Christiania Crowns Shakes Things Up with Blackberry Cocktail Contest
Christiania Vodka & the Oslo Iced Tea
Recently Christiania Crowns website sponsored a contest for cocktail of the month. The ingredient to shake up with their ultra premium Christiania Vodka: blackberry. Since I love playing with new cocktail recipes and can hardly pass up a challenge, I entered two cocktails in the contest. Now, I have no idea if either come close to winning the match up against any number of cocktail enthusiasts who entered as well, but it certainly was an entertaining and tasty endeavor. After all, the success is not really in winning the contest. It is in the experimentation.
Although, I must admit this Intoxicologist would love to win a private cocktail lesson with a master Christiania mixologist to enhance my knowhow. Dalio Calado is one such master mixologist who has partnered with Christiania Vodka. Is he one of the mixologists ready to stir things up with one lucky winner? Uncertain. However, Dalio Calado is the ultimate professional with a team ready to spice up your next soiree. He and his team are certainly worth checking out at Classical Cocktails NYC found in my “Reference” section. It is definitely time to start planning ahead with the holidays only months away.
The cocktails I chose to create began with fresh blackberries. Plump juicy in-season blackberries are hard to beat when it comes to flavor. They are naturally sweet when fully ripe and the color is extraordinary. Both characteristics carry over well in these cocktail creations.
The first cocktail is the Christi Bramble. This drink concoction consists of muddled lemons and lightly muddled blackberries. The blackberries alone did not carry enough weight against the lemon so I chose Black Haus Blackberry Schnapps to enhance the blackberry flavor. Due to the muddling and pulp, this cocktail has to be double strained. However for all you efforts, the Christi Bramble goes the extra mile. This cocktail may be sipped as is or topped off with champagne if you are in a more celebratory mood.
The Oslo Iced Tea is a little something different. This particular recipe takes a little time at first glance in making the tea and bar syrup base, but again your efforts will be rewarded. Using tea for flavoring gives this drink a slight sharpness that otherwise would never be there. It is thirst quenching, colorful and nicely rounded with the blackberry flavor and faint hint of sage. The Oslo Iced Tea is also served in a highball glass over ice as tea rather than a martini glass.
Christi Bramble
Christi Bramble
1/2 to 2/3 Fresh Lemon (cut into small chucks leaving rind on)
5 Large Fresh Blackberries (Thumb size)
Muddle: Lemons first in the bottom of a mixing glass. Add in fresh blackberries and muddle gently, three or four times at max.
Add in:
2 ounces Christiania Vodka
1/4 ounce Black Haus Blackberry Schnapps
1/4 ounce Bar Syrup
Pour mixture into a shaker with cracked ice. Shake for ten to fifteen seconds until well chilled. Double strain liquid into a cold martini glass.
Garnish:
Thinly Sliced Lemon Wheel
Fresh Blackberry
Wrap lemon wheel around the blackberry and poke a skewer through the center of each. Place skewered garnish across the top of the martini glass.
Christi Bramble w/Champagne
Over the Top:
The addition of 1 to 1-1/2 ounces of Brut Champagne as a crowning finish places this cocktail in the celebratory range. The champagne takes a smidgen of the sweet edge off and gives it a splash of the bubbly.
Oslo Iced Tea
Oslo Iced Tea
2 ounces Christiania Vodka
1 ounce Blackberry Sage Syrup*
3/4 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice
1-1/4 ounce Cold Blackberry Sage Tea**
3 Fresh Blackberries cut in half
Combine ingredients (including cut blackberries) in a cocktail shaker filled one-third with ice. Shake for eight to ten seconds. Strain into a highball glass over ice. Garnish with a thinly sliced lemon wheel, blackberry and sage leaf.
*Blackberry Sage Syrup – Bring one cup of water to boil. Add two round bags of The Republic of Tea Blackberry Sage flavor tea to the water. Let steep for approximately ten minutes. Remove the tea bags. Add one cup of super fine sugar. Stir until dissolved. It may be necessary to place mixture in the microwave for 30 – 60 seconds to reheat. Stir well. Refrigerate to chill. Keep refrigerated between use for up to two to three weeks.
**Blackberry Sage Tea – Bring water to boil. Place three round bags of The Republic of Tea Blackberry Sage flavor tea in a two cup measuring cup. Pour boiling water over tea bags and allow to steep for approximately ten minutes. Remove tea bags. Refrigerate to cool. Keep refrigerated between uses.
Be sure to check out Christiania Crowns and join in the fun of cocktail creation.
Email cocktail submissions to: str8upcocktails@gmail.com with Pinky Vodka: Mix Up Something Beautiful in the memo line ---------- Recipe must include: 1-1/2 ounce or more of Pinky Vodka -- 5 ingredients or less (including the garnish) -- No specialty ingredients -- Photo of cocktail -- Name, email address and mailing address -- Contest ends July 15, 2009
