Margarita Shot

Labor Day marks the unofficial end to summer, and for me, the unofficial end of margarita season.  In my opinion, margaritas are the perfect summer cocktail.  They have everything.  The lime is sour.  The triple sec is sweet.  The tequila adds some heat.  And of course, the salt rim adds…well, saltiness.  This all adds up to a thirst quenching cocktail with a kick.  A Margarita Shotible was definitely necessary to usher out the season.

I decided to use a pretzel crust because a pure salt glass would be just a little too much.  I used a similar technique as I have with other no-bake recipes.  I crushed up the pretzels and added some sugar.  I then melted the margarine and combined it all.  I then pressed the mixture into the molds and refrigerated them for about an hour.

For the filling, I used fresh lime juice, heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk for the base.  For the first time, I used two different liquors in a single Shotible; tequila and triple sec.    I filled the glasses and froze them overnight. 

I considered adding a salt rim, but Jeff and I agreed, that would still be a bit much, so I topped them with some sea salt instead. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Shot

My friend Frank is concerned that he is going to come off as fickle on the blog because he has had so many new favorite Shotibles.  Mint Chocolate Chip is his newest favorite, but I certainly can’t blame him.  I’d like to think that they just keep getting better as we go along.

I used chocolate sandwich cookie crumb to make the glass.  I’ve been asked by several folks if I scraped the cream out of the middle.  I did not.  I ground the cookies whole.  As a benefit, I was able to use less butter than I have with other no-bake glasses.

For the filling, I used the same basic sweetened condensed milk ice cream recipe as I used in some of the other Shotibles.  But this time, instead of using vanilla extract, I used crème de menthe for flavor and color.  I then topped the Shotibles with chocolate chips and froze them. 

The combination of the chocolate cookie glass and the mint ice cream turned out delicious, and it's the new favorite for more people than just Frank.

Peach Cobbler Shot

Jeff’s aunt Connie turns 50 this week, and her family threw her a surprise birthday party.  This was my first real opportunity to bring Shotibles to a party.  People have been suggesting I try out peach cobbler for a while now, so I went with it.

It’s kind of funny to me that peach cobbler can mean a lot of different things to different people.  I wanted to be sure that I didn’t make it too much like a peach pie, so rather than baking a pie crust "glass", I made one out of vanilla wafer cookies.  I found a recipe similar to the graham cracker crust used for the S’more and Key Lime Pie Shotibles.

Jeff was a huge help this week.  He peeled and diced eight peaches.  We cooked it up in a sauce pan with some bourbon, sugar, corn starch and cinnamon.  We cooked it on medium to low heat for about 20 minutes; until the peaches were tender.

After the peaches cooled, I filled the glasses and topped it with a little cookie crumb.   I’m thrilled to say Shotibles gained a few more fans at the party.  The Peach Cobbler Shotibles were a huge success.

Key Lime Pie Shot

The Key Lime Pie Shot isn’t the Shotible I had originally intended to post on the 4^th of July.  I meant to post this a few days ago and then post some sort of Red, White and Blue shot on the 4th, but life got in the way.  It is quite summery none the less.

Frank contends that this is the best Shotible to date.  He’s a pretty good authority seeing as he has sampled more than anyone besides Jeff and myself.  He even tells us that the thought of them has kept him up at night.

The Key Lime Pie Shot was a great chance to break out the graham cracker crust again.  It takes a bit of work to get the right consistency, but in the end, it is totally worth it.

For the filling, I used key lime juice, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and spiced rum.  I topped it off with a little lime zest. 

The Key Lime Pie Shot was definitely a crowd favorite on a hot summer afternoon with friends.

Toasty S'more Shot

The first time I ever met my friend Frank, we were out to dinner at a trendy restaurant that serves all their desserts in shot glasses.  The servers carry the desserts around on a tray so that they can present them to the patrons, allowing them to pick them up immediately and partake.  It certainly appeals to our society’s desire for instant gratification.

A couple of drinks in, but before our dinner was severed, our waitress stopped by to check in on us.  She had the dessert tray with her, and Frank was mesmerized by one dessert in particular.  The S’more was basically chocolate mousse and graham cracker crumbles with a toasted marshmallow on top.   Frank wanted to order one then and there.  We talked him into waiting until after dinner.

That was the moment I was first inspired to create a dessert in an edible shot glass.  Rather than layer the graham cracker and chocolate, I decided to fabricate the shot glass out of graham cracker crust and fill it with chocolate pudding.  And since it is shot glass shaped, it only makes since to me that is should be spiked with alcohol.  In this case, I used Irish Cream.  And, of course, I topped it off with toasted mini marshmallows.