Nata's Cocktails

2011-12-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

Joy to the World

It's the Solstice!

Lift up your glasses and rejoice!

Kick up your Heels!

2011-12-13T17:03:00.003-05:00

And join me for a
Holiday Cocktail and Dinner Pairing

at the incomparable

Antoine McGuire's in Haverstraw, NY

Get all the details at

http://www.antoinemcguire.com/Special_Events.html

Hope to see you there!

2011-12-09T11:51:00.001-05:00

Looking to kick off the Holidays with something special?

Why not join me, Nata's Cocktails, and the talented Anthony Accomando, for an evening of Dinner and Cocktail pairing at the best restaurant in this County.
Fabulous Food and hand crafted Cocktails in the Holiday Spirit!
Live entertainment provided by the Dirt Simple Band
Thursday Dec. 16th
Antoine McGuire's
19 main street Haverstraw, N.Y.
Tel. 845-429-4121 (make your reservations now)
I hope to see you there.

2011-12-06T18:30:00.001-05:00

Hey the party has started!

Come join us at Nata's Cocktails on Facebook.

We've saved a seat for you. Hurry!

Nata's Cocktails on Facebook

Floral Aperitif Pitcher The Endless Summer

2011-09-21T09:38:00.000-04:00

With the last vestiges of summer, slipping through our fingers, I am obliged to sip as many cocktails on the porch as I can.

I invited over a couple of friends to assist me in this endeavor.

Not a cocktail party, but a quick quaff, an hour or so, lingering together in a collective sigh of relaxation.

I ruffled through my coffers for ingredients. Not wanting to mix anything too lethal or having to repeatedly shake cocktails, I settled on the Aperitif pitcher idea. Something that I could prepare quickly, delicious and light, to set us up for our respective dinners that await.

Floral Aperitif Pitcher
Housemade Rose Scented Geranium Vodka
Handmade Elderflower (from Sweden, thanks Kevin)
Dry Vermouth
Angostura Bitters
Fresh Orange juice
topped with Sparkling Water

As it turned out, the floral ingredients were harvested from various gardens, a nod to not letting go of the last few days of summer!

Here's to the Endless Summer!

The Fall Clean up of Cocktails

2011-09-15T20:10:00.004-04:00

With the end of summer, seasons changing,

we are once more checking, reflecting, taking stock.

What we have and what we do not need.

Reevaluating.

A perfect moment to restock the home bar. Tossing out the outdated, refreshing the coffers.

There are no hard rules about it.

Here is my totally biased,

completely unregulated,

absolutely subjective, list.

Certainly brand choices are entirely yours,

(one could stock several to accommodate different tastes).

The Must Haves

Gin

Vodka (unflavored)

Tequila (here is where several comes in handy)

Rum (light and dark)

Whiskey ( Rye and Bourbon)

Brandy

Cachaça

The Importants

Vermouth - Sweet and Dry

Several types of Bitters - even better if home made

Housemade Grenadine

Orange Liqueur

Prosecco and/or Cava

The Flourishes

All types of home made syrups (or Nata's Simple Syrup!)

Rose Water

Orange Blossom Water

Marasca Cherries

Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup
Lillet
House made Falernum (Thanx PP for the recipe)

The Dreamboats

Hum Spirits

Parfait Amour

St. Germain

Canton Ginger

Aperol

Absinthe

Sotol

Lychee Juice

Lichido
Hierbas de Ibiza (pure nostalgia)

Fior D'Alpi

Luxardo
Kai
Soju

ANY homemade Hooch

So roll up your sleeves and get down to the Fall clean up of your home bar. Certainly your friends will thank you.

The Cat 1 Cocktail

2011-08-29T10:45:00.000-04:00

Darkened skies, winds whipping.

hunkered and battened down,

and holed up!

The Cat 1 Cocktail

1.5 oz. House brewed Vanilla Vodka

1 oz. pineapple juice

the juice from 1/2 lime

a splash of homemade Chinese 5 Spice syrup

and a spritz of soda water

in a tall ice filled glass

Bottoms up!

The Hurricane Cocktail......................A Basic Recipe

2011-08-29T10:38:00.001-04:00

With Hurricane Irene approaching, it is a good moment to have a basic Hurricane Cocktail.

There are many variations and plenty of time in these days to experiment and find your own "best" recipe. Cheers!

1.5 oz light rum
1.5 oz dark rum
1 oz passionfruit juice or syrup
¾ oz fresh lime juice
Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice until well chilled and frosty, strain into a Hurricane glass filled with ice.

Le Deluge.....A Diluvial Cocktail

2011-08-29T10:33:00.000-04:00

Facing the threat of Hurricane Irene and the possibility of being housebound for several days,

I gathered a few friends and neighbors up

to sip a cocktail. Surveying my supplies and wanting to use up what I had on hand, I came up with

the Deluge.

I set about making a Blueberry and Ginger Syrup,

fresh blueberries, slices of ginger, and pure cane sugar with water, heated and strained.

Once cooled, into a pitcher piled with ice went

Homemade lemon zest Vodka (self explanatory)

fresh lemon juice

the above mentioned Blueberry Ginger syrup

splashed with Prosecco

each glass receiving a few of the strained off blueberries and a lemon verbena leaf from the garden.

The blueberries imparted a pinkish hue

and I am always partial to a pinkish hue!

The pitcher was imbibed and enjoyed.

Now we await our fate!

Summerthyme.....

2011-07-28T23:09:00.001-04:00

And the living is.......

all about the beautiful bounty from the garden

and local farmer's market.

The joys of garden fresh libations,

friends gathered on the porch to sip something refreshing.

I was happy to see the arrival of fresh

white peaches at my local green market.

I have been dreaming of marrying them with freshly plucked thyme from the herb garden.

It started with a simple syrup
1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water
boiled until the sugar dissolved (a few minutes)
Once dissolved and the flame lowered,
I added 3 ripe, juicy white peaches,
cut into small pieces with the skin and pits removed
and approx. 3 tablespoons of fresh thyme
(cheated a little by using lemon thyme as well)
I let this simmer on a low flame for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Remove from stove top and let sit until cool.
At this point, the syrup is strained, squeezing the pulp to extract the most possible.
What is left is a pink hued sumptuous elixir

I ice my glasses as I prepare the cocktail

Summerthyme Cocktail for Two
In an ice laden shaker,
2 jiggers of Gin
2 jiggers of the Peach Thyme Syrup
the juice of 1 lime
A drop or two of Peach Bitters ( or Peychaud's)
Shake, shake, shake
Strain into well chilled Cocktail glasses
garnished with a fresh Peach slice and a sprig of Thyme

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

Get ready for Nata's Cocktail Lounge

2011-07-20T23:23:00.000-04:00

COMING SOON

to your airwaves and streaming live.

The Improv

2011-07-08T18:59:00.001-04:00

When the summer begins, the heat index rises, humidity mounts,

it all says one thing to me...

Gin & Tonic.

Nothing is so refreshing, so suitably matched to an overbearing heat

as a Gin & Tonic.

But I have decided to riff a little on the Classic,

an improvisation.

The Improv & Tonic

start with a Tall glass of your choice

into it a spritz of Lavender Water

fill with rocks

then add

1.5 oz. of Gin

1 oz of fresh lemon juice

.75 oz. Chinese 5 Spice syrup (Nata's Syrups)

A good swizzle

finished with the best Tonic Water you can purchase

Sure helps beat the heat!

The River Breeze

2011-06-15T18:42:00.000-04:00

After a full day, time to relax on the porch with the River Breeze...
Strawberry-Tellicherry Pepper syrup, Aperol, fresh Grapefruit juice, and topped off with sparkling water.

Countdown to Rapture #1

2011-05-16T18:54:00.001-04:00

as the Countdown continues,

I myself am getting prepared.

The Rapture #1

2 ounces of House Infused Vanilla Rum

1 ounce of House made Rhubarb Rosebud Star Anise Syrup

the juice of 1/2 orange

Shaken together over ice

Pour into a chilled Martini Glass that has

been spritzed with Orange Blossom Water

Garnished a la Votre

DIVINE!

The Gaugin

2011-05-14T20:25:00.000-04:00

I must admit, I am totally inspired and absolutely smitten by the young Turks at

Post Prohibition

postprohibition.com

Having just made their recipe for orgeat,

it was time to create the first Tiki drink of the season

The Gaugin

I pulled out the fixings

House infused pineapple Cachaca (2 oz.)

the aforementioned Orgeat (1 Tblsp.)

Rose Syrup ( 1 Tblsp.)

lime juice (from 1/2 lime)

Stirred and twirled together with ice while dreaming

of exotic locales,

then strained onto fresh ice in a "rocks" or old fashioned

glass

And the final touch a tblsp. (or 2) of homemade grenadine

Easily imbibed and guaranteed to take you away.

Manuia!

2011-05-03T21:19:00.002-04:00

Birchwood Punch

2011-05-03T21:08:00.000-04:00

A Joyous Birthday Celebration!

A beautiful gathering of friends and family

A sumptuous & flavorful meal shared together

and a specialty Cocktail for the occasion

the Birchwood Punch

2 types of Vodka

One was House infused Pink Grapefruit

the other, House infused Gingered Mixed Citrus

(both made with Russian Standard)

freshly squeezed Grapefruit Juice

Homemade with homegrown Rosemary Simple Syrup

topped up with Dibon Cava Brut Reserve.

A reason to celebrate!

April is National Poetry Month

2011-04-14T10:32:00.000-04:00

Not drunk is he who from the floor

Can rise alone and still drink more;

But drunk is he who prostrate lies

Without the power to move or rise.

Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866)

Photograph by Frances Pellegrini

New Brews

2011-04-13T14:02:00.000-04:00

Pineapple Lemongrass Cachaca

and

Gingered Citrus Vodka

Spring Fling

2011-04-11T20:46:00.000-04:00

House infused Pink Grapefruit Vodka

House made Rhubarb Tea & Star Anise Simple Syrup

Fresh Lemon Juice

Aperol

Spring has sprung,

Da bugs have come!

2011-04-08T23:15:00.000-04:00

The Sargent Pepper

Friday's Finale to a long week

Gin, Tonic, and Housemade Strawberry Tellicherry Syrup

2011-04-08T10:44:00.000-04:00

Busy Morning...

preparing new syrups and mixtures.

Diane's Bouquet

2011-03-29T09:51:00.000-04:00

1 1/2 oz. Gin, there are so many, perhaps something like Martin Miller's or if you like to gild the Lily like I do, Gin that has been infused for several days with Lavender

3/4 oz. Lemon juice

1/2 oz. Creme de Violette

1/2 oz. St. Germain

Shaken together over ice and poured into a

chilled Martini glass that has been spritzed from a small spray bottle with Orange Blossom Water (I did say Floral Cocktails!!)

A little Madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King.

Emily Dickinson

Supermoon!

2011-03-18T21:50:00.000-04:00

Just what we needed! A touch of Spring.

A delectable temperature, the cacaphonous peepers in the Pond,

Friday evening, the end of the work week,

it sends us scrambling to get the cushions for the chairs on the deck.

A couple of Blood Oranges and a trusty bottle of Prosecco from the larder.

Add a few drops of Bitters and you have

an impeccable way to start the Supermoon, Spring Equinox Weekend.

Here's to new beginnings!

Satyrday Morning Chores

2011-03-12T11:04:00.002-05:00

Nata's Cocktails

Kick up your Heels!

Floral Aperitif Pitcher The Endless Summer

Floral Aperitif Pitcher Housemade Rose Scented Geranium Vodka Handmade Elderflower (from Sweden, thanks Kevin) Dry Vermouth Angostura Bitters Fresh Orange juice topped with Sparkling Water

The Fall Clean up of Cocktails

The Cat 1 Cocktail

The Hurricane Cocktail......................A Basic Recipe

With Hurricane Irene approaching, it is a good moment to have a basic Hurricane Cocktail.

There are many variations and plenty of time in these days to experiment and find your own "best" recipe. Cheers!

1.5 oz light rum 1.5 oz dark rum 1 oz passionfruit juice or syrup ¾ oz fresh lime juice Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice until well chilled and frosty, strain into a Hurricane glass filled with ice.

Le Deluge.....A Diluvial Cocktail

Summerthyme.....

Get ready for Nata's Cocktail Lounge

The Improv

The River Breeze

After a full day, time to relax on the porch with the River Breeze... Strawberry-Tellicherry Pepper syrup, Aperol, fresh Grapefruit juice, and topped off with sparkling water.

Countdown to Rapture #1

The Gaugin

Birchwood Punch

April is National Poetry Month

New Brews

Spring Fling

Diane's Bouquet

Supermoon!

Satyrday Morning Chores

Floral Aperitif Pitcher
Housemade Rose Scented Geranium Vodka
Handmade Elderflower (from Sweden, thanks Kevin)
Dry Vermouth
Angostura Bitters
Fresh Orange juice
topped with Sparkling Water

1.5 oz light rum
1.5 oz dark rum
1 oz passionfruit juice or syrup
¾ oz fresh lime juice
Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice until well chilled and frosty, strain into a Hurricane glass filled with ice.

After a full day, time to relax on the porch with the River Breeze...
Strawberry-Tellicherry Pepper syrup, Aperol, fresh Grapefruit juice, and topped off with sparkling water.