Girls' Night

When the girls caught wind of my liqueur stash, they wanted in. That sounded like a party! So we decided to each contribute an appetizer, and each make something from one of the liqueurs. 

Our first cocktail of the evening was a Kir Royale, made from crème de cassis and champagne, served in a champagne flute. Crème de cassis is made from blackcurrants. I loved this drink. It was like a fruitier, slightly sweeter champagne.

Our second drink was made from Wildberry Vodka, Chateau Monet (which is a raspberry-flavored liqueur like Chambord) and club soda, served in a martini glass. It was stronger and less sweet than I was expecting it to be. We added a little cherry juice to it, and I think that improved it.

Our third treat was a Frozen Grasshopper made from vanilla ice cream, crème de menthe, and crème de cacao. It was a lovely pale green and tasted like a milk shake for grownups. It reminded me of my childhood, when my parents threw parties and gave my sister and me each a plate of hor d’oeuvres and a blender drink before the guests came. Don’t judge. That’s just good old-fashioned parenting. Think Mad Men.

For my contribution I planned to make Black Forest Cake with Kirschwasser, a German cherry brandy. I found a recipe online that was quite complicated and would take several days to prepare, but it looked like it would be worth it. And I watch Food Network a lot, so I’m kind of an expert.

In fact, I was well along in the process when my cake literally fell apart. I was layering my Kirschwasser-soaked chocolate cake rounds with my Kirschwasser-laced filling and my Kirschwasser-marinated cherries when the top cake round cracked and separated and tumbled down the sides. I felt like a contestant on Chopped, like I was in the Chopped kitchen in the dessert round with $10,000 on the line when it all came crashing down. But I channeled my inner Chopped champion, grabbed some crystal glasses, filled them with cherries and cake chunks, and topped them with Kirschwasser-infused whipped cream. We’ll call it Black Forest Trifle. And it was wunderbar.