Well hello there and thanks for visiting the Thirsty Gals Corner. I hope you’ll stay awhile and learn something about the fine art of cocktail mixology.   Actually the point of this blog is that mixing cocktails isn’t really an art- it’s an easy skill to master with a little help from your thirsty gal pals!
My desire to start a blog came about when I realized that I know lots of women who would love to enjoy well-crafted cocktails in the comfort of their own homes, but since they have no idea how to prepare anything more involved than a rum and coke, end up drinking wine at home instead. BORING!!! So when they want to enjoy the delights of mojitos and martinis, they go out to their local watering holes and pay way too much for the privilege. Don’t get me wrong, going out drinking is one of my favorite pastimes, but I can’t afford to do it very often, can you?
I perused many of the cocktail recipe blogs out there and most of them seem to be directed towards the professional bartending crowd. I felt that there should be a place that your average consumer of alcoholic beverages could go to find interesting and tasty recipes for drinks that didn’t require them to channel Tom Cruise in Cocktail.
I plan to keep the recipes here free of fancy ingredients like cinnamon syrup or pumpkin butter. I know I don’t have the time or energy to search for drink supplies from that specialty gourmet shop three towns over. And having to prepare ingredients such as flavored syrup for a drink? Do YOU have time for THAT?! My recipes will be easy to follow and most will contain five ingredients or less. I’ll also provide lots of pictures to help you along the way. If your average day includes any of the following: 1) cleaning up dog vomit, 2) making lunches, or 3) doing loads of laundry, don’t you deserve to enjoy a boozy cocktail after all that chaos rather than drinking that same old glass of chardonnay? If your answer is yes, then you’ve come to the right place!
So what do you feel like drinking tonight? How does a Berry Cosmopolitan grab you? This fresh and fruity version of the classic Cosmo was a big hit at my first Thirsty Gals tasting recently. I invited just about every local woman I know to my home to help me decide which drink recipes they liked and which weren’t so great. The morning of the shindig, I was freaking out and cursing myself for planning a party in December. I work full time and have a two hour round-trip commute every weekday, in addition to taking care of a family and a menagerie of pets. As much as I enjoy hosting parties and the company of my female pals, I was seriously questioning myself that morning as to WHY I thought I would have the time to prepare for a house full of guests.  But I managed to get the majority of dog hair and dust off the floors before everyone arrived and the evening ended up being really fun. I even had a clean house afterwards, except for the blue stains on my counter (which I’ll tell you about in another blog).
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to round up a group of 15 women in December, when we are all busy with Christmas shopping and the holiday hustle-bustle. I believe the magic phrase was “cocktail taste testing.” Yep, that would do it for me!
So here’s what you’ll need to make a Thirsty Gal’s Berry Cosmopolitan– it was one of the most popular drinks that night:

 
3 oz Three Olives berry vodka (I used to use Absolut Kurrant but it doesn’t seem to be sold anymore)
1/2 oz Triple sec
2-3 oz Cranberry juice
1/2 oz Rose’s lime juice
Fresh lime
Pour the berry vodka in a cocktail shaker full of ice.   Add the triple sec, cranberry juice and Rose’s lime juice. Don’t worry if you don’t pour exact amounts, it will still be delicious! Cocktail mixing is not like cooking, if you screw up the ingredient amounts, you are usually still left with something worthwhile.
Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Squeeze in some fresh lime juice then plop that lime wedge into the drink. Or for a more appropriate garnish, you could add a few blueberries, raspberries and/or strawberries onto a martini pick (as shown here).   I think you’ll enjoy this fruity berry concoction.
It bears mentioning that fresh ingredients are best- not that you are going up to New England to that cranberry bog to pick fresh cranberries for this drink. But when you have the option, using fresh ingredients will always produce a better result.
So how is it?
Your comments and/or suggestions are appreciated!