GALA RECIPES & SIGNATURE DRINKS!

December 31, 2020 7:34 AM

In order to give you at least a couple of days to shop for ingredients, I present to you: Gala Recipes! Most importantly, our three signature drinks:
THE BLUE
THE GREEN
THE GRAY

🔵🔵The Blue🔵🔵
Add 2 oz. blue curacao to 4 oz. lemonade. Add 1 oz. vodka if desired.
For a non-alcoholic version, at 2 oz. blue curacao syrup to 4 oz. lemonade. (If making for a mixed group, you can add vodka to the non-alcoholic version for anyone who wants it.)

🟢🟢The Green🟢🟢
Combine 1.5 oz gin, 3/4 oz lime juice, and 3/4 oz Midori and shake with ice. Pour into 3 oz. ginger ale.
To make non-alcoholic, remove gin and replace Midori with Amoretti Honeydew Melon Syrup.

⚪⚪The Gray⚪⚪
Mix 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 2 oz gin, 1/2 oz maraschino cherry liqueur, 1 dash Blue Curacao, and 1/2 oz Creme De Violette.
(I do not know how to make this one non-alcoholic, it is basically all alcohol)

The non-alcoholic syrups are pretty easily available at bigger liquor stores (in the US), from Amazon, or sometimes at grocery stores with large liquor sections. Also The Blue is freaking delicious as a mocktail and a totally legit breakfast drink since it's refreshingly citrusy, if you are joining us from early-morning time zones. (My kids love The Blue, and once we dropped dry ice in it so it smoked, and that was even more amazing, A+++ recommend.)

More recipes in the comments!

posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) to MetaFilter-Related at 7:34 AM (14 comments total)

And now a few user-submitted recipes to enjoy, and please add any party recipes you want to share in the comments! Share something special from your culture or country or family that everyone should try! Share easy recipes! Share hard recipes! Share brunch recipes as well as dinner and dessert recipes, because we're all in different timezones!

From COD:
Bourbon Street Style Hurricane
Fill a shaker 1/2 full with ice, squeeze the 1/2 lime over the the ice, add the rest of ingredients, shake, and strain over crushed ice in a plastic cup . Garnish with a stemmed cherry and an orange slice. Nobody actually gets a hurricane glass on Bourbon Street, unless you pay extra for a souvenir glass. You drink out of a plastic cup, college bar style.

1.5 oz light rum
1.5 oz dark rum
2 oz pomegranate fruit juice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz pineapple juice
juice of 1/2 lime
1.5 oz simple syrup

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From yarntheory:
Kould Ts'ens Fish and Braised Mushrooms
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23596042

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From InfidelZombie:
Macaroni Salad Recipe
Salad Macaroni – only very short cylinders work for this, anything bigger is too much pasta. Lots of salt in the water when you cook it or it will be bland.
Green Onions
Sweet Pickles
Olives
Mayo

Cut the onions, pickles and olives into pieces a bit larger than the pasta. You want about 50% pasta and 50% other pieces.
My family likes black olives, but I use green ones because they have more flavor. If you have ones with pimentos you can just leave them in, adds a little more color.
Mix cooled pasta and other ingredients with just enough mayo to coat, not too much!

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It's Raining Gravy
It's Raining Florence Henderson’s (Infamous) 7-Meat Gravy

Ingredients

7 meats (First 3 are essential, remaining 4 are usually whatever leftover bits are in my freezer. Otherwise, I will buy whatever looks good and supplement the list as needed. Substitute according to availability and preference.)
6 slices of uncooked bacon (I prefer thick cut, relatively lean bacon like Fletcher’s or Hempler’s center cut)
1 lb. uncooked Italian sausage (sweet or spicy is fine)
1 uncooked T-bone or porterhouse steak with large tenderloin area, or 1 thick beef tenderloin steak
1 Andouille (or other hard, cured) sausage – chopped if cooked or cured, sliced if uncooked
½ cup chopped cooked Ham (or 1 ham steak) – chopped if cooked or cured, sliced if uncooked
Several smoked pork ribs or 1 slice of leftover cooked pork loin or ½ of a thin pork chop or 1 large chicken thigh – chopped if cooked or cured, whole if uncooked
1 beef rib or two beef spareribs or 1 slice roast beef or 1 lamb chop– chopped if cooked or cured, whole if uncooked
Herbs & Vegetables
1 medium sweet or yellow onion, diced
1 large, peeled carrot or small handful of baby carrots, diced (about ½ cup)
1 large celery stalk, diced (about ½ cup)
5 roasted garlic cloves
1 Tbs fresh chopped thyme
2 Tbs fresh chopped rosemary
+ ½ tsp any additional herbs you like, to taste
Gravy
1 stick unsalted butter
3 cups beef stock
½ cup red wine (anything you would actually want to drink – I use Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 Tbs. tomato paste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ Tbs Worcestershire
1 tsp. liquid smoke
Spices
1 tsp. Salt (plus more to taste)
1 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
+ 1/4 tsp any additional spices, to taste

Preparation
(Note: Unless prompted, don’t mix any ingredients together when setting aside, or at least not until you’ve read through all of the instructions.)
Smash or mince roasted garlic (if starting from fresh garlic, peel 5 cloves garlic, spray or lightly coat with olive oil and roast in foil or a small oven-safe pan or ramekin in a 400° oven for about 15 minutes, or until light brown and soft, then let cool and smash or mince) and set aside
Chop all vegetables and set aside
Chop all herbs and set aside
Measure out all spices, mix together, set aside
Chop all pre-cooked (or cured) meats, mix together, set aside
In a large skillet, fry bacon on medium-high heat until crispy (but not burned). Remove and set aside. Do not drain grease from skillet.
In same skillet, cook steak in bacon grease 3 to 4 minutes per side, until tenderloin portion is medium rare (about 135°). Remove and set aside on a plate deep enough to collect the juices as it rests, cover with foil
In same skillet, cook Italian sausage in bacon grease and steak juices, breaking apart as you cook, until well browned and thoroughly cooked through, about 6 to 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside with chopped meats
Cook any remaining raw meats in the same skillet until fully cooked according to typical preparation recommendations, then remove and set aside
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until the vegetables have fully wilted and are beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If pan starts to get dry at any point before the vegetables are ready, add 2 to 3 Tbs. butter to the pan, repeating as needed
While vegetables are cooking, chop half of the cooked bacon and the tenderloin portion of the steak (pour juices from the steak back into the skillet and enjoy the remaining bacon and any remaining portion of steak at a later date), and chop any remaining cooked meat that hasn’t been chopped yet. Do NOT add them back into the skillet, yet
Add 3 Tbs. butter, flour, and tomato paste to the skillet, stir to combine well, then cook for 3 more minutes, stirring constantly so flour doesn’t burn
Deglaze the skillet with the red wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (with a wooden spoon), then add the beef stock, Worcestershire, roasted garlic, liquid smoke, and chopped meats. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 35 minutes
Add salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary, then stir and simmer for an additional 10 minutes
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, until no longer bubbling (about 5 minutes)
Puree with an immersion blender, or pour into a large food processor and puree until fairly smooth
Pour the result through a thin wire colander strainer into a large saucepan (line the strainer with cheesecloth or a coffee filter if the holes in the wire colander aren’t fine enough for the consistency you like)
Reserve solids for later use (I separate these into several freezer bags. If you want more gravy, thaw a baggie – if frozen – and dump the solids into your wire colander (with cheese cloth if needed) and pour beef stock through the solids into a saucepan. Then thicken your gravy per step 19, below. I also like to thaw a baggie of the vegetable and meat solids and add them directly (unstrained) to diced tomatoes and tomato sauce for an instant meat pasta sauce)
Reheat sauce in saucepan on medium heat until it just starts to simmer
While the sauce is heating, melt 3 Tbs. butter in microwave (about 15 to 20 seconds) and mix with 3 Tbs. flour until smooth
When the sauce has just begun to simmer, reduce heat to low and add the flour and butter mixture to the sauce a little bit at a time, stirring constantly, until the gravy is just a little thinner than the desired consistency (the gravy will continue to thicken as it cools). *Turn off burner and remove gravy from heat
Taste (carefully) and add a bit of additional salt and pepper (if needed)
Maybe consider investing in some cholesterol medicine
...Profit
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 7:39 AM on December 31, 2020 [3 favorites]

I don't make it so potent anymore, mostly because I'm older now, and I swore off making them for years, but the Golden God (widdershins named it) is always tasty.

1 oz regular vodka
2 oz green apple vodka (or any flavored vodka that matches the flavor mood you're in for)
1 oz triple sec
8-12 oz Sprite / Sierra Mist / Fizzy water of choice

Mix alcohols well, add fizz. If you want some color, drop some blue curacao in it.
posted by deezil at 8:05 AM on December 31, 2020

THE GREEN:
• 1g to 3g of your finest indica or sativa strauin of marijuana
• A chamber in which you can heat the marijuana to a point where the active ingredients vaporize
• a tool (may be included with the chamber) by which you can inhale the resultant vapors

THE RECIPE:
• Light up, folks.
• Log into the Gala
• Enjoy throwing 2020 out the window (making sure there are no pedestrians or animals below).
posted by not_on_display at 10:10 AM on December 31, 2020 [2 favorites]

Pour into 30 oz. ginger ale.

Hmm. That sounds like most of the cocktails I've had in Australia. I have no doubt those who love them will live longer and healthier lives than me, but I don't have that sort of patience when trying to become drunk.

As someone who doesn't care for sweet drinks, I think I'm going to stick with gin, soda, and food coloring. Maybe a pisco sour or a chartreuse, to be festive, if I can convince myself to go to the fancy liquor store and or buy eggs in the next few days.

(To be clear, this is fun and harmless and I'm glad it exists. Even if I don't think I would personally happen to like the specific drinks listed. It's worth noting that I dislike most drinks made by most people, even famous drink-making people, so it's nothing personal.)
posted by eotvos at 10:35 AM on December 31, 2020

The Blue alternative: Swap lemonade for Pepsi, and call it "Pepsi Blue".
posted by cynical pinnacle at 10:47 AM on December 31, 2020 [2 favorites]

For the purple of Fanfare, ish, make an Elizabeth Taylor:
Put 3/4 ounce of Creme de Violette into your preferred vessel for your preferred bubbly. Add bubbly. Garnish with an amarena cherry if you have em, don’t sweat it otherwise.
posted by janell at 11:01 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

"Hmm. That sounds like most of the cocktails I've had in Australia."

Heh, that was a typo, I fixed it!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 11:10 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

I thought most of the cocktails in Australia were 'open a beer, open another beer'.
posted by biffa at 12:19 PM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

We've opened a bottle in honour of the Red. Hopefully we'll get to having a red page eventually.
posted by biffa at 12:49 PM on December 31, 2020

Shakshuka (It's the shak-shiznit!)
by way of this site, slightly modified.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped fairly small
2 Jalapeño peppers, de-seeded and chopped fairly small
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet
2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoon cumin (ground or whole)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 28-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes (or use two 14.5 oz cans or whatever)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I use about a third of a 6-oz can, then freeze the rest)
2 teaspoons honey (just squirt some in)
1 teaspoon red wine or cider vinegar
Some greens (a cup or two loose) such as spinach, kale, chard, whatever
8 oz feta (or less if you want), chopped moderately small
4 to 8 eggs
1. In a wide skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, jalapeño, and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is fairly soft. Add the salt, pepper, and spices. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, to release their fragrance.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, and vinegar, mix well, then mix in half of the greens, reduce the heat to medium, cook for five minutes, then add the rest of the greens and cook for another 7-10 minutes.
3. Press the cubes of feta into the tomato sauce. Bury them as deep as possible. Then crack the eggs into the shakshuka, right on top.
Turn the heat back on so the sauce is at a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and cook for about 10 minutes. If you want the eggs to be more solid, cook a bit longer. I like a runny yolk, but some people like a hard one.
posted by Slinga at 2:11 PM on December 31, 2020 [2 favorites]

MetaTalk: Basically all alcohol
posted by Going To Maine at 2:17 PM on December 31, 2020 [3 favorites]

Manzanachos!
Take one fuji apple, or whatever apple you love, slice it into at least 8 long slices. Lay it out on a microwaveable plate, or a toaster oven pan, sprinkle with cinnamon, and a tiny bit of ginger. Put a thin slice of a mild cheese or even Dubliner, I first used a cow milk manchego, on each piece of apple, microwave for 110 seconds, or one minute and ten seconds. Serve while warm. If you prefer the toaster oven, it takes about 10 minutes on high. This is the best snack for anyone, they are great on crackers if you like, but great as they are. They are great for kids, who need a sweet treat with a bit of oomph, for while you cook.
posted by Oyéah at 5:34 PM on December 31, 2020 [2 favorites]

Loq's Really Bad Idea.

Pour several fingers of chilled vodka into a rocks glass, add no ice.
Add 2-3 squirts of Mio Lemon Lime Energy.
Sip with regret and contemplative anxiety.
posted by loquacious at 1:50 AM on January 1, 2021 [1 favorite]

I call this one the "Deleted Post about Root Boozle"

one 2L bottle of A&W Root Beer
one 750ml bottle of your cheapest tequila please, sir, here is my real ID

a) Pour about half of the root beer from the 2L bottle into any other relatively clean, sealable container. Set the bottle cap aside.

b) Pour the tequila—carefully! it helps if you have a non-automotive funnel—into the 2L bottle, refilling the bottle to about 1.5" to the top. Take the bottle cap and reseal the 2L bottle.

Drink straight from the bottle at your local billiards hall, or pour into solo cups the next time your band plays in the 7'x7' practice space. Add cigarette butt for garnish, optional, much later in the evening.
posted by not_on_display at 3:58 PM on January 3, 2021