R & R Vodkaritas

This heavenly concoction is my entry for May's Royal Food Joust, hosted by Jenn at the Leftover Queen Forum. The three ingredients required for this month's Joust were; raspberries, almonds and lime, in any form. I have been sitting on my entry idea all month, waiting for a nice warm day to enjoy these. Well, as you can see, time and good old mother nature weren't quite in sinc and I am just getting this entry in under the wire. Yesterday the neighbors announced there was to be an impromptu cookout, and I jumped on the opportunity to bring this cocktail. What a hit they were! The R&R Vodkaritas are both sweet and tart at the same time. Someone described it as an adult "bomb pop"(remember that frozen treat from your past). The two "R's", in this instance, stand for Raspberry and Rosemary. The Raspberry "Rita" is full of pureed raspberries, gets a nice twist with a few drops of almond extract and is a bit on the tart side. The Rosemary "Rita" is made of a simple syrup infused with fresh rosemary and fresh lime juice, but still is a bit on the sweet side, balancing the drink nicely. I chose to make these traditional tequila frozen drinks with vodka to make them more unique.

One of the beauties of this drink is that it can be put together in advance and then just whirred in the blender with ice at the last minute. I made the rosemary syrup a week in advance and pureed the raspberries the day of the party. To transport, I mixed the two separate "Rita's" sans ice, and put them in their own containers, had the skewers wrapped in a damp paper towel, grabbed the ice and out the door! When I arrived at the party, I skewered the raspberries for the garnish then made the Raspberry "Rita" which was poured into a pitcher and placed in the freezer while the Rosemary "Rita" was whirred in ice. Then just pour half and half in the glass, swirl with a stir stick or other utensil, garnish and serve.

The R&R Vodkaritas were a hit, and were requested for the next get together. I can't wait!

R&R Vodkaritas

serves about 12 generous drinks

for the Raspberry Rita:

2 cups raspberry puree

6 oz Vodka (I like Pinnacle)

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp superfine sugar

1/2 cup triple sec

3/4 tsp almond extract

about 6 cups or so of ice to get that frozen consistency

To make the puree, add fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries to the food processor and process till smooth. Then run through a fine sieve, pushing with the flat side of a rubber spatula to rid the puree of the seed. Combine puree and all ingredient in a blender til it is a nice frozen drink consistency. I did half at a time to make 6 drinks and that is also what the blender would hold.

for the Rosemary Rita:

1 cup rosemary simple syrup

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

8 oz vodka

same amount of ice as above

To make the rosemary syrup, add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a heavy small saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, pour into a mason jar or heat proof jar and add 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary about 5" long and seal the jar. When it has cooled to room temperature, place in the fridge for 2 days to infuse. After 2 days, strain the syrup into a clean jar and keep in the fridge. When ready to make the drinks, combine all the ingredients and follow the same steps as listed above.

Enjoy!