Dora’s Tipsy Root Beer Float

My grandfather used to make root beer floats — it was his ultimate in decadent and over-the-top indulgence.  THIS IS NOT that rootbeer float.

However, it is meant to be an extreme treat and a fun twist on the old fashioned favorite.  If you have to go sugar free for health reasons — Virgil’s is one of the few brands that makes a stevia-sweetened root beer that succeeds.

8 oz Ice cold Virgil’s Root Beer(or other real-sugar premium Root Beer)
1 oz Stoli Vanilla vodka
1/2 oz Three Olives Root Beer vodka
5 drops Dutch’s Spirits BoomTown bitters
4 oz premium vanilla ice cream
sea salt

Combine vodka and bitters in the bottom of a tall fountain milk-shake glass.  Add a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream, then gently pour cold root beer over the ice cream and the liquor.  Add another small scoop of ice cream to the top of the glass.

Garnish the foamy top and ice cream with just a few grains of sea salt.  Serve with a straw and a long handled spoon.
About 400 calories depending on brands.

Honey Bee Stinger

Van Gogh is sometimes difficult to find, but their Dutch Chocolate Vodka is my personal favorite of the chocolates

Traditionally, a Stinger is just brandy and Creme de Menthe served straight up.  The better the brandy and the creme de menthe — the better the Stinger.

But this violates a couple of my personal preferences and guidelines —  I’m not crazy about straight up drinks (I really like hot or ice cold much better) and — I like my creativity and thinking undiluted, but I want my liquor diluted with yummy goodness and flavor.  Oh — and it’s hard to find a good creme de menthe liqueur that doesn’t have that nasty green food coloring added.  So — what’s a bar tended to do?

😀

So here’s a black and gold twist on the classic — made for my tastes.  It’s still got 1 1/2 oz of spirits in it — but leaves room to enjoy more flavor, more slowly.

VARIATIONS AND IDEAS:  [Notice it also has a lot in common with Brooklyn’s egg cremes, so by adding 3 oz of sparkling water and 2 oz half-and-half — it becomes something completely different.  Not unlike the difference between a Black Russian and a White Russian….]

1/2 oz Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate vodka
1 oz premium Brandy
1/2 oz Monin Peppermint syrup
1 T Honey
4 drops Aphrodite bitters
5 oz ice cold sparkling water
9-gram Godiva dark chocolate square to garnish
ice cubes

Disolve the honey in the liquors and pour over ice in a Double Old Fashion glass.  Top off with sparkling water and garnish with a Godiva (or other premium) dark chocolate square.  These were originally made to accompany espresso — but I see no reason not to exploit their goodness here.

A 9-gram 72%+ cocoa square a day keeps all kinds of grief away!

Ancient Xocolatl Cooler

Okay — maybe not that anccient.  But the flavors combined here are clearly priceless.  Chocolate.  Cinnamon.  Spicy peppers.  Spicy.  Potent.  Rich.  Tall and cold with lots of ice — that’s the way I want this drink. 

With very little adjustment, however, it can be converted to a warm cup — stirred with a cinnamon stick!

6 oz VERY COLD Organic Valley 1% chocolate milk
½ oz pepper infused vodka (like Stoli Peppar)
½ oz Fireball Cinnamon whiskey
1 oz Godiva chocolate liqueur
dash Chocolate Mole (or other choc/pepper) bitters
*1 t cocoa powder
*1 t cinnamon powder
*1/2 t cayenne pepper
*1 t salt
*1 t sugar
cinnamon stick to garnish
dollop (2 T) whipped cream to top off
crushed ice

-combine *starred ingredients to make a powder and use it to rim glass.
-combine 1/2 c crushed ice with all other ingredients except cinnamon stick and whipped cream, and shake well until icy cold (or add to a blender for a slushy frozen drink), and pour into tall rimmed glass.  Serve with a cinnamon stick stirrer, dollop of whipped cream, and a light dusting of cocoa powder.
274 calories

Amaretto Peach Chai – Hot or Iced

This combination hits a whole string of my favorite flavors — wood spices, amaretto, peach, vanilla flavored whipped cream — Make it rich with half-and-half or cream, regular chai style with whole milk, or skinny with 1% or 2% milk.  It’s all good.

This recipe calls for 2 chai teabags.  Which is actually redundant since chai just means tea in a variety of other languages.  In English, the distinction is that  chai is heavily spiced with a variety of wood spices like cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, anise, cardamom, black pepper, and possibly orange zest or ginger. 

Use your favorite chai blend, or try Numi, Harney & Sons, Zhena’s Gypsy, or Celestial Seasonings.  All are delicious, whether made with rooibos, green, black, decaf black, or white tea – though green chai is my least favorite.  My personal favorite full-caffeine chai is Celestial Seasonings India.  My favorite rooibos chai is also Celestial Seasonings — Sweet Coconut Thai.  But any of the above listed brands are delicious and use high quality ingredients.  I tend to use rooibos chai more often because it can steep longer without becoming overly bitter.  I sometimes steep it for up to 10 minutes, then reheat it after the teabag(s) are removed.

Lazzaroni Amaretto Peach is difficult to come by — feel very lucky if you find it!!!

Avoid instants or liquid concentrates no matter what company produces them.  In chai — fresh made is ALWAYS better.

2 chai teabags
4 oz boiling water
2 t white sugar
1 oz Lazzaroni Amaretto – Peach*
3 oz half-and-half
cinnamon stick stirrer
dollop of vanilla whipped cream

If you can’t find Lazaroni Peach Amaretto, substitute 1/2 oz each of amaretto, and peach vodka; or, use 1 oz of amaretto + 1 T Organic Peach Butter or Peach Preserves

Brew teabags in boiling water for 10-12 minutes (5 minutes or less if using black or decaf black tea)  Remove teabags and squeeze gently to get all the tea and flavor.  Stir in sugar until dissolved.  Reheat the tea until nearly boiling (in a microwave — about 15 seconds)

Add room temp half-and-half and Lazzaroni to the tea and stir gently. with cinnamon stick in a 9-10 oz warmed cup.  Top with a dollop of whipped cream.

To make this into an iced drink — do not re-warm the chai, but instead pour it into ice cold half-and-half.  Add the liquor, and pour over ice in a tall chilled glass, and top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered cinnamon or clove.
245 calories

Nutty Irish Coffee

1 oz Lazzaroni Amaretto Liqueur
1/2 oz Irish whiskey
2 shots espresso
1 t brown sugar
2 oz half and half
1 T heavy cream
toasted almond slices

Prepare espresso and add sugar to disolve in a pre-warmed 8oz mug.  Add room temp half-and-half and liquor, and float the cream on the top and gently lay almond slices on cream  to garnish.
260 calories  (more if you use a lot of almonds)

Irish Pub Crawler

Another tipped coffee — this one is tall and iced.

Illy cafe — absolutly the best.

cocoa, ginger, red peppers and coffee…1 1/2 oz Frangelico hazelnut liqueur

3 shots Illy Espresso (caf or decaf — your choice)
1/2 oz Fireball cinnamon whiskey
1 T sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of ground clove
7 drops Aphrodite bitters
8 oz milk (your choice — 2%, 1%, whole, half and half)
1/2 t Vietnamese cinnamon powder
4 drops Penzey’s double strength vanilla extract
1 1/2 c ice cubes
18oz heavy glass cooler, chilled

Combine shots with cold milk and liquors before pouring over ice (to prevent diluting the drink with melted ice)  Shake vigorously  and pour over ice in a large chilled glass.  Cinnamon stick to garnish.
Assuming 2% milk, about 355 calories

Fireball Coffee

There are all kinds of ways to doctor a cup of coffee.  Here’s a good SPICY one:

7 oz strong hot coffee
1 t brown sugar
1 1/2 oz Fireball cinnamon whiskey
2 oz Organic Valley Half & Half
dash of Coffee-Pecan bitters
cinnamon stick to stir
dollop (2 T) whipped cream
3 “Red Hots” cinnamon candies

Use a 12 oz coffee cup — stir all ingredients into your preferred strong coffee with a cinnamon stick, and top with whipped cream.  Gently lay the cinnamon red hots on top of the whipped cream.
295 calories

Movie Theater Mint Freeze

One of the few frozen drinks here.  Also one of the highest in calories, and with more alcohol than usual…  drink it slow with a hot dog, a bag of popcorn and a box of junior mints.  Or use 2 glasses and share….  😀

2 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream – Mint
1 oz Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate vodka
1 oz 360 Buttered Popcorn vodka
2 oz Dillatante Ephemere Bittersweet chocolate cream
2 T (cooled) espresso
3 oz heavy whipping cream
1/4 t Chocolate infused salt
4 oz premium chocolate mint ice cream
2-3 ice cubes (depending on size) about 1/3 c ice

Combine all ingredients in blender and set on spin cycle.  Serve in a tall milk shake glass topped with a handful of popcorn and a couple of junior mints.
Too many calories to count.  Okay — rough estimate (depending on brands and proofs) — between 700 and 900 calories. (blush)

American Pie Smoothie

Smoothies are usually thought of more as spa or after-workout health drinks.  This one has a piece of fruit blended in, but mostly it’s a sweet hard cider cocktail.

1 lg Granny Smith Apple, cored & sliced
6 oz ice cold Reeds Apple Brew
6 oz ice cold Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider
1 T amaretto
1 T lemon juice
4 Drops Penzey’s Double Strength Vanilla
1/4 t Vietnamese Cinnamon powder
4 Drops Spiced Cranberry Bitters
3 T ice cold heavy cream
1/2 c crushed ice
pinch of Kosher salt

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the Reed’s Apple Brew in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into a tall (18 oz)  chilled glass and add Reeds (slowly down the side of the glass) and 2 more ice cubes.  Dust with cinnamon.  Serve with an apple slice on the rim of the glass, a straw, and a long spoon.