By Jo Petteruti, Mixologist and Owner, Jo's Stillwater Tea Room --
Tuesday, March 5 is Fat Tuesday! Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday, is an incredible New Orleans celebration where one can splurge full-on before fasting for Christian Lenten season which begins with Ash Wednesday. One can enjoy all of the fatty-rich French foods for one last night before having to fast for 40 days. Fat Tuesday is also known as Pancake Tuesday and Shrove Tuesday.
According to the ThoughtCo.com web site, historically Fat Tuesday was to be a solemn day of preparation for the Lenten season. “Over time, however, the solemn nature of the day was joined with (and later gave way to) one last feast before the Lenten fast. In centuries past, the Lenten fast was far more rigorous than it is today, and Christians were required to abstain from all meat and food that came from animals, such as milk, cheese, butter, eggs, and animal fats. But all of those items needed to be used up before the fast began, and various Christian nations developed their own meat dishes, rich breads, and desserts for one last feast before the austerity of Lent. And thus the day became known as "Fat Tuesday" for obvious reasons.”
Mardi Gras has become an amazing all-out celebration of traditions, food, parades, and parties with a carnival-like atmosphere, and the celebrations are not limited to New Orleans. Many other cities around this country, and cities in many other countries celebrate Mardi Gras.
Someday I may get to experience the New Orleans events first-hand, because even though I'm not French (I'm Italian), I do love great food and great parties. The mixologist in me believes that any great celebration should also include cocktails that are designed to fit in with the event – and that doesn't always mean that the cocktail has to contain alcohol. Non-alcoholic versions can be just as enjoyable and celebratory as their spirited counterparts.
The Tea Room offers non-alcoholic versions of some of our cocktails, and today's recipes can be made both ways as well. We simply substitute the alcoholic spirits with non-alcoholic Triple Sec, but you can also just leave the spirits out all together. The Tea Room does also offer the n/a Triple Sec for sale.
Voodoo Breeze
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
- 1 oz. Cruzan Golden Rum
- 1 oz. each Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice
- Splash of Lime Juice
- 1 tbls. Grenadine
- 1 Fresh Lime wedge
Preparation:
- Fill an 8 oz. glass with ice, then pour the ice into a cocktail shaker.
- Add the liquid ingredients, then squeeze and drop in the lime wedge.
- Shake until cold, then pour all contents back into the glass.
Red Rooster Tail
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Frey Vodka
- 1 oz. Corazon Tequila Anejo
- 2 oz. Cranberry Juice
- Splash of Orange Juice
- Orange zest for garnish
Preparation:
- Fill an 8 oz. glass with ice, then pour the ice into a cocktail shaker.
- Add all liquid ingredients and shake until cold.
- Run the orange zest around the rim of the glass, then pour the shaker's contents back into the glass and garnish with zest.
Sip and enjoy... Ciao!
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