Letters to the Editor

Write a letter »

Read Letters »

Our Drink Picks


Vanille Royale Gingerbread Martini Cocktail

2 parts Vanille Royale Liqueur
3 dashes cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Finish with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.

terry brennan

Bensonhurst

2 ounces rye whiskey (preferably 100 proof)
1 ounce dry vermouth
2 teaspoons maraschino liqueur (preferably Luxardo)
1 teaspoon Cynar

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir swiftly and thoroughly, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. top.

Eric moore

Rob Roy

Stir well in a cocktail shaker with ice:

2 ounces blended Scotch whisky
1 ounce red vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters or Angostura bitters

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and squeeze a thin-cut swatch of lemon peel over the top.

Eric moore

The Paloma

1⁄2 lime
1 1⁄2 ounces reposado tequila
Pinch of kosher salt
Grapefruit soda

Fill a highball glass with ice. Squeeze lime half into it and drop in the shell. Add tequila and salt. Top off with grapefruit soda, stir lightly, and add a straw.

Terry Brennan

Tropical Rum Tonic

Makes 1 Cocktail
1 ounce spiced or tropical flavored rum
1/2 ounce coconut rum
3 ounces chilled tonic water
Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice. Add rums. Top with tonic and stir gently. Garnish with lime and parasol, if desired.

Concord Martini

2 ounces unflavored vodka
1 ounce Three Olives Grape vodka
Garnish: 1 frozen black or purple grape

Combine vodkas in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cap, and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a grape wedge.

For more fruit-flavored spirits, read Fresh Fruit.


Cantaloupe Martini

1 ½ oz Ketel One Vodka
1 ½ oz Watermelon Liqueur
½ oz orange juice
Squeeze of fresh lime

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Serve straight up in a martini glass. Garnish with a cantaloupe wedge.


Pear-N-Berry Frappe

2 parts Grey Goose® La Poire
1 part simple syrup
1 part blackberry brandy
1 part fresh lemon juice
3 large blackberries (or 4-5 small)

In the bottom of a shaker place blackberries and syrup; muddle well. Add ice and the rest of the ingredients. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with blackberries.

Apple Cobbler

1 1/2 ounces apple schnapps
1 1/2 ounces Goldschlager cinammon schnapps
1 1/2 ounces Irish Cream

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in shot glass.

Eric Moore

The Caruso

Enrico Caruso wasn’t just a hell of a singer, he was also a fun, larger-than-life character who enjoyed his enormous celebrity. In other words, a rock star. When he was in New York, he stayed at the Knickerbocker Hotel, whose bar was the favorite resort of society’s sports and swells (its nickname was “The Broadway Country Club”). He fit right in. This is the drink they made for him there. It’s strong and sweet, but not in any way syrupy. Bravo.

Stir well with cracked ice:
1 1/4 ounce gin
1 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce green crème de menthe
Strain into chilled cocktail glass and twist a swatch of thin-cut lemon peel over the top.

Photo by Eric Moore

Cabeza de Vaca

The Caribbean isn't anyone's idea of dairy country. There's not a lot of range for cows, and milk spoils with impressive rapidity. The locals get around it by relying on sweetened condensed milk, that thick, gloppy off-white stuff that comes in a can - and happens to make a terrific cocktail. Here's a quick demonstration.

Shake well with cracked ice:
1 1/2 ounces aged Dominican or other rum from the Spanish Caribbean
1 1/2 ounce white creme de cacao
1 ounce sweetened condensed milk

Strain into chilled cocktail glass and grate nutmeg on top.

Alberta Icewine Sour

3⁄4 ounce Canadian whisky
1 ounce Canadian icewine
4 ounces lemon bar mix (see note)
Serve on the rocks with a twist or orange peel.

Note: To make lemon bar mix, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and 2/3 cup lemon juice.

Subscribe

Your Essential Guide to Dining, Shopping & Culture
  • Less than $1.25 an issue.
  • 72% off newsstand price.
  • The best Minnesota has to offer.
You can also add Midwest Home for just $8 more.