CityMama™

New Year's Eve Drinkies: Stoli Accomplice

 

Recently the folks at Stoli sent me a bottle of vodka plus a few recipes to try. I went straight for the Stoli Accomplice because the strawberries were calling me, but in all truthiness, I used Grey Goose because that's what I had open.(Don't sweat Stoli folks, your vodka will get drunk, trust me!)

It goes down nice and easy and looks festive to boot. Would be perfect to serve on New Year's Eve. Especially to the girrrlz.

Muddle 3 strawberries (in your shaker)
1 ounce simple syrup or rock candy syrup (I used agave nectar)
2 ounces sweet sweet vodka, nectar of the gods
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake ingredients and strain into sugar-rimmed martini glass. Top with champagne.

Notes: I have one of these muddlers and it's awesome. You can buy simple syrup or rock candy syrup at any well-stocked liquor store like BevMo if you don't want to make it yourself. The strawbs can muck up your shaker so just shake-shake-shake that mofo to get all the cocktail out. Prosecco would be lovely (and a more budget-conscious choice) instead of champagne.

Vanilla-Honey Indian Milk Chai

I much prefer homemade chai to anything that comes from a mix. It's one of my favorite things to order at Indian restaurants where it's served piping hot and is the perfect finish to the meal. 

After scouring the internet for recipes, I've come up with this recipe that yummy hot as well as iced.

Vanilla-Honey Milk Chai

Bring two cups of filtered water to a boil then add:

• 5 whole cloves
• 4 caramom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• half a vanilla bean, scraped (or 1/2 tsp of vanilla)

Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for at least one hour or up to overnight. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.

Bring 2 cups of milk to a gentle boil. Add 5 black tea bags (I like PG Tips). Remove from heat and let steep to desired strength. Remove tea bags.  Add clove-cardamom mixture to the milk tea and heat until warmed through. Add honey to taste. Pour into cups and serve at once.

For children, you can use decaf tea or, if you prefer, omit the tea altogether.  Makes about 4 cups.