Jessie on the Rocks

Month 2 - Hill Billy Bourbon Can you believe it is almost March?  I'm sliding in my February drink just in the nick of time.  I celebrated a birthday a few weeks ago and was given Hill Billy bourbon as a gift.  What better way to celebrate getting older than drinking?!?  My February bourbon is Hill Billy bourbon and my drink of choice is the Hot Toddy. I tried this bourbon straight and found it to be pretty harsh.  I'm still working my way up to bourbon so I'm going to chalk this up to "I'm still new at this".  However, I also decided to try this bourbon in the form of a Hot Toddy.  I've always been a fan of tea, so this was a natural fit for me - or so I thought.  I made two drinks.  One for me and one for my father.  He's been supportive of my drink making adventures and voluntarily taste tests for me.  I don't know if my recipe was off or this just isn't my taste, but I actually gagged while taking my first sip.  Oh th...

Month 1 - Bulleit Bourbon Happy 2019 Everyone!  I know we have solidly been into the new year for several weeks now, but I'm finally getting my act together on my new drink project for 2019.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my 2018 margarita adventure, but I think that project ran it's course, so  I feel like I have to move outside my comfort zone again to grow as a drink maker.  I have given this quite a bit of thought, and have decided to focus on bourbon for 2019!  Why bourbon?  Well, I don't know anything about it...like couldn't pick it out of a crowd, maybe tasted it twice in my life, do not know anything about it:)  So I present you my 2019 adventure:  not throwing up drinking Bourbon! I admit that making one drink a week (like I did in 2018) got to be too much for me, especially with my work schedule.  Because of this, I have modified my plan for this year.  For 2019, I plan to select one bourbon each month.  I will taste the...

Week 52 - The Classic Margarita I made it!  Week 52 is upon us and I can't believe it's been a whole year since I started my Margarita adventure. On one hand it seems like I just started.  On the other hand, it feels like I've lived a lifetime since last January.  This year has been filled with exciting achievements, travel to great places, drink making adventures and also some of the greatest heartache I have ever experienced.  Life is an interesting journey and this year has taught me that you have to stop and smell the roses more.   It's important to make that drink and have time to sit down and enjoy it.  If you don't, you will blink and life will have passed right on by you.  I have a tendency to think more about tomorrow than I do today.  While this is sometimes helpful, I sometimes miss what's happening right in front of me.  This is something I've decided to work on in my life.  I'm going to start today, with my week 5...

Week 51 - The Coconut Margarita  I'm almost done with my Margarita journey!  I've hit the home stretch and I'm feeling pretty good about my week 51 drink - The Coconut Margarita. I love all things coconut, so I was pretty confident I was going to like this drink.  However, I prefer drinks that shaken over ice, not blended, so I wasn't sure the frozen coconut drink was going to be one of my favorites. I was in for a surprise when it turned out that this was one of my favorite drinks all year! In addition to tequila, this  drink calls for coconut rum, coconut milk and sweetened coconut cream (Coco Lopez).  Throw these ingredients in the blender with ice and viola!  I found that I really liked this drink.  However, you have to be all in on coconut or this will not be for you.  It's a perfect summer drink, though I used it over the holidays and that worked too! Lesson learned - Sometimes drinks are exactly what you think they will be.  ...

Week 50 - The Brunch Margarita Brunch, a beloved past time of many.  I like a good brunch myself, but if i'm being honest, I LOVE breakfast as soon as I get up.  It's my favorite meal of the day and waiting until 10:00 am for it is torture.   However, I won't hold that against this drink.  I did not have many expectations for my week 49 drink.   I figured I’d like it, but wasn’t sure it would be a stand out for the year.   However, I found it to be better than I anticipated.    This is the perfect drink to make for a party or as the name indicates, brunch! The drink is easy to put together and has a light fruity taste.   I particularly enjoyed the addition of the champagne to the drink.  It gave the drink a little punch of bubbles and flavor.  While I followed the recipe closely, I think you could probably throw in any juices you have around the house to make this drink.   It’s a great drink that can be made up ahe...

Week 49 - The Pineapple Margarita  I have been looking forward to this drink since I started this adventure.   I even bought the ingredients several months ago, but it’s one of those drinks that I just didn’t get around to.   Each week I considered it, but went with a different choice.  This week I decided to go for it.   The only thing I can say to myself is, why did I wait so long? This was definitely one of the best I have tried all year.   Other than cutting up the pineapple, which I find to be a feat of epic proportions (luckily my mom was in town and took pity on me and cut it up) I found this to be a pretty easy drink to make. I did have to use the blender, but the pineapple itself gave the drink great consistency, so it was pretty easy to get right. The drink was sweet and smooth with just enough froth at the top.   I highly recommend this drink.   I do think it’s likely more of a summertime drink, but I do not apologize for en...

Week 48 - The Anejo Margarita I have been interested in trying this margarita since I started the year.   It’s one that was suggested to me as it is supposed to take a traditional margarita to the next level.   Like a fancy version of a margarita.   I decided to give it a try. This drink is a play on the Grand Gold Margarita recipe from Week 11 .   If you recall, this has been one of my favorite drinks so far this year.   I was eager to give this recipe another try and spice it up with Anejo tequila.   An Anejo tequila is known to be an “aged” or Vintage” tequila.   It is aged for a minimum of 1-3 years in oak barrels.   The flavor is known to be more smoother and more subtle.   The drink was easy to put together.   In addition the the recipe from week 11, The Anejo Margarita calls for a substitution of Anejo tequila for traditional tequila and it adds a splash of Orange juice.   The recipe did suggest that you coul...

Week 47 - The Key Lime Margarita I thought it would look more green.  These words actually came out of my mouth today.  I never envisioned myself saying these words out loud, but life is funny like that and takes you in directions you do not expect from time to time.  That being said, I present to you, The Key Lime Margarita. My week 47 drink was surprising in multiple ways.  The most obvious thing was that I pictured this drink to be bright green.  It was not.  I'm unclear if this is something I did wrong or if the green was just an assumption on my part.  I followed the directions pretty carefully, so if anything, it could only be the type of key lime juice that I bought.  Despite the color differential, the drink was also surprising in how great it was.  Who cares what color it is, if it tastes great!  The drink was super easy to make.  I did need to buy key lime juice, but  live in Florida, so this was not hard ...

Week 46 - The Kentucky Margarita The poor state of Kentucky gets teased an awful lot, but I've always found it to be quite nice.  It also doesn't hurt that they have a little thing called bourbon working in their favor:)  My week 46 drink is the Kentucky Margarita.  I have a good friend from Kentucky and I have been excited to make my this drink for her.  Here goes nothing! I really do not know anything about bourbon and I was nervous to jump into the ring with it.  I feel like it's something people are very passionate about.  I decided to go with a basic bourbon, nothing fancy.  Side note - it came it the best packaging, a little burlap sack!  Even if it's awful, it wins my heart for best packaging.  There is some prep work to this drink, but let me tell ya - It's worth it!  This is one of my favorites so far this year. It calls for 1 tablespoon of honey to be dissolved in hot water.  In additi...

Week 45 - The Lagerita I have been equally excited about and fearing my week 45 drink.  It combines two things I like, beer and margaritas, but some things are mutually exclusive.  I just wasn't sure if this was going to be two of those things.  This drink called for 2 ounces of light beer.  I chose to go with Amstel Light.  The other ingredients are traditional margarita ingredients.  The drink was easy to put together and was shockingly decent.  I don't know that it is something that I would drink often, but it was a cool and different drink that was definitely out of my comfort zone.  I will admit that the one thing that I had a hard time getting over was the smell of the drink.  It smelled more like beer than a margarita, so it was a little confusing for my taste buds.  This alone almost stopped me from trying the drink all together, but I prevailed and I am sure glad I did.  This drink won't be for everyone, but i...

Week 44 - The Cantaloupe Margarita The weeks are flying by and I'm nearing the end of my journey.  I can't believe how fast the year has gone by and how much I have learned.  This week I went with the Cantaloupe Margarita.  It was a nice fruity treat in the middle of the holiday craze! This drink was pretty easy to make, but required a little forethought in that I froze some of the chunks of cantaloupe ahead of time and used them as the ice cubes for the drink.  I was also able to use Midori liquor again.  I first used this in Week 9  for a frozen melon margarita.  It was one of the liquors that surprised me the most.  I found it surprisingly delicious.  I was eager to give it another try.  It did not disappoint. The drink was refreshing and smooth.  The drink also looked really pretty.  It's always fun to see the fruits of your labor.  I highly recommend this drink.  It's just the right flavor of melon wit...

Week 43 - The Raspberry Margarita  I went with an easy classic for my week 43 drink.  The Raspberry Margarita was a fun way to end a busy day.  I've been experimenting with more complicated drinks and different flavors the last few weeks, so it was fun to get back to the basics.   This drink was very easy to put together and tasted great.  I even used the blender without issue!  What a difference a year makes right? I was a big fan of this drink.  It is great for any season.  If you are looking for a quick and fun drink that is also delicious, this is one you should consider.  I garnished with a few raspberries and it looked great! Lesson Learned - Easy doesn't always mean lesser quality.  This drink was simple to make, but packed just as much flavor as a crafted cocktail.  Cheers! Recipe 6 to 7 Raspberries 3 Tablespoons simple syrup 1 1/2 ounces white tequila 3/4 ounce Cointreau Splash of lime juice Raspb...

Week 42 - The Hazelnut Margarita Tis the season for fun festive drinks and week 42 did not disappoint!  I tried the Hazelnut Margarita for some family and friends while I was home in NY for Thanksgiving.  When I think of Hazelnut, I generally think of flavored coffee or coffee creamer.  Initially, I was worried this would be a cream based drink, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover Frangelico liquor.  It is a hazelnut flavored liquor and it is pretty fantastic. The drink went together easily and smelled amazing.  I think the smell of the drink may have been better than the drink itself.  The drink is shaken over ice.  I added brown sugar to the rim.  It turned out to be a great tasting festive drink. My family loved it and that made it all the better.   If you are looking for a fun drink to add to a holiday party, I highly recommend this. Lesson Learned - It's fun to create drinks, but it's even more fun to watch othe...

Week 41 - The Cranberry Margarita Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I love the weather, getting together with family and the food.  This year was extra special as I was able to go home to Western NY, to spend a few days with my family and friends.  My mom cooked all my favorite things and it was a nice break.  What I was not prepared for, was the foot of snow on the ground and temperature of 8 degrees when I landed!  Apparently this was one of the coldest Thanksgiving on record in NY.  So glad I picked this year to go home!  My Florida was definitely showing as I bundled up:) All kidding aside, It was a wonderful visit.  I was able to share my margarita adventure with my family in the form of my week 41 drink - The Cranberry Margarita! This drink was pretty easy to make and I had to make several!  What can I say, they were a big hit!  This drink is a fun twist on the traditional margarita and it had a fun sweet fl...

Week 40 - The Cinnamon Margarita Tis the season - like it or not!  If you have watched TV or visited a store in the last few weeks, you are well aware that the holiday season is upon us once again.  I'm still trying to figure out where this year has gone.  It flew by in a flash of memories, accomplishments, heartaches and celebrations.  Life is a wild ride sometimes, so we need to remember to enjoy the little things in between all the appointments, meetings and obligations.  I'm doing that tonight by enjoying my week 40 drink!  Since the holidays are upon us, I thought it would be festive to kick off the season with the Cinnamon Margarita. This drink makes me nervous because it has a milk/cream base.  If you have followed my previous posts, you will know the other drinks I have made like this have not been my favorite.  However, I'm feeling festive today and remain hopeful that this one might just change my mind. This drink called for lig...

Week 39 - The Jalapeno Margarita I am still basking in the glory of last week's garnish success.  I'm not sure I can top it and I admit, I considered calling it quits and going out on a high note.  But alas, I made a commitment to 52 weeks and I'm having too much fun to quit now.  You are stuck with me until the end of the year!  I did decide to "spice" up the week 39 drink though - no really, I used jalapenos!  It's literally spicy:) my week 39 drink is the Jalapeno Margarita.  I have heard several people comment on how much they like jalapeno margaritas over the last year and it has always interested me.  I like the combo of sweet and not sweet, but admit that I'm not a fan of spice in my food, like not AT ALL.  I'm a big baby, so I was nervous about trying this recipe.  However, after a few of the apple cocktails with my friends last week, one of my pals suggested that we should try the jalapeno recipe.  I had just enough l...

Week 38 - The Apple Margarita It's finally Fall!  Do you know what that means?  Absolutely nothing because I live in Florida!! lol  However, this week, I have had the pleasure of visiting the great state of Wisconsin to see some of my college roommates and enjoy some Fall weather and foliage.  It was everything I wanted it to be and more.  Besides eating my body weight in cheese, I was able to enjoy cooler temperatures and beautiful fall foliage.  I was even able to wear a sweatshirt and not melt.  In honor of the season, my week 38 drink is The Apple Margarita. I have been saving this drink  for this trip as I thought it paired nicely with the season.  I grew up in Western New York, where apples are very much a staple during this season.  Since moving to Florida, I do not get to experience the fresh fall apples like I did growing up.  It's always a special treat to get to go to an apple farm and pick up fre...

Week 37 - The Banana Margarita How is it October already?  I can't believe how fast this year is going and how far I am into my margarita journey.  I'm equal parts proud of what I have done so far and sad it's almost over.  To celebrate my success thus far and the drinks yet to come, I give you my week 37 drink, The Banana Margarita. This drink is one that both interests me and makes me a little nervous at the same time.  I really like banana generally, but I recognize this is a flavor that can be a bit overwhelming and can take over.  I went into this drink cautiously optimistic.  The drink included banana liquor and light cream in addition to tequila and simple syrup.  The drink turned out well.  It was a great consistency and the color I expected.  However, I found the cream consistency of the drink brought me back to my week 35 drink.   If you recall, this was The Blond Marg...