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50 Shots of America–West Virginia

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Gold and Delicious Cocktail

Gold and Delicious

I thought we were done with the east coast last time! Looks like I was mistaken. Again.

Turns out the powers that be in the state of Virginia were having some issues within themselves while the country as a whole was in a bit of an uproar. The idea that Virginia was going to secede from the Union didn’t sit too well with some folks in the western counties so they decided they’d just take themselves out of it and create their own rival state government (which was happily acknowledged by the Federal powers that be). On June 20, 1863, (after a 60-day waiting period), West Virginia became our 35th state and the only one to be formed by seceding from a Confederate state.

Coal is the name of the game in the Mountain State, so named because, well, it’s all mountains–Appalachian Mountains to be specific. A few other facts stood out for me as I was doing my research:

  • July 1, 1921: The first state sales tax in the US went into effect in West Virginia.
  • 1926: The first US federal prison for women opened in West Virginia.

Now, does anyone think those two facts might be related? I mean, you ask a woman to pay even MORE for her purchases and, well, sure… laws might get broken.

That’s probably not true, but it was the first thing to pop into my mind. (Admit it, yours too!)

Anyway, with all those mountains, agriculture isn’t any sort of main share of the state’s output. Do you know one thing that does grow in West ‘By God’ Virginia? Golden Delicious apples. Those yellow-skinned, buttery-tasting glorious apples were first discovered in 1775 near Wellsburg, in Clay County. They are my favorite type of apple, and sometimes hard to find, so that’s what this week’s cocktail is dedicated to.

Gold and Delicious

1 oz Apple Juice
1/2 oz Vanilla Vodka
1/4 oz Butterscotch Schnapps

Combine over ice and shake like a freight train full of coal. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

It may not be quite the same as biting into a crisp Golden Delicious apple, but it’s the next best thing in my book.

50 Shots of America–Arkansas

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Granny's Baked Apples

Granny's Baked Apples

Arkansas, our 25th state as of June 15, 1836, is no longer The Land of Opportunity.

No, seriously, they changed their motto to The Natural State back in the 1970s to boost their tourism profile.

What they are the land of is national parks, mountains, hot springs and agriculture–they’ve got poultry, beef and pork down pat!

They also have a high number of dry counties throughout the state: 42 of the 75 do not allow alcohol to be sold within their boundaries! And the counties that do sell it get the privilege of collecting loads of extra taxes–4% to start plus an additional 10% on cocktails and wine at restaurants!

Since we haven’t done a non-alcoholic drink in a while, now seems the appropriate time, doesn’t it?

Granny’s Baked Apples

1.5 oz Apple Juice
1 barspoon Sweetened Condensed Milk
splash of vanilla
sprinkle of cinnamon

Combine over ice and shake like you’re prospecting for gems in Crater of Diamonds State Park. Strain into a chilled cordial glass and top with cinnamon.

The primary inspirations for this drink are the state flower being the apple blossom and the state beverage being milk. I suppose if you just couldn’t hang with the lack of alcohol, you could always dash in some vanilla vodka instead of the plain vanilla.

And with this recipe we’re halfway through the 50 States!

50 Shots of America–New Hampshire

Sips

We’re already up to our ninth state, New Hampshire, which ratified the Constitution on June, 21, 1788. (So much for coincidental dates, I suppose we can save that lotto ticket!)

The Granite State was, of course, one of the original 13 colonies to rise up against British rule and I’m a bit confused as my sources (read as: Wikipedia) claim that our last state, South Carolina, was the first to declare independence from Great Britain and now New Hampshire wants that honor. You know what? Allowing for a certain possibility of error AND the zeitgeist that undoubtedly roosted in the minds of the various colonies, I’m gonna let last week’s statement stand and just go with the fact that they both had the idea at or around the same time.

I never said I was good at history, folks. This is, after all, about cocktails. I’m just looking for something interesting to base a drink around and holy cats are all these original colonies starting to sound alike! Moving on…

One of the salesmen at my office is from New Hampshire and is a very nice man. Based on he and his wife being the only New Hampshireans I know, I’m going to go with the presumption that all from the state are similarly lovely people as well as equally puzzled about the concept of sales tax and it’s various exemptions. Because New Hampshire has no sales tax or personal income tax (with the exception of dividends and interest), which is very cool. But before you start packing up and plan to move, you should probably also know that NH has one of the country’s highest property taxes as a result. It’s all a balancing act.

Just like mixing drinks! (Nice segue, there, doncha think?)

Blackbeard’s Orchard

1.5 oz Apple Juice(1)
.75 oz Spiced Rum(2)
.25 oz Goldschlagger(3)
splash Maple Syrup(4)

Combine all of the ingredients over ice in the mixing vessel of your choice(5). Shake like a leaf on the top of Mount Washington and strain into a chilled cordial or double shot glass.

Apparently Blackbeard the Pirate (2) used the Isle of Shoals (just off Hampton Beach) for, among other things, his honeymoon and it’s rumored that some of his treasure (3) is still buried there. Granted, it’s possible the treasure is on the Maine side of the Shoals but let’s not stop the inspiration train rolling, shall we?

Even though the state fruit of New Hampshire is the pumpkin, they do a considerable amount of agricultural dealings in apples (1). Then there’s the annual spring open houses at the sap houses (4); you’ve got some considerable sweetness going on in that state. And, despite the annual PorcFest (Porcupine Freedom Festival), this drink is rather smooth thanks to the addition of the maple syrup.

Finally, we kitcheny types owe a major debt to Mr. Earl Tupper of Berlin, NH, as he invented the wonder that is Tupperware(5) in 1933. For that reason I would suggest you forgo your usual cocktail shaker (be it the 3-piece or Boston versions) and, instead, mix up a batch of these for your next home party in the Quick Shake for that extra bit of special.