Spirits in the Sky

Beginnings of our weekend wine tasting

I enjoy my cocktails, just like many others. When I lived in Maryland, Total Wine and Liquors was one of my favorite places to spend an hour or two, stocking up. After moving to North Carolina, I discovered that the process is quite different. Here, I have to purchase wine at one store and spirits at the ABC store. Buying wine is straightforward, with plenty of great options available at various locations. Spirits, however, are a bit more challenging. While ABC stores carry essential liquors like vodka, tequila, and gin, they often lack a good selection of mixers such as apple sour pucker or Ke Ke lime.

On my way back from the cabin recently, I made several stops to track down those hard-to-find items. Now that my pantry is well-stocked, I  am ready to enjoy my cocktails all summer long. I can't wait to enjoy margaritas at the pool again with my rummikub buddies.

In a recent post I spoke about spending time with my friends in a cabin in West Virginia.  These Girl's Weekends are all about essential, Great friendship, a little hiking, great food and great drinking. Sure, we do a little crafting but not as much as other activities.

Since I shared a little about our friendship, today's post is on wine and spirits. The cabin we hang out in, is nestled high in the West Virginia mountains.  At night, the stars are so bright they light up the sky. There’s nothing quite like sitting on the deck on a clear evening, taking a deep breath, and soaking it all in. It’s the perfect way to decompress and recharge after arriving with an empty tank. Often, we’ll sip our final cocktail of the night outside, enjoying the stillness.   

My friends are the true mixologists of the group, so I happily leave the drink-making to them. Sadly, our main martini mixologist, Marge, couldn’t join us this time. Even so, she was there in spirit—pun intended—and a few others stepped in to fill her shoes.

Diane, our resident baker game up with this Lemon Blueberry Martini that would knock your socks off.  She and her daughter worked hard to find the perfect recipe.  They developed it through trial and error tasting a lot before they go it right, but Diane said it was a sacrifice worth taking.   Here is the recipe.

·        Muddle fresh blueberries

·        One part blueberry vodka

·        One part lemoncello

·        One part lemonade low sugar or full strength

·        3/4-part triple sec and a good squeeze from a lemon

·        Line the glass with juice and turbinado sugar

There one more drink more martini recipes I would like to share with you

KeKe Lime Pie Martini (I must warn you that KeKe lime liqueur is very hard to find)

1.5 parts Keke Lime liqueur

     1 part vanilla vodka

     Juice of one lime

     Rim glass with graham cracker crumbs

    Top off with whipped cream

    Garnish with lime 

The more whipped cream the better because this sure does taste like key lime pie.