This weekend marks of unofficial start to summer for many Americans and that also means that it is barbecue season. If you are planning a Memorial Day weekend cookout I highly recommend you visit my colleague Derrick Riches' site BBQ and Grilling for all of the recipes and tips you will need. When it comes to the drinks for this all-American tradition, below are a few collections you will want to browse through. Enjoy the long weekend!
- 10 Great Cookout Cocktails - A selection of tall and refreshing mixed drinks that are perfect for a backyard barbecue.
- Patriotic Cocktails - Get into the American spirit with these patriotic cocktails and red, white, and blue party theme ideas.
- Summer Cocktails - The full collection of summer-worthy cocktails.
- Ice Cream Drinks - A new collection, this directory includes those few drinks that use ice cream and the majority are family friendly.
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Flavored vodkas, what will they come up with next? It's a very good question because we have gone from fruits to fruit combinations and spices to desserts, candies, and even cereals (and purely crazy flavors like salmon and hemp) in the past few years. When a company like Pinnacle Vodka announces a new flavor you have to wonder what can they do now? To top off their portfolio of 30+ flavors, this spring Pinnacle has two new releases that sound delicious: Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Sherbert.
Pinnacle Strawberry Shortcake Vodka
The flavors are not farfetched, in fact they sound tempting and Strawberry Shortcake is quite good on its own and fun to experiment with in the bar. The cake aspect of it is a perfect compliment to strawberry, but not overpowering enough to discount its use in place of straight strawberry-flavored vodkas in cocktails. If you like Pinnacle Cake, I think you will really like this one.
Pinnacle Rainbow Sherbert leaves a bit to be desired on its own. It doesn't taste like the rainbow sherbert I know and love, but as a mixer, the lime, orange, and raspberry with a hint of cream is useful and interesting. I'm sure that with further experimentation more viable cocktails can be found for this one. Part of the disappointment could be due to my preconceived ideas of what sherbert should taste like, so the name correlation throws me off . There may also be something to the fact that some flavors are a challenge to make work with alcohol - I think of cherry liqueurs, which often come off as cough syrup - and this may be one of them.
Read the full review of Pinnacle Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Sherbert (cocktail recipes too)...
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Here is a fun treat as we head into summer: SnöBar, a line of alcohol infused ice creams and ice pops. They are cold, lightly spiked, and delicious.
SnöBar Brandy Alexander Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
The products include ice cream versions of three creamy cocktails: 2- Brandy Alexanders, Grasshopper, and Pink Squirrel. My personal favorite is the Brandy Alexander with chocolate chips and it is fantastic on brownies. All of these are made with brandy and creme de cacao, with the Pink Squirrel adding amaretto and the Grasshopper creme de menthe. Also included in the line are two ice pops, a Cosmopolitan and a Margarita. They are also tasty and refreshing, though I prefer the ice cream.
The only issue with SnöBar is availability, but if you live in Florida or the southwestern part of the U.S. you're in luck because those are their major markets right now. Read more about that and the full review of SnöBar here...
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May is a busy month and beyond the holidays there are a few notable events that may interest you.
- World Cocktail Week - During the week of May 6-13th we will all be celebrating the cocktail's first recognition in print in the 1806 edition of The Balance and Columbian Repository. There are a few registered events, which you can find here. World Cocktail Day is the 13th and a fine classic cocktail seems appropriate, check out the classics here.
- Manhattan Cocktail Classic - This annual event is taking place May 17-21 and while many of the events are sold out, there are a number of tickets still available.
- Jim Beam's Mix for Kid Rock Contest - This is a fun one if you're a fan of Kid Rock. The winner of the essay contest will get a training session with Beam's Master Mixologist Bobby Gleason, be Kid Rock's personal bartender for three nights of his tour, and get $10,000.The deadline is June 7.
- Ardberg Balanced Cocktail Competition - In conjunction with Chilled Magazine, Ardberg Scotch is looking for the best 'smoky' cocktail. This is an Islay Scotch and has a wonderful smoky flavor, which is drunk straight rather than mixed. The challenge here is to create a cocktail with balance while using "a full pour of this smokin' spirit rather than just a hint." The winner gets to visit the Ardberg distillery and you get a one-year subscription to Chilled just for entering. The deadline is June 27.
Another note: Tales of the Cocktails tickets are on sale now. Book today before the July event is sold out. TalesoftheCocktail.com
More on the Cocktail Calendar...
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