style-lemongrass-lime-mojito-recipes-from-the-kitchn-214658 by Michelle Peters-Jones

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/vodka-gimlet/

Vodka Espresso Martini →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020
Copy and paste to print the recipe.

VODKA ESPRESSO MARTINI
Ingredients:
2 oz. premium vodka (or tequila, if you prefer)
1 oz. chilled espresso (or other strong coffee: I use 50/50 Espresso and French Roast)
½ oz. Tia Maria (or Kahlúa)
½ oz. Amaretto (or Simple Syrup)
lightly whisked heavy cream to float on top
cocoa powder
orange zest
Preparation:
1. Pour the first four ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass.
2. Gently pour or spoon your desired amount of lightly whisked cream atop.
3. Sprinkle cocoa powder over the cream. (Using a fine-mesh sieve helps to achieve a more uniform light sprinkle.)
4. Rub the rim of the glass with a piece of orange zest and garnish with a twist of orange zest.

Here’s my version of the Vodka Espresso Martini, an after-dinner drink that will pick-you-up after a big feast. Cocktail Culture legend has it that the Vodka Espresso Martini was invented by British bartender Dick Bradsell in response to a request from model Kate Moss for a drink “...that will wake me up and f**k me up.” Cheers mate!

Piña Colada Martini →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020

This spirit-forward drink has all the flavor of a classic rum-based Piña Colada, but it is lighter due to the substitution of coconut rum for the heavy, sweet coconut cream. If you like the flavor combination of coconut, pineapple, and citrus, this might become your go-to piña-colada drink. It’s perfect for watching a summer sunset even if you’re not at the beach.

Yield: 2 Coupe glasses

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Vodka

• 1 ounce Coconut Rum

• 1 ounce Triple Sec

• 1 ounce Roses lime

• 1 ½ ounces pineapple juice

• ½ sliced round of lime or orange

Preparation:

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ½ cup of ice and shake until the shaker is well frosted, about 20-30 seconds.

Serve in your favorite cocktail glass

Shogun Martini →

Shogun Martini

The Shogun Martini is named in honor of an historical event. In 1869, English Queen Victoria’s second son, Prince Alfred, traveled to Japan on an official visit to promote trade between the two countries. His arrival coincided with a crucial moment in Japanese history, for the Tokugawa shogunate had just been overthrown by a new government under the nominal leadership of the Meiji emperor. The new regime was torn between those who wished to expel the west and those who realized that Japan had to adapt itself to the modern world. The Prince’s visit was the advent of the long trade partnership between Japan and Britain. The spirits forward Shogun Martini celebrates the marriage of Sake, the national drink of Japan, and Gin, the national drink of England. What better way to stimulate trade? Kanpai! Cheers!

Serves 1
Ingredients:
3 ounces of Gin (or Vodka)
2 ounces of Sake
a few drops of lemon juice
garnish with a twist of lemon peel or a lychee

Combine the ingredients with a half cup of ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or a lychee.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020 Martini glass by Lynn Latimer Glass

Cosmopolitan →

The Cosmo is one of those drinks that goes down so easily, you have to pace yourself. You get extra points if you peel the grapes. Cheers!

Yield: 1 large Cosmo, or two smaller drinks.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2019 - Two Grape Cosmo
Copy and paste to print the recipe.

TWO GRAPE COSMO
Yield 1 large Cosmo or two smaller
Ingredients:
3 parts Vodka
1 1/2 or 2 parts Cranberry Juice (to taste)
1 part Rose’s Lime Juice
1 part Triple Sec
garnish with grapes, a half-round of sliced orange, or lime.

Preparation:
Combine the ingredients in a shaker with a cup of ice; shake for about 20 seconds; strain into a martini or coupe glass; garnish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 parts Vodka

• 1 1/2 or 2 parts Cranberry Juice (to taste)

• 1 part Rose’s Lime Juice

• 1 part Triple Sec

• garnish with grapes, a half-round of sliced orange, or lime.

Preparation:

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with a cup of ice; shake for about 20 seconds; strain into a martini or coupe glass; garnish. Enjoy!



Caribbean Coconut Martini →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2019 - Caribbean Coconut Martini
Copy and paste to print the recipe.

CARIBBEAN COCONUT MARTINI
Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients:
2 parts Vodka
1 part Coconut Rum
1 part Rose’s Lime
squeeze of fresh lime to taste

Preparation:
Combine the ingredients in a shaker with a cup of ice; shake for 20-30 seconds; strain into a martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a half-round of sliced fresh lime.

Here’s a refreshing, summer drink, or one to enjoy anytime when you’re dreaming of the beach.

Yield: 1 drink

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Vodka

• 1 part Coconut Rum

• 1 part Rose’s Lime

• squeeze of fresh lime to taste

Preparation:

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with a cup of ice; shake for 20-30 seconds; strain into a martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a half-round of sliced fresh lime.