Bartender! My Personal Recipes For A White Russian Snowball And Toasted Almond Snowball

I'm one of "those" persons who likes to cook at home.  I actually enjoy having friends over and stuffing them with a ridiculous amount of food.  So you'd think I would be good at mixing alcoholic drinks and such.  Well, kinda.  I'm really good at making two kinds of mixed drinks.

You see, due to health and medications there is no way I should drink alcohol.  It's a recipe for disaster (pun intended.)  It's a real shame because I have created/adjusted a recipe for White Russians and Toasted Almonds that I love.  The people who I've made these drinks for absolutely love them.  Which kills me because I undeniably love a White Russian.

I had mentioned this subject on Facebook to my friend Kathy.  She asked me what I did differently to make a "White Russian" into what I call a "White Russian Snowball."  I went over step by step what I did, but I got to thinking.  Wouldn't it be much better if I made a blog post about it?  I could show photos of my step by step process.

So thanks to my dear friend Kathy I am sharing this recipe on my blog.  There is another reason I want to share this.  If you've read my blog you know I'm a woodworker.  What's made me a better woodworker is other artists' sharing what used to be called "Trade Secrets."

I had a violin luthier tell me one reason so many amazing violins were being made right now, was that, the internet had helped them share information.  If no one has to keep reinventing the wheel, then they can concentrate on other things.

So I gladly share this recipe so that others can use it.  Then, they can share it.  So let's start first with the "White Russian Snowball."

Let's start with the correct kind of glass you will need.  You will want to use a "Double Rocks Glass."  It's sometimes referred to as an Old Fashioned.  You will want one that is at minimum 12 ounces.

Now it's time to start adding alcohol.  Add one shot of vodka.  And remember folks, it doesn't have to be a high proof vodka.  80 proof is fine.  

The next step is to add one shot of Kahlua.  

After that add TWO shots of heavy whipping cream.  Of all the ingredients, this may be the most important.  Don't use regular milk.  Don't use half and half.  Don't use regular whipping cream.  You want HEAVY whipping cream.  And since I'm from Florida I absolutely use Publix brand heavy whipping cream.  Remember TWO shots!

You can start to see why I recommend a minimum of a 12 ounce glass.  So far you have four shots of liquid.  At 1.5 ounces per shot you are already up to 6 ounces.  Stir it around so that all the liquid is mixed.  Now comes the part to make it a "snowball."

You want to use crushed ice.  Some of you (like me) are lucky enough to have a refrigerator that has a crushed ice setting.  You want to use fine crushed ice.  The finer the better.  

Now what you want to do is pack that Double Rocks Glass with crushed ice.  I mean pack it like a snowball.  You were wondering when that term was going to pop up, huh?  Stir it as best you can.  It will be thick.  You are now the proud owner of a "White Russian Snowball."

(Sidenote:  I'm sure professional bartenders will tell me that I need to "shake a cocktail" if I am using ice in it.  I won't disagree with them, but I'll say I've never needed to do so for this drink.)

The good news, is that, alcohol has a lower freezing point than water.  So the ice will melt rather quickly.  The flavor will be smooth, flavorful, and creamy.  I like this because it feels like you get your moneys' worth from this drink.  The ice will all be melted by the time you are finished. 

I made one of these for my former girlfriend years ago.  Her response to it was, "Oh my!  This is dangerous!"  

I said, "Oh no!  I'm sorry!"

To which she replied, "No.  You don't get it.  This thing is so smooth and delicious that I'll have one, then two, then be on the floor.  You can't taste any biting alcohol at all.  This is dangerously good!"

I have to say I was rather proud of myself when she told me that.  That's when I knew I had a killer recipe on my hands.

So now let's go over how to make a "Toasted Almond Snowball."

A Toasted Almond isn't that different from a White Russian.  Really we are just trading the vodka out for Disaronno Amaretto.  Let's start from the beginning.

First up, let's grab our trusty Double Rocks/ Old Fashioned Glass (minimum 12 ounces.)

Next we pour one shot of Disaronno Amaretto into the glass.

Next we pour one shot of Kahlua into the glass.

Now we add our two shots of heavy whipping cream.

Now we stir our glass around some mixing up the liquids.  Next we pack the glass with crushed ice like a snowball.

If you really want to be fancy, and I completely suggest you do this, add a maraschino cherry to the glass.  Or add about four.  I love those things.  And if you really want to make it special, add some of the maraschino cherry juice to the Toasted Almond Snowball.  

Now stir the glass, and you have the ultimate "Toasted Almond Snowball."  Please enjoy, and please, please, please!!!!  Drink responsibly!!!  Remember each one of these drinks has two shots of alcohol in it.  

A 90 pound young woman might get white girl wasted after having, "Just two drinks."  Yeah, because she just consumed four shots in half an hour without realizing it.  So please drink responsibly.  

Again, please feel free to pass this recipe on.  As a history buff/major/graduate I believe in the sharing of information.  Also, as a history buff/major/graduate I am still mad about the destruction of the Library at Alexandria!!!  But it's that anger over the loss of information that propels me to share things.  It's one reason I write this blog.  

So please, if you are a bartender, or just feel like sharing drinks with friends, please try this recipe.  If you like it, please pass it on.  Take care and enjoy everyone.  

Absinthe, Part 2

Years ago I wrote a blog about Absinthe.  Here it is:

http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2011/02/absinthe.html

Basically what happened was I drank one mixed drink of absinthe (one shot, 1 1/2 ounces), a few hairy things went down.  One drink.  I can't exactly say what happened back then because a lot of it was private.  But there are a few things about absinthe that I would like to expand on.

First of all, this is the best European site for real absinthe:

http://www.absinthe.de/

In the U.S. we are limited as to what kinds we can buy.  They just made some kinds of it legal a few years ago.  Simply put, the absinthe in the U.S. is thujone free.  Thujone is the ingredient that supposed to cause hallucinations, but even in vintage absinthes, there isn't enough in it to really cause any.  But that doesn't mean it isn't potent.  The alcohol percentage varies by maker, but it is usually as strong as something like Everclear.  That's why most absinthe mixes tell you to mix cut it with cold water by a 5 to 1 margin. 

Here's "Lucid" the U.S. brand I tried:

Here's a great article talking about the different types of absinthe, and what the new ones are like:

http://absinthe.msjekyll.com/usa.shtml

But I actually wanted to write about something else.  Mainly, the way absinthe's tastes are described.  First and foremost remember this, absinthes have a strong black liquorice taste.  No matter what they say, it tastes like overly strong black liquorice.  So why do the descriptions of it say this?


Herbs are maybe the most important factor when it comes to high quality Absinthe. Therefore we have selected the best possible quality herbs and wine alcohol to make Absinthe Duplais an adorable, excellent drink.

We created a composition of herbs, where all aromas coexist and none of them is predominant. Although this balance sets free a specific pleasant taste, which is light, complex and subtle.


First off, absinthe is never, ever subtle.  It's subtle in the way that moonshine is subtle.  The next quote is a review of one of the better, more expensive absinthes.


I disagree with the quote above, as being that I've worked with A. pontica quite a lot, I don't taste the peculiar flavor of that herb in this product....at all. In fact, I can't think of *any* modern product which employs that particular herb, this one notwithstanding. Therefore, my revelation comes as no surprise.

Nevertheless, this product tastes like some effort went into it, and the flavor comes off as a peculiar balance of both anise and a couple of atypical aromatic essences, the combination of them giving almost a pleasant 'cough-syrup' like aroma and flavor. The texture of the flavor tells me something about how the herbs were prepared, and unlike the other Spanish products, it doesn't taste like any 'oily' adulterants were added to the distillate. Tasting the liqueur neat, I don't taste the pointed flavor of absinthium right off, but rather I get the heady scent of other aromas which present an alternate, unobtrusive bitterness. Don't mistake this for absinthium, it isn't. What I notice here is that the bitterness from the other essences seems to hit the bitter receptors rather quickly, so that's what you'll taste most prevalently.


Honestly, all he had to say was "pleasant cough syrup."  That would have been perfect. 

To reinforce what I'm saying, all you have to do is look up absinthe recipes.  Because it's not meant to be drunk straight.  Even the most bare bones recipe calls for you to caramelize sugar cubes, and then cut the drink with cold water and ice.  Here's a great list of absinthe mixes.

http://www.originalabsinthe.com/absinthe_drinks.php

http://www.barnonedrinks.com/drinks/by_ingredient/l/lucid-absinthe-superieure-9213.html

Even the suggestions on the bottle of lucid had some pretty simple mixes.  Basically every single one of them did their best to cover up the real taste of absinthe.  That kind of sends a confusing message.  You want to drink the drink, but not taste the drink.  But let's be honest, the stuff is pretty awful.

So, I don't think I will be buying a bottle any time soon.  Namely, because a bottle of it is $60 a bottle plus state and county alcohol/sales taxes.  And I don't actually drink alcohol anymore, so that's another reason not to buy any.  And of course, it just tastes like "blah."

It reminds me of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episode where she kept drinking alcohol, and kept hating it.