Drinks

The Oscar Buzz Cocktail

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Aida Mollenkamp The Oscar Buzz Moet & Chandon Cocktail Recipe

Nothing says celebration like something bubbly so I’ve got two champagne cocktails to share with you today and tomorrow. First up is this blood orange and pomegranate champagne cocktail I’ve coined The Oscar Buzz. It’s made with seasonal ingredients, as bright red as the red carpet, and balanced enough that it can pair with a variety of finger foods.

This is also the cocktail I developed for this year’s Oscars for Moët & Chandon so the key was to make it flavorful yet not so bold that it overpowers the champagne. It pairs fabulously with all the food I’ve shared this week as part of the Oscars Viewing Party though it’s versatile enough to match with a variety of foods. Of course, it’s also quite fabulous on its own so don’t feel the need to throw a whole party just for an excuse to mix one of these up.
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Happy Hour: Grapefruit-Aperol Margarita

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Aida Mollenkamp Easy Recipe Grapefruit Aperol Margarita

I love guests. I love chatting with them, laughing, and cheers-ing, but the truth is I play favorites. My affections can be easily bought with a good food gift. No, I don’t mean something fancy — just something edible like, say, a trunkful of citrus. My mother lives out in the Palm Springs area where there’s a citrus tree every other foot. No, seriously. So, the other day, my mother, being the perfect guest she is, showed up with a literal trunkful of Meyer lemons, ruby red grapefruit, and Cara Cara oranges. She looked like she was holding her own farmer’s market out of her trunk but it was all for me and all for free.

So, I went a little nuts. As in, everything I’ve cooked this week has had some form or multiple forms of citrus. And I promise to share the results before all the amazing winter citrus call it quits. First up was a few rounds of citrus pickled shrimp, which have become my healthy snack of choice this Super Bowl weekend. After that were tins upon tins of Meyer Lemon Icebox Tartlets, which I will post later this month. Finally, I opened the liquor cabinet to drink up the last of them.
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Pomegranate-Vanilla Sparkler

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Aida Mollenkamp Easy Recipe Pomegranate Vanilla Sparkler

One of the questions I’m asked most often is where I get inspiration for recipes. It’s a hard question to answer because most the time I know I’m inspired though I can’t really pinpoint why. Was it that trip I just took? That art show I just saw? The album I was just listening to? Or that hike I took the other day? Sometimes though I can pinpoint precisely where and when I got inspired, like with this non-alcoholic pomegranate-vanilla cocktail.

I worked with OpenSky to add these upcycled tumblers to my store because I’ve been giving them as gifts for my eco-conscious friends for the past few years and they’ve always been well received. When asked what I’d put in them, something bubbly and colorful came to mind and, in an effort to play up the festive nature of the green glass, I came up with this red-hued pomegranate soda.

For a homemade gift, you could gift the syrup in a large canning jar — perhaps even with a recipe for the drink and a few of the Bottlehood tumblers. If you’re feeling adventurous (and have a lot of spices on hand), go ahead and add a few cardamom cloves, or a star anise piece with the vanilla. And, if you haven’t yet had your fill of libations, feel free to spike it with a shot of your favorite booze — it’s safe to say either rum or bourbon would work especially well.


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Happy Hour: Corpse Reviver #2 Cocktail

by Aida Mollenkamp —

Aida Mollenkamp Easy Cocktail Recipe Corpse Reviver #2

Right about now, you’re likely looking at the name of this cocktail and thinking, “why are you talking about corpses when Halloween has already passed?” Well, it turns out, the saintly celebrations haven’t ended for me quite yet because this weekend I’m attending an enormous Dia De Los Muertos celebration (read: rumored to be the largest in Southern California). I’m not really sure what to expect, but I’ll take lots of photos and will be sure to share them. What I am sure of is that DDLM is a celebration and logic follows that it’s best to toast spirited celebrations with spirited drinks, hence the Corpse Reviver #2.
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