need powerful, flavor packed shots for hors d'oeuvres party

From my tiny home kitchen, I need to cater a baby shower get together for my sister in law. We are expecting about 20 guests. The type of food: hors d' oeuvres, drinks and small sandwiches. Part of the hors d' oeuvres menu will feature crostinis with about 3-4 different toppings.

What I would LIKE to do is present these crostinis atop shooters with some kind of drink to wash them down. They can be alcoholic or nonalcoholic. They just need to be exciting, impressive and to pack a punch, so to speak. Not something you want an entire glass of, but something that is perfect as one gulp and perfectly complements the flavors of the crostini. Some kind of uncanny concoction infused with interesting ingredients.

I am looking for any ideas, recipes or advice you may have. I have TONS of recipes for crostini and I haven’t picked which ones I will be using yet, so any flavor combos you can think of, I can work with them. I have about a month to figure this out. Thank you so much in advance!

Posted by: Benny
July 7, 2012

3921 views
14 Comments

14 Comments

savorthis July 9, 2012

Tomato water would make an excellent base and look beautiful in a clear glass. Put a pile of very ripe tomatoes in a bowl, mash a bit, wrap in cheesecloth or a clean towel and hang over a bowl for about 4 hours or so. I gently squeeze the bundle to extract juice every hour or so- but only as long as it is still clear. You could then 'steep' some sliced jalapeno, cilantro in it over night and strain. And obviously you could add vodka or gin. I would pair this with something bacon-y and basil-y. Or- you can also simmer the bacon in the juice first as I did for this chawan mushi: http://food52.com/recipes/17759_bacon_tomato_chawan_mushi. It changes from a raw to a cooked flavor, but could work.

I also really liked adding szechuan peppercorns to vodka. It became sort of pink and had the kick and also some floral notes. Paired great with fresh ginger juice, lime and agave syrup.

sexyLAMBCHOPx July 9, 2012

I love sake, dry and ice cold - fun wine to play with since it pairs well with veggies & fruit. Sounds fun.

BoulderGalinTokyo July 9, 2012

YUM!! Look forward to a finished menu of this, Hint, hint

sexyLAMBCHOPx July 9, 2012

I agree, BGT!

micheleinmaryland July 8, 2012

a nice foil for the tomato/ricotta would be a cucumber vodka shot...

fried goat cheese with grilled peaches and balsamic reduction i'm thinking some kind of champagne, lime sorbet and mint shooter

the brie/onion/apple/bacon ... bourbon (of course), fig puree, maple syrup, lemon zest

horseradish/beef/duxelles... hmmm.. gonna have to think about this one. The only thing coming to me is an olive martini -- typical steakhouse fare.

hummus/arugula/balsamic onion... i would not have thought to put these things together, and I'm really challenged to think of any cocktails that would go with hummus. Maybe a boilermaker of some kind.

micheleinmaryland July 8, 2012

I think it all depends on what kind of flavors you have in the crostinis. Can you give us a handful of combinations you're considering?

Benny July 8, 2012

I have a bunch of considerations... but here are few:

- Hummus with arugula and balsamic marniated red onion
- home made ricotta with marinated, slow roasted grape tomatoes
- Brie Cheese with caramelized onions and chopped apples and bacon
- creamcheese horseradish spread with roast beef and white wine duxelles
- Fried goat cheese with grilled peaches and balsamic reduction

Think intense flavors. There will be other hors d'oeuvres as well, but the crostinis will be served with the shooters. The shooters should have have an intensity that matches the crostini, but doesn't make the over-all experience over powering.

Rachel S. July 8, 2012

Mmm, I'm thinking about something with Indian or Thai flavors on top of gin & ginger shooters. Some of the artisanal ginger ales I've tried recently really smack you in the face with ginger flavor. Or something Thai or with peanut sauce on Thai iced tea shooters?

Rachel S. July 8, 2012

Also, it might be fun to see if your local library or bookstore has a copy of "what to drink with what you eat" (Page & Dornenburg). It's a great reference for food and drink pairings and could give you a lot of inspiration! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0821257188

kbckitchen July 7, 2012

I obviously meant to say shooter not slider. Getting late here. Oops!

Reiney July 7, 2012

Following on from kbckitchen...Bloody Mary Oyster shooters? Make a kick-ass bloody mary (/virgin mary) in shot glass, add raw oyster.

Though I suppose if your sister in law is pregnant, she may not be eating raw oysters?

kbckitchen July 7, 2012

What about a gazpacho slider. Could add a shot of vodka alsi

Benny July 8, 2012

I actually had something like this in mind, but I've never really experimented much with gazpacho.

petitbleu July 7, 2012

All I can think about is tequila, lime, and hibiscus simple syrup. You could also do a nonalcoholic version of this by making a hibiscus tea with lime and some simple syrup.

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need powerful, flavor packed shots for hors d'oeuvres party

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