Tag Archive: Savory

Cocktail Pairing: Summer Rolls and Zen Gardens
Using complementing flavors and ingredients is the first step in creating a fabulous cocktail pairing, so today I'll be showing how to make one of my favorites using herbs and veggies from the garden in summer rolls, paired with a Zen Garden cocktail from the MixBook! The first thing ...
Fri Jun 26th
Tara Shinn

Are you getting enough antioxidants from your cocktails?
We all know that making healthy choices can be hard- especially when the weekend rolls around. Luckily, berries have tons of positive effects on health and can easily be added to to your liquid diet for a tasty dose of vitamins and antioxidants that will help you keep partying for years to come! H...
Sat Jun 13th
Tara Shinn

Forget Dying Your Easter Eggs- Try an Easter Egg Cocktail Instead!
Why waste time dying Easter eggs when you can use them to make a pretty pastel hued Easter egg cocktail instead? I know that the term 'raw egg' is a bit scary for some people, but as any baker knows, egg whites are packed with protein and when emulsified (whipped or shaken) create a luxurious foa...
Sat Apr 4th
Tara Shinn

Using cocktail gastriques
If you're an avid diner I'm sure you've seen the term "gastrique" used on a menu at least a few times (*Bonus points if you knew it was some type of sauce!*), but what are they really? To put it quite simply, it's caramelized sugar that has been mixed with vinegar to create a very flavorful sweet an...
Thu Mar 26th
Tara Shinn

The perfect Thanksgiving cocktail: Cran-Apple Cider
What's a celebration without the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail? Whether you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner, or don't want to show up empty handed, this super easy infusion recipe might even turn into a annual tradition! For this deliciously easy infusion recipe you'll need to first infu...
Thu Nov 20th
Tara Shinn

Up the Boos for your Halloween Happy Hour!
Not sure what to serve at your Halloween party or just need a quick pre-game cocktail before Halloween Happy Hour? These 5 Halloween cocktails will have you full of boos and ready to party! 1. Pumpkin-Tini You can't go wrong with this classic recipe, and with just 5 minutes of prep, it's a sna...
Fri Oct 31st
Tara Shinn

How to make pixie syrup for cocktails
Everyone knows that candy is the best part of Halloween- now you can turn it into a cocktail! This simple pixie syrup recipe is easy to make and can be made into cocktails, martinis or shooters for your big Halloween bash! 1. Sort your pixies You can choose to make whatever colors you want, bu...
Thu Oct 9th
Tara Shinn

Top 5 tools every home bar should have
Whether your experimenting with new cocktail trends or just love a good Martini, having the right tools (and knowing how to use them!) in your home bar makes crafting a great cocktail about a zillion times easier. Worried about breaking the bank? Fret not- you should be able to pick up everything on...
Thu Sep 18th
Tara Shinn

What’s 10x better than a Moscow Mule? A Latvian one of course!
Who doesn't love a good Moscow mule? They're spicy, citrusy, and if made properly, super cold due to the traditional copper mug. It's almost silly to think you could improve on the classic cocktail, but we did! Here are step by step instructions on how to make a Latvian Mule- Made with Latvian Cliqu...
Thu Sep 11th
Tara Shinn

How to make herbal sugars for rimming
We all know how a cinnamon sugar rim can take a fresh apple-tini to a new level- so why stop there? Using dried herbs to make herbal sugars is super easy, and will take classics to a whole new level! Let get started: Add a few pinches of dried herb to a mortar (or spice gr...
Thu Aug 7th
Tara Shinn

Growing a cocktail garden: Part 3- Drying Herbs
You cocktail garden should be in full bloom at this point (refer to How to Grow A Cocktail Garden: Part 1 or 2 to catch up!), but what if you have more herbs than you can use or give away? Simple- dry them! Dried herbs fresh from the garden have way more flavor than anything you can buy in the store...
Fri Jul 18th
Tara Shinn

How to make a Strawberry Shrub
Condensing the flavor of seasonal ripe fruit, then preserving it with vinegar is know as a shrub, and is an easy way to add flavor to cocktails well after the growing season is over. Today I'll be showing you how to make a strawberry shrub, but you can use any high water content fruit you wish- plum...
Fri Jun 27th
Tara Shinn

How to make your own sweet tea vodka in 10 minutes!
Sweet tea vodka comes in many different flavors and sizes (and prices!)- but they all have one thing in common: they're too sweet. Syrupy sweet- and unless you have the diet of a hummingbird (no judgment here if you do!) they can be pretty hard to stomach- especially if you're planning on mixing it ...
Fri Jun 13th
Tara Shinn

Growing a Cocktail Garden: Part 2
Now that your soil is prepped and your seedling are starting to grow (See Growing a Cocktail Garden: Part 1), it's time to start the most important part: Planting! I know it sounds easy enough, but there are a few factors that you will want to take into consideration when planting: 1. ...
Fri May 16th
Tara Shinn

Check out these top spring cocktails!
Spring is here, so why not celebrate with a nice refreshing spring cocktail? Here are the top 3 from the #MixBook: 1. Basil Lemondrop 2 1/2 oz Clique Vodka 1/4 oz basil syrup* 1/2 oz lemon juice Shake all ingredients over ice to chill, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. ...
Fri Apr 25th
Tara Shinn

Egg white cocktails: Make a foam using nitrous oxide instead!
Egg white cocktails: We all love 'em for the silky texture and mouthfeel with the added bonus of that signature foam that gently settles on top, but most people shy away from this method due to possible cross contamination. We all know that raw egg is considered a hazardous substance in the kitchen ...
Mon Apr 21st
Tara Shinn

Growing a cocktail Garden: Part 1
Summer cocktails require fresh ingredients, and you can't get any fresher than plucking them from your own backyard, so why not spend a little time now (and save a lot of money later!), by planting your very own cocktail garden! Step 1: Find your Zone It is imperative to find out wha...
Fri Apr 18th
Tara Shinn

Dress up your Lemondrop!
Spring is officially here, and for us that means sun, fun and lemondrop martinis! There are dozens of lemondrop recipes out there for you to choose from, but after some searching we realized that it isn't quite the recipe the makes a lemondrop so enticing- it's the garnish! Whether you use one of ...
Fri Mar 21st
Tara Shinn

Try a Cucumber Melon-Tini: The Perfect St. Patrick’s Day cocktail!
You don't need to be Irish to be excited for Saint Patrick's Day, if fact there's only one real necessity: some tasty green St. Patrick's Day cocktails! Whether you want one that's clean and crisp, or one that goes down quick, here are a couple excellent recipes that you can whip up in no time! ...
Fri Mar 14th
Tara Shinn

Clique Vodka Sponsors History Uncorked: Poptastic! Art of Burton Morris
Clique Vodka is proud to be sponsoring the 16th annual History Uncorked event tonight at the History Center featuring Burton Morris, a Pittsburgh native with an affinity for vibrant colors. Not sure you've seen his work? Maybe this will jog your memory: His paintings were featured on the set ...
Fri Feb 21st
Tara Shinn

Make your own Crème de Cacao for Valentine’s Day!
Valentine's Day is fast approaching and for the ladies that usually means 1 thing= chocolate. Whether you're single, or celebrating a relationship chocolate is bound to be all over the place, including cocktails. Unfortunately most crème de cacao, or chocolate liqueurs, are cheap and sugary unless...
Fri Feb 7th
Tara Shinn

In the Limelight: Chinese New Year’s cocktails with Mixologist Kory Husson
Today is Chinese New Year or Spring festival, and marks the start of the Lantern festival- a celebration that will run until the 15th of February. So, what does one drink to celebrate Chinese New Year? We consulted Kory Husson, the Beverage Manager and Resident Mixologist at Plum Pan Asian Kitchen i...
Fri Jan 31st
Tara Shinn

Power up with these immune boosting cocktail recipes!
Got the sniffles? Runny nose? Try one of these immune boosting cocktail recipes to make sure you kick that cold to the curb (or never get one in the first place)! 1. Powerhouse Punch Blueberries naturally increase the number of Natural Killer Cells- the ones that are responsible for ...
Sat Jan 18th
Tara Shinn

Low calorie cocktails: 4 simple rules to follow
Americans drink about 20% of their calories, so stick to those New Year's resolutions by following these 4 simple rules for low calorie cocktails! 1. Cut the soda. Of course it seems obvious that soda water has less calories than cola, but did you know that a Clique & tonic has only 3 calori...
Fri Jan 3rd
Tara Shinn

5 Fun and Easy New Year’s Eve Cocktail Recipes!
Whether you're hosting a New Year's Eve party this year, or just want to try a few tasty cocktails before you go out, here are 5 fun and easy New Year's Eve cocktails for you to try out! (Click on pictures for complete recipe instructions): 1. Prickled Pink This vibrantly colored cocktail mu...
Tue Dec 31st
Tara Shinn

Tips, tricks and recipes for making holiday vodka infusions!
Making your own infused vodka for the Holidays is not only a fabulous way of creating unique cocktails for your holiday gathering, but also makes a great gift too! By following a few simple rules, you can make sure that your holiday vodka infusions come out full of flavor and have a long shelf life!...
Fri Dec 13th
Tara Shinn

The Partystarter
Let you guests serve themselves with this classic holiday punch recipe!...
Mon Dec 9th
Tara Shinn

Host the perfect holiday gathering with “The Partystarter!”
Hosting the perfect Holiday party is never effortless- it takes planning, excellent timing, and attention to detail to pull off a good one, so for your next party, why not leave yourself more time to mingle by letting the guest serve their own cocktails? I know- part of being the host is providing d...
Fri Dec 6th
Tara Shinn

End a perfect Thanksgiving meal with a Pumpkin Pie Martini!
Aside from the turkey (which I'm pretty sure wouldn't taste very good in a cocktail) I think we can all agree that homemade pumpkin pie is the one of the best parts of Thanksgiving, so this year I decided to step it up a notch and make an alcoholic version. The best part of this recipe is that you c...
Fri Nov 22nd
Tara Shinn

This is a Mandatory Cocktail We Cant Figure Out
It's been 6 weeks since the Affordable Care Act (or ObamaCare) was initiated on Oct. 1st, and let's face it- the rollout wasn't too smooth. With a constantly crashing website and Americans receiving cancellation notices from their insurers for not meeting all the requirements of the new law, Preside...
Thu Nov 21st
Tara Shinn

Warm up with a hot cocktail!
With temperatures dropping all over the place, there's no reason you should have to settle for ice cold cocktails all the time! The toddy is a traditional hot cocktail that consists of a spirit warmed up with hot water (or tea) and flavored with citrus (usually lemon) and spices, and does wonders ...
Fri Nov 8th
Tara Shinn

Make your own flavored sours mix for this “FireDancer” cocktail!
For this deliciously delicate cocktail the trick is all in the mix- papaya sours mix that is. Making flavored sours mix is easy and brings a ton of flavor to cocktails in one pre made mixer instead of muddling or infusing to get the papaya flavor into the cocktail. With just few easy steps you can...
Fri Nov 1st
Tara Shinn

Make pumpkin infused vodka for this spooky Halloween cocktail!
It's pretty hard to miss the pumpkin craze going on, it's in everything from coffee to butter right now, so I took it upon myself to find out the best recipe for pumpkin infused vodka. With a couple tweaks and a couple pumpkins, here is my ultimate spooky pumpkin cocktail, Just in time for halloween...
Fri Oct 18th
Tara Shinn

Ward off colds with this carrot juice cocktail!
Fall is fully upon us, and that means a lot of temperature changes and a constant chill in the air. Fortunately, paying a little attention to what I consume for the next week or so will ensure that I don't end up with one of those nasty colds going around- I mean, who has time to be sick? For this w...
Fri Oct 11th
Tara Shinn

Cocktail Creation 101
So you've already mastered your shake, and know how to stir up the perfect martini (congrats!), but for The National Vodka Day Toast, we want you to step up your mixology game by adding a few new techniques to your roster. Sure, making the perfect cosmo is no small feat, but if you try adding in one...
Thu Oct 3rd
Tara Shinn

Jump into Fall with this warm “Johnny Appleseed” cocktail!
If you have never warmed up with a hot cup of apple cider on a blustery Fall day- you don't know what you're missing. Literally. Why drink warm apple cider all by itself when you can make it into a cocktail?! Warm cocktails are the best when the weather starts to cool down, and nothing makes a Fall ...
Fri Sep 27th
Tara Shinn

Who’s ready for some Steelers football?
Of course we are all excited to jump back into the NFL season, which means there will undoubtedly be some well needed cocktails come Sunday. This particular fall cocktail pays homage to the Steel City, home of not only our beloved Importer, Premier Innovations Group, but to some of the most infamo...
Fri Sep 6th
Tara Shinn

Relax this weekend with a refreshing “Zen Garden”
One of my favorite ways to relieve stress is gardening, and right now is my favorite time of the year. The garden is in full bloom, all the herbs are big enough to survive some snipping and the vegetables get bigger everyday. When I get home from a long day, the first thing I do is make myself a "Ze...
Fri Aug 16th
Tara Shinn

Watch the annual Perseids Meteor Shower with a “Stargazer” cocktail!
What happens when dust grains 1/5 of an inch smack into our atmosphere at over 134,000 miles per hour? The best meteor shower of the year! For the next 5 days (peaking around midnight on Monday) the sky will be lit up with the annual Perseids Meteor Shower, which takes it's name from the constellati...
Fri Aug 9th
Primo

Get the good times rollin’ with an Aloe-El!
Extracting aloe gel from a plant can be time consuming, sticky and slightly dangerous if you don't remove the entire yellow latex layer from the gel sac (it's poisonous in small quantities), but with all new aloe drinks on the market today, adding aloe to your cocktails is simpler than ever! Aloe ju...
Fri Aug 2nd
Tara Shinn

Make infused vodka in minutes with the “Insta-fusion!”
Making infused vodka by steeping it with fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices is a great way to flavor cocktails naturally, but let's face it- sometimes you just don't want to wait 4-5 days for Meyer lemon zest to infuse Clique Vodka. The "Insta-fusion" utilizes a much different technique u...
Sat Jul 6th
Tara Shinn

Need a fantastic 4th of July Cocktail? Go on “The Expedition!”
This year, forget the sweet red, white and blue drinks and try a 4th of July cocktail with character! "The Expedition" has a many complex flavors and is a tribute to the accidental discovery of our whole continent in the quest for spices. With just three ingredients and a bit of prep, you can forget...
Fri Jun 28th
Tara Shinn

Wondering how to spend National Martini Day?
There's no better excuse for stirring up a martini than National Martini Day! The martini has evolved quite bit from its original form,but it still reigns as one of the most popular cocktails of all time. Although this two ingredient cocktail seems simple on paper, it can still be quite confusing ...
Wed Jun 19th
Tara Shinn

Try this summery Basil Lemondrop Martini recipe!
Fresher ingredients undeniably make for better quality cocktails, so most of my favorite summer drinks always utilize things from the garden, whether it's herbs, spices, vegetables or fruit. This delightfully light and savory Basil Lemondrop martini is not only refreshing, but causes my basil plants...
Fri May 31st
Tara Shinn

Have you ever tried smoking a cocktail?
It's the 3rd weekend in April, and we all know what that means. It's time to take your cocktail adventures outdoors of course! Finally I can put some fire to my cocktails and not worry about dropping embers all over my kitchen! This tried and true "Smoked Blackberry Sour" is one of my all time summe...
Fri Apr 19th
Tara Shinn

Celebrate the “Day of Reckoning” with a liquid reward!
Well, it's just a few days away. April 15th. The national "Day of Reckoning," is the the cutoff for paying your taxes, and if you're anything like me- you'll be finishing them up this weekend. Thanks to you, you'll have the perfect way to celebrate - and it will only take a couple minutes. Pick ...
Sat Apr 13th
Tara Shinn

Warm up today with a:
There's nothing quite like a spicy cocktail to warm you up when it's cold outside- and it's COLD out there. Luckily I always have some tomato juice around in the winter, for those days when your toes are still frozen after a long day at work. Kick off your shoes as soon as you get home today, and ...
Fri Jan 25th
Tara Shinn

So tasty, yet so simple it’s:
One of the great things about cocktails is the ability to "pear" (haha) interesting flavors together in ways you may have never tried before. Spicy flavors are by far one of my favorites, and adding a little bit of something sweet really seems elevate the sipping experience. This weeks cocktail is a...
Fri Jan 18th
Tara Shinn

Deadbeet
Even though the first week of December has already flown by, it hasn't really sunk in yet. I can still leave the house without a jacket, and have barely started thinking about gift ideas, let alone started gathering materials to make them. Luckily, since winter has yet to really arrive, I know that ...
Fri Dec 7th
Tara Shinn