The Alternative to Black Friday

Instead of rushing through crazy crowds of people, why not spend the Friday after a gluttonous holiday getting ready for the duration of the holiday season with a tad more excess? If you’re in the cold weather as I am, I suggest avoiding the shopping malls and the windy weather and instead pop on some holiday music, pick out your favorite holiday movie and get comfy on the couch with a nice spiked hot chocolate!

I suggest spiking with either Hiram Walker Peppermint Schnapps (a classic) or for those with a sweet tooth- Hiram Walker Whipped!

Enjoy!

-KJ

National Creamsicle Day

Yesterday was National Creamsicle Day…who knew? I’m a little disappointed in myself that I missed what I’m sure was a great holiday for many, but I will make up for missed celebrations by mixing myself up a creamsicle cocktail tonight! One of my personal favorite Whipped flavored cocktails is the perfect drink to celebrate with—the Whippsicle:

• 1 part Hiram Walker Whipped Cream Liqueur®
• 1 1/2 parts Absolut® Mandrin Vodka
• Club Soda
Shake Whipped Cream Liqueur and Vodka with ice. Strain into tall glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with orange wheel.

Enjoy!

-KJ

Springtime Whippsicles

It’s the first day of spring! While it definitely does not feel like spring (yes, CT got MORE snow yesterday) I’m ready to enjoy some springtime in my mind! I don’t care if it’s 32 degrees outside, bring on the springtime cocktails!

The Whippsicle cocktail tastes just like the deliciously perfect for springtime treat: an orange cream Popsicle!

• 1 part Hiram Walker Whipped Cream Liqueur®
• 1 1/2 parts Absolut® Mandrin Vodka
• Club Soda

Shake Whipped Cream Liqueur and Vodka with ice. Strain into tall glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with orange wheel.

If you still haven’t given Hiram Walker Whipped a try (where have you been?!) you should go check out how Drinking in America thought HW Whipped compared to Pinnacle, the results may surprise you! Find the review HERE!

Enjoy and Happy Spring!

-KJ

Daylight Saving’s Coffee Cocktail!

With Daylight Saving’s Time just a few days ago, I have found myself dragging through the days this week. While taking a mere hour away doesn’t seem all that bad, I am the type of person that needs every minute of sleep I can get! My sleepiness has me craving coffee, and Honey Bee’s Recipes has a delicious way to spike your cup of Joe using Hiram Walker Whipped. Check out her Coffee Cocktail with Hiram Walker Whipped Cream Liqueur and while you’re there I recommend taking a look at the other delicious recipes she has on there as well!

Fabulous drink shot from Honey Bee’s Recipes!

Enjoy!

-KJ

Midnight Madness

In November 2012 Kahlua introduced its newest innovation, Kahlua Midnight. Kahlua Midnight is a 70 proof mix of rum and black coffee liqueur intended to be served chilled as a shot for a night out on the town or at home with friends. I’ve been known to be somewhat of a night owl, I have been for as long as I can remember, but everyone has been in that position before when you’re out at a bar or club and the night is starting off a little slow (if you say you’ve never been there before, I’d like to come to your next party). With its sweet smooth taste, and a little jolt from the coffee, Kahlua Midnight is the perfect choice to take your party or night out to the next level, and celebrate what night owls like myself love: midnight!

Midnight Birthday Party

• 1 Part Kahlua Midnight
• 1 Part Hiram Walker Whipped
• Whipped Cream & Sprinkles

Shake with ice and strain into shot glass. Top with Whipped Cream and Sprinkles.

Enjoy!

-KJ

3 Must Have Thanksgiving Drinks!

Hiram Walker Pumpkin Pie Martini, perfect for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I for one am extremely excited! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and while I do love Christmas and the ‘season of giving’, how can you beat a holiday that is comprised of eating, drinking, watching football and then napping when all of those activities become too strenuous?! The answer is you can’t…

Here are 3 cocktail recipes that fit in perfectly with the activities of the holiday:

The Pumpkin Pie Martini: You all know the joke…and especially on Thanksgiving it’s completely acceptable to ‘have your cake (pie) and drink it too!’

• 1 part Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice
• ½ part Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
• ½ part Hiram Walker Butterscotch Schnapps
• ½ part Half & Half

Combine ingredients in shaker w/ ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into martini glass. Garnish and serve.

The CosmoWHIPolitan: If pumpkin isn’t really your thing, this sweet treat is the perfect drink to accompany a day of feasting.

• 1 part Hiram Walker Whipped Liqueur
• 1.5 parts Hiram Walker Triple Sec
• 1.5 parts Cranberry Juice
• .5 part fresh lime juice

Shake all ingredients in shaker and strain into chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with an orange twist.

The Pumpkintini: If pumpkin is your thing, but you need to save more room for the actual dessert, this martini is a little less sweet than the Pumpkin Pie Martini…but still delicious!

• 1 part Absolut Vodka (Regular or Vanilia)
• 1 part Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur

Shake and strain into a martini glass. Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon.

Enjoy and happy feasting/drinking/napping everyone 🙂

-KJ

Friday Feature Cocktail: Fluffy Pumpkin Pie Shooters

Experimenting in the office kitchen to create the perfect seasonal Hiram Walker Cocktail

This Friday I am back in New England and back in the fall mindset. In a couple of weekends I will be getting together with some friends from college for our annual pre-Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving  Feast, and this year  I was put in charge of making “festive cocktails”. While I am much more qualified to play bartender than Iron Chef, there is still a lot of pressure that comes with providing party refreshments. To ensure I don’t ruin the whole fun of the evening, I have forced my co-workers to be my guinea pigs for the next few weeks while I test out a variety of “festive” cocktails to prepare at pre-Thanksgiving.

This first creation was inspired by one of my college roommates who is an avid baker. We all have her to thank for the wonderful desserts at pre-Thanksgiving (and for those last 5 pounds I could never shed at school).  One of her most beloved baked goods is her secret family recipe for “Fluffy Pumpkin Pie”. I am told that a Fluffy Pumpkin Pie becomes “fluffy” when some sort of whipping takes place (like I said, I’m not the baker) and this inspired me to do some “whipping” of my own to create a “Fluffy Pumpkin Pie Cocktail”.  After playing around with some recipes, I decided that this creation was better off as a shooter (it’s a little too sweet to be served as a martini), and with my co-workers’ approval I will be serving these shooters at pre-Thanksgiving.

Fluffy Pumpkin Pie Shooter (created by KJ)

• ¾ Part Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice
• 1 Part Absolut Vanilia Vodka
• ½ Part Hiram Walker Whipped

Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into shot glass.

Enjoy and Happy Friday 🙂

-KJ

Time to ‘Whip Things Up!’ with Hiram Walker’s Newest Quest!

Whipped at the Meadowlands tailgating the Kenny Chesney Concert in August!

It’s time again for another Hiram Walker Quest. This time, instead of a recipe contest, Hiram Walker is hosting a fun photo contest called “Whip Things Up!” with an iPad going to the winning submission! All you need to do is submit a photo that includes a bottle of Hiram Walker’s newest flavor, Hiram Walker Whipped, somewhere in the photo, the more creative the better! You can find out more details on Hiram Walker’s website www.HiramWalker.com or on their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/HiramWalkerUSA under the “Whip Things up!” tab.

The contest is live now and running through November, so let your creative juices flow and have some fun “Whipping up” some great photos 🙂

-KJ

TOTC: Cocktail Culture’s B-day Bash!

Cocktail Culture celebrating b-days with Hiram Walker Whipped

While in New Orleans, Steph and I thought it the perfect time to celebrate our birthdays that just so happened to book end Tales of the Cocktail this year (My birthday is July 22 and Steph’s birthday,  just one week later,  is July 29). As we sat and planned what we thought would be the most appropriate way to celebrate such an exciting occasion, we both knew that cocktails had to be involved (big surprise there). Being big advocates of birthday desserts, we decided to whip up some cocktails using Hiram Walker’s newest liqueur, Hiram Walker Whipped (did everyone catch my pun?).

Cocktail Culture with Greg of A History of Drinking, toasting with CosmoWHIPolitans and Whippsicles

We met up at Le Booze at the Royal Sonesta Hotel (wearing homemade neon b-day shirts) on the Friday night during  Tales, and sampled two of the delicious recipes that are featured on the Whipped bottle and the bottle’s necker. We indulged in CosmoWHIPolitans and Whippsicles (the Whippsicle tasted just like an orange creamsicle!) in the company of some of our good friends in the cocktail community, including Greg of A History of Drinking and Kara of Tipple Sheet (Sorry we missed each other, Drink of the Week!)

Recipe featured on the bottle necker, yum!

Hiram Walker Whipped provided a great way to create a fun new take on a classic cocktail as well as the perfect ingredient for creating new sweet and boozy creations. We both had such a great time celebrating and we appreciate everyone who was able to join us for a Hiram Walker Whipped birthday drink 🙂

Our awesome birthday shirts!