Kim’s Mai Tai Recipe

Mai Tai Drink

This isn’t a “TRUE” Mai Tai recipe but it did the trick, got my buzzed and didn’t leave me hungover, plus I got some FB messages asking for the recipe once I posted the photo on FB so I thought I would share.

There are a bunch of recipes online but the thought of buying different brands of rum, light, dark, almond flavored liqueur sounded a bit expensive.

I picked up a bottle of premixed Bacardi Mai Tai at a local liquor store.  The color and texture was not what I was accustomed to at the Chinese restaurants so I decided to “doctor” it up a bit.

Ingredients:

• Bacardi Mai Tai Premixed  
• Orange Juice
• Grapefruit juice
• Dark Rum
• Grenadine
• Maraschino Cherries & Oranges for garnish

The consistency was too light so I added a splash of orange juice and grapefruit juice.  At only a mere 10% alcohol, the premade drink itself was not going to get me drunk so I added 2 shots of Gosling’s black seal Bermuda black rum.

I topped it off with a tiny bit of grenadine and garnished with fresh oranges and maraschino cherries and an umbrella.

Swedish Fish Martini

Inspired by the lovely Miss Alice

Ingredients:

• Pinnacle Vodka “Gummy”
• Pinnacle Vodka “Cake” or vanilla will do
• “Sugar Free” Cherry Limeade Crystal light or generic brand will do ( I used Target)
• Optional Gummy Swedish Fish for garnish
• Optional Red Crystal Sugar for garnish

You will need a shaker

My friend Alice and I are huge fans of flavored vodka and Crystal Light (or the imitation brands which are just as tasty and calorie free).

My concoctions are usually “half and half”, half vodka and half water, straw required.  After a couple of drinks, a nice buzz kicks in.  The alcohol content resembles a martini, but we can’t call it a martini since we leave the ice in the glass to help curb the bite.

We were at our friend Chuba’s birthday party and she brought over Pinnacle Swedish Vodka to share.

It was love at first sight! I do like to try different flavored vodka’s but I haven’t seen the swedish fish flavor.  Due to copyright issues, the actual name of the vodka is Pinnacle “Gummy” with a picture of the swedish fish on it.

She made me a few drinks using the swedish fish flavored vodka and the Target brand cherry lime powder mix.  I was hooked! I loved it so much that I handed her a $20.00 bill at the end of the night and took the leftover vodka home with me.

Here I am on a Thirsty Thursday night making my own rendition of the drink.  I’m feeling a bit fancy, so I am making a martini instead.  I’m using the same drink recipe but adding a splash of Pinnacle Cake flavored vodka for extra sweetness.

I actually use my protein shaker to make martinis because it doesn’t leak and the cap is easy to remove.  It also has a metal ball that mixes the powder really well.  I love my original martini shaker but it can be hard to remove the cap at times.

Swedish Fish Garnish threaded on wooden skewers

I used a lemon wedge to moisten the rim of the martini glass

Swirl the glass into a bowl of red crystals for a red sugar rim

"Game Night" Catered by "Tar-Jay"

Today, I ran out of all purpose flour and needed to make a quick run to refill my stash. I didn’t want to deal with the lines and parking at the Chelmsford Market Basket so I went to Target on Plain Street instead.  The original plan was to be in and out of the store in 5 minutes or less with a sack of flour.  Little did I know, I would be walking out of the store with a carriage full of groceries.

Rule #1 – NEVER GO FOOD SHOPPING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!


As I browsed the “pantry” section in Target, I walked by some freezers with red clearance labels that caught my eye.  I opened the freezer door to find a variety of frozen appetizers and hors d’oeuvres that were on clearance. I assumed they were about to expire, but upon checking the date, they were all good until 2012.  I checked all the other freezers and there were other items like frozen juices, fries and frozen vegetables on clearance.

20 Minutes Later, I was at home, unloading my trunk with 10 bags of Red Bullseye bags with 41 items and a $51.00 receipt.

I pretty much stocked up for my next party or “game night” spending ONLY  $51.00 and now all I have to do is ask people to BYOB which they usually already do.

Here’s what I will be serving at the next game night:

• 36 Archer Farm’s Spinach and Artichoke Mini Broche
• 48 Archer Farm’s Sweet Savory Collection Puffs
• 36 Archer Farm’s Chicken & Feta Phyllo Pastry
• 32 Steak Taquitos
• 32 Chicken Taquitos
• 28 Chimichanga
• 18 Fried Ravioli
• 30 Pizza Rolls
• 4 Smart Ones Brownies A La Mode For Guest that are counting points 🙂 
• Alexia Onion Rings
• Alexia Sweet Potato Fries (The Mo’s Favorite)

If you plan on coming, bring your Tums!

I know you are probably thinking, “I can get the same thing at any wholesale club and probably for a better deal! I know they have the Mexican frozen assortment box and the puff pastry assortment box, I’m well aware of it. I think if I was to buy in bulk all the above, I would have too much food and spend more than $50.00. Also, you saw my previous post, I try to avoid Costco’s. Plus, I like the Archer Farm’s brand.. I kinda feel a little fancy.

I also got a bunch of frozen concentrated juice mix for making large batches of alcohol for my parties. I find it tastier to mix alcohol with concentrated juice or crystal light and add only a fraction of the water.

Wild Berry Juice Concentrate– I use this for in sangria along with frozen or fresh fruits, cheap cognac and a big bottle of cheap port wine.

Limonade  Concentrate– this makes for a great Margarita base, just add tequila, a little bit of water, and fresh lime.

Orange Concentrate– this makes for a great mixer for Sex on the Beach. The unflavored vodka dilutes the flavor of the juices, so having a concentrated orange flavor helps in addition to the triple sec or Cointreau

Mary and the Two Boys

Bloody Mary’s are an acquired taste.. some either love it, or some absolutely hate it,  but I only LOVE it when its made to my liking.. and that is usually only  when I make it.. not too much horseradish, not too sour and not too peppery.. just a good blend of tomato juice, horseradish, salt, pepper, lemon, and lots of vodka and a dash of Tabasco sauce with an olive garnish. I also have to be in the mood, it’s not one of those drinks that I get drunk off of since its a bit on the heavy side.

When we have tailgating parties for a Pat’s game, one of my customer’s is known for bringing the best home made Bloody Mary concoction.  She signs up every year to bring it and it takes her a good amount of time to prepare the mix which she later fridges for 24 hrs. The crowd loves it!

During a weekend getaway to Martha’s Vineyard, we stopped for a late lunch at the Fishbone’s Grille and Waterfront Cafe before catching our departure ferry. It wasn’t the best Bloody Mary that I had, actually a bit on the salty side, but the jumbo shrimps were colossal and they made for a nice photo. I also wished they served this $ 12.00 drink in a glass cup and not a plastic cup.. just sayin…

“Mary and the Two Boys”