Booze Clues: 5 Cocktails to Serve at Your Memorial Day BBQ

To Long Weekends...

You're the one in your crew who always knows what to drink (because you read this blog, of course). That's why you're in charge of cocktails at today's barbecue. If you're still wondering what will wow the crowd, here are a few suggestions. From sweet, girly drinks to complex ones that even the guys will love, we have you covered.

Sandra Lee Cocktail Time Strawberry Lemonade (Makes 1 cocktail)

INGREDIENTS 

Ice cubes

4 ounces Sandra LeeCocktail TimeTM Key Lime Margarita

2 ounces strawberry lemonade

1 ounce ginger ale

Sliced lemons

Sliced strawberries

METHOD 

In a small mason jar, combine Sandra Lee Cocktail TimeTMKey Lime Margarita, strawberry lemonade, 1 ounce ginger ale, sliced lemons, ice, and sliced strawberries.

Basil Hayden's Spiced Blueberry Punch 

Created by Debbi Peek (Louisville, KY) (Recipe serves 4-5)

INGREDIENTS
4 parts Basil Hayden's® Bourbon
8 parts Blueberry Juice
8 parts Passion Fruit Juice
Sparkling Wine or Club Soda
15-20 Fresh Mint Leaves
1 bag Frozen Blueberries, for ice ring 

METHOD
Add Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon, blueberry juice, passion fruit juice and mint leaves to a medium sized punch bowl and stir. Add blueberry ice ring*. (See recipe below.) Serve in a cocktail glass and top with club soda or sparkling wine. 

*Blueberry Ice RingFreeze one bag of frozen blueberries with water in a bundt cake pan.Dip frozen ring into hot water for a few seconds to unmold.Place in punch bowl with blueberry side up.

Deleón Platinum Pina

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ oz. DeLeón Platinum tequila

1 oz. fresh pineapple juice

½ oz. fresh lime juice

1 dash of jalapeño syrup

METHOD 

Shake and strain over the rocks in a rocks glass. Garnish with a slice of jalapeño.

Knob Creek Rye Blackhawk

INGREDIENTS
2 parts Knob Creek® Rye Whiskey
1 part DeKuyper® Sloe Gin
1 maraschino cherry for garnish

METHOD
In a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes, combine the whiskey and gin. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Captain Morgan Palomaloha

(serves 1)

INGREDIENTS
1.5 oz. Captain Morgan Grapefruit Rum
Juice of ½ lime
Grapefruit soda to top

METHOD 
Fill tall glass with ice. Pour in Captain Morgan Grapefruit Rum, lime juice and grapefruit soda. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.

Wingtip Wednesday: Kabaccha Shoes & Basil Hayden's Cocktails

For the Fellas

Ladies, let the guys in your life know that after numerous requests, Shoes N Booze will now be providing men's content... the plan is for at least once per month. If the fellas prove to be more responsive, we might switch to men's stuff alltogether.

On Your Feet: 

There's something about seeing a man in a good wingtip shoe... it says he's discerning, pays attention to detail and also possesses a spark of daring. Even better if there are unexpected details, like contrasting accents or a colored sole. The yellow sole on this grey brogue by Kabaccha (which recently reached its Kickstarter funding goal) adds a pleasant touch, possibly reflective of a sunny disposition. The kicker, though, is that this Italian-made shoe is way less expensive than it looks. For $180, you're getting a Nappa leather upper, a calf leather lining and handmade craftsmanship. You're also getting a versatile shoe that looks great with jeans and a shirt or a suit... if you've got the guts, it works with chino shorts, as well.

In Your Glass:

If wingtips are on your feet, it only makes sense that whiskey is in your glass. Since it's Wednesday, you might not want to go full tilt and drink yours straight, so try a cocktail that combines a high-quality bourbon with complimenting flavors, like lemon and ginger. This might be a good time to say April Fools! Though I mean everything I've said about the shoes above and the cocktail here, there are no plans to convert this blog to men's content. Nonetheless, here's the recipe for the cocktail (and I hope you ladies will tell the men in your lives about Kabaccha... they've got some really cool color combinations):

Basil Hayden’s® Fool’s Gold

Recipe by Rob Floyd (Los Angeles, CA)

Ingredients:2 parts Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon
3/4 part Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 part Honey
1 slice Fresh Ginger

Preparation:1. Muddle ginger in a mixing glass.
2. Add remaining ingredients with ice and shake.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with basil leaf.

A Little Something Extra: 

Because we might as well take it all the way, right? This Korbata tie was handmade in Guatemala using traditional techniques that go back hundreds of years. It'll add a natty touch to jeans, a white button up and the wingtips above.

Booze Clues: 2 Drinks To Toast Pi Day

Happy Birthday, Einstein!

If you're a math geek, you probably already know this, and if you're a trivia enthusiast (like I am) you'll be interested to know that today is both Albert Einstein's birthday. This year is special, though, because today's date, 3/14/15 represents the first five digits in Pi, the infinitely long ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter- 3.1415. Here at Shoes N Booze, it's an excuse to toast with pie-themed cocktails. Here are a couple of recipes:

Piehole Whiskey "She's My"

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Piehole Cherry Pie

.25 oz. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum

.25 oz. pineapple juice

Splash of sour mix

Method:

Build ingredients over ice. Strain into glass.

Basil Hayden's "Mildred's Peach Pie"

Recipe by LA Mixologist, Joel Black of Black LAB Ventures

Ingredients:
1 1⁄2 parts Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon
4 Fresh Peach Slices
2 dashes Peach Bitters
3⁄4 parts Lemon Juice
1 pinch Ground Cinnamon
3⁄4 parts Honey Syrup (see recipe below)*

Method:

1. Muddle peach slices, peach bitters, lemon juice, ground cinnamon and honey syrup in a mixing tin.

2. Add Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon and shake vigorously for 7 seconds.

3. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a peach sprinkled with cinnamon.

*Honey Syrup
1. Combine 3 parts honey with 1 part hot water.
2. Stir until completely combined.