Hello all,

In my spare time I like to come up with my own recipes for drinks. This is a recipe that I came up with while waiting for my Italian dinner to finish baking. I thought about some of the key ingredients that are in a lot of Italian drinks or foods for example vanilla, lemon, and white wine. What I came up with was something called Italian Sparkle.  Its light, has a hint of vanilla, and it adds to any dish.

The Italian Sparkle

¾ bottle of dry white wine
1 ½ oz of Ginger Ale
10 oz of club soda
1 ½ oz of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
¾ oz of lemon juice
2 oz of Apricot Brandy

Mix in chilled pitcher
Chill champagne flutes or wine glasses
Garnish the flutes or glasses with lemon slice

Serves – 8 champagne flutes

Bourbon drinkers have offered mixed reviews of the latest from Jim Beam: Red Stag Black Cherry Infused Bourbon. I tend to lean to the thumb-down end of that spectrum. (Although Red Stag is rather subtler than I expected, and not quite the Robitussin swill some have described. And it is clearly aimed at the Beam-and-Coke crowd, who may like it just fine.) But the appearance of the drink led me to wonder: how good could cherry and Bourbon be?

Image courtesy of Avenue Food, Creative Commons License

For help, I asked my first-call cherry masters, the Luxardo family of Torreglia, Italy. The Luxardos are responsible for the great maraschino cherry liqueur–a requisite ingredient in any bar–as well as a host of other cherry products, including whole amarena cherries and a syrup made of real maraschino cherry juice (that's "mara-skeeno," and marks the true and original cherry of that name, not the little artificial radioactive-red fruits endemic to American liquor cabinets). A cocktail of good, strong Beam Bourbon, layered with amarena syrup and the extra bitter Punt y Mes vermouth leads to a cherryish but quite complex cocktail, with a nice thickness that could even work as an after-dinner sip. Serving it on the rocks with a splash of soda cuts the richness if you like.

Giacomo Fascio's Rosso Cervo Cocktail

45 ml (1.5 oz) Jim Beam Baker's Bourbon
15 ml (.5 oz) Luxardo Amarena syrup
15 ml (.5 oz) Punt y Mes

Combine in a shaker with ice and stir for 20 seconds. Serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with three Luxardo Amarena cherries, and pour a floater of Sazerac Rye on top.

1. When hosting a tasting try and pick foods that pair with multiple selections.
   The beer we served had different flavor profiles and I found a few items that matched with multiple beers. A few examples were a selection of stinky cheeses from Cork and Bottle, a nice salty prochuttio, mini quiches and a lean meat like buffalo or lamb. The stinky cheeses were able to hold up to a few of the hoppier beers and the lean meat (buffalo) worked with a few of the more herbal beers. However, having multiple different flavors of food allowed people to try different flavors along side the beer to how food changed what they were drinking.
2. Try to prepare food that can sit in a crock pot or warming plate.
   This is something I have learned for all parties. The worst feeling is having to stay in the kitchen waiting for food to finish cooking and missing the socialization that was the reason for the gathering in the first place. Most of the food I listed above was able to sit out the entire time everyone was here. I planned for the last dish to finish about 5 minutes after the party was supposed to start which seems to work well for when most of our friends arrive.
   

3. All sizes of beer can be shared.
   Most of the bottles I had were 750 ml bottles shared across 5 beer drinkers and 1 person who was just sampling. The origonal plan was for a total of 8 people and each of those bottles had enough with lighter pours that we could have easily served 10 or so. Later in the evening, I broke out a few 12 oz bottles that I had and those were also easily shared with the entire group. I was surprised as I thought that the smaller bottles would not have enough to share, but everyone poured enough to taste and there was still plenty to share.
4. Remember to relax and enjoy the evening.
   As a know beer lover and someone who tries to make sure that there is something for everyone, this is one of the tougher things to remember. If a pairing does not work like it should, treat that as an excuse to discuss why you picked the flavors and figure out what may have worked better. This time, I made the mini quiches with a Kahill's Irish cheese with Guinness. My thought was the stout in the cheese would complement a few of the darker beers that we tried. It was a less than perfect pairing as the dark beers were porter styled and the quiche worked better with a few of the lighter IPA styles instead. I did not expect that, but the egg mixture offset the cheese more than I expected. It was not what I intended, but I learned something from the experience and had a great time discussing why something worked and figuring out why it did not.

Overall, the evening was a great success and I am working on getting notes and recipes put together for a future post. Any other suggestions on how to host a beer pairing party? Tips or tricks that I don't know about?

 - Kevin

Image Credit

Alternatively, I also recommend a Sangriatini – one of my favorite drinks that can easily be made by the glass instead of by the punch bowl.

But back to that punch bowl … here are three versions I like to make for summer parties: red, followed by pink and white after the jump. The red version – Sangria Rouge – is my favorite.

Oh, and Sangria goes great with Paella!

Sangria Rouge
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup OJ
1/3 cup lemon juice from concentrate
1/3 cup lime juice from concentrate
2-750 ml bottles of medium-dry red wine, chilled (burgundy or 3 Thieves jug wines work well)
Fruit slices: Orange, peach, plum, other fruits
Ice

1. In pitcher or bowl, combine sugar and juices.
2. Stir until sugar dissolves.
3. Cover and chill.
4. Just before serving, add wine and fruit.
5. Serve over ice.

Sangria Blush
1 cup OJ
1/2 cup sugar
1-1.5L wine zinfandel
1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
1 lime, thinly sliced and seeded
1 orange, thinly sliced and seeded
16-20 ice cubes

1. Combine OJ and sugar in small pan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.
3. Pour into a 2 quart container with tight-fitting lid.
4. Add wine, lime or lemon juice, and fruit.
5. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to blend flavors.
6. Place ice cubes in small bowl or large pitcher.
7. Pour mixture over ice.

Sangria Blanca
1 bottle Spanish white wine (I recommend a bottle of Naia)
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup peach brandy
6 tbsp thawed lemonade concentrate
8 oz sliced peaches
1 cup sliced green grapes
1 cup sliced red grapes

1. Mix together wine, sugar, brandy, and lemonade until well mixed.
2. Add in the fruits and refrigerate overnight. (Nicely alcoholic fruits at this point.)
3. Serve the next day from a large pitcher filled with ice.

We went to Arnold's last night for a showing of Every Christmas Story Ever Told!! by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. It's my favorite show they offer all year, showcasing my favorite performers in the company. It's also completely unrelated to Shakespeare and a wonderful homage to Rankin-Bass, Charles Schultz, a Christmas Carol, and It's a Wonderful Life. Think of it as a Reduced Shakespeare sort of play – but with all the Christmas specials you know and love (with a little Sarah Palin thrown in for good measure).

While at Arnold's, Kevin had some of their famous eggnog. I have no idea how they make it at Arnold's, but it's quite the popular drink. As Kevin put it, "that's how eggnog should taste."

He's referencing eggnog we had the night before. Because I'm trying to get healthy, we have been buying Silk (soy milk) instead of regular milk. This time, we took a chance on the Silk Eggnog. Kevin added bourbon to his; I added brandy. Neither one of us was overly thrilled. In fact, I couldn't even finish mine. So I recommend passing on the soy milk eggnog this year, in case you're curious.

I've always been partial to brandy in my nog, and Kevin swears by bourbon. A late-night History Channel special (Christmas Unwrapped) told me differently the other day. Eggnog is made with rum. Apparently, "nog" is derivative of "grog," which meant any drink made with rum. I'm going to start using "grog" in my everyday communications, I think.

I still hold that eggnog uses brandy, and here's recipe – which I entered at the newly launched Foodista wiki – that I highly recommend. It mixes some of the best things in life together: melty ice cream, brandy, Kahlua, and cinnamon.

Yield: 1 gallon of egg nog

Preparation

Image Credit via Creative Commons

1. Progressive. I wish there were more progressive dinner parties out there. Moving from one house to another is fantastic, spreading out the responsibility of hosting a party so that there is less stress for everyone involved. You can take the progressive theme and spin all sorts of variations: progressive dinner, progressive dessert, or progressive cocktails. (Make sure there is a cab company available if you go with this one.) While it definitely works from house to house, I think this would also be a great way to socialize with your neighbors in an apartment or condo complex – all those people down the hall or down a floor that you’ve seen but never met. A single building progressive party has several advantages, including never seeing the snow and never being more than a stumble away from home.

2. Potluck. Don’t wrinkle your nose. Sure, the name may call up church dinners, but there are so many twists on this old standard. Again, you’re spreading the responsibility by asking others to bring a dish. Here are just a couple of ideas:

• Dessert potluck. Host a dessert party with everyone bringing a dessert dish. A lot of fun, fewer dishes, and suitable for slightly later in the evening, reducing the number of hours you’re playing hostess.
• Cheese and wine. A friend of mine recently attended a cheese and wine party. Everyone brought their own cheese and wine and shared. Imagine all those bottles and cheeses lined up in a row. Classy and economical.
• Wine. Always, you can provide your own food but ask folks to bring their own bottle of wine to share. You can take this a step further and turn it into a blind wine tasting. You’d be surprised at how much fun this is and how it de-mystifies wine a little when you can’t see what you’re drinking. Make sure you have a lot of water available for rinsing, and dump buckets. Ice buckets, vases, and pitchers make great dump buckets with a creative twist.

**Bonus Tip** Ask everyone to bring their own wine glass. It adds a touch of fun (people bring some great glassware) and saves you from two things: losing a glass if one breaks and having to wash countless pieces of stemware.

3. Small dishes and comfort food. My mom used to make tiny little cold cut sandwiches to serve at parties and everyone loved them, perhaps because they were so tiny. But for Mom, they were quick and economical. In fact, comfort food makes for some great mini dishes. Dish out macaroni and cheese into ramekins, make grilled cheese sandwiches sliced into quarters and served on a big platter, or make a bunch of mini cheeseburgers. All can be created easily and on a budget.

4. Fondue. Need I say more? A couple of fondue pots (you can always borrow from friends) and some melted chocolate, melted cheese, along with fruits, marshmallows, and more. You can get creative with fondue and still manage to keep the costs down. Make sure you have plenty of napkins and little [disposable] plates on hand. Station fondue pots throughout the house to keep people from gathering in one spot. The hardest part of a fondue party? Cleaning out the fondue pots!

5. Big drinks. If you’re not requesting everyone bring a bottle of wine, then you’re opening yourself up for a huge bar bill. Kevin and I usually end up spending over $200 on alcohol alone for our parties. There are ways around this – make your drinks in bulk. Don’t offer a bar-full of drinks. Offer a signature drink. In the past, I’ve made sangria, served in martini glasses, as well as crockpot mulled cider. You can make both in bulk cheaply and easily. Limiting the drink choices eliminates the alcohol strain on your budget. The recipe for cider is after the jump, and I’ve previously written about a recipe for a Sangria-tini you can make in bulk.

6. Finally, think small. Not just small foods, but small parties. Have a small intimate party with just immediate family or closest friends. A small dinner party is more affordable, less work, and often more rewarding than 50 people in and out of your home over the course of an evening. Not up for dinner? Kevin and I once hosted a breakfast party where we served quiche and enjoyed 2 bottles of Champagne with another couple.

However you entertain this holiday season, keep in mind what’s important – close friends, family, and a boatload of holiday cheer. Got some creative tips for economical fun this holiday season? I’d love to hear your tips, tricks, and stories in the comments.

Cheers!
Michelle

Crockpot Mulled Cider

Serves 24-30

6 quarts apple cider
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tsp whole cloves
3 tsp whole allspice
6 cinnamon sticks
3/4 tsp salt
dash ground nutmeg (optional)
Golden or spiced rum (optional)

• Put cloves and allspice together in teaball. You may need to use multiple teaballs.
• Put all ingredients, plus teaball(s) but minus the rum, in a crockpot.
• Cook on low for 2-8 hours. Basically, you’re just heating it all together, which is why it can stay in the crockpot up to 8 hours.

Tip: The longer it’s in the crockpot, the better your home will smell.

• Stir occasionally to dissolve sugar.

Rum: The rum adds a great kick to the cider, but is optional and should not be cooked with the rest of the ingredients. Let guests add the rum to their mug accordingly, although 1-1/2 oz  is the recommended amount.

Serving: I usually put a big ladle by the crockpot and let everyone spoon the cider into mugs.

If you just can’t bring yourself to enjoy a mint julep, then how about some bourbon slush? It’s an icee, really, sweetened with lemonade, peach tea, 7Up, and Bourbon. Peach tea is really what gives it the great flavor.

I got my tried-and-true bourbon slush recipe from my friend Kate. I posted it about two years ago I think, and it’s time for a re-post of the recipe, after the jump. For the slush, you don’t need to use a really high-end bourbon – Old Crow will do. Remember, you’re just sort of destroying it by mixing it in with all that other stuff, sort of like a Bourbon Sangria.

Enjoy!

Kate’s Bourbon Slush

Step 1: Tea
2 1/2 cups boiling water
2 peach tea bags
1 cup sugar

Combine the boiling water and tea bags.
Once the tea is set,
remove the bags and pourinto a large plastic container. (There must be
room for the tea to expand once in the freezer.)
Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Step 2: Those yummy flavors
6 cups cold water
1 large can, frozen lemonade
1 small can, frozen orange juice
2 cups Kentucky bourbon (I tend to add just a little more for fun)

Add remaining ingredients to the tea.
Stir until all ingredients are well blended.
Freeze
in plastic container, covered, for 6 to 8 hours, sometimes longer
depending on your freezer. Spoon into glasses and top off with Sprite
or 7Up.

But it’s autumn, and I usually love autumn. I love the crispness of the air and the crackle of the leaves under my feet. And I love the chance to make mulled cider.

Today, I’m sharing with you my incredibly easy mulled cider recipe. You need a crock pot, and let’s go from there.

Shel’s Mulled Cider

2 quarts apple cider
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp whole cloves
1tsp whole allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
¼ tsp salt
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 ½ oz rum (per mug)

1. With cloves and allspice in a large teaball, cook all ingredients in a crockpot on low for 2-8 hours.

2. Stir occasionally/rarely to dissolve sugar.

Alternatively, you can cook in a pan on the stovetop on low heat 20-30 minutes until simmering.

3. Pour your favorite golden rum into each mug, but do not cook with the rum. A cinnamon stick in each mug is also a nice festive touch.

Enjoy!