The first recipe I tested is the Baileys Shiver. To be honest, this is one I’ve wanted to try since reading about it in Girls’ Night this past summer. But, life being what it is, I didn’t get around to making it until this weekend.
Baileys Shiver (aka Blended Baileys)
Here is the recipe as it appears on the Baileys website:
Step 1: Drop 2 large ice cubes into your blender (that’s 2 per person)
Step 2: Add 50ml of Baileys per person
Step 3: Blend until completely smooth
Step 4: Pour into your tall glasses
Tips:
-
Ideally use a good blender with ice crushing capability – if your
blender’s not so hot then add a little water to the ice cubes and blend
until they’re crushed. -
If your blender has one, use the pulse setting for 10 seconds – it will stop the uncrushed ice collecting at the top
The recipe really is as simple to make as you would think. The real key, as advised in the recipe, is to have a good blender with an ice crush feature, like Cuisinart’s blender (pictured here). Most drinks I make in the blender use crushed ice, so I use this feature all the time, and I really appreciate having a powerful blender that can handle frozen ingredients.
And how did it taste? Mmmmm….dreamy is about the best word I can think of to describe this one!
Homemade Egg Nog
For me, nothing says Christmas like a glass of egg nog, but I rarely drink it because I find it to be too rich. If I do have it, I end up cutting it 50/50 with skim milk (or other additive – ahem). So I surfed far and wide to find out more about egg nog, as well as how to make it at home.
The first thing I learned was that most egg nog recipes call for Brandy and/or Bourbon – not rum. That surprised me because I always thought the drink was "rum & egg nog". Not being much of a brandy or bourbon regular, I decided to look for a non-alcoholic and preferably light (many recipes called for folding in heavy whipped cream before serving!) version: then my guests could add whatever they wanted to their own serving.
Here’s the recipe I settled on (from about.com), basically because it was simple, non-alcoholic and light.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 eggs, beaten well
- 3 tbs sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
- 2 1/3 cups milk
PREPARATION:
Blend all ingredients together and serve chilled.
This one, like the Shiver, was as simple to make as you would imagine from reading the recipe. What I did was to put the eggs in the blender first and pulse it a few times to beat them. This step just saves washing another appliance, and makes the recipe that much simpler.
Once the eggs were beaten (I pulsed several times until they were frothy), then I added the sugar and pulsed again, then the spices and – you guessed it – pulse again!
See how you can remove the little cup at the top to add liquid ingredients without removing the entire lid and/or without having to stop the blender? That’s a handy feature that many people don’t use. Try it out on your blender at home!
Vanilla fact (and tip, rolled into one!): vanilla extract is made from the fruit of a rare orchid that originated in Mexico. The best vanillas are now produced in Madagascar (sometimes called "bourbon" or "Madagascar bourbon") and Mexico. Pay the extra money to obtain not only a true vanilla extract (not artificial) but also a high quality one from Madagascar or Mexico. You may pay $14 to $20 (or more) for a bottle, but one bottle will most likely last you 9 months to a year. When you break it down into 1 tsp increments, you’re paying only pennies to put a very high quality ingredient into your food. And remember what vanilla is used for – FLAVOUR. So don’t scrimp on this most important ingredient – get one that will enhance your food’s flavour quality – you’ll notice the difference right away.
Back to the recipe then: add the milk and blend on low for about 45 seconds. Here’s a pic of the final stage:
Results? This recipe’s a keeper for sure. Dead simple and makes the most unbelievably yummy glass of egg nog. This is one of those recipes you just have to try. You won’t believe how much better it tastes than the store-bought stuff! Look, I drank half the glass in a gulp or two before I remembered that I hadn’t taken a picture of the final product yet!
Recipe tip: remember, the eggs in this recipe are raw (there are some cooked egg nog recipes out there if you’re concerned about raw eggs). But raw eggs are safe to eat as long as they’re fresh; just don’t leave anything made with raw eggs to sit out at room temperature for too long. I’d recommend just making and serving this one fresh, keeping any leftovers refrigerated until you want another glass…then you won’t have to worry!
Baileys Latte
Admittedly, this recipe is easier done if you have an espresso machine in your kitchen, but it can still be accomplished quite neatly if you’re not a gadget freak like me! Just follow along with the simple steps (and photos) below:
Step 1: Take your coffee mug or coffee glass
Step 2: Pour in 20ml of espresso coffee
Adaptation: if you don’t have an espresso machine, 20 ml of strong coffee will do the trick just fine. N.B. By strong I just mean a higher proportion of coffee to water, not the over-roasted, burnt beans sold at certain major coffee chains that shall remain nameless… In fact, you can buy espresso and brew it in your own coffee maker at home; just remember to make it strong and it will do. After all, espresso beans are just regular coffee beans, blended and roasted in such a way as to create the characteristic espresso taste and crema, as pictured above. The method of brewing espresso is important to the final product, but brewing it in your drip machine is an acceptable adaptation of this recipe.
Step 3: Add 50ml of Baileys
Step 4: Fill with steamed milk
Step 5: Decorate the top with froth (see above for a detailed discussion on froth!)
Step 6: Sprinkle over the chocolate shavings
Here is the final product…I added a mini candy cane because I used Baileys Mint Chocolate in my latte. Delicious!
Mulled Wine
This one has been around in one form or another since Roman times (and probably earlier). Heating wine with spices and flavourings for a warming winter drink is a very ancient holiday tradition, and I just feel like I should be sitting around the yule log in an old stone castle when I indulge in it. This recipe comes from the LCBO’s website.
Ingredients
2 oranges
40 whole cloves
1 bottle (750 mL) dry red wine
4 dried figs, sliced
(you can substitute a half cup of raisins)
4 star anise
1 tbsp (15 mL) coriander seeds
1/4 cup (50 mL) honey
4 oz vodka (optional)
Stud each orange with 20 cloves, then cut them into wedges. Place the wedges in a large pan with the remaining ingredients except the vodka. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vodka.
Strain and serve in heatproof glasses or cups.
This one has been a holiday entertaining favourite of mine for years, and I’ll be sure to be enjoying it again soon…hopefully in front of a crackling fire.
Baileys Mint Chocolatini
2 oz Baileys Mint Chocolate Irish Cream
Shake with ice
Garnish with fresh mint and chocolate stick
Adaptation: if you don’t have a martini shaker, just shake the drink in any lidded container (tight lid to prevent spills) and then strain through a seive into the martini glass to remove the ice. Remember, all you’re doing with a martini is chilling the alcohol by shaking it with crushed ice. However, if you decide to do it the seive way, I recommend doing it out of sight of your guests as it’s not nearly as glamourous and theatrical as using a martini shaker. More MacGyver than James Bond, if you know what I mean…
This is a lovely treat to sip at a civilzed gathering (this one was served at my book club meeting) and who can resist the name "Baileys Mint Chocolatini"… Served in a martini glass with a sprig of mint (if you can find it fresh at the grocery store – I couldn’t, so I just sprinkled some chocolate on top as garnish), this is a really classy cocktail option. I paired these martinis with After Eights, and every last drop and morsel was devoured! Now if only we had talked about the book…
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed my holiday drinks line-up as much as I enjoyed testing (and tasting) them! Take a moment to share your fave drinks below in comments, or let me know your thoughts on the ones I tried.