Cocktails of the Week - Golden Tang and Gloom Chaser

Now that Michael is back from vacation, we're back on schedule and we have a couple new cocktails. I wanted to try and use my newly acquired creme de mure, but I didn't find anything too interesting. So I went with some orange drinks.

Golden Tang

• 2 oz. vodka (Stolichnaya in this case)
• 1 oz Strega
• 1/2 oz creme de banana (LeRoux - yech!)
• 1/2 oz orange juice

Interesting drink, but ultimately I think doomed due to the LeRoux. I'd like to try the 99 Bananas brand, which probably would taste much better and, again, much less artificial tasting. Another problem was probably that I used freshly squeeze blood oranges, part of our Boston Organics delivery from last week. Not only is it not "golden" or even orange (rather, as you might expect, a pretty deep red), but they are more sour too. So all in all, not a very good mixture.

Gloom Chaser

• 1 oz Grand Marnier
• 1 oz orange curaçao
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz grenadine

First off, I screwed this one up and used the Strega again, although it wasn't too bad in the end. I did get to use my fancy Curaçao of Curaçao orange curaçao, so that wasn't too bad. I also used some lemon juice from the freezer. I received so many delicious Meyer Lemons for my birthday (thanks Mom!) that I tried their recommended method for saving them - squeeze the juice and freeze it in an ice cube tray. It seemed to work pretty well. You just have to remember to melt them before you can use them. But a quick few seconds on Defrost in the microwave did the job nicely.

I also tried a new grenadine, called "Giroux", but now that I look more closely, it is certainly not the mythical brand I've been looking for ever since I finished the bottle and foolishly threw it away. No mention at all of pomegranates in the ingredients. And made in NJ, whereas I'm positive my number one brand was a French grenadine. I still have to make my own.

It turned out way red from the picture. But it still tasted pretty good, so I think we may have to try this a few more times.