The Mighty Mojito

The Mojito is back! After a long, long winter, the alley is open and the mojito is here. It's about time. Everybody has been ordering mojitos. What is a mojito, you ask? Only the most popular summer cocktail in town: rum, limes, sugar, mint and club soda. Felicia will post a recipe later. For now, you get to watch Felicia get big shipments of limes, observe the growth of the staff''s popeye muddling muscles and hear Leah's curses as she unclogs drains filled with mint leaves (no matter how hard Felicia tries, she can't seem to keep that mint out of the drains). Behold the Mighty Mojito!

Mixology Monday: Fruit Liqueurs

Another Mixology Monday has snuck up on Felicia. Bam! This month’s topic is fruit liqueur and the roundup is hosted at Morsels and Musings. Leave it to Felicia to come up with a fruity-creamy-dessert martini. (Must… have… dessert….) To Mr. Anonymous Comment Leaver, perhaps this cocktail will be just another “sickly sweet” drink. The moral of the story for Mr. Anonymous and all you doubters out there is: Don’t knock it til you drunk it!

But Felicia digresses. For those of us who like sweet creamy cocktails, the Banana Split Martini is simply scrumptious. It has a universal appeal to dessert-lovers and especially to girly girls who like frou-frou drinks. In a nutshell, the Banana Split Martini tastes remarkably like the vanillaicecream-hotfudge-strawberrysauce-bananagoo melt left at the bottom of your banana split when you have finished eating it.

Try it. Or make your friends try it if you are scared. And then let Felicia know what you think. Don’t be afraid to sign your name. Felicia is quite lady-like, and she swears she does not bite (except upon request).

Banana Split Martini

1 ounce Stoli Vanil vodka
¼ ounce strawberry liqueur
½ ounce banana liqueur
generous squirt of chocolate sauce
splash of cream

Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a cherry.

Sound Domestic Advice

During an online search for cocktail recipes from yesteryear, Felicia came about some domestic advice from the wise and socially graced Mary Randolph, who wrote The Virginia Housewife in 1860. Being a thoughtful and domesticated woman herself, Felicia felt compelled to pass some of Mary’s good advice on to you: “Early rising is essential to the good government of a family. A late breakfast deranges the whole business of the day and throws a portion of it on the next, which opens the door for confusion to enter. No work can be done till breakfast is finished. The grand arcanum of management lies in three simple rules: Let every thing be done at a proper time, keep every thing in its proper place, and put every thing to its proper use.” Felicia couldn’t have said it better herself. Mary continues with some lovely recipes, including ice cream, fruitcake and mock turtle soup of calf’s head. Alas, no tonics, bitters or cocktails. Felicia, as always, shall keep up her search. And since it is well after noontime, perhaps Felicia better have a little breakfast.

Grand Coffee

It is a well-known fact that consuming alcohol can make you feel relaxed and at times sleepy. If you are at a high-energy cocktail party, the excitement of dancing or standing around talking and laughing with friends can keep you stimulated and alert despite any alcohol in your system. But sit at a table with your mellow acquaintances after a huge meal and a heavy dessert, with boring classical music playing on the stereo, and you are likely going to feel ready for a big fat nap. To maintain energy when drinking alcohol, some people will mix their liquor of choice with a caffeinated beverage. Common combinations are rum with Coke or vodka with Red Bull.

Uggh. Red bull. Not to mention Felicia's rum-and-coke-experience when she was 14 years old. Felicia would like to encourage you to try something a little more classy. The next time you are looking for an after-dinner drink and you fear a nip of bourbon will bring on the zzzzz’s, try turning your coffee into a cocktail. Popular coffee additions include Baileys, Kahlua, Jameson and chocolate liqueur. Felicia’s favorite booze to add to coffee is Grand Marnier, an orange liqueur. A little G. M. and a twist of orange peel will make your coffee taste like a heavenly treat, give you a balanced dose of pep and relaxation and keep that dinner party lively.

Grand Coffee

6 ounces coffee
1 ounce Grand Marnier
cream and sugar (optional)
orange twist

Pour 1 ounce of Grand Marnier in coffee mug. Add coffee, plus cream and sugar to taste. Garnish with orange twist, or homemade candied orange peel if you happen to have some in your pantry like Felicia.