Happy Thirsty Thursday! GINSANITY CHAPTER X: You can never sparkle too much {Elderflower Citrus Sparkler}

Elderflower Sparkler

Happy New Year.  LOL.  I don't think I ever said that.  I am cautiously optimistic for 2013. 
Happy Thirsty Thursday... 1st one for the year.
Even though I'm on a diet for another 15 lbs [at least]I still enjoy my special cocktail treats.  This one was very special indeed, combining all of my favorite things and looking SOOOOOO pretty.

What is it? I called it an Elderflower Sparkler.  It was sweet & citrus-y with a hint of pine needles.... Florida at Christmas :)

WHAT YOU NEED:

3 slices/rounds each of orange, lemon & lime

1 & 1/2 ounce lemon OR Orange not so simple syrup

1 ounce gin

1 ounce St. Germaine

Ice

3 ounces Champagne {brut}

St~Germaine, Gin & Champagne
Can you go wrong?

WHAT YOU DO:

GENTLY Muddle 1 slice orange, lime and lemon with not so simple syrup in a shaker [do half of each flavor if you have them on hand!]. Add gin, St. Germaine and a little ice. Shake well and strain into glass.

Pack with ice and top with Champagne garnish with remaining fruit. Sip & Stir.  Repeat.

ENJOY [you are welcome]

Young Grasshopper's Top 5 in 2012!

Remember me?  I am alive. Things just got so crazy over the last couple months I had to make some tough prioritizing choices and alas blogging took the hit {which even David said was a bad thing as blogging really made me a happier person}.  I'm hoping the New Year will afford me more blogging time as the holidays end, the company departs and "normalcy" resumes. 

Reflecting on 2012 it was a rough one in Chez Webb.... I lost my Mom in January, My Great Aunt {107 years old!} in September and my Father-in-Law in October.  It was a lot of sadness not only for me but all I love.  My kids lost 2 grandparents.... my Dad, a wife, my husband, a Dad and my most awesome Mother-in-Law lost the love of her life.  The sadness was potentially all consuming.

It can be hard to notice the positives when there's a lot of sad but noteworthy in 2012 is that the kids continue to shine in every aspect of their youth, David & I were lucky enough to have the opportunity of the Kress Building fall into our laps, we are all healthy and have the best support system in our extended family and friends.  And yes, we have each other.

Good & Bad I'm so very excited to kick this year out the door and ring in a glorious new year.... HELLO 2013!  I'm starting if off by running from Miami to Key West with my BFF and our 9 Ragnar teammates and then relaxing with MaryAnn & David for a couple days in glorious Key West.  I vow to truly relax and I'm hoping I will return renewed and ready to kick some ass in 2013!

To end on a blogging note and since I've been so MIA
I thought I would close out the year with a
 Featured 5 celebrating my Top 5 posts of 2012....
I always love those radio count downs.... 
You won't be surprised to find they are all cocktails....

Cheers to you all.....
 

#5 the Classic Whisky Sour

 
 



#4.... The St~Germain Cocktail....



 



#3 was a guest post by the
fabulous Messy Baker!
who served up a
Grilled Peach Bourbon
Old Fashioned!



#2 The Dark & Stormy 



& drum roll please.......


#1 My Champagne Mojito

 Happy New Year Everyone!

Hope to see a lot more of you in 2013 ;)

Happy National Rum Day {What a Long Strange Trip It's Been}

There's naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion. Lord Byron

If you had offered me Rum two years ago, I would've declined.... I really was never a Rum drinker.  That was before my first Dragonberry Mojito, which is kind of where this whole PDA {Public Display of Alcoholism} began.... well, my Rum journey has definitely been an evolution and I thought I would share that trip with you for NATIONAL RUM DAY {I was pretty shocked to see what a long strange trip it's been}!



My first Rum Love
The Dragonberry Mojito



My First Creation
The Blue Mojito

Taking it South
The Keylime Mojito

It goes with coffee too
The Jamaican Latte

Give a man a fish;
you have fed him for today.
Teach a man to fish;
and you have fed him for a lifetime”
—Author unknown
I've had a similar Mojito experience....
The Elderflower Mojito

I am now creating the alcohol
The LIMONCELLO MOJITO

This was a crowning moment for sure
THE CHAMPAGNE MOJITO

Just when I thought I had peaked...
Mint Sugared Glass
Lemon-Lime Mojito

Changing it up....
The Dark & Stormy

Classic Rum.... Do you like
PINA COLADAS?

Am I off the Mojitos and on to Classics?
THE RASPBERRY DAIQUIRI



Nahhhh, I heart my Mojitos
this is where I leave this year's celebration....
THE MILLIONAIRE {ZACAPA} MOJITO

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR...

SAME TIME SAME PLACE! XXOO



A Drink & A Tripod, Life is good. {St~Germain Cocktail II}

St~Germain Cocktail II

There are so many things that bring me joy about this picture... of course the most obvious is that it's a cocktail and I drank this cocktail on Friday, which also made me giddy with joy... because I am so ready for the weekend, and it's a THREE DAY WEEKEND, can it get better?  


WOOT WOOT!


What else do I love?

• Cupcake Prosecco
• St~Germain
• Fresh Mint from Mr. Donald Kent's garden
• my new boards that Olga & Steve made for me

AND.... the sharpness that my tripod is gifting me.  OMG.  $30 and I feel like I moved ahead like 25 squares in the photography game of life.

Thank you Katherine Martinelli.  Katherine is an awesome food photographer & writer that I've followed for a while.  A month or so ago I came across an old blog she wrote called "7 Top Food Photography Tips" which I read and took to heart.  Tip #2.... GET A TRIPOD.  I operate on a delay so it took me a month but it arrived and WOW.

Now, I need to go and implement Tip#3 and so on.... I love the growth.

I love it so much that I think we should drink to that!

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:

a rocks glass packed with ice

4-5 ounces Prosecco

1 ounce St~Germain

a sprig or two of mint

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:

Fill ice packed glass with champagne, add mint and top with St~Germain.

You are welcome.

XXOO

p.s. I'd like to shout to Zested which inspired this cocktail, I didn't have cucumber so it's not really her drink {THIS time!}.... but she inspired it this time {this isn't my 1st St~Germain cocktail} and so I want to nod her way.... she has an awesome blog.

Featured 5

T.

G.

I.

F.

Anyone disagree?

I didn't think so...

Especially when you see what I've got ready for 

Friday's FEATURED 5!

Can you say OOEY GOOEY PEANUT BUTTER S'MORES BARS? Well, Kristina from Whipped sure can... YUM!

Kim Bee over at Cravings of a Lunatic was up to her elbows in yumminess making ice cream bites ... I'm only showing one but she made
Cocoa Pebbles Ice Cream rolled in Cocoa PebblesVanilla Ice Cream rolled in CoconutVanilla Ice Cream rolled in Pistachios

Get over there & check it out.

Did you see this? 

Well, I try not to play favorites among my favorites but this was the funniest post I saw this week.... and it ended like every joke EVERYTHING with a yummy dessert recipe. Go check out Kale at Tastes Good To Me and her Strawberry & Lemon Curd Pots.

Have you checked out Anurradha at Baker Street?
Well, you need to and if you needed a reason this is it... Cookies & Cream Pound Cake. Yup, you heard that right.

I just realized that ALL 5 of my picks this week were sweets. HOW ODD. I'm really much more of a savory girl... salty one might say. But it is what it is... look at what Anne at From My Sweet Heart made.... I can hardly type it. Biscoff White Chocolate Chip Blondies. 

MADNESS I SAY.

& My one for good luck? 

It isn't a new post but I just found it 

and I'm having one this weekend.... 

The Elderflower Champagne Cocktail posted by Zested 

...if you know me at all that choice 

requires no further explanation!

****ALL PHOTO CREDITS TO THE POST REFERENCED,

HUGE Thank you to all for letting me repost****

As usual I have a couple housekeeping matters :)

I'm very excited that I will be joining CJ at Food stories to be on a team of Judges for her new Food Stories Award.... I'm joined by some of my favorite bloggers in this honor: Jen - Juanita's Cocina, Kim - Treats & Trinkets, Jennie - The Messy Baker, Uru - Go Bake Yourself and of course CJ. Go check it out....

and of course don't forget May's GIVEAWAY is less than a week away from it's drawing.... enter to win your awesome 

Williams Sonoma Sea Salt collection 

& POSSIBLY a grilling rub collection too! 

WOOT WOOT!

THIRSTY THURSDAY {Fruit & Flowers Sparkler}

Meet my Thursday.... this is my daughter's Middle School Orchestra.  It was a field trip today.  I try not to miss because I know these days are coming to an end but this one was pretty hellish.  We had to be at the school at 7 a.m. so we could travel WITH the Chorus AND the Band to visit and perform at 4 Elementary Schools in the area.  Two school buses packed full, a U-haul full of instruments & music stands and about 80 kids all told in 90 degree heat.  Unloading, slepping, watching them perform, packing up, riding in the bus to the next school and then doing it all over {and over again}.  Don't get me wrong the kids were AWESOME.  Well mannered, helpful and performed incredibly but I'm an OLD WOMAN and I am whooped {and Rebecca forgot the flask!}.  

So, I'm THIRSTY.  But it's all good because it's Thirsty Thursday and I'm enjoying a lovely cool cocktail.  I'm calling it the Fruit & Flower Sparkler and it is YUMMY AND REFRESHING.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:

1 & 1/2 ounces St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
1 & 1/2 ounces pomegranate juice
4 fresh strawberries sliced
4-5 ounces Brut Champagne


HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:
Add everything but the Champagne in your processor {I used my Magic Bullet of course} and puree then add to glass, fill with ice and top with Champagne.


AHHHHH, it's Friday soon but this will hold you over :)


p.s. have you gotten a Magic Bullet yet?  You deserve one.... summers here.... frozen drinks in a snap ~

Ginsanity Chapter VI: Thursday Bloody Thursday or Fluer de Pom if you insist on a pretty name

LONGEST.  WEEK.  EVER. 

I know you've been dying for a new Gin concoction so I got busy.... and I wanted you to have today so you could stop at your booze emporium for anything you are missing ;)

WHATCHOOOO NEED:
St~Germain {what do u mean you haven't gotten yet?}
Gin {doesn't need to be Saphire but I'd go a step above well}
Pom {Pommegranate juice}
Lime juice or a couple limes to squeeze
a mint leaf to make a wish on.... I'm wishin' it was Friday ;)

WHAT YOU DO:  Fill your cocktail shaker with ice, add 1 part St~Germain, 1 part Gin, 2 parts Pom & 1 part lime juice.  SHAKE it like Richard Simmons was cheering you and then strain into your chilled Martini Class or just drink it from the shaker if you feel like I do.... is it Friday yet?

You knew this was coming..... {Elderflower Mojito}

Elderflower Mojito

I'm not going to lie, I've been thinking of this since I bought my St~Germain.  I just needed mint.... and apparently someone to get it for me.  Well, it all came together today.  Thanks Barbie for the mint and the Fluff for Kyra.  All is well.  Wish you coulda stayed for a maiden Mojito.... you'll have to come back.
So, here's what you need
1 1/2 oz. white rum {I used Bacardi}
1 oz St~Germain
1 oz Simple Syrup
8 mint leaves
4 lemon slices halved

Muddle to perfection
fill appropriate glass with ice
top with 2 oz club soda and.... you know, AHHHH

p.s.  I've finally remembered to put an order in with Farmer PopPop to grow mint.... I mean my mint bill annually is akin to a utility bill, we need to grow it  

Ginsanity Chapter IV ...will the madness never end? {Indian Summer Recipe}

So, we hit David's Club at the Omni last weekend where I had my first exposure to St~Germain and it was in combo with.... yup, GIN.  And as much as I enjoy this in a fancy glass, it WILL be fabulous in a plastic cup poolside this summer as well....


WHAT YOU NEED:
1 part Gin
1 Part St~Germain
2 Parts Limeaid
LOTS of ice


{multiply as needed to fill your red solo cup}

Think Paris 1947 {St. Germain Cocktail}

St~Germain Elderflower

I bought a bottle of St~Germain Elderflower Liqueur and I think WE are going to have a lot of fun experimenting.  St~Germain is a 40 Proof liqueur made from Elderflowers picked in the French Alps.... my particular elderflowers were picked in 2011 as indicated on a sticker on the bottle {that my blogger would not upload a picture of for some reason!!!}. Anyhow, at first sip I'd definitely say 2011 was a great year for elderflowers.  Elderflowers are white {not purple like my picture} but I didn't have time to go to the Alps prior to posting this blog I am so darn EXCITED to tell you about this.

As I begin my elderflower journey,  it made sense to start with their "signature" cocktail, The St~Germain Cocktail.

I AM IN LOVE.

Think of all things delicate and beautiful, then add ice and a slice of lemon. yup.  you are there.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

2 parts	Champagne {I used Prosecco}
1½ parts	St~Germain
2 parts	Club Soda

WHAT YOU DO:

Stir ingredients in a tall ice-filled Collins glass {I used a big wine glass}, mixing completely. Garnish with lemon.

Heaven.