144 Results

summer

Search
Culture

Celebrating National Wine Day, May 25th 2013

By

skinny-girl-wine

Happy Saturday everyone. Summer has officially started and Memorial Day weekend is in full effect. What are you doing to celebrate? A few cocktails, some wine, and of course some great food are the usual suspects on our menu. With the Holiday weekend here, almost lost in the shuffle is that today is also National Wine Day. That’s what we like to call a “two-for” around here, as in  2-for-1. Are you into reds? Whites? Maybe your more for the sweet than the dry. Well, lucky for you we’ve got some awesome wine and food pairing suggestions courtesy of our friends at SkinnyGirl that are sure to be a hit this weekend, and great for celebrating all summer long. We popped open the Moscato and the Grapefruit Margarita (reviews coming soon), and all we can say is WOW. Speaking of wow, try the minty mango salsa, light, enjoyable beautiful to look at. And when paired with the appropriately sweet Moscato wine, it’s literally an experience in your mouth.

 

Moscato Pairing:

Skinnygirl™ Moscato

  • 5 parts Skinnygirl™ Moscato
  • Optional pear or mango for garnish

Pour chilled Skinnygirl™ Moscato into your favorite white wine glass or flute. Garnish with fresh pear or mango to accent the natural fruit flavors.

Minty Mango Salsa

Minty Mango Salsa

  • 1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced
  • 1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
  • 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilis
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 tbsp. lime juice
  • 2 tsp. minced fresh mint leaves
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • Tortilla chips (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the mango, pepper, chilis, onion, juice, mint leaves and ginger.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  Serve with tortilla chips or alongside your meal with chilled Skinnygirl™ Moscato

 

White Pairing:

 

Skinnygirl™ White Wine Slush

  • 5 parts glass of Skinnygirl™ California White wine
  • 2 parts frozen lemonade
  • 1 part soda water
  • Lemon peel twist for garnish

Blend ingredients with crushed ice and pour into a flute glass. Finish with soda water and garnish with a twist of lemon.

 Blueberry Almond Crostinis

Blueberry Almond Crostinis

  • 1/4 cup light ricotta cheese
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
  • 3/4 cup blueberries
  • 4 slices low-calorie whole grain bread, toasted
  • 2 tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted

In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, honey and lemon zest.  Slowly fold in blueberries.  Cut each toasted bread slice diagonally into four equal pieces, and divide blueberry mixture among bread pieces.  Sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve with a Skinnygirl™ White Wine Slush or a glass of Skinnygirl™ California White.

 

Rosé Pairing:

 

Skinnygirl™ California Rosé

  • 5 parts Skinnygirl™ California Rosé

Pour Rosé into a wine glass and enjoy!

 Green Goddess Dip with Veggie Crudite

Green Goddess Dip with Vegetable Crudites

  • 1 cup fat free sour cream
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh tarragon, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup green onions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • Salt and ground pepper to taste
  • Pinch of sugar

 

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and use a fork to whisk together until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with raw vegetables and enjoy with a glass of Skinnygirl™ California Rosé. 

 

Red Pairing:

Skinnygirl™ California Red Wine

  • 5 parts Skinnygirl™ California Red

Pour into a wine glass and sip away!

Balsamic Caprese Skewers

Balsamic Caprese Skewers 

  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Mozzarella balls, patted dry with a paper towel
  • Basil leaves
  • Pepper
  • Balsamic vinegar

Using 6-inch bamboo skewers, first place a cherry tomato, then a large basil leaf followed by a mozzarella ball.  Continue these steps until you have the amount of skewers you desire. Arrange them on a platter and sprinkle with a bit of pepper.  Serve with balsamic vinegar or drizzle over top, just remember to drizzle right before serving so that your basil leaves don’t wilt. Serve with Skinnygirl™ California Red.

 

Now, if that doesn’t get your Summer started off right, we’re doing something wrong in life! For more great recipe suggestions, feel free to Like Us On Facebook, and Follow Us On Twitter. Also, be sure to drop by SkinnyGirlCocktails.com for awesome summer sippers that will fill you up without destroying your figure.

Have a great weekend,

Cheers!

Photos and recipes provided, courtesy of Skinny Girl.

 

 

Keep Reading
By
Recipes

5 Skinny Cocktails to Shed Those Pounds

By

amd_mojitoWe’re half way through January and that usually marks the time when many of us are struggling to commit to the New years resolutions we made just two weeks ago.  If your resolution to give up drinking (How dare you!), then you should just turn away now because we can’t do anything for you, but if your goal was to start eating and drinking  better while still maintaining an active and fun social life then we’re here to help. One of my biggest struggles over the years since I grew my love for mixology has been balancing the calories. We constantly associate fat and weight gain with the foods we eat, but many of us forget just how many calories we are adding from that carton of juice, or bottle of soda. Add the calories from one of those mixers to the calories from the rum, or tequila and then it becomes pretty hard to keep track of. I can remember when I would actually go through the troubles of ordering salads, or smaller meals, or even turkey/veggie burgers and then wash it all down with 16 or even 32 oz of juice FULL of fructose corn syrup and think nothing of it. If this is something you can relate to then maybe you should try some of our altered recipes that are at least a good start to burning off some of those pounds.  What alternatives have we found?

.

  • Trop 50/Ocean Spay Lite: Trop 50 and Ocean Spray lite have been amazing additions to the mixer section of a bar that cares about it’s customers. They offer great tasting juices with 50% less sugar and 50% less calories. You’re probably thinking, this is great if all I wanted was an Orange juice or Cranberry based drink, but they actually have large assortments of flavors worth trying.
  • Low Calorie/Sugar Free Agave Nectar & Simply Syrup: A lot of drinks call for simple syrup or agave nectar to sweeten them up, but did you know you can find low calorie versions of these in many of your neighborhood groceries? Places like Whole Foods and Fresh Market have so many options to choose from, including truvia, a sugar alternative that currently sells a low calorie simple syrup.
  • Non Fat Milk/Fat Free Creamer: Are you a White Russian fan like I am? That means you’re no stranger to milk or creamer for this cocktail but we rarely do we think how easy it would be to replace the ingredients in this or other cream based drinks with a more figure friendly ingredient.
  • Flavored Waters: Flavored water is your friend. Flavored AND carbonated water may very well be your best friend. If you like a little fizz and flavor in your drinks but dont want to gulp down all that soda and juice flavored water is the answer. It may not be as sweet, but it may always be worth it when you finally fit into that dress or suit you’ve been struggling to for months.

That being said, we’ve gathered some recipes we make around the house when we’re trying to count our calories. None are so complex that you’ll be scratching your head. Part of what makes losing weight so hard is we make it so difficult on ourselves. Keep it easy and simple, and the rest falls into place.

Low Calorie Mojito

  • 1  and 1/2 oz. rum
  • 6-8 mint leaves
  • 3/4 oz. Truvia Simple Syrup
  • Lime
  • Club Soda

Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into your mixing glass and muddle releasing the oils and juices.Add 2 more lime wedges and the simple syrup, and muddle again to release the lime juice.  Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with your club soda.

Skinny Breeze (Low calorie Sea Breeze)

  • 1 3/4 oz vodka 
  • 3 oz Trop 50 Cranberry
  • 1 oz Ocean Spray Grapefruit Lite
  • Grapefruit slice for garnish

Pour the vodka and cranberry juice into a highball glass filled with ice. Next take a stir and then top off with your grapefruit juice. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit as well.  

Skinny White Russian

  • 1 oz. Coffee Liqueur
  • 1 oz. Vodka
  • 1 oz. Fat free half-n-half
  • Ice

Pour your vodka and Kahlua into a rocks glass filled with ice. Stir and top off with your half and half. 

Apple Jacks

  • 1 oz. Jack Daniels
  • Trop 50 Farmstand Apple

Nothing hard here. Fill a rocks glass with 1 oz of JD and top off with Apple juice to taste. 

Beach Body Cooler

  • 1 oz White Rum
  • 3 oz Trop 50 Pineapple Mango
  • Pineapple slice for garnish

Combine 1 oz of white rum and your pineapple mango juice in a Collins glass. Garnish with a pineapple slice, and optionally a little umbrella. 

 

We hope this helped, if only even a little bit. Remember, the goal is to lose weight and look great in time for spring and summer vacations so that you can then drink your life away, gain some pounds heading into the fall, and do it all over again next year.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or StumbleUpon to get our latest cocktail recipes, spirit reviews, and drink related news. For any questions, comments or concerns please email us at info@intoxicology.net*

For more information on the products we mentioned earlier including additional flavors, and options please visit them at Trop50.com, OceanSpray.com, and Truvia.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Keep Reading
By
Culture

Celebrating National Punch Day

By

 

…..How could we forget, today is National Punch Day. Better late than never right? To get in the spirit here are a few of our favorite punch recipes we’ve tried over the years. With the transition from Summer to Fall, we figured we would share with you two different “seasonal” punches featuring premium vodka, and in addition, what would a punch selection be without a good rum punch. Feel free to chime in below on some of your favorite punch recipes you’ve had.

Barbados Rum Punch

  • 3 oz lime juice
  • 6 oz simple syrup
  • 9 oz Mount Gay Rum
  • 12 oz water
  • grated nutmeg
  • a few dashes of Angostura bitters

In large bowl/jug blend the ingredients with the exception of the nutmeg. Serve in a glass with lots of ice. Sprinkle the nutmeg on the surface.

 Belvedere Lemon Tea Punch (Summer)

  • 50 oz Belvedere Lemon Tea
  • 40 oz Premade Arizona Iced Tea
  • 10 oz Simple syrup
  • 20 oz Lemon juice
  • Zests of 2 lemons

 Add all ingredients to a pitcher or punch bowl and either chill overnight or add cubed ice and stir. Decorate lemon slices. Serve immediately.

Apple Cider Punch (Fall)

  • 4 Cups Apple Cider
  • 3/4 cups Apple Brandy or Bourbon
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 Orange.
  • Salt

Combine 4 cups apple cider, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 whole clovesand a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Halve 1 orange; squeeze the juice into the pan and add the peels. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and let steep 10 to 15 minutes. Strain into a pitcher and add 3/4 cup apple brandy or bourbon. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve in tall glasses on the rock or reheat and serve warm in punch mugs. Garnish with orange slices.

Did you know we’re on Pinterest?!? Also Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or stumble us on StumbleUpon to get our latest cocktail recipes, spirit reviews, and drink related news. 

Photograph courtesy of Con Poulos, recipe courtesy of the Food Network. 

Keep Reading
By
News

Tales of The Cocktail 2012 Review

By

…..It was one big boozy melting pot, but what else would you expect when you invite thousands of the worlds best bartenders, bar owners, spirits experts, and media/bloggers into one city at the same time. It’s been five days since we left New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail’s 10th anniversary, and to be honest it’s taken that long to recover. Besides having a virtual buzz since we left the city, it’s taken time to adjust to back to real life where starting off with a cup of booze at 9 am, walking outside with open containers of alcohol (not to mention taking any alcoholic beverage “to-go” at restaurants), and being constantly handed more free booze isn’t normal. But we digress. We were Tales of the Cocktail rookies, but with some helpful tips from others, we survived and can’t wait for next year. Here’s some tips for you, should you decide to go next year.

Things we learned at Tales of the Cocktail: 

Drink Water: Every event has water available for you to drink. DRINK IT. Tastings start at 9 am and go on until midnight so the last thing you want to be known for is that guy/girl who was passed out or puking on the filthy streets of Nawlins, or worse, in one of the luxurious hotels.

Eat well & Often: This goes hand in hand with the water drinking. It will save you from the embarrassment of missing half the days events because you passed out in your hotel room, or worse, in the street.

Take Naps: As mentioned events literally are planned all day from seminars, to tastings, to parties at night and till the sun rises. Non stop drinking, combined with the mesmerizing food New Orleans has to offer, will have you tired by mid day. We took daily naps around 4 or 5 (usually when things slow up) and got but up around 8-10 and it was WELL worth it.

Pace Yourself: There are literally hundreds of drinks available per day, you can’t possibly finish them all. Well you could, but then you’d end up in TOTC infamy for years to come. Seriously you probably wont like every drink, and even the ones you do like are readily available.

Pack Extra Clothes: We were warned about this, and I figured coming from the almost unbearable Florida summer heat that New Orleans couldn’t be much worse. But combine their heat with ridiculous crowds on the street plus plenty of booze in your system and you’ll be soaked in no time.

…..So what exactly is/was Tales all about? Well, at any given time at Tales there are dozens of events happening. Whether you’re attending one of the free tasting sessions provided by a specific brand/distributor, a spirits seminar, or maybe even a planned breakfast/lunch/dinner with specific spirits representatives, there’s little to no downtime unless you make it happen.  Combine that with the already craziness of Bourbon Street, and historic New Orleans culture, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a trip. Oh and did we mention the random pop up shops that form around the Hotel Monteleone? Every hour, a Booze truck (think food truck with booze) would show up, sometimes two or three at a time and provide more drinks and sometimes frozen treats infused with alcohol. Double fist-ing it was a norm for us, so don’t feel embarrassed when it happens to you.

We were lucky enough to sample many products, not yet out, in addition to the many most of us are already familiar with. One of our favorites was a new product, Kahlua Midnight, which is not yet out, but features a stronger proof Kahlua recipe for that perfect wake-me-up cocktail. In addition to new products, several snacks/desserts were served in each room, often being infused with the specific brand being tasted. In the Cointreau tasting room, there were these AMAZING orange liqueur whoopie pies that literally people were grabbing fistfuls at a time.

But don’t think just because we’re drinking and having fun, that we can’t be serious. Several events hosted were for charity, including the “Pig and Punch” which features garbage cans full of exotic punches, and 5 full-sized pigs being roasted to fill your belly, where donations were accepted in exchange for attendance. Some GREAT topics were touched on in ticketed educational seminars including “The rise of the high-proof spirits”, “Reconsidering the gin & tonic”, and “The how and why of flavored spirits” (our favorite). Perhaps the most highly anticipated event though, was the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, highlighting several great brands, bartenders, and bars around the world. Winners Included:

  • Best New Product: Cognac Pierre Ferrand 1840 Formula
  • Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book: PDT Cocktail Book
  • Best Cocktail Writing Non-Book: Liquor.com
  • Best Cocktail Writing: Author – Gary Regan
  • Best Restaurant Bar: Slanted Door – San Francisco, CA
  • Best High Volume Cocktail Bar: Eastern Standard – Boston, MA
  • Best Bar Mentor – Steve Olsen
  • Best American Bartender: Joaquin Simo
  • Best American Cocktail Bar: The Varnish – Los, Angeles
  • Best American Brand Ambassador – Jim Ryan
  • Best International Brand Ambassador – Angus Winchester (Tanqueray)
  • World’s Best Hotel Bar: Artesian at The Langham – London, UK
  • World’s Best Cocktail Menu: Callooh Callay – London, UK
  • Worlds Best Drinks Selection: Salvatore’s at The Playboy – London, UK
  • World’s Best New Cocktail Bar: The Zetter Townhouse – London, UK
  • World’s Best Cocktail Bar: The Connaught Bar – London, UK
  • Helen David Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award: Gary Regan
If this were the Olympics, it wouldn’t be looking too good for us in the “Worlds Best” selections. All in all, it was an amazing event and I couldn’t recommend it enough. If you are in the industry, or just enjoy some seriously good drinks, you should attend next year.
.
.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or StumbleUpon to get our latest cocktail recipes, spirit reviews, and drink related news. For any questions, comments or concerns please email us at info@intoxicology.net*

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep Reading
By
Pin It