Melon Patch

The Twilight Lounge – February 25, 2012

A quiet evening at home after the week in Vegas is just what I needed last Saturday.  A couple of movies and cocktails were the order of the day.  However, I wasn’t content to have the same ‘ol same ‘ol, so I started rooting around in the Twilight Lounge amongst the drink recipes.  What caught my eye was this little number called the Melon Patch (yeah, I know, they caught your eye too, didn’t they?).  With vodka as its base, I knew it would be strong enough for me, yet with melon flavored Midori and orange flavored Cointreau, I knew that Gwen would also enjoy it.

  Melon Patch

• 1-1/2 oz Midori
• 3/4 oz Cointreau
• 3/4 oz vodka
• soda water

 

In a shaker with ice combine everything but the soda water and shake.  Pour, ice and all, into a rocks glass and top with soda water.

The vodka and soda water do a nice job of cutting the sweetness of the Midori and Cointreau, leaving a nice, refreshing cocktail.  The combination of the flavors evokes a hint of bananna along with the orange and melon flavors of the liqueurs.  This one would be perfect for warm summer evenings or pool side on a hot day.  It’s a good thing summer isn’t that far away!

Cheers!

Ty Ku Cherry

Day  288, Cocktail 286

Monday night rolled around and I was in the mood for something a bit lighter.  I’ve been pretty whiskey heavy lately, and my detour through brandy for a week still kept me in the same vein of brown liquors.  So as I contemplated what do make down in the Twilight Lounge I pulled out my trusty bottle of Beefeater Gin to use as my base.  Next I opened up the liqueur cabinet (yes, I have one whole cabinet dedicated to liqueurs, and one dedicated to liquor – each about the size of a double door upper cabine in your kitchen) and started to root around.  The Ty Ku bottle was near the front and I swear I could hear it calling my name, so I picked it up.  As I did so, my hand brushed against the Luxardo Maraschino bottle and it the touch was electric…I knew that these two must somehow form a winning combination.

  Ty Ku Cherry

• 2 oz Beefeater Gin
• 1 oz Ty Ku
• 1/8 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.  Stir to chill and mix.  Strain into a chilled coupe.  Garnish with a lemon peel.

Hmmm, this was nice.  Light, refreshing, with just a hint of melon from the Ty Ku and cherry from the Luxardo.  The Ty Ku has enough volume to tone down the gin (not that gin needs toning down) so that it wasn’t an overwhelming flavor.  This cocktail makes a great before dinner drink for lighter fare – think summertime menus of crisp salads or grilled tuna.  I can’t wait for warmer weather to arrive so I can have one while sitting out on the patio overlooking the pool!

I wanted to also comment on my use of the ‘ol 1/8 oz measure.  It’s actually pretty easy to achieve 1/8 oz as that is the volume of my bar spoon.  So when I make a cocktail that needs 1/8 oz it gets 1 bar spoon full of whatever it is.  1/4 oz is two bar spoons, etc.  If there is one piece of equipment worth having, it is the long handled bar spoon!

Cheers!

Ty Ku Dream

Day 276, Cocktail 278

I was armed with several fresh oranges and a hankering for something Asian tonight (maybe Gwen’s homemade fried rice for dinner had something to do with my urges). 

When I hit the Twilight Lounge I started to rummage through the liquor cabinets.  The Ty Ku came out and then after pondering for a moment I pulled out the Domaine de Canton as well.  My reasoning was that the ginger in the Domaine de Canton was first, an Asian flavor and second, would meld well with the Ty Ku and its melon overtones.  I was also pretty sure I could use my orange as well.  This is what I came up with.

  Ty Ku Dream

• 2 oz Ty Ku
• 1/2 oz Domaine de Canton
• 3/4 oz orange juice

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill and mix.  Strain into a chilled coupe.  Garnish with an orange twist if desired.

This is a nice, summer weight cocktail – slightly sweet yet refreshing.  The Ty Ku with its mangosteen and melon flavors is front and center with a distinct ginger flavor chiming in from the Domaine de Canton.  And, because the Ty Ku is only 40 proof and the Domaine de Canton only 56 proof you’re not going to get as tipsy as quickly as if you were drinking vodka or gin.  That’s like a double winner in my book!

Cheers!