PB & J Martini, Greek Layered Dip, and Shimmer-tini

Before: Since I'm trying to knock some of the worse sounding drinks out of the way,  this week was the pb & j martini and the weirdly named shimmer-tini (there is definitely no shimmering involved). I'm sure I can speak for my fellow taste testing friends when I say that I'm glad they are both over. Both drinks involve flavored vodkas mixed with things that mask any taste of alcohol. I have noticed that, despite the fact that they contain a good bit of alcohol, hardly any of Sandra's drinks taste like alcohol. It's like she's making cocktails for middle school girls making drinks out of whatever they can take from their parents' liquor cabinets.

Now, I can't really say that the pb & j martini was out and out bad. It was really, really weird. Amazingly, it did kinda taste like a peanut butter and jelly. I'm not sure that is a good thing, though. I like pb & js as much as the next gal, probably more, but I was never really clamoring for a drink version of the sandwich (or any sandwich for that matter). I've seen this on actual drink menus before, so apparently someone thinks there is a market for sandwich based drinks. 

 

Not everybody hated the pb & j martini, but nobody loved it. We all agreed that hazelnut liqueur and grape juice is a weird and bizarre combination. And that the drink gets markedly worse as it warms up. Reactions:

• It tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I don't know if I want that. 
• There's a cough syrup aftertaste.
• It's not good, but it's so damn interesting.
• This drink just makes me laugh. 
• If the mission is to taste like a pb & j, then ok, but if the mission is to make a good drink, then it's a failure.

Now, the greek layered dip was much more of a success than the drinks. It's pretty much like mexican seven layer dip with greek ingredients. Hummus instead of refried beans, feta instead of monterrey jack, tzatziki sauce instead of sour cream, etc. Needless to say, Sandra uses pre-made/pre-packaged everything.  I went ahead and actually chopped and mixed everything myself, because it's better that way. Sandra also has ground lamb as a layer. I left that out so the dip would be vegetarian. Between four people, we ate all of the dip (Sandra says it serves 10). It's a great alternative to the regular seven layer dip.

Oh, the shimmer-tini... I don't know where to start.  Actually,  I didn't hate this drink, but everyone else really hated it. The thing with Sandra's drinks is that they are not all bad ideas. She just doesn't know when to stop. Vanilla vodka and pineapple juice are ok, but then she has to go add cream of coconut and enough key lime juice to give you a stomach ache from all the acid. But I guess if she knew how to edit, she would not be the Sandra we know and love.

If you are wondering what exactly a shimmer-tini tastes like,  the answer is vaguely like a key lime pie. Again, I doubt there is a really call for this in drink form, but there it is. The drink is kind of thick, really acidic, and sweet. 

Reactions:

• It would be good with dessert, ok maybe not so good. 
• It's sad how disgusting these are.
• There is a weird foamy top. 
• Way too citrusy - it  makes my stomach hurt.
• It's not something people should drink.

After these drinks were finished, I made one with the raspberry vodka and pineapple juice that was better than both the pb & j martini and the shimmer-tini. It didn't taste weird or make my stomach hurt. But I guess with so few ingredients, it's harder to sell cookbooks.