WE'RE STILL HERE-MORE POSTS TO FOLLOW

My most sincere and heartfelt apologies to our loyal lushes that periodically stop by our blog. Blonde Meres has been extremely busy and unable to contribute any new drink concoctions. I also have been swamped with work and unable to add a new post.

However, we promise to have our blog back up and running this week with a delightful new drink post, photos and such.

Thanks to all of you who periodically stop by for a visit. We will do our best to keep things rolling.

Love everybody in the room,

Mav

PRODUCT REVIEW #03: NAVAN VANILLA COGNAC ®

There’s something alluring about Navan ® vanilla cognac. The liquor has one of those palindrome names, a smoothly symmetric bottle design, the slick Hollywood marketing campaign, a snobby price tag & the appeal of being a somewhat difficult find. So, is the mystique (and the $40-$45 cost) warranted? Read on…

Mav and I enjoy all sorts of drinks but our followers AKA (beloved fellow lushes), may notice we tend towards sweet, after-dinner cocktails. I'm a chocolate fiend (thanks, Dad!) but Mav adores vanilla. And to this end, I have to admit I think Mav has some better options when it comes to specialty liquors/liqueurs. Between long days in the newsroom & hours of studying, the two of us can flat-out drain a bottle of Licor 43® (it's a staple ingredient in lots of our dessert martinis). And we also like Tuaca ® in place of ­ or with ­ vodka in many of our drinks. We are rarely without one or both of these liqueurs. In this spirit, Navan ® was a MUST try. Whereas Licor 43® is a thick, almost syrupy liqueur, Navan does not mess around with all the added sugar. It’s a full 40 proof, so the initial impact is one of a full-bodied but smooth cognac. But the divine finish is what makes this drink worth a place, budget permitting, in your liquor cabinet. After the warm burn of the cognac subsides, something magically delicious starts to happen: a prominent, but never cloying, note of Madagascar vanilla blooms on your tongue spreads into your cheeks and causes your mouth to curl up in a smile. This liquor is fantastic over ice, in a snifter or in simple cocktails that really let its simple luxurious flavors shine. My favorite from the official Navan® website is reproduced below with my slight alterations:

Navan Natural Vanilla Martini

1.5 ounces Premium Vodka
¾ ounce Navan®
1/4 ounce fresh lemon/lime juice*
½ ounce Simple Syrup

Pour over ice. Shake, strain and serve in a chilled martini glass.
*I’ve knocked this ratio down a little from the suggested ½ ounce serving; I like more of a subtle citrus note

So our take home review… can we do without Navan®? Well, yes. Do we want to? Not particularly. So until we become ridiculously wealthy, Mav and I will keep Navan ® for special occasions.

Our Rating: A

Bye.

Blonde Mere

#014 BEST CHOCOLATE BUTTERSCOTCH MARTINI

We haven’t posted a new drink recipe lately and for that…our apologies. Therefore, I have been designated by my better half, the lovely Blonde Meres, to post a follow up recipe to the Hazel Glow.

Since we are just a little bit past Valentine’s Day I think that something with a velvety chocolate flavor is still appropriate. This is a very simple to mix martini that will curve both your chocolate and coffee cravings while adding a delicious butterscotch bonus!

Mav’s Choco-Scotch Espresso Martini

1 oz Svedka ® Vodka
½ oz Espresso Vodka (We’ve been using Seagram’s ® which works nicely)
1 oz DeKuyper Buttershots ®
½ oz Chocolate Liqueur (DeKuyper Dark Crème de Cacao ® may be used)
Chocolate syrup (optional as a garnish)

Start with an icy cold martini glass that’s been chilling in the freezer. Drizzle some chocolate syrup in a zig zag pattern around the interior of the glass and then put the glass back into the freezer. (This allows the chocolate to not get too runny so it will still look pretty when you are ready to pour your drink.)

Add all of the above listed ingredients into a well chilled shaker half filled with ice. Personally I prefer to use a shaker with a separate strainer. That way you get some of the ice chips into the drink.
**Helpful hint-make sure to use crushed ice in your shaker for maximum frostiness; you can always take full sized ice cubes, place them in a plastic bag and bang them on the counter to crush up the cubes.)
Pop the lid on the shaker and shake away for about 10 seconds. Then use your strainer to pour the potent chocolate mocha delight into your chilled & lavishly decorated martini glass.

Blonde Meres & I have just recently created this recipe & it has quickly become one in regular rotation at our house. It packs a powerful punch but the ratios are easy to double so if you want to super size your drink then bombs away!

(It might make your night more interesting..just sayin'..)

So there you have it, Mav’s Choco-Scotch Espresso Martini! Feel free to leave us a comment and let us know if you like it.

Speaking of which; we appreciate the comments that you great folks have been leaving for us. Now get on board and become one of our fellow lushes!

Love everybody in the room,

Blonde Mav

#013 HAZEL GLOW MARTINI - PRAY TO THE MONK

So the ball-and-chain has been politely poking and prodding me all week to post one of my Frangelico classics, as it’s been quite some time since I’ve contributed. Truth is, I’ve been scaling back on the drink in an attempt to get in shape (I’m the New Year’s cliché). My night time routine has shifted. While Blonde Mav sips a killer Apple Martini, I unwind and nurse a Double Chocolate Whey Protein Shake. Mmm. But all good diets include a “cheat day” and I plan to take full advantage of that concept this weekend. It's the Super Bowl in case y'all haven't heard. Here’s what I’m mixing…

The Hazel Glow Martini is crafted to show off its two big players: Frangelico and Licor 43. [Blonde Mav and I have already voiced our undying love for Licor 43 in this post. It’s an excellent liqueur that seems to be getting more prevalent. Be sure to check it out, and at some point we’ll do a head-to-head for Licor 43, Tuaca and Navan. Tangent complete.] Both liqueurs are very sweet so it’s important to use them modestly. I’ve posted my preferred ratios, but feel free to fiddle around. The Monk (a.k.a. Frangelico) is forgiving...

The Hazel Glow Martini
1.5 ounces Premium Vodka
0.5 ounces Kashmir Liqueur (Vanilla Vodka-Cognac Blend)*
0.5 ounces Licor 43
0.5 ounces Frangelico

The sweet vanilla notes slide over the tongue first, followed by a big note of hazelnut with a few hints of citrus. Savor, pray to the monk and bask in the glow! 

Bye.
Blonde Meres

*Regular cognac will do just fine.

#012 APRICOT BRANDY COCKTAIL-SIPPER STYLE!

Occasionally, I will get the urge to have a tiny cocktail of sorts. It could be compared to tapas but instead of a smallish dinner morsel I get a decadent mini cocktail! Meres and I like to call them sippers because it’s a nice way to relax & sip a drink that isn’t your usual style. By making it in a smaller size you are much more likely to let your taste buds become more daring. You can try a more intensely sweet drink that would be overwhelming in a larger size. Another bonus is that you will still have full control of your faculties which frees you up for various post cocktail activities.

So, having said that, I present you with a drink recipe that I think you’ll truly enjoy. This libation is fruity, tart, and intense with just a hint of sweetness.
(Hmm…..sounds strangely like someone I know…)

Bronzed Apricot Sipper
¾ oz Apricot Brandy
¼ oz Malibu Mango Rum ®
½ oz orange juice
1 healthy squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 splash Grand Marnier ® (triple sec or Gran Gala ® may be substituted)
Pour the ingredients into a shaker half filled with ice. Stir briskly to chill and strain into a small martini glass.
Float one small ice cube on top of the chilled cocktail. Cheers!

***On another note, we’ve noticed that our site has started to acquire quite a few new viewers. Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to comment so that we can get your input on some of our cocktails. You might provide a special tweak or two we can add to our recipes to make them even better. We've also added a new "poll" feature so exercise your right to be heard!

If you would prefer than you can always Twitter Us. (We love to be twittered!) You can even become one of our fellow lushes by following our blog. (Who wouldn’t want to be known as a fellow lush?) We also highly recommend you take a free listen to our playlist. (Mountain Girl is one of Mere's favorites.)

Love everybody in the room,

Mav

#011: LICK HER MIMOSA RECIPE

We couldn’t resist creating a cocktail that welcomed in 2009 (we know you have some left-over champagne)! Meres and I put our blonde noggins together and came up with a delicious drink recipe. After all, what better way to send off 2008 than with a bubble laden cocktail? This festive drink is an offshoot of the classic Mimosa done up Blonde on Blonde style. We call this the “Lick Her” Mimosa. We use a little of the citrus-vanilla flavor of Licor 43 ® and, of course, the title may invoke other meanings at the end of the evening for lucky couples out there. Actually, Meres officially named this drink for reasons I will leave to your imagination.

The Lick Her Mimosa

4 oz Champagne
½ oz Licor 43
1 ½ oz Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice*
1 teaspoon Grenadine

*If you don't want to bother with fresh-squeezed, Simply Orange is a great substitute.

Pour the freshly squeezed orange juice into a champagne flute. Then pour in the Licor 43 ®. Fill the glass with 4 ounces of chilled champagne & then top it off with the teaspoon of grenadine.

We assure you that if you are looking for a winning champagne recipe than this one is a treat. Happy New Year to everyone who has visited our blog! We offer lots of social networking options at the end of the page so check it out. We’d also love it if you’d leave us a note so we’ll know if you are enjoying our cocktail recipes.

Love everybody in the room,

Mav