I love to entertain. Actually, so does The Boy – which is probably why whenever we have a party, there’s an entire dining room table spread of food; activity stations (a few past ones include make-your-own-Christmukkah-ornaments, a button making extravaganza, and full-out photo booth with props).
I also (and this might make me sound like a lush) love a good cocktail, so it should come as no surprise that these get together also usually include some sort of mixed beverage (okay, a lot of the time it’s called “Redneck Sangria” and involves dumping an entire bottle of whatever wine is on my wine rack into a pitcher and adding whatever fruit and/or juice I can find in my fridge into it). On rare occasions, I actually take the time to find an awesome “signature cocktail” recipe and serve it instead. More often than not, however, my “whatever-is-in-the-fridge” recipes actually turn out to be pretty darn tasty.
Here’s five of my favourites.
As a sidenote: I don’t measure these things (unless it involves “dump a whole bottle in” ;) so assume they’re equal parts of each ingredient, unless otherwise mentioned. Or unless you like less booze in your punch than I do.
1. The “This Needs More Booze, So Let’s Dump a Bottle of Wine in While No One is Looking”
- White grape juice from concentrate (follow the instructions to make it – use all of it)
- 26-er of Vodka
- 2L Sprite (or 7-Up)
- Cranberries
- Frozen mint leaves and raspberries (freeze them into the ice cubes in advance)
- 1 bottle of white wine
This one was planned, right up until the white wine (hence the measurements). What really happened was we had a 1.5 L bottle of wine (we used it for cooking) and it wasn’t particularly tasty. Somehow, the punch ended up getting added to a glass of wine (to try and make it taste better), and by god, it was totally delish. So myself and my partner-in-crime that evening decided to dump the rest of the bottle into the punch… without telling anyone else. Things got blurry for many, but I still remember how damn tasty that punch was… which, in hindsight, is probably why other things are a bit blurry.
2. The “I Don’t Have Any Fruit, But I Have Sherbert!”
- White grape juice (if it’s from concentrate, for the love of god make it with water first!)
- Ginger ale
- Vodka
- Orange Sherbert
Mix everything together, dump in scoops of orange sherbet. Declare yourself a culinary cocktail genius, pass out cups, serve, and enjoy. If you’re actually planning this, it would be great to use some sliced oranges as garnish and use frozen green grapes as ice cubes.
3. The “I Stole This Recipe From a Bar in Toronto That Makes the Best Sangria Ever”
- Red Wine
- White Wine
- Orange juice
- Cranberry Juice
- Sprite
- Fruit: Including, but not limited to, oranges, cherries, cranberries, and grapes.
This bar, which shall remain nameless, I really don’t like very much. Or at least I didn’t, until I discovered their pitchers of Sangria (and patio). The bottom floor of the bar ain’t bad, but the upstairs is akin to a hipster hellhole. While it’s still a bit of an effort to convince me to go in the frigid winter months, I’ll gladly lead the troops there (and to their gorgeous, enclosed patio that has cute lights strung up everywhere) for pitchers of Sangria all summer long.
Luckily for me, not so luckily for them, they published the ingredients of their Sangria on their menu, so I took a picture of it. Now I make it in the comfort of my own kitchen. The only problem? This is one of those recipes better for sharing with friends, not drinking alone on your couch. Uh, not that I’ve ever done that.
4. The “I Have No Juice, No Fruit, and No Pop, but Found Some Non-Expired Milk and Cream Liqour”
- 10 cups of brewed coffee
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Cream or Milk (Vanilla Almond milk works really well in this)
- Bailey’s (or another cream liqour)
Brew your coffee, add equal parts sugar/brown sugar/cream, and dump in as much (or as little) Bailey’s as you want. Kahlua is also great in this one. I’d recommend letting the coffee cool first, or chilling the entire drink before serving; but that’s my personal preference. I’m sure it’s good hot, too. The best part about this? It’ll also wake you up if you’re feeling sleepy at a party. Unless you brew decaf, of course.
5. The “All I Have Is Beer, But I Don’t Want To Drink Beer”
- 3 – 4 bottles of beer (trust me when I say a clear beer is your friend in this case. Don’t try to make it with a heavy stout)
- A can of frozen raspberry lemonade (don’t make it: use the concentrated form only!)
- Raspberries (frozen work great, that’s what I usually use mainly because I ALWAYS have them on-hand for smoothies)
- Vodka (to taste – I find with 3-4 beers around 1/2 – 3/4 a cup is usually good
- Lemon and lime slices
You know that old saying, “beer before liqour…”? I’m pretty sure it doesn’t apply when you drink them at the same time, right? Either way, take the above ingredients, pour it all into a jug, mix, stir, serve and don’t blame me for your hangover :)
So, whether or not you decide to try one of my above favs (but you probably should ;): Happy New Year!
And remember, drink responsibly and if you’re drinking, don’t drive (even if that means walking for an hour in the cold because it’s impossible to get a cab and dammit, you missed the last subway and refuse to take the blue line bus).
But if you are in Toronto, as per usual: the TTC will offer free rides from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. and Subway service is extended until that time as well, so get home safely!