Room 661 - Kiss and Do Tell

Welcome to the Liquid Kitchen in 2007! It was great taking a little time off, but it’s always great to be back with some new themed cocktail columns for this year. I worked about 18 private bar gigs in December, so I'm taking off some time in January.

A fruity and nutty drink, the Creamy Kiss can be a shake & strain up or have on-the-rocks. In a chilled cocktail glass or a rocks glass, prepare with ½ oz each of following ingredients: amaretto di Amore, Dekuyper peach schnapps, Carolan’s Irish cream, and cream. Garnish with a slice of peach.

This woo woo shaped recipe is a shake & strain drink that goes up in a chilled martini glass. Tantric Kiss gets 1½ oz Absolut vodka, ¾ oz Hiram Walker peach schnapps, 1½ oz of
Ocean Spray cranberry juice, and 1½ oz of Dole pineapple juice. Sprinkle with a little crushed ice over the top and garnish with an attractive flower petal.

A cocktail in the classic style, Sonny Gets Kissed goes in a chilled cocktail glass and is a shake & strain drink, getting 1½ oz Bacardi white rum, ½ oz Bols apricot brandy, ¼ oz each of Real lime and Real lemon juice, and a pinch of natural milled sugar. No garnish – no problem.

In a tumbler glass, shake & strained and poured over ice,
Kiss and Tell starts with 1oz Rain vodka, ½ oz Galliano, ¼ oz Gallo dry vermouth, 1 teaspoon of Arrow blue curacao, 2oz of Tropicana orange juice, and 1oz of Kern’s passionfuit juice/nectar. Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry.

An interesting early to mid afternoon drink with an egg twist, Jump Up and Kiss Me also has a neopolitan flair similar to the one above. A shake & strainer over ice in a collins glass, it gets 1oz Sea Wynde rum, ½ oz Galliano, ½ oz Marie Brizard’s Apry apricot liqueur, 1oz of egg white, and a dash of Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy’s gourmet sweet & sour mix. Strain in, and top fill with splashes of orange and pineapple juices.

For everyone who will be celebrating St. Patrick’s day in a nearby pub, the Irish Kiss and a glass of fine brew from the tap may be a good start to the festivities. Poured straight over in a shot glass, the drink gets 1oz Irish Mist and a few drops of Gaetano green creme de menthe.

Dating back to 1895, the Widow’s Kiss is a cocktail with plenty of exploration on the palate. Shake & strained in a chilled cocktail glass, pour in 1oz Calvados apple brandy, ½ oz yellow Chartreuse, ½ oz Benedictine, and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters of Fee Bros. old fashioned bitters. No garnish necessary.

This drink definetly fits one of my jazz cd’s I just had on by Cassandra Wilson, with her cool and caressing musical arrangements. The Soul Kiss Cocktail is a shake & strain that goes up in a chilled martini glass, with 1oz Maker’s Mark bourbon, 1oz Tosti dry vermouth, ½ oz Dubonnet rouge, and ½ oz of fresh orange juice. No garnish.

A lounging highball drink that goes in a highball glass over cubed or cracked ice. Kiss Me Quick begins with 2 oz Finlandia cranberry vodka, 1oz Apfelkorn, partial fill to desired amount with cold Canada Dry ginger ale, and top fill with cold Martinelli’s apple juice. The garnish is your choice!

Well, this is one way of adding blood to your diet! Vampire’s Kiss is a build-over-ice drink in a tall glass, cubed or cracked. Start with 1½ oz Ketel One vodka, ½ oz Beefeater’s gin, ½ oz Martini & Rossi dry vermouth, ¼ oz Don Julio anejo tequila, a pinch of sea salt, 3oz or fill with fresh tomato juice. Add pepper and spices to taste. Garnish with a small chunk of medium-cooked burger, steak, filet or tri-tip. Your hunger, your choice!

Till next week, kb