Milwaukee Madness

The Twilight Lounge – December 22, 2017

Maggie and I were getting ready to settle in and watch a Christmas movie (Christmas in Connecticut for those who are interested) and we decided we needed a fun cocktail to enjoy.  I have already been through most of my Christmas cocktails already this year.  I also am still on a mission to use up the peppermint schnapps (down to 1-1/3 bottles!).  So I hit the CocktailDB on line to look for recipes that use peppermint schnapps.

Lo and behold, there it was…the Milwaukee Madness.  I know, most people would think the insanely garnished bloody mary’s they serve around here would qualify as madness.  But no, this was different, and while maybe not madness, it did promise to use up more of my peppermint schnapps!

Milwaukee Madness

• 1oz bourbon
• 3/4 oz peppermint schnapps
• dash of bitters
• soda water

Fill a rocks glass with ice.  Dash the bitters on the ice then add the bourbon, schnapps and top with soda water.  Stir to mix and garnish with a cherry.

As expected this is quite minty, but not unbearably so as the bourbon is a pretty heavy counterweight.  With the cherry, Maggie thought it resembled a Manhattan, which I could see.

After mixing the first one to see if it would be drinkable (which it was!), I tinkered a bit for the second, bumping the bourbon up to 1-1/4oz, the peppermint schnapps down to 1/2oz and using Bittercube Bitters Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters.  This toned down the mint taste considerably and the Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters provided a bit of a nutty flavor that I enjoyed.

Cheers!

Silver Bells, Linus and Lucy and Silver Trees

December 7, 2011 – The Twilight Lounge

‘Tis the season to be merry and make merry.  What better way to do that than a good cocktail or two (or three).  If you agree, then you’ve come to the right place.  So fire up Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy”, get the shaker out and enjoy.

My original Christmas cocktail was the Sleigh Wreck.  Originally called the Sleigh Ride it caused more than a few hangovers, thus earning the change from Sleigh Ride to Sleigh Wreck.  Similar to a Cosmpolitan, it is a favorite of the denizens of the Twilight Lounge.  As long as I’m here, another interesting tidbit for you.  Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride was not orginally written as a Christmas song (don’t believe me, just listen to the lyrics).  Nope, Leroy got the inspiration on a blazing hot day in 1948 when all he wanted to do was cool off!

Second on my list of Christmas cocktails is the White Christmas.  Inspired by the Danny Kaye (Danny F—ing Kaye for you fans of Christmas Vacation)/Bing Crosby/Vera Ellen/Rosemary Clooney holiday extravaganza of the same name, this cocktail features gin and peppermint schnapps.  When properly made it even looks white as it first hits the glass.  Similar in style and taste to the White Christmas is the cleverly named Christmas Cocktail.  Also made with gin and peppermint schnapps, this has the dry vermouth of a martini in it as well.

For the naughty set I suggest the Bad Santa.  This vodka based cocktail has pomegranate juice as its primary flavor, making sure it goes down nice and smooth – and is sure to put you on the couch if you’re not careful!  According to my former official Christmas cocktail taster, Andrea, this is just as good as the Sleigh Wreck!  Of course, that other Christmas bad boy is also represented with the Grinch cocktail.

If you’re planning on spending the holidays in Mexico then the Christmas Mule is a light, refreshing cocktail that will hit the spot when you’re belting out Feliz Navidad.  Just be sure you remember where you left your flip flops.

So there you have it, a primer on Yuletide cocktails.  Of course, there are many more out there, but these all have been thoroughly tested and have recieved the Twilight Lounge stamp of approval!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a Good Night!

 

It’s Christmas Time

December 6, 2011 – The Twilight Lounge

 So my eternal quest for a the perfect cocktail that combined chocolate and peppermint flavors has finally ended.  Typically, my past efforts had way too much peppermint and were as tasty as mint Listerine.  Tonight, however, I toned down the peppermint, amped up the Bailey’s (it ain’t Christmas without George Bailey, is it?) and added enough vodka to give it some punch.  Oh, and the Amaretto?   Well that adds depth and helps to counterbalance the peppermint.  Thus, behold the George Bailey!

  George Bailey

• 1-1/2 oz vodka
• 1-1/2 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
• 1/4 oz peppermint schnapps
• 1/4 oz Amaretto

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and gently shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Mmmm, delicious.  Just the right combination of mint, chocolate and nuttiness from the Amaretto, with the vodka providing a base to make this a cocktail and not just a girlie sipper.  So pop It’s a Wonderful Life into the DVD player and give it a whirl.  Let me know what you think!

Merry Christmas!

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch!

December 3, 2011 – Germantown, WI

Last Saturday was the kickoff to the holiday season for me.  The decorations are all up (we’ll, OK, I’m still putting the finishing touches on the Twilight Lounge decor) and our first holiday party of the season was Saturday night.

Of course, I had to come up with Christmas themed cocktail to take for us to imbibe.  I seem to have a thing for green cocktails at Christmas, so when I stumbled upon a cocktail called the Grinch it seemed like a natural.  It called for Midori (very green indeed), lemon juice and bar syrup.  So I mixed up a batch and….waaaaaay to sweet.  The Midori is sweet enough as it is and with the additional bar syrup, well, there was just no way I’d be able to sip these all night long.  Factor in that Midori is only 40 proof and I knew I just had to do something.  And what was that something?  Vodka!

The Grinch

• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz Midori liqueur
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1/8 oz bar syrup

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Alternatively, you can just pour this, ice and all, into a rocks glass.  In that case, just double all the ingredients and you’ll be good to go.

This turned out to be a nice holiday sipper – not to sweet, not too boozy, but just right.  The melon flavor of the Midori is cut down by the vodka and lemon and is in the background instead of in your face.  Of course, the green color certainly matches the Grinch’s face, and the cherry is a nice reminder that his heart went from two sizes too small to two sizes too big!

Chears!

Christmas Cocktail

Day 236, Cocktail 234

Last night Gwen hosted her Newcomer’s Christmas party.  While I had mixed up a batch of Sleigh Wrecks for her party we decided to have a pre-party cocktail down in the Twilight Lounge.  She was really in the mood for a martini, so I pulled Sally Berk’s “The Martini Book” of the shelf.  After a bit of thumbing I found the perfect martini type cocktail to get us started for the evening.  Note that in her book Ms. Berk refers to this as a Christmas Martini…which I will not do since there is only one cocktail called a martini in my world!                                               

  Christmas Cocktail

• 3 oz Plymouth gin
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1/8 oz peppermint schnapps

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a fresh cranberry.

This was a very nice take on the traditional martini with the peppermint schnapps providing just a hint of peppermint flavor to give it a holiday twist.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!  In the meantime, I’m signing off to go make Gwen another one!

Cheers!

Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells…

Day 228, Cocktail 226

One of my first and most famous cocktails was on the agenda Thursday night, all by happenstance.  This cocktail was originally invented two years ago for the Christmas holidays and made its debut at the NID Christmas cocktail party.  Andrea, in particular, enjoyed this cocktail so much that we had to change the name from the Sleigh Ride to the Sleigh Wreck.  According to Andrea, “Too many of these and you’ll be dancing like an elf with a tablecloth on your head! hahahaha Wrecked me for the whole next day!!!”

So Thursday I stopped by the Klavier for a quick cocktail and Chris Peters, the owner, was there.  She offered up a Sleigh Wreck to celebrate it hitting the menu there.  Woo hoo, the big time now, on a lounge menu!  Later that night I was at Ivee’s for my usual Beat Stan at Trivia night and again was offered a Sleigh Wreck by Davey.  Twice in one night!

So, with out further adieu, The Sleigh Wreck:

  Sleigh Wreck

• 1-1/2 oz Plymouth gin
• 1/2 oz Chambord
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 2 oz cranberry juice

Combine the ingredients in a shaker and shake, shake, shake to mix and chill.  Strain into a large cocktail glass (I use my 6 oz glass) and garnish with 3-4 fresh cranberries.

This is a sure fire winner with a slight rasberry flavor from the Chambord.  Not too sweet, and not too boozy, too many of these and you’ll be wrecking your sleigh, so be careful!

Cheers!