Cocktails: Four Charity Cocktail Creations

WHAT

Cocktails recipe.

WHY

Refreshing summer cocktails.

COCKTAILS: FOUR CHARITY COCKTAIL CREATIONS

June 30, 2009

We love cooking and we love drinking, so making new cocktails is a fun combination. We participated in a Share Our Strength event in New Jersey and were asked to create some new cocktails using Belvedere and St-Germain (key sponsors of the event). When making or enjoying a cocktail, to me, it means everything needs to be in balance.

After some entertaining evenings trying out various combinations of fruits, mixers, and liquor combinations, we developed four great refreshing cocktails. Here are the recipes:

Drink #1: The Afternoon Tea (renamed for the event as The Belvedere Tea)

Ingredients

1 oz. Belvedere Vodka

1 oz. Earl Grey Tea (pre-brewed and cold)

1/2 oz. St-Germain

Tonic Water

Lemon dash and slice

Directions

Over ice in an old fashioned glass, add Belvedere, Earl Grey Tea, and St-Germain. Top with tonic water. Squeeze lemon slice and add to drink.

Drink Notes

This is almost summer in a glass, a taste combination like iced tea or ice cold cola. I originally made this with Earl Grey Infused Vodka (see our article on Infusions), but it works just as well with pre-brewed tea. It is so refreshing, I can imagine drinking this after a long afternoon in the sun. The Earl Grey’s bergamot adds complex botanicals to the drink and the tea’s tannins are balanced by the freshness of the lemon juice and the sweetness and florals of the St-Germain. I would recommend also trying this with gin to provide a whole new and different complexity and taste profile.

Food Pairing

Pairs well with barbeque sauce, grilled chicken; think afternoon grilling.

Drink #2: The Cool Spaniard

Ingredients

2 oz. Belvedere Vodka

1/2 oz. Manzanilla Sherry

Soda Water

4 slices Cucumber cut in half

Directions

Over ice in an old fashioned glass, add cucumber slices and bruise to release the cucumber’s clean, fresh flavors. Add Belvedere, Manzanilla, and top with soda.

Drink Notes

This drink was originally made with cucumber infused vodka, but the bruised cucumber slices almost add the same effect. It so light and clean, that it brings out the quality of the Belvedere Vodka. This is the subtlest drink of the four, but that should not take away from how delicious it is.

Food Pairing

I love this paired with sushi, raw fish, and very clean fish preparations.

Drink #3: Belvedere Rouge

Ingredients

2 oz. Belvedere Vodka

1/2 oz St-Germain

3 Raspberries

4 Mint Leaves

Dash of dry sparkling wine

Directions

Muddle mint and raspberries. Add ice, St-Germain, and Belvedere and stir / shake. Strain into chilled martini glass and pour splash of dry sparkling wine on top of cocktail. Garnish with three whole raspberries.

Drink Notes

Minty, slightly tart, fresh. The sparkling wine adds a bright, bubbly tone; the St-Germain a roundness, and the Belvedere a purity.

Food Pairing

Either with ceviche, sushi, or paired with dessert to counter balance a rich chocolate cake.

Drink #4 The Italian Greyhound

Ingredients

1 oz. Belvedere Vodka

1 oz. Aperol

1/2 oz. St. Germain

Grapefruit Juice

Orange Slice

Directions

Over ice in an old fashioned glass add Belvedere, Aperol, St-Germain. Top with grapefruit juice and garnish with orange slice.

Drink Notes

The sweetness of St-Germain rounds this out, but the tartness of the grapefruit juice and the slight bitterness of the Aperol make this a bright, complex, refreshing drink.

Food Pairing

This is a variation on the classic Italian Campari and orange juice and works well as an aperitif.