Vodka Spritz with Cucumber...

When the weather is warmer and you are lazing in the sun, you want to keep your cocktails light and refreshing.  For me, it's about using lovely bubbly mineral waters and refreshing garnishes.

Something as quick and simple as this Vodka Spritz with Cucumber is perfect in warm weather and looks like Summer in a glass to me.  It's about using a good quality vodka to make this mix perfect.

I use...

shot of Belvedere vodka

several slices of cucumber

mineral water

ice

Pop all ingredients in a tall glass, combine well with a stirrer (this will bring out the cucumber intensity) and enjoy!  

Things don't need to be complicated, keep the pace slow and easy!

Miss Mardi's Home-style, strong Lemonade!

Like the saying goes:  "What do you do when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade!".  That's pretty much what I did last weekend!  I had a tough week last week.  I went to visit my mum and her lemon tree was bursting with fruit.  I came home with several large bags of the yellow beauties.  The sun was shinning on Sunday and when my friend turned up on my door step with a bottle of Belvedere vodka, I knew it was time to make a big jug of Miss Mardi's home-style, strong lemonade!

What you will need:

• plenty of lemons, I think I used about 8 to 10 per jug.
• good quality plain mineral water
• ice
• large jug
• a batch of my lemon simple syrup.
• good quality, Polish vodka

Miss Mardi's Lemon Simple Syrup
Using a 2 parts water to 1 part sugar theory, I put 2/3 cup of caster sugar into a small saucepan with 2 x 2/3 cups of cold water. Put about 4 to 5 large pieces of lemon zest/rind (use a vegetable peeler to get these peelings off!) in the saucepan too.  Stir mixture over heat until the sugar dissolves and then bring to a boil until the mixture is slightly syrupy and thick.  You want this to still be an easy pouring consistency, lighter than maple syrup.  This can take about 7 to 10 minutes depending on your mixture.

Remove the lemon rind and discard, pour mixture into a small glass container and allow to cool.



How to make Miss Mardi's Home-style, strong Lemonade!

1. In a large jug, add a good dose of ice cubes (fill about 1/4 of your jug)
2. Add a few shots of vodka
3. Add the juice of about 8 to 10 lemons, this is to taste, you can add more or less if you like and it depends on the size of your jug.
4. Add a good dose of the lemon simple syrup.
5. fill remainder of jug with plain mineral water.
6. garnish with freshly cut circles of lemon and give a good stir!

Now, remember all of this is to taste!  You can add more of the simple syrup for a sweeter lemonade, more lemons and naturally more vodka.  I find when I pour out the individual drinks into small glasses to add a dash more vodka per glass just for good measure!


Enjoy! Miss Mardi xxx

Oh for the love of vodka...

If you've been reading along at home, then you know how much I love my vodka.  It is such a versatile spirit and if you drink the good stuff, you will start to notice the subtle complexities of the spirit and that it isn't just a clear and tasteless drink!

I have different vodkas that I drink regularly and cocktails that I make and it really depends on the seasons and the mood that I'm in as to what I drink.  I thought that I would share some that I have been enjoying during the cooler months.

Vodka Gibson made with Belvedere vodka by Miss Mardi!

I've always been a slightly dirty Belvedere vodka martini girl, however in the cooler weather I often switch to a Vodka Gibson, which is a little bit like a martini but is garnished with pearl cocktail onions.  I think that it is the onions that make it more of a wintery cocktail and it definitely goes with more hearty casseroles and heavy meals.

I always think that a Vodka Gibson should be shaken, not stirred.  This way it creates a creamy effect for the little onions to hide in.  Most bars in the USA will make it this way when you order a Gibson, however in Australia I believe that they are made in more of a martini style.  I guess it is personal preference really however you can't really bruise a vodka like you can a gin.

Krupnik in a lovely Scandinavian vintage shot glasses.

Another Winter Vodka must have is the honey vodka.  Most eastern European countries make some form of this but naturally I drink the Polish versions.  To me, there are three main honey vodkas of varying quality (and cost!).  The first is Medos, which is easily accessible at bottle shops such as Dan Murphys.  I rarely buy this one, especially not to drink straight up, however it is a good and cheap alternative to mix into cocktails such as a Polish Martini.  What I don't like about it is that it doesn't have the depth and complexities of taste in comparison to other honey vodkas.  It is also a little sweet too.

Krupnik is the next one up and is what I believe to be the 'middle of the range' honey vodka.  It is reasonably easy to access and is a good quality vodka at a good price.  We usually have this one on our bar and often drink it straight up in lovely little vintage shot glasses during the cooler months as a way of warding off colds and flus.  It is also a great remedy for a sore throat too.  What makes this one different to the Medos is it has a thicker consistency and hints of herbs in the taste.  It also isn't too sweet, making it easier to sip through and the texture definitely coats the throat.

Krupnik in a vintage 1950s shot glass, hand painted and bought in NYC.

The final honey vodka is what I believe to be top of the range and is near impossible to source in Australia.  You used to be able to buy it a few years ago but it doesn't appear to be distributed into Australia from Poland anymore.  The English name for it is Wild Bee and out of all three of them, seems to have the most complex flavour of herbs and honey.  Unfortunately, other than going to Poland, it is impossible to buy!

Honey Vodka is an ancient Polish beverage. Honey and spices shape its taste and aroma, made according to an authentic old recipe from southeast Poland, with carefully selected varieties of honey. The vodka base allows the honey to come through, with a good herby bite. (courtesy of the www.polandforall.com website)

Hopefully you have been inspired to try either the Gibson or a lovely shot of Honey Vodka (naturally both the Polish versions of the vodka!) sometime soon.  Let me know what you think!

The joys of a perfect martini...

I'm going to slightly blame my New York City friend Billy for this as I got a message from him saying "I'm drinking a Belvedere with soda and thinking of you". My mind went back to all those times that I've enjoyed Belvedere vodka in my favourite city and wouldn't you know it, I was craving a perfect dirty Belvedere martini!

What is a girl to do when this happens? Well lucky for me, I could pop across the road to Baranows Lounge and get the delightfully cheeky Leigh Oliver to whip a couple up for me. I have to say that it had been awhile since I have enjoyed a dirty martini seeing the vodka gibson has been my drink of choice for awhile but that slightly salty, yet creamy from the grain vodka liquid sure hit the spot. I may have enjoyed three but I'm sure a bartender never tells? (Right Leigh!)

I don't even remember when I first started drinking martinis. I can remember some badly made martinis and I can remember when I get perfection in a glass. I believe that everyone enjoys their martinis differently. Some people prefer really dirty, others heavy on the vermouth. So for me, here is what I call a perfect martini.

1. It must be made with Belvedere vodka... the grain based alcohol gives a slightly creamy nature to the drink.
2. light on the vermouth. I often at home pour it into the glass, run it around so it coats, tip it out and then ice the glass.
3. lightly dirty. I like around 2 bar spoons of brine from the olives. Just remember that they can't be any oil in that brine! You don't want an oil slick on your martini.
4. I always have 3 olives in my martini, it's part superstition and part aesthetics. The olives can't be too big (like giant Greek olives) they must be green olives too. My favourites are a Turkish olive stuffes with an almond. The flavour and brine added to the dirty martini gives a slightly nutty effect which I go crazy about!
5. Glassware. It's a martini as it's in a martini glass... the glass must feel good in your hand, have an appropriate thickness to the glass but not too thick and it must be classic looking.
   

Gosh, all this talk of martinis is making me thirsty! I think I'll be heading back to the bar about now! (Leigh, you can start getting one ready... I'm heading over! )

I want a Japanese Iceball Maker!

(image from here - thank you!)

While researching our Pimm's winter cup recipes, we stumbled upon this Japanese iceball maker. They create a perfectly spherical ball of ice in this machine without using electricity. The only downer is that you need to have a supply of chunks of ice but I think that the outcome is pretty spectacular! I can just imagine myself sipping a Belvedere vodka on 'the rocks' but rather it would be a Belvedere on the iceball or just a Belvedere on the rock (singular!)

The amazing thing is that apparently there were guys who used to make these balls of ice using knives! It was a very dangerous practice and obviously required much skill. This machine means that you won't lose any fingers in the process.

Yep, I definitely want one of these gadgets for my bar!

(thanks to Drinksology for the awesome Youtube clip on how it works!)

The Bloody Mary Martini..

One thing that I enjoy most is a good martini made from good quality Polish vodka. Though on the weekends I love a good Bloody Mary with brunch. My partner Mark is pretty amazing at making both and I have been completely spoilt with many fabulous cocktails.

While trying to come up with our final list of cocktails for our wedding next weekend, we decided that we really wanted a Bloody Mary on the list. Some say that the Bloody Mary was invented in 1921 at Harry's Bar in Paris and as our wedding party is based on the roaring 20s, it seems appropriate to have a Bloody Mary. Problem; our bartenders don't love making Bloody Mary's and they aren't the most sophisticated looking of drinks. Solution; a Bloody Mary Martini! I have to give kudos to the Belvedere website for the inspiration on this!

Ingrediants:

50ml Belvedere Citrus (we used normal Belvedere and added a dash of fresh lemon)

6 Cherry Tomatoes

10ml Simple syrup (you will need to make this - it's a basic bar sugar syrup)

4 Dashes Tabasco

Muddle tomatoes with simple syrup. Add rest of ingredients and shake with cubed ice. Fine strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a small piece of basil.

Our verdict... beautiful, fresh and sophisticated. Will go amazingly with entrees and you could team it up with a serve of saganaki or even a gourmet mac and cheese (think with pancetta and truffle oil!). We think that it probably is best with the Belvedere Citrus as it has a subtle flavouring and when you first make this, go easy on the Tabasco for tasting. Next time, we will serve with a skewer of fresh cucumber to really lift the freshness and give it the Bloody Mary look. Definitely worth a try!