The Whiskey Sour (National Whiskey Sour Day Recipe)

It’s a Saturday near the end of August and the weatherman said it wasn’t supposed to be blazing hot for the next 24 hours. Mix those two facts together with a great day entitled “National Whiskey Sour Day” and you have the makings for a perfect poolside rest & relaxation session that should ease whatever troubles you, right out of your mind.

The Whiskey Sour, a cool almost punch-like drink is one of those old classics you just can’t live your life without trying at least once.

Quite simple to make and extremely delicious this is a drink you need to have in your arsenal for moments such as these.

Enjoy Responsibly.

The Whiskey Sour –

Ingredients:

1 part Gentleman Jack

3 parts Sweet & Sour Mix

1 Orange (washed and cut into slices)

Cherries (as a garnish)

Directions:

Pour Gentleman Jack & Sweet and Sour mix into a chilled rocks glass over ice.

Stir together and garnish with and Orange slice and one Cherry.

Clearly Interesting... Remy Martin V

Libations Fit For A King and Queen (directly from The Ritz-Carlton, Naples)

You should by now know that we have an affinity for strong libations, made with ingredients of an abnormal nature. True we love the traditional standbyes such as our Rum & Pepsi or Remy Martin on the rocks, but what about when the events of the evening call for something that goes far beyond the usual?

Have no fear my friends, because these amazing drink recipes from the exceptionally creative minds of the Kitchen & Bar staff at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples are something that should be in everyone’s arsenal.

Enjoy!!!

Smoked Bloody Mary

House-made bacon-infused vodka mixed with a blend of smoked vegetables. Big, smoky BBQ taste; could be considered a pre-meal appetizer, as it's hearty and thick. The smoky bacon and spicy finish is like no other Bloody Mary. Trimmings include an apple-wood smoked pork belly bacon cube and cherry tomato.

Recipe: Bacon-infused vodka, smoked tomatillos, celery, tomatoes, jalapeños and blend. Strain and add V8 juice, garlic, onions, horseradish, cracked pepper and lemon juice.

Bacon-infused vodka: First off make sure you use the right piece of bacon (usually apple-wood smoked pork belly), and fry it properly before adding to the vodka. Place it in the freezer for 48 hours, then thaw, filter and freeze again until all solids are removed. It usually takes 3 days to make.

The Grilled Pineapple

A sweet drink, reminiscent of a tropical island. A pineapple is grilled and marinated with brown sugar and vanilla, then added into a vacuum-sealed bag and sous vided in water for 4 hours. The ingredients are removed from the pouch, chilled and added into a martini glass straight up, with Mount Gay Extra Old premium rum and a splash of brandied Marasca cherry juice and garnished with a cherry.

Grilled Pear Margaritas

A superb mixture of Anejo Tequila, fresh grilled pears, agave nectar, lime juice and pear nectar. Chilled and served straight up. The sweet, smoke, and salted rim create the perfect balance for all of the senses to take in.

A fresh pear is grilled and sous vided for a few hours with agave nectar. Pear and nectar substance is pureed and combined with fresh lime juice, more agave nectar and Sauza Anejo Tequila.

National Bloody Mary Day

Today being the first day of 2012 we can only imagine how many hangovers there are occurring across the Nation as we speak. With that being said we will keep it simple and to the point, a great cure for the common hangover is drinking a Bloody Mary, yeah it might be gross to a certain extent but if you use pepper vodka and a few dashes of Cajun / Creole seasoning around the rim of the glass you find yourself in heaven.

Remember to make this drink as cold as you can because a warm Bloody Mary might make you call Earl, and hand over all your guts rather quickly.

Here is to a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Ingredients:

1 oz Pepper Vodka

5 to 6 oz Bloody Mary mix

Sliced Lemon (dash the salt on the lemon prior to garnishing)

Celery Stick (optional)

Spicy Cajun Salt (Tony’s)

Directions:

Slowly combine all ingredients over smaller cubes of ice in a highball glass.

Garnish with either the Lemon or Celery stick

Zacapa, The Worlds Greatest Rum, Aged Well Above The Clouds

This post brought to you by Diageo.  All opinions are 100% mine.

We here at The Supreme Plate, have a fondness for Rum. It is widely known by our friends, colleagues and so on that we are true lovers of libations, dishes and desserts that include Rum.
So when we happened to find a new brand named Zacapa premium rum that had an interesting story behind its creation we knew we stumbled upon something worthy of mentioning here on the site.

It all began in 1976 in Eastern Guatemala, where while celebrating their centenary, one of the World’s best rums was given birth too.
A few miles West, in a terrain rich with volcanic soil and prolonged periods of sunlight, (which creates a landscape perfectly suited for growing Sugar Cane,) highly coveted Virgin Sugar Cane Honey is created. This precious honey is used as the base for Zacapa's perfectly aged Rums.

Aged in the astonishingly beautiful Quetzaltenango mountains some 2,300 meters above sea level in casks that previously housed American Whiskey, Oloroso Sherry and Pedro Ximenez Wines, Zacapas flavors are so exquisitely layered that not allowing yourself a taste should be considered a sin.

Whether it be one of Zacapa’s Premium Rums or their Premium Dark Rums, you cannot go wrong having a bottle of premium dark rum or two on hand for your next function.

Take our word for it, Zacapa premium rum will destroy any average well-rum found at your local watering hole. This brand is intent on proving they have a quality product that creates a feeling of instant vintage in a bottle. Reminiscent of robust cigars, fresh floral scents and aged wood, Zacapa Rums are sure to please even the most refined of palates.

For more info on the brand or where to purchase this amazing libation maker, check out: Zacapa premium rum

The Grand Marnier Root Beer Float

Its hot outside, I know it is regardless of where you live it is most likely hotter than you would like it to be at this very moment. 

With that said, today is national Root Beer Float Day, so lets give ourselves a treat that will cool us off as well as fuel us up for whatever may transpire this evening.

A cold Root Beer Float goes a long way when prepared correctly, especially when you add a little Grand Marnier & a slice of Orange to spruce it up ever so discretely.

Enjoy this while relaxing poolside or after a big fat BBQ lunch / dinner feast, it will make everything sit just perfectly in the stomach.

Ingredients:

1 orange

2 oz Grand Marnier

2 dashes Orange Bitters (found at most liquor /grocery stores or Bevmo!)

¾ cup root beer

1 oz heavy cream

Directions:

Use a vegetable peeler to remove a long piece of zest from the orange, working your way around the fruit.

Combine the bourbon and bitters in a tall glass. 

Twist the orange zest over the glass to release the oils, then drop it in. 

Fill the glass halfway with ice. Add the root beer. 

Slowly pour the cream over the back of a spoon into the glass so it floats on top.

Enjoy!

Homemade Strawberry Margaritas

Just in time for the weekend, the weather is finally starting to warm up and  resemble what we call Summertime here in California. I am starting to think that like most people I know, the weather here has become bi-polar and will act however it feels at any given moment.

Today being May 20^th means that it is National Pick Strawberries Day, so we figured we would hit you with a recipe we know will make any afternoon get together or weekend function come to life like a shot of adrenaline straight to the chest.

Margaritas at a house party these days are as common as finding someone passed out in a corner or someone spilling something on your carpet and hiding it from you, either way you view it, it simply means people were getting tore up and having a good time.

The 6 ingredients this recipe calls for are commonly found around the house, ok well at least at our house and unless you live in Utah can be found at any store at any given time of day.

Enjoy these drinks with some chicken fajitas and Spanish rice, that’s how it should be done.

L’Chaim!

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed ice

1/2 cup strawberry puree (frozen can or fresh strawberries, pureed)

1 cup tequila (Preferably Patron Silver)

2 limes, juiced

Splash Triple Sec

Splash simple syrup (equal amounts sugar and water heated until sugar dissolves, then cooled)

Directions:

Combine in a blender, ice, strawberry water, tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec and simple syrup. 

Puree until smooth. 

Pour into rocks glasses and serve.

Can't Decide What To Drink In May?

Let us help you out with a different approach to cocktail making than some of you may be used too.  The Mint Julep, a great drink perfected in the Southern regions of the United States is a drink made up usually of high quality whisky, sugar and mint. Similar to a mojito only using different liquor and a dash of pwodered sugar, this drink is great in the Summer months.

Ingredients:

4 Fresh Sprigs Mint

3 ½ oz Glenlivet 18 Scotch Whisky

1 tsp Powdered Sugar

2 tsp Water

Directions:

Muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a Collins glass.

Fill the glass with shaved ice and add Whisky.

Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

Serve with a straw.