A Springtime Libation

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Apr 7, 2006 3:32PM

Chicagoist has mentioned this before: when it comes to martinis we tend to be purists. If it isn't three chilled shots of gin with a lemon twist , it isn't a martini. Years of practicing mixology have also shown us that the sweeter cocktails can also knock one on his ass. The really pretty ones lead to a lot of impulse buys.

Today we're going to show you how to make one of our favorites. A cocktail that, if we died this very minute, would be mentioned in our obituary. The "HotHouse Flower" came about largely because some stupid with an ink pen wrote in an online article that the house cocktail at our day (night?) job was the mojito. We've never stocked mint behind the bar, and found that when we mixed our first flower that the color of the cocktail blends well with the house color scheme.

The "Flower" is nothing more than a piña colada, but with cranberry juice as the main mixer. To make it, mix three ounces of white rum, two ounces of cranberry juice, splashes of orange and pineapple juices (to balance the tartness of the cranberry), coconut cream, and a dash of half-and-half in a shaker. Strain it into a martini glass and serve with a lemon wedge and cherry. What Chicagoist found was that the cranberry and coconut cream actually complement each other nicely. The Flower's near-fluorescent pink color helps it stand out on a bar or table. Best of all, for you folks who don't care about your livers, the Flower has enough rum to provide a nice kick. It truly is a greenhouse mutant of a cocktail.

What's your favorite?