The Red Shaker - a Quest

A Whole New Shaker!!!!

2010-04-08T14:38:00.001-07:00

After much hair pulling, frustration and a really steep learning curve, the Shakers are proud to announce our new blog!!!

We have grown up and migrated to our own site and added oodles of new things to make your Red Shaker experience more complete. If you were following us on our old blog, please re-follow us as this new site will be where the party's at. Here are some of the fabulous new features:

Shop in our new store! We have partnered with Amazon.com to form our own collection of gifts, guides and goodies.
Check out our custom logo gear in our Zazzle store
Subscribe via email to get word on our latest posts
Follow us on Twitter and submit content you like on Digg
Add us as a friend on Facebook

We proudly welcome you to the NEW Red Shaker and hope you come with us on our martini adventures. Same Shaker style, all new bells and whistles.

Shaker One here~I'd like to give a special shout out to Shaker 2 for her magical tech skills.....without which we'd still be a blog with training wheels. Thanks you luscious lush!

Shake-a-tini!~

2010-04-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hello and Happy Easter to all our Shaker pals. For all of you in Southern California- how did you enjoy your Easter Roll? Yes, a healthy earthquake made me feel like I'd already enjoyed a couple of our 'tinis. Spring is here and some ingredients on hand inspired me to create a new 'tini:

The Nasturtium Flip:

Vodka, fresh squeezed orange and key lime juice, a little sweetener, and egg white for foam and finished with a few dashes of Fee Bros Lemon Bitters. And yes, that's a nasturtium from my balcony garden!

Shaker 2 popped up to weigh in on this: 4 1/2 olives! Delicious. Summery, fresh, with possibilities for other pairings........

We shall play with this 'tini again.

For all of you who were looking for the easter 'tini.....check back tomorrow. There will be something tasting coming in to your e basket.

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, hope your day was lovely.
Shakers out.

Limey Bast@#d

2010-03-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

The weather has warmed up here in Southern California and it seems though spring has arrived. Plants are bloomin', the bees are buzzing and the key limes have hit the stores!

In honor of this fabulous bit of tart produce, we bring you Key Lime Shaker Night!

The first concoction is a Key Lime Martini (v.1)

Oh, yes, this one was a beautiful start to the evening. Tart, sweet with a graham cracker rimmed glass - talk about tripping a light fandango on the tongue! It was creamy, tangy, limey and not too sweet. I can see this bad boy being a definite summer drink staple.

Both Shaker's concur: 4 olives

Now Key Lime Pie Martini (v.2)
This is the recipe 3rd down in the article

Ok , this one reads more "pina colada" than key lime pie. To quote shaker 2 "mrepfifownof" which translated to "I like your key lime mousse better". You can't argue with logic like that. And yes, I made key lime mousse for us tonight. May I say yum? Recipe at www.epicurious.com. Juicing key limes is a bit of a chore, but well worth the effort.

Shaker 2 and I agree that we would not try this one again. It's not terrible, but not worth it compared to the first. We'd give this one 2 1/4-2 1/2 olives. Meh.

So we moved on to our own Key Lime Martini-Shaker Style!

Instead of Rose's lime juice, we used fresh squeezed key limes juice and simple syrup. Nice true key lime flavor, fluffier body, but we still both like the first one the best. 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 olives.

Well, its a workday tomorrow, we will wrap this up for now. If you want to try a key lime martini, try our first recipe.

Starry Night........

2010-03-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last week while I was away from LA I looked up at night and I could actually see stars. And while I'm a city girl at heart (....the lights of the city are the stars on the ground-name that tune!), there's something about looking up at an indigo velvet canopy studded with sparkling lights that makes you stop and just be in the moment..........marveling at the immenseness and beauty. What else does it make you do? Well, if you're a shaker it makes you mix up a martini inspired by the night sky.

And so we have:

The Starry Night

regular vodka, creme de violette, vanilla vodka, pineapple juice, a splash of lemon.......still working on the proportions but this has possibilities. The violette and vanilla play nicely together while the pineapple juice foams up a lovely solar system across the top of the drink. Hmmmm, maybe some champagne next time to add "sparkle" to the sky???

I need to work more with the creme de violette. It is a lovely liquor.....subtle taste and a mesmerizing color that goes from inky indigo to pale lavender depending on the mixers. I wonder how this would play with a tea infusion?

So like the night sky, a good ingredient should make you wonder where else the night will take you...........

(as is, 3 1/2 olives-but I think this could be worked up to a 4)

Shaker One bids you a good night.

Éirinn go brách

2010-03-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Shaker Two here. Shaker One is out of town at the moment, so I am posting a little something in her absence.

Sadly, I don't have a new martini to share, schedules have been a wee bit crazy and though we have tried for a few Shaker Nights, it has not worked out - hopefully that will remedy itself soon.

One of our readers asked if we were coming up with a Shamtini in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Due to circumstances above, we had not - but this also got me thinking (dangerous, I know.) Would I take the route of creme de menthe as my base or be more calorically diabolical with a green milkshake, a la the golden arches, and go from there?

We might have to come up with a few ideas and do a belated nod to St. Pat.

Thanks to SuzyQ for the suggestion and we'll see if we can do some justice to her idea.

Love Potion #9

2010-02-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

The Shakers have come up with a new signature martini:

The Love Potion #9 (working title)

Inspired by the Velvet Kiss and couple of our favorite ingredients (Lillet Blanc, St. Germain) we've created a tasty tini to melt your heart......literally.

3 oz Vodka
2 oz Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz St. Germain elderflower liquor
1 oz lemon juice
splash of simple syrup (optional)

Shake above over ice, strain into a martini glass and gently drop in a frozen heart. Yes, that's a frozen heart of berry puree you see floating in the glass.

This martini is meant to be sipped slowly. The flavor changes over time. You start out with a nice citrus-y top note, but as the drink matures you start to get a more pronounced Lillet flavor and near the end, the berry puree heart melts to color and flavor the last half of your drink. This is a martini to savor, enjoying the layers as they develop.

Shaker 1 gives this a 4 1/2 olives...Shaker 2?

Let there be cake! and martinis!! and candles!!!

2010-02-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

That's right, kids... I'd like to wish a fabulous and happy birthday to Shaker One!!!!

Chai Teanis- 2 Ways

2010-02-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Shaker 1 here- I just so happened to have a little bit of the Chai tea infused vodka left over from Zombie Night. We were so close to creating a terrific teani, so I wanted to see if we could bring it up an olive or so.

Method 1:

Toss a cinnamon stick or two into about 1/2 cup heavy cream. Simmer for a few minutes to infuse the cream. Chill and whip. Shake up ice, 2-3 large dollops of the infused whipped cream, about an ounce of simple syrup and 3 ozs of chai infused vodka (you can also sweeten the cream instead of adding simple syrup). Strain and pour into martini glass. Garnish with ground cinnamon if desired.

Method 2:

(I like to call this the "instant" method)
In a shaker, add ice, 3 ozs. chai infused vodka and an ounce and a half of Coffeemate Cinnamon Vanilla cream non dairy creamer. Shake, strain, pour, enjoy.

I've got to say, as weird as it sounds the Coffeemate method was really fantastic! Tasty and creamy with a subtle cinnamon hint that was not at all overpowering. I like the body that the whipped heavy cream gives the teani, but if you're in a hurry for some Chai Teani goodness or just feel plain lazy-Method 2 is your friend.

Nothing Says I Love You Like A Good Zombie.......

2010-02-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy Valentines Day to all our Shaker pals. Shakers 1 and 2, being single gals, decided the very best way to celebrate this holiday would be with good friends, good tinis and of course, ZOMBIES!!!!

So we gathered a small crowd of discriminating palates, assembled a menu of zombie and valentine appropriate tinis and screened "Zombieland".

Thanks to everyone for bringing such tasty snacks. We hovered 'round the table and hoovered up the treats. Yum.

First up- The Zombie Martini:

After searching the web for zombie themed drinks, we decided to pass on all the "colorful/creative" (read gross) "bleeding brain" type tinis and just go with a classic. We basically took the recipe for a traditional zombie cocktail and shook it up martini style. A mild martini, heavy on the fruit juices. One guest said it would make a good breakfast alternative to a screwdriver. You could easily speed up this zombie by altering the booze to juice ratio, but this was a nice way to begin the evening. Guests rated this from 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 olives.

Next up was another in our Teani Series- The Chai Teani:

We infused rain vodka with chai tea (Stash Chai Spice Black Tea from Trader Joe's). We then shook that with heavy cream, simple syrup and a dash of cinnamon. This was delicious, though all agreed that we'd gone just a tiny bit heavy on the cinnamon (*Shaker 1 holds up her hand to take responsibility for this, I just can't control myself with cinnamon*). This was a very good teani, with complex spice layers coming through. I still think we need to play with the recipe a bit more and perhaps even foam up the cream first to give it more body. Though Shakers 1 and 2 agreed it wasn't up to the level of the Earl Grey Teani, our consensus rating was 4 olives.

Last up for the evening was a martini created especially for Valentines Day. We let our guests name it and the result:

The Velvet Kiss:

This is a seductive martini. Rich red color, perfumed aromas of elderflower, deep berry base; with a splash of prosecco at the end. It lived up to it's name. Delicious, layered flavors, not too sweet, a sexy drink any day of the year. We gave this 4 1/2 to 5 olives. This was the hit of the evening. In fact, as our Valentines gift to you, here is the recipe:

-Take about a cup of frozen mixed berries, add a splash of triple sec and let thaw.(why a whole cup? Because you'll want more than one of these)
-In a shaker, muddle about 1/4 cup of the berry mix (I use an immersion blender to really get the juices flowing)
-add ice to the shaker
-add the following: 2 shots premium vodka
1 shot Chambord
1/2 shot St. Germain elderflower liquor
-shake well, strain into martini glass and pour in a splash of prosecco or champagne.

Serve this to your sweetie and we will not be responsible for the results (though you will thank us later).

A special thank you to all of our wonderful guests for making this a super fun Shaker night.

Oh, and the movie? Shaker 1 gives Zombieland a double tap!

Happy Valen-braaaaaaaainnsssssssssssssssss....................

Night of The Living Bacon

2010-02-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Hello Shaker fans. We welcome you to a monumental shaker night. Tonight we celebrate all that is bacon. Every dish, ever mouthful is bacon infused (well- ok, just one of the martinis has bacon).

So pretty much since we've begun this martini quest we've gotten links from friends about the mythical bacon martini. We laughed, we scoffed, we contemplated, but we never bit the bacon bullet. Until recently, when a halfway joking discussion among friends turned into plans to celebrate all things bacon. Carrie volunteered to infuse some bacon vodka and we all pulled out our favorite bacon recipes to create:

BACONPALOOZA!!

I put the paramedics on speed dial and plugged in my portable defibrillator. We gathered from near and far (Ventura is far, right?), each bringing our favorite bacon infused treats. You could smell the bacon emanating from at least 4 different geographic areas for two days. You see that haze over the Southland this weekend? That was not smog. That was bacon fumes.

As each new guest arrived the tables groaned under their delicious burdens. Bacon appetizers, bacon main dishes, bacon dessert. Yes my friends, even the famed bacon martini.

We all came hungry. None of us left that way.
Below, the bacon buffet:

Baked potato soup w/ bacon
Baconmole w/ chips (guac has never looked so good)
Bacon gougeres (grown up cheesie poofs- "super tasty" "off the hook" "fluffy with a hint of bacon"
Bacon balsamic deviled eggs (now this the devil you want to sell your soul to)
Bacon wrapped dates (you won't be late for this date)
Bacon Ranch dip w/ veggies (cause we had to at least pretend to care about our health)
Bacon Pastry bites (nom nom)

And on the dessert tray:
Bacon Bark
Bacon Fudge
Bacon Cinnamon rolls (that is so my breakfast tomorrow morning)
2 kinds of candied bacon, which we used as makeshift "spoons" to scoop out the
Bittersweet chocolate mousse

"the room went silent when the chocolate mouse with praline bacon scoops was distributed. This was followed by a round of grunting, then nom nom nom from the crowd"

Our first martini of the night was of course the Bacon Martini.

Basically, just bacon infused vodka shaken and strained. This was met with a certain apprehension by many. We made mini tasters and we all got brave. The results:

"tastes good as long as you don't look at it" "blindfold bacon martini-serve in the dark" "an experience"

The fat globules were a bit off-putting at first, but it was surprisingly not gross! We couldn't drink a whole martini of this, but were very glad to have tried it. We can't really olive rate this. It was more of an experience than a beverage.

Next up was the Jalapeno Cucumber Cilantro Martini

Shaker 2 sat this one out (severe cilantro aversion) but the rest of us rather enjoyed it. Slightly spicy, definite cucumber and citrus flavors. Interesting, in the good way. "tart with a very nice kick" I'd make this again, but perhaps without the cilantro so Shaker 2 could enjoy as well.

Brian braved the bacon beer- sadly, not bacon-y enough!~

Our final 'tini of the evening was the Meyer Lemon Drop Martini.

In the interest of full disclosure, Shaker One has had this one many,many times before (did I mention many?). I love this tini. You can make it with regular lemons, but if you have meyers, it kicks it up into a whole other olive zone. Alex manned the juicer and we all enjoyed a round of these. "absolute favorite, tart, tart, tart" "simply delicious"

But we couldn't end Baconpalooza there. No, we had to have just one more bacon treat. One that would make Elvis wipe a tear of joy from his eye (if he weren't dead and all):

The Elvis Bacon Shake.

"just too scary good" "religious" Carrie and Shaker One ratcheted it up a notch with Stoli Vanilla-
"I heard the angels sing when I drank the Elvis Shake with Stoli Vanilla"
If you would have told me before tonight that I would have loved a milkshake with bacon, peanut butter, bananas, marshmallow fluff and vanilla ice cream- and bacon- I would have said, "that's just crazy talk". But it was so good. We all loved this. Well worth breaking out the blender for. And we garnished it with more of the candied bacon, naturally.

What can you say about a night devoted to all things bacon? Carrie put it best:
"I felt my heart working a little harder and my blood became a little thicker as I made my way through each item on the table of bacon"

Was it decadent? Oh yes. Did we overindulge? My God, did we! Will we do it again? Without a second's hesitation we will.....but next time we will introduce our very good friend bacon to our other pal the bbq grill.

Shakers One and Two would like to thank all of our wonderful guests tonight. Everyone brought such delicious bacon treats and the company could not have been better. Please send any recipe requests along with a doctor's note or waiver from your insurance provider to us here, at the Bacon Shaker.

Good night and happy shaking!

Meetings can be fun!

2010-02-04T21:47:00.000-08:00

Seriously... they can. Shaker Two here. I have just arrived home after a lovely evening with Michael and Ellen. We had our monthly meeting for an organization we are members of and part of the fun is that we are able to get together, take care of some business, socialize and enjoy a cocktail.

Michael is a fellow martini lover and has been a long time fan of the drink. In fact, is was one of the first things we bonded over when we met - vodka.

This evening, he introduced me to something I had never heard of, nor would be likely to try on my own - Tomolives! When he asked if I had tried any, I raised an eyebrow and said.. "uhmm no" he went into the bar area and came out with the most beautiful frosty ice cold glass of vodka I have seen in a long time... with a lovely metal pick with two little olive looking things on it.. turns out, they are pickled green tomatoes. I took a bite and was completely amazed! These little buggers pack a wonderful crunch with just a hint of tomato flavor and a decent amount of pickling. I think I am in love...or at the very least, lust.

The history behind these is pretty cool. They paired up with Ketel One at the beginning of the martini resurgence and were named as a key ingredient with the Ketel One Ultimate Martini. Their marketing team worked it out to be sold with the vodka, etc.. and their business took off. Now, these little guys might not always be easy to find in grocery stores, but you can order online. I recommend trying them out.

He also had me try a bit of the Crystal Head Vodka... if you have been to a liquor store, it is the unmissable bottle shaped like a skull. Since most of the time a really cool bottle is trying to compensate for a somewhat substandard product, I snarled a little bit, but he assured me that I should try it. Surprisingly, it was pretty good. Fairly smooth and drinkable well-chilled and served neat (with a tomolive garnish, of course) Plus, you get a really cool bottle!!

Frosty martini glass and the lovely Ellen.

Amazing sausage pinwheels that Michael made. So easy and so sinfully good.

Coming Attractions!!

2010-01-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well, January slipped by us with lots of rain and little time for tini tastings. However, never fear shaker fans, we have some special events planned for February that you will not want to miss.

Check back next weekend for an event so spectacular, so mind blowing..............it just may be our most outrageous shaker night to date. We don't want to give away the surprise just yet, but imagine one of God's most perfect foods.....and then put that in a martini. Hell, put it in everything. We're going to.

See you next saturday for an epic shake!

Variation in T(ea) Minor

2010-01-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Good evening martini lovers. Shaker One had just enough of the Earl Grey Tea infused vodka left over from the last post to make one more teani. I had the idea to add pomme juice to it....sort of fruit it up a bit. I also decided to forgo the egg white for this one.

Upon pouring this out of the shaker, I noticed a really deep tea color. The pomme juice barely made it's presence known. After a taste, I understood why. There is a distinct bitterness to the vodka now which was definitely not there when it was freshly infused. Although I filtered the tea leaves out through both a fine mesh filter and a coffee filter (and no sediment was left whatsoever) the tea seems to have continued to steep. It's less than a week since we made that infusion and the vodka is just about too bitter to drink. I tried to add sweetness with some additional simple syrup, but it's not an issue of lack of sweetness. The result isn't terrible (and I do like bitter/strong flavors), but I would not repeat this.

So note to self: When infusing vodka with tea for Teanis, only make as much as you plan on using that day/night. This infusion, unlike many other infusions, does not improve with age. A very good thing to know actually, as Shaker 2 and I have designs on a few more teanis and I would have hated to waste a good bottle of vodka.

There will be more Teanis in our shaking future, but we shall know to freshly infuse the vodka in small batches.

Experimentation is good. Without small failures great successes would not be possible.
Shaker One out.

Mar-tea-nis~!

2010-01-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight we have high tea- Red Shaker Style. Two tea based martinis to try, something a little different. And what goes with high tea but finger sandwiches!

First up is a plum and green tea martini

(Due to a technical SNAFU, the picture for this one.. and the main shots of the next martini, were lost. grrrrrr) [Shaker 1 again- just imagine plates full of deletable tea time treats]

As Pavillions was out of plums, we substituted a pluot. This martini incorporates green tea and honey simple syrup, citrus vodka, pear vodka and muddled plums. The color is gorgeous. The taste? Shaker Two nailed it: you can't taste any one of the flavors, but you can taste all of them. Sort of an odd result. Not unpleasant, but neither of us can say we enjoy the flavor.

Overall this gets high marks for looks, but 2 olives for taste.

Moving on to our next Teani:

The Earl Grey Marteani-

This uses vodka infused with earl grey tea, simple syrup and lemon juice, foamed up with an egg white. (Note: the original recipe calls for gin.. but we are vodka girls.. so use whichever you prefer) First impression is an intriguing tea aroma and an unusual color. Both Shaker Two and I tasted with some trepidation. The result? Hello gorgeous! This is a surprisingly delicious drink! You definitely taste the tea, but it's not overwhelming or bitter. Rather somewhat sweet/somewhat sour from the lemon, an incredibly balanced beverage. We like this one a lot.

4 3/4 olives!!

This one might even hit a 5. The more we taste, the more we love. Seriously people - go out and make this drink.

This also gives us many ideas for more tea infused vodkas and teanis. Brilliant. Now if we could only remember where we found this recipe in the first place. Whoever you are, we love you!

Feeling a bit under the weather? Forget hot tea with lemon and honey, make yourself a teani.
We liked this so much that we made another round to go with our berries and cream, lemon bread and meyer lemon curd. After pouring out the first teani, we were very pleased to enjoy the second so much. Martini success!

Remember, don't be afraid of martini failure. If you don't enjoy it, pour it out. There are so many wonderful options. Try again until you find something you love.

Shakers One and Two will close out this mid week tea-ni fest with a Happy New Year to all our tini faithful.

In Between Days......

2009-12-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

So we find ourselves in between Christmas and New Year's Eve......all done with candy canes and eggnog but not quite ready for champagne cocktails (ok, Shaker One is always ready for champagne cocktails). We decided to try out a few new 'tinis, nothing holiday specific.

Tonight's special guest shaker joining us from wintery Philadelphia: Welcome Cyndy!
After an enjoyable dinner of take out vegetarian Indian food (from Samosa House East in Culver City), we begin our martini meandering with-

The Spicy Big Apple

(New York Martini glasses courtesy of Beverly~thanks!!)

First we made it as stated in the recipe. We were not repulsed, but certainly not impressed. Too much orange, not enough cinnamon. We all thought it tasted like a sweetened screwdriver. No.

So we made a few alterations- infused the brown sugar simple syrup with cinnamon, cut the orange juice back to just 1/2 shot and upped the apple cider a bit. The result? Tasty! This would be really enjoyable as a partner to Grandma's caramel corn. Full of fall flavor, you could drink two.

As written- 1 1/2 olives (Shaker One would give this 1/2 olive, generously)

Shaker Style-3 olives

Next up is the French Pear Martini

Following the recipe, we found the St. Germain overwhelmed the martini. So we increased the pear vodka and added an extra float of champagne. A lovely true pear flavor, not at all synthetic tasting. Well done Grey Goose Pear Vodka. The champagne float give it a wonderful depth. Overall an enjoyable martini.

As written- 2 1/2 olives

Shaker Style- 3 1/2 olives

Then we move on to the Red Square Espresso Martini

When we visit Red Square at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas we always enjoy this martini. Even Cyndy- who does not enjoy coffee- loves this drink. We found the recipe online without quantities, so we experimented a bit here. We went with equal parts of the five ingredients. The result resembles the original pretty closely. Not too strongly coffee flavored, not overy sweet, a non-coffee drinker's coffee drink. Delicious! And even better paired with gulab jamun-an incredible Indian dessert ball in a honey sauce.

We give this drink a 3 1/2 olives.

We close out this Shaker night full of food and martinis. Join us again soon for more 'tini fun.

Happy Holidays From The Red Shaker

2009-12-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

......may your holidays be full of good cheer and better cocktails.

Standard Definitions

2009-12-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has spent any amount of time trying various beverages in bars and at home knows there are few constants in this world.

Sure, you have some classic drinks that even the most adventurous mixologist won't mess with (assuming they have a clue about their craft): Screwdrivers, Tom Collins, Sidecar, Manhattan, etc... there are also a few terms that are sacred and do not vary from region to region like recipes are sometimes wont to do. This means you should be able to go into any bar, any where and have some consistency.

For example (and educational purposes):

Float: small amount of liquor poured over other ingredients so as to "float" atop the drink (the truly gifted can layer ingredient upon ingredient for a beautiful presentation.

Muddle: crush and mix an ingredient in the glass - like mint in a mojito.

Neat: unmixed drink served without ice.

On the Rocks: Served on ice (rocks..ice... get it?)

Shaker: a tool used to mix drinks by shaking (in a non-drink sense, it also refers to the two authors of this blog)

Shooter: a mixed drink usually shaken then served neat then gulped.

Straight Up: plain drink served neat with no rocks

Twist: piece of fruit peel squeezed over a drink then used as garnish.

Virgin: non-alcoholic version of a mixed drink.

Zest: small piece of lemon, lime or orange peel

Now.. based on this short and nowhere complete list of definitions, were you to order a Belvedere up with a twist, would that drink include olives? No.

It should be a pour of vodka with a bit of lemon. What was served was a glass of chilled vodka with a little plate of both olives and some lemon. Subsequent requests for another round of Belvedere up with a twist resulted in Belvedere with olives dumped in. *sigh*

Is this somewhat of a rant? Yes.

If your drink is not correct, don't hesitate to send it back.

Conversely, if it is done well, reward the bartender accordingly.

Shaker Two on a Rant OUT.

The Stripe Report- Holiday Style

2009-12-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

Stripe here. Just checking in to let you thirsty RS fans know that though the busy holiday season schedules make for brief and infrequent postings, The Shakers are by no means finished sampling and creating tasty festive 'tinis. They don't call it getting into the "spirit" of the season for nothing, so let's get to shaking. Soon. Santa won't be expecting a plate of cookies at your houses and you better have something good for him when he comes.

Now, there's something under there for me, right?
Stripe out.

Run, run as fast as you can.....

2009-12-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

......you're gonna want to taste this gingerbread man! The Christmas season has inspired us to make merry once again with a holiday themed tini. Forget visions of sugarplums, visions of martinis dance through our heads. And we welcomed a friend for his first Red Shaker tasting-hi Ref!

Another friend sent us a link to this recipe (thanks Diane!)

The Gingerbread Martini:

We first tried this as the recipe stated and the unanimous verdict was ok, but not "gingerbready" enough. So we did what the Shakers do and tweaked and twisted. Gingerbread perfection! Basically, we replaced the gingerbread Monin syrup (too sweet from past experiences) with an interesting liquor:Hiram Walker Gingerbread liquor, doubled the quantity and cut the kahlua (overkill and gets lost in the flavor profile). This naughty little man gets blended up with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Garnish with some freshly grated nutmeg and a gingersnap cookie, you have a very enjoyable dessert martini. Creamy, not too sweet, one is perfect for a holiday treat.

Shakers One and Two give this 4 1/2 olives

Ref threw in a solid 4 1/4 (he's a gin drinker, so don't hold it against him).

As we wrap up a quick Sunday night shake we send out a special holiday wish to our Shaker friends:

May all your spirits be bright and your martini glasses full.

Sometimes, the classics are best

2009-12-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

This evening's get together was unplanned. It ended up being a result of new technology not working as well as promised. In other words, the digital transmissions to Shaker 2's place sucks and she was unable to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" so Shaker 1 offered to open up the Balcony Bar for a special screening.

Could we leave it at just watching this fabulous holiday classic? Of course not.

While Shaker 2 thought it would be perfectly fine to have tried and true classics like dirty and twisted.... Shaker 1, as usual, raised the bar a bit higher. She was again inspired and created:

The Mistletoe-tini!

A combination of Rain vodka, champagne sorbet, pomegranate juice and triple sec.

All I gotta say is "well done, Shaker 1!" {*blush*thank you}

Not too sweet, a slight fruity undertone balanced with the dryness from the champagne. Lovely! This puppy would even rock in the summer. 4 1/2 olives! And it's a pretty festive color.

As the twinkle lights cast a festive glow on the Balcony Bar, the Shakers enjoyed "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the ushering in of the holiday season.

Deck The Halls......

2009-12-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

.....with Christmas 'Tinis! It's never too early to start celebrating the holiday season (well ok, anytime before Thanksgiving is too early). Tonight we've decided to test out a couple of party friendly Christmas martini recipes.

First up is our own creation: Frosty's Revenge

Made with Shaker 2's Snowman Soup hot cocoa mix, vanilla vodka (Stoli), amaretto, golden rum and heavy cream infused with a cinnamon stick. This one is creamy, not too sweet, with a hit of warmth from the rum/amaretto.....delicious! We give this one 4 1/4 olives as is, next time would add some nice cocoa or shaved quality chocolate for a richer result. Frosty you can come over and play again. We promise not to steal your magic hat.

Next up: The Peppermintini

We got this one from the Edy's Ice Cream website. Peppermint ice cream, vodka and white cream de cocoa blended up. Usually I don't enjoy the chunky rimming garnishes, but the crushed candy cane rim on this really makes the magic happen. Pair that with a spiral of chocolate syrup drizzled inside the glass, you've got happiness in a glass. This tini slides past 4 3/4 olives to perilously close to a 5 for Shaker 2. A solid holiday/dessert tini treat. If you only give yourself one gift this holiday season, give yourself the gift of creamy pepperminty boozy happiness. It will bring out your inner drunken child. Finding new ways to love candy canes is a beautiful thing.

It's a school night, so Shakers 1 and 2 will call it a night, before we float away on a boozy sweet cloud of Christmas cheer.

Don't worry shaker fans, we'll be back soon with more happy holiday themed martinis.

Good night and remember, there are only 22 drinking days left until Christmas.

Ask The Red Shaker

2009-11-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

We are debuting a new feature here: Ask The Red Shaker. Part advice column, part magic 8 ball, part everything you always wanted to know about martinis but were afraid to ask. We welcome your questions on any topic and would be happy to provide amusing pseudonyms for our more shy followers. Please leave your questions in the comments section and we will bestow upon you our 'tini wisdom.

To get the olive rolling, we begin with a question submitted to us by reader "DK":

Dear The Red Shaker,

I read a restaurant review in a current magazine which referred to a "fig-thyme" Martini. Neither my wife, much the more knowledgeable one, nor I knew of this intriguing drink.

Was the reviewer pulling our leg, or is this latest sip in THE metropolis?

If so, would you kindly suggest a recipe and perhaps a bit of provenance. When is it appropriate? What does one wear while holding the glass, etc, etc.

We are contemplating a trip to the B A and don't want to appear obviously "provincial."

All of your suggestions will be appreciated.

Oh yes; it is in the current issue of The New Yorker

Sincerely,

D K

Dear DK,

While the Shakers have not sampled this particular martini, we can tell you that 'tinis in the big city have become anything but pedestrian. You now see herbal/infused/foamed/floral concoctions on many menus. Bartenders have been elevated to "mixologists". And while previously trendy cocktails such as cosmos may now relegate you to a seat in nightclub siberia, you're always safe ordering a classic~vodka martini up with twist for example. When in doubt, ask for the bartender's recommendation or house specialty. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even have them create something on the spot for you. Don't be afraid to break out of the martini box, er, shaker.

The Shakers have enjoyed an Apple Thyme Martini (see our Halloween post), and it would seem that for fig afficiandos a fig thyme concoction would be a fall delight. Not being a fig fan myself, I'd have to defer to Shaker 2's suggestions as to recipes on this one.

As for the appropriate attire for enjoying said Fig-Thyme Martini, The Shakers recommend something more substantial than a leaf......The Big Apple can be chilly this time of year. Something in all weather wool perhaps, black or charcoal, and closed toed shoes for the ladies. A martini makes the perfect accessory to any fashionable ensemble.

Thank you for your inquiry,

turkey and.... violets???

2009-11-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

On this eve of Thanksgiving, the Shaker Girls decided to have a decompression night and try an interesting new liqueur that Shaker One has been itching to try for quite a while.... an Austrian violet liqueur. The label reads that this concoction comes from the Austrian Alps and made of wild violets from the mountainside. Now, this is not some run of the mill schnappsy beverage, it is a rather unique drink that is a bit more on the aromatic side rather then an overpowering synthetic flavor. It also gives the drinks a fun bluish color! We like fun colors.

We first tried the Creme de Violette alone, since neither of us had tasted it before. It was slightly sweet, but not cloying.

Our first drink was a Violet Fizz, which we tweaked a bit using vodka rather then gin ('cuz we are vodka girls, not gin girls..and it's our blog, so there.)

The result was not bad, but we felt that there was a bit too much lemon in the drink-it really overpowered the violet. So we halved the lemon and got close to a lovely drink ( the lemon proportion totally overshadowed the violet)

As written, it gets 1.5 stars.... tweaked, it gets 3.5.

We also like that the drink matched Stacia's dress!!

Next was our own concoction of champagne sorbet (thank you, Surfas!), Creme de Violette, vodka, a splash of lemon juice and a splash of lemon bitters (thanks, Lynda!!) This was quite lovely - but then again, it was based on champagne sorbet, how can you go terribly awry??

Both of us felt this was well worth the liqueur's fairly subtle flavor.

Our third drink of the night was Creme de Violette with champagne. Oh yeah, baby.. this one was good. The flavors made friends in the glass and complimented each other well. Definitely going to be a repeat guest in the menu, methinks.

On the night before Thanksgiving, we would like to thank all of you who read our blog. This is a lot of fun and has been educational on so many levels. Much love to our family and friends. We will return after the turkey coma has subsided and the food babies have gone away.

Cozy Fall Shake

2009-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

At the end of a long work week the Shakers decided they needed something soothing. Friday night beckoned and instead of revelry our thoughts turned to comfort food. Atkins followers, avert your eyes. It's gonna get veeerrrry carb-y in here.

Dinner: Mashed Potato Bar!

Both regular russet and sweet potatoes made into mashes and served with a variety of fixins. It was guuuuud.

For our 'tinis we decided to test a few more recipes from the Rain Vodka site. (Note: this site is flash, so I can't post a direct link to the recipes... it also has a lovely *ahem* soundtrack that you can't mute. The menu is fairly easy to navigate so you can find the recipes on your own.)

First up: The Rain Mango Tango

Made with Rain Honey Mango Melon Vodka, cranberry juice and orange juice this one made us wish we had a whole bottle of the vodka (we were still working off testers for the other flavors). Delicious with a nice balance of fruity flavors. We both give this one a 4 1/2 olives.

Next up is the Rain Ocean Breeze made with Rain Red Grape Hibiscus Vodka.

Like last time we tried this vodka, we could not get past the overpowering "fake grape" smell/taste. We'd love to have been able to detect the hibiscus, but nope! All grape all the time. Yuck. We give this one olive.

Then we have The Seaside Rain made with Lavender Lemonade Vodka:

Shaker 2 found the grapefruit flavor a bit overpowering and Shaker 1 agrees that she'd have liked to have the lavender show through better. Pleasant but not a show stopper. 3 olives.

Lastly we have the Rain Provencal made with Lavender Lemonade Vodka.

This was a fun looking one made with an egg white to foam it up. The taste however was just ok. The lemon overpowered the lavender note here which was not the case with the other Lavender Lemonade Vodka recipes we've tried. 3 olives.

So in the world of Rain flavored vodkas, yes to Lavender Lemonade and Honey Mango Melon. Sorry Cucumber Lime and Red Grape Hibiscus, you're not on the guest list.

Shakers 1 and 2 signing out in a blissful haze of carby goodness. And a special hello to Suzy Q for listing The Red Shaker as one of the things she's thankful for. We're thankful for our thirsty faithful followers. Good night and good shaking!

Delusions of Grandeur (or palatability at the very least)

2009-11-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

Remember college drinking? The cheapest swill was still a thrill. You hadn't yet discovered that booze doesn't have to taste like turpentine. The successful use of a fake ID covered many a taste sin. Now those days are in the distant past and I expect more from my cocktails. But when I venture back to a college bar type place, I set the bar a bit lower. Yesterday I think I tripped over it.

Scene: Pre game tailgate temporary bar
Cast of Characters: One surly cocktail waitress/"bartender"
One long bar full of bottles, not a single recognizable label
One vodka loving football fan in need of a non-beer cocktail

When I'm at a place like this, I keep it simple. Nothing more taxing than a booze and one mixer. How can you go wrong with a vodka cranberry? When the first sip ends in a cough, you know you've got problems. I assumed I'd mistakenly ordered well vodka and resolved to correct my error on the second round. So I very politely ask the "bartender" if they had any other brands of vodka. She archly informed me that their vodka of choice~Cruzan~ was excellent and of very high quality (Note: a cursory google search turned up Cruzan rum, but no vodka. When you're not even googleable that's not a good sign in a booze-perhaps I got the name wrong?). I nicely said that it wasn't the best vodka I've tasted and was met with the following response:

"It's much better than Gray Goose and equal to Absolut"
Martinis on the house for anyone who can make sense of that logic. Honey, you just either gave Absolut quite the promotion or insulted Gray Goose (both acceptable brands in my book).
I resisted telling her that I've taken off my nailpolish with stuff that tastes smoother than her beloved "Cruzan" and told her I'd just have a screwdriver.

This is what I got:

Next time I'll have a beer.

Kids, life's too short for cheap vodka.

Busy Shakers are Still Thirsty Shakers

2009-11-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

Good evening . Shakers 1 and 2 here, squeezing in a school night shake just because.
NPR (yes, that NPR, I don't listen to it either ~Shaker One (Shaker 2 does.)) recently had a contest to incorporate ginger into recipes. One of the winning recipes was for a ginger martini.

As written, a bit too "limey". We increased the pineapple juice and the result was very nice! Light, fruity, with a subtle ginger kick. We give this one 3 3/4 with our modifications.

Next stop: The Reindeer Martini!

It's never too early to start testing holiday martinis for the upcoming entertaining season. We stumbled upon this recipe randomly googling. Google, a thirsty 'tini drinkers bestest friend! After tasting the exact recipe, we decided it needed a bit more cream and Frangelico.....an extra half part Frangelico plus a very generous splash of heavy cream. The result is very tasty, creamy, not too sweet. Garnished with ground cinnamon, this reindeer could join in our reindeer games anytime. Shaker 2 gives it a 3 3/4 olives and I concur.

We served this badboy with dessert grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, you read that correctly. Warning, these can be highly addictive. Shaker 1 devised this devilish delight in a moment of kitchen experimentation. It's breakfast, it's dessert, it's damn near illegal in 23 states. Make some for yourself, you won't be sorry.

So we draw this night to a close with happy tummies and thoughts of tinis to come. Good night and remember, it's never too early to start enjoying the holiday season!

MWHUAHAHAHA The Dread Shaker

2009-11-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

Certain times of the year lend themselves to the dark and spooky. Ghoulies and ghosties come out of hiding and dark tales begin to form...or we forget all that and have a wonderfully scary Shaker get together.

Velcome to the Dread Shaker!
(insert scary Boris Karloff voice here)

On Halloween eve, the stage was set, costumes donned and munchies made...it was time to invite some of our followers in for the Shaker experience.
Guests were greeted with a lovely concoction: the Apple Thyme Martini.

This one is a rather delicate blend of apple juice, thyme simple syrup, vodka and an apple slice for a garnish. These were a big hit with the guests. The flavors blend together beautifully - nothing overpowers anything else. This one was basically made exactly as written, though we did cut down the simply syrup a bit.

Shaker One and Two give this one a 4.5 olive rating.

To go with this, the table was set with mummy dogs, gougéres, an onion and sage tart, southwestern pumpkin soup shooters, ginger roasted butternut squash soup shooters, caramel corn and fabulous white chocolate pretzel "fingers" and chocolate dipped pretzels sent by Shaker One's sister (thanks, Cyndy!!)

______________________________

Zombies!!

Attending this get-together was a James Dean, a Pink Lady, a zombie couple, a preppy, a guy who got off work and refuses to don a costume and two zombie Shakers

The Balcony Bar was decked out in tulle, skulls, pumpkins and bats. Quite the festive scene.
Next martini on deck was the Corpse Reviver.

Admittedly, most at the party did not get around to trying this one as they were drinking the Apple Thyme Martinis like they were going out of style.
For this one, we used 3/4 oz of each ingredient (though used vodka instead of gin) and a bit less lemon juice (1/2 oz) and skipped the absinthe. We garnished this one with a piece of star anise, which gave it a very subtle anise flavor.
We give this one a 3.5 rating. Enjoyable, but not a favorite.

We soon had a special guest at our little Dread Shaker Night - honorary East Coast Shaker, John. He attended via Skype and showed off his costume for a fabulous themed get together he was attending the next night.

John getting to try the apple thyme martini

Love that smile

Showing off his fabulous costume

In honor of the season (and a bottle of Modern Spirits Pumpkin Pie vodka) we Shakers created our own festive concoction, aptly entitled:

The Jack-o-Tini.

The Pumpkin Pie vodka is a subtle infusion. It is not overly pumpkiny and the spices are complimentary and not overpowering. To this, we floated freshly whipped cream flavored with cinnamon and confectioner's sugar. For a dessert martini, this one is really nice. Not too sweet, depth of flavors with the spices but nothing too cloying.
We give this one a 3.75 (mostly for the creamy goodness)

Zombie and Shaker Two

Shaker One and Shaker Two would like to thank our excellent guests for helping us make our first Dread Shaker event Spooky Fabulous!
Good night and Happy Hallo-tini!!

I'll Stick With Maryann

2009-10-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

After another foray to the Beverage Warehouse(yes, I bought some Rain Lavender Lemonade vodka!), I come home with a new liqueur mini: Canton Ginger Liqueur. Now I love ginger. I buy the sushi ginger just to snack on. Its my go to vodka infusion. Fresh ginger is one of my favorite flavors, so what's not to like about boozy ginger?

So I trot over to the Canton website and check out their recipes.

First, I try a classic Canton Martini, hoping to get a good flavor read without too many competing mixers. I open the mini and sniff. Huh, that's funny- I don't smell ginger. It smells pretty much like strong booze/cognac. Let's give it a try, shall we?

Um,no actually. This is a really boring drink. I taste absolutely zero ginger. It tastes like a vodka martini up, with a splash of cognac. And not even a good plain martini. 2 olives.

Let's try one more and see if this bottle can find beverage redemption.
Canton L'Orientale:

Better, but mostly because the other ingredients mask that hot booze taste. Meh, drinkable but again, 2 olives. And I'm being generous.

Well, I won't give up on finding a ginger liqueur. but for now I'll stick to my ginger infused vodka.

Sorry Canton, thanks for playing. Shaker 2, I've spared you martini disappointment.

hwyl, bonjour and guten tag!

2009-10-09T02:56:00.001-07:00

Shaker 2 here doing a little greeting from the other side of the pond. Sadly, my travels have not included martinis as I have been partaking of ciders, a few beers and lots and lots of tea.

Most of the bars - 'scuse me, "pubs" - have featured Smirnoff vodka - and unless that stuff is drowning in orange juice, I just can't drink it. I look forward to getting back to the Balcony Bar and enjoying my favorite mixologists concoctions. I was very interested to read about the new Rain flavors... mmmmmm.

I am off to Paris next and will perhaps see what they have in the City of Lights to try. I will be near the St Germain area, so they might have some lovely beverages to try with its namesake liqueur.

Perspective

2009-10-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

Some people look at life through rose colored glasses. I prefer martini glasses.

It's Rain-ing 'Tinis

2009-10-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

Shaker 1 here. While Shaker 2 enjoys her lengthy European adventure, I thought I'd do a little research. First, off to boozy nirvana (otherwise known as The Beverage Warehouse) to replenish the voddy vault. While cruising down the vodka aisle (no, we don't have a personalized shelf there, yet), I grabbed a bottle of Rain Vodka and what did I see? Why, they've come out with some really interesting sounding flavored versions! Lavender Lemonade, Red Grape Hibiscus, Cucumber Lime and Honey Mango Melon. Now for you regular readers, you may recall seeing Rain Organic Vodka used pretty frequently by the Shakers. We enjoy the smooth taste and reasonable price point. It has become a regular in our vodka repertoire. I was tempted by the Lavender Lemonade and Red Grape Hibiscus flavors, but reluctant to buy a whole bottle only to end up being disappointed (I'm looking at you Pearl Vodka).

So I headed for the checkout line and what did I see? They had minis of every new flavor! Huzzah! I love you Beverage Warehouse.

First up is the Rain Relaxer*, made with Rain Lavender Lemonade Organic Vodka.

*Shaker 2 here... another flash site.. so meander around the Rain Vodka site and you can find the recipes there...

At first glance, this is a seriously girly drink. Very pretty color, but I don't see a guy holding this daintily with pinkie raised. And then I tasted it.

Oh my. Lovely. A very soft 'tini on the tongue. Sweet without being cloying, a hint of the lavender floral tones, the surprise of blueberries......wait, I need another sip before bestowing the olive score........this babydoll just gets more enjoyable with every taste. I give this a solid 4 olives. I look forward to making this one for Shaker 2. I think she will approve. Still put this one firmly in the Chicktini category.

Next up is The Rain Hawaiian Breeze made with Rain Red Grape Hibiscus Organic Vodka.

Another chicktini, based on color. I do love the way pineapple juice foams up a martini. Hmmmm, I like this one also. I have to say that I wish there was more hibiscus flavor and less red grape. The hibiscus emotes another subtle floral hint, but I can't help but think of koolaid when it comes to the grapey-ness. Still a very enjoyable 'tini. Maybe 3 1/4 olives. I just squeezed the lemon wheel garnish into it and it got much better. That seemed to tone down that grape lollypop note I'm not loving. 3 1/2.

Ok, I lied. I'm going for a third recipe. This time it's The Rain Spa-tini with Rain Cucumber Lime Organic Vodka.

This one is sort of a spa cosmo. Not unpleasant, but as with the Red Grape Hibiscus, I sense a slight synthetic flavor. I don't dislike this and it makes an ok 'tini, but I long for a more pronounced "real" lime/cuke tone. 2 1/2 olives. Actually, the more I taste this one, the less I enjoy it. 2 olives and some serious doubt about this flavor. Not finishing this one.

The verdict: I will definitely buy a bottle of the Rain Lavender Lemonade Vodka and very much look forward to trying new recipes. I may go for a bottle of the Red Grape Hibiscus, but will first see if anyone does a plain hibiscus vodka. Still have to try the Honey Mango Melon. The jury is out on the Cucumber Lime,but it may want to consider a plea deal.

{note to readers: please excuse the temporary lack of visual bells and whistles while Shaker 2 is abroad. My technical skills do not match my mixology skills}

Good night and good shaking!

here is to beautiful sunsets and lovely guests

2009-09-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a few weeks in the making, but we finally got our acts (and schedules) together for a long-awaited shaker night. As the days get shorter and fall starts to creep in, we appreciate the last of the summer nights.

This week, we have a guest in from Holland, Michigan...the fabulous MJ. This woman is not only kind, fun and an inspiration - she is also a martini virgin!!!! Oh yes, let the corruption begin. ;) What better way to cap off a weekend of the Hollywood Bowl, Disneyland and trips to Venice Beach then an evening of cold drinks and fabulous food?

(Shaker One also would like to celebrate the nail biting USC victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes - apparently USC snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat from the Buckeyes in the last few minutes of the game.. Go Trojans!!!!)

This evening started out with a Pineapple Drop martini.

{Shaker One here, seriously- I need to get on this infusion thing}

Our guest Shaker, MJ, liked her first martini. She felt it tasted a bit like a pineapple margarita - she did sample more then one baby martini (she opted to use the baby martini glass - she is not too much of a drinker, normally..) She thought it could use a bit more pineapple... or "be more pineapply.)

2.5 olives... Shaker One concurs and Shaker Two is ok with that rating.

Shaker One produced another lovely menu... oregano grilled shrimp, herbed orange salad and some lovely La Brea Bakery bread (mmmmmmm). The shrimp was amazing - perfectly marinated and grilled. The orange salad was good, but would have been a bit better served over a bed of mixed greens then alone.

Our second beverage selection of the night is a Strawberry Basil martini from foodandwine.com.

It is a pleasant combination, though consensus was that we would like the strawberry flavor to be more pronounced. Perhaps infusing the vodka a bit more with strawberries... but overall, it is a nice drink with an interesting herbal element.

MJ gives is 2 olives (she likes the pineapple more, so she could not rate this one higher) she would also like it a bit more with all strawberries and no basil. She is a self proclaimed "foo foo drinker"

Shaker One gives it 3, perhaps 3.5 with a few mods.

Shaker Two coughed up 2.75 olives

We opted for a St Germain and champagne cocktail as a lovely finish..and discussed the merits of Dave Navarro, hair bands, and future plans for a "welcome back to the country" for Shaker Two after her upcoming international European tour.

To finish off our evening.... a somewhat made-up concoction based on a White Russian a bit with some variation...namely vanilla bean ice cream and Frangelico added to the traditional Kahlua (coffee liqueur), vodka and Baileys.

This was a lovely dessert drink (served with chocolate covered strawberries)

Recipe:

1 3/4 oz vodka (we used Stoli)

1 3/4 oz Irish cream

2/3 oz Frangelico

2/3 oz Kahlua

scoop vanilla bean ice cream

MJ sez....the drink is quite tasty, a little strong (for a non-drinker) might like it a little less alcohol (more like a Kahlua and cream, then a white Russian.) She gives it 3 olives - being her favorite martini of the night.

Shaker One like the heart strawberry sliver garnish and likes (total girlie warning here) how it looks. Taste wise, for a dessert martini, was nice. It is a little sweet and a bit heavy. Pleasant and lovely, but not something she would normally order... 2.5 olives. (Shaker Two concurs)

You Know You Want To......

2009-09-07T18:00:00.001-07:00

....check out the new Red Shaker logo merchandise. Super stylin' designs on a variety of products that all the cool kids will be sporting. Don't be left in the dork dust.

****

Sometimes time gets away, schedules conflict and moods do not cooperate. In lieu of an official Shaker Night, Shakers 1 and 2 are working on getting schtuff done. In Shaker #2 case, it is more about thinking about it, then finding things more entertaining then actually finishing them.

{Shaker One's liver sees a fall full of football tailgates and shaker nights and is very scared}

On that note, we bring you... new stuff in the store!!! Super spiffy new items for the purchasing! Proceeds help fund the vodka stash. Check it out - buy lots!

Happy Labor Day! More vodka fun soon!

The Disappointing Guest

2009-08-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had an acquaintance you ran into after a long time? You had fond memories of them, so you eagerly invite them over, sure they will mix well with your new crowd. They were always so smooth.

And then they arrive..........were they always this harsh? Every interaction seems so biting. And though they don't stand out too badly when blended in with the other guests, you don't find yourself seeking them out. To top it all off, they gave Shaker II a headache the next day. I've never seen that happen.

I'm sorry Pearl Vodka, you won't be invited back.

Tri-umphant!

2009-08-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

So, we hadn't planned to shake tonight, but we could not let Miss Sheridan's very first Triathlon go unacknowledged. Scrounging around in the pantry and bar resulted in an impromptu, but quite enjoyable celebration of Sheridan's accomplishment: The Santa Barbara Triathlon. Yay Sheridan!

And what better way to mark such a momentous occasion than with martinis? And what better martinis than our very own special recipes. Yes sports fans, these came right out of our weekend addled brains. And on the seventh day, the shakers looked upon what they created, and it was good. Soooooo good.

First off The Staciatini. All the deliciousness you desire, all the booze to soothe your thirsty spirit. Champagne sorbet, St. Germain, Vodka and a splash of champagne......it is frothy and sparkly and entices you to drink another. And another. And.....oh, well you get the idea. Yes, yes and yes. Try to resist. I dare you.

Sheridan gives this one 4 3/4 olives, I give it 5 olives~. Almost the golden olive.

Next is Mother's Rose Garden. St. Germain, rosewater and vodka. So incredibly lovely. And garnished with rose petals from the Balcony Garden . Delicious.
We give this tini a 4 1/4 olives. Lovely.
Well, it was a short shake tonight. We are looking forward to doing a fun shake theme night soon, so stay tuned. A bientot alors, mes amis!!

Strategy Session....and Cocktails!

2009-08-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hello from Red Shaker headquarters. The Shakers decided to get together to plot our merchandising empire......over drinks, naturally.

As a change of pace, tonight we journey on a lovely river of bubbly: Champagne drinkies! As these are not officially martinis, we are suspending our olive rating system and just commenting on the drinks.

First off, The St. Germain Champagne Cocktail
A lovely summer drink. Slightly sweet. but not overly so. Sheridan says, "I'm in love with St. Germain". I think that's still illegal in 29 states, but we can all dream of a day when equality reigns.

Next up is the Champagne Julep.Yes sports fans, that is exactly what it sounds like- a mint julep made with champagne and cognac instead of whiskey. Ok, this one takes the triple crown! Even Miss Sheridan, who is not a mint fan, enjoyed this. I would happily drink this while sitting on the veranda entertaining my beaus. Tomorrow may be another day, but we need another bottle tonight.

In between our libations, we are actually putting together our Red Shaker Shop. Coming soon: t-shirts, boxers and a variety of products celebrating the Shaker Life!

One Technical note: in addition to blogspot, you can now reach our page at:

www.theredshaker.com

Whilst Sheridan deals with the technical side of things, I wonder what drink we should have next.............

La Vie En Rose~champagne with rosewater. Mmmmmm, this smells amazing. The rose flavor is subtle but definitely there. We like this one! Note: as I didn't have any rose champagne chilled, we made this with brut. The recipe used rose. for an enormous list of champagne based cocktails, go to http://www.wineintro.com/champagne/cocktails/index.html

You won't run out of options with this website. Really comprehensive and fun. We will be trying many more from this site in the future. I do love my bubbly.

Thanks for joining us for this impromptu strategy session. Check back soon for links to the store and be the coolest or at least the drunkest kid in your neighborhood by sporting the Red Shaker gear!

Shake ya later! ;)

A Midsummer Night's Shake.

2009-07-31T22:17:00.000-07:00

In the heart of the dog days of summer, a heat wave hits Los Angeles. Now, granted, we know this is not as hot as other places in the country, but we reserve the right to whine as most of us don't have AC... and this IS Los Angeles. By law it was supposed to be sunny and 72 at all times. Anything else either requires extra electrolytes or Ugg boots (ok.. not really - those things are butt-ass ugly.) [please note: Ugg Boots, Crocs, Birkenstocks, and any other footwear deemed ugly by the management is strictly prohibited in the Balcony Bar]

To cater to the heat, we opted for a lovely summery flair to the menu and the martini options.
The lovely, sassy Stacia.

We also had another Shaker night guest - this one from New York. John joined into the fun via Skype and was a true delight. He is not only funny as all get out, he is frighteningly smart (at least I hear... ;) ) We are trusting he will join in again in the future. Check out his blog here.

Our evening began with a Provinçal martini.

A beautiful combination of vodka, an infusion of culinary lavender, lemon juice and honey. Nothing overpowered the other and the result is something refreshing and almost melodic. Do I wax rhapsodic? Yes, actually, I do.

This one ranks up there with the Parisian - I am thinking the French have even more to teach us about flavors then we might first realize. [Stacia here- C'est vrai!]

Our first course was paired with a lovely tray of cheeses and fruits. Sheridan highly recommends the Truffle Tremble and the Le Chatelain Camembert.
Offering John a grape.

Second on our list was a vanilla and lavender combination, aptly titled the Lavender Martini.

With a somewhat sweet overload from the flavored syrups, it ended up turning into another salvage martini. The addition of some slightly acidic fruit juices helped counteract the sweet. The salvage was not bad, but this one did not rank overly high. [Stacia again- I think the recipe was the problem. The syrups are lovely, you just need to use them sparingly to achieve a balanced 'tini and avoid over-sweetness]

Stacia came up with a fabulous chilled corn soup. I have to say, she does have a way with the soups. The flavors were mild and refreshing. The corn flavor was not lost among the other ingredients and it was garnished with green onions and thick-cut bacon.

She followed this with a lovely salad of chicken tenders (thanks to Sonic Drive-Ins!) mixed with mushrooms, bacon and roasted mini yukon gold potatoes. A lovely orange vinaigrette to go with it.
John joining us for salad.

Lastly we have the Orange Creamsicle Martini.

Being a tad gunshy from the sweetness of the lavender, but we decided that we would work with this one as is - after all it is a creamsicle. Creamsicles are sweet. This one was nice. It is a sweet finish to the selection and has a rather lovely mandarin flavor from the Monin syrup. [Stacia - can't wait to pick up some of Monin's other unique flavors and get creative with the tinis!]

As a finish to the evening, we have a gorgeous champagne sorbet from Surfas. [Swoon]

A special thanks to Beverly for our fabulous napkins! We love that she is following the blog. [as the napkin says, it is indeed 5 O'clock somewhere!]

You can also now follow us on Twitter @theredshaker!

Deep Thoughts.......

2009-07-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

.....the summer 'tini casts a long shadow...........

Shake and Bake

2009-07-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

Good evening thirsty 'tini fans. This hot weather has left us parched and jonesing for the sweet sweet relief that only an icy tini or four can give........

So tonight we decided to throw in an impromptu shakin'. As we discovered the Candy Store (ie, Beverage Warehouse) is closed on sunday (sobbing quietly), we decided to scrounge in the pantry and bar and see what we could throw together on the fly.

We begin our hot, hot summer afternoon with Golden Crown appetizers and summer sippers. Sheridan went with the Sweet Tea Vodka and her new bestest summer friend, The Drunken Arnold Palmer. Stacia chose a voddy spiked raspberry lemonade sparkler. Mmmmmm, oh so refreshing on both counts.

As the pizza dough rises, we delve into our recipe collection. Oh wait, did I neglect to mention we have home made pizza on the menu tonight? Well, stay tuned for deliciousness. If you haven't eaten, go grab some cheetos or something. It won't be as good as what we're having, but you'll keep the drool off the keyboard.

Though we lament the absence of St. Germain in the house to make our beloved Parisian 'tinis, we peruse the Lillet site for inspiration..........

Hmmmm, the Absolute Lay* looks interesting (or in the interest of full disclosure, more like the Stoli-n Lay). Not bad. Light, but with too much of a white wine taste for this shaker.

As we heat up the oven, we mix a batch of what will become a summer go to 'tini:

The Lillet Sin*.

If this is a sin, just book the penthouse in hell, Satan. And have a pitcher of these ready for us.
Run, don't walk to the liquor store and get what you need to put these in your glasses. So incredibly refreshing with a perfect balance of ginger, lime, mint, lillet and a splash of sparkling water brings near perfection to our lips with every sip. Sigh. Swoon. More please.
.....maybe even 4 3/4.

You know, screw the menu delving, we're sticking with this one until dessert tonight.
Mmmmm, the pizza is in the oven. We're having Rosemary Chicken Potato Pizza. I know, it sounds really weird, but it is oh so tasty. Trust us. Ok, I should really stop telling you to do that. But in the food/bevvie realm? Go ahead! You won't be disappointed.

So back to the Lillet Sin.....it's almost perfect. And that means it is approaching the holy grail of 'tin ratings: The Golden Olive. When five olives are not enough to contain the tini goodness of a drink, we bestow upon it the ultimate rating: THE GOLDEN OLIVE. It shines, it shimmers, it drunkens all that bask in it's deliciousness. So far we've not met that Tini, but we shall perservere until we can share that level of perfection in a glass with all of you faithful followers.

These lushes are all Sunday nighted out. Thanks for joining us for an unplanned but enjoyable end to the week. Stay cool and stay tuned for more martini fun.

Lushes out.

(* Sheridan here.
/rant
I would LOVE to link you to the recipe, but as is the nature of most freakin flash websites, you cannot directly link to pages within the site.. so go to the main Lillet site and you can find it within their recipes. Flash sites irk me for this reason... and a few others - but we'll just focus on that one for this entry.
/rant off)

le quatorze de juillet

2009-07-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Bastille Day! We took time out on a school night to celebrate this historic day French style. Hors d'oeuvres included les fromages, la petite charcuterie, vichyssoise and a tapenade Sheridan was craving.

We began the evening with a Parisian Martini.

Admittedly, this was stepping out with some ingredients that were not normally in the Shaker repertiore: Lillet blanc and St. Germaine. This drink had us hesitantly sniffing to see if we could get a clue as to what this might taste like - it was lovely. Slightly sweet, a few hints of herbals... it made us anticipate what was to come - we were not disappointed.

The flavor reminded Sheridan of less sweet orange muscat wine. It was slightly sweet, with a depth of flavor that kept giving hints of other flavors melding together. Can you tell this was a hit? It is a lovely drink and one we look forward to bringing back as an encore - perhaps a martini showdown.

Sheridan bestowed 4 olives, Stacia 4.25.

Stripey came out to join us in the cool air on the patio.

Next up was the French Martini.

This one was pleasant, but did not stand out as anything overly original. Stacia assures me that they can be done better and with a bit of tweaking, there would be vast improvement. As is, it is still a nice drink.

Stacia gives it a 4 - though done better. Sheridan a 3.5 (she has not had another variation - so improvement is open to future experimentation. )

Our final drink of the night was French 75 .

This drink has an interesting story behind the name - in essence it is a champagne cocktail with variations (as most cocktails have.) Overall nice and refreshing with a bubbly accent.

As a sparkling end to this school-night edition of The Red Shaker blog, Stacia bestows a 3.5 olive rating on it, Sheridan a 3.25. A positive vote from both Shaker girls.

We capped the night off with a lovely champagne cocktail with raspberry liqueur. It was a light, refreshing ending to the evening.

Enjoy the rest of your week! Stay tuned for another edition soon.

End Note: we dipped into the remainder of Sheridan's cinnamon ice cream - it gets better as it matures. The cinnamon flavor really comes through with a bit of maturation.

A Shake and a Wave Goodbye!

2009-07-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight we raise a glass to wish a faithful shaker friend goodbye as she leaves California for new adventures. Sheridan ferreted out some of the mythical Sweet Tea Vodka from her weekend of debauchery in Palm Springs.

If anyone other than Sheridan had suggested this, I would have politely declined. But I trust her drunken instincts, so we eagerly awaited as she mixed us up a glass of Drunken Arnold Palmers. If you did not know it was booze, you'd think you were drinking a Snapple. Amazing. A perfect refresher for a hot summer evening. Or morning. Or mid afternoon.....
I think we've found a new summertime friend.

Warning: you do not feel like you are having a 'real' drink, so it would be way too easy to overindulge with these. They do pack a punch, so take it nice and easy. Or go ahead and get plowed, as long as you're not driving.
Over the traditional dinner menu of Chicken Caesar Salad and Our Famous Stuffed Mushrooms, we discussed the merits of various summertime beverages.

And then we did a guests special request 'tini. She perused our offerings to date and selected the Lenin-ade. An excellent choice! Goodbye MyLitte Pony- may Colorado offer you it's best!

Hotter than a.... (use euphemism of choice)

2009-07-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

Howdy Shaker fans, Sheridan here with a quick weekend post from Shakerland. I just got back from a lovely weekend in Palm Springs with old friends. I thought I would write a little post recapping a fabulous find in this Shaker's world.

So for those not familiar with Palm Springs, it is a kind of resort town east of Los Angeles and historically known for being a playground for celebrities (its heyday being in the 60's with the likes of the Rat Pack, Doris Day, Bob Hope and many other stars of years gone by escaping the wilds of H-wood for this little oasis in the middle of the desert) and retirement folks and the gay community. A mix of mid-century modern and Spanish architecture nestled at the base of Mount San Jacinto...in the desert.

Keyword here being desert.

Meaning this shaker spent the last couple of days in what felt like a blast furnace. 114 degrees to be precise. Don't give me the line about it being a dry heat. Anything over 95 is hot. I am from Texas, I grew up in hot. I am not a fan of hot - at least weather wise.

To try and avoid and counteract some of this lovely weather, my friends planned a trip up the tram to the top of Mt. San Jacinto for a nature hike with some lovely views of Palm Springs below. It was 25 or so degrees cooler up there, so that was nice. Until we descended back into the center of hellfire. We took a bit to shower, then headed to the Riviera Palm Springs for a couple cocktails (the three of us all being dirty in our selection - ratings from mildly profane to X-rated on the dirty scale.) the bartenders served up some fine examples. Mine even had some gloriously delicious ice chips in it. Water it down, you say? I took it as a bonus to help keep this girl cool. The Riviera has recently been remodeled into a gorgeous homage to it's Hollywood Glam history. Fabulous - go check it out just for the interior alone.

Next we went to dinner at Wang's in the Desert. This is a lovely Chinese restaurant with good service, tasty fried wonton and fabulous mandarin pork and tangerine beef. They also had a tasty concoction on their drink menu that propelled the night into full speed. Here is the description from their menu:

Palm Springs Iced Tea Cocktail $5.5

Cool and refreshing cocktail made with

Seagram’s Sweet Tea Flavored Vodka,

Lemonade and a splash of Soda

served on the rocks in a 1/2 liter personal carafe

I was skeptical, but my friend Jim said I needed to try this. I mean seriously - Sweet Tea flavored VODKA?!? It sounded foul. Jim basically said shut up and order it.

I did.

O. M. G. In a million years I would not have believed that this would be good. I would have been so wrong maintaining that belief. This was a luscious alcoholic Arnold Palmer. It was smooth, cool, refreshing and had a kick. I would also like you to note the price. $5.50 for a half liter carafe. squeeeeeaaallll!!!

Our trio inhaled a couple of these each, then moved onto another hotspot: Hunter's. On a whim, we asked if they had the Sweet Tea Vodka and could they make us an Arnold Palmer with it. Joy! They did and they could. Katy bar the door, let the drinking begin. This version was made without the soda, so had a bit more of a kick then the Wang's version - but just as effective in smoothness, flavor and refreshment. Cost: $5. I am used to $12-$14 per drink. It was like Christmas in the desert!!

I cannot WAIT to hunt the Seagram's Sweet Tea vodka down and enjoy a summer of gloriously refreshing AP's with a kick.

Serve them over ice with a spring of mint and wedge-o-lemon if you choose.

Cheers!

Stacia here- don't worry kids, the Shaker Twins are not gonna split....we sometimes just take separate Shake-cations! Sher, I want one of those Drunken Arnold Palmers (should we call them John Dalys?).

Stay tuned. We may fit in a little shake for Bastille Day..........a bientot!

2009-07-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

Red (White and Blue) Shaker Night!

2009-07-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

America, F yeah! Oops, sorry. for those patriots of more delicate constitution, Happy 4th of July!~

Tonight's theme is all American, red white and blue 'tinis. And we'd like to welcome our first Special Guest Star:
Kim! Can we say, Kim is the guestest with the mostest....she dove right in there mixing 'tinis and crafting one of our highest rated efforts to date. But more on that later.....let's dive right in to our first round.

As we graze on warm spiced nuts (heh), olives and caprese bites we sample the:

#13 Cucumber Cooler Martini

From a Texas warm weather drink recipe collection. Refreshing, pleasant, not too sweet. Would be great over ice in a tall glass (Kim- maybe with gin instead of vodka?), we enjoyed this.

Ratings ranged from
(Stacia)
(Sheridan)

Helpful hint: use the immersion blender to muddle. Much faster.

And on to round 2 with the #14 Cosmo-not Martini.

Ok, well Stacia had recipe fail here and read a key ingredient wrong. Also, we neglected to notice that this was a non-alcoholic(!?!?!?) 'tini (oxymoron, I know). So Kim tweaked, tinkered and twirled (hi Simon!) and created Kim's Cosmo Haute!

Delicious! We needed two rounds of this. Soooooooo tasty. Brava Kim~!
Perfectly balanced peach, cranberry, citrus.....they all play so well together. Your mouth will be happy. Trust us. Um, ok. Don't actually trust us, that's a bad idea. But make this drink. You won't be sorry. Mmmmmmmm.

And then we decided to actually eat some food. The booze was lonely. We had quite the feast with Sheridan's mom's pigs in a blanket, mini cheesie burger sliders with carmelized onions (Stacia rocks the sliders...mmmmm) , sweet potato fries and Sheridan's delicious Orzo salad.

And, because we thought it would be so cute, we chose a blue tini:

#15 The Blue Print!

I shall let the peanut gallery comments speak for themselves:
"Ohhh, Windex!" "It burns!!!!!"

Yeah, so the pretty ones don't taste so good. Kinda like in real life.

Rather than waste all that boozy goodness (we're all about recycling and repurposing - especially vodka) we remixed that bad boy into-

#16 The Octopussinki!

Now this is even better than our last salvagetini. Inky pretty color, nice flavor. Not bad. This may just about hit a 3 olives.

(Sheridan's working on her home made ice cream! Two flavors! We are very excited)

Tonight was doubly productive, as we have come up with several more Shaker night plans/menus for the future. Stay tuned for.... luai-tinis, field trips, Russian night, Sake-tinis, MadMen night, south of the border themes, Trailer Trash 'Tini night, vodka tastings and numerous other evenings of silliness we have talked about.

oooh... next round is coming up.

Warm mini apple pies with home made cinnamon ice cream. OMG, yum on the cinnamon ice cream.

And sadly, we paired it with a

#17 Coconut Cream Pie Tini.
(Emong joined in on this one - he was also a bit let down.)

Ok sadness, disappointment, remorse.

Again, it sounded so much better than it tasted. Meh. You know, they have the five stages of grief? We need to make the five stages of martini disappointment. Delicious description, lovely ingredient excitement, mixing glee, pouring/straining anticipation, tasting fail. 1 1/2 olives.

Take a pass.

Overall, another lovely evening 'tini tasting, despite several bailing guests. An excellent ending to a wonderful holiday weekend. Celebrate, marinate, macerate!
(Side note... we all found it rather funny as we realized we were now measuring vodka in measuring cups - saves time rather then count out jiggers.. but still... measuring cups!)

Come back soon. You know we get thirsty often. Good night and see you next time. Same channel, same shaker.

Lushes out.

The Stripe Report

2009-07-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Sheridan says thursday is the new friday this week, so Emong and I decided to begin the holiday weekend early. Emong, freshen my 'tini, will you?

What? We're not shaking in until SUNDAY???? How 'bout if we just keep a nice steady buzz on until then, and you girls can catch up later? Kthnks.

Stripe and Emong out.

Friday Night Lights

2009-06-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

Good evening lushes and bon vivants. Welcome to the latest Red Shaker night. Tonight we usher in another fun-filled fabulous weekend and say goodbye to a work week filled with PC drama, accounting headaches and general client stupidity. Needless to say, we both really, really need some fortified adult beverages. (Did I say really? Cause, really).

This evening we present to you an Herb-stravaganza! We feature fresh herbs from Sheridan's Patio Bar and Stacia's Balcony bar. Take a ride with us, break in your weekend, get a little drunk. You've earned it, we're sure.

We begin with:

Thyme and Garlic Cheese Dip and the #10 Lenin-ade Martini
(yes, Lenin.....as in Vladimir, not John).

We give this martini
(Sheridan says 4 1/2 over ice in summer and you can't argue with genius). This was quite nice....light, subtle mint flavor, a summer 'tini for sure.

Moving right along, our second course is

Carrot Ginger Soup Shooters with #11 Ginger Lime Martinis.

Oh my, this is a genius pairing. I probably love the 'tini more than Sheridan. I am a ginger superfreak. The kind you don't bring home to mother. Sheridan says the dollop of sour cream was the perfect accompaniment to the soup...the ginger and the carrot were perfectly balanced. (she still liked my vichyssoise better, I can tell). As we pat ourselves on the back , we move on to our next course:

Caramelized Onion and Sage Tart with #12 Blueberry 'tinis

Sheridan's onion tart review: "I just want to grab a pillow and sleep in it"
Stacia: My tart says thank you. :) And you can send it flowers tomorrow. No Daisies. ;)

And the 'tini? Mmmmblueberriesandboozemmmmmm.......
This was not a bad start at all, the blueberry flavor was a little too subtle and would definitely upgrade the rating if it were enhanced more. Next time we'll infuse a simple syrup with the muddled berries.
Could go higher with more "blueberry smooshiness". Heh.

And then we rolled ourselves into the kitchen for :

Mini Chicken Pot Pies!

Wait, WTF!?! Where is our next drink? And Why, in the name of all that is holy, am I still sober? Something is wrong here. Deeply wrong. I'll just let Sheridan review my pot pies whilst I correct my alcohol imbalance.

Take it away, Sher:

buzzin like a happy little bee here... can I just say I want to move in with Stacia and would happily pay for all groceries and specialty items for her cooking alone. (Stacia: the hell- she proposed earlier- where's my damn ring??? I prefer platinum).

The chicken pot pie. I have not had any in years, since most of my experience has been frozen dinners - those are okay.. but not great, especially after having some at some rather gourmet restaurants. Stacia's is close to the restaurant variety without being "uppity". The pastry was nice, light and not overpowering to the mixture of vegetables, chicken breast and "sauce." Fresh thyme compliments the blend and, as a whole, it is a fabulous rendition of a comfort food staple. I would totally bribe her to make this when I need a culinary hug. (Stacia: anytime my friend)

OOH! Next round is DONE! I'm off to drink. BRB.

Ok, so we decided to wing it here, no net, no recipe......

Drunken Berry tini

Gorgeous color, amazing aroma. Ruby red, vanilla scented end of evening libation.

We could definitely improve this. But not a bad start. (Stacia: Miss Sheridan's still flying higher than I am. WTF people.)

And we finish up this round to move on to our last course:

Raspberry Sorbet with Limoncello, Fresh Berries and Mint......

and here we stray from the 'tini path. Apologies to 'tini purists here. Avert your eyes. We're breaking out of the vodka box.

A little happy juice ends the evening well. Ahhhh, nothing says welcome to the weekend like a little glass of bubbly. Champagne makes everything better.

The addition of limoncello was inspired. Fresh berries garnished the concoction and the flavors complimented each other. Sheridan kind of mixed the sorbet and limoncello together making a bit of a smoothy consistency, giving rather devious thoughts to raspberry/limoncello shakes....

Thank you for coming along with us on another drunken journey.
We are plotting some 4th of July weekend fun, so stay tuned.

Happy weekend and happy drinking~!

Lushes out.

The Stripe Report

2009-06-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

You know, I don't read a lot of papers....being a cat and all. But I think I'd have heard if they reinstated prohibition.

So, what's a cat got to do to get a drink around these parts? I see plenty of bottles but not nearly enough booze on glass action. Chop chop ladies! Let's get some shakers working. Soon.

Stripe out.

When I grow up.......

2009-06-15T21:11:00.001-07:00

I want to be a Lemon Drop Martini!

Lakers and Shakers

2009-06-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight we have a lovely beverage and snackie menu.

To begin with:

Chilled vichyssoise shooters with #5 Citrus martinis.

Nice clean, not too sweet. Would probably only have one.

Course two: arugula salad with warm bacon dressing and #6 The Lava Lamp Martini.

Wellll....we dearly wish we could love the lava lamp. It was pretty. However, it tasted like cough syrup. Nasty, nasty cough syrup. Unless you have a prescription or chronic bronchitis, take a pass.

Hating to waste the vodka. we invented the #7 Salvage-tini:

Basically the Lava Lamp, shaken up with lemon juice, fresh lime,etc.....the best we can say is that we rendered it drinkable. Take a pass on this. The residents of Pompeii had more warning. 1 olive.

And on to to the third course, Caramelized onion and Parmesan puffs with the
#8 Razzmary Tini

. Both delicious, but could add a bit more rose/razz to the next round.

And for dessert: Frozen chocolate souffles and the #9 Wedding Cake Tini!

OMG- we're drinking cupcakes! Surprisingly, the combination of pineapple, cranberry and vanilla vodka rendered a concoction that tasted like a cupcake with butter cream frosting. The flavors were subtle and delightful. Delicious! Cupcakey! Mmmm!

Overall, an enjoyable evening with restraint. I could have had one more tini. Just a small one.......

Thank you for joining us and stop by again soon for another Red Shaker evening. And congratulations to the Lakers on their championship~ Next time I'll make a Kobin-tini....and hog it all for myself!~ hee hee.......

Birthday Wishes!

2009-06-08T11:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my co-lush and partner in crime Miss Sheridan!~

from Sheridan... I did not even see this yesterday as I was playing at The Happiest Place on Earth (aka Disneyland) which, I have to say, is severely lacking in martini (or alcohol) options... but still a blast.

thanks, Stacia! :D

The Stripe Report

2009-06-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

For two drunk chicks, you'd think they would be more generous with the treats.......
Did I put enough Frangelico in this?

Special Correspondant Emong Here!

2009-06-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Emong here. My Human brought me up to partake in the inaugural night of The Red Shaker sessions. She and Stacia were quite funny to watch as they poured, mixed, gabbed, acked (My Human found out she is not fond of Campari. At All.) and explored the collection of recipes they have discovered. Here they are letting me taste the Chuckleberrytini.

I was trying to keep as professional as possible. I made notes and logged the reactions. My writing got worse as the night wore on - both from the martini consumption and the fact that writing without hands and arms is a bitch. This is the bar selection for the evening. The Lushes have a fondness for Gray Goose, so I am sure you will be seeing that particular bottle a lot.

Round One- 'tinis one through three...and counting

2009-06-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

#1 Chuckleberrytini

Though we failed to note the "garnish with skittles" note in the recipe, this was not a bad way to begin our tini quest. Made a very pretty tini, could have used a bit more raspberry flavor and perhaps even a splash of lemon. Nice finish. Overall a decent tini.

Consensus Rating:
(Sheridan gives the name 5 olives!)

Moving along folks, onto the....

#2 The Continental Martini

Surprisingly less sweet than expected. Nice finish. Pretty color. Not bad.

Consensus Rating:

And that brought us to Sheridan's favorite:

#3 The Pink Panther

Oh lord, how I wish I had a camera when Sheridan took a sip of this one. Note to self: No Campari for Miss Sheridan. Wow, picture a combo spit-take/sourpuss/omg what foul hell just arrived in my mouth face. It was awesome. I poured her a fresh glass of champagne to wash the taste out of her mouth. Heh.

The drink? Ok, you really need to enjoy Campari. It's a very, very acquired taste. That said, for me it was interesting. No replacement for the Negroni or the Americano in the Campari world, but worth a taste. I can think of many better uses for champagne.

Sheridan Rating: negative 50000 olives
Stacia Rating:

(Sheridan is eyeballing me to finish the hell-tini so we can move on to dessert....drink up Stacia!)

And for dessert?

#4 The Chocolate Hazelnut Martini

Mmmmmmchocolateyboozemmmmm..........
I take back everything disparaging I ever said about chocolate/dessert martinis. consensus? Yum. Though Miss Sheridan was hoping for more of a nutella flavor. Rich, very desserty. You really only want one. A very tasty finish to the evening.

Rating:
(however, as a milkshake? Diabolically delicious-the nesquick bunny would would sell his mother for this)

{Snackie Menu: Roasted Asparagus, Olives, Mushroom Pockets (thanks Trader Joe!), Mini Baked Potato Bites, and Pizzatizer}

Let the games begin

2009-06-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

As a homage to our favorite beverage, we have decided to embark upon a quest... a mission to sample as many of these succulent concoctions as we are able to - and still remember what we thought about them.

Over (of course) an icy cold martini, we have come up with our preliminary rating system. On a scale of one to five olives, we will critique a plethora of recipes harvested, created, found and given. The criteria is rather simple:

hate it - one olive or less

not bad, but would not order one (and shell out $14 for in a bar) - two olives

I'd order it, but not my favorite - three olives

Oh yeah.. bring me (at least) another round - four olives

Oh sweet mother put that in my mouth as fast as possible...bring more - 5 olives

Hope you enjoy the journey with us, the Luscious Lushes, as we avoid sobriety one martini at a time.