Room 118 - Flowers for the Lady

Top Shelf specialties for the month of the Valentine

In a chilled martini glass, the English Rose Cocktail begins with a
1 ½ oz shot of Boodles gin in a shaker, followed by ¾ oz Bols apricot brandy and ¾ oz Cinzano dry vermouth. With a dash of Rose’s grenadine along with a dash of lemon juice, shake to cold. But before you strain, rim the glass with lemon juice and dip half the glass in sugar. Strain in and garnish with a cherry. Cheers!

Just over the border from here, enjoy a cool sip on a balmy day with the
Bird of Paradise. With many a tequila to choose from, ¾ oz of
Milagro Silver gets moving in a shaker with ice. Add on ¾ oz of Hiram Walker white creme de cacao and ¼ oz Di Saronno amaretto. Top with 1 ½ oz cream and rock in the shaker to desired temperature. Garnish with flower petals.

This various colored botanical has it all going for it. Dangerous Violets goes in a large highball filled with cubed or cracked ice. Shake & strain 1oz Lemon Hart rum, 1oz Tanqueray Ten, and 1oz of Marie Brizard Parfait Amour liqueur. Strain in glass and fill with cold lemonade. Garnish with a violet petal.

This next plant grows in a tall stemmed martini glass. Shake & strain 2 oz of
Suntory vodka, ½ oz Grand Marnier and a splash of orange juice. Strain in
and garn with a thin but full round slice of orange. Welcome the ice cold Sunflower to the party.

Lay back in this cabaret setting and get into the creamy Gardenia. Shake the following together and strain in a cold martini glass: 1oz Bombay Sapphire gin, 1oz Dole pineapple juice, 1oz cream, and a splash of Trader Vic’s grenadine. Strain in and garn with a small wedge of pineapple, a mint sprig, and a cherry.

The Peach Blossom Martini is a very tasty plant fruit concoction, starting off with 2 ½ oz Wyborowa peach vodka, ½ oz Dubonnet rouge, and ½ oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur. Stir chill all over some serious iceage in your shaker. Strain in and garnish with a slice of peach.

Finally, the champagne pours. This tropical scarlet schrub will go in a crystal flute. Strain in a chilled mix of 1 ¼ oz Shakers Rose vodka and ¾ oz Mountain Sun cranberry juice. Top off the glass with Taittinger champagne, and the Poinsettia is poured.

The fragrant and many petaled White Carnation is built in over ice in a highball glass, with 2 oz of 42 Below vodka, ½ oz Dekuyper peach schnapps, 2 oz orange juice, a partial fill of Canada Dry club soda, top with a splash of fresh cream, and an orange slice.

The Golden Orchid is a double-cordial drink for a cocktail glass, chilling in a shaker 1oz Compass Box scotch, 1oz Holland’s Advocaat eggnog liqueur, and ½ oz Rene Niel maraschino liqueur. Garnish with a matching flower petal.

Shake & strain this sweetheart of a cocktail in a double-shot glass. Over ice in
a shaker, rock together ¾ oz Grey Goose La Vanille vodka, ¾ oz Dekuyper dark creme de cacao, ½ oz Santa Cruz cherry juice and a splash of cream. Strain in and top with
a splash of Schweppes club soda. The Chocolate Valentine is served.

If you want to check out my cool Cocktail Art DVD's Summer Quenchers (2002) and The Entertainer (2004), go to Amazon.com - click-on "DVD" and type in the keyword
"Drinks". If you want to check out my cool CD Books Liquid Masters (2002/04) and The Hotel of Naughty Cocktails (2004), go to CDBaby.com and type in the titles.