Drink of the Month: Tropical Red Sangria

I love Sangria!  Not the nasty stuff you find in a plastic bottled labeled, "Sangria," but real hand-made Sangria prepared with a good bottle of wine.  

White Sangria has always been my Sangria of choice.  I like Red Sangria, but I always found it to have a weird flavor that I just wasn't a fan of.  I finally realized what the flavor was, it's Brandy.  It seems like most Red Wine Sangrias call for Brandy, and I do not like the stuff.  So I set-out to make one that didn't involve Brandy.
  
It took a couple years, and a few failed attempts that went down the drain, but I finally concocted the perfect Red Wine Sangria for me.  

Most Sangrias are comprised of four main ingredients: wine, liquor, sugar, and fruit.  
*Wine is the easy one, I prefer a dry-spanish wine in Sangria, but most any red wine will work.  
*For the liquor component I used spiced rum instead of brandy.  
*The sugar was no sugar at all, it was Simply Tropical by Simply.
*The fruit was slices of orange and lime (because it's what I had on hand at the time).

Finally, a Red Sangria that I can drink all Summer long.  

Drink of the Month: Champagne Cocktail

As much as I love brunch we don't make it at home; it's typical scrambled eggs for breakfast daily around here.  I decided to try to elevate our egg breakfast at Valentine's Day by making a brunch beverage...The Champagne Cocktail.  

A Champagne Cocktail is one of those things that isn't a set recipe.  There are dozens of ways to make a Champagne Cocktail, there is just one rule, it must have Champagne.  

Step 1: Find the right Champagne.  I went with a Cava, much more affordable than champagne, and easy to find.  (I personally like a drier Champagne, not a sweet one).  

Step 2: Add a splash of juice.  I like grapefruit juice because it adds a nice tartness and pucker without the sweetness.  But, you can use any juice you like.  

Step 3: Add a raw sugar cube to the bottom of the glass.  If you like your cocktail sweeter, you can stir it until is dissolves.  If you are like me and prefer just a hint of sweetness, you can leave it on the bottom and let it dissolve just slightly.  

Step 4: Top with a little more Champagne and a cute garnish.

Cheers! 

Drink of the Month : Drunken Mallow-Nog

Once upon a time I did 'Drink of the Week.'  But, then I got pregnant and had a cute little baby boy.  Therefore, 'Drink of the Week' is now 'Drink of the Month.'

Oh Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year.  I love everything about Christmas; the lights, the music, the movies, and of course the drinks.  

We are an eggnog house from the time Thanksgiving rolls around until after the New Year.  Sometimes we make homemade egg nog, but most of the time we buy good old grocery store nog.  It's great as it right out of the fridge, but it doesn't hurt to spike it every once in a while.  Afterall, 'tis the season.  

Spiking eggnog is as simple as adding a shot of rum, whiskey, or bourbon.  But why not spice things-up a little bit to make it seem more merry?

Start with a simple combination of your nog and booze of choice. I myself prefer very little alcohol in my nog because a little goes a long way; to each his own.  

Most people stop there, but if you want to turn your simple drink into a beautiful one for guests, light it on fire....seriously!

Add a few marshmallows atop the nog (I used large mallows, but I think small would be better).  Then grab your tiny kitchen torch and light it up.  As you can see my mallows were a little too crisp, but it made for a great photo.  

Once you get your mallows to the perfect melty goodness, grate some fresh nutmeg over the top and sprinkle with silver sugar.  

That's it!  You turn a simple boozy eggnog into a pretty cocktail on Christmas morning.  If you want to make it even fancier, put it in a 'Christmas Vacation' Moose Mug. Ha! 

 Merry Christmas Ya'll!

The Collective Brewing Project: Your Craft Beer Hangout

I have been awaiting this post for a very long time now.  Aside from having a baby on the way, the husband and myself have been quite preoccupied the past few years with The Collective Brewing Project.  

Back in 2012 the hubs, Ryan, and one of our best friends, Mike, decided to open a brewery.  Three years later that idea is a reality; a brewery and taproom in the Near Southside district of Fort Worth known as The Collective Brewing Project. 

It was a long process to go from an idea to an actual working facility, but we have officially been open over six months now and business is booming.  

The Building

We didn't want just another warehouse brewery like most Texas breweries are; we wanted a unique space that was comfortable year-round (thank you air conditioning) with a fun vibe.   Being a taproom in addition to a brewery we needed a space that was inviting, a place that you could bring the family to and enjoy a cold beer at.    

After nearly a year of looking for the perfect space we found it in the Near Southside District of Fort Worth, just a few blocks South of downtown and North of Magnolia.  The building was built in the 1920's, which we loved, and has a history of being a paper mill, a church, a tannery, and more.  

The space had been sitting empty for a few decades so it was a mess when we found it.  We spent the long hot summer of 2014 renovating the space by ourselves, which was not easy.  We destroyed, built, and re-modeled the 4,700 square foot building. 

The bar was meticulously built from the ground-up using a combination of steel, metal, and old ship-lap, that we re-purposed from a closet within the building.  The exposed brick walls were cleaned-up and all the old broken windows were replaced.  

As you enter the building you find yourself in the taproom; bar to the left and plenty of seating ranging from handmade high top tables to stained picnic tables.  Edison bulbs hang from industrial cords wrapped around wooden beams, the taproom wall is covered in a selection of beers handwritten on chalkboards, and string lights lace in and out of the exposed ceiling beams and air ducts.  

As you walk past the taproom you are greeted by the brew-house, where the magic happens.  The walls are lined in beautiful stainless steel tanks and dozens of re-purposed barrels, housing fermenting beer (Please Don't Touch Our Bungholes).  Complete with a puppy friendly patio out back, it is the perfect taproom/brewery for the neighborhood.

The Beer

The reason to have a brewery in the first place...the beer.  My husband Ryan, the head brewer, makes some of the best beer I have ever had.  No, I am not saying that because I am biased, I truly believe it.  His beer is damn good!  

We have three 'beer concepts' at The CBP, Standard Pours, Taproom Projects, and a Funkytown Series.  

The Standard Pours are our everyday beers that started us off.  We most always have our Mustache Rye'd Rye Porter, Tropic Thunder Green Tea Saison, and Pale Galaxy Session IPA.  Other Standard Pours at times have been our Apes in Space Apricot IPA and Fantastikolsch.  

As we move into the Taproom Projects we get a little bit more creative and selective.  These are our experimental beers that are brewed for a one-time limited edition release, or brewed multiple times because of overwhelming demand.  Our Brown IPA has made its way onto the projects board more than once.  We have also offered beers such as the Citra Citrus Elderflower Wheat, Mr. Green Pale Ale, and What's the Angle of Your Galangal?  Thai Spiced Wit.  

The Funkytown Series is what we have made our mark on the town with.  Making a name for Sour beer in the DFW Metroplex, the Funkytown Series is all about wild yeast, brettanomoyces, and barrel fermentation.   Our Petite Golden Sour is our most popular beer; both at the taproom and in local beer watering holes around DFW.  Our most recent 'baby' is our Sour Red aged in Cabernet Barrels, as well as our Farmhouse Belma Brett Saison Dry-Hopped with Belma.  These beers are very limited and AMAZING. 

Ryan and Mike (with a little bit of me) have been friends for over twenty years and share a love for craft beer.  What they have created in the heart of Fort Worth is a craft beer experience like no other.  They have put their blood, sweat, and tears into The Collective Brewing Project, and it does not go unnoticed the second you take a step into the taproom or a cold CBP beer touches your lips.  

With the help of Ben, our cellarman, as well as an amazing taproom staff of friends, The Collective Brewing Project is a brewery that will long indulge craft beer lovers. 

Come out to the taproom for a few beers with friends or family, or even by yourself, and enjoy the atmosphere.  Whether you want to sit at the bar and strike-up a conversation with the bartenders about our Crowler machine, play a round of giant jenga with your best friend, or sit on the patio with a few half pints and a bag of kettle chips, The CBP is a great hangout.  

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Follow The CBP on facebook, twitter, and instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest events including:

Trivia Night

Yoga & Beer

Live Music and Food Trucks

Festivals

Bikes- Beer- Donuts- Coffee

#funkytownbeer 

Drink of the Week #13: Green Moss

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day I give you a delicious green drink.  No, it's not green beer, or a margarita, or even a mojito, it's a healthy breakfast smoothie. 

The hubs and I enjoy a little bit of moss every morning for breakfast.  A refreshing blend of fruit, green vegetables, almond milk, and some heart-healthy seeds is a way to start the day feeling great.

The base for Green Moss is Spinach; we tried Kale a few times but it yields a grittier-vegetable character that we aren't a fan of in our moss.  The addition of banana gives the moss a creamy character while the peaches, my favorite ingredient, give a vibrant acidity and fill-out the moss.  Any fruit can be used of course, but after trying different variations of berries, pineapple, and more, peaches win everytime.  

To add a boost of health to the moss we add flax seeds and chia seeds.  Not only do the seeds add protein, fiber, and omega-3s to the drink, but they are also heart-healthy (just make sure you have a quality blender or the seeds won't breakdown).  

The last component is some liquid.  You could simply use water, but water takes away flavor, so we add almond milk and fresh-squeezed 100% orange juice.  Any milk works, soy and cashew also add a great flavor component. 

 A quick, easy, deliciously healthy green breakfast, or even afternoon pick-me-up.  Green Moss is my favorite green beverage hands-down. 

Drink of the Week #10: Sweet Heat Rita

Summer is margarita season.  More than any other season, I find myself wanting to sip on an ice cold tequila rita in the summer.  I don't typically make ritas at home, because every time I have tried to create a simple rita on the rocks it turns out terrible, but I had inspiration for this one.  

With the plethora of fresh market peaches everywhere right now, I figured now is as good of a time as any to create a rita, a peach rita that is.  Of course, peaches can be very sweet and overpowering so it needed to be paired with another bold flavor to balance it out...jalapenos!

The Sweet Heat Rita is the perfect balance of sweetness and spiciness with a kick of tequila flavor.  The great thing about the spice is you get to decide how spicy you want yours to be.  Slices of fresh jalapenos simmer at low with a bit of honey and water, to create a healthier simple syrup with an infusion of spicy jalapeno flavor.  The more jalapeno in the liquid, and the longer it simmers, the hotter the syrup.  

Being a combination of spicy and sweet I found the addition of salt to add a nice layer to the concoction.  So often the salted rim is too much salt, or too little.  Adding the salt to the drink itself instead of using it as a garnish was a great idea, guaranteed to be in every sip.  

Drink of the Week #9: The Spiked Pineapple

 I have only visited the pool a handful of times this year, but the last time I was there I knew that I wanted to make a frozen concoction to sip-on while floating around.   My mind automatically went to tropical, so I bought a pineapple.  

The great thing about using pineapple for a cocktail, beside the sweetness and it's ability to play well with most liquors, is that it is very juicy.  So juicy that when tossed in a blender alone releases a ton of liquid juice and not a lot of pulp/fruit mush.  

I wanted to create something simple, with few ingredients, and with no added sugar.  After chopping and blending the pineapple I added the gin and just a touch of 100% pineapple juice.  To make the cocktail more well rounded I added a banana and it was done.  

Blended with ice to turn the cocktail into a smoothie of sorts, it was ready to consume.  Split between three only yielded a drink per person; I loved it so much I was wishing I had a second pineapple to make another batch.  

Drink of the Week #8: Plantation

 I love basil and I am using it with everything right now...

salad dressing...pasta...cocktail? 

I have a beautiful basil plant that took off the past few months and is providing lovely large leaves.  I've known for a while that I was going to make one of my favorite cocktails with my favorite herb, and I finally did.

The base of the cocktail, which contributes to the flavor-bomb, are basil leaves muddled into submission with sugar and lime juice.  It basically turns into a sweetened pesto.  Combining a healthy dose of grapefruit juice with the basil accentuates the herbal flavor and mellows it out.  Of course you have to add the booze- gin and a small amount of orange liqueur.  

The Plantation is a fabulous summer sipper for front-porch swings and evenings by the pool.  

Drink of the Week #7: Coffee Cubes

 A few years ago, while enjoying breakfast at Brewed in Fort Worth, I came across a coffee drink on the menu that I had never seen before, Coffee Cubes with Milk.  For starters, I am not a milk drinker, but I do enjoy Almond Milk and Soy Milk.  I decided to order the drink, which they have in limited supply, with Soy Milk.  It was delicious...I was hooked...I made it at home.  

Coffee Cubes are by far the easiest drink to make, and it is perfect for those mornings where you realize you have no more coffee in the house, you are running late getting out of the door, or you need an afternoon pick-me-up.  

I like to use leftover coffee I have in the pot, instead of brewing a new pot.  I purchased a cheap ice cube tray and filled-it with leftover coffee, then simply stuck it in the freezer.  The next day the coffee was perfectly frozen into cubes, and they were very easy to remove from the mold.  

With a milk of your choice poured over the cubes, I tried a new flavor, Almond Coconut Almond Breeze.  I typically buy regular non-sweetened Almond Breeze, but the addition of Coconut Milk intrigued me; especially with the health benefits of each.  The milk was great, the Coconut flavor was more prominent than the Almond flavor, but added such a tasty tropical component.  

My favorite thing about the coffee cubes is that they last for hours, because the cubes melt as time goes by; and the drink becomes stronger.  I personally like more coffee cubes and less milk so I have more of a coffee flavor, but be careful, too many coffee cubes and it might as well be espresso with milk.  

Drink of the Week #5: Watermelon Popmosa

Popmosa: a cocktail in which a Popsicle is submerged into a glass of champagne. 

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Have you noticed that homemade Popsicles are everywhere right now?  It makes sense, it's summer, it's hot, and a Popsicle is the perfect cool down sweet treat.  The problem is that Popsicles are crammed full of sugar and calories.  However, when you make the Popsicles, you control what goes into it.

When I decided I was going to make my own Popsicles at home I knew I wanted it to be alcohol infused for my Drink of the Week.  I used a cheap mold, created a cocktail, and froze it.  

Big disappointment!  

For starters, because of the cheapness of the mold, I couldn't get the Popsicles out of the mold no matter what I did--- then they melted.  

Basically I tossed aside my cheap Popsicle maker and got lucky with this fabulous one from World Market for only $9. 

I still really wanted to make a Drink of the Week in Popsicle form, especially being the Fourth of July, so I did.  

I turned my Popsicles into this weeks Drink of the Week, The Watermelon Popmosa.   

Drink of the Week #3: Rye's Up

Being Father's Day it makes perfect sense to make a man's cocktail.  And what's more manly than whiskey? 

In the late 1800's, the beginning of the American cocktail, whiskey was consumed from morning until night for hard-working men, it has since evolved into an easy sipper for anybody, adding a bit of sophistication and class. 

Rye Whiskey, not quite as intense as straight whiskey, softens a cocktail instead of adding the mouth twitch at the end of each sip.  For my Father's Day cocktail I used Bulleit Rye Frontier Whiskey, which has notes of vanilla, honey, and spice.   The rye paired with St. Germain added an unparalleled sweetness with a citrus backbone.  Being sweeter than most whiskey drinks, it's good for the Father's Day brunch or even the after dinner drink. 

 Rye's Up

• 2oz Bulleit Rye Whiskey
• 1oz Sweet Vermouth
• 1/2 oz St. Germain (Elderflower Liqueur)
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
• 1 dash Peychauds Bitters 

1. Carefully measure all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and STIR.
2. Pour over an ice ball into a cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with a lemon twist.  
4. Cheers!

For all of those hard working daddies out there, Happy Father's Day. 

Drink of the Week #2: Tropical Jam Smash

When I think of summer cocktails I think of sitting on a beach, bare feet in the sand, with a tropical cocktail (umbrella included) in my hand.  Unfortunately, we have no beaches where I live; but at the very least I can 'pretend' I am at the beach by bringing the flavors of paradise into my home.  

I really do love tropical rum drinks but I steer clear of them because of the calorie and sugar content.  Wanting desperately to bring a little bit of vacation into my life I decided to challenge myself to create a lower calorie rum drink---and I did just that.

The base flavor of the drink was the easy part, I chose a seasonal berry that was on sale, blackberries, and muddled them with fresh mint from my backyard, plus a lime.  Of course adding silver rum came next, but what other liquid could I use to add flavor- a bit of tropical- and not a lot of calories?  I would not think of Pineapple Juice right off the bat, but it sounded so dang delicious.  So, I went on a scavenger hunt for 100% juice, no artificial additives, no added sugar, Pineapple Juice.  I finally succeeded at Sprouts in the organic juice aisle.  Perfect!  

Tropical Jam Smash

• 10(ish) fresh blackberries
• 5(ish) fresh mint leaves
• 1 whole lime, juiced
• Quality, Silver Rum
• Organic 100% Juice Pineapple Juice 
• Beverage Umbrella, Not Included 

1. In a large Boston Shaker muddle the blackberries with the mint and lime juice until all the berries are successfully smashed.  
2. Add 2oz of Rum and 4oz of Pineapple Juice.  Shake.
3. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all the seeds and pulp from the blackberries (they get stuck in your teeth if you leave them in the drink).
4. Return the mixture to the Boston Shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake.
5. Strain into an ice-filled mason jar (because you made jam....get it?).
6. Top with a spritz of soda water (for a bit of bubbly) and garnish.

Careful, this Tropical Jam Smash is sneaky.  It is so tasty and refreshing that you drink it rather fast, then you realize you want another one, but then the rum starts to kick-in...

Cheers!

Drink of the Week #1: Strawberry Grapefruit Sangria

Welcome to the first post in the Drink of the Week, the weekly blog series where I feature a tasty beverage to wet your whistle.  

As warm weather and sunshine sneaks into summer, I find myself sitting on a patio more and more often.  Whether it's a Friday evening at dinner with friends, the drive-in movie theater, or just our backyard, sitting outdoors calls my name.  Here in Texas we have a limited window when the weather is warm enough to sit outside without being too hot.  

I don't know about you, but when it's hot outside the last thing I want to consume is something that makes me feel yuck.  Beer sounds refreshing, but often makes me feel bloated.  Wine doesn't bloat, but it does make me want to fall asleep in the warm heat of the sun.  Also, a boozy cocktail is boozier than I want to sip on.  Therefore my go to outdoorsy beverage is Sangria. 

My favorite Sangria is any made with Sauvignon Blanc.  For a relaxing poolside ribs BBQ I went with the citrus notes of Grapefruit, Strawberry, and Lemon.  Crisp and refreshing, the perfect patio sipper.  

What is your favorite summer patio beverage?