Food & Drink | BELVEDERE Cocktail Series

Belvedere Presents Extraordinary Cocktails

Well, tis the season to be jolly, fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!  I think that is the right amount of las.  This time of year for my family and friends is insanely hectic with the usual holiday madness but also with many birthdays.  One that just passed was my sisters birthday and as usual we got together to celebrate.

I was given a bottle of the new Belvedere Red vodka to make cocktails with and decided to use the birthday as an excuse to test some cocktails.  Belvedere Red is a limited edition bottle where 50% of the profits will be given to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa!  Note that the vodka inside is the same as their grey bottle.

I always keep my vodka in the freezer.  It turns the vodka almost syrupy and I think makes a huge difference in taste.  Also, it is meant to be that way so just do it.

I started with a simple grapefruit and orange juice topped off with champagne and that really was the favorite.  It was a simple and refreshing drink, great for sipping.  This however was boring so I went on to cocktail 2.

I decided to do a Caviar Cucumber Martini.  I used:

  • 1.5 oz Belvedere Red vodka
  • 2 oz cucumber juice
  • 1 oz simple syrup
  • Cucumber balls for garnish
  • Acadian Sturgeon Caviar for garnish

The key here is to make a really potent cucumber juice.  If not done correctly, you just get green water which will not work.  I hollowed out 2 cucumbers, removing the watery section holding the seeds, then chopped the remaining parts, skin on, into a small dice.  I used a cheese cloth to strain out the juices using some pressure and gravity.  The caviar was there because it is the holidays and we do everything bigger during that time.  Having said that, it added a nice salty component and worked well as vodka and caviar are the perfect pairing.

I was happy with the drink but it did not scream holidays, so I tried another.

What is the most holiday drink I could think of?  A Candy Cane Martini of course!

For this martini I used:

  • 1.5 oz Belvedere Red vodka
  • 1 oz White Creme de Cocoa
  • 1 oz peppermint schnapps
  • crushed candy cane
  • whipped cream

For the decoration I made a whipped cream swirl inside and also rimmed the glass with whipped cream.  Then I added the crushed candy cane and let sit in the freezer to reduce the amount of whipped cream that would dissolve into the drink.  This was a visual hit and was the most fun to do.  To say the least, all the drinks were a hit and we had a great time.  Hope your holidays are brilliant.

Check out some other Belvedere recipes here http://www.offthegridto.com/section/belvedere/

Whether or not you’re as food crazed as I am, everyone has food memories they associate with the holidays. Growing up, the appetizer table at Christmas dinner always included a smoked salmon platter, sometimes paired with a dill cream cheese, and often garnished with cucumber and lemon slices.

So, when I was asked by the team at Off The Grid to participate in a promotion where Toronto cocktail fanatics were asked to create a holiday tipple using Belvedere vodka*, my thoughts turned to one of my favorite holiday food memories. Those who’ve followed this blog know I’ve never shied away from unusual cocktail ingredients or smoky flavours (truthfully, I have a strong preference for brown spirits), so putting together a cocktail reminiscent of a smoked salmon platter was a welcome challenge.

The result: The Smoked Sammon (The name is a play on the name of the street I live on… and a reflection of the fact there is definitely no actual fish in this drink!).

To make this drink, step 1 is infusing the vodka with cucumber and dill. Peel, halve and de-seed half an English cucumber, then chop the halves into small chunks. Throw the cucumber into a mason jar, or any container with a tight seal, along with a handful of fresh dill. Pour in half a bottle of Belvedere vodka and close the lid. Store in the fridge for three to four days to infuse, and give the jar a gentle shake once a day.

Step 2: create the “smoke” for your cocktail. For this, I made a smoked paprika simple syrup, an idea I borrowed from Toronto chef Matt Kantor. Heat 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes or so, until the sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup cool completely, then store in the fridge in a Tupperware (it’ll keep for several days).

Finally, make your drink. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and shake together 2 ounces of the infused vodka, half an ounce of your smoked paprika syrup and a few dashes of citrusy bitters to round things out (I used Bittered Sling’s Lem-Marrakech Bitters). Pour into a cocktail glass over ice, and garnish with a slice of cucumber from your infused vodka.

*Thanks to Belvedere and offthegridto.com for supplying me with a bottle of vodka to play with. To check out more cocktail creations, visit Off The Grid.

When I was younger, my “club” drink was a vodka cranberry bar lime.

It’s been a while since I had any, so I was super excited to experiment with new recipes once I got this beautiful bottle of Belvedere in the mail. The limited edition bottles are a part of the (RED) Campaign, with proceeds going to various charities.

This recipe was inspired by my 20-year-old’s go-to drink. Instead of cranberry & lime, it is blackberry & lemon – a wee bit grown up :) I thought of doing a “fresh” drink because the food we eat during the holidays are so heavy! And it is perfect because blackberries are in season and the colour comes out a beautiful vibrant red!

You will need (serves 4 glasses):

Belvedere vodka
water
simple syrup (sugar + water mix)
1/2 pint of fresh blackberries
2 large lemons (will make about 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice)

Tip: If you mix the blackberry puree, water & simple syrup it will be easier to serve this in batches. Your guests can just add how much vodka they’d like :)

Ta-da! Perfectly refreshing and in season :)

Disclosure: This bottle of Belvedere was sent to me for review and in to help me put together this holiday drink recipe. That’s it! Recipe and opinion are allll mine, baby.

Recently, I was tasked by the kids at Off The Grid (in conjunction with the folks at Belvedere) to craft a vodka cocktail. Though I’m more of a brown spirits kinda gal, thoughts of infusions and bitters immediately blossomed. With some ideas rolling around, I decided to pick up the gauntlet and hoped I wouldn’t PKas I ran with the challenge.

Despite my interest in cocktail-making (mostly in the consumption of the end-results), I’d never considered creating my own recipe and I worried that my concoction would go rather badly. So to hedge my bets, I made two very different infusions: clove-anise and a lavender-vanilla. Over the days the infusions sat steeping, possibilities were fleshed out. The spiced infusion would clearly do well in a holiday drink, and the lavender-vanilla would work nicely with citrus fruits. More research on cocktail components ensued and a rough framework for my cocktail emerged; I would aim for an eggnog flavour profile.

When the infusions were ready for use at last, I gathered my gear: cocktail shaker, bar spoon, jigger, and a glass. In my pot, I had just finished making a 1:1 (sugar : water) simple syrup by only barely warming the water enough to dissolve the sugar. The rest of my ingredients were already collected: vodka, infusions, an egg, ground nutmeg, and some ice.

I dove right in and began with a mix of the anise-clove infusion, (more) vodka, an egg white, and the simple syrup. After a minute or so of dancing around the kitchen with the shaker, I poured the results into the glass. Once the foam had a chance to rise and the rest of the shaker’s contents were transferred in, things were, at least, looking right. It was topped off with a dusting of nutmeg, both for the visuals and the aromatics of an eggnog. I took a tentative sip. Immediate thought: too watery. Then the realization that it was really one-note. But there was potential.

Round 2 was better – I added more syrup and used only a single ice cube - but I found the flavour still to be lacking. I didn’t want to add cream, as it would mute the flavour and I find creamy cocktails too heavy. I could throw in some cinnamon, but I didn’t feel like that would actually do enough to bring the drink around. What to do?

My eyes fell on the back-up infusion I’d made. The vanilla would be nice, but …lavender?

Strangely, this combination didn’t result in the expected train-wreck. Incorporating the second infusion really rounded out the cocktail without overpowering it. I sat there, sipping away and trying to analyze the flavour profile. Was the lavender too pronounced?  Did it need something else? Maybe a few drops of chocolate bitter? An orange twist? A burnt cinnamon stick? Continued sampling convinced me I didn’t need to monkey further with it. This was a cocktail reminiscent of eggnog without the heaviness and cloying sweetness I’d come to associate with the festive drink. Moreover, my guests seemed to think it was a nice sipper, eggnog-like or not.

All the prep work aside, it seemed a little too easy, having come to my final results so quickly. I’ll be doing some further taste-tests with a wider group (read: I’ll be featuring this cocktail at my next party), but I don’t think I’m too far off. If you make this, let me know your thoughts!

Blanche Nog

 

A cocktail that hints at eggnog, without the cloying cream.  That makes it healthy, right?

  • 1 white from a large egg
  • 1 tbsp of simple syrup (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp of lavender-vanilla infusion
  • 1 oz of anise-clove infusion
  • 1 oz of vodka
  • dash of nutmeg

In a cocktail shaker, combine egg white, simple syrup, vodka, and both infusions with a cube of ice. Shake for 1-2 minutes. Strain into a glass. Use a spoon to gently add the foam remaining in the shaker to the cocktail. Add pinch of nutmeg. A small stick of vanilla or cinnamon can be used as garnish.

Clove-Anise Infusion

 

  • 4 oz of vodka (120 ml)
  • one segment of star anise
  • three cloves
Leave mixture in a bottle for at least 3 days. Shake before using.

Lavender-Vanilla Infusion

 

  • 4 oz of vodka (120 ml)
  • 1/3 tsp of food-grade lavender (or extract)
  • one stick of vanilla

Leave mixture in a bottle for at least 3 days. Shake before using.

Thanks to the kids at Belvedere and Off The Grid! Would have never even thought of trying to make my own cocktail with out your prodding.

 

 

When you’ve got quality products you don’t need a lot of them to create a flavour-filled drink or dish.

I first had a cocktail using jam when I was visiting Austin, Texas. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to make it at home, so when I got my hands on Petite Thuet’s jam, I knew this was the time. And, frankly, what better way to indulge or relax during the holidays than with an awesome sandwich, and some liquor. :)

 

Vodka & Jam
2 oz Belvedere vodka
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 tbsp quality jam
Ice

This recipe could not be easier: Mix vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup in shaker. Pour into tumbler over ice (cubed, crushed, whatever your freezer has at the ready). Then add a dollop of jam, stir in and enjoy. It’s tart, it’s sweet, it goes down easy.

And while you’ve got the jam jar open, now is also the time to make one of my favourite grilled cheese sandwiches. Again, quality ingredients are key, especially since there are only three.

 

Jam & Goat Cheese sammie
2 slices Ace Bakery miche bread (bought at Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens)
Petite Theut strawberry jam
Grey Owl pasteurized goat cheese from About Cheese

The bread is a touch sour, the cheese mild and creamy and the jam perfectly sweet. The flavour combo is one of my favourites. My only advice for the construction of this sandwich: Don’t skimp on the fillings!

This post was sponsored by Belvedere vodka. For more drink ideas, visit Off the Grid.

If you didn’t already know, I’m pretty big on Caesar cocktails. I love to try and make them in different themes. My most traditional Caesar recipe is with hoisin sauce, Sri Racha and pickle juice. If you really want to wow the more daring tasters at your Christmas party, I recommend this flavour-packed Kimchi Caesar recipe, using Belvedere vodka infused with kombu (seaweed) . I’ve held this recipe close to my heart for a long time and I’m giving it to you. Consider it an early Christmas present.

Note: When mixing more than two drinks, I don’t like to use the traditional metal and glass shaker cocktail apparatus. I have a 1.5 liter mason jar that I put all the ingredients into and shake vigorously. I find it’s easier when you’re already drinking at a party to make several drinks this way. You don’t want to be spending your whole time in the kitchen making one cocktail at a time, when you’re supposed to be hosting. Same goes with all mixed drinks. You can make four or five Negronis in a 1.5 liter mason jar in about 2 – 5 minutes. Clever, I know!

 

 

Make the infused vodka first. The below infusion technique can yield as much or as little vodka as you like. You simply add more or less kombu to suit your taste. The cocktail recipe below makes one cocktail.

 

Kristina’s Kimchi Caesar Recipe

Ingredients

  • Four ice cubes – I chose four because they don’t water down the cocktail. Any more and you risk the concoction becoming watered-down.
  • 1 Tbs ponzu citrus marinade. Preferably Marukan
  • 1 oz Kombu-infused Belvedere vodka (see recipe below)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp Kikkoman reduced sodium soy sauce – This reduced sodium version is essential because the kimchi is quite salty
  • 1 Tbs Rooster chili garlic sauce – This is the same brand as Sri Racha. You can substitute Sri Racha if you want, but I prefer the texture of the sauce.
  • 1/4 pint of kimchi – Get the real, authentic kimchi from a Korean market. I’ll talk about my favourite Korean supermarket in Toronto below.
  • 2 Tbs wakame – It’s hard to measure two tablespoons of this, so use as little or as much as you like and have the rest for a snack.
  • Clam juice to top (Motts Clamato will do).

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients into your shaker of choice. Shake vigorously for a minute and pour into pint glasses with rice seasoning rim (dashi, seaweed and toasted sesame rim). You can leave the kimchi in or out, but we preferred in. It’s good to get a big skewer so the guest can eat the bits that are left behind after you’re finished drinking.

 

Kombu Infused Belvedere Vodka

Ingredients

  • - kombu
  • - 250 ml Belvedere vodka

Instructions

  1. Take two 1 x 4 inch pcs of kombu and put them into a seal-able glass Mason jar. Pour some Belvedere vodka to fill the Mason jar and tightly close with a lid. Place this jar in a room-temperature place (window sill, somewhere warm but not too hot) for about one week.
  2. Alternative: If you don’t want to wait, you can buy some Japanese sushi seaweed and blend it in a blender with the vodka instead. This will not taste nearly as good, but we don’t always have a week to wait.

You can get all of the ingredients for this recipe at the supermarket below:

PAT Koren Supermarket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This post was sponsored by Belvedere vodka and I endorse this recipe! – KG