Sangrita Recipe for Cinquo de Mayo

Tomorrow's Cinquo de Mayo, a day that gets a lot of people into a Mexican state of mind. This year, don't be one of the folks down at T.G.I. McAppleChili's, snorking down Coronas and Cuervo shots. This year is the year for you to class yourself up, so when you drink your tequila you should give Sangrita a try.

Basically a spicy tomato juice with other flavors involved as well, Sangrita is the perfect chaser for your tequila - we prefer to alternate sips between Sangrita and Tequila or Mezcal, but it's a good chaser after shots as well. Read on for our favorite recipe - it's also incredibly easy and calls for ingredients you may already have lying around - and please let us know if you know any others.

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Housemade Bitters Make Cocktails Better

We're big fans of bitters - after all, they're a crucial ingredient in nature's perfect drink, the Old Fashioned. We know there are all sorts of different types, but we've never really paid that much attention to them. Apparently, there's a new trend where bars are making their own bitters to add that certain something to their drinks, and they're not alone...you can make your own bitters as well.

Check out some thoughts on bar bitters below, and click through to the story for a recipe for Dr. Schwartz's Cherry-Vanilla Bitters.

With the recent classic cocktail revival, bartenders and home mixologists have renewed interest in the ingredient. Bartender Jennifer Colliau of San Francisco's Slanted Door says, "It may be that we've run out of ways to infuse vodka. Now there are more people who are interested in booze that tastes like booze. (Bitters) alter the flavor of the liquor but in an aromatic way, rather than adding sugar or acidity -- lemon or lime juice -- or adding a mixer like soda."

SFGate - Reinventing Bitters

Bling H2O Sexes Up Your Drinks

We first heard about Bling H20 on NPR a few weeks back, and then completely forgot about it. Then we tried to make a scotch and water with the offal that spews from the faucet in our kitchen. When we took our first sip of the drink, all we could taste was tap water. We muscled through it of course, but we found ourselves wishing we had some water that didn't step all over our booze.

Then we remembered Bling H20 - not only do they use a nine step purification process to clean up the taste of the water, they position themselves as the "Cristal" of bottled water. Yep, now you can buy your water in a frosted glass bottle decorated with Swarovski crystals. Think that might get you a little more loving than turning on the tap? If you've got Rodeo Drive tastes when you mix your drinks, you can pick up a bottle of Bling H20 for around $40. Just make sure you have enough cash left over afterward to actually buy booze.

Learn more and buy online at BlingH20.com.

Cocktail Mist Flavor Spray Review

So we've been puttering around the lab for the last few days, mixing cocktails with our Cocktail Mist flavor spray. In case you don't recall, Cocktail Mist is a zero-calorie, zero-carbohydrate, zero-cholesterol, and zero-fat flavoring additive that was originally designed for food. With 35 flavors to choose from, how do these sprays make the transition to the world of booze?

Read on to find out.

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Espresso Drink Recipes Give You a Buzz Squared

Sounds like the folks over at our sister site Single Serve Espresso have been having a good time lately. Maybe too good a time, considering the fact they're mixing the already-buzzworthy espresso of their namesake with liquor. You might think we'd get jealous that they're treading so close to our territory, but we see it in the true spirit of a mashup, and we welcome the collaboration. Plus, we're no strangers to depth-charging some liquor in our coffee.

We've included our favorite recipes they developed below, a couple espresso martini variations. Head on over to the site for more drink recipes and espresso info.

Caramel Macchiato Martini
2 1/2 Ounces of Stomping Grounds Caramel Espresso Concentrate
1 1/2 Ounces of Vodka

Quick Espresso Martini
1 1/2 Ounces of Stomping Grounds Espresso Concentrate
1 1/2 Ounces Vodka
Top off with a floating espresso bean
(Note: This is fairly alcoholic/strong, add more Stomping Grounds Espresso concentrate if needed)

via Single Serve Espresso

Cocktail Kick Extra Sour Mixer Review

When we our bottle of Cocktail Kick first arrived we said it made us think of Mega Warheads, those crazy little candies that are so sour your face instantly crushes up like Tom Cruise after he's been squirted with water. Little did we know that the similarities between the two were so strong, or that we'd be making "Holy crap that's sour" faces for the next week.

We'll come out right up front and say we liked Cocktail Kick and what it did to our cocktails, but you'd damn well use it responsibly or you won't have any skin left on the inside of your mouth - we know from experience. Read on for more details, the recipes we tried it in, and even more vain attempts to get across just how sour this stuff is.

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Cocktail Mist Arrives for Review

Ever wish you could add a hint of flavor to your cocktails without overbearing them with all sorts of fruit juices and mixers? We've just received five bottles of a spray designed to add a touch of flavor to your booze without all the extra junk like carbs, calories, cholesterol, etc.

We'll be checking out all five flavors we received (Banana Split, Apple Pie, Marshmallow, Chocolate Fudge and Birthday Cake) and trying them in some cocktails as soon as we can. Of course, we can't remember the last time we had a hankering for a cocktail that tastes like a banana split, but who knows? We also know they do make these sprays flavored like fruits and whatnot as well.

While you're waiting for us, learn more about the food applications of these sprays at FlavorSprayDiet.com, and read on for more info from the press release.

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Pickle Juice Sport: Make a Pickle-Tini

We weren't going to cover the Pickle Juice Sport email we just got from Thrillist - after all we've been giving them a lot of linky love in the past month or so. Then we saw the recipe for the Martini Sport, a cocktail made with the pickle-based sports drink, and it was crystal clear in our minds - we need to make a Martini Sport with Ivanabitch Vodka.

As you remember, Ivanabitch's gig is that you're supposed to enjoy it with a pickle...how's that for synergy?

If your inactive lifestyle gives you no reason to drink a bottle of brine, here's another way to integrate PJ into your world of sloth:

Martini Sport
1 part Pickle Juice Sport
3 parts vodka
Garnish with a dill spear

via Thrillist; Available at GoldenPickleJuice.com at 12 bottles for $18 plus shipping. Ivanabitch Vodka is available at Internet Wine & Spirits.

Sweet's Brand Cocktail Kick Arrives for Review

We've always liked our drinks sour. In fact, usually when we mix a drink for someone that contains lime or lemon juice they end up making a face like they just sucked a Mega Warhead and make us add simple syrup before they can even drink it. So that's why we're all fired up to try Sweet's Brand Cocktail Kick, a type of sour salt you add to your cocktail glass.

We don't need any coaxing to sour up our drinks, and we'll be reviewing it soon. Check out Cocktail Kick and Sweet's other products at their website.

Organic Juice...Not Just For Hippies Anymore

We've already made it clear that we'll pretty much drink anything, but sometimes when you're mixing drinks it's nice to feel like you're doing something healthy at the same time. While the best option is usually get yourself some fresh fruit and get to squeezing, it can be a total pain in the sassafrass if you're making a lot of drinks. That's when pre-made mixes come in, and while most of them are too sweet for us our compatriots over at Really Natural have uncovered some organic mixers just that might fit the bill when you're looking to drink healthy

From Mod Mix:
what is organic? it's simple - literally! think of organic living as a simpler, healthier, more honest approach to food production that includes no harsh soil chemicals, no synthetic pesticides, and no substances or practices that would harm our environment or our farmers.

instead, our organic fruits and herbs come from clean, well-balanced environments that result in a cleaner, better-balanced planet. last but not least, because they're raised without the interference of artificial substances, organic foods taste better, and they're better for you.

via Really Natural (more at modmix)

Make Your Own Simple Syrup For Cocktails

One things we've been noticing lately as we troll the Web and other resources for cocktail recipes, a lot of the drink recipes we find call for simple syrup. Plus, even if the recipe you're using doesn't call for simple syrup (AKA simple sugar), you can use it as a replacement in any recipe that calls for granulated sugar. Quite often, the sugar won't fully dissolve unless you give it a good muddling, so if you get sick of grainy clumps of sugar in your nice drinks, the liquid form is the way to go.

Quite often, you can buy simple syrup wherever you shop for your other liquor supplies, but it's often overpriced for what you get - sugar dissolved in water. We've found a cheap and easy way for you to have simple syrup on hand at all times by making it yourself.

Simple Syrup Recipe

1. Put one cup of water in a small saucepan.
   
2. Add two cups of sugar.
   
3. Heat to a boil while stirring.
   
4. Reduce heat and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves.
   
5. Cool to room temperature.
   
6. Find a clean container that will hold at least a cup and a half.
   
7. Using a funnel, pour liquid into container.
   
8. Seal and store in refrigerator indefinitely.
   
9. Use whenever a recipe calls for simple sugar or simple syrup.

via: cocktails.about.com.

It's also possible to tweak the recipe to fit the drinks you're making. For example, we found a recipe for Minted Simple Syrup at cooksrecipes.com, which would go great in your next batch of Mint Juleps.

Dave's Gourmet Bloody Mary Mix Review

We've always prided ourselves on enjoying hot foods...in fact, we've been known put hot sauce on everything, from french fries to sandwiches to breakfast cereal. We have a high tolerance to spiciness, but there was one hot sauce we've tried that completely stopped us in our tracks. That sauce was Dave's Insanity Sauce, made with the essence of habanero peppers, and to put things in perspective for you, according to Dave's site it was the only hot sauce ever banned from the National Fiery Food Show.

After having nearly blown a gasket on the merest drop of his hot sauce, we were a little nervous when we came across Dave's bloody mary mixes. Available in two varieties, Dave's Original Bloody Mary and Insane Mary Mix, just looking at the bottles made us sweat like a virgin at a satanist convention. But we overcame our fear and dug in, mixing drinks with various types of vodka we had around the office.

The verdict? Dave's Gourmet makes some damned good Bloody Mary mix. Both varieties have an extremely fresh taste, like you just whipped up the tomato puree and horseradish yourself. The Original variety has just the slightest kick, while the Insane Mary has a much more significant spice to it, but at no point was there smoke blowing out of our ears. In fact, we have to say this is the best pre-prepared bloody Mary Mix we've ever had.

We recommend you get your hands on some for the next time you're mixing up a batch of Marys - bottles typically run for $7-$8. Plus, if you're not a huge vodka fan, we whipped up some stellar batches of Elusive Redheads with our bottles of Appleton V/X and Rumrunner's rum. Or, if you're the tequila type, combine tequila and Insane Mary Mix to make yourself a nice, spicy Bloody Maria.

Dave's Gourmet also offers a margarita mix which we weren't able to get our hands on in time for this review; learn more about all three of Dave's drink mixers, and buy some if you can't find them locally, at the Dave's Gourmet store.