Cocktail #2: The Burnstini

Most of you should recall that Burns wrote O my Luve's like a red, red rose. But love is more than roses: it can be bitter, and it can be spicy. So:

2 oz vodka
1 oz rose syrup
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Domaine de Canton

Shake with ice; strain into a Martini glass.

Warning: this drink is very, very red. Do not attempt to drink it except as the first of the evening, especially if you're wearing white.

A new cocktail: The Mellow Mullah

We need to find a way to get this to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Years ago, my eldest daughter and I had a falooda at an Indian restaurant (note, though, that its origins are Persian). We liked it. But ... my youngest took one look at the vermicelli and seeds among the pink rose syrup and vanilla ice cream and started to cry.

So I found a rose syrup at a local South Indian grocery store. Inspired by the memory of falooda, I offer you the Mellow Mullah:

2 oz vodka
4 crushed green cardamom pods
scant 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
a grind of black pepper (not too much!)

Mix the above and let sit for at least one hour.

Put the above in a cocktail shaker. Add

1 1/4 oz rose syrup
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Domain de Canton ginger liqueur
1 oz half-and-half

Shake vigorously; strain into chilled martini glass

Alas, I just looked up 'mellow mullah' and someone else beat me to the name. But my recipe's better and way more Persian -- or at least as Persian as a cocktail can be!