RECIPE: ICE CREAM "CHRISSY" COCKTAIL

Made famous by Ruth Chris Steakhouse, the Chrissy is an ice cream drink that has become a popular signature cocktail or dessert cocktail for wedding receptions. Using only 3 ingredients, it is super easy to make and is a Christmas tradition at my house. These photos are from a wedding I produced in December of 2020 and guests loved it. (I made the gingerbread men, too) Hope it becomes a Christmas tradition at your house!

CHRISSY ICE CREAM COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS
2 ounces Frangelico (hazelnut) liqueur

1 ounce vodka

Vanilla ice cream, slightly softened—2 medium scoops is about right.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the Frangelico and vodka in a blender . (You can use an immersion blender or a large cocktail shaker. If you use a shaker, you’ll need to add a handful of ice.)

Add the ice cream and blend until it is creamy and smooth-like a milk shake.

Serve in a chilled, stemmed glass. Makes one cocktail.

COCKTAIL RECIPE FOR A CROWD: SWEET TEA MARTINI

This is one of my favorite cocktails to make for a big crowd. Everybody- and I mean everybody loves my Sweet Tea Martini! It's easy to make in big batches and because you control the amount of sugar you add, you can control the sweetness and the calories, too. When you use juice as a base for a cocktail, you're adding a ton of extra sugar. When you use tea as a base and you brew it yourself, you can add as little or as much sugar as you see fit. I often use zero additional sugar if I'm using a citrus flavored vodka but if I use lemon juice instead, I need a bit of sugar to balance that out.

If you use store bought tea by the gallon, I'd suggest using unsweetened tea and making a simple syrup to add to taste. If you use sweet tea, you may find it is just too sweet when you add the Pama Liqueur.

Make the tea strong and do not dilute it with water so it isn't weak when you serve the cocktail over ice. Double, triple, or quadruple the recipe as required. This version will make 8-10 based on portion size when served over ice.

SWEET TEA MARTINI FOR A CROWD

INGREDIENTS

6 cups water

4 family-size tea bags (I use Red Diamond quart tea bags)

1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar (optional- the Pama is a bit sweet so you can use as little or as much sugar as you like)

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 bottle(750ml bottle) Pama Liqueur, chilled

1/2 bottle (750 ml bottle) vodka, chilled (you can use citrus vodka and reduce the lemon juice)

DIRECTIONS:  

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan; add tea bags. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute; remove from heat. Cover and steep 10 minutes. White still hot, add desired amount of sugar. Stir to dissolve.

Remove and discard tea bags. Allow to cool completely.

Pour tea into a gallon container or into a serving dispenser. Add ½  of a 750 bottle chilled Pama and ½ bottle cold vodka. Use citrus vodka ifyou like and reduce the amount of lemon juice.

Serve over ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

RECIPE: BELFAST (IRISH WHISKEY) LEMONADE

There are a lot of green drinks and beer drinks out there for St. Patrick's Day... The cocktail I came up with features Irish whiskey so that's plenty Irish in my book. Plus this recipe got a big thumbs up from the guys and the girls alike making it perfect for spring and summer BBQ's, lake parties, and yes, even wedding celebrations. Since Bushmills, my favorite Irish whiskey, is made close to the Irish city of Belfast, I named it Belfast Lemonade. I used just a little Limoncello to smooth out the cocktail, but it is very good without it if you want to keep your cost down.

IRISH WHISKEY LEMONADE

Makes 1

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces fresh lemonade (fresh squeezed lemon juice plus simple syrup to taste)

1 1/2 ounces Bushmills Irish Whiskey

1/2 ounce Limoncello

DIRECTIONS:

Mix and serve in a tall glass over ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint or a lemon wheel.

For a crowd:

Serves 15+ guests depending on serving size

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon fresh lemonade

1 bottle (750ml) Bushmills Irish Whiskey

2 cups Limoncello or other lemon liqueur

DIRECTIONS:

Add more or less whiskey to your taste. Mix ingredients in a large dispenser. Add lots of ice to the dispenser but also provide clean ice along side the dispenser because the drink tastes best served over ice. If it is a hot day, make sure to freeze lemonade and use that in place of the ice so you don't water down or dilute the drink. Add mint or lemon wheels to the dispenser to add some color and style to the presentation.