Blue Hawaiian

Leah Short — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 18:52:58 +0000

Whoa, it’s been way too long since I’ve had a good boozey drink on here. I’ve cooked with it in brownies and caramels, but not since the Yellow Hammer way back in January have I brought you another tasty beverage. I’m here on this Friday, the 13th to remedy that right now. Meet the Blue Hawaiian. My beverage of choice for this 4th of July that wasn’t. Huh? Well, every year my mom, my cousin, and I get together for the fourth. Only this year, my mom had to work and there was a grilling and fireworks ban, so we partied the weekend before. No way were we going to forgo all of our food and tasty beverages, so we celebrated our country’s birth on June 30th sans any bottle rockets. But we had booze, so happy birthday America!

So, how’s it taste?

Sorry for the not so awesome picture. This was from my phone so I could make my friends on Twitter and Facebook jealous. I guess I drank too much because I forgot to take a real picture. Oops! I’m almost positive that I want to make this drink every 4th of July or heck, every weekend. It’s so fun with it’s blue color and little cherry innocently sitting atop. If you like pina coladas…wait, isn’t that a song? You’re welcome for the ear worm. But seriously, if the combination of pineapple and coconut float your boat, then you will love the Blue Hawaiian. Even though it contains cream of coconut (don’t confuse that with coconut milk), it’s still a light and refreshing drink. Not syrupy and heavy at all. Look for Coco Lopez in the cocktail mixer section of your grocery store. It’s got two liquors in the recipe, but doesn’t taste very alcoholic. Watch out though, the alcohol will sneak up on you! I made a test batch for my mom and me and after two, we both took a lengthy afternoon nap, lol!

Curacao also comes in clear, if you’re a fuddy duddy and don’t do blue drinks. I thought the blue with a touch of red was perfect for the 4th. You could rim the glass with coconut for the white if you wanted to get really festive. I had to use a lot more ice cubes than the original recipe has listed. I want to say it was almost triple the amount, but I lost count. I’d suggest following the recipe and then adding about six or so cubes at a time until you reach that frozen, slushy consistency.

Hmm, writing this post is making me want one. Perhaps I should make one and take a nicer picture of it. See, it’s for the blog. It’s for work, right?! Cheers!

Yield: 4-6 servings

Blue Hawaiian

Ingredients:

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup (4 oz.) light rum
1/2 cup (4 oz.) blue curacao
1/2 cup (4 oz.) cream of coconut (not coconut milk)
10 to 12 ice cubes (I ended up using a lot more to get the frozen consistency)
Fresh or maraschino cherries with or without stems for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. Chill martini glasses in freezer several hours before serving. (This step wasn't necessary for me.)

2. Place all ingredients except cherries in blender. Cover and blend on high speed about 45 seconds or until smooth. (I used a lot more ice cubes than what the recipe calls for to get that thick, frozen consistency. Add them about 6 or so at a time until you reach your desired consistency.)

3. Pour mixture into glasses. Garnish with cherry.

by Pillsbury

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Firecracker Punch

Leah Short — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:33:22 +0000

Another July 4th has come and gone, but I couldn’t wait to share this drink with you. Along with grilling and a yummy dessert (like this year’s ice cream sandwiches), I always plan a boozey beverage to sip while watching the fireworks. I’ve served bellinis, white sangria, even a strawberry sangria, but I wanted something different this year. I came across Firecracker Punch and knew I had a winner. The name alone was perfect for the holiday, but I was intrigued because of a special ingredient.

So, how’s it taste?

Loved it! I was really crossing my fingers that it would turn out. It’s not out of the ordinary for me to plan a meal without having made any of the dishes before, but I was nervous about this one because the special ingredient is Red Hots! Yep, cinnamon candy. Sounds kind of odd mixed with fruit juice, but it worked! The cinnamon is a nice subtle aftertaste, and the rest is a delicious fruity cocktail. The ginger ale adds a bit of fizz and cuts down on sweetness of the fruit juice. I misread the original recipe and added an extra cup of water, but if you want to be more adventurous, use 4 cups of water total and it should turn up the cinnamon. The color is a bright, electric pink and I jazzed it up for the 4th by dipping the rims of the glasses in red, white, and blue sugar. It’s equally as tasty without the vodka. You can either add the vodka all at once to your pitcher, or add a shot of vodka to each glass if you’re serving non-drinkers, too.

Firecracker Punch

adapted from Betty Crocker, Fun Summer Appetizers, June 2005
makes about 12 servings

Ingredients:

2/3 cup red cinnamon candies (Red Hots)
5 cups water
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
6 oz. orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 liter ginger ale
1 1/2 cups vodka for 1 oz. in each or 2 1/4 cups for 1 1/2 oz. in each
12 orange slices, optional

Directions:

1. In 1-quart saucepan, cook cinnamon candies with 1 cup of the water over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until candies are melted; remove from heat. You may get a clump stuck to your spoon that won't seem to melt. It's ok to remove the clump with a paper towel and throw it away. Let the mixture cool completely, about 30 minutes.

2. In a large punch bowl or pitcher, stir candy mixture, remaining 4 cups of water, the lemonade and orange juice concentrates, and the pineapple juice; mix well. Add the vodka, or you may choose to add the vodka to the drink individually if some prefer non-alcoholic. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. Just before serving, gently stir in the ginger ale. Garnish with orange slices.

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