Lately I’ve taken more of an interest in the advancement of my culinary skills. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always enjoyed cooking but I seem to have reached a certain comfort level when it comes to stir fry, chili, stuffed chicken, smashed potatoes and artichoke dip (my signature dishes).

While working on some cocktail stuff for the site, I found myself promoting bitters as a flavoring for both drinks and food. It occurred to me that I have access to 14 different kinds of bitters, yet I’ve never once used them in the kitchen. I’m in the midst of planning a dinner party for some friends and I decided to see what I could do with bitters for a more exciting, more flavorful meal. After some recipe searching, here’s the menu I came up with, using Angostura Aromatic Cocktail Bitters… let me know what you think!

Appetizer:

Cucumber Wrapped Scallops
18 oz (a little over 1 lb) scallops or shelled prawns
1 tsp Angostura Aromatic Cocktail Bitters
1 tbsp of lime and lemon juice (mixed)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cucumbers (as straight as possible)

Toss scallops in a mixture of bitters, lemon and lime juice and oil. Cover and refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally. (Marinade will "cook" scallops, turning them white and opaque.) Using a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, remove skin from cucumber then peel thin ribbons lengths of cucumber then use then to encase the scallops, securing them with toothpicks. Serve slightly chilled.
Serves 6-8

Entrée:

Angostura New Yorkers
6 New York strip steaks, trimmed of visible fat
1 tsp Angostura Aromatic Bitters
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped dill
½ tsp black pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp red wine
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp mixed dried herbs

Place steaks in a single layer in a dish. Combine bitters with other ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Pour mixture over steaks to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Grill steaks according to taste. Pour marinade into saucepan, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until onions browns and wine evaporates. Spoon over steaks and serve.
Serves 6

Mmmm… I can’t wait! I’ll make sure to follow up and let you know how it goes.

TAGS [ ANGOSTURA BITTERS | COCKTAIL BITTERS | DRINK BITTERS | BITTERS | BITTERS RECIPES | ANGOSTURA STEAK | ANGOSTURA SCALLOPS | COOKING WITH BITTERS ]

I have been looking for delicious dessert recipes to create on a hot summer day. Recipes using beer and ice cream sound refreshing! Here are a couple ideas. Beer floats are quick and very easy to make. Also try the Guinness Ice Cream recipe listed below, for a tasty treat. I would serve these specialties in a beer glass with some whip cream on top, but that’s just me.

Beer Floats
Beer floats work best with a sweet beer. Chocolate, Guinness or any stout beers are great choices for floats. Add a couple scoops of vanilla or chocolate ice cream and you have a beer float!

Guinness Ice Cream
I found this recipe for Guinness Ice Cream on foodgeeks.com.

1 can Guinness stout
2 cups heavy cream 

2 cups milk 

¾ cup sugar 

1 vanilla bean, halved 

6 egg yolks

Heat and reduce the Guinness in a saucepan to about ¾ the original amount. 



In a separate saucepan add cream, milk, and sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan and add the vanilla bean halves. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.



Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk half of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, and then gradually and slowly add the egg mixture to the remaining hot cream. Cook the ingredients over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and reaches 170°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. 



Remove from refrigerator and add the Guinness reduction, whisking until well blended. Pour in an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions (You can also make ice cream without an ice cream machine). Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

TAGS [ BEER FLOAT | BEER FLOATS | GUINNESS ICE CREAM | BEER ICE CREAM | BEER RECIPES | RECIPES WITH BEER | BEER DESSERT ]

As we mentioned yesterday, this Sunday, August 16th is National Rum Day. Planter’s Punch is a classic rum cocktail that has been around for some time. It was first recognized in print in the New York Times in 1908. There are many different versions of this traditional summer drink. If you like rum and orange juice together, this is the drink for you!

Planter’s Punch
1 oz orange juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz lime juice (substitute sour mix if necessary)
3 oz dark rum
4 oz club soda
Splash of grenadine
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Slice of orange, for garnish
Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Put all ingredients, except club soda into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Add club soda and a dash of grenadine. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

I recently made a Planter’s Punch cocktail with the recipe above. This was the first time I made a cocktail with aromatic bitters and it added a unique taste element to the cocktail. I’m a big fan of drinks that have any kind of pineapple flavor, too. It’s a strong cocktail I might add! I would definitely drink this at a bar. Check out other recipes featured on the blog for more cocktail ideas.

Next time I make cocktails, chocolate bitters is top on my list.

TAGS [ PLANTER'S PUNCH | PLANTER'S PUNCH RECIPE | RUM COCKTAILS | COCKTAIL RECIPES | DRINK RECIPES | NATIONAL RUM DAY ]

This Sunday, August 16th is National Rum Day. I hadn’t been privy to this holiday before but it’s one I will definitely celebrate.

What better way to commemorate America’s rum holiday than with Martha Washington’s own rum punch recipe? Yep, I mean the Martha Washington, the very first First Lady our country ever had. Not only did her husband, George, make his own whiskey, but it seems our dear Martha had a bit of a wild side herself. Here’s her recipe for rum punch, straight from her private journals (at least according to Distilled Spirits Council).

Martha Washington’s Rum Punch
3 oz white rum
3 oz dark rum
3 oz orange curacao
4 oz simple syrup
4 oz lemon juice
4 oz fresh orange juice
3 lemons, sliced into wheels
1 orange, sliced into wheels
½ tsp grated nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks, broken
6 cloves
12 oz boiling water

In a container, mash the orange, lemons, cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg. Add simple syrup, lemon and orange juice. Pour the boiling water over the mixture in a container. Let it cool for a few minutes then add the white rum, dark rum and orange curacao. Strain well into a pitcher or punch bowl and serve over ice in goblets. Decorate with wheels of lemon and orange. Dust with a little nutmeg and cinnamon.

Cheers!

TAGS [ NATIONAL RUM DAY | US RUM HOLIDAY | RUM PUNCH RECIPE | RUM PUNCH RECIPES | MARTHA WASHINGTON'S RUM PUNCH | COCKTAIL RECIPES | DRINK RECIPES ]

Every once in a while I get a hankering for some old fashioned root beer. In fact, I had just such a desire since I wrote the post on Root Beer Brewpubs. Finally this weekend I quenched my thirst. It wasn’t a fresh brewed batch of my own but Saranac’s offering. And although I truly love root beer all on its own, I did add a little something extra.

Try out this recipe next time you’re in the mood for sweet throw-back. Its taste is reminiscent of vanilla cake frosting. Seriously.

Root Beer Cocktail
2 oz vanilla vodka
Root beer
Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Fill a pint glass with ice. Add vanilla vodka. Pour root beer in to the top and stir. Drop in your cherry and you’ve got an updated, adultified (yep, that’s a made up word) soda fountain favorite.

Cheers!

TAGS [ ROOT BEER | ROOT BEER COCKTAIL | SARANAC ROOT BEER | VANILLA VODKA ROOT BEER | COCKTAIL RECIPE | COCKTAIL RECIPES ]

I’m a huge fan of The Colbert Report, but don’t generally watch it until the encore show a day later, around dinner time. So, I just now caught this gem with master mixologist David Wondrich, who was on the show promoting his new book, Imbibe. Far more than just a collection of cocktail recipes (there are 100 of those, too), it pays homage to Jerry Thomas, known as the Pioneer of the American Bar, through stories and history.

Wondrich not only teaches Stephen Colbert and "The Nation," as it were, about some classic American cocktails from times past, but even treats us to a brand new drink… The Colbert Bump. Check out the clip here, and grab the recipe down below - sounds mighty tasty to me!

The Colbert Bump
1 oz cherry brandy
1½ oz gin
½ oz lemon juice
Soda water

In a highball glass filled with ice, add cherry brandy, gin and lemon juice. Top with soda water, stir and enjoy.

Thanks to David Wondrich for popping onto The Report and treating us to yet another simple, classic, yet brand spankin’ new, cocktail.

Cheers!

TAGS [ DAVID WONDRICH | THE COLBERT REPORT | STEPHEN COLBERT | THE COLBERT BUMP | COCKTAIL RECIPE | COCKTAIL RECIPES ]

"Infusion." It probably sounds like something that happens in a nuclear reactor if you’re not already familiar with the process or the term, but I’m here to tell you, it’s not that complicated. In fact, the concept of infusion - at its most basic level - is about adding and embedding flavor; and while infusion can apply to teas, water, and oils, I’ll be focusing on our favorite subject here on the KW Blog: liquor, specifically my personal favorite: vodka.

The best part about the whole infusion process (and in doing it yourself) is that there’s only some minor work and patience involved in creating your own, unique, flavor-full concoction to enjoy on those remaining hot, summer nights ahead.

Vodka is a very flexible liquor - not only because it "plays well with others," (it will mix with just about anything) but it is a clean, tasteless foundation for many cocktails. As such, the world of flavoring vodka is suddenly open to vast possibilities, some which seem to have been overlooked or even ignored. The deciding factors in creating your own vodka infusion are limited only by your imagination and discerning taste buds.

It’s All About Flavor
Remember that "flavor" is the combination of two senses: taste and smell. So, the results of your efforts will not only taste great, but will smell really appealing, too.

The most commonly infused vodka flavors on store shelves today cover a wide variety of citrus, melon and berry, along with smatterings of chocolate and espresso flavors. While these "standard" flavors aren’t necessarily bad, they’re so very pedestrian. That’s why I’m here: to open your minds to the possibilities beyond the single-flavor standard that vodka distillers provide to you in pre-made, artificially-sweetened form.

What You’ll Need
The first, most important step is to find an un-flavored brand of vodka that suits you. "Do not pass ‘Go’. Do not collect $200."

Sure, you can throw down $40 or more on a bottle of the good stuff, but if your wallet finds you less of a connoisseur – or if you’re simply not that picky (or just don’t care), then go for one that suits you best. Just make sure it’s one you will truly, honestly enjoy because you’re going to be the one to drink it when all is said and done, not me.

Here’s a short list of other things you’ll need before we get underway…

• Vodka
• Mason Jars
• Knife
• Cutting Surface/Board
• Fruit and/or Herbs
• Mesh Strainer
• Coffee Filters
• 4-6 days

Start Here
Clean the mason jars and fruit thoroughly - not just for health reasons. A clean jar and clean fruit will provide you with a crisp, clean taste, allowing you to focus on the flavor you’re creating, not pesticides or whatever else may be lingering on the surface of the fruit (eew), or remnants of the manufacturing process.

Cut the selected fruit(s) in half, quarters, or less and put into the mason jars… (For more exotic combinations of flavors, see the list below.) Divide the vodka among the mason jars. Again, how many jars you’ll need depends on how many varying flavors you want.

The Next Step
Shake each full mason jar thoroughly and store in a cool, dark place for 4-6 days. Be sure to shake the jar multiple times a day. On or about the 3rd or 4th day, give yourself a preview of your work in progress by taking a quick sip.

How This Works
No, it’s not witchcraft. The oils from the fruit (and any herbs you might use, like mint) are released into the vodka through a natural process. These oils contain the molecules that give each fruit or herb its own distinct taste and scent. Likewise, the vodka permeates and saturates the fruit already soaking in the vodka, making it a nice and potent garnish (or snack).

When It’s Ready, You’re Ready
On or about the 6th day, place a coffee filter into the mesh strainer. Slowly pour the contents of each distinct flavor from their respective mason jar through the coffee filter/strainer into a separate, clean container. If you’re making one large batch of the same flavor, you can strain all of it back into the original bottle. You can also opt to save the fruit as garnish.

Try These in Different Combinations
In addition to the standard cherry, strawberry, lemon or lime, I’d like to suggest you give the following a taste. They’ll liven your taste buds and leave you feeling cool and refreshed:

• Mango
• Lychee
• Loganberry
• Blueberry
• Blackberry
• Boysenberry
• Pineapple
• Carambola (aka "Star Fruit")
• Kiwi
• Nectarine
• Peach
• Pear
• Plum
• Honey Dew
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon

Suggested Pairings

• Banana, Strawberry, Kiwi
• Nectarine, Peach, Carambola
• Lemon, Lime, Orange, Mint
• Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honey Dew
• Blackberry, Lychee
• Mango, Pineapple
• Peach, Plum
• Raspberry, Mint
• Orange, Lychee, Kiwi, Carambola

The possibilities are endless.

TAGS [ VODKA INFUSION | VODKA INFUSIONS | INFUSE VODKA | FRUIT VODKA | FRUIT VODKAS | VODKA INFUSION RECIPE | HOW TO MAKE A VODKA INFUSION ]