Ghosts: Liquefied with a Raspberry Chaser

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream. 

-Edgar Allan Poe

Do you believe in ghosts?  As a kid, I was convinced my house was haunted - but what kid isn't?  There were little things - like waking in the middle of the night to the sound of men laughing in a dark corner of my room, or coming home from school to find that the contents of my dresser had been rearranged (always in the same order), or hearing - rather "feeling" - the slightest whisper over my shoulder and turning to see my posters hanging in the air before slowly drifting to the floor, always face down.

For as long as I can remember I've loved a good ghost story, so maybe these incidences were just the fabrications of an overactive imagination.  In any case, I still love them and never more than on Halloween!

This cocktail is a delicious ghost story in its own right.  It's my twist on a classic Halloween drink, The Liquefied Ghost.  I use coconut milk & finish it with a raspberry chaser - simply a purée spiked with Chambord - right in the same glass.  I freeze the purée in the glass and even though the Chambord prevents it from freezing solid, it does become firm enough that the cocktail doesn't disrupt it as it's poured.  The frozen purée keep the cocktail cold, but what I really love is that after it's thawed the cocktail stays suspended above the raspberries, even after swirling the glass, like a ghost hovering over the world of flesh and blood.   What's more fitting than that on All Hallows Eve?

A few peculiar post-production notes:  When I downloaded these photos from the camera, the first photo was IMG_666, and in the second I noticed a bizarre reflection.  Look at the bottom of the glass.  It must be the reflection of the saucer.... or maybe it's a disembodied mummy.  Believe in ghosts now?

Happy Halloween!  Enjoy! xoxoxo

Liquefied Ghost with a Raspberry Chaser

for the raspberry purée:
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
5 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 TBSP water
1 TBSP Chambord

Bring all the ingredients, except the Chambord, to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Simmer 3 - 4 minutes until thick.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pan, at least 20 min.  Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove all the seeds.  Stir in the Chambord.  Place 1 TBSP of the raspberry purée in the bottom of each cocktail glass and freeze until firm, or refrigerate the mixture until ready to use.

for the cocktail (for 1 cocktail):
2 oz Grey Goose vodka
2 oz cane sugar cream soda (I use Jone's)
1 oz original So Delicious coconut milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (I use Rodelle vanilla)

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and stir with ice.  Strain into the frozen glass.

  

Find more of my cocktail recipes here.