All My Drinking Friends Have a Sailing Problem, Part Deux: Green Flash

Another year, another LakeFest. This year, I was tasked with coming up with a drink that would not be co-opted by anybody (last year's blue water margaritas got a different moniker when the crew of Blue Flash showed up).

After about an hour of careful research, we came up with what we initially called a "Shooting Star." After a happy accident, however, we settled on calling it a "Green Flash" (which, incidentally, is an atmospheric phenomenon, and should not be confused with that pesky blue flash that occurs in critical nuclear accidents).

Given the inherent ... uncertainty ... that can go along with this type of experimentation, and being the quasi-professional drunkard that I am, I diligently subjected both myself and others to several trial runs before pronouncing it LakeFest-ready, although I must confess that one member of our crew did ask me when the alcohol would be added.

Green Flash

What You Need

Tall shot glass (1.75 ounces)
Limoncello
Club Soda
Blue Curacao
Sailor Jerry spiced rum
Yellow food coloring
Kumquat

What To Do With It

Fill the shot glass to 1/2 full by adding 1/4 glass limoncello and 1/4 glass club soda. Tilt the glass and pour in about 1/8 glass blue curacao. Poured slowly enough, this will pool on the bottom. Finally, with the glass tilted again,  pour in 1/8 glass Sailor Jerry, which will pool on the top.

Now, take a toothpick and pierce the meniscus, and drop in one drop of yellow food coloring. Take a thin slice of kumquat and garnish.

The longer these sit, the more the food coloring will drop down into the cloudy layer of limoncello and club soda, and the blue curacao will mix from the bottom, to try to make them a la minute.

When you're ready to drink, give it a quick swirl with a toothpick or straw to transform it from something resembling a sunset into an electric green concoction...just like what happens with a real green flash!

Mai Tais: All My Drinking Friends Have a Sailing Problem

Two of our best friends, JD and Susan, have a J122 that they keep on Lake Texoma. For about half the year, we race. The other half, JD and Susan are happy to have us up for a night or a weekend.

The only cost of admission is (i) food and (ii) drink. I really think that Susan was the inspiration for the Finding Nemo fish, Dory ("Fish are friends, not food"). And JD, unfortunately, shares my philosophy regarding alcohol: "Life is too short for cheap booze." So, we don't do fish on the boat, but we do drink well.

Next week, they're going to be gracious enough to take us and our nephew out for a sail. Because it's almost sailing season again, I suspect all the pots and pans will be off the boat. And although JD and I would both be content with just a bottle of Anniversario rum, Jenn and Susan don't think that straight rum is acceptable.

Therefore, I think that we'll make laab gai spring rolls and mai tais: easy to eat, tasty to drink.

Laab Gai (with props to Beth, who gave me the recipe originally)

What you need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 jalapenos (or serranos, or similar peppers), minced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp ginger root, minced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tbsp fish sauce (to taste)
1-2 tbsp soy sauce (again, to taste)
1 tbsp rice cooking wine
1/4 cup lime juice
salt
Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
cucumber and carrot, julienned
Spring roll wrappers

What to do with it:

Chop up your chicken in a food processor. Basically, you're going to be making ground chicken. Boil it until it's cooked, then drain.

Put it in a bowl, add everything else except the cabbage, and mix. Once you have the flavor balance you want, refrigerate for an hour or so.

Prep a spring roll wrapper (place in warm water for about 8 seconds, removing before you think it's ready). Drop in a little cabbage, a couple tablespoons of laab gai, roll and enjoy.

Mai Tais

What you need:

1 ounce gold rum (I use Cruzan)
1 ounce spiced rum (meet my friend, Sailor Jerry)
1/2 ounce amaretto
juice of 1/2 key lime
3 drops Angostura bitters
small pinch allspice
2 1/2 ounces pineapple juice

What to do with it:

Mix it.

Pour it over ice.

Drink it.

Giving Away the Sangria--Free Milk and a Cow

The first time I had sangria was on a beach in France when I was 15. Fruity, fortified wine, topless women, sand, the Mediterranian sea...what's not to love about that? I've been a fan of sangria ever since.

If you've had sangria bought in the store...I'm sorry for you. You should know better. Mine's better, but it's a bit dangerous. When we first bought our home, we had an open house, and I caught my neighbor trying to serve some to his grandson (he thought it was punch). Be warned if you serve this at a party: you'll likely end up with people sleeping on your lawn.

All I've got to say is that those of you that read this better not start skipping my parties, and give credit where it's due when you serve it. :)

Oh, and as a bonus, a little cranberry drink I blended up last night.

Sangria

10 liters medium body red wine--I usually use Franzia boxed. One box of their "chillable red" and one of Chianti.
About 1/2 - 3/4 liters gold rum (Cruzan works great)
1/2 bottle blue curacao
1 large can frozen orange juice (plus the water to make OJ)
Sugar to taste (err on the side of "not quite sweet enough" until you've let it sit for a couple of hours)
Add thinly-sliced and quartered oranges & limes, plus red grapes.
Let sit overnight (preferably where your dog can't get to it)

Add ice just prior to serving (obviously, enough to make it cold). We often serve this at Halloween, so we use dry ice for the "double, double, toil and trouble" effect.

Holiday Daiquiri

OK, technically it's not a daiquiri since it doesn't have any rum or lime in it. But it's a lot easier to say "holiday daiquiri" than "frozen cranberry cocktail and cognac with spices," plus it just sounds better.

1/4 blender ice
1/2 blender frozen cranberry sauce (preferably some made with oranges). And if it's from a can, please turn in your apron, along with the remaining dregs of your pride, and exit the building.
1/8 blender cognac or brandy
1/8 (or so) blender sprite (or similar)
2 Tbsp. cardamon
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Blend. Drink. Be merry.