Hearty Bites and Spirited Sipping - Pours Happen

 

Cocktails are truly delightful, flavorful and refreshing beverages. When added to other ingredients they make a lovely adult beverage, especially when it is summertime in North Carolina and the heat and humidity are off the charts. That is exactly why my friends gathered the other evening and instead of our usual wine selection we turned our attention to cocktails. To keep things light and to minimize any unwelcome aftereffects, we agreed that vodka would be the spirit of choice. 

The cocktails spotlighted at our gathering were:

• The cosmopolitan also known as the Cosmo made famous by Carrie Bradshaw and her cronies, tart, pink, and just the right amount of sass
• The lemon drop martini, bright and citrusy
• The Chocolate martini, decadent and dessert-like, a velvet finish to the evening

None of our gatherings are complete without food pairings.  We did a little research and vodka drinks such as martinis seem to pair well with seafood dishes, sushi and smoked, pickled or cured flavors. And after all you can't drink on an empty stomach.  Who would want to?

So, we laid out a spread that was mouthwatering and included:

• Shrimp wrapped in bacon
• Crabcakes with an aioli sauce for dipping
• Smoked Salmon crostini
• Prosciutto wrapped melon
• Stuffed mushrooms

While researching recipes for our beverages and food pairings, I found an article that named the ten globally popular cocktails.  Here they are, I included country of origin and spirit used in the drink.

    1.  The Margarita origin Mexico? Tequila

    2.  The Mojito origin Cuba. Rum

    3.  The Old Fashioned not sure what origin is.  Thinking some bar in the 19th century.                      Whiskey

    4.   The Pina Colada origin Puerto Rico. Rum

    5.  The Cosmopolitan not sure what origin is maybe a chic bar somewhere in the world.                 Vodka       

    6.  The Negroni origin Florence, Italy. Gin.

    7.   The Daquiri origin Cuba. Rum, Tequila or Vodka

    8.    The Whiskey Sour origin unknown. Whiskey

    9.    Mai Tai origin some Polynesian themed bar somewhere in the world. Rum.

    10.  The Bloody Mary.  Paris, France. Vodka

The evening unfolded slowly, with laughter, and great stories. There’s something about a well-made cocktail that invites honesty and ease. By the time the Chocolate Martinis made their appearance, we were already planning the next themed night. Next time we switch up the spirit, we’ve got a tempting list to explore, —perhaps gin and garden bites, or rum and retro snacks.

This list was published by Tasty Food Stories