​How you doin’? My White Chocolate-Strawberry Bellini is the perfect beverage for champion lovers! So, go ahead… take a cruise on the Love Boat.
 
Where did the Bellini come from; you ask? The Bellini [behl-LEE-nee] was invented by Giuseppi Cipriani 1943 (in the middle of World War II—not on the Love Boat) at the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. It was named after a painter, Giovanni Bellini. Harry’s Bar has a little bit of Hemingway history and is a place to visit when in Venice—it’s a legend.
 
Save a lot of time by making the white chocolate ganache well ahead of time. It has a lot of uses and will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of months if you don’t use it all right away or steal spoonfuls of it first.
 
Prep Time:  25 minutes
Cool Time:  2 hours
Ganache Hold Time: overnight
Ready In:  40 minutes
Yield:  4 bellinis
 
Ingredients 
For the White Chocolate Ganache
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup (Karo Syrup)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 pound White Chocolate Pastilles (I prefer Guittard white chocolate)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
 
For the Bellini
1/4 cup prepared white chocolate ganache
1/4 cup strawberry nectar, such as Kern’s
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 bottle Prosecco, Champagne or other sparkling white or rose wine
 
Directions
For the White Chocolate Ganache

1. In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the cream, Karo Syrup and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk until blended. Remove the pan from the heat.
2. Immediately add the chocolate and the vanilla to the pan and whisk until smooth. Set aside for about 2 hours to cool completely, whisking every 15 minutes or so to keep the ganache in emulsion.
3. When cool, transfer the ganache to a rigid plastic or glass container, cover, date and refrigerate overnight before using.

For the Bellini

1. Combine 1/4 cup of the ganache and strawberry nectar and stir until smooth.
2. Finely dice half the strawberries, reserving the other half for garnishing.
3. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the strawberry ganache mixture into the bottom of a champagne flute, then add 1 tablespoon of the diced strawberries.
4. Slowly and carefully fill the glass with the Prosecco.

ChefSecret: Prosecco is an inexpensive dry Italian, sparkling white wine made from Glera grapes. The name is derived from the Italian village of Prosecco near Trieste, Italy. The grapes originated in Prosecco, but are now produced in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, traditionally mainly around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills north of Treviso. Prosecco is the main ingredient of the Bellini Cocktail and is a less-expensive substitute for Champagne.

Quip of the Day:  Q. If normal blood has plasma and blood cells, what does Italian blood have?
​A. Marinara sauce.
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #WhiteChocolateStrawberryBellini #Bellini #Prosecco #Strawberries #Cheers #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                                                   ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

How you doin’? There are milkshakes and then there are Brooklyn Malteds. The addition of powdered malt turns an ordinary milkshake into a piece of art. Malteds are classic, creamy and delicious.
 
In just a few minutes and with just a few ingredients including cold milk, chocolate syrup, malt powder and ice cream you can make a couple of delicious homemade shakes. Blend it to the texture you by the length of the blend and maybe some additional ice cream. Blend, pour, garnish and enjoy! 
 
This Malted will make you happy for at least an hour, but for a true Happy Hour version check out the ChefSecret below.
 
Prep time: 7 minutes
Yields:  2 (12 oz) servings
 
Ingredients 
6 scoops vanilla or chocolate ice cream (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup milk (cold)
1/4 cup chocolate syrup (I prefer Hershey’s)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoon malt powder
 
Garnish with:
1 ounce (one squirt) whipped cream (I prefer Reddi Whip aerosol extra creamy)
1 teaspoon chocolate shavings
1 maraschino cherry with stem on
 
Directions

1. Place ice cream, milk, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract, malt powder, in blender container.
2. Cover; blend until smooth; about 5 minutes.
3. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a cherry on top.
4. Pour into 2 chilled/frozen glasses.
5. Serve immediately.

ChefSecret:  Guild the lily a bit by adding a 1/4 cup of malted milk balls to the blend and then a half a dozen or so to the garnish. Artfully drizzle a 1/4 cup of chocolate syrup down the side of the frozen glass. Lastly, make it an adult beverage by adding 1/4 cup of Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry or Bailey's Irish Cream to the mix with a drizzle on the top.

Quip of the Day:  Q. Where do milkshakes come from? A. From epileptic Cows.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #BrooklynMalted #Milkshakes #HarveysBristolCream #BaileysIrishCream #Cheers #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                      ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

It’s Happy Hour Friday… How you doin’? Sitting on the patio recently with a bunch of friends I decided to make Martinis. Not just any old Martinis, but Tom’s Bombay Sapphire Martinis. First, who’s Tom? Tom is a highly successful plaintiffs’ attorney and our company counsel.
 
I always knew that Tom was obsessed with the art of barbecuing—just like me. That’s one reason we get along so well. One day we’re comparing barbecue equipment and recipes and both taking bragging rights for the best smokehouse meat results… and then the next day he’s in court taking on the bad guys. Pretty impressive!
 
Tom told me that he has enjoyed several of my recipes for libations and wanted to offer one or two of his own. Don’t worry, he won’t take you to court or send a bill if you mix this one up!
 
I have offered martini recipes in other Happy Hour blog posts, but this one I found most interesting and highly creative—but that’s Tom!
 
Ingredients
For the gin-juniper pre-mix
1-1/2 cups of Bombay Sapphire Gin
1/2 cup of juniper berries
 
For the martini
1/4 ounce almost any cold sweet vermouth kept in the refrigerator
2-3 teaspoons of the gin-juniper pre-mix.
2 ounces Bombay Sapphire Gin right from the freezer
Grapefruit twist and 3 green olives for garnish
 
To make the gin-juniper pre-mix

1. Using a small two-cup jar, I add the juniper berries and fill the jar with gin.
2. Put the pre-mix in the sun for a day or two, shaking occasionally.
3. Put the jar in the freezer.

To make the martini

1. In a bar mixing glass add the vermouth and swirl the glass to coat the sides.
2. Add two or three teaspoons of the juniper-gin premix and 2 ounces of gin.
3. Because everything is already cold, use only two very small ice cubes and do not shake or stir.
4. Serve in a large martini glass.
5. Garnish with a grapefruit twist and three small olives (for a little salt)

ChefSecret:  Because the martini is not watered down with ice cubes, this martini not only tastes very different but is devastatingly strong. Note: Tom doesn’t defend DWIs.

Quip of the Day:  They say a martini is like a woman’s breast: one ain’t enough and three is too many.     …The Parallax View
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well and drive safely. Have a fantastic Happy Hour.

To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #BombaySapphireGin #SapphireMartini #Cheers #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  

                                                                    ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

How you doin’? Not everything has to be so complicated in cocktail land especially when someone else has done all the work and all you have to do is mix.
 
What began in 1927 as a truly visionary and audacious decision by Rémy Martin’s Cellar Master, André Renaud, to create the very first VSOP Cognac Fine Champagne has become known as one of the brand’s most unique differentiators.
 
For a Cognac to be classified as a VSOP, the minimum age of the youngest Eau-De-Vie (mixing Cognacs) in the blend must be at least 4 years old. VSOP, “Very Superior Old Pale”, which is now common for all Cognac Houses actually dates back to 1817 British Royal Court.
 
The cellar master orientates himself on creating the perfect harmony of powerful and elegant aromas for the final blend of a Rémy Martin VSOP. In fact, it takes incredible expertise and experience to create and recreate this distinctive sensation year after year and decade after decade. Rémy Martin specializes in Cognac Fine Champagne, differentiating themselves by only using grapes from the prestigious growth areas of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne.
 
In the 1950s, Chief Blender André Boufflet developed a new cognac created to be mixed. This was a first and grew in popularity until this drink transformed into a lifestyle. I personally toured the Remy holding barrel sheds and cellars and tasted Cognacs from the time of George Washington to samples that were mere minutes old. I can only imagine how much work was done so that you barely have to lift a finger.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 Cocktail
 
Ingredients 
1-3/4 ounces fine  VSOP Cognac
4 ounces homemade lemonade
1 large lemon peel
 
Directions

1. Pour the ingredients over ice in a wine glass.
2. Stir.
3. Garnish with a lemon peel and serve.

ChefSecret:  Change it up by using 4 ounces of a hard lemonade.

Quip of the Day:  A sales guy rings the doorbell on a house. The door is opened by a 12 year old girl, holding a glass of cognac and smoking a cigar. The sales guy is a bit stunned, but plows forward and asks, "Is your dad home?"
The kid replies, "What the hell do you think?"
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.
 
#Cocktail #HappyHour #VSOP #Lemonade #Cognac #Cheers #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                                        ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

​How you doin’? Even after 15 years producing Choclatique fine chocolates, I still have a taste for Hershey’s milk chocolate and syrup. I love the flavor of a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar, marshmallows and graham crackers toasted over an open campfire (or a grill in the back yard). But who says s’mores need to be enjoyed from an open flame? Now you can take all the original sweet flavors of a traditional Hershey’s chocolate s’more and turn it into a scrumptious martini. Yes… a martini!
 
No matter how your day is going, plan to finish it off with a sweet sip of a S’more-tini. This recipe combines Hershey's signature milk chocolate, Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Fluff, Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crumbs and a Marshmallow garnish. Add a double shot of Vodka for the adult version. Chocolate Martinis are nothing new, but a S’mores-tini is unique for a night at home on a warm summer’s eve.
 
Prep time:  3 minutes
Yields:  1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
1 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar (1.55 oz), divided
3 large marshmallows or 5 miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 teaspoons marshmallow fluff
2 ounces vodka
3 tablespoons half and half 
2 tablespoons Hershey's Syrup
crushed ice or ice cubes

Directions

1. Unwrap the chocolate bar and break it into sections along marked lines.
2. Gently push and twist the end of a decorative swizzle stick or skewer until it goes through one chocolate bar section; add the marshmallows; set aside for garnish.
3. Spread the graham cracker crumbs on a small plate. Smear the marshmallow fluff along the upper edge of martini glass. Roll rim of glass in graham cracker crumbs to decorate the glass.
4. Combine the vodka, half and half, chocolate syrup and ice in shaker.
5. Shake the drink for about 15 seconds.
6. Strain into prepared martini glass.
7. Garnish with prepared chocolate and marshmallow skewer.

ChefSecret:  Leave out the vodka for a fun, kid friendly beverage.

Quip of the Day:  A Californian, a Texan and a local are drinking at a bar in Big Sky, MT. After a while, the Californian finishes his martini, turns and throws his glass against the wall.
The Bartender, shocked, asks him why the hell he did that.
The Californian replies that where he's from, they make so much money they don't have to drink out of the same glass twice.
The Texan then finishes his martini, turns and throws his glass against the wall as well.
The bartender looks at him and asks why he did that.
The Texan replies that where he's from they have so much oil they don't have to drink out of the same glass twice.
About this time the local Montanan finishes his martini, turns to the other patrons, draws his gun and shoots them both dead.
Without waiting to be asked he tells the Bartender that around here there's so many Californians and Texans he doesn't have to drink with the same ones twice.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #SmoresTini #Hershey #Marshmallows #Fluff #MilkChocolateBar #Vodka #Cheers #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                       ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023