Moondance

Did you contribute to the $140 million+ the Twilight Saga: New Moon made over the weekend? That's right: 140+ million -- the film had the third biggest opening weekend in movie history. Being a Twilight fan myself, I think that calls for a toast. I wonder if Grey Goose had an inkling of Twilight's magnitude when they posted this recipe on Facebook last week...
Moonlight Martini
1 parts GREY GOOSE vodka
1.5 parts GREY GOOSE La Poire
1 part freshly pureed blackberries
1/2 part fresh lemon juice
1/3 part sugar syrup
1 part cabernet shiraz

Fill a cocktail shaker with all ingredients. Add ice and shake vigorously until the shaker beads with seat. Serve in a chilled martini glass and garnish with orange zest.

Seasonal Sips

Of all the seasons, Fall is definitely my favorite: the changing colors of leaves, cozy sweaters, football on Sundays, comforting flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon, and butternut squash - what's not to love? And when it comes to cocktails, the season offers plenty of inspiration. Here are two to shake up over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.

GREY GOOSE® Pumpkin Divine (shown)
1 part GREY GOOSE Vodka
1 part pumpkin butter
½ part orange liqueur
½ part simple syrup
Pinch of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger
Grated nutmeg and apple chip for garnish

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add all ingredients. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with nutmeg and apple chip.

GREY GOOSE® Falling Leaf Fizz
1 part GREY GOOSE La Poire vodka
4 parts sparkling wine
Dash of simple syrup
1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin butter
Pinch of pumpkin pie spice
Dried apple chip for garnish

Place La Poire, pumpkin butter, spice and syrup in a champagne glass. Stir well. Top with sparkling wine, garnish with and apple chip.

Red. Hot. Chili Pepper.

I thought that the Guava and Red Chili Margarita I had at Public last month was totally unique, until I paid a visit to the Sunset Lounge at the Mondrian in Miami.

Here, the expert mixologists also use chili peppers to turn up the heat on their Caipirinha menu, which is already top-notch thanks to the housemade juices and infused Cachacas. This one was my fave:

Chili Passion Caipirinha: fresh passion fruit, lime, Hawaiian sugar, Siracha spice and Leblon cachaca stirred with flaked ice.

Can't take the heat? Try one of these instead:
Mixed Berry Caipirinha: Fresh crushed mixed berries, limes, Hawaiian sugar, Creme de Mure (blackberry liqueur), Creme de Framboise, and Leblon cachaca.

Lychee and Elderflower Caipirinha: Crushed lychees, limes, Hawaiian sugar, St. Germain, and Leblon cachaca.