Cookies and Cocktails

My spin at making CocktailHacker's recipe for the Spiced Cider Old Fashioned

Happy New Year, Cocktail Culture fans! Another holiday season has come and gone, and with that, so did the annual Cookie Decorating Party, hosted by my good friend, Tiffany. My Cookie Party duties included bringing something boozy (as seems to be habit), and this year I was given a special assignment – bring other ingredients to mix an assortment of Applejack cocktails.

I showed up with booze bag in tow, ready to make two delicious Applejack cocktails. First, we went for the Jack Rose cocktail. Here’s the ratio I went with, as from my copy of the Cocktail Handbook.

Jack Rose:
2 ounces applejack
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce grenadine

Secondly, the other drink I chose to serve up for party guests was Cocktail Hacker’s inspiring recipe for the Spiced Cider Old Fashioned (I suggest you mosey over to his site to view the recipe for yourself). The verdict on this drink using Hiram Walker Caramel Apple Liqueur was one that was sweet, inviting, and reminiscent of mulled cider – perfect for a chilly winter evening while baking cookies.

Even if the holidays have left us for another year, both this drink and the Jack Rose definitely fit the bill as one for year-round entertaining. So put that Applejack to use and get mixing!

Cheers!
SJ

Holiday Cocktail Planning

‘Tis the Season!

Not sure when it sneaked up, but we’re in the home stretch of 2011. I suppose I should start to figure out my New Years plans. Contrarily, I also don’t know when or how my December calendar got so entirely booked with various holiday gatherings leading up to Dec. 31, though I’m certainly not complaining!

As a guest most gracious for the invites, it’s time to come up with a gift for the party hosts and hostesses. And, in my personal opinion, I think it’s far more fun to show up with a few ingredients to make a festive cocktail rather than any ol’ stocking stuffer.

Below are some fun and festive cocktail suggestions for your upcoming holiday parties, that won’t break the bank either.  The Hiram Walker Original Cinn and Caramel Apple liqueurs will run you about $10 each for a 750ml, while you can also find a quality Applejack, Dark Rum and Spiced Rum in the under $20 price range.

• The team at My Cocktail Connection featured the Cinnful Sparkler in their fall issue of ZEST Digital Magazine.  The sparkling cider to finish off this cocktail really gives it an elegant and festive holiday feel.
• The Cocktail Hacker himself gives the Old Fashioned a new twist with the Spiced Cider Old Fashioned, a drink that imbues many winter-warming properties: Applejack, Caramel Apple and Barrel Aged Bitters.

Enjoy giving these two drinks a taste over the next few weeks – they should fit in nicely for the spirited season!

Cheers!
SJ

Ice Cream Toppings

One would think upon returning from a trip to the Crescent City for Tales of the Cocktail, my first post back would be about two “D” words – detoxing and dieting.

This post will, fortunately for you readers out there, touch on neither topic. Instead, we’ll be talking about ice cream. And alcohol. And ice cream with alcohol.

But there’s other means to achieve this divine dessert combination besides just grabbing the blender and making a mudslide (although the spiked milkshake seems to be just about on every burger restaurant joint’s menu in the country these days). Here are a few ideas:

Beer  –

Why not play around the idea of a Beer Stout? I’ve made these at home on several occasions in the past and have really explored a gamut of beer options in the making – chocolate stout is a favorite that comes to mind off hand. I’m also tempted, I must say, to give this combination a try and pointed out to me by Cocktail Hacker; “strawberry ice cream with a blueberry beer”? Yes, please!

Cocktail –

While there is no actual ice cream in this Banana Split, the name is very fitting for the context of this post. I like Colleen’s insight in that this drink can be very customizable – from using a flavored vodka to changing around the garnishes:

Banana Split Martini – from About.com Cocktails

• 1 1/2 oz vodka (I’ll nod to ABSOLUT here)
• 3/4 oz creme de banane or banana liqueur (from Hiram Walker)
• 3/4 oz creme de cacao (Hiram Walker, again, makes both a dark and white Cacao)
• Banana slice for garnish

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a banana slice.

Keep it Simple –

Let’s just take things nice and easy and drizzle a bit of liqueur over some ice cream, now shall we? Here are a few options I have found to be quite delightful:

• Hiram Walker Original Cinn over vanilla ice cream
• Kahlua over vanilla ice cream
• Hiram Walker Raspberry Schnapps over lemon sorbet

Any other suggestions to combine these two most glorious dessert and drink combinations? I’m always open to suggestions 🙂

Cheers,
SJ