Recipe: Sultry Sangria

We don’t know about you, but we could really use a drink. Actually, we could really use a drink that deludes us into thinking we’re kicking it on the edge of a pool in some sun-drenched tropical paradise. What could better fit that bill than our good friend sangria?

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz. Monin Pear Syrup
• 1/2 oz. Monin Spicy Mango Syrup
• 4 oz. Chardonnay
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau
• 1 oz. White Cranberry Juice
• Ice
• Splash Lemon-Lime Soda

Directions

1. Fill large wine glass with ice.
2. Pour chardonnay, Monin Spicy Mango, Monin Pear, Cointreau and white cranberry juice into mixing glass with ice.
3. Cover and shake for 15 seconds.
4. Strain into ice filled glass.
5. Splash with lemon-lime soda and garnish with fresh fruit.
6. Enjoy!

The Grind: February 2010

Seattle Coffee Gear’s monthly newsletter, The Grind, landed in an email box near you today — and if it wasn’t near enough for you to actually read it, you can do so here on the site or make sure you get up close and personal next month by signing up for future editions.

This month, we talk about the different functional types of espresso machines, include a recipe for Indochine Lemon, point you to our manufacturer manual resource on Brown Bean and introduce you to a few new products we have in the store. What you won’t see, however, is The Grind Special, which is for subscriber-eyes-only. Sign up to get that little bit o’ goodness every month.

Recipe: Watermelon Daiquiri

The winter season is dragging along ’round these parts and we seriously need to pretend we’re somewhere sweet and summery. What better way to do that than with a frozen cocktail? Whip up a batch of these, crank on the thermostat and dip your toes in the bathtub for an hour or two, just to live the dream.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Monin Watermelon Gourmet Syrup
• 1.25 oz light rum
• .5 oz fresh lime juice
• 2 oz cranberry juice
• 1.5 cups of ice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with a lime — and an umbrella if you’re sassy (and you are!).

Recipe: Make Me Blush

One of the best things about the holidays is having your pals over and serving up fun and exciting cocktails for their experimental delight. For us it is, anyway. Here’s a new member of our repertoire, featuring the ever-sumptuous pomegranate syrup — a deep, rich red that’s perfect for this time of year. Bottoms up!

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz. Monin Pomegranate syrup
• 1.25 oz. Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau
• 1/2 oz. Sweet & Sour
• Ice

Directions

Shake ingredients well & strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime for a little extra holiday spirit.

Recipe: Peppermint Stick Mocha

Who doesn’t love the refreshingly sweet combination of chocolate and mint? Crazy people, that’s who! Here’s one of our favorite recipes with this delicious duo — perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Monin Dark Chocolate Sauce
• 3/4 oz. Monin Peppermint Syrup
• 2 shots of espresso
• Steamed milk (to taste)

Directions

Combine sauce and syrup in a cup and then pull shot directly into it. Incorporate and then add steamed milk to taste. Garnish with any combination of  whipped cream, dark chocolate syrup and a peppermint stick, as desired.

Recipe: Butter Cream Steam

If you’re into butterscotch, you’ll love this sweet and silky steamed milk concoction — perfect for the holidays!

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz. Monin Butterscotch Gourmet Syrup
• 3/4 oz. Monin Caramel Sauce
• 8 oz. steamed milk

Directions
Mix the syrup and the sauce together in a cup. Add a bit of the steamed milk and stir together to incorporate. Fill with the rest of the milk and garnish with whipped cream and toffee bits, if desired.

Recipe: Frosted Gingerbread Latte

It’s not quite the holiday season yet, but we don’t think it’s ever too early to break out the ginger! This yummy latte also incorporates chai tea to make a spicy little number.

Ingredients

• Ice
• 1 oz. Monin Chai Tea Concentrate
• 1/2 oz. Monin Gingerbread Syrup
• Milk
• 2 shots of espresso

Directions

Fill glass with ice. Add Chai Tea Concentrate and Gingerbread syrup. Fill with milk and shake or stir to mix. Top with the freshly pulled shots of espresso — and some whipped cream and cinnamon powder, if you’re feeling it.

Recipe: Huckleberries n’ Cream Cocoa

We’re not ready to give up the huckleberry game quite yet, so we’ve been making some drinks to satisfy our need even though the season just hit the bricks. This creamy concoction is caffeine-free and is a great way to wind down in the evening.

Ingredients

• 3/4 oz. Monin Huckleberry syrup
• 3/4 oz. Monin White Chocolate sauce
• 8 oz. milk
• Drizzle of Monin Dark Chocolate sauce

Directions

1. Combine milk and huckleberry syrup together in a steaming pitcher
2. Steam the milk until it’s nice and frothy
3. Put the white chocolate into the bottom of the cup, pour a little bit of the steamed/frothed milk into the bottom and mix together
4. Pour the rest of the steamed/frothed milk into the cup, swirling around to make sure it’s incorporated with the white chocolate
5. Drizzle with the dark chocolate sauce to taste; should fancy strike (ouch!), make a pretty design

Recipe: Lime Caipiroska

While it may not feature the frothy sweetness of the Brandy Alexander that inspired John Lennon’s famous 4-month long Lost Weekend, we’re pretty sure this tasty little number could function quite admirably under a similar strain.

Ingredients

• 3 lime wedges
• 12 oz. glass filled with ice
• 1 oz. Monin Lime Premium Gourmet Syrup
• 2 oz. vodka of your choice
• Additional lime wedge for garnish

Directions

1. Muddle lime wedges in a 12 oz. rocks glass
2. Fill glass with ice, then add Monin Lime and vodka
3. Cap and shake vigorously for 10 seconds
4. Serve as desired — up in a martini glass or on the rocks — and garnish with a lime wedge

Crew Review: Monin Natural Fruit Purees

In the halcyon days of our much-storied youth, we spent a cool 8 months slinging fresh juice from behind the mighty wheatgrass wall of a juice joint. Strawberry lemonades, mango-banana smoothies and peach coolers were all on the menu — three drinks you can now very easily create at home using Monin’s Natural Fruit Purees.

These luscious little numbers are very concentrated and highly potent; the strawberry almost seems like a smoothed jam and the banana reminds us of slipping a fresh one off of a Costa Rican tree. We’ve tossed these into smoothies and mocha shakes and look forward to experimenting with them in desserts and cooking.

Monin says these are shelf-stable, but we’re always a little bit terrified of products that claim that, so we’ve been keeping our open bottles in the fridge. It definitely impacts their consistency, making them a bit thicker to pour, which can be good or bad depending on your application. We’re imagining combining the strawberry with our meyer lemon-infused vodka for a delicious summer cocktail treat! Care to join us?