Monthly Archives: February 2014

Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Here are a couple of suggestions for a special night with a special someone. Our first selection reminds us of a furtive romp in the barn that results in a shotgun wedding.

Moonshiners DaughterThe Moonshiner’s Daughter

  • 2 ounces Stills Crossroads Alabama ‘Shine
  • 1 ounce grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 ounce Pama
  • 1/4 ounce passion fruit syrup
  • white of one egg
  • three drops pear bitters

Add all ingredients except the bitters to a mixing glass. As with any egg white cocktail, shake first without ice. Then add ice and shake again. Strain into a coupe and carefully drop pear bitters into the foam.

Use a stirrer to draw the bitters into a heart shape, or a puppy, or whatever.

Our second selection is more of a dessert drink with just a little nip of a bitter bite on the back end. Because, you know, that’s how love really is. This one is frisky.

Chocolate Cherry 2It Happened One Night

  • 2 ounces xo brandy
  • 1/2 ounce Campari
  • 1/2 ounce Cherry Heering
  • 1/2 ounce creme de cacao

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a brandy snifter. Add a Luxardo maraschino cherry for extra fancy decadence.

While enjoying, listen to the 1997 hit song “Valentines Day” by my old band PopCanon.

Yetaxa

YetaxaLast night we were watching the classic Dr. Who episode from 1964 where the assistant, Barbara, is mistaken for the Aztec goddess, Yetaxa, and tonight we were making chicken mole for dinner, part of which involves reconstituting some chili peppers in hot water. If you are like us, you think, how can I use byproducts of these two experiences in a cocktail? The first part of the answer is to make a pepper syrup from the leftover chili pepper water. Just add equal parts of sugar and pepper water. Heat until the sugar dissolves. The second part is to name the resulting cocktail the Yetaxa.

Sticking with the Mexican theme, of course, we wanted to use this ingredient with tequila. In a sense, this drink is mole in a glass.

Yetaxa

  • 1.5 oz tequila
  • 1 tablespoon Ramazzotti amaro
  • 1 tablespoon crème de cacao
  • 1 tablespoon dry curacao
  • 1 tablespoon hot pepper syrup
  • 1 tablespoon mezcal

Shake and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with some fresh cilantro.