The Gracias Madre "La Purista" Margarita

Muma's Fav Margarita

 

2 oz organic reposado tequila
1 oz fresh-pressed lime juice
1/2 oz organic agave nectar
3 dashes homemade orange bitters
lime peel
housemade sweet orange salt (see below)

Housemade Sweet Orange Salt Rim
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch sugar
orange zest
lime wedge

Combine sea salt, sugar and orange zest. Rub orange zest into the salt-sugar mixture. Use the lime wedge to moisten the rim of double rocks glass, then dip the rim into the mixture to coat.

In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, and orange bitters. Shake and strain into the glass. Add fresh rocks and a lime peel.

Caroline Levich

Pudding Shots

Perfect for parties, or keep in the freezer to have on hand after a bad day.

Pudding Shots

2 boxes sugar free instant chocolate pudding 

1 cup milk

1 cup irish cream of your choice

1 cup chocolate flavored vodka

1 small container cool whip

Mix pudding and milk until thick.  Add alcohol.  Fold in container of cool whip.  Place in 2 oz plastic portion cups with lids (available from Amazon)

 

Enjoy!

Sheryl Smith

Bailey’s Chocolate Martini

Who doesn’t love a good cocktail?!

8 oz Bailey’s Original Irish Cream 1 oz Smirnoff No 21 Vodka 1 oz Godiva Chocolate Liquor Chocolate Syrup Ice Makes 4 servings. Use 2/.25/.25 oz if you want to make a single drink

Combine all of the above in a blender or cocktail shaker. Drizzle chocolate syrup across the inside of martini glasses. Pour blended cocktail into glass. Enjoy!!

Julie & John Hamilton

Lemon Drop

At this point of the Mixology class I'm only taking tiny sips from my shot glass samples.

2 1/2 oz vodka 1/2 - 3/4 oz of lemon juice 1/4-1/2 oz simple syrup Total liquid should be 3 oz

You can garnish 1/2 the rim of the glass with sugar.

Jan Van Ekeren & Kevin Sypolt

Manhattan - Three types

The first thing we learn - there are three types of Manhattans - dry, perfect and sweet. American's usually default to sweet while the British usually default to dry. Manhattan is a stirred - not shaken drink. In a desperate moment I'd opt for a perfect one but otherwise

2 oz bourbon 1 oz sweet vermouth 1 drop of your favorite bitters

For a perfect Manhattan substitute 1/2 oz of sweet vermouth and 1/2 oz dry vermouth. For a dry Manhattan substitute 1 oz dry vermouth. Garnish with a lemon twist for dry, orange twist for perfect and cherry for sweet. Stir for two minutes to make it icy cold.

Jan Van Ekeren & Kevin Sypolt

Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden is so good I drank the entire sample!

5 raspberries 2 sprigs of thyme 1 1/2 oz white rum 1 oz lychee juice 1/4 oz agave syrup 1/4 oz fresh lime juice

Start by muddling 4 raspberries, sprig of thyme, then add the rum, lychee juice, agave and lime juice. For a fun twist mix in a Mason jar, add ice, put on the lid and shake. Remove the lid, fill with crushed ice and add a raspberry through a thyme spring for garnish. Beautiful color and so refreshing!

Jan Van Ekeren & Kevin Sypolt

Margarita

In our cruise mixology class, we learned how to get the most juice out of a lime. Cut it in the middle between the two ends to open up the pulp. If you cut the lime stem to base you don't break the pulp open and you won't get as much juice. When you cut limes - make a margarita!

2 oz of tequila 1/2 oz orange liqueur, Cointreau or Grand Mariner 1/4 oz agave syrup 3/4 oz fresh lime juice Save 1/2 lime shell for later. Mix and shake well. Press 1/2 lime shell partially inside out with a lime squeezer and then fill the top of the inside out lime with a splash of tequila. Aren't you glad you saved the lime shell for the finale?

Jan Van Ekeren & Kevin Sypolt

Snowed Champagne Flutes

We arrived in Savannah from our Regent World Cruise just in time for your Welcome Party! So what better way than to share all our Mixology classes recipes and tips. ENJOY!

Champagne flutes Powdered sugar Mesh Strainer

Put your flutes in the fridge to chill the glasses and add moisture. When you take the flutes out of the fridge dust them OUTSIDE of the glass (top half or bottom, your choice) with powdered sugar through a mesh strainer. WOW - looks so elegant and perfect for your first anniversary!

Jan Van Ekeren & Kevin Sypolt

Limoncello

We started making limoncello after harvesting hundreds of lemons off our backyard tree. Over the years, we fine tuned it, and now it’s become an annual tradition even though we no longer own that tree.

10 lemons, washed and dried
1 750 ml bottle of Everclear or 100-proof vodka
2 cups of sugar

Use a zester to remove the peels from the lemons. Use only the yellow skin and avoid the white pith. Place the peels in a 1-qt bowl and cover with the vodka or everclear. Seal the bowl with a cover. Let the alcohol and peels infuse in a dark area for 2-3 weeks.

Strain the alcohol through a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a large bowl and throw away the peels. Boil 2 cups of sugar in 2 cups of water until dissolved and then pour this into the infused alcohol. Allow this mixture to sit for 24 hours and then pour into bottles. Store the bottles in the freezer. Enjoy!

Laura Sadowski