100th Post! Rosa Spritz

February 9, 2019 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

Rosa Spritz pic This week’s post is TBPBlog’s 100th Post! We are celebrating our special post with a continuation of our February series “Roses are Red…”, and a toast of a little bubbly with a delicious rosa twist.

The Rosa Spritz is the perfect cocktail for February. We’ve had this idea for quite some time, but we wanted to save this cocktail for a special post. With “love in the air” and reaching our 100th post, we thought this was the ideal moment. Want to surprise your sweetheart with a unique cocktail that shows just how much you value her love? The Rosa Spritz is just what you need.

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The main ingredient in the Rosa Spritz is Malfy Gin Rosa. We’ve shared Rosa’s sisters with you in past posts like, A Spritz of Spring, and Jingle Gin Punch. The Malfy Rosa: Sicilian Pink Grapefruit Gin has a hint of grapefruit flavor with a beautiful blush rose’ color. The combination of the Malfy Rosa and some bubbling prosecco makes for a beautiful romantic cocktail to serve your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day.

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Making the Rosa Spritz is so easy. You need only 1.5 ounces of Malfy Rosa. Top off with chilled prosecco and garnish with a wedge of grapefruit or a rose petal.

When we first started The Blind Pig Blog, we wondered if we could find enough ideas to reach out to our readers each week with a new recipe or idea to share. Now upon reaching the century mark, it is evident that not only do we have enough ideas, but the more ideas we generate, the more that we uncover. Thank you for taking the time to reach out, comment, share, recruit other readers, and for all of your support of our tiny corner of the internet! Cheers!

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Disclaimer: The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

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Add Some Punch to Your Holidays

December 23, 2018December 29, 2018 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

‘Twas two days before Christmas and all through The Blind Pig home base,

every creature was stirring amid the holiday chase.

The stockings were hung by the chimney in a row,

In hopes that soon everything would be ready to go.

Is it just us or has Christmas come upon us quickly? Today we were still scurrying around buying and wrapping last minute presents, delivering our goody baskets, and sending off one last Christmas card. We hope that your holidays are festive, relaxing and fun. To make your holidays extra delicious, we have one final holiday recipe to share with you: Jingle Gin Punch.

Jingle Gin Punch

We were a little hesitant about sharing a punch recipe with you. Punches tend to be overly sweet and sipping one cup is all that we can usually take. However, we think that you and your guests will be pleasantly surprised with the citrus blend of blood oranges, navel oranges, lemons and limes in this gin based punch topped off with a little sparkling wine.

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To make this punch we used Malfy Sicilian Blood Orange Gin. Yummo! Open this bottle up and take a sniff of that citrusy goodness. This is the sister to Malfy Limone that we shared with you in our Gin and Tonic recipe. The Malfy Sicilian Blood Orange gives this punch a beautiful color and is very inviting when garnished with slices of oranges, limes and lemons. You might be thinking, “Wait, Rhonda and Craig, I’m not a gin drinker.” Hey, we get it, but after trying this recipe, you just might become one!

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So here’s what you need to rush out and buy for the Jingle Gin Punch, which was named by Blind Piglet #2 by the way. You will need sugar, fresh mint sprigs, vanilla beans, Malfy Sicilian Blood Orange Gin, fresh lemon juice, dry sparkling wine, and water. Hint: The vanilla beans were a bit difficult for us (Rhonda) to find. We finally tracked some down at Sprouts. However, if you don’t have a Sprouts or a Whole Foods in your area, add a teaspoon of vanilla to the recipe.

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Start by making some simple syrup. We’ve made this before for other recipes like our Zaya Mojito recipe. Place two cups of water in a saucepan with 2 cups of granulated sugar on medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add mint and a vanilla bean sliced length wise, so the flavor can blend with the simple syrup. Remember: If you don’t have vanilla beans, you can use vanilla flavor. Set the simple syrup aside to cool.

Combine gin, lemon juice, water, and mint-vanilla syrup. Chill for 4 hours.

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Add gin mixture to punch bowl and top off with sparkling wine. Garnish with mint leaves and citrus slices. Serve up!

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If you are reading this post via email. Visit us at http://www.theblindpig.blog for the full printable recipe for Jingle Gin Punch.

Will you be merry and bright with Jingle Gin Punch this Christmas Eve? We are prepping our Christmas Holiday Bread for Christmas morning. We hope that you have a safe and wonderful Christmas with lots of good drinks, good food, and good friends!

From our Blind Pig Family to yours Merry Christmas!

Photo by Kayla Stiens Photography

Other great holiday recipes you may have missed…

Christmas Morning Bread

Kerrygold Cinnamon Rolls

Kerrygold French Toast

Disclaimer: Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

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World Cup Fever: French 75

July 14, 2018 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

Image result for world cup logo 2018

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Today we are sharing our final post in our series for the World Cup. Three fifths of The Blind Pig household was in mourning after the England/Croatia match up this week. We were hoping that we would be sharing another version of a gin and tonic with you for our finale post. However, for those of you that do not follow World Cup soccer, France and Croatia made it into the finals.

Photo by Blind Piglet #2. He’s such a great photographer!

The Blind Pig family are fans of the French. We visited France in 2015 had a wonderful experience. You gotta love those Nutella crepes!

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Since we do not know of any great Croatian cocktails to share with you, which we are sure there are many, we are going to share the French 75 with you this week. The French 75, or also known as Soixane Quince by the French, is an easy, tasty, and fresh recipe that is made with gin, simple syrup, lemon juice and sparkling white wine. It is the perfect drink to serve as a refreshing summer beverage or after dinner with a dessert. Beware, since the drink is mainly gin and sparkling wine, it can sneak up on you quickly.

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If you are reading this post via email, visit our website for a printable version of the recipe.

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Will you watch the World Cup finals on Sunday or will you just have a French 75 and call it a day? Give it a try. We would love to know what you think about it.

Disclaimer: The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

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Soup of the Day: Gin and Tonic

July 6, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 2 Comments

Happy weekend, friends! We hope that your July 4th was festive and fun. We kept the holiday low key by staying close to home and hanging out with our good friends, Dawnette and John, on the back patio. We had great food and great cocktails, but we are not talking about those today. Today we are again commemorating the World Cup! (Yes, it is still going on for those of you who are not soccer fans. ;)) Did you see the amazing game between England and Colombia the other day? It was a crazy combination of fitness, drama, skill and a wrestling match. England came out on top, so today we are tipping our hats to the English and saying, “Cheers,” with their preferred cocktail of a Gin and Tonic.

Image result for the world cup logo 2018

gin and tonic

So if the word gin freaks you out and makes you think only serious drinkers would partake, let us be the first to dispel that myth. A gin and tonic is actually quite a light and refreshing drink. If you are not a fan of sweet drinks, try out a gin and tonic. It has a dry crisp taste, and the tonic water gives it a bubbly freshness. You can add a little flavor with your favorite fresh garnish.

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The basic gin and tonic is made with 1.5 ounces of gin poured over ice in a rocks glass. Top off with tonic water, and garnish to your liking. We garnished ours with blueberries, strawberries and fresh mint from our garden. By adding any fresh fruit or herbs as an addition to this cocktail you can tailor it for any season or occasion.

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You may have noticed that we went with the Q drinks Indian Tonic Water for our cocktail. We introduced you to Q drinks in our post about the Paloma.

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Gin and tonics are great for social situations. At your next gathering create a gin and tonic bar. Have various favors of tonic water available, such as, lemon, grapefruit, cranberry, lemonade and more. Provide various fresh fruits and herbs for garnish and let your friends do the rest!

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Whether you are watching the England play Sweden tomorrow or you just want to relax in your hammock in the backyard, try out a gin and tonic and raise a little toast to our friends across the pond!

Disclaimer: The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

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Italian Negroni

June 2, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

Hey friends, June 4th kicks off National Negroni week. We have been saving our Italian Negroni just for this special occasion. “Never tried a negroni,” you say. If you are into classic cocktails, this week will be a real treat for you.

Negronis are said to have come about in Florence when an Italian count suggested that the club soda in his Americano be replaced with gin. The key words in the above sentence are Italian and gin. The negroni is an Italian creation. Typically when most bartenders think of gin, they do not grab for an Italian gin. To properly bring the negroni back to its original roots, we are pairing it with an all Italian cast.

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In our Italian Negroni we use 3 Italian liquors: Malfy Originale Gin (We told you about Malfy Limone in the Cucumber Gin Spritz.), Carpano Antica Vermouth (which we told you about in our Carpano Sangria recipe last summer), and Campari. The Italian Negroni is a true classic cocktail with an aggressive taste profile.

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This recipe is so easy to make. Pour 1 ounce of Malfi Gin, 1 ounce of Carpano Antica Vermouth, and 1 ounce of Campari into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel and ice. We chose to use one of our ice spheres in our cocktail.

This cocktail is a great beverage to serve dads on Father’s Day, or for a guys’ night out. Let us know if you try it out!

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Disclaimer: The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

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A Spritz of Spring

April 7, 2018April 29, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 5 Comments

cucumber gin spritz

Hello friends! We are enjoying Spring in full bloom. Our flowers are blooming, the lawn is turning green, and our trees have bright leaves and buds. We know that some of our readers in the Midwest are longing for Spring, but they are still dealing with Winter. This week’s light and fresh beverage will have you feeling like it’s Spring in no time.

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You may notice that we are introducing a new spirit into our Blind Pig repertoire. Our newest member is Malfy Gin. This yummy spirit comes to us via the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Malfy Gin is one of the only true Italian gins. Although most people think gin originated in England, its true beginnings were in Italy. The Amalfi Coast is one our favorite spots to visit in the whole world. We stayed in the village of Sorrento in an refurbished castle. We had the most amazing pizza in Sorrento in a little outdoor cafe. Our photos were from the pre-digitized photo generation, so we found this photo to help get you in the mood.

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The Cucumber Gin Spritz is a light, refreshing drink made with Malfy gin, prosecco and club soda. The added crisp freshness of muddled cucumber and a cucumber ribbon around the circumference of the glass gives the drink a cooling and energizing zip.

Although the Cucumber Gin Spritz takes a little more effort than many of our other recipes, there is no need to worry. It’s not too difficult.

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To start, cut 5 round slices from the cucumber to muddle in your shaker. Shave a long thin ribbon of the cucumber to save as a garnish for later.

If you don’t have any simple syrup on hand, you will want to make some of your own. We gave you some recipes for simple syrup in our Mojito post.

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After muddling the cucumber, add 1 ounce of gin, 1/2 simple syrup and ice to the shaker. Shake. Strain the mixture into a serving glass. We used our bar strainer, but you may want to use a strainer with a thinner mesh.

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