Monday, March 22, 2010

Go Big Red!

It was a huge weekend for Cornell sports. The men's basketball team is on a roll, beating both Temple and Wisconsin to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in history. The men's hockey team also had a big weekend, taking the ECAC Championship and securing a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

To celebrate, we whipped up an impromptu Big Red Martini:




2 ounces Vintner's Wildberry Vodka
1 ounce FLD Raspberry Liqueur
1 ounce simple syrup
splash of fresh lime juice
shake, strain into martini glass and garnish with cherry

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Back in my college days, I would have already been out celebrating at this hour. Tipping back some artificially colored (green, of course) cheap domestic beer and having the time of my life.

Well now that we are all much more mature and the purveyors of fine spirits, what recommendations do we have for St. Patty's Day cocktails?

I really don't think you can go wrong with beer on a day like today - Guinness, Murphy's, or Smithwicks being my favorites. Irish whiskies seem appropriate, but the major brands that are most commonly available never have enough taste for me. Irish cream liqueurs? No thanks.

How about trying our McKenzie Rye in an Irish coffee? The spicy characteristics shine through and make a delicious dessert-style coffee when adding sugar and some fresh whipped cream. Also seems very worldly to have a Scottish-named, American whiskey used in an Irish coffee. Try it out.

For those of you that insist on making all things green today (I've even seen St. Patty's undergarments on the market), we recommend the following:


Chartreuse Martini

3 ounces Seneca Drums Gin

0.5 ounce Green Chartreuse (French herbal liqueur)

Shake or stir with ice and strain into martini glass. Garnish with a twist or fresh mint leaf.


Whatever you choose, here's hoping the wind is always at your back and that you have a happy and safe St. Patty's.