Category Archives: Cocktails 101

cachaça in the caipirinha

cachaça in the caipirinha

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Last week’s Brazilian Rice could only be followed by a Brazilian cocktail, am I right? And what better drink than a caipirinha? (Repeat after me: kype’-ah-reen-ya.) As a Midwesterner, I was unaware of this lovely drink until five or so … Continue reading →

pressed

pressed

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Welcome to all and thank you for stopping by food for fun’s lucky 13th installment of Cocktail U. Accompanying last week’s Blatburg Breakfast Bars (you’ll have to clink on the link to learn more about that wonky title) with an … Continue reading →

the bite of the british snake?

the bite of the british snake?

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Despite my promise to return one week later with a drink to accompany Great-aunt Helen’s Chicken Wings, it’s now been two weeks since reporting in. I’ll play the Mom Card and say it’s been another bunch of crazy weeks with … Continue reading →

a spirited frap

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Just two weeks ago we enjoyed a pan of Great-aunt Helen’s Toffee Squares. A promise was made to return with a suitable beverage pairing and though having kids out on summer break has derailed me, a promise is a promise … Continue reading →

getting our (whiskey) fix

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Last week’s rhubarb pie went over so well that there is none left to enjoy with this week’s cocktail. I’d wanted to make another, but haven’t gotten around to it. So we’ll just imagine a slice of thisas we sip … Continue reading →

old-fashioned southern comfort

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Cocktail U is once again in session. Thank you for coming to class this week. If you’ll please take your seats, I’ll first pass platters of Great-aunt Helen’s Grits. Our assignment this week was to find a cocktail to accompany … Continue reading →

Kentucky cocktail, cake optional

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wpid-kentucky-mule_01.jpg.jpegwpid-buttermilk-cake-slice_02.jpg.jpegLast post’s Buttermilk Cake was a sweet tribute to my late Great-aunt Helen. And as we do with all of these sweet tributes, it’s time to find an adult beverage pairing.

Because I’ve been enjoying classic Moscow Mules (a.k.a. Vodka Bucks) lately, I considered suggesting that this vodka-lime cocktail accompany the cake. But somehow the flavors of the cake and cocktail didn’t seem to mesh.

My thoughts next turned to bourbon, as they often do, and I remembered a Mule variation I also enjoy: The Kentucky Mule.wpid-kentucky-mule.jpg.jpegSadly, none of my cocktail cookbooks carried this recipe, so I googled and found this beauty. Three ingredients were mixed and I soon had a Kentucky Mule in hand.

Some recipes I’d found also contained mint, hinting at another bourbon favorite–the Mint Julep. But I stuck with the simplicity of bourbon, ginger beer, lime juice and was richly rewarded. More tart than sweet, it could have used an extra pour of ginger beer, but overall it was refreshing and lovely.

Opportunity to pair it with the cake was missed as the cake didn’t last long enough to meet the Mule. The Kentucky Mule doesn’t need a cake partner, though, and I’ll happily toast food for fun readers with a glass. Thanks for being here!wpid-bourbon-mule.jpg.jpeg

going grey(hound)

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wpid-salty-dog_01.jpg.jpegWelcome to another session of Cocktail U, where we ponder adult-beverage basics and find sippers to match recipes from Great-aunt Helen’s recipe box. Today we ask ourselves, “what to drink with DIY BBQ chicken?”wpid-20150407_175147.jpgWhat indeed? A Greyhound–my husband’s go-to cocktail–seemed a good match. Basically a Screwdriver with grapefruit juice replacing the orange, Greyhounds are tart enough to be interesting while sweet and boozy enough to make you want to empty your glass.

My husband happened upon this cocktail classic when we needed to move through a crate of grapefruit purchased from a school fundraiser. While a half-grapefuit, drizzled with honey and sometimes broiled, is good for breakfast, there is also something fun about squeezing these monster citrus fruits for their tasty juice. Even better is mixing the freshly squeezed grapefruit juice with spirits. (Tequila and vodka are especially good pairings.) wpid-greyhound.jpgHence, the Greyhound. According to Amanda Hallay’s Vintage Cocktails,, mixing this beverage is as simple aswpid-20150421_185840.jpgWith the tartness of grapefruit, it’s possible you’d want to stir in agave syrup or honey. I liked it as-is, though, and further dressed it up by rimming the glass with salt. Technically, then, we’re looking at a Salty Dog, but no matter what you call it, it’s a refreshing cocktail and partners well with barbecued chicken.wpid-salty-dog.jpg.jpeg

sherry stirred, not shaken

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wpid-20150324_161524.jpgAfter an unintended break, food for fun is ready to climb back on the Cocktail U train in search of the perfect cocktail for last post’s Cheese Soufflé. This seemed a tricky pairing. While wine and cheese go together like, well, wine and cheese, I can’t think of many mixed drinks I’d want to sip alongside a mixture of cheese, eggs, and bread. So I asked this question: What would Great-aunt Helen do?

And the answer is that she would drink sherry. Though I was too young to join her in a glass of this fortified wine, I remember seeing her sip sherry from a small, pretty stemmed glass. It means the world to me that I now have one of her original glasses and can sip sherry from it, just as she did back in the day.

Sherry by itself, though, does not a cocktail make. To my trusty collection of cocktail books I turned, where I found what sounded to be a lovely sherry-based drink in The Savoy Cocktail Book.wpid-20150324_160152.jpg

Ordered from Amazon after reading about it on another Word Press blog, Savoy is old-school. Originally published in 1930, this book celebrates the famed London Savoy Hotel bar. Without so much as an index, it was challenging to search, but because the drinks are alphabetized, I turned to S for sherry and found this little gem:wpid-20150324_160219.jpgI mixed a Sherry Cocktail to the best of my ability (Who’s to say exactly how much sherry is “1 Glass”?) and enjoyed the results.wpid-20150324_161447.jpgPretty as can be, strained into Great-aunt Helen’s classy vintage sherry glass, this amber-colored drink was bracing. Only slightly sweet, it was meant for sipping, and would make a nice foil for a rich and creamy cheesy soufflé.wpid-20150324_161549.jpgThough it’s becoming vogue again, sherry is often thought of as a drink best suited for old ladies. There may be some truth to this as Helen was one of those older ladies–at least when I knew her. But I’ve always enjoyed sherry as well (and I’m not OLD), especially the sweeter “cream” style. That it mixes well into a cocktail is a lovely bonus.wpid-20150324_161538.jpgA Sherry Cocktail toast, then, in memory of Great-aunt Helen. And a toast to you as well: Thank you for stopping over. Next week we’ll find another recipe in Helen’s collection that needs making.

milk with a punch

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Last week we enjoyed oatmeal muffins à la Great-aunt Helen’s recipe box and the promise was made to next find an appropriate beverage to accompany.Now to borrow an advertising slogan: Got Milk?Muffins and milk make good partners, but because we’re … Continue reading →