In Jennie's Kitchen

cantaloupe cooler: an end of summer cocktail

Last night we got to see the moon and stars shining in the night sky. It's something we don't get to enjoy quite the same way living in New York City. The girls even got to see Jupiter, glittering brightly above Provincetown before tucking into bed.

Here in North Truro, there comes a point when the moon floats over the bay, illuminating it like a flashlight is being held from above. The view is so lovely and still. It is forever frozen in my memory.

The rain is gone, at least for now. The sun shining so fiercely, it almost requires sunglasses indoors. What better way to say cheers, than this with refreshing cocktail—it's the closest I've come to capturing summer in all its glory.

Key Lime Spritzer

I don't keep soda in the house, and every now and again, the urge for a sweet burst of carbonation hits me. This usually happens while the baby is napping or at midnight—both times when running out to the market aren't an option. About two months ago, such a craving arose and I approached it as I would any cooking challenge and decided to see I could do with the ingredients I had on hand.

A quick survery showed some seltzer, and tucked away in the back of the fridge was a bottle of Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice. I also had some simple syrup in there. A few minutes later, an icy cold rocks glass was filled with a spash of this and spritz of that, and I was sipping a citrusy drink with a hint of coconut flavor. Add it to this weekend's festivities and kick it up with a shot of bourbon or tequila for a head start on the fireworks.

KEY LIME SPRITZER

makes as many as you want

Selter or sparkling water

Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice

Simple syrup

This is really a no-recipe drink. It's mostly seltzer with a splash of key lime juice and simple syrup—the amount depend on your tastebuds. If you're serving it at a party, I suggest making a large batch and refrigerating it a few hours before so you can just pour and serve as needed.

Note: Nellie &Joe's also makes a 100% All Natural juice.

Don Draper Special

Before you Mad Men fans attack, yes, I imagine Don Draper wouldn't be caught dead drinking a cocktail with maraschino juice. But we are both spending out lunch hour with a rocks glass in hand all in the name of work. Some days my test kitchen may as well be the commissary at Sterling Cooper. It was just a few weeks ago I was testing margaritas while the baby napped (the babysitter was on duty, so please stop dialing the authorities).

Today, I'm tweaking a drink recipe I started on this weekend. Thankfully the Mr. enjoys a good post kid-bedtime cocktail as much as I do. My first pass started with some bourbon, maraschino juice (straight from the jar), orange juice, triple sec and splash of vermouth and seltzer. It was an interesting start and reminded me of what would happen if an old-fashioned loosened it's necktie.

The first fix was homemade maraschino cherries. After making them a few years back from Nick Mautone's Raising the Bar, its a crime I keep the jarred stuff in the fridge. It's ridiculously easy...to overcook them that is, so keep an eye. I lost track of time while making them yesterday and mine came out too soggy instead of plump and firm (new batch being made this afternoon and I'll post recipe when there are more respectable pics to accompany). That said, the taste is incomparable.

So, my latest incarnation of the drink is more refined. Still ladylike from the freshmade maraschino juice but manly enough with a bit of bourbon, vermouth and few dashes of orange bitters. Now, I need your help. Betty Draper drinks vodka gimlets, so I can't name it that.

Have a name you think is just right? Leave it in the comments for a chance to win a copy of Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes cookbook. Comments must be left by 11:59pm tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27th, to be eligible and the winner will be chosen using random.org. It gets better, if I choose a name from any of the comments left, then another lucky person wins a copy of Curtis Stone's new Relaxed Cooking book. Looking forward to seeing what you all come up with. Good luck!

Mystery Cocktail

serve two

Make sure your seltzer is fresh and full of fizz. There's a link for Regan's orange bitters which I used, as well as a few others I added to the online store.

1 ounce bourbon

1 ounce marschino juice (not liquer)

two generous splashes of vermouth

few dashes of orange bitters

seltzer

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in ingredients. Cover and shake until sweat beads form on outside. Strain into ice-filled rocks glasses. Add an equal amount of seltzer. Garnish each drink with a maraschino cherry.

**Winner is lucky number 11! Congrats Neucky.**

Margaritaville

Here's a sneak peek at the next Cuisinart Stand Mixer blog post. For my standmixer-less friends, don't fret. It's a great machine but don't let the lack of equipment stop you from indulging. You can use a food processor or regular blender to puree the watermelon. And you can easily get away with a fork to hand squeeze the limes (it'll qualify as upper body toning too).

Cheers!

Cuisinart Stand Mixer Sneak Peek: Margaritaville
by Jennifer Perillo

Firing up the grill is just one part of getting ready for grilling season. You’ll need something on hand to quench your guests’ thirst. While I prefer wine with my main course, there’s nothing like a cocktail to get any shindig going. Margaritas are always a crowd pleaser. Make a pitcher, then sit back and ‘shake to order’.

Making simple syrup is the first step. It’s easy to make and yields much tastier results than any mix available off the shelf. Simple syrup is called just that because it’s equal parts sugar and water simmered until the sugar dissolves. I often do this in the microwave using a heatproof glass measuring cup. Make a large batch, then store it a sealed container in the fridge for up to two months.

The citrus juicer attachment on the Cuisinart Stand Mixer makes squeezing limes a breeze. You can go crazy and juice a bunch of limes, then pour whatever’s left into ice cube trays. Once frozen, unmold them and toss in a sealed Ziploc bag. Easy entertaining is all in the prep. A little extra work when you have a few free minutes means you’ll be able to make margaritas, lime marinades and salad dressings at a moment’s notice in the future.

Once you’ve got your simple syrup and fresh squeezed limejuice, you’ve got the ingredients to make your own sour mix. Traditional recipes, like the one in Nick Mautone’s Raising the Bar, call for adding egg whites. I decided to leave them out of this one, to alleviate any worries regarding consuming raw eggs.

The watermelon margarita recipe below was inspired by one I had at a recent event. That one was made with basil. Since I served mine with tacos, I thought cilantro would be a better compliment. Some recipes call for muddling the fruit and herbs. I found pureeing a bunch of watermelon using the blender attachment on the Cuisinart Stand Mixer a big timesaver. It also meant the kids could slurp up watermelon juice while the adults enjoyed their own spiked version. The force of the cilantro hitting the ice in the pitcher also infused the essence into the margaritas.

Feel free to double, triple, even quadruple for large crowds. Mix all the ingredients, except for the cilantro, and leave in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator. When ready, pour into an ice-filled cocktail shaker, add the cilantro, then shake and serve.

Classic Margaritas
Makes two 3-ounce drinks
On the rocks, straight up, salt, no salt. All good questions to ask. Straight up is served without ice and in a martini glass. On the rocks, means over ice and can be served in a wine glass or old fashioned glass. To make it salt rimmed, simply rub a lime wedge around the top of glass and dip it into a dish of coarse salt.

cocktail shaker filled with ice
2 ounces lime sour mix (recipe below)
1 ½ ounces triple sec
2 ounces tequila
2 lime wedges, to garnish

Add sour mix, triple sec and tequila to cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until outside of container beads up with sweat. Serve straight up or on the rocks, as you like. Garnish each drink with one lime wedge.

Watermelon Cilantro Margaritas
Makes two 3-ounce drinks
These fruity cocktails make for easy drinking. I’ve cut back the alcohol a bit so you can enjoy a few without regret the ‘morning after’.

cocktail shaker filled with ice
2 ounces fresh blended watermelon juice
2 ounces lime sour mix (recipe below)
½ ounce triple sec
1 ounce tequila
few springs of fresh cilantro
2 watermelon wedges, to garnish

Add watermelon juice, sour mix, triple sec, tequila and cilantro to cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until outside of container beads ups with sweat. Serve straight up or on the rocks, as you like. Garnish each drink with one watermelon wedge.

Lime Sour Mix
Makes 1 ½ cups
This is a refreshing base to add to sparkling water for a refreshing non-alcoholic drink. Traditional recipes call for egg whites but you’ll find this one tastes just as good without them.

¾ cup simple syrup
¾ cup fresh squeezed lime juice

Combine ingredients and shake well. Store in refrigerator until ready to use for up to one week.

Cocktail Hour

This week welcomes the debut of guest blogger, Ilina over at Dirt&Noise. Every Friday she concocts a TGIF drink to whisk away the craziness of the week. Check back every Friday for her latest

Cheers,
Jennifer

Thin Mint Orgasm
by Ilina

I have an unhealthy desire for Thin Mints. You know the ones. You stash them in your freezer too and silently pray that there's just one more sleeve tucked behind the nine month old box of baking soda when you've crumbled that last tasty morsel over some vanilla ice cream. The Girl Scouts would be a rich bunch if they'd smarten up and sell those chocolately minty marvels year round. And Mac Daddy would be one lucky guy more than just on March 14 if I could use him as a dipstick into some Thin Mint sauce. Yeah, I love Thin Mints that much.

Ready to mix up a cocktail? Click here for Ilina's recipe.