It's Noon Somewhere....The Black C

I will admit that I am a sucker for a good gimmick when it comes to cocktails.  Dry ice, crazy infusions, fun colors and silly names are all things I gravitate towards when perusing cocktail menus.  I think if there is one thing cocktails should be, its fun.  Drinking is something that shouldn't be shameful when done in moderation and should be one of life's simple pleasures. And I don't want to waste my time or calories on bad cocktails! The problem with some gimmick cocktails is that they are terrible. K and I have made our fair share of holiday themed cocktails that while they looked cool, they were terrible.  I remember one Halloween we served what we called a blue moon martini which used Blue Curaco, Vodka and dry ice.  It was gorgeous.  And extremely strong and not very good.  I apologize to our friends we served it to!

K and I were both aspiring mixologists at that time.  Now he is an expert and I am an aspiring one.  The cocktail I am going to discuss today is definitely a bit of a gimmick, but a delicious one.  It uses black vodka, in this case wildberry flavored.  K and I first saw black vodka a few years ago in Harrods in London and it was something he wished he had bought (that started our policy on vacation of "If you want it, buy it" (apparently that doesn't count for Hermes scarves) because otherwise you regret it forever!).  A nice, big liquor store opened in our neighborhood in the last few years and they had black vodka so we knew we had to try it.  K invented this riff on a Cosmopolitan and it is super tasty (it has been compared favorably to Kool-Aid, take that as you will).  The lime is a must and you may even want a bit more because the black vodka is a bit syrupy and you need some acid to cut through that treacly sweetness.  This drink goes down deceptively easily.

The Black C

2 shots wild berry vodka
1 part triple sec
1 part cranberry (or cranberry pomegranate juice)
1/2 lime

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice.  Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a slice of lime.

Enjoy!

Julie