Interesting to note, the average child consumes 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before reaching graduation. There doesn’t seem to be a statistic surrounding the consumption of Peanut Butter and Jelly shots, but there should be one. Perhaps there should also be a statistic for the number of shots consumed before the average person finishes college. Then again, maybe not.
The PB&J shot recipe (and peanut butter and jelly flavor combination) is so popular there are vodkas flavored to taste similar to the brown bag sandwich many of us grew up eating in elementary school. In fact, there are numerous shot and cocktail recipe variations to the classic Peanut Butter & Jelly flavor combination.
It’s time to put down the brown bag. Pick up the shaker and pour a snack.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Shot – created by Cheri Loughlin
1/2 ounce Silver Rum
1/2 ounce Peanut Crème Liqueur
1/2 ounce Raspberry Liqueur
1/2 ounce Half & Half
Fresh Raspberry Garnish – optional
Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into shot glass.
Cocktail Glass Recipe Variation: increase rum and liqueurs to 1 ounce each, Half & Half to 1-1/2 to 2 ounces. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
I am a tried and true vodka lover. I sip it on the rocks; with or without a lime peel. In an extremely Dry Martini with lemon twist; extremely dry means just vodka shaken or stirred with ice only please. No complicated drink recipe there. In the case of American Harvest Organic Spirit, I would even choose equal parts vodka to gin on the rocks or martini style. What I’m saying is American Harvest is easily sippable. I think it’s a great value for the money and it will be a winner when mixed in an abundance of cocktail recipes.
Speaking of cocktails and drink recipes, American Harvest launched fully prepared. They have some great recipe suggestions for spring with more cocktail recommendations in the future. The two recipes below utilize garden fresh herbs, vegetables and berry fruits for the freshest farm to table cocktails. Read on and stay tuned.
Local Harvest
2 ounces American Harvest Organic Spirit
4 Fresh Basil Leaves
3 Lime Wedges
3 Thin Slices Cucumber
1/4 ounce Agave Nectar
Basil Leaf & Cucumber Slice Garnish
Muddle basil, lime and cucumber in mixing glass. Add American Harvest, agave nectar and ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with basil leaf and cucumber slice.
Very Berry Harvest
2 ounces American Harvest Organic Spirit
4 Fresh Mint Leaves
4 Blackberries
4 Raspberries
1/4 ounce Agave Nectar
Ginger Beer
Crushed Ice
Blackberries, Raspberries & Mint Sprig Garnish
Muddle mint leaves and berries in mixing glass. Add American Harvest, agave nectar and crushed ice. Gently swizzle. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with berries on a cocktail pick and mint sprig.
What is American Harvest Organic Spirit?
Organic Vodka & Organic Flavor. Snake River USA
American Harvest is handcrafted in small batches from organic winter wheat grown on a family owned and sustainably managed American farm. It is distilled and bottled in Rigby, Idaho using water from aquifers deep beneath the Snake River plain. American Harvest is the creation of Sidney Frank Importing Company, Inc., a third generation family business that is 100% US owned and operated.
American Harvest has no artificial additives or preservatives and is produced with a continuous column distillation process and charcoal filtration to ensure the integrity and purity of the spirit. The American Harvest Distillery is USDA Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth. – American Harvest media materials
80 Proof / 40% alcohol
Suggested Retail Price: $23.99
American Harvest Tasting Notes
Color: Clear
Aroma: Faint hint of peppercorn. White pepper maybe. Roundness like vanilla, but not quite as lush.
Tasted Neat: Definite vanilla. Rich vanilla. Hints of sweetness like buttery butterscotch, but the spirit isn’t sugared. Bit of nut skin like macadamia nut oiliness. Pink peppercorn maybe. Barely any burn. Rolls over the tongue nicely. Perhaps a wee hint of coffee. Proves that vodka is no longer the “tasteless” spirit. Almost brings the vodka and rum categories a little closer together where taste and flavor are concerned.
Comparable Spirit: The premium vodka category is becoming more affordable and less comparable from one brand to another. Like I mentioned, once considered a completely blank slate spirit, vodka is lifting the veil and allowing consumers to discover there’s more to it than raucous burn.
St. Patrick’s Day tradition brings to mind corn beef and cabbage, leprechauns, green beer, Irish soda bread and of course Irish Coffee. Irish Coffee started in the early 40’s in Ireland and was introduced in America in 1952. It has since become synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day.
John Concannon,Brand Ambassador to Concannon Irish Whiskey and 4th Generation Vintner, met up with Larry Silva, the general manager of Buena Vista Café in San Francisco, the birthplace of Irish Coffee in America, to see how a true Irish Coffee with Concannon should be made. Watch the video for Larry’s suggestions and watch how easy and fast multiple Irish Coffees can be whipped up just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
Concannon True Irish Coffee
6 ounce coffee glass – preheated. 2 sugar cubes. Couple ounces fresh hot coffee – stir to dissolve sugar. Generous helping of Concannon Irish Whiskey. Top with lightly blended heavy cream.
But St. Patrick’s Day goes on all day. Pace yourself! You’re going to want even more recipes. Keep reading!
Concannon Irish Whiskey is an independent spirit of Ireland developed as a joint collaboration between Livermore Valley-based Concannon Vineyard and Ireland’s Cooley distillery.
Concannon Irish Whiskey is a refined blend of malted barley and corn, craft distilled for proper balance of character and purity. It is matured in bourbon barrels for a minimum of four years, then mellowed in Concannon Petite Sirah wine barrels for four months before blending. John Concannon refers to this as the “Concannon Effect.” This process gives Concannon Irish Whiskey its unique fruity character and full, clean balanced taste. ~ Information from product facts
80 Proof / 40% alcohol
Suggested Retail Price: $25 range / 750ml
Availability: Nationally distributed in the U.S. since 2012.
Concannon Irish Whiskey received Best New Irish Whiskey of the Year in 2012 from the International Spirits Competition (NYISC).
Concannon Irish Whiskey Official Brand Tasting Notes
Visual: Light golden wheat
Aroma: Toasted malt, red fruit and vanilla
Palate: Balance of honey sweet, spice and citrus
Finish: Medium-length. Warming and round, with hint fresh oak
Possible Uses, Pairings and / or Cocktails: Concannon Irish Whiskey recommends the following cocktails for St. Patrick’s Day and year round sipping enjoyment.
An Old Fashioned Concannon
2 ounces Concannon Irish Whiskey
Orange Zest
2 Spoons Vanilla Infused Sugar
3 dashes Orange Bitters
Lightly muddle sugar, orange zest and bitters in bottom of tumbler style glass. Add 1/3 of whiskey and a few ice cubes. Stir, ensuring sugar has lifted from base of glass while mixing. Add another 1/3 of whiskey with few cubes of ice. Stir, mixing whiskey and sugar. Repeat with remaining whiskey. Photo provided by The Baddish Group
By the way… If you want to see something that looks really delicious, visit the Concannon Irish Whiskey website (website & Facebook link at the end of post) and click on the Mix It Up link for more cocktail recipes. Find the Roses & Oranges cocktail created by Master Mixologist Gillian Boyle. She used Orange Marmalade and fresh Rosemary. Her cocktail creation simply looks divine!!!
Concannon Raspberry Basil Smash
1-1/2 ounce Concannon Irish Whiskey
5 to 8 Fresh Raspberries
1/3 ounce Simple Syrup
3 to 4 Basil Leaves
1/4 ounce Lemon Juice
Basil Sprig & Fresh Raspberries Garnish
Muddle raspberries and basil in cocktail shaker. Add remaining liquids with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into rocks glass over fresh cracked ice. Garnish with basil sprig and fresh raspberries. Photo provided by The Baddish Group
There are a few spirits that sit back on the liquor cabinet shelf that I haven’t used in a while. On a whim I have begun playing with a few of those forgotten partially used bottles of liquor. The result isn’t always great, but sometime a winner comes through. Chocolate Raspberry Liqueur is one of those winning combinations. It turned out so well I made a special batch for a chocolate and raspberry loving friend for Christmas.
Chocolate Raspberry Liqueur – created by Cheri Loughlin
1/2 cup Demerara Sugar
1/2 cup Water
2 cups Frozen Raspberries (unsweetened)
1/2 Cutie – Juiced, save the leftover peel after juicing
2 cups Chocolate Vodka
Heat sugar, water, raspberries, juice & peel in saucepan over low heat. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Double strain to remove all pulp. Allow to cool. Pour raspberry syrup & 2 cups Chocolate Vodka in bottle with lid. Refrigerate.
Serve over ice or shake with ice & serve up in chilled cocktail glass.
Raspberry Spice Syrup uses baking spices that can be found in many household pantries. Its versatility makes this a wonderful addition to cocktail recipes and can be used as a delicious syrup topping for pancakes or ice cream.
Raspberry Spice Syrup – created by Cheri Loughlin
2 cups Brown Sugar
1 cup Water
12 ounce Fresh or Frozen Raspberries
2 Whole Cinnamon Sticks
1 teaspoon Whole Cloves
2 teaspoons Mace (dried aril of nutmeg spice)
1 ounce Orange Juice
1-1/2 ounce Vodka (as preservative)
Place all ingredients except vodka in saucepan over medium low heat. Stir continuously while bringing mixture to slow simmer. (Simmer for a few minutes if thicker syrup is desired) Remove from heat. Allow to cool. Stir in vodka as preservative if desired. Strain into container with lid. Store in sealed container in the refrigerator.
It is said that the first day of winter is that much closer to the first day of spring. That day is finally here. Spring Equinox 2012 is today, Tuesday, March 20. Time to dust off the outdoor furniture, light the grill and whip up easy breezy springtime drinks. Sip happy! Sip Barefoot.
Barefoot Raspberry Lemonade – created by Cheri Loughlin
Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled cocktail glass or strain into highball glass over fresh ice. Garnish with raspberries or lemon wheel according to preference.
Cocktail Recipe and Photo commissioned by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly
The fresh berries are plenty sweet to negate the need for added sugar.After sampling this blend with various Cachaca spirits it becomes apparent that brands with weaker drive get lost under strong fruit flavor and sweetness.
Berry Tango – created by Cheri Loughlin
2 measures Cachaca
1 Fresh Strawberry
5 Fresh Raspberries
6 Fresh Blueberries
Muddle fresh berries with Cachaca in bottom of a mixing glass. Add ice. Shake to blend. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with skewer of fresh berries if desired.
Fresh berries and sugar free syrups open the playing field up to lower calorie and lower carbohydrate drink recipe options. Muddling fruit just might burn a few extra calories with the little bit of elbow action, too!Keep this whiskey cocktail lower calorie and delicious easily with minimal effort and fabulous results.
Silhouette – adapted by Cheri Loughlin
Origination: Signature cocktail of Eclipse Bars – England
5 Fresh Raspberries
1/2 measure Raspberry Sugar Free Syrup
1 measure Whiskey
1 measure Light Cranberry Juice
1/4 measure Fresh Lime Juice
Mint Leaves & Raspberry Garnish
Muddle raspberries and syrup in mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with bruised mint leaves and raspberry. Total approximate calories based upon 1 measure equals 1 ounce: 86 calories
Even though this has slight sugar free taste buried within, the fresh fruit flavor really kicks in and creates quite a tasty treat. Fabulous flavor as is, but since it sits at 86 calories it might be worth the extra 34.5 calories to bump up the whiskey a notch (1-1/2 measure rather than 1 measure), making the total calorie count 120.5.
Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com – Copyright 2011 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved – All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist
Mandarine Napoleon sample for review courtesy representatives of the brand
