Concerts – The Ocelots' Den

Cocktails

Fins to the Right: Fantastic Make and Take Tailgating Cocktails

By Julia on 29 May, 2017

When thinking about the tailgating event, I wanted people to have a secondary option to the Finding Nemo cocktail. I also took color into consideration. We had a bright blue cocktail, what would be colorful, potent, and complimentary?

When I stumbled across the recipe for Tropical Island Iced Tea I was beyond excited! It seemed perfect for our event and I was not disappointed. Its rosy pink color from the guava nectar was a perfect pair for our tropical blue. For the Tailgate I actually served these in pint-size (16oz) jars so they were pre-measured, had space for ice, and ready to enjoy!

Tropical Island Iced Tea

1 oz	Dark Spiced Rum
1 oz	Gin
1 oz	Vodka
1 oz	Tequila
1 oz	Triple Sec or Cointreau
2 oz	Guava Nectar
2 oz	Club Soda or Seltzer (or to taste)
1 oz	Fresh Lime Juice
	Lime Wedges as Garnish

Pour everything except the club soda into a Collins Glass filled with ice and top with Club Soda*. Gently stir your drink and garnish with a lime wedge.

*Tip: Use a spiral bar spoon and pour carbonated mixers down the spoon handle. This will get the most bubbles down into the drink.

A word of caution, these drinks are VERY strong, it should be apparent by the sheer number of alcohols in this concoction, but it is more than 1 standard drink’s worth of liquor.

A secondary word of caution, don’t mix these up with some Carolina-style vinegary BBQ sauce, in the dim lights of the parking lot they may look the same, but they do not taste the same!!! (I may or may not speak from personal experience).

Cocktails

Fins to the Left: Fantastic Make and Take Tailgating Cocktails

By Julia on 22 May, 2017

Inspired by our tailgating trip to see Jimmy Buffet, I wanted to make some grab and go cocktails that were on-theme! I felt like a margarita for Margaritaville was perhaps too on the nose, so I went searching for tropical, fun, and tasty cocktails to bring along.

As I was perusing various recipes, I stumbled across the Finding Nemo! I loved the cocktail garnish the most.

Finding Nemo

1 oz	Coconut Rum
.75 oz	Hypnotiq
.5 oz	Lime Juice
.25oz	Pineapple Juice
.25 oz	Blue Curacao
Garnish	Swedish Fish

To create this drink, pour all of your liquids into a cocktail shaker. Add ice, cover, and shake for about 12 seconds*. Strain into a cocktail glass (~~Coupe or Martini~~ any glass you choose). Garnish with a Swedish Fish.

*To prepare ahead and serve in half-pint jars, simply pour liquids into each jar. When it’s time to serve them, shake and strain on the spot, or simply have them pre-chilled.

Finding Nemo a whimsical drink crafted by Brendan Turner of Side Bar in San Diego.

How perfect was this drink!!!

To get your fish to float, you can serve instead in a Collins Glass with lots of ice. Gently place your fish on the ice to help it float!

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

By Julia on 20 May, 2017

Since we were going to the Jimmy Buffet Concert, I figured I needed to figure out a way to have “Cheeseburgers in Paradise.” We planned on making BBQ (aka pulled-pork for those that aren’t east coast southerners) and warming it on the Grill. So instead of an entrée, I fashioned our “burgers” into a dessert!

I love to make sugar cookies. Sometimes I bake my Great-Great Aunt Ina’s from scratch; other times when I am in a pinch for time or ingredients, I use to roll out the dough from the grocery store. Today that is what I decided to do.

To make the cookies:

1 roll of Cookie Dough or a batch of your favorite Sugar Cookie Dough

Cocoa (or brown food coloring)

Flour for rolling

Small round cookie cutter

First, divide the batter into thirds, add about 1/4 of a cup of Cocoa to one-third. The cocoa-flavored dough will serve as the “hamburger patty.” The vanilla dough will be your “buns.” Roll out the dough as usual and cut out cookies. When cutting the cookies, if you twist the cookie-cutter as you cut, this will seal the edges, which helps your cookie bake more dome-shaped. Try not to with the Hamburger patty to keep it flat! (This will be dependent on the type of dough. The more the dough naturally rises the more prominent this will be, whether baking biscuits, donuts, or cookies). * I advise to use a cookie-cutter about the size of a sandwich cookie; otherwise, when these cookies are layered, they will be HUGE.

Add a dab of icing to secure patty to the bottom bun

If you would like the cookies to look even more like an authentic burger bun, you can sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top of HALF of the vanilla cookies before they go into the oven.

Once the cookies cool, it is time to assemble the tiny masterpieces!!

Time to Decorate

I love a good buttercream. With a combination of butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla, what’s not to like?!!

I colored the frosting Red (ketchup), Yellow (mustard), and Green (lettuce). You may notice that these Cheeseburgers are lacking a key ingredient, cheese! I crossed my fingers and hoped the cheese would go unnoticed on my tiny burgers. You could very easily cut slices of “cheese” out of fondant or candy clay.

First, with the flat side of a “bun” up, add a dab of frosting (any color will do) and top with your “patty.” This is to “glue” the layers together. Next pipe on as you would your burger toppings. A drizzle of “ketchup” and a drizzle of “mustard” using a round piping tip, making sure to overlap so you can see both when you add the top. Change your tip to a different texture (I used a star) for the lettuce and dab some on and seal with your top “bun!”

Voila! The burgers are finished! Enjoy your petite treats!