Fruity Drink Friday

Today's drink comes from the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2012 cook book This year the cook book included some great drink recipes & I plan to post a few from it. The cocktail I choose is the Singapore Sling. This classic has been slowly making a come back, along with other classics like the Side Car & Ciapirinha. Although some of these drinks a little before my time, it's great to see Disney paying homage to some of these timeless concoctions :)

Disney's Singapore Sling

from the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

1 1/2 Ounces Hendrick's Gin
1 Ounce Cherry Bandy
1 Ounce Pineapple Juice
1 Teaspoon Grenadine
Splash Club Soda
Pineapple & Maraschino Cherry for garnish

1) Pour Hendrick's, cherry brandy, pineapple juice & grenadine into a shaker filled with ice & shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
2) Pour into tall glass and top with soda water and garnish with cherry & pineapple.

*Note: When ever I make a Singapore Sling, I always use sour mix. So if you like, you can add about 1 ounce of sour mix to cut the sweetness a bit :)

Cheers!


****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney A La Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

With winter creeping up on us poor souls up North, I decided to to a drink that makes me think of warm afternoons, under a shady tree, sipping a cool drink. This weeks fruity drink is Disney's Kentucky Peach cocktail.


Next week I'll get back to cool weather cocktails ;)


Kentucky Peach
1 1/2 Parts Red Stag Cherry Infused Bourbon
1/2 Parts Peachtree Schnapps
2 Parts Sweet & Sour Mix ( Homemade or pre-made)
1 Part Sprite (or any other lemon-lime soda you prefer)
Mint leaves & cherries to garnish


Pour all ingredients over ice, stir gently (never shake anything with a carbonated beverage) and garnish with mint & cherries. Then pretend it's still Summer. Or even better-book a trip to Disney and then you won't have to pretend ;)

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney A La Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

The cooler weather is coming and for some of us, it's already here, so I decided to do a Fall favorite of mine: 
the Hot Spiced Apple Cider. What I love about this drink is a) it's good, b) it can be modified to your tastes, and c) it's good. While I have to be honest-I don't like the Fall, pretty much because it leads to Winter, I do love Fall foods & beverages. So here it is:

Hot Spiced Apple Cider

1 1/4 quart apple cider
3 tablespoons firmly packed light-brown sugar (IF cider is unsweetened)
7 whole cinnamon sticks (6 sticks for garnish)  
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger  
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup alcohol of your choice** (Or omit the alcohol and everyone can enjoy :) )

**Some options include Calvados Apple Brandy, Poire William Pear Brandy, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Pama Pomegranate Liquor-basically the choice is yours :)


This recipe makes about 6 cups worth and you're going to want to make it on the stove or even in a crock pot. Add all ingredients-except alcohol, and bring to a simmer over a medium to low flame. Simmer for a few minutes (5 or so) . Remove from heat. Add your alcohol and serve in mugs with cinnamon sticks or sprinkled on top. 

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney A La Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

Pomegranate Splash

Keeping it simple again today, but that doesn't mean no taste. This cocktail has a very wonderful liquor called Pama in it. Pama is a pomegranate liquor and absolutely wonderful. Combined with Skyy Infusions Citrus Vodka, cranberry juice & soda water, it's light, effervescent and delicious. 

Pomegranate Splash 

1 oz Pama Pomegranate Liquor

1 oz Skyy Citrus Infusions Vodka

2 oz Cranberry Juice Cocktail

Fill with soda water (club soda) 

 Pour all ingredients over ice, garnish with citrus of your liking and enjoy. I told you it was simple ;) Cheers!

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney A La Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

The Grand Smash

This is a simple drink, but that's why I like it. The fact that Grand Marnier is the sole star liquor doesn't hurt either. Grand Marnier is a blend of cognac & essence of bitter orange. It can be served alone or in mixed drinks like the Grand Smash. Now I can go into the whole spiel about this drink & liquor-but like I said, it's a simple drink, it's really good & I am feeling short on the blabbity-blab today. So here it is, Disney's Grand Smash:

1 1/2 oz Grand Marnier Liquor

1 oz Orange Juice

4 Quarter Slices of Fresh Lemon

6 Fresh Mint Leaves

Muddle the lemon & mint together. Add Grand Marnier & orange juice. Shake with ice. 

You can strain into a separate iced glass if you prefer. I don't mind the mint & lemon so I leave it in.

Cheers!

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney A La Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

I have been very bad, but with AEP and Irene I've been too busy to do my Friday drink. I apologize. But I offer you the best drink on Disney property as an apology for this weeks Fruity Drink Friday beverage. Bum bum bum bummmmm......

The Magical Star Cocktail!

I realized I had posted it on my FB page, but never here. This is my all time favorite adult beverage on WDW property. So here it is:

The Magical Star Cocktail

2 oz X-Fusion Organic Mango & Passion Fruit Liqueur (Buy extra-more recipes to follow using this)

2 oz Parrot Bay Coconut Rum

3 oz Pineapple Juice

1 Glow cube (optional-but worth every penny and I posted a video instead of picture to show why)

Mix, serve over ice. Real simple. Real good. And very open to personal interpretation. In other words make it how ya like it ;)

**Yes for those true Disney Nerds you might have noticed I played "When You Wish Upon A Star" in the video. Yeah-I went there. My super nerdy Disney side strikes again.

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney A La Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

The Classic Margarita

Hello all-I apologize for skipping last Fridays post, hopefully this weeks will make up for it. This is an homage to one of the most perfect alcoholic concoctions ever created-the Margarita. Disney offers a lot of opportunities to indulge in this wonderful beverage-most especially in Epcot's Mexico pavilion. The photo above is of the margarita flight from La Cava Del Tequila inside the Mexico pavilion.


I am a complete margarita snob so let me start by saying 2 things: First many drinks can be made with well (no-name) alcohol-NOT margaritas. Personally I believe there is nothing worse than cheap tequila. So if you're gonna make a margarita, use the good stuff. And second, this is one drink that really benefits from sticking to the recipe. 

The Classic Margarita Recipe


2 parts High Quality Tequila (I am a Patron & Don Julio fan myself)
1 part Grand Marnier or Cointreau (you can use Triple Sec in a pinch)
1/2 part Fresh Lime Juice ( you can cheat with Rose's but...)
2-3 parts Sweet & Sour Mix **


Salt & fresh lime to garnish


Mix all ingredients together and shake with ice. To salt-rim the glass, dip the lip into the sweet & sour mix or rub the fresh lime on the rim & dip into the salt. Pour margarita into salt-rimmed glass & enjoy!


Cheers!


** To make homemade sweet & sour mix:
3 Cups Water
3 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Cups Fresh Lime Juice

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney A La Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

Pele's Fire Punch

As I sit here in my office having a non-alcohol inspired chat with Pele, my hand-carved coconut monkey from the Spirit of Aloha show, it hit me (no-the monkey didn't suggest it) that this weeks fruity drink be Pele's Fire Punch. You see when I got Pele (understand where I got the name from?) she was filled with a lovely concoction of rum, fruity liquors and juice. And pretty much-if you serve it in a monkey carved out of a coconut-I gotta order it. Of course I seem to remember that after the third one, the habit of talking to Pele developed....hmmm. In any case the bartender in me quickly identified the tasty cocktail inside as a rum runner. But let's not call it that, because a true rum runner has orange juice and Pele's Punch does not. So here it is-Pele's Fire Punch.


1 part Bacardi Light Rum
1 part Myers Dark Rum
1 part Banana Liqueur ( I like 99 Bananas) 
1 part Blackberry Brandy ( I prefer Leroux)
3 parts Pineapple Juice
Splash of grenadine


Combine and shake. Serve over ice in your hand carved coconut monkey of course. Okay, okay-serve it on what ever you have and garnish with a cherry and an orange slice at least :)


Cheers!


****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney Ala Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

Today is a bit of a two-fer. But since they are similar in theory & you can get both in the same place, I figured I post them together. It's also fitting because I am using the pictures of two friends, who just happen to be great friends and each of these drinks are a personal favorite of theirs.

Disney Epcot France'

Grand Marnier & Grey Goose Orange Slushie 

& 

Grey Goose Citron Lemonade Slushie

Grand Marnier & Grey Goose Orange Slushie Recipe

1 Part Grey Goose Vodka

1 Part Grand Marnier Orange Liquor

2 Parts Sweet & Sour Mix ( you can buy a premade mix in grocery stores & liquor stores) 

1 Part Simple Syrup*

Ice

Mix all ingredients in a blender, blend, serve & enjoy! 

One thing to note: None of these ingredients are orange colored and so the most color you will get out of this is a sorta bright yellow. So my guess is orange food coloring is added. If you want it orange-add some food coloring lol.

Grey Goose Citron Lemonade Slushie

2 Parts Grey Goose Citron Vodka (or your personal favorite Citrus vodka)

2 Parts Sweet & Sour Mix

1 Part Simple Syrup*

Ice

Mix all ingredients in a blender, blend, serve & enjoy!

*Simple syrup can be made by mixing equal parts of boiling water & sugar. Combine & cool, and keep in the refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Cheers!

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney Ala Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

For this weeks installment, I am doing something a bit different. Normally I pass on a recipe for a drink but today I am recommending a great product I recently discovered. The great thing about this product is that it is probably the easiest recipe I have-or will-post. It's easy, delicious and fun. So without further ado I give you...

Wine-a-Rita

So here's the story: We were recently delighted to try Wine-a-Rita at a wine festival at a local winery. I am going to be honest and say-I was skeptical. I had heard of beer-ritas, and was not a fan, but I decided to give Wine-a-Rita a chance. And I am so glad I did. Wine-a-Ritas are a tart, not overly sweet, a bit grapey, frosty, tasty concoction. They are easy to make and even easier to drink. We ended up buying a Wine-a-Rita Wine Glace drink mix and a lovely bottle of wine to make Wine-a-Ritas at home. 

The bag we bought from our local winery.

So after enjoying ourselves again with our home batch, I hit me that others would enjoy this great product as much as we did. So I contacted the awesome ladies at Wine-a-Rita, to see if they minded me using their product for my next installment of Fruity Drink Friday. I had the pleasure of hearing back from Judy, the co-owner & creator of Wine-a-Rita. She is a doll and not only gave me her blessing to use their product & link to it, but also sent me a sample pack with the original Wine Glace, as well as their new products: Peach Bellini, Cosmo-Rita, Berry Pom-a-Rita &the Skinny Senorita. Now don't get me wrong-I was over-the-moon when my sample box arrived, and I am so looking forward to trying each product,but I would still have happily recommended this product, even if all Judy sent me was her blessing. The product it that good & I firmly believe in telling everyone I know about stuff I like :)

Wine-a-Ritas are a premix that you add to your favorite bottle of wine & ice and mix in your blender. That's it-it's just that easy. Now I know you're thinking-"Yeah but I bet you need one of those fancy slushy machine things right?". Nope-a plain old boring blender will do the job. Why? Because the geniuses at Wine-a-Rita, Donna & Judy, created a mix that somehow magically slushifies (is that a word? I don't care) itself. All you do is put a bottle of your favorite wine & the Wine Glace in a blender and blend until the mix dissolves, then add ice and mix until smooth, and-POOF! You have a Wine-a-Rita. 

My boring blender-proof this requires no special equipment lol.

So after all that, you want to know where to get it right? Click here to visit the Wine-a-Rita site and learn more about these two fabulous ladies and their company. To find the them on Facebook click here-they are doing a give away-their 2,000th 'Like' wins a Mix it Up pack :) To order, if you can't find Wine-a-Rita at your local winery, or wine shop, I recommend Amazon. Another company I really like-even if that 'One-Click" shopping is dangerous. Just type in Wine-a-Rita and order away! Trust me-you'll be glad you did :)

Cheers!

Fruity Drink Fridays

The Mai Tai

This drink just screams tropical vacation. Partly because of it's tropical flavors and because you better not be heading back to work after one (or two) of these. I am going to post Disneys' version as well as a more traditional version. This is one of those drinks that every bartender makes a little bit different. Hope you enjoy both of these versions.


Disneys' Version:


3/4 oz Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Rum
1/2 oz Blackberry Brandy (I recommend Leroux Polish Blackberry Brandy)
1/2 oz Crème de Banana (I recommend 99 Bananas)
2 oz Orange Juice
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Grenadine
1/4 oz Myers' Original Dark Rum - for float 

Mix all the ingredients except for the Myers' Dark rum and shake with ice. Then use the back of a spoon to pour the dark rum into the top of your drink. This is called floating. Just let it roll right off the spoon into the drink. Garnish with a maraschino cherry & wedge of fresh pineapple. A little paper umbrella wouldn't hurt either ;)


Now for a more traditional version:


1 oz Light rum
1 oz Dark rum
1/2 oz Orange Curacao (can substitute in Grand Marnier, or even triple sec if in a pinch)
1/4 oz Orgeat syrup  (**see note below)
1/4 oz Simple syrup

To fill:
1/2 Orange Juice
1/2 Pineapple Juice

1/4 oz grenadine
1/4 Myers dark rum to float on top (optional)


Just like before mix the first round of ingredients. Then fill with orange & pineapple juice, and grenadine and shake it all with ice. Pour into glass and float dark rum on top. Garnish as before and enjoy!


**Orgeat syrup is a sweet syrup made from almonds, rose water/orange-flower water & sugar. It has a distinct almond flavor. Torani Italian syrup makes an orgeat flavored syrup. If you cannot find it, almond syrup will work as well as amaretto-if you're not adverse to adding more alcohol to your drink...hmmm.

Cheers!

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney Ala Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

This weeks' featured drink it one of the all time fruity drinks-Sangria. For me Summer & Sangria go hand in hand. I like to make a big pitcher up for the weekend. This recipes is a white Sangria and one of my favorites.

White Sangria
1 Bottle of White Wine such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or even a Chablis.
1/2 Cup Peach Schnapps
1/4 Cup Triple Sec (or if you don't mind sacrificing it Grand Marnier)
1/4 Cup Mango liquor
1/4 Cup Apricot Brandy (optional)
1/2 Cup Pineapple juice
1/2 Cup Peach nectar
1/2 Cup Orange juice
Sliced oranges, peaches, lemons, limes, pineapple, green apple, fresh berries, star fruit, kiwi, grapes, mango. You can add any combination or even all of these fruits. Myself I really like eating the wine soaked fruit so I go big on the fruit.


Place all the fruit you are using in you pitcher and lightly muddle. Add everything else. Enjoy! This drink only gets better with time, so if you can wait a little bit to drink it-even better :) Oh and with all the fruit & juice this drink seems harmless, but remember there is a lot more than just wine in there. Don't forget the hard liquor is in there too-it sneaks up on you ;)


Cheers!


****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney Ala Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

Today's drink recipe is my spin-off of Disney's Vanilla Blossom Cocktail.


Disneys' cocktail calls for Stoli Vanilla Vodka, St-Germain Liqueur, agave nectar & freshly squeezed lemon. But I am going to tweak it a bit. I am going to call my cocktail Summer Silk. So here we go.


Summer Silk Cocktail

2 Parts Grey Goose Le Vanille vodka
1 Part St-Germain Liqueur
2 Parts Lychee juice*
Juice of 1/4 lemon


Combine and serve chilled & up.


*You can find lychee juice in most Asian food section at your local grocery store. You can also use the juice from canned lychees as well. Lychees have a short season, but if you can get your hands on them to add some fresh lychee fruit to your drink-all the better!
Cheers!


****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney Ala Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

Todays' Drink is the Mojito:
If your neck of the woods is as warm as mine has been, this is a great summer drink to sit on your deck and cool off with. I am going to post the classic recipe that I use as well as some great variations.

Mojito:
6-10 Large Mint Leaves
1/4 Fresh Lime
2 oz of White Rum
1 oz Simple Sugar
Splash of Roses Lime Juice
Club Soda (Not Seltzer)

-Muddle (or crush) together the lime, mint & simple sugar together. *Don't own a muddler? That's ok-use the handle of a spoon or other long neck utensil.
-Fill glass with ice
-Add Rum (Why is the Rum always gone?)
-Fill with club soda
-Garnish with mint & fresh lime

Cheers!

Many variations of this drink can be made my substituting various flavored Rums in for White Rum. Examples are:

Pineapple Mojito: Use Pineapple Rum & pineapple mint.

Mango Mojito: Use Mango Rum & a splash of pineapple juice.

Raspberry Mojito: Use Raspberry infused Rum.

Coconut Mojito: Yup you guesses it-use any one of the delicious Coconut Rums available & a splash of unsweetened coconut milk or water. 

Have fun with this drink and adjust it to suit your taste buds. And don't be afraid to make these up by the pitcher ;)

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney Ala Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible :)

Fruity Drink Fridays

Yes-I know I'm late posting today. But I did start this tradition on my Facebook page (which you can also view here) on Friday. I am going to do a quick repost, but I promise next week it will be a fresh on-time post each Friday. 


Thank you & enjoy :)

"Taking a break from working on my next installment on the Disney dining plan to start a new Friday tradition at Disney Ala Carte-Fruity Drink Friday. As some of you know I wear many hats, besides the travel agent stuff, I am a long time bartender. So to start off the weekend right, I will be posting a new adult beverage recipe each Friday."

****Now for the disclaimer: These recipes DO contain alcohol and should only be consumed by persons of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly & don't drink and drive. Lisa Ruiz & Disney Ala Carte are not responsible for any damage to person(s) or property, or loss of life that result from over consumption or abuse of these recipes. Got it? Not for kids, don't drink & drive, and be responsible.

This is an adaptation of Disneys' Blue Glow-tini:

2 Parts Citrus Vodka (They use SKYY Vodka-I use anything but lol)
1 Part Peach Schnapps (I like Peachtree)
1 Part Blue Curacao
Fill with 1/2 Pineapple juice & 1/2 Sour mix
Shake with ice and strain and serve up (no ice) in a glass with a sugared rim
Cheers!