Chocolate & Raspberry Spider

Today's cocktail comes courtesy of a marvellous little blunder.  Having realised that I've run out of Vodka (eeeeek) I sent Mr Thermomix Me A Drink to the store to stock up.  In his all seeing wisdom, he elected to shake things up a little and grabbed the first bottle that looked right.  It was wrong! Instead of Vodka, he grabbed Whipped Cream Vodka.  Now I'm not one to nag (except on days that end in "y") so I've made the best of it.  And please don't tell him, but I actually think he got it spot on!

This week, I've been searching for inspiration and I stumbled across a recipe from www.maebells.com for raspberry red wine slushies with chocolate cream.  I'm not a red wine drinker, but I am a vodka fan and I'm also a big fan of raspberries and chocolate, so I've tweaked it a little and present you with my Chocolate & Raspberry Spider.

As well as vodka, I've used Chambord which is a Black Raspberry Liquer, seriously delicious.  I've also used a splash of chocolate Baileys and the combination tastes like heaven, not at all alcoholic.  You could omit all of the alcohol if you wanted and this would still be devine.

Ingredients 

Serves 2

60gm Chambord

60gm Whipped cream Vodka

150gm frozen raspberries

300gm ice

60gm lemonade

For the chocolate cream

125gm Cream

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1tablespoon chocolate powder or cocoa ( I used the YIAH Raspberry chocolate powder)

30gm Chocolate Baileys

Method

Add raspberries and lemonade to your TM bowl, blitz on speed 7 for 30 second.

Push the mixture through a fine seive to remove the seeds and set aside in the freezer.

Scrape as much of the seeds out of your bowl but do not rinse, this way you can flavour the cream slightly with raspberry.

Insert your butterfly and add cream, sugar and chocolate powder to your bowl.

Whip for 20-40 seconds on speed 3 until thick.

Add baileys to the cream and whip another 5 seconds to combine, speed 2.

Transfer chocolate cream to a bowl and set aside.

Rinse your bowl.

Add ice, vodka, Chambord and raspberry mixture to your bowl.

Blend on speed 10 for 20-30 seconds, until it resembles a slushie.

Pour into a milkshake glass that has been drizzled with chocolate sauce, top with chocolate cream and garnish with a raspberry.

TGIF Margaritas

Thank God it's Frozen Maragaritas!

As I may have eluded to on Facebook a few weeks ago, February 22nd is a special day for me and many others. It is a celebration of all that is good in the world.  It is International Margarita Day.  Where we pause not for a minute's silence but a whole happy hour. Where we reward our hard earned thirsts with a frozen tequila slushie and say to hell with the calories. The day that screams to the world "It's 5 o'clock somewhere!"

Now I'm going to ease you in gently because I know that not everyone has a positive relationship with Tequila. Granted Tequila and I have had our differences, but now that I have learned to steer clear of cute bartenders and body shots, I think we have a mutual respect.

This recipe is for a Classic Margarita. One you can enjoy while shaving your legs and bitching about your boyfriend.

Ingredients 

Serves 2

3 shots Tequila (the good shit)

1.5 shots Triple Sec (or Cointreau if you've got money)

500gms Ice

Juice of 2 lemons

1 tsp Coconut Sugar 

Method

Add Ice, Tequila and Triple Sec to the TM bowl. 

Mix on speed 10 for 20 seconds.

Add lemon juice and coconut sugar.

Mix on speed 6 for 10 seconds.

Rim your fancy margarita glass with lemon juice and salt.

Stay tuned for the next instalment. 

Fig & Honey Gin Cocktail

Break out the Cucumber sandwiches. Let's get Sophisticated just for a minute.

Apparently Gin is making a come back to Aussie backyards and BBQ's around the country.  Now I didn't think I was old enough to drink Gin just yet, but the lady behind the counter didn't ask me for ID so maybe I got away with it.

A Gin & Tonic sounds about as appealing as a tepid glass of soft drink, but this drink builds on the subtle flavours of Expensive Gin, even if you cheap out and buy the crappy bottle. (Which is what I did!)

Capturing that tiny miracle that is Figs and Honey (how good are figs right now!), this cocktail will add an element of class to your boozy sausage sizzle. Add a hint of fresh Thyme and you might just hear one bellow "About figgin thyme!" (Come on that had to be said)

Ingredients 

Fig and Honey Syrup

300gm fresh figs

150gm honey

50gm raw sugar

250gm water

Splash vanilla essence

3 sprigs fresh thyme

Gin cocktail

2 shots Gin

2 shots fig and honey syrup

Juice of half a lemon

Ice

Method

Fig and Honey Syrup

Place figs, honey, sugar and vanilla in TM bowl.

Purée on Speed 7 for 10 seconds.

Pour water into TM bowl and add fresh thyme.

Set the timer for 10 minutes, 95 degrees, speed 3.

Push through a fine seive and allow syrup to cool in the fridge.

Gin cocktail

In a pretty glass, pour 2 shots gin over ice.

Add 2 shots fig syrup and juice of half a lemon.

Stir and garnish with fig slices and thyme.

Add more syrup if you prefer a sweeter drink.

The best part is, the syrup makes about 600mls and will keep sealed in the fridge for up to a month, so you can make as many cocktails as it takes to become unsophisticated!

Watermelon Mojito

I have a list of favourites that I rely on when it comes to cocktails.  Well I might have to add this one to the list. I was asked recently about a classic Mojito recipe, but for the life of me I can't serve up something without a twist.  I hope that this one at least lets the basics of this classic shine through.

Ingredients

300gm Ice

300gm watermelon

2 teaspoons sugar (I used a mint flavoured sugar)

3 shots Bicardi (or your favourite white rum)

12 mint leaves

Juice of 1 lime

Method

Add ice and watermelon to your TM bowl and mix on speed 9 for 20 seconds.

Add Rum, sugar, mint and lime juice and mix on speed 5 for 10 seconds.

Serves 2, garnish with fresh mint and watermelon slices.