Bloody Cocktails & Deadly Wine! Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!! Bloody Cocktails and Deadly Wine!

DEADLY WINES

Chateau Du Vampire Wines Bordeaux Style Cabernet Blend (Vampire Vineyards – Paso Robles, California): blend of cabernet sauvignon (60%) with cabernet franc (30%), and 10% malbec to finish it off.

Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon (Vampire vineyards – Paso Robles, California): Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several small-berry clones of this traditional Bordeaux varietal, grown in the Paso Robles region of California’s Central Coast.

Dracula Wines: Zinfandel and Syrah (originally the grapes for this wine were grown on the Transylvanian plateau, now they're made from California grapes).

Trueblood Napa Valley Syrah: This wine will "bruise your soul" with its palate crushing cherry, plum smoke and spice.

Ghost Block: 100% cabernet from Rock Cairn Vineyard in Oakville, next to Yountville's Pioneer Cemetery.

Twisted Oak 2011 River of Skulls in Calaveras County. Limited production vineyard mouvedre (red wine grape). Label has a bright red skull. English translation of calaveras is "skulls."

Ghostly White Chardonnay and Bone Dry Red Cabernet Sauvignon. Elk Creek Vineyards in Kentucky

Poizin from Armida Winery in Healdsburg is a 'wine to die for..". This Zinfandel sold in little wooden coffins

Big Red Monster  Red wine made from Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Syrah.

Spellbound 2012 Merlot. Full Moon on the label. 

Ravenswood 2013 Besieged Red Blend. Ravens on the label.

Michael David 2012 Freakshow Cab.

Other Wines, Beers and Ales: Witches Brew, Evil (upside down and backwards label), Sinister Hand, Toad Hollow Eye of the Toad, Zeller Schwarz Katz.

Want to give the personal touch to your Halloween wines? Add ghoulish labels or rebottle in cool jars with apothecary labels from Pottery Barn (or make them yourself). For a great article, go to Spooky Halloween Bottle & Glass Labels.

BLOODY COCKTAILS

And what about an awesome cocktail? Make Nick and Nora proud! They always loved a good party. Throw in some rubber spiders or eyeballs as garnish. Want to make your own Halloween Cocktail Garnish--some eyeballs and fingers?  Click HERE.

Blood Bath
1 Part Tequila Silver
1 Part Strawberry Liqueur

Shake with ice, and strain into shot glass.

Blood Test
1 Part Tequila Reposado
1 Part Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass

Blood Shot
1 part Iceberg Vodka
1 part peach schnapps
1 part Jagermeister
1 part cranberry juice

Chill all ingredients. Combine in shaker with ice. Strain into shot glass. shoot!

Bloody-Tini
2 oz VeeV Acai Spirit
1 oz acai juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
Top with fresh champagne
lime wedge for garnish

Combine VeeV, Acai juice and fresh lime with fresh ice in a cocktail shaker and shake.
Strain into chilled martini glass and top with champagne.
Serve with fresh lime wedge.

Blood and Sand
3/4 ounce Scotch
3/4 ounce cherry liqueur
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce orange juice
1 thin strip orange zest

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the liquids. Strain into martini glass, then garnish with the strip of zest. (recipe from Bank Cafe & Bar in Napa)

Corpse Reviver
1 ounce gin
1 ounce Lillet (blanc)
1 ounce triple sec
Juice of half a lemon
5 drops of absinthe
1 thin slice orange

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the liquids. Strain into martini glass, then garnish with the orange slice.
(Recipe from Epic Roasthouse in San Francisco)
 
Vampire Blood Punch
4 cups cranberry raspberry juice (or cranberry juice cocktail)
2 cups natural pineapple juice (100% juice)
2 cups raspberry-flavored seltzer water
wormy ice cubes (optional)

Mix all ingredients together, and pour into large, decorative punch bowl.
Serve punch with wormy ice cubes, if desired

Corzo Bite
1-1/2 parts Corzo Silver Tequila
1/2 parts Campari
1 part fresh blood orange juice
1/4 parts blood (aka home-made grenadine) **
2 parts Jarritos Tamarindo Soda

Build all ingredients into highball glass filled with ice. Add “blood” at the end.
Garnish: Blood orange wheel and strawberry syrup

** Home-made grenadine: Add equal parts white sugar and POM pomegranate juice together and dissolve sugar over high on stove-top

Midori Eye-Tini (from Rob Husted of Florida)
1-1⁄4 parts Midori Melon liqueur
3⁄4 parts SKYY Infusions Citrus
1⁄2 part Finest Call Agave Syrup
2 parts of Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale
2 parts Finest Call Sweet & Sour Mix
3 Orange Wedges
2 Fresh Ripped Basil Leaves
Strawberry Sundae Syrup

In shaker glass combine Midori Melon liqueur, SKYY infusions Citrus, Finest Call Agave Syrup, 3 Orange Wedges and 2 Fresh Ripped Basil Leaves.
Muddle ingredients together. Add ice and Finest Call Sweet & Sour Mix.
Shake for 10 seconds.
Add Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale and roll drink back and forth between your mixing tin and shaker glass.
Strain into a chilled martini glass drizzled with Strawberry Sundae Syrup to give an effect of a bloodshot eye.

Garnish: Chilled red seedless grape at bottom of glass (to look like an eyeball) and bruised basil leaf floated on top of cocktail for aroma.

Black Martini

The Black Martini replaces vermouth with either blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur.

3 1/2 oz gin or vodka
1/2 oz blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur
lemon twist or black olive for garnish or gold flakes

Pour the ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist or black olive or sprinkle in gold flakes.

J is for Jaffarian: Sue Ann Jaffarian

Continuing the Mystery Author Alphabet Meme, today I welcome Sue Ann Jaffarian.
J IS FOR JAFFARIAN. 
  
Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of three mystery series: The Odelia Grey series, the Ghost of Granny Apples series, and the Madison Rose Vampire Mystery series. In addition to mysteries, she also writes general fiction and short stories, recently launching a Holiday’s From Hell short story series for e-readers. Visit her at www.sueannjaffarian or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
  
Book giveaway. Comment below for a chance to win. Tell us which series intrigues you most, and you might win the first book in that series from Sue Ann Jaffarian. 

8/17: WINNERS: JANET A & PENNY T. Sue Ann will be in touch with you shortly!

SUE ANN JAFFARIAN:

Like Cerberus, the terrifying hound who guards the gates to the underworld in Greek and Roman mythology, I need three heads – one for each of my three mystery series. So far I’ve managed to keep them all straight, but as the different series grow in number of books, I fear without three heads, I’ll never manage.

Then again, maybe I don’t need three heads. Maybe what I need is five or six heads, each with their own independent brain. There would be one for each mystery series, one for my Holidays From Hell short story series and one for all the future writing projects gurgling around in my brain. Let’s see, that makes five. Nope. I’ll need six. I’ll need one head to handle my paralegal day job and personal life. They will have to pair up because six is the top number of heads I’m willing to shampoo and blow dry on a regular basis.

OMG! Six heads means six monthly cut and color jobs. It means six sets of teeth requiring dental care. Six sets of glasses. Six faces that need plucking, washing and make-up application and removal. Hold on a moment while I do the math … okay, based on the cost of up-keep and maintenance, I’m going back to one head and liking it.

I won’t kid anyone, writing three different series is quite a challenge, but it is doable. If you’re thinking of trying it, here are a couple of tips:

Make each series different in style, character and genre or sub-genre. For example, write one in first person and the other in third. Mix up the types of protagonists, their backgrounds and personalities. If one is a police procedural, make the other a paranormal or amateur sleuth. Keeping each series different also keeps you, the writer, better engaged mentally as the clock ticks by and one deadline merges into another.

Make a schedule and stick to it. We’ve all heard this as a tip to successful writing, but when writing different series, it’s not just a daily schedule, it becomes a monthly or even seasonal schedule. Remember, life happens and if you’re on schedule to begin with, the less likely an illness or emergency will throw you too far off track.

Kirkus once said of me, “Like Stuart Kaminsky, Jaffarian juggles her franchises deftly, giving each a unique voice and appeal.”

Hah! If they only knew the truth. I’m really juggling various shades of insanity – tossing power saws along with knives and Tasers. The reality is, the above information aside, the series write themselves. I’m just the medium.