Caribbean Rum Punch

Hello web world.  Are you still with us?  We have still been having our dinner clubs all these years but had gotten lazy about posting the recipes we used with each theme.  Sadly, we recently lost 2 couples to relocation but on the bright side, found 2 more couple friends to join in the fun.  Yesterday we kicked off Dinner Club Part 2 with a Pirate Party theme at my house.  Everyone did a great job with their interpretation of the theme which required a little more creative thinking than normal.  

Here's to hoping everyone gets their recipes up and we get back to sharing again :).

I'll kick us off with the signature drink for the night, Caribbean Rum Punch.  Squeezing all those limes was not so fun so next time, I'm being lazy and using the bottled stuff lol.  I made 1.5x the recipe which used nearly an entire liter of The Captain in it but you couldn't taste a darn thing.  Deadly and delicious!

Caribbean Rum Punch

Yields: 20- 4 oz servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 cups simple syrup
• 3 cups amber rum (used spiced Captain Morgan's)
• 4 cups orange juice
• 4 dashes bitters (omitted)
• freshly grated nutmeg (omitted)

Directions

1. To make the simple syrup, combine 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan.  Heat until sugar is fully dissolved then set aside to cool.
2. In a pitcher, combine lime juice, simple syrup, rum, and orange juice.  Add a few dashes of bitters and some grated nutmeg to taste.  Serve chilled over ice.

Source: All Recipes

Martinis!

Pop Rocks Cocktail

Rim the top with a lime wedge. Pour a package of cherry-flavored Pop Rocks onto a paper plate. Dip the lime-rimmed cocktail glass into the cherry Pop Rocks, coating the entire rim of the glass. Set the cocktail glass aside.

Add ice and two and half ounces of cranberry vodka to a shaker. Shake the mixture to chill the vodka. Strain the mix and pour into the glass. Slowly pour half an ounce of Blue Curacao into the middle of the glass. If you pour the Blue Curacao carefully, it will settle and twill look festive with different layers of color. Squeeze the rest of the lime juice into the drink and serve.

Cotton Candy Martini

8 ounces of freezing Smirnoff vodka
1 tablespoon of cola
1 teaspoon of Grenadine
A chunk of cotton candy (about 2" x 2")
2 small chunks of cotton candy for garnish
Vanilla Cocktail Candy rim sugar
The mix

Pour all of your ingredients into a martini shaker 1/2 of cracked ice
Drop in the chunk of cotton candy...it will dissolve
Lid the shaker and shake like mad for a full minute
Strain your delicious martini into 2 chilly, sugar rimmed martini glasses
Float a piece of cotton on each cocktail
Enjoy!

Bazooka Bubblegum Cocktail

16 pieces bubblegum, preferably Double Bubble, cut in half
2 cups (16 ounces) vodka
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) freshly squeezed lime juice (from ½ lime)
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) simple syrup
1 cup ice

In large airtight container, combine bubblegum and vodka. Seal and allow to infuse, stirring every 6 hours, for 24 hours. Pour vodka through fine mesh strainer, discarding bubble gum.

In cocktail shaker, stir together 2 ounces bubblegum-infused vodka, lemon juice, lime juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Hot Mulled Cider

Ingredients:

7 cups Apple cider OR apple juice

1/3 cup Brown sugar, packed

4 stick cinnamon

1 teaspoon Whole allspice

1 teaspoon Whole cloves

1 Lemon peel, cut into strips

Rum

Directions:

Combine apple cider or apple juice and brown sugar in a large saucepan. For spice bag, tie cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and orange peel in a 7 inch square of 100 percent cotton cheesecloth. Add spice bag to cider mixture. Bring cider mixture to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove and discard spice bag. Stir in rum. Pour cider mixture into mugs.