Collections | Cocktail Glasses

Do you guys collect anything?  For some reason, in my mind I think of collections as kind of an old fashioned thing, like everyone used to collect something random, but people don't really do that anymore.  Am I wrong?  I was thinking the other day, I think I started a collection without even realizing it.  I LOVE tumblers - you know tumbler drinking glasses.  You can use them for juice, water, wine or my favorite, an interesting cocktail glass.  I have a handful in my "collection."  We have the standard clear with J.D.'s monogram that we received as a wedding gift, my aunt has gifted me and Heath with beautiful tortieshell tumblers for years, my mom and dad brought us a beautiful set of colorful handblow glass tumbers from a vacation in Maine, and recently I bought a set of quirky, crooked tumbers at Tulu in Turkey.  They aren't necessarily expensive, but they're all different and they're all fun, and I switch them up for my Friday night cocktails!  I can't get enough!

Do you collect anything random, intentially or not? 

~Mary Keller

p.s. J.D. and I also have a dorky collection of café mugs, but those are less glamorous and less fun to talk about.  We basically can only find them at fattening southern restaurants. :)

image via glitter guide

Classic Cocktails

 

While we were doing all of that football watching this past weekend, we were definitely enjoying Bloody Marys.  Do you guys like Bloodys?  J.D. didn't like them at all until I forced them on him at too many tailgates.  I LOVE Bloody Marys, especially this time of year when the weather's a bit cooler and they're especially perfect for a noon kick off like our game this past weekend.

Cocktail Testing | Jack Rudy Tonic

This past weekend we imposed on MK and JD (again!) on Saturday night.  We brought our standard wine and goodies but this time we also brought some Jack Rudy tonic for everyone to try too!  I know we're super late to the game on this but I was hesitant at first... I'm anti tonic in general, so it wasn't even appealing to me at first.  Once I read a little more about it and discovered it's crafted in small batches in Charleston, SC with a "delicate mix of botanicals and sweetened with real cane sugar" complimenting the otherwise perfect quinine concentrate, I thought it just may be worth a try.

Stock the Spring Bar

 

 

We're big fans of a stocked bar at Southland Avenue!  It does require a little upfront cost to purchase everything you need to set up a bar, but it saves you trips to the store and more importantly it leads to many impromptu parties on evenings that would have otherwise been just another boring night.  Wine is great (especially our favorite $5 bottle from Trader Joes) but sometimes mixing up a drink is what an evening really needs. 

 

We've gathered our favorite additions for warm weather evenings.  First, lots of Rose.  I'm a red wine fan, but sometimes on summer evenings it's nice to switch things up and serve a Rose.  (I saved on wine and went to Trader Joes in order to splurge on a few of the liquors.) 

 

Next you'll want a Sweet Tea Vodka on hand.  I've always been a Firefly fan (made in South Carolina!) but I won't lie, I judge a product by it's cover and the label of this Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka won me over.  Mix with lemonade or water and you have the perfect warm weather cocktail.

 

Have you ever had a Pimm's Cup?  It's really a super easy cocktail (mix Pimm's with 7up or sprite, and add a cucumber garnish) and it's a super refreshing spring/summer drink.  Men like this too.  It isn't too sweet.

 

Lillet can be a little pricey, but it's perfect to have a bottle on hand when you have just a few friends over.  It will make an evening feel special.  You can stretch it by adding tonic water or mixing up any of these combinations.  It feels perfect for a girls night in.

 

Lastly, who doesn't love a margarita this time a year.  It's always a good idea to have tequila and triple sec on hand to make margaritas anytime.

 

Add tons of fresh limes, lemons and citrus, a pack of fun bright colored napkins and you're all set for a impromptu partay.  What are your favorite warm weather drinks?  Anything our bar is missing?

 

~Mary Keller

 

 

Masters Ingredients

Is everyone else as obsessed with the Masters as we are?  I seriously think it's one of my favorite weekends of the year.  What's not to love?  I love watching golf, I love the food I associate with the Masters (pimento cheese!!), I love that warm weather and Spring are in the air, and I love an excuse to chill out an watch tv pretty much all day.

Some years we've had Masters parties, other year's we've attended Master's parties, but this year we're just going to hang out and enjoy it here at home.  I picked up a handful of ingredients at the grocery store to make up the perfect easy Master's weekend at home.  So here's my list:  Pimento Cheese is a MUST!  My favorite store bought is Palmetto Cheese, originally from Pawley's Island.  We love the version with jalapenos and it's available at just about any grocery store.  For drinks, I grabbed lemonade and sweet tea vodka of course.  Mix the two together for the perfect spiked Arnold Palmer (or John Daly as some call it.)  JD will go along with a sweet tea vodka for a drink or two, but really bourbon is a Masters staples for him.  I grabbed cheese straws, a nutty trail mix, crackers to go along with the pimento cheese, and a few cookies for us to graze on all day.  Add a few fresh flower blooms from the yard, and we're set!  We can't wait.  Who are you guys pulling for?  and did you hear Tiger's not playing this year?

p.s. If you are having a Masters party, here's the menu we came up with last year.

~Mary Keller

Cocktail Time

Last night after we put Virginia to bed, we decided to skip dinner and have pimento cheese and a cocktail instead.  We also threw in a DVRed episode of Downton Abbey, so it was pretty much a perfect evening. :)

We tried White Whale's Your Older Brother mixer with vodka and it was really good.  We both really enjoyed it, even though J.D. typically prefers dark liquor.  It's hard to describe, but it was almost like a gin lemonade, but really not too sweet.  (Sounds strange, especially since you make it with vodka!)  Yall, I love these mixers!  I actually prefer cocktails to wine (unlike most!) and I usually never get around to making them because wine just seems easier.  These are perfect for making an evening at home feel more special, but I really think they're more perfect for a little get together with a few friends.  Just one of these mixers makes 8 drinks, and you don't have to stand around all night mixing a creative cocktail.  Just add alcohol and a garnish and you're done.  These mixers are sold online at Furbish.  Seriously, order one for the next time you have a few girlfriends over!

p.s. Santa left these mixers in our stocking and we're just now trying the rest of them.  We tried the Auntie's Old Fashioned on Christmas and it got a thumbs up from everyone too, especially perfect for the boys. 

~Mary Keller

Cold Weather Cocktails

It's no secret that I love a good cocktail and something about how much of a homebody I am really draws me to cold weather cocktails. Whether you're snuggling underneath a warm blanket or hosting a festive dinner party I think these cocktails would be good additions to your repertoire. I'm going to try a few in the upcoming weeks too so I'll keep you posted on any new favorites.

Honeycrisp Bourbon Spiced Cider - can't go wrong with a classic fall cider

Irish Coffee - good ole easy peasy standby

Pear, Ginger and Sage Cocktail - if I can figure out how to obtain pear nectar (Andy can you make that happen for me?) the depth of flavor in this one sounds sooo good

Mulled Wine - perfect winter sangria

Spiced Manhattan - fall take on the traditional bourbon cocktail 

Classic Sazerac - classic with serious flavor from the whiskey, absinthe and bitters

Also a weeks work of hot toddy's here! And I'm dying to try this or this chai recipe. Don't they both sound delicious?

- Heath

Limoncello

Confession - Andy and I watch Food Network and Cooking Chanel constantly. There's a good chance that if we're not watching sports a cooking show is on our TV. A while back on Extra Virgin (yes we even watch the shows that the rest of the world doesn't know exist) they made homemade Limoncello. The simplicity of the recipe inspired us to give it a try. It's so simple, take a look.

We followed this recipe. And because the recipe makes a good bit we've shared some with friends and have bookmarked a few of these recipes too.

Limoncello-Gin Cocktail with Grilled Thyme 
Limoncello and Ricotta Cake
Mini Bundt Cakes with Limoncello Glaze (via Saveur)

- Heath

Fall Beer Tasting

Last week a few of us got together to taste some Fall beers. We took notes so we could all determine our favorite. I decided Fall may be one of my favorite seasons for beer, there's so much flavor in a good fall beer and there's just nothing that compares to the taste of a good beer on a crisp fall day. We went to Good Bottle Co., which I highly recommend if you're local,  to get their expertise on some of the best fall options and were really pleased with the choices.

Here's a breakdown of what we tried and a few of our thoughts.

Southern Tier Harvest - hoppy, spicey brown ale

Abita Pecan Harvet Ale - nutty (hence the name!) but smooth and mellow

Anchor Big Leaf Maple - a mix beteween red and brown ale

Anderson Valley Fall Hornin' - full of fall spices, almost pie like with cinnamon and nutmeg (syrupy)

Atwater Vanilla Java Porter - chocolate and vanilla with too much imitation flavor (more wintery)

Omme Gang Scythe and Sickle Harvest Ale - perfect fall beer, full of spice and flavor 

Victory Golden Monkey - spicier wheat beer 

Hofbrau Oktoberfest - traditional smooth Octoberfest

Downtown Brown - dark, typical caramel brown flavor

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale - good solid pumpkin flavor, not too strong or syrupy

Blue Point Toasted Lager - standard toasted lager but a bit heavier

We've also heard Sierra Nevada Flipside is good so I may pick that up next time as well as a Noda Brewery Pumpkin Ale if you're local.

So what are your favorite Fall beers? We'd love to try them!

- Heath