This morning I accidentally concocted a scrumptious little drinkie-poo…
When I went to whip up my favorite morning drink, I found the vanilla had run out. Ordinarily this beloved swiggle consists of orange juice blended with a handful of frozen fruit and flavored with a dash of vanilla. Lately I’ve been using Costco’s mixed fruit, which includes mangos, papaya, strawberries, and pineapple.
Hmmm… No vanilla, but in the cabinet right above the pantry, what should I have but a nice bottle of Maker’s Mark. So I dribbled a few drops into the blender container—no more than a teaspoonful—and kerBUZZZZ! Whapped it up into a nice cold fruit juice smoothie.
Holy mackerel. This is not your mother’s vanilla substitute! The effect was absolutely delicious.
I think you could adapt it to make a very fine juice-based cocktail: use a jigger of bourbon instead of a few drops.
For hevvinsake be careful, though. The stuff is so seductively tasty your guests could easily overindulge and end up face-down on the living-room floor. And obviously, it’s not for the kiddies, even with just a dribble of bourbon in it.
I think we should call this drink The English Major.
For one English Major, you need:
A glassful of orange juice (about 8 or 10 ounces)
A few pieces of cut-up fresh or frozen fruit (1/4 to 1/3 cup)
Bourbon (or possibly rum?) to taste
Blender or submersible blender
Purée the ingredients together and serve neat. Using frozen fruit gives you a very cold drink; with fresh fruit, you might want to serve it over ice.
