Category Archives: Cocktails

Drink of the Week: Kahlua Gingerbread Woman

Posted on December 13, 2013 | 1 comment

Yes, “Kahlua Gingerbread Woman” really is the name of a cocktail. It is not a great name, and for some reason when I say it the song American Woman by The Guess Who starts playing in my head, especially the part about how she’s “gonna mess your mind.” I suppose, after drinking several at a Christmas party, that would actually happen.

This Kahula Gingerbread drink tastes like a spiced Kahlua milkshake.

This Kahula Gingerbread drink tastes like a spiced Kahlua milkshake.

I would not normally blend up this milk-based drink, seeing as I’m lactose-intolerant (apologies in advance, honey!), but when a limited edition bottle of Kahlua Gingerbread (so limited in fact, it’s not even listed as a flavour on the website) showed up in a thoughtful Kahlua-themed care package, complete with Kahlua bottle-shaped gingerbread cookies, I set about looking for a suitable recipe in which to try it.

I’ve always found Kahlua to be a bit of a conundrum. What exactly are you supposed to mix it with? Coffee? Coke? Or do you break out the Kahlua shooters at a party? Someone please explain. I had a vague recollection that it goes well with milk (remember paralyzers?!), so the Kahlua Gingerbread Woman resonated with me — it sounded like a spiced Kahlua milkshake. Yummy. And so it is, but it’s awfully sweet — if you’re feeling lazy at your next dinner party, blend this up for a liquid dessert. Feel free to play around with the proportions, though. I’d add less Kahlua and more milk. Oh wait nevermind. I mean Lactaid.

Kahlua Gingerbread Woman

Kahlua Gingerbread Woman

  • 1-1/2 oz Kahlua Gingerbread
  • 1-1/2 oz milk (I used 2%)
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 drops vanilla
  • Nutmeg sprinkle garnish

Blend all ingredients except nutmeg for about 30 seconds. Pour into a rocks glass, dust with nutmeg and serve.

— Recipe adapted from a recipe found on Food.com.

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Drink of the Week: Pomegranate Gin Martini

Posted on December 6, 2013 | 1 comment

I love pomegranates. I always buy a couple in the fall, take them apart and use the pretty and tart fuchsia-hued seeds in salads throughout the winter and spring (I freeze the lot in a ziplock). I also like pomegranate juice, but rarely buy it because it’s so expensive. I picked up a bottle of Pom juice this past weekend though because I had a cocktail in mind: something tart and tasty with pomegranate and gin and lemon juice. I dubbed my creation a Pomegranate Gin Martini.

Tart and festive, this seasonal sip makes a lovely after-work unwinder.

Tart and festive, this seasonal sip makes a lovely after-work unwinder.

The key to this drink is achieving the right balance between the pom juice and lemon juice. Too much lemon and it renders the pom impotent; not enough and it takes away the drink’s tart factor. The gin, fortunately, plays nice with both juices and its amount can be raised or lowered depending on how strong you want your drink to be. I think 1-1/2 oz is enough so you’ll taste the gin, but not so much to make you fuzzy. I also love the drink’s colour — it’s beautiful and festive and works very well this time of year.

The pomegranate seeds make a lovely, edible garnish.

The pomegranate seeds make a pretty and edible garnish. I didn’t have a sprig of holly so I improvised with sage.

Pomegranate Gin Martini

  • 1-1/2 oz gin
  • 1 oz pomegranate juice
  • Juice of half a lemon, or less, to taste
  • 1/2 to 3/4 oz simple syrup, to taste
  • Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Combine gin, pomegranate juice, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake, then fine-strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

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Drink of the Week: Blueberry Tea

Posted on November 29, 2013 | Leave a comment

Now here’s a drink I might make if I wanted tea with a little something special. Tea is trendy in the cocktail world right now; yes, it’s come a long way since its inaugural boozy abomination, the Long Island Iced Tea. You can now drink orange pekoe with Amarula and cinnamon for a “Naughty or Nice,” or chilled green tea with mint, gin and ginger beer for a “Teajito.” Or, pull out all the stops and mix cognac into your Earl Grey in a Blueberry Tea.

A strong and fruity take on a traditional Blueberry Tea cocktail at Yellow Door Bistro.

A strong and fruity take on a traditional Blueberry Tea at Yellow Door Bistro.

Traditionally a Blueberry Tea is a warm drink made with tea — usually Earl Grey or Orange Pekoe — and spiked with amaretto and Grand Marnier. Oddly, blueberries do not make an appearance into the mug; it’s so named because of the subtle fruity flavour of the drink. The mixologists at Calgary’s Yellow Door Bistro decided to up the ante by adding cognac into their version.

Now, I’m not one to turn down a serving of Courvoisier XO, but I do have a little quibble here. I think XO, aged as it is on average 20 years, is best sipped neat. Swapping in a VS or VSOP cognac is the way to go when using this spirit in a cocktail — one of these will deliver a fortified wallop to tea time, and you can still raise your pinky when sipping. Civilized, indeed.

Courvoisier Blueberry Tea

  • 1/2 oz Courvoisier XO
  • 1/4 oz Grand Marnier
  • 1/4 oz amaretto
  • Earl Grey tea

Into a glass mug of hot Earl Grey add Courvoisier, Grand Marnier and amaretto. Garnish with an orange twist.

— Recipe courtesy Yellow Door Bistro

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