Cocktail Advent 8: Spiced Apple Brew

Sips

Sure, this recipe was actually sent to me for a Halloween promotion, but a good apple cider(ish) drink can carry you through the entire winter season in fine form and I think this one would work well cold, as presented, or sans ice and on the warm side.

Image via Basil Hayden

Image via Basil Hayden

Basil Hayden’s® Spiced Apple Brew
Created by Thomas Waugh (New York, NY)

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ parts Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon
  • 1 ½ parts cool Lapsang Souchong Black Tea
  • 1 part Apple Juice
  • ½ part Lemon Juice
  • ½ part Simple Syrup
  • 1 dash Angostura® Bitters
  • 1 slice of Ginger
  • 1 Apple
  • 2-3 sprigs of Mint

Method:

1. Muddle small slice of fresh ginger in a cocktail shaker.
2. Add Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon, black tea, apple juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters over ice and shake.
3. Strain into a tall highball glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a fan of apple slices and mint sprigs.

***This recipe was submitted by a representative of Basil Hayden. I am not affiliated with the brand nor was I compensated for this post, not even with review samples. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of the Designated Driver. No drunk monkeys, please!***

Cocktail Advent 7: Pumpkin Rum Old Fashioned

Sips

Pumpkin is not just for October, you know? With the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie finished off and not yet time for Christmas dessert, maybe this twist on an old-fashioned favorite will help tide you over.

Image via Caliche Rum

Image via Caliche Rum

Pumpkin Rum Old Fashioned
– Created by Mixologist Eddie Fuentes from Finka Table & Tap in Miami.

  • 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
  • 1 Dash Angostura Orange Bitters
  • .5oz Homemade Pumpkin Pie Syrup
  • 2oz Caliche Rum
  • Orange Twist
  • Toasted Marshmallow
  • Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

 

An Old Fashioned, of course, is generally made with whisk(e)y but I can see the rum working here just fine. This is a drink you build in the glass and stir with a spoon with just an ice cube or two to chill it. The twist, marshmallow, and pumpkin seeds are obviously a garnish but I think I’d leave out the last two.

***This recipe was submitted by a representative of Caliche Rum. I am not affiliated with the brand nor have I received any compensation for this post, not even review samples. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of a Designated Driver. No drunken monkeys, please!***

Cocktail Advent 6: Wild Cherry Peppermint Cosmo

Sips

There’s something about a Cosmo that makes it a great holiday drink. I think it might be the great color from the cranberry juice that makes you think festive.

Image via Devotion Vodka

Image via Devotion Vodka

Devotion Wild Cherry Peppermint Cosmo

  • 2.5 ounces of Devotion Wild Cherry Vodka
  • Dash of Peppermint Schnapps
  • 1.5 ounces of Diet Cranberry Juice

Combine over ice and shake until chilled. Strain into cocktail glass.

Now, I do have an issue with this particular recipe. It’s been shown in at least one study that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks, when combined with alcohol, effectively get you drunk faster. Basically, the sugar in the regular mixers ‘gets in the way of’ the alcohol entering the bloodstream more than the artificial sweeteners. You still get the same amount of alcohol, you just feel the effects sooner.

There have been very few times I’ve wanted to be intoxicated faster versus enjoying a drink and keeping my faculties fully functioning, so this isn’t a plus, to me. Also, this recipe is being shopped around as a low-cal cocktail (read as: healthier) and, folks, alcohol is brimming with calories. If you want low-cal, drink water. Otherwise, pick a drink that’s worth the calories and enjoy the party.

Do with the information what you will.

***This recipe was provided by a representative of Devotion Vodka. I am not affiliate with the company nor was I compensated for this post, not even with review samples. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of the Designated Driver. No drunken monkeys, please!***

Cocktail Advent 5: Signal Fire

Sips

Would you believe how many times I’ve heard a fire truck in the last 2 weeks? Sure, they’re not always there to put out actual fires (they seem to share various paramedic duties and general emergency response, especially in smaller towns) but this time of year as people start to use their fire places more, turn on space heaters, and string lights on trees, making sure you remove the chance of hazard is a good way to avoid needing their services.

  • Always make sure flamable materials are kept away from open fires or space heaters.
  • Never leave said heat-sources unattended. Same goes for candles.
  • Keep your Christmas tree well-watered and healthy to reduce fire-risk.
  • Make sure all cords and outlets are in good shape.
  • Consider switching to LED or other low-heat light sources on trees and decoration to further reduce risk of conflagrations.

With that PSA out of the way, how ’bout we take a look at a different sort of fire, this one in cocktail form!

Image via Bow & Truss

Image via Bow & Truss

As you can see, this recipe comes from Bow & Truss, a North Hollywood restaurant and bar that I would probably never had heard of if it weren’t for these cocktail-related press releases. They didn’t include measurements, but from another cocktail by the same name, let’s go with the following:

Signal Fire

  • 2 oz Jalapeno-infused Gin
  • 1 oz Peach-Cilantro Syrup
  • 3/4 oz fresh Lime Juice
  • Orange zest and salt for garnish

Mix together fresh orange zest and kosher salt on a shallow plate. Rub the edge of the lime wedge around the outside of a low-ball glass and dip the prepared rim in the salt mixture. Set aside.

Combine gin, syrup, and juice in a shaker glass filled 3/4 full of ice and shake like a house on fire. Strain into prepared cocktail glass.

Now, in the interest of a) efficiency and b) the theory that the garnish reflects the food/drink it’s enhancing, I would have first zested the lime for the rim mixture before juicing it and left the orange out of the picture entirely. But that’s me.

To make the infused gin, chop up a fresh jalapeno (leave the seeds in for maximum heat) and add it to a small to medium-sized jar along with enough gin to cover plus a bit. Obviously how much you make is going to depend on how many of these cocktails you want to mix up, so adjust accordingly. Let this sit for at least overnight, a couple of days would be best.

To make the peach-cilantro syrup you can go a few ways. If fresh peaches are available (frozen could work, too, I suppose), combine the sliced fruit with an equal-ish amount of sugar and a good handful of rough-chopped cilantro leaves plus just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat and let sit for an hour or so to cool and infuse. Strain and store in the fridge. Alternately, you can get a can of peach nectar, combine it in equal amounts with the sugar, add a good amount of cilantro (again, chop ’em up a bit to help the process along), and cook as above. No extra water needed in the second option.

***This “recipe” was provided by a representative of Bow & Truss Restaurant and Bar. I am not affiliated with the establishment nor have I been compensated for the sharing of this recipe or image. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of the Designated Driver. No drunken monkeys, please!***

Cocktail Advent 4: Winter’s Kiss

Sips

There’s generally no fence-sitting with gin: either you like it or you don’t. And if you don’t, you probably prefer vodka. Which is fine, I just prefer to taste my alcohol rather than not. So I’m a gin fan and often say it’s the best way to drink a tree. In honor of all those pine trees adorning so many homes this time of year, here’s a highly botanical bevvie to match!

Image via Bombay Sapphire

Image via Bombay Sapphire

“Winter’s Kiss”
–Created by Bombay Sapphire SF’s Most Imaginative Bartender Winner, Brian Means of Dirty Habit in SF

  • 1.5 oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin
  • .75 oz. fino sherry
  • .75 oz. Martini Rossi Bianco Vermouth
  • 3 dashes bitter truth celery bitters

 

Another pet peeve of these sorts of press releases that flood my Inbox before any given holiday? No instructions with the recipe! Sure, I know that a drink comprised of all alcohol, no mixers, is typically stirred to prevent clouding (and now do you, by the by), but you know what they say about assuming…

***This recipe was provided by a representative of Bombay Sapphire Gin. I am not affiliated with this brand nor was I compensated to post this recipe, not even with review samples. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of the Designated Driver. No drunken monkeys, please!***