Minty’s Greyhound

Are you a dreamer with a great idea? Russian Standard Vodka wants to hear from you. They’ve set up a website devoted to Incredible Pursuits and helping you achieve your dreams. It could be something you’re already working on or just the idea alone. Russian Standard is accepting entries until July 29.

There are a couple of rounds of voting. The first round goes until August 9. Then you’ll vote for a winner from August 19-September 13. The grand prize winner wins $10,000 to help their incredible pursuit. And the winner gets to bring 3 friends with them to Miami in December for a party in their honor. Transportation and hotel will be provided. The winner also gets a 2-page magazine spread and consultation with industry mentors in their chosen field.

Now… do I tell you what my incredible pursuit is? May the best idea win!

Recently I was talking to someone about the produce in California and how it’s just so wonderful. I had some beautiful pink grapefruit so I decided to make some Greyhounds with Russian Standard Vodka. Yes, I know the cocktail originally used gin but I had them with vodka before the craft cocktail revival. I actually have a now funny story involving Greyhounds. It was the only time I’ve ever been asked to leave a bar. A friend of a friend ordered a Greyhound at an unnamed famous old school LA bar. It was loud and this person tried to order a Greyhound but was given Grey Goose. She pitched a fit and as a result we were all asked to leave much to my chagrin. I think if she had ordered a vodka (or maybe she wanted gin) and grapefruit juice, it would have been a better night for all of us involved.

Minty’s Greyhound

• 2 oz Russian Standard Vodka
• 1 oz Pink Grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
• 2 dashes of Arizona Bitters Company Orange Sunshine bitters
• Lemon peel garnish

If the drink is too tart, you can always rim the glass with a bit of salt and it becomes a Salty Dog. Oddly salt with tart flavors turns it a bit sweet. Or add a bit of simple syrup or a sweetener of your choice (I later chose to add some agave and by then some ginger beer for a Greyhound-Moscow Mule mashup).

strawberry chocolate cake

Speaking of the days I used to drink “funny drinks” and not the “old-timey funny” drinks I drink now, I did enjoy things like French Martinis (not a martini), Lemondrops, Key Lime Pie Martinis (really not a martini) and Chocolate Cake Martinis (again, not a martini) back in the day. Weren’t we all 20-something girls at some point? Shout out to my bar The Liquid Kitty on the Westside. I haven’t been in a while but they had all those “staples.” Since I had the Russian Standard out, I mused on the chocolate cake martini. It’s basically citrus vodka and Frangelico.  The Kitty didn’t have that “fancy” Frangelico but a hazelnut flavored something or other –I don’t need to know what they used!

I had some great strawberries so I decided to make a strawberry chocolate cake cocktail.  Instead of Frangelico, I used a chocolate-mint liqueur. Then I added a smidge of lemon. Shake it all up with Russian Standard and strain. Add some coffee bitters and garnish with a lemon peel.

Strawberry Chocolate Cake

• 1.5 oz Russian Standard Vodka
• 1 oz Crave Chocolate Mint liqueur
• .50 lemon juice
• muddled strawberries (2)
• 3 dashes of Novo Fogo coffee bitters
• lemon peel garnish

Russian Standard Vodka

Incredible Pursuits – entries accepted until July 29

• Voting for semi-finalists is ongoing until August 9
• Vote for a winner August 19- September 13
• Winner wins $10,000, a trip to Miami in December 2013 with 3 friends for a celebration  (transportation and hotel will be provided). Winner also wins a 2-page magazine spread and consulting with mentors in their chosen field.

© The Minty // LA Cocktails 2013