NEW HOLIDAY COCKTAILS

"HOLIDAY COFFEE RUSH"

It’s bad enough you have to push your way through shopping hell, but you shouldn’t have to deal with lazy-ass clerks. Speed things up and slap him into work mode with a “Holiday Coffee Rush.”

2 oz Svedka VANILLA Vodka

2 oz Cold Coffee

1 oz Coffee liqueur

Dash of Cinnamon

Shake with ice, pour into a tall glass, dust with cinnamon

"HOLLY BERRY TINI"

When that freaky Goth cousin shows up ready to get “all like dead and everything”, offer them a “Holly Berry Tini” to shut them up. Remind them that holly berries are poisonous and they’ll drink these all night.

2 oz Svedka Vodka

1 oz White Cranberry juice

½ oz Green Tea liqueur

½ oz Sour Apple liqueur

½ oz Green Melon liqueur

Dried Cranberries

Shake with ice, strain into martini glass, cranberries for garnish

"FRUITCAKE ON THE ROCKS"

Your traditionally cheap neighbor usually drops by with one of last year’s “door-stops”, I mean Fruit Cakes. Hit them over the head with it and relax with the only one worth having: “Fruitcake on the Rocks.” And as Rose Nyland said: “Christmas without Fruitcake is like ST. Sigmond’s Day without the Headless Boy!”

1 oz Svedka CITRON Vodka

2 oz Apple juice

½ oz Hazelnut liqueur

½ oz Pear liqueur

1/4 tsp Brown Sugar

Dash of Angostura Bitters

Candied Cherry

Shake with ice, pour into rocks glass, cherry for garnish

"FROSTY CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE"

You’ve just watched your lover open his or her gift from you; tickets to Aruba. You then open their gift to you; a fire extinguisher for your kitchen. It’s time to treat yourself to a decadent “Frosty Chocolate Truffle”. The romance has gone cold, why shouldn’t the hot chocolate?

1 1/2 oz Svedka RASPBERRY Vodka

3 oz Skim Milk

1 Tsp Chocolate Syrup

1/2 oz Raspberry liqueur

Marshmallow

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, marshmallow for garnish

"EGG SNOG"

When you must deal with a schnockered relative, join them in style with an “EggSnog”. They go down smooth, and so will you.

1 oz Svedka CLEMENTINE Vodka

½ oz Ginger Liqueur

3 oz Eggnog

Dash of ground Cloves

Shake with ice, strain into festive tumbler, dust with ground cloves

All cocktails and recipes are Trade Marked and Copyright Herb Westphalen 2009

NEXT Magazine, here in NYC, asked me to create 5 new HOLIDAY COCKTAILS to get you through this crazy time of year. These will help you deal with all the nut-jobs you encounter while shopping, dining and visiting.

My best wishes go out to all of you for a healthy, happy and prosperous holiday season and New Year!

MOLECULAR MIXOLOGY

I was recently interviewed for an article on MOLECULAR MIXOLOGY for "Nightclub & Bar" online magazine. Please just click the above link to read the feature.

One of the many things I discussed with writer Kelly Magyarics was the use of uncommon elements in cocktails; such as "The Cotton Candy Martini" I developed for a West Village restaurant. This libation blends EFFEN Black Cherry Vodka, Vanilla Vodka and orange liqueur.

PINK WEDDING COCKTAILS

The current issue of "I Do for Brides" magazine features one of my "Pink Wedding Cocktails" on page 64. It is the "Champagne Berry" created for a wedding in North Carolina using the Bride's Pink & Purple wedding theme. The fresh strawberry garnish is dusted with a gleaming purple sugar.

Check out more on my website: www.SignatureCocktailCreations.com

Here are a few more of my delicious and PINK signature wedding cocktails:

"The Pink Princess"

was created to reflect the subtile color of Princess Diana's wedding gown.

"The Godiva Pinkie"

is a dessert bar favorite; Vanilla Ice Cream, Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur and Luscious Framboise.

"The Pink Garden"

created for a Florida Garden Wedding, embellishes the drink with an edible carnation garnish.

SIGNATURE WEDDING COCKTAILS

Wow, Theresa and Chris just had their amazing wedding at the New York Botanical Gardens. The lush floral theme was the inspiration for their Signature Wedding Cocktail: LOVE IN BLOOM.

The event colors were Mandarin Orange and Gold, featured in the drink. An edible orange flower accented the floral motif as the cocktail's garnish.

They were so kind in a note to me. Here's what they had to say:

Herb,

We just wanted to reach out to tell you that the drink was a huge hit at the wedding!

We are going to send you a picture for your collection when we get them back.

Thanks for everything. It was so great working with you. It was one of the best things we did.

Thank you Theresa and Chris! Many years of love and happiness to you.

PRIVATE PARTY MIXOLOGIST

I had the pleasure of creating and serving some original Signature Cocktails for a 40th Birthday Party on the Upper East Side. I set up a tasting for Branko, the birthday boy, prior to the event. He tasted several of my original libations and chose to feature THE TARTAN and one created just for him; THE BRANKO BUSTER. His two favorite flavors are Ginger and Peach. I combined those elements to craft a refreshing yet spicy drink. The slurry was made a day prior so the Peaches, Ginger and Sugar would macerate overnight. The cocktails were a big hit.

Happy Birthday Branko!

SIGNATURE WEDDING COCKTAILS

Patrick and Domenica at their Wedding Cocktail Tasting. Their framed display document features the couple's Wedding Monogram.

I had the honor of creating two Signature Wedding Cocktails for Bride Domenica Rinaldi and Groom Patrick Monaghan. The couple have chosen Dusty Pomegranate and Harvest Gold as their event colors. Their October wedding will have a rich, Autumnal feel, reflected in every element, even their Signature Cocktails. They also will share a bit of each other's heritage: Domenica's sparkling cocktail "Harvest di Napoli" features Italian Proseco while Patrick's martini style drink "Irish Orchard" highlights the flavors of Irish Mist.

I wish them a wonderful, happy life together!

SIGNATURE WEDDING COCKTAILS

Here are a few colorful examples of some of my original cocktails. I will create Personalized Signature Wedding Cocktails for your special day. Please feel free to contact me through my website or email me at: Herb@SignatureCocktailCreations.com

I hope to create something wonderful for your Wedding or Event.

"A toast to the happy couple!"

SIGNATURE WEDDING COCKTAILS NEW YORK

The La'Khoury

was named for the couple by taking parts of each of their family names and combining them.

Priya and Duane chose a Signature Wedding Cocktail that blended elements of their different cultures. I combined prominent flavors to create an exquisite and elegant cocktail. The spirit, Jamaican Dark Rum, was infused with exotic Indian Spices and enhanced with tropical juices to create the perfect "marriage" in their original libation. Their amazing affair was held at CAPITALE in September of 2007.

Check out my website for more Wedding Cocktail information and how to contact me.

Thanks

SIGNATURE WEDDING COCKTAILS

Karen's NY Skyscraper

and

Pat's Old Manhattan

Karen & Pat at their Wedding Cocktail Tasting

I had the honor of creating the Bride & Groom's Signature Wedding Cocktails for Karen and Pat Weninger this past weekend. Their theme was "Old New York", with the reception held at City Hall Restaurant. Karen and Pat chose a classic Black & White Color Scheme. Their original cocktails "NY Skyscraper" and "Old Manhattan" celebrated their theme in name and color as well. Pat's was a Black drink with White edible decoration, while Karen's was a White libation enhanced by tasty hand painted Black designs.

WEDDING COCKTAILS

Well it's that time of year again: WEDDING SEASON!

As many of you know, I specialize in creating original Wedding Cocktails for Brides and Grooms. Each unique cocktail is customized to have special meaning for the couple, including: colors, locations, ethnic ingredients, decoration, spirits and much more.

Having a Signature Cocktail can also help your budget. By featuring one cocktail you may cut your liquor costs by two thirds.

Check out my website for more details. Having a signature Wedding Cocktail created for the couple makes an amazing wedding gift too!

PEEPS ON THE ROCKS

Well, so many of you have asked for the PEEPS ON THE ROCKS Cocktail recipe, that I had to post it. It is fun for your Springtime parties, especially Easter. This is PEEPS for adults.

PEEPS ON THE ROCKS

1 oz Malibu Tropical Banana Rum

2 oz Bols Blue Curacao Liqueur

1 oz Sour Apple Liqueur

2 oz Sprite

Marshmallow PEEP for garnish

Shake Rum, Curacao and Sour Apple together with ice cubes. Pour in a rocks glass, add Sprite and top off with your favorite colored PEEPS.

CHEERS MAGAZINE FEATURE COCKTAIL

Hi folks. Well, once again I am pleased to have one of my cocktails featured (with photo) in the current issue of CHEERS Magazine (March 2009, page 14.)

The drink was originally created for a Brazilian Couple's wedding in Miami. It features the juice of the Acai Berry. I used Mona Vie originally, but now there are many good brands available.

Here's how to create this tasty and Antioxidant rich cocktail:

2 oz ZYR Russian Vodka

2 oz Acai Berry Juice

1.5 oz White Grape Juice

Juice of 1/4 fresh Tangerine

Chill a cocktail / martini glass

In a shaker with ice cubes, mix all liquid ingredients, squeeze in tangerine juice and shake well.

Strain into glass and garnish with a slice of Tangerine or Star Fruit

MARDI GRAS COCKTAILS

Here are a few original cocktails I created for a fundraiser in Utica, NY. The MARDI GRAS Themed event will raise money and awareness for SCULPTURE SPACE . Each cocktail is named for an element and color of the holiday: THE GREEN MASK, THE PURPLE JESTER & THE GOLD CROWN.

COOL BEAR ON THE BEACH

We've all heard of Snow Birds, but Bears fly south in the winter too, when they don't feel like hibernating. Over the summer I created this cocktail for a New York City "Bear Club." If you feel like a tropical get-away, but don't have the flyer miles, try this refreshing libation. 

COOL BEAR ON THE BEACH TM

1.5 oz Vodka

2 oz Sour Mix

1 oz Pineapple Juice

Dash of Blue Curacao

Lime Wedge for garnish

In a shaker, mix vodka, sour mix, curacao and juice with ice.

Pour into a tall or hurricane glass. Garnish with lime.