Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Cocktails with the Murphy Girls #cocktails #bookgiveaway

by Leslie Budewitz

Raise a glass with me to celebrate the launch today of BUTTER OFF DEAD, the third Food Lovers' Village Mystery!

Summertime and the living is easy...

Well, it’s summer, glorious summer where I live, but it’s February in Jewel Bay, Montana, and Erin and her pals are excited about the new Food Lovers’ Film Festival they’ve created to warm up the chilly midwinter. It’s a celebration meant for the locals, but hey, no one in Jewel Bay ever minds if a few tourists show up as well.

But you can’t serve food and drink that you haven’t thoroughly tested, right? Certainly Fresca and Erin never would. (I confess, over the years, I’ve gotten less concerned about that and my guests may be guinea pigs now and again.) So Erin, her sister Chiara, and Fresca test some cocktails one evening in Fresca’s living room, with surprising results.

The recipes in my Montana mysteries often feature huckleberries, a tart, wild berry much like a blueberry. Other mountain states, east and west, claim them, but of course, out here we tend to think that the real thing grows only in Montana. As Erin likes to say, “If it’s made in Montana, it must be good.” (Frozen berries can be mail-ordered for the mountain-challenged.)

Cheers!

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of BUTTER OFF DEAD, out July 7. OH MY GOSH -- that's TODAY!!!  

And it's also release day for Lucy Burdette's FATAL RESERVATIONS! Food critic Hayley Snow sets aside her knife and fork when her dear friend Lorenzo the tarot card reader is accused of murdering his flaming-fork-juggling nemesis. If Lorenzo could read his own cards, he might draw The Hanged Man. He can only hope that Hayley draws Justice as she tries to clear him of murder.

Huckleberry Martinis


  

Commercial huckleberry-flavored vodkas are available, but Erin prefers to make her own. This drink is similar to a Cosmopolitan.

To make the huckleberry vodka:

3 ounces vodka
3 ounces huckleberries, fresh or frozen

Pour vodka over berries in a mason jar or mortar; mash the berries with a fork or a pestle and let sit at least one hour. (The berries can be steeped up to a week.) Strain before using. Makes 3 ounces huckleberry vodka.


To make the drink: 

3 ounces huckleberry vodka
2 ounces triple sec
1 ounce lime juice
1 cup ice cubes


Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake until the outside of the shaker is frosty or your hands are cold. Strain into two chilled martini glasses.

If you prefer a sweeter drink, add ½ teaspoon simple syrup to each drink.

Serves 2

Huckleberry Margaritas

Serve on the rocks or blended, with salt or without.



To make the huckleberry tequila:

3 ounces tequila
3 ounces huckleberries, fresh or frozen

Pour tequila over berries in a mason jar or mortar; mash the berries with a fork or a pestle and let sit at least one hour. (The berries can be steeped up to a week.) Strain before using. Makes 3 ounces huckleberry tequila.

To make the drink: 

3 ounces huckleberry tequila
2 ounces triple sec
1 ounce lime juice
1 cup ice cubes for on the rocks, two ice cubes for blended
lime wedges

On the rocks: Combine ingredients, except lime wedge, in a cocktail shaker. Shake until the outside of the shaker is frosty or your hands are cold. Strain into two glasses. Serve with a lime wedge.

Blended: Add first three ingredients to blender with two ice cubes. Pulse and pour into glasses. Serve with a lime wedge.

If you prefer a sweeter drink, add ½ teaspoon simple syrup to each drink. For salted rims, shake salt onto a saucer. Run a lime wedge around the rim of each glass and dip the glass into the salt.

Serves 2

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of BUTTER OFF DEAD, third in the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, out July 7.  (Open till noon, Thursday, July 9; please include your email address.)


From the cover:

As the national bestselling Food Lovers’ Village mysteries continue, the merchants of Jewel Bay, Montana try to heat up chilly winter business with a new film festival. But their plans are sent reeling when a dangerous killer dims the lights on a local mover and shaker …

In an attempt to woo tourists to Jewel Bay and cheer up the townies, Erin Murphy, manager of the specialty local foods market known as the Merc, is organizing the First Annual Food Lovers’ Film Festival, popping with classic foodie flicks and local twists on favorite movie treats. But when her partner in planning, painter Christine Vandeberg, is found dead only days before the curtain rises, Erin suspects someone is attempting to stop the films from rolling.

To make matters worse, Nick—Erin’s brother and Christine’s beau—has top billing on the suspect list. Convinced her brother is innocent and determined that the show must go on, Erin must find who’s really to blame before Nick gets arrested or the festival gets shut down. And as the anniversary of Erin’s father’s death in a still-unsolved hit-and-run approaches, her own beau isn’t so keen on her leading role.

But the closer Erin gets to shining a spotlight on the killer, the more likely it becomes that she’ll be the next person cut from the program…


Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. She lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher. 

Connect with her on her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

74 comments:

  1. Fruity concoctions are my favorite, and with huckleberries? it gives a nice twist on a childhood memory of going huckleberry picking with my grandmother for her best pie! kat8762@aol.com

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    1. Oh, huckleberry pie! Mr. Right's choice for his August birthday celebration!

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  2. Congratulations!!! This book sounds so good and so do the drinks :) thanks for the chance to win a copy! darholley1(at)aol(dot)com

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  3. Great recipe to go with a mystery filled book ! Sounds like a win win to me. I never met a book I didn't like.
    Jhdwayne@peoplepc.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Deana! I never met a reader I didn't like!

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  4. Sounds great! Thanks! robin.christofaro@yahoo.com

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  5. BUTTER OFF DEAD sounds wonderful! Congrats on your book being released today. Thank you for the recipe and giveaway.
    myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. Love the title! Thanks for the chance to win a fun read :)
    jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

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  7. Thanks for the new release - I look forward to reading it as well as the new release by Lucy Burdette. Recipes look yummy as well! Thanks! - Michelle Mabry, michelle_english_major(at)Hotmail(dot)com

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  8. Congratulations and thank you for this opportunity!
    dm_richards(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  9. Congratulations on the new book...I have never eaten huckleberries, let alone tried them in a drink! Both recipes look yummy.
    grace dot koshida at gmail dot com

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  10. HAPPY RELEASE DAY. I love cozy mysteries, this sounds like a great read.
    raco774(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  11. Happy release day Leslie! Let's all take our drinks out to the porch and read!

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    1. Happy release day, Lucy! I'll take your book and my drink to the living room, if you don't mind -- it's raining lightly here in NW Montana, and the extreme heat has created so much fire danger that we don't want to discourage the rain!

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  12. Congrats on release day! I don't think I've ever had a huckleberry, but these drinks seem like a great way to try them! :) Thanks for the chance to win!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. There is no bad way to try a huckleberry! Ok, maybe fresh off the bush with a bear on the other side of the bush -- which did happen to me once near Glacier Park!

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  13. Congrats on the new release.
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

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  14. Fun variations on a theme. Muddle huckleberries in the alcohol of choice and then add the rest. Sounds good to me.

    Best wishes to both of you on the new books. may they fly off the store shelves!
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  15. As a food lover, this sound like a great series for me.

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  16. This is a great series, and I must say that is a martini I never would have thought of. What fun! Thanks for the giveaway.
    sallycootie@gmail.com

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  17. Love all the foodie mysteries.. hleves@yahoo.com

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  18. Congrats, Leslie, on the release of BUTTER OFF DEAD. What a terrific recipe too!

    XO

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  19. Pardon my late arrival -- with all the busy-ness of Release Day, I got waylaid! (No, really, I swear -- I only had ONE huckleberry margarita last night!)

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  20. Congrats and thanks for the opportunity!
    sharonbabyme@yahoo.com

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  21. A great recipe and wonderful giveaway. Congratulations. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  22. Former Midwest farm girl and I don't think I've ever had a huckleberry. Going to have to give them a try. Congratulations on the release today!

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  23. Congratulations on your releases Leslie and Lucy. Thank you for the opportunity to win an awesome book!
    angelhwk68@yahoo.com

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  24. Happy release day! You're making many smile today, ie all of us waiting to read your latest.

    kpbarnett1941[at]aol,.com

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    1. And your presence -- and enthusiasm -- makes ME smile!

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  25. Great idea! I don't care much for vodka so I think I'll try to make huckleberry gin. Thanks for the contest.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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    1. Sue, we haven't tried making huckleberry gin, but I think it would work just as well as the vodka and tequila. The local distillery, Whistling Andy's, makes all kinds of wonderful flavored gins and rums -- yum!

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  26. Would love a chance to win Butter Off Dead, thanks for this amazing Giveaway. Linda May

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  27. Ooooh, this looks like a great drink to celebrate the release of Butter Off Dead! My gal pals and I love our fruity drinks and our books! :) Thanks for the opportunity and for sharing this recipe! Congrats!
    vgeslak@yahoo.com

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    1. Congratulations, Vicki! Ruff the Cat and the Random Number Generator chose you as the winner of a signed copy of BUTTER OFF DEAD! Send your mailing address to leslie at lesliebudewitz dot com by Sun, July 12.

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  28. Love the book cover. Looks like great cozy mystery.

    xzjh04@ Gmail.com

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  29. This sounds like a fun series, with one of the best titles I've ever heard! :) rencw@verizon.net

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  30. Love this series, thanks for the chance to win.
    doward1952@yahoo.com

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  31. I just finished reading the first book in your spice shop series, Assault and Pepper. I loved it and now I am starting Death Al Dente. zukeeper.geo@yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. You are clearly one smart Knit Twit! Enjoy the trip to Montana -- on the page!

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  32. I don't know anything about the cocktails since I no longer drink alcohol but, I do love a good mystery. This one sounds terrific. lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  33. So many wonderful comments -- I couldn't keep up with them all! Many thanks for all the good wishes -- we are all so happy to you in the Kitchen crew!

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  34. Congratulations on the new release. I love fruity drinks, although rarely drink alcoholic beverages. can't wait to read this book. servedogmom@yahoo.com

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    1. Huckleberry lemonade is popular in these parts, but I've never made it. Yet.
      < plotting a new recipe >

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  35. Dang, I just returned from the land of Huckleberries. These sound GREAT! As does your book. :-)

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    1. I;m sure they're on the menu in the Yellowstone Park lodges -- they certainly are in Glacier Park! You'll just have to come back.

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  36. What a beautiful drink to celebrate your book's birthday, Leslie! Congrats to you on the release of BUTTER OFF DEAD, and to Lucy Burdette on her release of FATAL RESERVATIONS.

    Cheers to two delicious new mysteries
    from two talented authors...
    xoxo

    ~ Cleo

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  37. count me in on this giveaway..........
    will pass the recipe to my friends/family......

    cyn209 at juno dot com

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  38. Those drinks look so good! Congratulations on the new book!

    ElaineE246 at msn dot com

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  39. The book sounds great and the recipe looks good. Thank you for this chance! areewekidding@yahoo.com

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  40. Never tried fresh huckleberries, but when I lived in the WA/OR area, I've had many huckleberry flavored things. My favorite was an Italian Soda. :D Congrats to you and Lucy Burdette on the new releases! =)

    kidisitor@yahoo.com

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    1. Oh, yes -- huckleberry syrup in an Italian soda -- heavenly!

      Thanks so much!

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  41. This looks like they would be interesting drinks to try. I may just have to sometime soon. Congratulations on your release day today! Thank you for the chance to win.

    robbfan141729@yahoo.com

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  42. Congratulations on the new book! I've never had a huckleberry cocktail. Thanks for sharing the great recipes.
    bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  43. Huckleberry margaritas! Oh my goodness that sounds wonderful!
    dee2164@hotmail.com

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  44. I just finished reading Death Al Dente and loved it! I can honestly say that I've never tasted anything huckleberry, so I'm not sure if I'd like this martini... but I'd be willing to try one. Congrats, Leslie, on the release of your 3rd Food Lovers' Village mystery!
    Amanda
    aleonardi@my.com

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    1. Thanks, Amanda! Now that you've read your first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, you've got two more to go!

      Many thanks!

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  45. Sounds like a good read and a good recipe. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
    6186pep(at)msn(dot)com

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  46. Who doesn't love butter! Looking forward to trying out a new cozy.

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  47. I can't wait to read this book. It sounds great. I have never heard of a huckleberry, they look good. Thank you for the chance
    Moonbay7399@gmail.com

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  48. I wish I'd read this before last weekend. We have huckleberries on our mountain in TN. They are very small, but I bet we could have found enough for a drink. As it was we just added them to the blackberries.

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  49. Just found you through another favorite author, Cleo Coyle. Can't wait to start reading this series!! I love discovering new (to me) authors!

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  50. Sounds like a great book, hope i get a chance to read it.

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  51. I haven't ever had huckleberry anything. It sounds delicious though. Love the cozy mystery Cover. Thanks for the chance.
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

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  52. Love the cover and the series!!!!ty for the chance to win!!!J_berson@comcast.net

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  53. Welcome and thanks to all of you! Ruff the Cat and I will pick the winner Thursday morning, so there's still time!

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  54. I'm definitely mountain-challenged - I live in Louisiana! :-) A huckleberry margarita sounds like a perfect drink for all this heat and humidity we've got going on. Thanks for the chance to win! bunkielisa at gmail dot com

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  55. I have been reading this series an enjoy the characters and 'their' stories. Drinks sound great with a hot Summer almost everywhere in US.

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  56. Looking forward to reading this one.
    dotkel50 at comcast dot net

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  57. I love this series. Cmkeck311@aol.com

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  58. Congratulations on the new release! This sounds like a fun series to put on my wishlist. Thanks for the chance to win! jeaniedannheim ( at ) ymail ( dot ) com

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  59. Congrats on the new book release! Thank u for the contest!
    bpwoodfield@gmail.com

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  60. Thanks to everyone in the Kitchen Crew for your good wishes. Ruff the Cat and the Random Number Generator chose Vicki G as the winner of a signed copy of BUTTER OFF DEAD! Send your mailing address to leslie at lesliebudewitz dot com by Sun, July 12.

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