Holiday Egg Nog

INGREDIENTS:
6 Eggs (separate yolks, reserve whites)
2 Cups Sugar
1 Pint Bourbon
1 Cup Dark Jamaican Rum
1 Cup Brandy
3 Pints Heavy Cream
1 Pint Milk

DIRECTIONS:
Beat 6 egg yolks until very thick and lemon colored. Mix in 2 cups sugar. Slowly stir in 1 pint bourbon, 1 cup dark Jamaican rum and 1 cup Brandy. Stir gently until sugar is dissolved. Blend in 3 pints heavy cream and 1 pint milk.

In a separate bowl, beat 6 egg whites until peaks form (stiff but not dry). Fold egg whites into cream mixture.

Pour into punch bowl and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Dooce's Gin & Tonic Recipe

Perfect Gin & Tonic recipe from Dooce:

"Rob Gunnison's Gin and Tonic for Two"

Squeeze two limes.
Slice rinds and place in pitcher.
Pour four jiggers of gin into pitcher and mash.
Pour juice into pitcher. Mash more.
Divide between two glasses of ice.
Top with tonic.

Sour-Cherry Gin Slings

INGREDIENTS

1 pound sour cherries, stemmed

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

Strips of zest from 1/2 lemon

Strips of zest from 1/2 orange

Gin Sling

2 cups gin

2/3 cup Cointreau

2/3 cup fresh lime juice

2 1/4 cups sour-cherry syrup

Angostura bitters

Ice

Sparkling water

Lime wheels and fresh cherries, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Make the sour-cherry syrup: In a large saucepan, combine the cherries with the sugar, water and citrus zests and bring to a boil.
2. Cover and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes.
3. Pass the mixture through a fine strainer, pressing on the solids; you should have 2 1/2 cups. Let cool.
4. Make the gin slings: In a pitcher, combine the gin with the Cointreau, lime juice, sour-cherry syrup and a few dashes of bitters and stir well.
5. Pour into ice-filled glasses and top each drink with sparkling water. Garnish with the lime wheels and fresh cherries and serve.

from Food & Wine via YumSugar.

4th of July Cocktail

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:INGREDIENTS:
1 ounce watermelon schnapps
1 big splash cranberry juice
1 slice lemon
1 slice lime
1 1/2 ounces tequila
1/4 ounce blue curacao
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Watermelon wedge, for garnish (optional)

:DIRECTIONS:
Mix the schnapps and cranberry juice in a shaker; pour into an ice-filled glass.

Muddle the lemon and lime slices, tequila, blue curacao and simple syrup (to make a batch, dissolve sugar in equal parts hot water and chill) in the shaker. Slowly strain into the glass over the red layer. Garnish with watermelon, if desired.

from Guy Fieri

Two Holiday Drinks

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HOT APPLE PIE

Ingredients
2 oz Tuaca
hot apple cider
whipped cream
cinnamon stick for garnish

Directions
Pour the Tuaca in an Irish coffee glass.
Fill with hot apple cider.
Top with whipped cream.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

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PEPPERMINT PATTY

Ingredients
1 oz. peppermint schnapps
½ oz. créme de cacao
1 tsp. créme de menthe
5 to 8 oz. hot chocolate
About 1 oz. whipped cream
Shaved chocolate

Directions
Pour liqueurs into a glass mug, fill with hot chocolate and top
with whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Ice Tea: 3 Different Ways

TEA BASE
1. Boil in 2C fresh or bottled water for 10 minutes: 2 family size or 4-6 standard bags
(or loose equivalent)
2. Remove bags
(don’t squeeze – that causes bitterness).
3. To serve, stir in sweetener while hot so it will dissolve.







*Added notes:
• Don’t oversteep or will draw out the tannins and cause bitterness. If this happens, add a pinch of soda to soften the taste.
• Freeze tea in ice cubes – when added, they won’t dilute the tea. Can add berries to the ice cubes.

Sweet Syrup:
1. Boil 2 C water
2. Add 4 C sugar, stir until dissolved and thickened.
3. Cool to room temperature, then put in refrigerator (cloudiness can occur if put in fridge right away).
4. Store in tightly sealed, glass jars or use at once.


ICED TEA, 3 WAYS

Sun Tea:
Mellower taste because it takes 140 degrees+ to leach out the
bitter tannins.
Not as strong as regular tea but because of this, it is good with herbal additions such as mint, chamomile and lemon verbena.
1. Fill 2 quart glass container with fresh or bottled water.
2. Add 4-6 bags and cover.
3. Place in sunny spot 3-5 hours.
4. Remove and refrigerate when desired strength reached (determined by taste or color).

Arnold Palmer’s Favorite Tea:
½ lemonade
½ sweet or unsweetened iced tea

Variation on Arnold Palmer’s Favorite Tea:
½ limeade
½ sweet or unsweetened iced tea
optional shot of tequila

Southern Sweet Tea:
1. Boil and turn off: 4 C water
2. Add: 8-10 reg bags (or 3 family size) of orange pekoe tea (Lipton or Luzianne) pinch of baking soda
3. Add ½-1+ C simple syrup
4. Pour into 1 gallon glass container and fill to top with water.

Pineapple Mango Rum Cocktails

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 small ripe mangoes, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups), plus 1/2 mango cut into slices with skin, for garnish
4 ounces best-quality golden rum
4 cups fresh pineapple juice (from a 4 1/2-pound pineapple)
Fresh tropical fruit, such as dragon fruit and star fruit, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Puree mangoes, rum, and 1/2 cup water in a blender.
2. Pour 2 ounces puree into each of six 12-ounce glasses.
3. Fill glasses with ice, and top off with pineapple juice. Garnish with tropical fruit.

Kiwi-Lime-Ginger Cocktail

Feel free to modify this recipe by adding vodka, gin, or light rum.

INGREDIENTS
Juice of 1/2 a lime, freshly squeezed
1 kiwi fruit, diced with some larger chunks for garnish
1/4 tsp finely minced ginger
Dash of salt (if desired)
slightly crushed small piece of ginger
3 Tablespoons simple sugar syrup
8 oz. Ginger Ale
Ice
Kiwi and lime rind for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Rub lip of chilled tumbler with ginger, drop into cup. Add ice.
2. In a separate mixing container, add sugar syrup, dash of salt, minced ginger, diced kiwi, and lime juice; mix well.
3. Pour ginger ale into chilled tumbler, and pour juice mix over
soda, making sure to swirl minced ginger and kiwi back into suspension first.
4. Garnish with kiwi and/or lime rind.

Red, White & Blue Sangria

INGREDIENTS
1 bottle dry white wine
1/2 cup triple sec
1/4 cup citrus or berry-flavored vodka
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup simple syrup
3/4 cup blueberries
3/4 cup raspberries
3/4 cup sliced srawberries
1/2 cup pineapple chunks

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a large, glass punch bowl or pitcher and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve over ice. Makes about 7 servings.

Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan, then heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool completely before using.

Kiwi Melon Sangria

INGREDIENTS
1 bottle (750 ml) dry white Riesling
4 peeled and sliced kiwifruit
1 cup (237 ml) fresh watermelon, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 lime, thinly sliced
1 1/2 oz Midori melon liqueur
1/4 cup granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, stirring to crush some of the fruit. Cover and refrigerate overnight for at least 12 hours to let the flavors marry before serving. Serve over ice, including some fruit. Use within 4 days.

Spiked Lemonade

INGREDIENTS
4 cups pink lemonade
2 cups vodka
Lemon, lime, raspberry, blueberry, star fruit, for garnish

White Wine Spritzers

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup ice cubes
5 ounces white wine, chilled
3 ounces club soda, chilled
2 or 3 watermelon or cantaloupe balls, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Place ice in a 10-ounce cocktail glass. Add wine and club soda. Garnish with melon balls; serve immediately.

Watermelon Margaritas

INGREDIENTS: [one serving]
16 oz seeded, blended watermelons
1/2 lime
6 oz tequila
3 oz triple sec
1 tbsp sugar

DIRECTIONS
Cut up a watermelon, removing seeds. Liquify in a blender until you have about 16 oz. Add remaining ingredients, top with ice and blend until smooth. Taste and add sugar if watermelon is not sweet enough. Serve in a margarita glass with a sugar-coated rim.

Drink: Barracuda

INGREDIENTS
½ ounce white rum
½ ounce Galliano
½ ounce pineapple juice
¼ ounce fresh lime juice
¼ ounce grenadine
3 to 5 ounce chilled champagne



DIRECTIONS
Shake all ingredients but the champagne with ice. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass or into a chilled champagne flute. Slowly top with champagne. Servings: 1.

Mistletoe Mojito

Makes 1 mojito.

INGREDIENTS
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. superfine sugar
8 fresh mint leaves
2 oz. white rum
2 tsp. pomegranate seeds
4 oz. Pomegranate 7UP (or pom flavor and 7up)
1 mint sprig 1 lime wedge

DIRECTIONS
1. In a highball glass, muddle lime juice, sugar and mint leaves until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add rum and pomegranate seeds.
3. Fill glass with ice and top with Pomegranate 7UP. Garnish with mint sprig and lime wedge.

Gail's Summer Slush

Gail’s Summer Slush

Ingredients:
7 c water
2 c sugar
2 c water
4 tea bags (use green tea for that healthy glow but any tea will work)
1 – 12 oz. can thawed lemonade concentrate
1 – 12 oz. can thawed orange juice concentrate
2 C vodka (or rum, brandy, etc.)

Instructions:
7 C water boiled with 2 C sugar (stir to dissolve sugar), cool.
2 C boiled water with 4 tea bags, cool, remove tea bags.
Combine.
Add: lemonade, orange and alcohol.
Freeze 24 hours, stirring once during process and mix well.
Scoop desired amount into beverage glasses.
SPLASH with 7-Up, Squirt, ginger ale or desired carbonated drink.

Drink Up: Beer Margaritas

Beer Margaritas
Serves: 6 (1-cup) servings

1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate
12 fluid ounces tequila
12 fluid ounces water
12 fluid ounces beer
Ice
1 lime, cut into wedges

Pour limeade, tequila, water and beer into a large pitcher. Stir until well-blended and limeade has melted. Add plenty of ice, and garnish with lime wedges. Adjust with additional water, if needed.

Vodka Lemonade

1 oz lemon vodka.
1 glass lemonade.