Academy Award Winning Cocktails: The Oscar Goes To ...

Typically with all of the hoopla of the Academy Awards aftermath and the all night revelry that accompanies those glamorous parties for winners and losers, several cocktails distinguished themselves in the sea of libations and rose to the top of the heap to take Oscar Gold. Thankfully, some of my favorites were served at the swankiest parties and now you and I can recreate them at home for our close-up with the camera moments. So with out further adieux — the Oscar for best cocktails in a lead role go to .... -roz edward

For the 2012 Governors Ball, the official after-party of the Academy Awards, the signature drink featured was a stunning Moet Red Carpet Glamour Cocktail. I was able to get a hold of the recipe to share with my favorite stars and fans. 

Red Carpet Glamour Cocktail

1 ounce fresh sour mix

1 ounce Hum Botanical Spirit

Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne

Rose petal for garnish

Fill a chilled champagne flute half way with ice.

Stir the sour mix and Hum together in a mixing glass with ice.

Strain into the flute until half full.

Top with champagne.

Garnish with a single rose pedal.

Drunk With Love

Short of voodoo, if you could mix a potion for passion and pleasure that would make your love swell with passion and your body blaze like firewater, wouldn’t you do it?  Absolutely! 

Remy Martin, often called the nectar of the gods, offers the ideal love potion — Remy Red — all  bottled and ready to work its magic. The fine cognac is best consumed just as it is — straight, no chaser. For optimal results, heat in a snifter over a candle warmer. 

Remy Martin also produces a Cherry Heering liqueur which can be combined with champagne for a festive Cupid’s Bowl cocktail. For the more daring, try the Remy Martin Knockout cocktail with Cointreau, cranberry and pineapple juices. He’ll never know what hit him.

Here's a new celebrity favorite, low calorie X-Rated Fusion Liqueur cocktail. A sensuous blend of ultra-premium French vodka and blood orange, it’s unapologetically pink and delectable. And at only 96 calories per serving, it’s no wonder it’s a favorite of celebs La La Anthony, Giuliana Rancic, Gabrielle Union and Ciara.

The Midnight Kiss

2/3 glass of Sparkling Rose

1 ounce X-Rated Fusion Liqueur

Pour the Sparkling Rose in a flute and top with the X-Rated Fusion Liqueur.

The Starbright Valentine 

1 1/2 ounces SKYY Vodka

1/2 ounce X-Rated Fusion Liqueur

1/4 ounce simple syrup

Half a lemon squeeze

Champagne

Muddle a star fruit in a shaker. Shake all ingredients, then strain into a champagne glass. Top with champagne. –roz edward

January Closeouts

Here are the last of the after-the-holiday recipes — just in time to close out January. But these are a four of the most attractive and tasty cocktails I have sampled in a while. These festive concoctions are just the ticket to get in you in the holiday mood. –roz edward

Blood Orange Bourbon
Recipe: Ice cubes
3 tablespoons blood orange juice, strained
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 drop aromatic bitters
Blood orange slice

Fill a short glass with ice. Add blood orange juice, bourbon, sugar and bitters; stir vigorously. Bend orange slice in half, slide into glass. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Cocktail
Recipe: 2 1/2 ounces Jose Cuervo Resposado Tequila
1 ounce peppermint schnapps    3/4 ounce Godiva liqueur
1 1/2 ounces cream
Chocolate syrup and candy canes for garnish

Rim martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes. Shake ingredients in shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass.

 Sugar Cookie Cocktail
Recipe: 2 1/2 ounces Jose Cuervo Resposado Tequila
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Brown sugar for garnish

Rim a cordial glass with brown sugar. Add tequila and brown sugar into a shaker with ice and shake ingredients well. Strain into glass.

Dress up classic Spanish sangría with Spiced Simple Syrup and tart cranberries to create an ideal cocktail for a winter holiday celebration.

Spiced Cranberry Sangria
Recipe: The Fruit
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 Granny Smith apples, large dice
1 cup Spiced Simple Syrup
3/4 cup Cointreau
1/2 cup ruby port wine

Recipe: The sangría:
1 (750-milliliter) bottle Tempranillo rosé
1/2 cup ruby port wine
1/2 cup Cointreau
1/2 cup cranberry juice



For the fruit:
Combine all ingredients in a 3-quart container with a tight-fitting lid.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

For the sangría:
Add all ingredients to the fruit mixture and stir to combine.
Refrigerate until chilled; serve over ice.

More Of the Best Of

Last entry we examined — and tasted the best beers and wines of the 2011 variety. Now we'll move on to the hard stuff, the gins, rums, vodkas and whiskeys. Whether these are your favorites or not, they enjoyed immense popularity throughout the party season. The criteria for making it to my best of list is include taste, adaptability, availability and at what price point. Bottom line these are affordable and sitting on a shelf in shop — or as we say here in Atlanta — a package store near you.

 

Best Gin - Bombay Sapphire® Gin - The spirit is delicately infused in a Carterhead still with the aromatic flavours of 10 botanicals. It is an altogether great gin... complex, refreshing and well-balanced

Best Rum  - Bacardi  is the most popular rum sold within the United States.
 

Best Vodka - Cîroc Vodka releases the true flavors in every cocktail. The sweet complexity of the distilled grapes draw out and complement the flavors of whatever is mixed ...

Best Scotch - Glenrothes Select Reserve is a fine single malt scotch,  decently-balanced, full-flavored and easy-going enough for casual cocktailing, but with enough complexity to pair with a fine cigar.

Best Whiskey - Crown Royal Black is an extra bold whiskey matured to perfection in oak barrels. This deliciously black whiskey has a higher proof and more full bodied flavor.

Best Beers and Wines of 2011

It’s the start of the new year and time to recap the events and items that made a real impression on us in the world cocktails an libations. Here are my top choices for domestic brands. –roz edward

The pieste de resistance the best champagne of 2011 is still the reigning royalty of champagnes — Dom Pérignon.

A truly unique style heralding the creator of champagne, Dom Pérignon is named after the creator of champagne, a monk called Pierre Pérignon. And when it's stored and consumed properly it's like inhaling, the nectar is airy and nothing short of divine.


Best Beer: Guinness

The only global stout brand – the much adored Guinness, which recently celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the lease on St James’s Gate Brewery, Dublin.

Red: Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

This lush wine reveals fruit-forward blackberry and cherry flavors and dark fruit aromas.






White: Concannon Conservancy Chardonnay 2009

A wonderfully expressive wine with ripe tree fruit flavors of peach, pear and guava show on the nose and palate. Hints of lemon, subtle herbs and brioche balance out the fruitiness of the finish. 

Moscato Sutter Home Winery Moscato

This wine is from United States, California region. Dessert Muscat Blanc A Petits Grain Wine.

Affordable Wines for Every Holiday Soirée

‘Tis the season to be jolly and what better way to accomplish that objective than with a good bottle of wine. When guests come 'round you’ll be ready for for everything from casual entertaining to a full blown house party with a few good wines. The thing that makes wine a perfect choice for holiday celebrations is that you don’t have to dip into the Christmas shopping budget to afford them, since there are a number of good brands available at about $10 per bottle.  –roz edward

McManis Family Vineyard 
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
$10
This wine will “wow” the most discerning guests, especially if you tell them what you paid per bottle.  A deep garnet colored red wine with plenty of blackberry and cherry on the palate. The perfect party wine.

Kendall Jackson 
Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay 2005
$10

To make and cherish fond holiday memories, break out this chardonnay is a delicious compilation of fruit and smoke, full-bodied and balanced, and supported by a rich, buttery texture. Kendall-Jackson is known for consistent quality, and its reputation for producing wines that are reasonably priced.



Vog Quatro
$9

The stylish packaging houses a blend of merlot, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir (hence the name) from Italy, the unique bottle and price will hook many buyers looking for an interesting bottle of wine that won’t break the bank, but the pleasant way                                 the different varietals blend will certainly have you coming back for
                              more.

Sutter Home Moscato
$9

While the jury is still out on sweet wines, there is something about the sweet, creamy, peach flavor of Sutter Home’s moscato that makes you feel like maybe it shouldn’t pair with dessert so much as replace it.



Yellow Tail Shiraz
$7

There is a reason that the Yellow Tail brand has done so well in the U.S. and abroad, and it comes down to making consistent, quality wines at a perfect “party” wine price point. The wine has a fruit-forward flavor that guests will enjoy whether they are “into” reds or not.

Korbel Champagne 
Brut
$10
And no celebration is complete without a bottle of the bubbly on hand,  This is a champagne stand by that is perfect for party goers, the taste is good and the price is right for poppin’ corks all night. .

Thanksgiving: LET’S DRINK TO IT

The holiday crunch is upon us. And while you may have planned your Thanksgiving menu — traditional or something with a twist — if you haven’t decided what to serve your guests pre, during and post meal, here are a few suggestions.

Pre-dinner: Apple Pie Cocktail
3/4 ounce Bacardi Traditional White    
Rum
1/4 ounce Martini & Rossi Rosso
Vermouth
1/4 ounce Apple Brandy
1/2 ounce Lemon Juice
dash of Major Peters’ Grenadine

Stir in a mixing glass with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.


Chocolate Pumpkin Pie-tini

3⁄4 ounce vanilla flavored vodka,
Smirnoff®
1/2 ounce Irish cream liqueur, Baileys®
1⁄2 ounce coffee liqueur, Kaluha®
1⁄2 ounce crème de cacao
1⁄8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, Irish cream, coffee liqueur, crème de cacao, pumpkin pie spice, and cayenne pepper. Add ice; cover and shake until very cold. Strain into a chilled martini glass.




During Dinner: Wine

Serving wine at Thanksgiving, can be a challenge because of the variety of dishes and flavors. If the dish is sweet (sweet potatoes), look for wine with fruitiness. If the dish is spicy, look for wine with low alcohol content to minimize the heat. Acidic foods such as cranberry sauce or collard greens, call for a wine with acidity, for it to stand up to tart tastes. Pinot Noir is a great silky, sensuous red wine that meets all of those characteristics. With its typical tart-berry fruit, warm spices, and earthy aroma, it’s a slam dunk for Thanksgiving. A pinot can do right by almost all the exuberant side dishes a turkey requires.

You might also want to try mulling wine in a crock pot. Mulling spices are available in most fine wine stores and specialty food markets. It’s a great and cozy addition for a holiday meal, that you may just want to make a holiday tradition.

Post-Dinner: The Ciroc Truffletini
1/2 ounce Ciroc Vodka
1 ounce Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 ounce Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with Godiva Milk Chocolate Truffle or White Chocolate shavings.