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Cranberry Mojito | Holiday Cocktail | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Christmas, Drinks, Holiday, Recipes

Cranberry Mojito – a Holiday Cocktail

November 12, 2024
Cranberry Mojito | Holiday Cocktail Recipe | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Cranberry Mojito

Cheers to the holiday season with this festive Cranberry Mojito! The star of the show is a rosemary simple syrup, adding an earthy, delicious twist to the tart cranberry flavor. Grab your favorite white rum, cranberry juice, and top it off with sparkling water. Want a mocktail? Just skip the rum, and it's just as refreshing. Garnish with a fresh sprig of rosemary and cranberries for that holiday touch, and try freezing mint in your ice cubes to bring out extra minty vibes. Let's toast to the holidays with this perfect blend of seasonal flavors.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Rosemary Simple Syrup

  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup water
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

Cocktail

  • 16 large mint leaves
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • ½ cup cranberry juice
  • 6 oz white rum
  • ice
  • sparkling water
  • Fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs for garnish

Instructions
 

Rosemary Simple Syrup

  • Add honey, water and rosemary sprigs in sauce pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

Cocktail

  • Add mint leaves and lime juice in a shaker, muddle mint leaves and lime juice together.
  • Add rosemary simple syrup, cranberry juice, and rum to shaker, fill with ice, and shake for 20-30 seconds until well combined.
  • Fill glasses with ice (with your mint ice if prepared), strain mixture equally into glasses and top off with sparkling water.
  • Garnish with cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Skål and enjoy!
Keyword Cocktail recipes, Cranberry Mojito, Holiday Cocktails, Mojito
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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PSL Cake | Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Dessert, Recipes

PSL Cake (Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake)

October 15, 2024
PSL Cake | Bjorn Bites & Booze
PSL Cake | Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake | Bjorn Bites & Booze

PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) Cake

This Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake (PSL Cake) is the ultimate way to celebrate the season! Moist, fragrant, and full of cozy flavors—made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and a hint of espresso powder for that latte kick. Topped with fluffy sweetened whipped cream and a dusting of espresso-sugar powder, it’s everything you love about PSL in cake form. Easy to make and even easier to love!
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Course Dessert
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp instant espresso powder, plus more for dusting
  • 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or make your own – see notes) (Make your own by mixing together 3 tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp allspice, ½ tsp cloves)
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • ¾ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup sugar, plus 1 tsp for dusting
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ⅔ cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Butter and line bottom with parchment paper a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Butter parchment paper as well.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, instant espresso powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt.
  • In another bowl, whisk eggs into pumpkin puree, then whisk in butter, sugars, and milk.
  • Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
  • Scrape and pour batter into prepared pan.
  • Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, 35 to 40 minutes.
  • Remove pan from oven and Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes.
  • Turn cake out carefully and out on a rack and let cool completely. (about 2 hours)
  • Whip cream with confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Add whipped cream on top of cake.
  • Combine and whisk together 1 tsp of espresso powder and 1 tsp of sugar. Use this to dust on top of whipped cream.
  • Serve and enjoy!
Keyword Fall Desserts, PSL, PSL Cake, Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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Midori Margarita | BRAT Cocktail | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Drinks, Recipes

Midori Margarita aka BRAT Cocktail

September 3, 2024
Midori Margarita | Brat Cocktail | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Midori Margarita – aka BRAT Cocktail

It’s a brat summer while sipping this Midori Margarita! Just three simple ingredients to get your brat on: Midori Liqueur, your favorite tequila (I used Lalo) and fresh lime juice. Shake it all up in a cocktail shaker with some ice, strain, garnish and serve with a little bit of bratitude! Skål and cheers!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ oz Tequila (I used Lalo)
  • 1 oz Midori Liqueur
  • 1 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
  • tajin for tim
  • lime wedge for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Moisten the rim of the glass with a lime wedge and roll in tajin
  • Add tequila, Midori and lime juice to cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well chilled
  • Strain into margarita glass and garnish with a lime wedge
Keyword Brat, Brat Cocktail, Margarita Recipes, Margaritas, Midori Margarita
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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Boozy Grilled Brats with Onions, Jalapenos and Apples | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Main Course, Recipes

Boozy Grilled Brats with Apples, Jalapeños and Onions

September 3, 2024
Boozy Grilled Brats | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Boozy Grilled Brats with Apples, Jalapeños and Onions

These brats were grilled to perfection over red-hot Jealous Devil Charcoal on the Big Green Egg. Chopped onions, fresh jalapeños, and apples sizzled in a white wine bath, letting the brats soak up all that flavor. Then, a quick sear over direct heat for those perfect grill marks. Serve them up in a bun, piled high with the wine-soaked onions, jalapeños, apples, and a generous dollop of Herbst’s Spicy Pub Mustard. These are next-level brats!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Bratwurst
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
  • 1 ½ cups white wine

Instructions
 

  • Preheat grill to 400℉, direct heating
  • Place cast iron skillet on grill to preheat.
  • Add butter to cast iron skillet, and melt
  • Add onions and apples to skillet, and cook for about 10 minutes.
  • Add jalapenos, brats and wine. Braise brats in skillet for about 10 minutes, turning halfway.
  • Remove brats, and place directly on the grill, sear on both sides. Allow the onion, jalapeño and apple mixture to continue simmering.
  • Remove brats, and onion/jalapeño/apple mixture from grill. Toast buns slightly, then add brats, top with onion/jalapeño/apple mixture, Garnish with fresh jalapeño slices, and your favorite dijon/pub mustard.
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Watermelon French 75 | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Drinks, Recipes

Watermelon French 75

August 24, 2024
Watermelon French 75 | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Watermelon French 75

Enjoy summer's sweetest fruit with this Watermelon French 75! This refreshing cocktail blends the sweetness of watermelon with the sparkle of Champagne, making it the perfect sipper for hot summer days! I chose Empress Elderflower Rose Gin for its delicate floral notes that perfectly complement the fresh watermelon juice. It's light, bubbly, and just as delightful as the class French 75. Cheers to summer in a glass! Skål and cheers!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 4 cocktails

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups watermelon, cubed
  • 1 ½ oz Gin (I used Empress Elderflower Rose Gin)
  • ½ oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • ½ oz simple syrup
  • 2 oz Champagne (or Prosecco)
  • Fresh slice of watermelon for ganish

Instructions
 

Watermelon Juice

  • Place cubed watermelon in a blender and blend until smooth (30 seconds)
  • Strain watermelon mixture in a fine mesh strainer, discard solids
  • Place watermelon mixture in a pitcher.

Make Cocktail

  • Add ice to a cocktail shaker, then add ingredients. Add 1 ½ oz of the fresh watermelon juice, gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and shake for 10-15 seconds.

Assemble Cocktail

  • Strain mixture from cocktail shaker into a chilled champagne flute. Fill about halfway with watermelon mixture.
  • Top off with Champagne/Prosecco.
  • Add watermelon garnish, and serve!
Keyword Cocktail recipes, Cocktails, Summer Cocktails, Watermelon French 75
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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Grilled Salmon with Boozy Meyer Beurre Blanc | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Main Course, Recipes

Grilled Salmon with Boozy Meyer Beurre Blanc

August 9, 2024
Grilled Salmon with Boozy Meyer Beurre Blanc | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Grilled Salmon with Boozy Meyer Beurre Blanc | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Grilled Salmon with Meyer Lemon Beurre Blanc

Pair your next grilled salmon with this boozy Meyer Lemon Sauce – they were made for each other! Using Jealous Devil Charcoal and a cedar plank from Whole Foods ensures a perfect cook every time! Seasoned the salmon with my favorite Citrus & Herbs seasoning from Big Green Egg. For the sauce, just a couple of simple ingredients like shallots, garlic, Meyer lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper and of course white wine. Ladling this silky smooth sauce over a perfectly grilled salmon is almost as satisfying as eating it! Plus it’s fun to say “Beurre Blanc”!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 Salmon Fillet
  • 1 tbsp BGE Citrus Herb
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 lemon, sliced

Meyer Lemon Beurre Blanc

  • 1 Meyer Lemon, freshly squeezed and zested
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

Grill Salmon

  • Prepare and heat grill to 350° for direct heat
  • Soak cedar plan for 30 minutes prior to grilling

Prepare Beurre Blanc

  • Add lemon juice, wine and shallots to sauce pan, over medium heat, and reduce.
  • Remove from heat, add half of the butter. Whisk to combine
  • Add remaining butter, and lemon zest, and whisk until smooth
  • Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve over grilled salmon
Keyword Grilled Fish, Grilled Salmon, Parsley Beurre Blanc Sauce, Salmon Recipes
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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Main Course, Recipes

Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Ribs

July 29, 2024
Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Ribs | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Ribs | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Grilled Ribs with Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Mouthwatering ribs grilled to perfection over Red Hot Jealous Devil Charcoal, accompanied with a Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Sauce and creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes. The secret weapon? Fire & Smoke’s Windy City BBQ rub, packing a flavorful punch with its spice blend – and impressively, zero sugar! The sauce was a standout, blending Blackberry jam, bourbon, honey, lime juice, and spices into a tangy masterpiece. The ribs? Juicy and irresistibly delicious. Just a kiss of smoke from Jealous Devil Smoke wood blocks. Topped off with fresh blackberries, parsley, and lime slices, this rib recipe is a definite keeper!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Ribs

  • 2 slabs of baby back ribs (membrane removed)
  • ½ cup apple cider or water (to spritz the ribs while cooking)

Grill Rub

  • Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp Fire & Smoke Windy City BBQ rub

Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Sauce

  • ½ cup Blackberry Jam
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp fresh lime zest
  • ½ cup Bourbon
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (or substitute ground ginger)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (or substitute 1 tsp garlic powder)

Instructions
 

Prepare Ribs

  • Prepare grill (I use the Big Green Egg) for indirect cooking, and use Jealous Devil Charcoal for even, clean grilling. Heat grill up to 225 degrees, add a smoke block (from Jealous Devil) to give a little kiss of smoke while the ribs are grilling
  • Remove membrane (silver skin) on ribs
  • use olive oil as binder and rub all over the ribs
  • generously use your favorite rib rub (I used Fire & Smoke's Windy City BBQ rub), and rub all over the ribs.
  • Once grill is at temperature and ribs have been rubbed, set the ribs on the grill and let the Big Green Egg do its work.
  • Cook ribs, low and slow for 2-3 hours
  • Wrap ribs in butcher paper, and return to grill for another hour
  • Unwrap, and toss butcher paper. Return ribs to grill, and brush with the Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Sauce. Grill for another 30 minutes.

Make Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Sauce

  • Add all ingredients in a sauce pot, mix well, and heat to a slow boil. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat until ready to use.
Keyword Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Grilled Ribs, Ribs
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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Main Course, Recipes

Spicy Red Wine Pork Belly Bites

November 4, 2023
Spicy Red Wine Pork Belly Bites | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Spicy Red Wine Pork Belly Bites

Spicy Red Wine Pork Belly Bites served with Roasted Honeynut Squash purée grilled over red hot Jealous Devil Charcoal.
These smoked pork belly bites were marinated overnight in a spicy and sweet concoction. Place on the grill, low and slow. After they have grilled for 1-2 hours, then turn them in a spicy, caramelized red wine sauce. What can be better than Boozy bites? Serve and enjoy immediately.
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Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 3 hours
Course Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs pork belly, cut into 2-inch squares
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup kosher salt
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cayennne
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • ¾ cup red wine (cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir)
  • ¾ cup white sugar

Instructions
 

Prepare Pork Belly (24 hours in advance)

  • Prepare pork belly by score the fat side with a knife in a crosshatch pattern.
  • Mix the salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika and cayenne together in a small bowl. Then rub all over the pork belly. Wrap the pork belly tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Instructions

  • Prepare and heat grill to 225℉.
  • Unwrap the pork belly. Cut into 2" squares and place on indirect heat. Grill for 1½-2 hours until the bites start to form a nice bark.
  • Transfer the pork belly bites to a disposable aluminum pan and add orange juice, and honey. Stir to evenly coat the cubes of pork belly bites.
  • Cover with foil, and return aluminum pan to the grill for another 30-60 minutes until the meat reaches 200℉.
  • While the pork belly is grilling back on the grill, begin preparing the red wine caramel sauce.
  • Add the red wine to a saucepan and reduce by half over medium heat. About 10 minutes.
  • Add ¾ sugar in an even layer in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Heat sugar, watch it, but don't stir. When the sugar begins to melt, use a spatula to slowly stir the sugar into the melted sugar until all of the sugar has melted and is golden brown.
  • Slowly, very slowly, add the hot reduced wine, stirring until the sauce turns into a rich caramel.
  • Add the pork belly bites into the caramel sauce, turning them until all sides have been fully coated.
  • Serve and enjoy immediately!
Keyword Grilled Pork, pork belly, Pork Recipes
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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November 12, 2024
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Goat Cheese & Mango Steak Bites | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Appetizers, Recipes

Goat Cheese & Mango Steak Bites

March 23, 2023
Goat Cheese Mango Steak Bite | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Goat Cheese & Mango Steak Bites

Grilled over red hot Jealous Devil Charcoal featuring W Sauce! Mango, goat cheese and mint wrapped up in a beautiful seasoned flank steak. This delicious, elegant and stunning appetizer needs to be on your appetizer rotation for your next gathering. One of the benefits is that you an make it in advance! Marinated in W Sauce for at least one hour, then grilled to perfection over clean burning Jealous Devil Charcoal. Combine creamy goat cheese with W Sauce and finely chopped mint. A smooth layer of the goat cheese mixture on a thinly cut strip of flank steak rolled up with a thinly cut piece of mango, then topped off with a sprig of mint.
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Appetizer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 flank steak (1½ – 1¾ lbs)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • ⅓ cup W Sauce
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1 tbsp W Sauce
  • ½ cup creamy goat cheese (4-5 oz)
  • ¼ cup mint, chopped finely
  • 30 small mint leaves
  • 1 fresh mango, julienne

Instructions
 

  • Trim flank steak. Pat dry, rub with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in ziplock bag and add the W Sauce. Marinate for at least one hour.
  • Prepare grill, heat to 450℉
  • Remove the steak from the bag and remove excess marinade. Oil the grates, place the steak on the grill. Grill until internal temperature reaches 125℉ (for rare). Let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Then slice thinly against the grain.
  • Combine goat cheese, milk and W Sauce in a small bowl, and mix until creamy. Add chopped mint, and mix in.
  • Spread thin layer on one of the thin strips of grilled steak, lay 1 piece of julienned mango, and roll up the steak into a tight roll. Add 1 piece of mint to garnish on the steak roll.
  • (These can be made ahead of time)
Keyword elegant appetizers, Grilled Appetizers, grilled steak, steak recipes
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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Cactus Prickly Pear Margarita | Bjorn Bites & Booze
Drinks, Recipes

Cactus Prickly Pear Margarita

February 22, 2023
Cactus Prickly Pear Margarita | Bjorn Bites & Booze

Cactus Prickly Pear Margarita

The flavors in this margarita are like a fiesta in your mouth! This Margarita is such a beautiful and festive cocktail! The shocking pink color in this recipe are all natural from the sweet prickly pear syrup. Combined with your favorite silver tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and serve in a salt rimmed margarita glass! Now you are all ready to celebrate with this amazing margarita!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oz Tequila (Silver)
  • 1 oz Cointreau
  • 1 oz Lime juice, fresh squeezed
  • 1 oz Prickly Pear syrup
  • Kosher salt, lime juice for rim
  • Ice
  • Lime wedges for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your margarita glass. Using a lime wedge, run it around the edge of the glass, and dip it in some kosher salt
  • Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Stir or shake to mix. Strain mixture into margarita glass with ice, and serve! Enjoy!
Keyword Blackberry Margarita, Cactus Prickly Pear, Margarita Recipes, National Margarita Day, Prickly Pear Margarita, tequila pork belly burnt ends, Tequila recipes
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by Bjorn Bites & Booze
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