Tag Archives: Club Soda

Wild Strawberry Moscato White Wine Sangria

Posted on May 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

The best sangria recipe begins in the most basic form. A few simple ingredients; bottle of wine, small amount of liquor, fresh seasonal fruits and a little time. – recipe and photo by Mixologist Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist

Red Sangria is one of the most popular Spanish cocktails with White Wine Sangria (Sangria Blanca) running a close second. Sangria is a wine based punch most likely to have originated in Spain. Sangria first appeared in the United States in 1964. As its popularity has increased, so have the numerous ways the Sangria recipe has been adapted.

How to Make a Basic Red or White Wine Sangria Recipe

The best sangria recipe begins in the most basic form. One liter of wine (red or white), 1 cup of sliced fresh fruit (any combination of citrus, berries and tropical fruits), 2 to 4 ounces Liquor (usually Brandy or Cognac) and 1/2 to 1 ounce sweetener (sugar or simple syrup). Place all ingredients in sealed container for 4 hours minimum to overnight, allowing sliced fresh fruits to marinate. Serve in large rocks glass with club soda or sparkling wine topper. Garnish options include fresh herbs or additional fresh fruit slices and whole berries.

With the basic sangria recipe as starting point it is easy to adapt the recipe to seasonal ingredients and fresh fruits you already have on hand.

Wild Strawberry Sangria Recipe

Wild Strawberry Moscato White Wine Sangria recipe was created using an easy basic Sangria recipe to start and fresh quality ingredients from my kitchen – recipe and photo by Mixologist Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist

The Wild Strawberry Sangria recipe is perfect for spring and summer entertaining. The recipe uses Moscato White Wine as base with fresh strawberries, blackberries and cherries. It is lively and fresh, light and airy and beautiful in color. The taste is definitely spectacular! Almost too spectacular. The Wild Strawberry Sangria recipe is so easy to sip, it disappears as quickly and easily as it put together.

May 9, 2013 marks the second annual National Moscato Day. National Moscato Day was established by Gallo Family Vineyards. Make a fresh and easy Moscato White Wine Sangria to capture the excitement of National Moscato Day. Then sit back, relax and join Gallo Family Vineyards in a very special Moscato wine-themed Twitter party for hosting tips, wine and food pairing ideas and wine facts. Follow the hashtag #MoscatoDay and @GalloFamily on Twitter

Wild Strawberry Sangria – recipe by Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist

1-750ml Bottle Moscato White Wine

4 ounces Brandy

1 ounce Simple Syrup

6 large Strawberries – hulled & quartered

15 Fresh Whole Blackberries

1/2 cup Fresh Cherries – pitted & cut in half

1/2 Fresh Lemon – cut in slices

Place cut fruit in bottom of pitcher. Add wine, brandy and simple syrup. Stir gently. Cover. Chill 4 hours or overnight. Serve over ice. Club soda or sparkling wine optional as topper optional.

What is the Best White Wine for Sangria Recipes?

There are many Moscato white wines that would work rather nicely with the Wild Strawberry Sangria recipe above. Use the one that you are most familiar with and prefer. I used a Moscato white wine I am familiar with it and thought it would pair nicely with the recipe I was developing due to the flavor profile. It is pleasantly sweet with sumptuous fruit aromas. Citrus fruit dances across the tongue with plump, juicy splashes of nectar fruit. The finish is lively and crisp making it ideal for a lovely spring to summer sangria.

An important point to remember when choosing any wine as Sangria recipe base is it should be a wine you already enjoy. If it doesn’t taste good in the glass by itself, it probably shouldn’t be the starter component in your Sangria recipe.

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Posted in Pichers & Punches

Tagged Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Basic Sangria Recipe, Blackberries, Brandy, Cherries, Club Soda, Fresh Lemon, Moscato Spumante, National Moscato Day, Sangria, Simple Syrup, Spanish Cocktails, Sparkling Wine, Strawberries, Wild Strawberry Sangria

Ognam Spring Cocktail

Posted on May 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

The Ognam long drink is visually stunning; perfect for a spring cocktail. It contains beautiful orange, peachy hues due to the use of both mango juice and Aperol. Some spring drinks lean a bit to the floral, fruity or overly sweet side. Yet, the Ognam lights up with just the right hint of spiced sweetness due to the aperitif inclusion. Club soda rounds it out with a mist of softness. It reminds me of the way spring rain drops dance across budding flowers.

Ognam Spring Cocktail recipe uses base ingredients with club soda topper. This is a visually appealing drink with hints of spiced sweetness. Excellent for easy entertaining. – photo and recipe from The Intoxicologist site - Cheri Loughlin is The Intoxicologist, a corporate mixologist who creates and photographs the best cocktails and mixed drinks for home entertaining and bar use.

Ognam

2-1/2 ounces Mango Juice

1-1/2 ounce Brandy

1/2 ounce Aperol

Club Soda

Lemon Slice Garnish

Build in highball glass over fresh ice. Stir. Garnish with lemon slice.

Ognam is featured in Dark Spirits by A.J. Rathbun. He credits its creation to his wife, Natalie. This drink is featured with four more spring drinks at Seattle Magazine.

Aperol is an aperitif from Italy, considered a potable bitter with orange highlights. It’s made with a secret combination of herbs including bitter orange, rhubarb, chinchona and genziana. There is no real substitution since it is created with unique formula. However, one could try other potable bitters such as Campari or Cynar if they are readily available. Both are much bolder in bitter flavor, so start with smaller measurement and adjust the cocktail accordingly to taste preference.

The Post Prohibition blog compares the similarities and differences of Aperol and Campari. There are also two cocktails of interest in the post; The Cutlass and Sneaky Pete.

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Posted in Long Drinks

Tagged A.J. Rathbun, Aperol, Brandy, Club Soda, Mango Juice, Ognam, Spring Cocktails

April Shower Spring Cocktail

Posted on April 29, 2013 | Leave a comment

April Shower Cocktail 371

Perhaps we can encourage a bit of warm and thirsty weather with a bit of spring cocktail sipping. The Americano is a great highball drink to keep in mind when thinking of spring cocktail possibilities. It can go from deep and lush to light and refreshing by just altering the spirit ratios. Spring also gets me in the mood for one of my favorite classic cocktails; the French 75. Gin is traditional, but I prefer mine with cognac. Sipped on the deck with the sun shining or while listening to the rain makes no difference. Just knowing spring is in the air is perfect!

Speaking of rain… Hopefully the all too familiar saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” holds true.

The April Shower cocktail is quick and easy to build over ice. Fresh orange juice combined with the Benedictine leans this a little toward the sweeter sider. Dial back the Benedictine just a smidgen if you like. The drink is a bit fruity like a good spring cocktail should be.

April Shower Cocktail 346

April Shower

1 ounce Brandy

2 ounces Orange Juice

1 ounce Benedictine

Club Soda – approximately 3 ounces

2 Cherries Garnish

Build in highball glass over fresh ice. Top with club soda. Stir. Garnish with cherries.

Garnishing Tip:

I like to layer garnishes within rocks and highball drinks when possible. Layered garnishes add visual appeal and splash of color to the drink.

Layered Cherries Garnish in April Shower Cocktail

Layer garnish by placing a few cubes of ice in the bottom of glass followed by cherry. Continue with another cube or two of ice followed by another cherry and so on until you end at the top of the glass with cherry on top. This does mean using more than the specified “2” cherries garnish in the recipe, but cocktail sipping is meant to be fun. So get a little carried away with those cherries. You know you want to double dip in that jar anyway!

Find more fun garnishing ideas on my Pinterest page.

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Posted in Long Drinks

Tagged April Shower, Benedictine, Brandy, Cherries, Club Soda, Garnishing, Orange Juice, Spring, Spring Cocktails, Spring Equinox

Driscoll’s Berries Inspire Fresh Cocktails

Posted on April 22, 2013 | 2 Comments

Driscoll's Berry Tour 113 - Driscoll's Strawberry

Driscoll’s strawberry picked fresh from Driscoll’s strawberry field. Driscoll’s berries are touched one time, picked ripe, placed in clamshell package and shipped fresh.

My recent “field to fork” berry education and taste excursion with Driscoll’s berries inspired one of my recent fresh berry cocktails. If you follow me on Twitter you may have caught several berry tweets straight from Driscoll’s offices and berry fields a few weeks ago. So you already know Driscoll’s invited me and a few others out to tour the Driscoll’s facilities and attend the Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2013 Grand Tasting event. Yum!

This isn’t just a photographic berry tour, though. There is a fresh berry cocktail with Driscoll’s berries at the end of the post, so stay tuned for a few seconds.

In no particular order: Ani Phyo, Kathy Casey, Tess Masters, Allison Kociuruba, Amy Roskelley, Natalie Monson, Dede Wilson, Maria and Josh Lichty, Jaden and Scott Hair, Cheri Loughlin, Kim Allen, Driscoll’s representatives

Driscoll’s strawberries in clamshell packaging. Driscoll’s introduced clamshell packaging to the marketplace in the early 1990’s.

When the Driscoll’s representative invited me on this tour I was psyched. I was already familiar with the product. Driscoll’s berries have occupied space in my fridge (and family’s bellies) for years. I could go on and on about the nutrient factor and how good Driscoll’s berries are for your health, but honestly I just know they taste good.

Driscoll’s blackberries are known as the “Cabernet of Berries” for their wine-like, earthy taste.

My favorite Driscoll’s berries by far are the blackberries. The blackberries I sampled while touring were incredibly juicy and HUGE! Definitely the Season’s Finest. I learned that berries should be Oslo Iced Tea Fresh Blackberry Cocktail stored optimally at 32 degrees to preserve freshness. But berries should be eaten at room temperature for optimum flavor.

I’ll be honest, I also love fresh blackberries ice cold, muddled and served liquid… as in fresh blackberry cocktails like Take Me to the Tropics Sangria, Berrily a Mojito and Oslo Iced Tea.

Driscoll's Berry Tour 113

Driscoll’s strives to grow the most amazing and sensory delightful berries an individual could possibly desire. Their commitment to consumer delight begins in a germ-free lab where technicians meticulously handle precious tiny seedlings with tweezers.

Driscoll's Berry Tour 087

Seedlings move to nurseries. Once these plants are ready, they are prepared for planting to other facilities.

Driscoll's Berry Tour 087

Driscoll's Berry Tour 138

The strawberry fields’ tour was spectacular with beautiful mountains in the distance.

Driscoll's Berry Tour 087

And yes, strawberries straight from the vine are indeed delicious! You can get that same picked-from-the-vine taste right at home. Remember, Driscoll’s berries are picked, packed and shipped while handling the berries one time only. Cold chain management is the key to preserving the integrity of their fruit.

About that cocktail I promised you…

Strawberry Fields Forever Cocktail 230

Strawberry Fields Forever – created by Cheri Loughlin

7 Fresh Driscoll’s Strawberries Strawberry Fields Forever Cocktail 254

1 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice

1-1/2 ounce Gin

3/4 ounce Elderflower Liqueur

1/2 ounce Simple Syrup

1 ounce Club Soda

Sugar & Lemon Slice

Fresh Strawberry Garnish

Swirl lemon slice around lip of rocks glass. Roll lip of glass in sugar. Refrigerate glass until use. Muddle strawberries in bottom of cocktail shaker. Add lemon juice, gin, liqueur and simple syrup with ice. Shake vigorously to blend. Strain into sugar rimmed rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with fresh strawberry.

Strawberry Fields Forever tastes fresh, delicately sweet with hint of lemonade freshness with the slightest suggestion of tart.

FTC disclosure: This learning opportunity was paid for in full by Driscoll’s, but all post content, photography, commentary and opinion is completely mine.

Special thank you to Driscoll’s for inviting me along on this amazing journey. Follow Driscoll’s on Facebook and Twitter @driscollsberry.

Cheri Loughlin Beverage Consultant & Photography Services

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Posted in Cocktails, Driscoll's Berry

Tagged Blackberries, Club Soda, Driscoll's, Elderflower Liqueur, Fresh Berry Cocktail, Fresh Lemon, Gin, Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2013, Simple Syrup, St-Germain, Strawberries, Sugar

2 Blood Orange Vodka Spring Drink Recipes

Posted on March 31, 2013 | Comments Off

SKYY Infusions Blood Orange Vodka Bottle with Tasting Glass 097

The classic Negroni cocktail recipe is always a personal favorite go-to drink for summer or winter sipping enjoyment. When it was time to review the SKYY Infusions Blood Orange Vodka, a variation of the Negroni instantly came to mind. Blood orange and grapefruit flavors both go rather nicely with the Negroni flavor profile. They seem to thin the drink recipe out a bit for warmer weather sipping. This makes the drink a great refresher. The cocktail recipe variation below just might be the ticket for soaking up a little sunshine.

By the way, March 31 is Oranges and Lemons Day. A Vodka infused with orange or blood orange would be perfect for the day!

Blood Orange Negroni

1 ounce SKYY Infusions Blood Orange Vodka

1/2 ounce Campari

1/2 ounce Sweet Vermouth

2 ounces Club Soda

Orange Slice Garnish

Fill highball glass two thirds full with ice. Add liquids to glass in order given, topping with club soda last. Garnish with orange slice.

If you feel like sipping something a little different (Orange Sorbet, Prosecco, SKYY Blood Orange Vodka and Orange Juice), then check out the Blood Orange Sgroppino drink recipe photographed and described in great visual detail on the Italian La Bella Vita blog. This cocktail looks amazing and sounds delicious!

Orange Breeze

2 ounces SKYY Infusions Blood Orange Vodka

1/2 ounce Pineapple Juice

1/2 ounce Cranberry Juice

1/2 ounce Lemon Juice

Orange Twist or Orange Slice Garnish

Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist or orange slice garnish. (More drink recipes like this one provided by Campari America on flickr in the SKYY Infusions Blood Orange tag.

What is SKYY Infusions Blood Orange Vodka?

Vodka infused with natural blood orange flavors. SKYY Infusions Blood Orange is made with real blood oranges and SKYY Vodka. It is carefully infused with all-natural ingredients with the goal of irresistibly crisp, fresh taste and lusciously sweet blood orange. – Information printed on bottle label

70 Proof / 35% alcohol

Suggested Retail Price:$15 to $19 range depending on area

Availability: Main market area is United States and Canada.

SKYY Infusions Blood Orange Vodka Tasting Notes

Color: Clear

Aroma: Reminds me of opening a fresh bag of candy sweet tarts. Powdery sweet with bit of sugary tartness. Makes my mouth water a little. No burn.

Tasted Neat: Sweetness, though it is minimal. Very little burn. Orange with hint of bitter, like the oily skin of orange. Not lush. Bit fruity like you might expect from cocktail fruit juice, but not as sweet. Definitely reminds me more of candy flavor rather than natural fruit flavor. Slightly artificial tasting as it doesn’t seem to roll over the tongue with layered lushness. Seems a bit one dimensional in its streamlined flavor.

Review sample courtesy representatives of Campari America

Cheri Loughlin Beverage Consultant & Photography Services

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Posted in Cocktails, Daily Holidays, Reviews

Tagged Blood Orange Negroni, Blood Orange Sgroppino, Blood Orange Vodka, Campari, Campari America, Club Soda, Cranberry Juice, Fresh Lemon, La Bella Vita, Negroni, Orange Breeze, Orange Vodka, Oranges and Lemons Day, Pineapple Juice, SKYY Infusions Blood Orange Vodka, SKYY Vodka, Sweet Vermouth, Vodka

Review: Caliche Rum

Posted on March 26, 2013 | Comments Off

Caliche Rum 065 photo copyright Cheri Loughlin

Caliche Rum is aged up to four years. The purpose of slow blending is to give the rum an extremely smooth, modern characteristic with unique, clean balance of vanilla and citrus flavor and hint of oak. The intention in taste experience is an immediate rum flavor with velvety texture, followed by hints of caramel and vanilla. Citrus lingers slightly providing a crisp note then cleanly disappears with light tannins and oak. – media materials provided by brand representatives

Distilled, aged and bottled by Destilleria Serrallés, Inc. Ponce, Puerto Rico.

80 Proof / 40% alcohol

Suggested Retail Price: $25 range

Availability: Initially available in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Dallas

Caliche Rum 086 photo copyright Cheri Loughlin

Tasting Notes

Color: Clear

Aroma: Some burn. Flat. Bit non-descript as far as rum goes.

Tasted Neat: Butterscotch. Quite a bit of burn. Burn does dissipate rather quickly, though. Barely any sweetness. Buttery is faint. Slight vanilla. Hardly any roundness as some rums seem to have. Little bit of toffee. Hint of coffee. Light citrus.

Mouth Feel: Thin

Caliche Wood Top 076 photo copyright Cheri Loughlin

I love the rope around the neck of the bottle and the wooden bottle stopper. Interesting design etched in the wood, too. Not a fan of the orange lettering or the actual bottle though. But hey, it’s what’s inside that counts, right?!

Possible Uses, Pairings and / or Cocktails: Rum cocktails always make an appearance on my back deck when warmer weather finally makes its way back around. Pick up a bottle, grab a shaker and enjoy the sunshine.

Caliche Rum has a nice selection of cocktails on their website. I thought you might enjoy the two below for starters.

Cali Grapefruit

2 ounces Caliche Rum

1/2 ounce Campari

1 ounce Grapefruit Juice

1/4 ounce Agave Nectar

Club Soda

Grapefruit Wedge Garnish

Combine Caliche Rum, Campari, juice and agave nectar in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend. Pour into goblet or highball glass over fresh ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.

Cali Gold

2 ounces Caliche Rum

1 ounce Lime Juice

1/2 ounce Pineapple Juice

1/4 ounce Agave Nectar

3 – 6 Cilantro Leaves

Cilantro Leaf Garnish

Lightly muddle cilantro leaves in mixing glass. Add liquid ingredients with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into highball glass over fresh ice. Garnish with cilantro leaf.

Review sample courtesy representatives of Caliche Rum – @CalicheRum on Twitter – CalicheRum on Facebook

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Posted in Cocktails, Reviews

Tagged Agave Nectar, Cali Gold, Cali Grapefruit, Caliche Rum, Campari, Cilantro, Club Soda, Fresh Lime, Grapefruit Juice, Pineapple Juice, Rum

The Original Moonshine Cocktails

Posted on March 18, 2013 | Comments Off

Moonshine Clear Corn Whiskey 063 photo copyright Cheri Loughlin

The Original MOONSHINE, or ‘Shine as it is fondly referred to by those who sip and savor the spirit from traditional style mason jars, is clear corn whiskey crafted in the same “authentic tradition that moonshine has been made for hundreds of years.” They mean hand crafted from 100% estate grown corn, distilled four times in a Prohibition era copper pot still. All legal I’s dotted and T’s crossed.

I haven’t seen this product on local shelves, but have seen it available at several online retail venues in the $30 to $40 range. It comes in at 80 proof / 40% abv. Moonshine recommends enjoying ‘Shine neat, on the rocks or in specialty cocktails designed to feature the sweet summer corn flavor of this white whiskey.

The Shiner

1-1/2 ounce Original Moonshine

Lime Twist Garnish

Shake Moonshine in shaker with ice to bruise it up a bit. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with lime twist.

‘Shine Punch

1-1/2 ounce Original Moonshine

1/2 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 ounce Fresh Orange Juice

1/2 ounce Grenadine

1/2 ounce Simple Syrup

Club Soda

Blackberries

Muddle small handful blackberries in mixing glass with juices. Fill with ice. Add Moonshine and syrups. Shake to blend. Pour into highball glass. Top with club soda. Garnish with fresh blackberries.

Cocktail recipes sponsored by representatives of The Original MOONSHINE. @Moonshine on Twitter – Moonshine on Facebook

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Posted in Cocktails, Sponsored Posts

Tagged 'Shine, 'Shine Punch, Blackberries, Club Soda, Fresh Lemon, Grenadine, Moonshine, Orange Juice, Simple Syrup, Sponsored Post, The Original Moonshine, The Shiner

Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry: Cherry Pineapple Crush

Posted on February 28, 2013 | Comments Off

Cherry Pineapple Crush

1-1/2 ounce Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry

3 ounces Pineapple Juice

Club Soda

Pineapple Wedge Garnish

Combine Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry and pineapple juice in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend. Strain into highball glass over fresh ice. Top with splash of club soda. Garnish with pineapple wedge.

Recipe provided by representatives of Brown-Forman / Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort on Facebook – Southern Comfort on Twitter

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Posted in Cocktails

Tagged Brown-Forman, Cherry Pineapple Crush, Club Soda, National Cherry Month, Pineapple Juice, Southern Comfort, Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry

Scarlet Harlot

Posted on February 6, 2013 | Comments Off

Sweet tart flavor. Scarlet Harlot can also be topped with 1-1/2 measures club soda. This gives longer play time without adding more calories.

Scarlet Harlot – created by Cheri Loughlin

1 measure Southern Comfort

2 measures Light Cranberry Juice

3/4 measure Lemon Juice

Lemon Wheel Garnish

Place ice in large rocks glass. Place liquids in glass in order given. Stir. Garnish with lemon wheel.

Approximately 81 Calories

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Posted in Low Calorie

Tagged Club Soda, Cranberry Juice, Fresh Lemon, Lower Calorie, Scarlet Harlot, Southern Comfort

Carpe Diem

Posted on January 17, 2013 | Comments Off

Grab the rum, fresh juice & a tall glass. Seize the cocktail!

Carpe Diem

1-1/2 ounce Mango Rum

1/2 ounce Orange Rum

1 ounce Orange Juice

Club Soda

Dash of Grenadine

Lime Wedge

Place rum and orange juice in highball glass over fresh ice. Stir. Top with club soda and dash of grenadine. Add squeeze of lime wedge and drop into glass.

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Posted in Cocktails

Tagged Carpe Diem, Club Soda, Grenadine, Mango Rum, Orange Juice, Orange Rum, Rum

Tag Archives: Club Soda

Wild Strawberry Moscato White Wine Sangria

How to Make a Basic Red or White Wine Sangria Recipe

Wild Strawberry Sangria Recipe

What is the Best White Wine for Sangria Recipes?

Ognam Spring Cocktail

April Shower Spring Cocktail

Garnishing Tip:

Driscoll’s Berries Inspire Fresh Cocktails

2 Blood Orange Vodka Spring Drink Recipes

Review: Caliche Rum

The Original Moonshine Cocktails

Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry: Cherry Pineapple Crush

Scarlet Harlot

Carpe Diem

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Tag Archives: Club Soda

How to Make a Basic Red or White Wine Sangria Recipe

Wild Strawberry Sangria Recipe

What is the Best White Wine for Sangria Recipes?

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