• Share

With the Super Bowl only two days away, I am in full party planning mode.  Being a thematic party planner, I am serving appetizers with a southwest feel and drinks that coordinate with the team colors.  Yesterday, I posted two drink options for those cheering for the Steelers.

Last night, after a long day of work and life in general, I began to do some experimenting for the Cardinals drink.  Basing my drinks on team colors, this drink needed to be red.  Being the drink of the team for which I am rooting, it also needs to contain my preferences for a cocktail, which are: not too sweet, not too heavy, should be fruity.

A drink that I tend to enjoy and that has a bright color is a Midori Sour.  Playing on this sweet-sour taste, I decided to give a try using strawberry liqueur.  On my initial attempt, I used the liqueur, vodka, lemon juice, and seltzer.  The taste was a little light, and it was pink. I added a shot of cranberry juice to darken the cocktail and add more depth to its flavor.  This produced a more flavorful drink, but it still wasn’t quite red enough.  By adding a splash of grenadine, I produced a bright red colored drink.  Using the grenadine sparingly and adding an additional splash of lemon juice prevented the drink from being too sweet or syrupy.

On Sunday night, when I am cheering for the Cardinals, I am sure that I (and my best friend) will be enjoying one or two of these concoctions.

Crimson Cardinal Concoction

3 oz. strawberry liqueur

3 oz. vodka

3 oz. cranberry juice

1 oz. lemon juice

2 splashes grenadine

berry seltzer

maraschino cherries

Fill a martini shaker with ice, and add strawberry liqueur, vodka, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and grenadine.  Shake well.  Pour into two martini glasses, and top each with seltzer.  Garnish with cherries, if desired.