Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Cocktail Hour!

At Pie Party GE last year Smirnoff was one of the generous Gold Sponsors of the event. Attendees of Pie Party got to try drinks made with two of Smirnoff's newest flavors Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka and Smirnoff Iced Cake Vodka. (Please note to enter Smirnoff's site you have to provide a birth date which will need to be at least 21 years of age to enter and view.) At Pie Party I tried the Caramel Apple Pie (made with Kissed Caramel flavored vodka) and was enamored with it. Smirnoff was so kind to offer samples for us to try. So I decided to have a cocktail hour at my place with bite-sized eats and a few close friends for a tasting!

Since drinks were going to be had I made pigs in a blanket, a blueberry buckle (a la Herbivoracious), chicken fingers, arancini balls (thanks Trader Joe's!), there were soft cheeses and multigrain baguettes, pita chips and Fritos and PopCorners with hummus, and my friend Lesley brought Dove chocolate caramels in honor of the event. My buddies Lesley and Ric, and cousin Melissa each brought a supplement for the drinks on Smirnoff's website to try and after stuffing ourselves we started our cocktail tasting.

Kissed Caramel Appletini

Made with Smirnoff Kissed Caramel, apple juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup (which I made). Everyone liked it for the most part because "It tasted like candy." The alcoholic taste was a bit sharp but not too much because the simple syrup elevated the sweetness. It was a fave of the group especially for Lesley who is not a big alcohol drinker.

Caramel Spiced Tea

Made with Kissed Caramel, strong chai tea (unsweetened), milk, and simple syrup. This was another fave. My friend Ric is a huge fan of chai tea and since the proportion of tea and milk was larger than the Kissed Caramel the alcohol taste was not overwhelming but adding the hint of caramel. It tasted like tea with a bit of caramel, so it could be dangerous because you may keep drinking and not realize how much alcohol you're having. Still darned tasty.

Caramel Candy Apple

Made with Kissed Caramel, apple juice, and cranberry juice. This drink is a shot so it's a bit stronger since it's supposed to be taken in one slog. I felt like this was a bit more alcoholic than the Appletini but Melissa, Ric, and Lesley thought the Appletini had a bit more alcohol taste to it. This may have been because the Appletini was the first we tried and after a couple breaks we were dulled by the taste of alcohol. The cranberry added some tartness to it, but either way it was a nice, smooth shot.

Detour into trying the Kissed Caramel Mule. We didn't have angostura bitters, so it was just ginger ale and Kissed Caramel. And, I learned an important lesson: Never shake carbonated drinks in a cocktail mixer or it will explode. It wasn't until I took a second stab at the drink that Melissa and Ric realized that this was the issue and by that time ginger ale and Smirnoff were on my floor, after exploding on my counter. Lesson learned. This drink, sans bitters, wasn't too intriguing, so we'll see if perhaps the bitters may have added that needed element to make the drink stand out in another try in the future.

Caramel Apple Pie

The drink I tasted at Pie Party GE. Even making it at home I LOVED it. It's made with Kissed Caramel (1.5 oz), apple cider (4 oz.), lemon juice (.25 oz), and a pinch of sea salt. Because the cider outweighs the Smirnoff this drink tastes very much like a pie in drink form. Ric and Melissa liked it (by this time Lesley had bowed out) but didn't think it stood out enough for them in the range of the drinks. I think they enjoyed some items that had that alcoholic element.

Creamy Caramel Martini (revised)

Ric was unable to find butterscotch liquor at the store near me so he got a (dark) chocolate liqueur since it seemed that may go with caramel well. This drink was strong. You pair 17% alcohol (chocolate) and 30% alcohol with the vodka and nothing to pare it down a bit and you have some serious stuff. I couldn't finish it because it was so intense, but the flavors did meld well together. It's a beverage you'd have to sip for awhile rather than drink.

Verdict

In the end the Appletini and Spiced Tea were the faves. The Tea was loved by Ric and Melissa because they are fans of chai and the caramel added a nice boost for them in terms of the overall flavor. It was milky and sweet! Lesley was all for the Appletini because it tasted like liquified candy. And my favorite remains the Caramel Apple Pie.

I would highly recommend Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka and try the drinks we did. There's a good alternate for those who enjoy their alcohol sweet (Appletini or Caramel Apple Pie) or smooth and not too heavy (Caramel Spiced Tea) or strong (Creamy Caramel Martini).

Thanks again to Smirnoff for co-sponsoring Pie Party Live. I'm looking forward to making the flavored vodka cocktail hour a quarterly event at my place.

Pie Party Live 2012 at GE Monogram Design Center (October 25, 2012)

Last year's pie party live was a pie bonanza and this year was no different. It was a very classy event as always and organizers Jackie Gordon and Ken Leung did a fantastic job of gaining support and providing a great, relaxed time for the food blogger and food professionals community in the tri-state area. This year GE Monogram Design Center on East 58th Street was the location and when you arrive you did not want to leave. The ornate and modernly designed space opened up into a series of connected master kitchens that every foodie in attendance fell in love with.

Chef Tageré Southwell gave attendees a nice run through of how to make effective pie crust before the pie party commenced. Many of us were pretty enthused about this since, especially for me, a good crust makes a good pie. One word: butter (KerryGold!) and mix well watching the bottom of your food processor to see the status of your dough. (FYI: A food processor is pretty essential when making dough and after winning my KitchenAid one from Pie Party Live last year I feel quite blessed!)

The bounty was split into savory and sweets sections. As attendees arrived and labeled their contributions we were treated to savory treats including the most succulent hors d'oeuvres made by GE Monogram's Executive Chef Tageré Southwell of battered shrimp, lamb sliders, and eggplant crostinis. We were also able to taste mini DUB (Down Under Bakery) Pies in the form of beef & cheese and/or curry vegetable. Those who attended Pie Party Live last year recall that Dub Pies had also generously donated a variety of their savory pies to the cause. Dub Pies had been at Dekalb Market earlier this year before it shutdown, but now operates in their own store in Brooklyn.

While I made a savory pie, specifically a Spinach & Gruyere Quiche a la Martha Stewart, I abstained from eating savory and went straight for the sweets. I was getting full from the bite-sized savory morsels and wanted to make sure I had room for dessert. (Game plan!)

There were tarts and quiches and mini pies and whoopie pies and toffee crunch and pecan pies and duck pies. Gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and ones loaded with dairy. You were good on all counts.

One of the standouts for me was Ken's cranberry curd tart with walnut crust. Not too tart, not too sweet with a wonderfully buttery, crispy, thick crust and a fluffy curd filling. Last year his onion tart was one of my faves and as always Ken doesn't just make it look pretty but also taste fabulous!

I also enjoyed Lillian's chocolate and peanut butter whoopie pies and the delicious cranberry Nantucket made by Colleen of Souffle Bombay. And the toffee crunch from Tamar of Economic Krunch, goodness gracious! I ate a pear almond tart that was as good as ones I've had from French bakeries and Abby Dodge's red velvet whoopie pies, Angela's guava and cheese mini pies, and my friend Emily's spiced citrus pecan pie. Lordy! I had to tap out after having Ken's salted caramel chocolate tart and Tara's apple strudel pie. But, indeed I wanted more.

My friend Emily provided me a taste of a delicious duck pie by Kathy of The Experimental Gourmand and that one bite was so succulent and perfectly spiced I instantly regretted my game plan to forgo savory.

By night's end the savory section had been decimated. People had their plan and it was to eat dinner than go dessert.

Before we headed out Jackie announced we were getting goodie bags and Kerrygold butter to take home! This was met with resounding excitement and surprise of which I think only the food community could understand. Butter, heck dairy, is expensive! And getting a fabulous brand like Kerrygold is fantastic! I can't wait to make more pie with it, even Chef Tageré complimented the brand as one of her go-to's for making crust and cooking in general.

Part of our goodie bags from our very generous sponsors was two Dub Pies, frozen for reheating later, Kerrygold as mentioned along with a Kerrygold branded recyclable baggie, Abby Dodge's newest cookbook from Taunton Press Mini Treats and Handheld Sweets (of which her fab whoopie pie recipe is included), Fine Cooking magazine, a Smirnoff pie server, GE Monogram measuring spoons, and for some of us bloggers a bottle of Smirnoff's two new flavors (Kissed Caramel or Iced Cake) to take home and do a blog post on (one to come soon from me). After tasting their Caramel Apple Pie drink I was hooked.

I was full, excited, and extremely grateful to reconnect with my food blogger/pie party buds and to have the generosity of these great sponsors in their support of the food blogger community. I hesitated leaving GE Monogram Design Center because, frankly I want that kitchen, but I'll be happy to return and sing their praises and hope to be at another event there soon.

Thanks again to everyone who aided in making Pie Party Live this year a resounding success and thanks again to GE Monogram Center, Gareth of Dub Pies, Abby Dodge and Taunton Press, Kerrygold, Harvard Common Press, and Smirnoff for donating your products and opening our eyes to new flavors! Hope to see you next year!