Mardi Gras Cocktails

Ok, so I’ve got to be honest. I’ve never really understood the whole Mardi Gras thing. It’s kind of French, it’s kind of Catholic, it’s the day before Lent but it’s total debauchery. Are we just trying to get all the sinning out before Lent starts, or is it just an excuse to party hard on a random Tuesday?

Last summer I visited New Orleans, the famed home of the biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S., for Tales of the Cocktail and fell in love with the birthplace of the American cocktail. Even on a relatively quiet and excruciatingly hot night in July, Bourbon street was alive with jazz, drinks, and (unfortunately, for me) middle-aged folks wearing nothing but body paint—Yikes! I can only imagine how crazy things are in the Crescent City this week, with Mardi Gras celebrations in full swing.

Regardless of its reason for being, I’ve always enjoyed Mardi Gras because it’s the perfect time to be carefree, have fun, and get a taste of the warmer seasons ahead with great spring/summer party cocktails. So un-pack your blenders, pull out your drink umbrellas and swirly straws and fix up a couple of these. I guarantee you they’ll be better than the 7-Eleven Slurpee-esque Hurricanes they sell on Bourbon.

Vive le Mardi Gras! Cheers!

The HYP Fairy

3/4 oz. Absinthe Mata Hari

1/2 oz. Hpnotiq Liqueur

splash fresh sour mix

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a chilled shot glass.

White Peach Paloma

2 oz. Tequila
½ oz. Hiram Walker White Peach Schnapps
2 oz. Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice
2 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1 oz. Simple Syrup

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a salt-rimmed glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime corkscrew. Serve blended, if preferred.

Southern Belle

1 ¾ oz. Absinthe Mata Hari
1 ¼ oz. Hiram Walker Pomegranate Schnapps
Splash cranberry juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Grapeful Red

1 oz. Hiram Walker Pink Grapefruit Schnapps
¼ oz. Hiram Walker Triple Sec
Dash grenadine

Shake over ice & serve in a chilled shot glass.

A Caipirinha for Carnaval!

Carnaval is coming! The popular Brazilian holiday begins tomorrow and lasts until Lent. In Brazil, people celebrate with costumes, parades, samba music, and (you guessed it) Cachaça! Leblon, Brazil’s finest Cachaça, is helping to spread the Carnaval love with events nationwide, an awesome Carnaval kit for you home party, and of course, fabulous cocktails!

If you’ve been to the Leblon site, you’ve seen the vast array of cocktail recipes—everything from complex bar-chef masterpieces, to martinis and twists on the classics. But I think for Carnaval, it’s best to stick to the basics. What better way is there to celebrate Carnaval than with Brazil’s #1 cocktail—the Caipirinha?

The traditional Caipirinha is the current fave in my household. My fiancé and I can’t get enough of them and, though there is some muddling involved, it’s a super easy cocktail to fix. Once you’ve got your bottle of Leblon stocked, all you need to do is pick up a couple limes from the grocery store and you’ve got cocktails for the night.

Traditional Caipirinha

2 oz. Leblon Cachaça
½ lime
2 tsp superfine sugar (or 1 oz. simple syrup)

Cut the lime into four wedges. Muddle the lime and sugar (or simple syrup) in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and add Leblon Cachaça. Shake vigorously. Serve in a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a slice of lime.

Super easy! Once you’ve got that down, you can make several variations on the Caipirinha by muddling fresh fruit. The Blackberry Caipirinha is absolutely delicious!

Blackberry Caipirinha

2 oz. Leblon Cachaça
6 Blackberries (or any berry will do)
¼ lime, sliced
1 tbsp sugar

Place blackberries with sliced lime in a shaker and muddle well. Fill with ice and add Leblon Cachaça and sugar. Shake vigorously and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with a blackberry. Yummmmmmmmmm!

Ok so you’ve got the cocktails for your Carnaval party—now all you need is the Leblon Carnaval kit to top it off. This party-in-a-box includes green Carnaval masks, Bon fims, Carnaval beads, Caipirinha glowsticks, napkins, stirrers, a muddler and samba music. What more do you need? Still looking for more direction? The video below will walk you through how to make the perfect Caipirinha. Saude!

Game Time

Super Bowl Sunday is upon us and, as always, I am looking for cocktail & appetizer ideas for a party. While I could care less who wins this year (if the Pats aren’t in it, I’m not interested), I still love to gather ‘round the tube with friends and enjoy a few tasty tipples and yummy treats.

Most people opt for beer when watching sporting events, but for a party you want to make sure there’s something for everyone—even the picky non-beer drinkers (ahem…like me). Here are a few cocktails that should please just about everyone watching the game and go great with nachos, pigs in a blanket, and chili (but then again, what doesn’t?). Enjoy!

Bloody Carioca (pictured):

2 oz. Leblon Cachaça
5 oz. tomato juice
½ oz. lemon juice
Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Pinch each of: celery salt, cracked pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and onion powder.

Shake all the ingredients on ice and pour into a highball rimmed with paprika. Stir well and garnish with a slice of cucumber.

Bonecrusher:

1/2 oz. OVAL Vodka
1/2 oz. Rum
1 lemon
1/2 oz. Gin
1 shot Champagne
1 splash Sprite
1 splash grenadine syrup

Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Serve on the rocks in a Collins glass.

Red Dragon by Katelin Reeves:

¾ oz Absinthe Mata Hari
¾ oz. black cherry vodka
¼ oz. grenadine
splash Sprite

Fill a shaker with ice and add the first three ingredients. Shake well; strain into shot glass. Top with Sprite.