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Cocktail Advent 1: The Cosmopolitan Pilgrim

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To start off our Cocktail Advent, here’s a recipe that uses up a Thanksgiving leftover: cranberry sauce!

Now, it might sound odd, sure, but if you’ve ever used a syrup or preserve in your cocktail this isn’t all that different. Made your own cranberry sauce with, say, some orange zest and cinnamon? It could totally work! So will the canned/jarred stuff, just give it a whirl!

The Cosmopolitan Pilgrim

In a shaker combine:

  • 1.5 parts American Harvest
  • 2 scoops of leftover cranberry sauce
  • 3/4 parts fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 part orange liqueur

Add ice and shake well, strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

This recipe was sent in by a representative of American Harvest, which is a vodka distilled in Idaho and certified organic. Never tried it, so can’t speak to how good it is or how it compares to others. Have you tried it? Let me know what you think!

I have an issue with cocktail authors who use “parts” along with some other nebulous measurement (in this case “scoops”), leaving the entire recipe up to anyone’s guess as to how much of anything to use! I would suggest a part is an ounce, and I’d suggest a barspoon or teaspoon as the scoop measurement.

And if I have to tell you to use Cointreau over something like Triple Sec you need to read more of my cocktail archives!

Cheers!

***I have absolutely no affiliation with American Harvest Organic Spirit and was not compensated for posting this recipe, not even with samples for review. As always, we support responsible refreshment and the use of the Designated Driver. No drunk monkeys, please!***

Announcing: Cocktail Advent!

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You know what we haven’t had as much of around here* this year? Cocktails and other related spirits coverage.

There are reasons for that, some good, some meh, but since I maintain my tagline for this site is “Better living through creativity… and cocktails!” I think it’s high time we caught up on some of our drinking.

You know what’s also fun this time of year? Countdowns. Specifically Advent Calendars.

Now, Advent Calendars can be found in many sizes, shapes, fillings, and themes. But this one (which has, apparently, been making the rounds online for a year now) showed up on my Facebook feed a couple months ago:

image via Imgur.com (reverse image lookup isn't giving me any other sources, either)

image via Imgur.com (reverse image look-up isn’t giving me any other sources, either–if you know who originally uploaded this, please let me know!)

Now, unless you’re constantly entertaining, a bottle of wine a night for the next 24 days might be a 1-way ticket to cirrhosis-town, so I want to go on the record and say I am not encouraging you to drink copious amounts of alcohol this month.

However! If you find yourself in a celebratory mood on any given day, or are looking for some cocktail inspiration, that I am happy to help with, by passing along some of the tipples that land in my Inbox this time of year courtesy of various PR companies and their spirits clients. I generally just file them away and never look at them (seriously, I get a lot of press releases and requests for coverage, most that don’t fit what I’m doing here) but this year I thought I’d use them up.

So, every afternoon around 4pm EST (plenty of time to plan a detour to the local liquor store on the way home, should something catch your eye), starting today and lasting throughout the month, I’ll share one of those recipes, perhaps with some commentary, perhaps all on it’s own.

Cheers!

*And by “here” I obviously mean my various blog projects as the booze news used to have it’s own site and was plentiful in its alcohol goodness.

Signal Boost: What to Feed Your Raiding Party is Having a Sale!

Everyday Adventures, News, Nibbles, Sips

True, this is not what I usually post about, but I wanted to get the word out to as many folks as possible (apologies if you follow me on various social media channels as I’ll be boosting this all weekend).

For the first time since it’s release in June, 2012, What to Feed Your Raiding Party (my comic book cookbook that challenges gamers to cook their way out of the fast food dungeon) is available at pre-release prices!

Of course, if you only read Scraps Of Life, you may not know much about my book. Here’s a video that a fan shot of me at last year’s Ancient City Con–it’ll give you the full scoop!

I generally don’t discount my products or services (I try to price fairly from the beginning) BUT I had to cancel a convention appearance for this weekend (with quite a bit of regret–I hate letting con staff and fans down!), leaving me with inventory that otherwise would be sold this weekend. I’m sure you see my dilemma.

But you totally get to reap the benefits of life getting the way of my plans:

  • $5 off the cover price of the book
  • Free shipping (another $5 value)
  • 1 in 8 books will be upgraded to an Artist Edition as an additional thank you!
  • Gift wrap (with it’s cute D20 tag) is still available!

And, if you know for sure that you’d like an Artist Edition (which comes with a sketch on the dedication page), go ahead and order it (for only $5 additional instead of the usual $10–that’s like getting the Artist Edition for free under normal circumstances) and if your book is the one that wins the upgrade, I’ll refund the $5 AE fee, so you’re not out anything!

This sale will run from noon on Friday, October 3 (i.e., right now!) until 6pm on Sunday, October 5 (all times EDT), but don’t wait–go ahead and place your order with the handy little button below! They make great gifts for the gamers in your life, cookbook collectors, friends and family away at college or in their first apartment and, yes, as much as we may be loathe to admit it, the holidays are right around the corner!

(Oh, hey, if you’re reading this via RSS feed, you might not see that there’s a shopping cart link in the post–make sure you click through to see it!)

And if this still isn’t the right time for you to order, would you at least mind sharing this link via twitter, facebook, or whatever your preferred social network is?

Thanks!

and now back to our regularly scheduled creativity…

National Bourbon Heritage Month | Rosemary-Peach Julep

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single barrel_2013

September is National Bourbon Heritage Month and Four Roses Bourbon contacted me to see if I’d create a cocktail with their Single-Barrel Kentucky Bourbon. Of course I would!

Now, back when I was doing the AlcoHOLidays series, we talked a lot about how many of these so-called “National” days of what have you were trumped up by special interest groups or a marketing ploy by companies. Not so with National Bourbon Heritage Month, I’m happy to report, as the US Senate designated September for the celebration of “America’s Native Spirit” back in 2007, the title Congress bestowed upon Bourbon back in 1964.

Fact is, Bourbon really is our own little claim to spirits fame as far as the base spirits go. While it’s similar to whisk(e)y in production, Bourbon’s majority-corn mash and oak cask-aging set it apart from the wheat, rye, or barley-heavy mashes of other countries. It began in the 1700s in Kentucky and is still going strong throughout the region.

Now, I admit, Bourbon has never been my go-to beverage; I’m more a clear-spirit girl. But I’ve come quite a long way in appreciating it since my first, burning experience with it back in the early aughts at a wine tasting. The more I learn about it and the more I taste different brands, I’m happy to discover those slow sipping bourbons that I read about in dusty old books and can appreciate the flow of warmth that a smooth bourbon can bring.

When sampled neat, Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon left my lips and the tip of my tongue tingling but offered no burn around the edges of my palate the way harsher spirits would. You can feel the warmth travelling down your throat, it’s flavor not overly woody, but the aftertaste is pleasantly earthy–like the umami of mushrooms or Brie. Since I happened to really like those foods, I consider that a good thing! Having been laid low by a recent head/chest cold, a friend reminded me of the soothing power of the toddy, so one night I added a splash of Four Roses to my evening cuppa and let me assure you that this bourbon mingles nicely with chamomile-based herbal teas, making its presence known without overpowering.

Nose: Fruity, spicy, floral, cocoa, maple syrup, moderately woody.
Palate: Hints of ripe plum & cherries, robust, full body, mellow.
Finish: Smooth & delicately long.

But a cocktail is what was requested and a cocktail is what I shall deliver!

You can pair a hundred flavors with a good spirit but I like traditions and I like to keep things simple while playing off familiar stories. What could be a more classic treatment for bourbon than the deceptively simple julep?

When a drink has so few ingredients, it’s vital we choose them with care. The classic mint julep uses spring of fresh mint and sugar or simple syrup along with the bourbon and ice. In deference to Four Roses and my current relocation to Georgia’s Rose City, I opted for a peach liqueur in place of the simple syrup, and my favorite, fragrant savory herb–rosemary–for muddling and garnish. The combination is both contradictory and complementary and I find it delightful!

Rosemary-Peach Julep

Rosemary-Peach Julep

Rosemary-Peach Julep

2 3-inch sprigs of fresh Rosemary
1 oz Peach Schnapps
2 oz Four Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Bourbon
crushed ice
short straw

Into a lowball or julep cup, strip the leaves off one rosemary sprig and muddle with a splash of the schnapps. You don’t need to pulverize it, just release some of the fragrant oils. Add the rest of the schnapps and the bourbon, fill the glass with crushed ice and stir with the straw until the outside of the glass or cup is nice and frosty. Garnish with the remaining sprig of rosemary.

Details are almost as important as ingredients for a julep. The ice must absolutely be crushed–cubed ice just won’t do. The increased surface area of the crushed ice both chills the beverage and mixes down into the beverage more quickly than larger pieces of ice. Creating crushed ice is no more work than gathering ice cubes in a (clean, obviously) bar towel and beating it with your muddler until sufficiently broken up. The short straw is also crucial for two reasons: this is a drink to be savored over a period of time, not chased down in a hurry; the short straw also brings your nose in the range of the fresh herb garnish, adding to the overall flavor of the beverage (flavor being comprised of both taste and aroma, after all).

And remember, experiences are only as good as the memories they leave behind. Enjoy responsibly so you’re around to remember!

Cheers!

***I received a sample of Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon for the purpose of review and cocktail creation. This was a sponsored post, but all opinions expressed are my own.***

I’ll Drink to That: Lemon Edition

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The last time I saw an old-fashioned lemonade stand was actually just a couple months back during the local Parade of Homes. An enterprising youngster in one of the more developed neighborhoods was selling bottles of water as well as lemonade to thirsty parade-goers.

jvanderbeek_summerlemontipples

Lemonade is one of those perfect hot-weather drinks, doing well on it’s own whether left sweet and tart or combined with other fruits (strawberry, for instance) or even herbs (rosemary and basil both go very well in lemonade). Mix it with iced tea and you have an Arnold Palmer, and if the tea is Earl Grey then you can have your own version of the Earl of Sandwich’s Earl Grey Lemonade. And if you mix lemonade with beer, you end up with something called a Shandy.

Shandy is a bit of a thing these days and my friends farther to the north tell me Del’s is the brand to drink. I came across the Leinenkugel Summer Shandy first, though, and decided to give it a try. Now, the first time I tried it I wouldn’t say I loved it, but I didn’t hate it, either. I suppose it was a disconnect since I didn’t know what to expect and whatever I did expect this wasn’t it. The second time I tried it, that puzzling first taste over with, I actually enjoyed it more.

Now, considering it’s been three weeks and I haven’t finished the 6-pack, you can probably guess it’s not my favorite beverage ever, but then beer isn’t at the top of my spirits list anyway, so I suppose it’s following along with that.

Speaking of lemonade, though, I stumbled upon Pellegrino’s Limonata the other week while shopping and I thought it was more like the slightly-flavored fizzy water like the Perrier versions, so picked up a 6-pack for something a little different. Obviously I didn’t pay too much attention to the label as this is actually a sparkling lemonade and I’m in love. There was a grapefruit version next to it and I’m sure that’ll be among the next grocery run, but for now I’m rationing out the Limonata so I don’t over-indulge.

Of course, for true indulgence, I go straight to the freezer to pull out a bottle of limoncello. When we were at Disney for our honeymoon I didn’t do much day-drinking though the thought was there. One of our last afternoons, though, I purchased a limoncello from the cart in EPCOT’s Italy pavilion and it so refreshing. Having made my own limoncello I think I appreciate it a tiny bit more that I used to, but since I don’t usually have a surfeit of lemons, I’ll leave it to the masters once our homebrew batch is expended. (Unless we decide to plant a lemon tree, here–that might change things a bit!)

What about you–are you a fan of lemon in the heat of summer? Do you like yours sweet over ice, mixed with something else, or as far away as possible?