Drink (not cocktail) of the week: Sangria Blanco

I actually learned a lesson from this week's entry - that technically a cocktail should be a drink with at least three ingredients and that one ingredient should be a spirit, one should be sugary/sweet, and one should be sour/bitter.  Obviously, almost all mixed drinks now are called cocktails, but hey, the more you know, right?  The reason I questioned the true definition of "cocktail" is because I did not consider sangria to be a cocktail.  And it's not.  It's actually a wine punch....with a punch!

Sangria consists of wine, brandy, chopped fruits, and a sweetener.  Traditionally, its made with red wine.  This is how it earned its name; it's color resembles blood and the Spanish word for blood is "sangre."  However, the hellaciously hot days of summer are upon us in the South, so my favorite way to make it more bearable is a white wine sangria or "Sangria Blanco."  There are an infinite number of ways to concoct this refreshing libation.  Some recipes can be quite loaded alcohol-wise, but personally, I feel that defeats the purpose of the beverage.  Below is my favorite recipe that I use at home, which is based on a Sangria Blanco recipe by Emeril Lagasse.*  It yields 10-12 servings.

Ingredients:

2 (750-ml) bottles white (preferably) Spanish wine, such as Albarino (Galacia), Viura (Rioja).  You can also use Pinot grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc **
1/2 cup  brandy
1/4 cup orange liqueur
1 orange, juiced
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 orange, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, halved and thinly sliced
1 (10-ounce) bottle club soda, chilled

Directions:

Combine wine, brandy, orange liqueur, orange juice, and sugar in a large pitcher or bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the fruit and stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.  Stir in the club soda and serve the sangria in large wine glasses, over ice if desired.

For a party, I like to make a double batch, put it in a large beverage dispenser, minus the club soda, and then let my guests add the club soda to their individual drinks over ice, rather than adding the club soda to the punch beforehand.

(Picture courtesy of Food Network)

* Emeril's recipe calls for plums & peaches to be cut up as well.  I personally leave them out.  I just find that three fruits are plenty, five just gets cumbersome in a glass.  But its a personal preference as to your favorite fruit.  You can do pears or apples as well.  That makes a nice fall season sangria; maybe add a little spice such as nutmeg or cinnamon.

**  Overly oaky (Chardonnay) or sweet (Reislings) white wines don't work well with this recipe.  It overpowers the flavor of the punch.  I have used inexpensive Pinot Grigio such as Cavit, and a light California Sauvignon Blanc such as Line 39 - both worked fine.

Next time you invite a couple of friends over for a BBQ, leave the frosty beers in the fridge and impress them with this refreshing and tasty concoction.  I made this recipe for a Cinco de Mayo bash last year and there was none left, even though we also had beer, wine, and margaritas.  It's a party pleaser, for sure!

Now, if you are thinking, "Wow girl, that sounds delicious, but with all this heat & humidity, I don't even have the energy to mix this up," don't fret!  There's a restaurant in the Jackson, MS area that has amazing sangria - Babalu Taco & Tapas.  In fact, one of the reasons I rushed over there when it first opened was due to the fact that I saw it had a red & white sangria on its drinks menu, either by the glass or pitcher.  And their Sangria Blanco is always fantastic!  Check it out! 

Salud!

Cocktail of the week: Martini

Yesterday was National Martini Day, and Dr. D celebrated surviving this past week with his sanity intact with a classic gin martini.  The martini is a very simple cocktail with only two ingredients:  gin and vermouth.*  The ratio of gin to vermouth has changed over the years.  Personally, I prefer a 2:1 ratio of gin to vermouth.  Here's a recipe for the perfect martini:

INGREDIENTS


•2 ounces dry gin
•1 ounce dry vermouth
•Ice
•Olives or a twist of lemon, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Place a cocktail glass in the freezer to chill.  Combine the gin and vermouth in a shaker, fill it halfway with ice, and stir vigorously until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into the chilled glass. Garnish with olives or a twist of lemon. (If using a twist, be sure to run the slice over the glass’s rim.)

*There are many who believe a martini is made with vodka (Thanks, James Bond!) and that's not completely wrong. They can be. It's just not the classic martini.


Salute!

And breathe.....

Whew!  The last few days have been a whirlwind of sadness, laughter, anger, and some drunkness if I'm being completely honest.  Dr. D's father died Thursday morning, and we are both now funeral-planning experts.  Seriously, funeral home directors/staff are a special breed.  I don't know how they always manage to say the right thing, especially when the bereaved widow suffering from Alzheimer's introduces herself to them after she's already met them twice.  Trying to make funeral arrangements with someone who can't remember what decisions she made five minutes prior is frustrating and a challenge.  But we survived.

Now comes the hard part - taking care of the mother-in-law who cannot take care of herself.  But Rome wasn't built in a day, so all we can do is take small steps every day towards getting her in a safe place without us all having a nervous breakdown or winding up in AA meetings. 

Which reminds me, my cocktail of the week post is forthcoming....stay tuned!

 

We plan, God laughs

All I can think of this week is the Yiddish proverb,  "We plan, God laughs."  I don't like to complain or moan to others, which is why I never post on Facebook.   I realize that most friends care if you're having a bad day, but they have their own crap to deal with.  Do they really need to hear about mine?  But this weekend and the first part of this week, while it could have been worse, has been a real doozy. 

To recap:

1. Dr. D's uncle died. (He was elderly, it was not unexpected.)  R.I.P Caldwell.
2. His father is in hospice with cancer and is getting worse by the day.  Most likely he will be gone by the weekend - right before Father's Day. 
3. His mother, who has Alzhiemers', is being a real bitch to everyone and won't admit she needs assistance.  She basically spent the weekend calling my husband a smart-ass.  I know it's her disease changing her personality, but seriously, she needs to get a grip.  Since she's not getting her way, she is lashing out at everyone.  Unfortunately, I guess it's us that needs to get a grip; she's not going to change.
4. Our plumbing backed up so I had to call plumber Sat. afternoon and get that taken care of.
5. Our pool pump died, so we had to have that replaced.  That's $600 I didn't want to spend.
6. And the cherry on the sundae, Dr. D's sister went to the ER Sunday night with crushing chest pain.  Luckily, it turned out to only be her gall bladder but she had to have it removed, so she's out of commission for a few days.  Which if you look at #2 & #3, is not horribly good timing.  But what can you do? 

There's some other minor things as well but not worth getting into.  Is it poor manners to bring wine to a funeral? Maybe a well-concealed flask of bourbon for Dr. D? I'm so thankful his small hometown just decided to allow the sale of liquor. It's a sign.


But, seriously, Dr. D and I are healthy & happy and thankful that we have the means and mindset to deal with these situations.  And a couple of family members have been so supportive and helpful.  I cannot thank them enough.  So I'll keep on planning and, hopefully, I can laugh along with God.

Cocktail of the Week: Mojito

With the lazy humid days of summer just starting, it's time to break out the flip-flops, sundresses and rum!  Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of rum.  I don't care for sweet, syrupy beverages in general, plus I had an experience with Bacardi 151 when I was eighteen that has scarred me to this day.  (Let's just say I was ignorant as to what "151" stood for, and it was the only time I've ever been officially passed out drunk at a party.  If I teach you anything in this blog, it is that alcohol % is important, people!)  But there is one drink that transcends all of the images of fruit, frozen drinks when one thinks of a rum-based drink - the Mojito!

The mojito (mo-heeto) is a highball drink of Cuban origin  that consists of five ingredients:  white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice or simple syrup), lime juice, sparkling water (or club soda) and mint.  There is a lot of history regarding the various stories of how the mojito originated in Cuba (which you can peruse at your leisure on wikipedia).  It was a favorite drink of one of my favorite authors, Ernest Hemingway. 

You can make a mojito with fruit juices, but I think it loses the whole essence of what a mojito is about when you vary from the original ingredients.  It's supposed to be refreshing, citrus-y and low in alcohol - the perfect pool cocktail. 

Here's a recipe from the largest purveyors of rum, Bacardi:

Bacardi Mojito

1.5 oz BACARDI Rum (you can use any silver/white rum, I like Don Q)
12 fresh spearmint leaves
1/2 lime
7 oz club soda
2 tbsp. simple syrup  (or 4 tsp. sugar)

Instructions:  Gently crush mint leaves and lightly squeeze lime in a cool tall glass.  ("Muddling"* the mint leaves really releases all the essence of the mint flavor).  Pour simple syrup on top to cover and fill glass with ice. Add Bacardi Rum, club soda, and stir your emerging mojito well. Garnish with a lime wedge, a few sprigs of mint, toast, sip, and enjoy Bacardi mojitos with your friends.

*  Muddling refers to the mashing up of ingredients in a drink, using a small tool called a muddler, which looks like a tiny baseball bat.  It's sort of like a pestle.

Personally, my favorite mojito is made at Casa Dinks, using fresh mint from my garden.  But Dr. D is my resident mojito expert so I asked where his favorite mojito was.  He said it was at WISH restaurant in South Beach, which I sadly learned is closed.  It must have been a remarkable mojito because I got sick midway through dinner and had to leave.  So not the best evening, but obviously a damn good cocktail.

Cheers!