Don’t let the winter chills stop you from putting a little spirit this season! Using a complex-character spirit like Moon Mountain Vodka with quality ingredients will liven up any winter cocktail party. Moon Mountain is crafted from fine organic grain and purified water to arrive at a high standard of vodka; giving this vodka a smooth finish and a unique taste. Yes, vodka with taste! I made the Copper Moon and Envy cocktails for Moon Mountain Vodka, which I hope you will enjoy at your next cocktail party!

Shake up some fun!  -Kathy

Copper Moon
Housemade Spiked Cherries make for a lively garnish for this spirit forward cocktail.
Makes 1 cocktail

2 oz Moon Mountain Vodka
1/2 oz sweet red vermouth
1/4 – 1/2 oz Amaretto
dash of bitters (optional)
Garnish: 3 Spiked Cherries (recipe follows) on a pick.

Measure the Moon Mountain Vodka, red vermouth and Amaretto into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Stir with a bar spoon until chilled.  Strain cocktail into a martini glass. Garnish with Spirited Cherries on a pick.

Spiked Cherries
Makes 1 cup

1/2 cup dried sweet pitted cherries
1/4 cup sweet red vermouth
1/4 cup Moon Mountain Vodka
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot water

Put cherries, vermouth, Moon Mountain Vodka, and sugar in a small bowl. Pour the hot water over the cherries and stir well. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours before using. Store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 months.

Recipe Created for Moon Mountain Vodka by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen™

Envy
This is a great base recipe to get creative with. When in season try muddling in a few chunks of honeydew melon and add a 1/2 oz float of Reposado tequila.
Makes 1 cocktail

2 large sprigs fresh cilantro
1 1/2 oz Moon Mountain Vodka
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz agave nectar or 3/4 oz simple syrup
1 dash green Tabasco
Garnish: lime wedge and a small sprig of cilantro

Tear and drop the cilantro into a cocktail shaker. Measure in the Moon Mountain Vodka, lime juice, agave nectar and green Tabasco. Fill with ice. Cap and shake vigorously. Strain cocktail over fresh ice into a Collins glass or serve strained and up. Garnish with a lime wedge and cilantro.

Recipe Created for Moon Mountain Vodka by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen™

Well-known cocktail expert and writer Gary Regan has named my Bollywood cocktail as one of his 101 Best New Cocktails! This honor will be featured his Gary’s Annual Manual for Bartenders: 2011! Super exciting!

Read more about it, here.

It’s time to ring in the New Year! This year was filled with lots of foodie and libacious adventures, but now it’s time to ring in 2011 with all the added fun.

This week on Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen, I twist the traditional recipe of a French 75 cocktail into the Citrus 75! I add in citrus elements by using a Cuties Clementine and homemade limoncello and round out the flavor with honey syrup.

Here’s to having a faboo and safe New Year’s! – Kathy

If you love margaritas, then you’ll have to try out my Black & Blue Margarita! I shook this cocktail up on my web show Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen. My show is airs weekly where I show everyone how to make great cocktails and pair them with yummy appetizers. For this margarita, I make it special by pouring the cocktail into a blue coral salt rim, top it with a  faboo Grand Marnier Foam, and then add a pinch of black lava salt to the foam. Crazy d’lish and super fun to make!

Here’s the episode:

Here’s to shaking up some fun! – Kathy Casey

I’m so excited to be part of the new show lineup of top mixologists and chefs on  Small Screen Network!!  My cocktail show, “Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen™,” mixes my experience behind the bar and as a chef into a creative journey through great drinks inspired by the kitchen.

“We’re thrilled to have Kathy’s dynamic personality and depth of experience as part of Small Screen Network’s programming,” said Colin Kimball, chief executive officer and founder of Small Screen Network. “Dale DeGroff called her the original bar chef, and in her show it’s evident why: she imparts wildly creative ideas, deconstructs the process, and leaves the viewer craving more.”

Look for my first three weekly episodes in October, covering my specialty cocktails including the “Modern Martini with Black & White Olive Poppers (recipe follows),” Oct, 14; the “Honey Hum Collins,” Oct. 19; and the “Black & Blue Cadillac Margarita,” Oct. 26…. very cool for Halloween!!

Also if you love cheese check out Cheese Rules with Barrie Lynn the “Cheese Impresario” and many more inspiring shows on the Small Screen Network.

I hope you will tune in often to see what I will be mixing up next.

And don’t forget to pick up a copy of Sips & Apps for other d’lish cocktail and appetizer recipes!

Shake up some fun!! – Kathy Casey

Modern Martini
Traditionally drinks with all spirits are stirred – but I like my martini’s really cold and shaken really well!

Makes 1 drink

wash of dry vermouth
3 oz gin or vodka
Garnish: lemon zest twist or olive

Fill a small martini glass with ice and a splash of water to chill. Set aside.

Meanwhile, roll the vermouth around in a mixing glass, then shake out any excess. Fill with ice. Measure in the gin or vodka. Cap and shake—at least 15 times—until very cold.

Empty the ice from the martini glass. Strain the drink into the glass. Garnish as desired.

Recipe © 2010 Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen™

B&W  Olive Cheese Poppers
For a cocktail party I like to serve these in large martini glasses.

Makes 20 to 25 poppers

1 cup (4 ounces) finely grated, sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/2 cup flour
dash cayenne
20 to 25 medium-large pimento-stuffed olives, drained
1/3 cup mixed white and black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Beat the cheese and butter together, in a mixer or food processor, until smooth. Stir in the flour and cayenne. Mix until dough is smooth. (If crumbly mix in 1 teaspoon of water.) Shape 1 heaping teaspoon of dough around each olive, covering it well and shaping the dough into a ball. Place sesame seeds in a small bowl. Roll each ball in the sesame seeds and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Chef’s Tips:

• You can make the dough for poppers and refrigerate it for up to 1 week, or freeze it for up to 1 month.
• There is definitely a trick to wrapping these easily—but practice makes perfect. The olives can be wrapped in dough and tossed in sesame seeds up to 8 hours before baking, but not more.

Copyright © 2010 Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen™

In the 1964 comedy Dr. Strangelove, Peter Sellers’s titular character is incredulous after learning about a secret “doomsday machine” built by the Soviet Union as a deterrent to nuclear war with the United States. “The whole point of the doomsday machine,” he posits, “is lost if you keep it a secret!”

The basic idea is analogous to the real world of branded F&B programs: If the customer doesn’t know about it, how can it be successful?

Fairmont appears to have the answer. Their training and execution-focused FAME cocktail program has helped increase liquor sales and elevate customer feedback across each of the 37 properties where FAME is in place. Now in its fourth year, it has outlasted many other visible, front-of-the-house F&B rollouts throughout the industry.

Continue reading this article at Hotel F&B Magazine!

Well, it’s been a super, crazy, busy summer here at Kathy Casey Food Studios®-Liquid Kitchen™. I’ve been filming, traveling, and shaking up a storm the past few months. If you want to stay updated with all kinds of super-tasty tidbits of what’s been going on, be sure to follow me on Twitter and check out my blog.

Food Network Canada — yea! I’m their new “Ask an Expert” mixologist!

I am so honored to be working with Food Network—so click, and ask away everything you wanted to know about crafting a great cocktail, throwing a libacious party or what the newest imbibing trend is. Click here to check it out!

The Liquid Kitchen™ has been shaking up some new products …

At our online store we have our logo’d Boston shaker tin sets and our house-made Golden Era bitters as well as our Liquid Kitchen Cocktail Kit with all the barware basics. Look forward to other tasty cocktail concoctions soon, too, such as unique handmade marmalades and preserves—that will be excellent to shake into your favorite spirit—as well as our Liquid Kitchen No. 5130 backyard honey from our very own bee hives!

Speaking of honey … we are all abuzz about the very first batch of No. 5130 Honey
The end of July had things buzzing here at the Food Studios — it was time for the 1^st honey harvest from our hive! Bee Master Corky Luster spun the first batch, and is it d’lish! With a dark amber hue, our honey is rich and complex tasting. Honey is a great sweetener and can be used in a plethora of recipes. I love it drizzled over sexy cheeses, lush summer fruits or in cocktails such as my newest fav — the Maker’s Honey Hum Collins (recipe follows). This cocktail combines the new Maker’s Mark 46, honey syrup, fresh lemon and HUM liqueur made by my friend and extraordinary mixologist Adam Seger.

Above is a finished comb filled with honey that has been capped with wax
It’s on the way to become Liquid Kitchen™ #5130 Honey!

Maker’s Honey Hum Collins
featuring Liquid Kitchen™ No. 5130 Honey

Makes 1 drink

1 1/2 oz Maker’s Mark 46
1/4 oz Hum Botanical Spirit*
3/4 oz Liquid Kitchen Honey Syrup (recipe follows)
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz soda
Garnish: hibiscus flower and honey comb on a pick

Measure Maker’s Mark 46, Hum, honey syrup and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, cap and shake. Add splash of soda to the shaker and pour into a tall Collins glass. Add additional ice if needed.
Garnish.

To make Liquid Kitchen™ Honey Syrup: Measure 1 part HOT water and 1 part Liquid Kitchen™ No. 5130 honey into a container. Stir until honey is completely dissolved. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

*Check out the HUM site for stores that carry it, or visit Drinks over Dearborn to order online if your state allows.

Recipe © 2010 by Kathy Casey Food Studios® – Liquid Kitchen™

Pur’ly Refreshing Cockails

Most recently I have been working with Purity Vodka, a complex character vodka. Unlike many neutral-tasting vodkas, Purity has a subtle, yet complex taste, which is best when embraced and highlighted rather than masked by overly sweet ingredients and powerful flavors. These cocktails are not only refreshing to sip this summer, but are also ideal when “watching your waistline.” Check out my blog on Amazon’s Al Dente site for the full read and the recipes.

Purity Vodka’s Berry Purity H₂O and the Frisk

Libatious Tales from The Big Easy
In July, my Executive Chef Cameo, my Account Manager Jill and I kicked off our “summer conference frenzy” with a trip to New Orleans for the annual Tales of the Cocktail. The attendees of this conference are what I endearingly refer to as the cocktail “geeks” (which I humbly place myself among), who are super into the Art of Mixology.

Cameo and my seminar Creativity and the Power of Brainstorming was picked for the Pro “line-up” which was so much fun! A portion of the presentation was hands on: each table of attendees had to create a cocktail in 5 minutes using a unique bar tool and whatever they could grab in 1 minute from a “pantry” of ingredients. (There were 80 people doing this at once! Can you say crazy!!) I’ll have to say we were pretty impressed with what the teams came up with in such a short period of time. The winning drink was called “Morris Day and the Thyme” and was a tasty blend of cucumber, Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine, gin, lime and a touch of simple syrup.

Attendees choosing from the “pantry” of ingredients.

Ms. Franky, Cameo, and I with the hard task of picking a winner!

After the seminar was over, we had time to enjoy the rest of the conference! I participated in the Cointreau Tasting Room & Bar Star Mix-Off where I was a “mentor” for a mixologist. The rest of our time in the Big Easy was split between eating and drinking, more seminars, parties and avoiding the heat! We hit all our favorite restaurants: Lunch at Napoleon House, famous for their Muffaletta and Pimm’s Cup; Cochon Restaurant for Pork Ribs with Watermelon Pickles; and Mother’s Restaurant for Grits with Debris.

If you missed Tales and want to shake up some of this year’s cocktails, check out the Tales of the Cocktail eBook — it is available online. This is a great deal for just 10 bucks (my recipe entry for the Planter’s Punch contest is also included along with our other seminar recipes). For more information, click here.

To read more, check out Cameo and my blog on Amazon’s Al Dente.

Then it was on to California for the 2010 Flavor Conference

After only a few days back in Seattle, Cameo and I were re-packed and ready to head to sunny Newport Beach, California, for the annual Flavor Conference. While we never see much more than the inside of a kitchen and the back side of a banquet table, it’s a great event that brings together restaurant, hotel, cruise line, resort, and food and liquor industry professionals from all over the US. It’s a three-day eat-and-drink-a-thon showcasing popular food trends, flavors and new products.

We were in attendance with our friends at Monin, shaking up some cocktails and appetizers we adapted from my book, Sips and Apps. At the welcome reception I signed copies of my book and Cameo served up Blue Thai Mojitos, 1800 Spiced Margaritas with a Mango Ginger Grilled Shrimp Garnish, and a delicious Clover Club with raspberry foam.

From left to right, Blue Thai Mojito, Clover Club with raspberry foam and 1800 Margarita

I headed back to Seattle the next day for a Seattle Sip Around (read more below) while Cameo held down the fort for the second night at Flavor for the “Chef’s Showcase.” Cameo was on hand poolside to serve up some sweet and spicy ceviche to a crowd of hungry conference-goers. This time we paired shrimp with pineapple and mango with a hint of chipotle, and a fresh halibut ceviche with hints of habanero, lime and orange. We added a fun twist to the margarita by offering a trio of foams and a sprinkling of black lava salt. Along with the beautiful and delicious sangria that Monin served, we were quite a hit at the sunset pool party!

Now we’re home and the dust has settled, we can relax for a minute or two before the next big thing … BlogHer Food 2010. Stay tuned for more info.

Things are Jammin’ at the Studios
Right now it’s Jam Time! It’s that time of year again when summer fruits are in abundance (despite this crazy weather!). We’ve been hooking up with City Fruit, a cool non-profit organization that gathers excess fruits from neighborhood yards then delivers them to food banks and restaurants. We love supporting them and are donning our sexy hairnets to cook up lots of great tasty treasures, which we will feature at Kathy Casey Food Studios annual open house this December … yes, we are thinking ahead!

Travis, myself and Cameo in our sexy hairnets!

Mmm … Strawberry Lavender Jam

Sip Around Seattle
This is a great new event we hosted for Beam Global and is something we for sure want to host again. We started out with Senior Mixology Associate Keith Waldbauer and fellow Mixologist Andrew Bohrer’s presentation on cocktail history, classic and new bartending techniques, and some new trends we are seeing in mixology bars across the country. Andrew carved up a slew of ice balls, Keith flamed some rosemary, and both mixed up some fantastic drinks for the guests.

Sr. Mixologist Associate and owner of Liberty Bar, Keith Waldbauer

The following day I conducted a major mixology session and drink tasting featuring 16 new drinks! Whew! After my seminar, we were off to the Sip Around tour. Seattle has so many great mixologists and bars that truly are on the cutting edge of all the nations’ trends, we thought we should show our guests what Seattle has to offer. So 30 of us piled onto a party bus and headed out.

First, we saw Jay Kuehner at Sambar, where we sipped his fruit-forward creations in the back garden patio.

Jay Kuehner, hard at work
The drink is Cruzan Single Estate Rum, grapefruit, grapefruit bitters,
Tahitian vanilla bean, sassafras and Cremant de Limoux — YUM!

Next, on to Oliver’s Twist. Robert Rowland and Kim Bruso each made a fantastic drink while we snacked on oxtail sliders and anchovy deviled eggs. We grabbed our treats of garlic truffle popcorn and hopped back on the bus to head downtown. At Vessel, Jim Romdall served us the signature “Vessel 75” made with two types of bourbon and Peychaud’s bitters poured over luscious maple syrup foam. Stop #4 was at Tavern Law, where we snuck up the secret staircase to the upstairs private room and Nathan Weber whipped up two delicious cocktails, served in their beautiful vintage glassware collection.

Nathan Weber’s “Chancey” cocktail

For our final stop we zipped over to Barrio where we tried Casey Robison’s ever-popular “Sexy Sadie,” a jalapeño-spiced tequila drink with a touch of sage. Then it was on to Liberty for last call, where co-owner Keith mixed up some drinks “on the fly” for us.

One of Liberty’s many concoctions, Rum Pineapple White Tea
… if you ask nicely, Keith might make you a special drink with it!

All-in-all it was a booze-a-licious and spectacular couple of days; everyone learned — and drank — a lot!

Save the Date for a delicious event — the Seattle Food & Culinary Arts Show!

I am so excited to be the emcee at the Culinarium live stage for this year’s Seattle Food Show. We are going to have a great line up of chefs! For years, foodies of all ages have devoured their way through Seattle’s specialty chocolate, artisanal coffee, craft brews, regional wine, scratch-made cupcakes, farmstead cheeses, fine restaurants and retailers. On November 20 and 21, you’ll find them all tempting you under one roof, at the Seattle Key Arena, and just in time for holiday shopping. Advance general admission is $20; details available here.

And stay tuned to see who wins $10K in the Foster Farms Chicken Recipe contest!

This next week we are hosting the Washington recipe finals here at the Food Studios. See all the semi-finalists’ recipes from Washington, Oregon and California here.

I hope you have had a delicious summer and I look forward to an excting fall. Stay tuned on Facebook and Twitter for news about all my tasty travels and projects.

XXO – Kathy Casey

When the temperature rises and the humidity’s keeping pace, what’s a wine drinker to do? Chilled white wine is great in the summer but red wine just isn’t cool enough. But don’t get me wrong, I do so love red wine!

My solution is a creative sangria. The name for this famous potion of Spanish origin comes from the Spanish word for blood, or the color of blood, as the traditional sangria is made from red wine along with fruit and a bit of some kind of spirit, such as brandy. But who says you have to follow the rules? … I certainly never do!

While I always use wines that are good enough to drink in their own right, the add-ins, as well as the kinds of wine I use, are unlimited.

And for a really fun twist, I made a sangria using sake – yum! This sangria combines zesty citrus with the energizing zing of ginger and lemongrass. It’s from my latest book, Sips & Apps. In making it, I tried several different sake brands, and an inexpensive, dry sake definitely works.  

Happy Summer Sipping !  – Kathy

Sake Sangria

Makes about 4 cups, enough for 6 to 8 servings

1 (750 ml) bottle sake
6 Tbsp honey
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, halved lengthwise, then cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces (use the entire stalk)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1 small tangerine or orange, thinly sliced
1 large plum or apricot, pitted and cut into thin wedges (optional, if not in season) 

In a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients and stir with a spoon, crushing some of the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or up to 2 days, to let the flavors marry before serving. Serve over ice, including some of the fruit in each serving.

Recipe from Sips & Apps, © 2009 by Kathy Casey, Chronicle Books 

Summer Sangria
Makes 6 cups or about 8 servings

1 (750 ml) bottle red wine
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced summer fruit, such as peaches, nectarines or plums
1 cup cherries, stemmed (or use 2 cups sliced fruit in all)
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup brown sugar 

In a pitcher combine all ingredients and stir around with a spoon, crushing some of the fruit. Refrigerate to let the flavors marry for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve over ice, and include some of the fruit. Garnish with a slice of fresh fruit floating in the top and/or an edible flower.

© 2010 Kathy Casey Food Studios – www.kathycasey.com