by Kathy Douglas | Nov 9, 2021 | Appetizers, Cocktails, Holiday
The perfect way to start your Thanksgiving celebration! Leaf-shaped cheese crackers served with a bourbon, cider, and orange juice cocktail. Napkins are available from Paper Source!
Cheese Leaf-shaped crackers
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
¼ cup finely grated pecorino Romano Cheese
¼ cup mixed bread seed topper
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix together the starter, flour, salt, butter, and cheese to make a dough. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Flour your work surface, rolling pin, and the top of the dough.
Roll it about 1/8″ thick. Cut out in leaf shapes and place on a parchment lined sheet trays.
Sprinkle with seeds, pressing to make them stick.
Bake the crackers for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re starting to brown around the edges. Cool completely.
Bourbon Cider Cocktail
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice
1-inch piece of fresh ginger sliced into thin rings
One thin slice from a blood orange
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add cider, bourbon, orange juice, and ginger slices; shake until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange slice.
by Kathy Douglas | Apr 27, 2021 | Cocktails
It’s a lemony sparkling cocktail just in time for Derby – Mint Julep Lemonade. Made with bourbon, mint simple syrup, fresh lemon juice and sparkling water. It’s easy to prepare and a delicious alternative cocktail to serve on Derby Day, any Spring celebration, or just to cool off on a hot night.
INGREDIENTS
Mint leaves, lightly crushed
1.5 oz Makers Mark
1.5 oz freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
1.5 oz Mint Simple Syrup* – recipe below
Sparkling Water, such as San Pellegrino
Thinly sliced Lemon for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Add several fresh mint leaves with ice to a 10-ounce tall glass.
In a cocktail shaker, combine the Maker’s Mark, Lemon Juice, Mint Simple Syrup and shake with ice. Strain into the glass. Top with sparkling water and stir. Garnish with a lemon slice.
*combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup water in a saucepan. Cook until the sugar melts and the
liquid is crystal clear. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup of fresh mint leaves. Set aside to
cool completely, then strain into a container, saving the liquid and discarding the leaves.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 7, 2017 | Cocktails
Granitas are so easy to make and really hit the spot on hot summer days. Created with a simple syrup base or juice, and with or without alcohol, Granitas are then frozen and scraped with a fork until light and snowcone fluffy. We feature a juice-based Orange Cherry version, a sparkling wine Mimosa version, and we threw in a Mint Julep version because we love our state spirit.
Cherry Orange Granita
INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh orange juice
2 cups frozen pitted dark sweet cherries
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the simple syrup – combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat and simmer 2-3 minutes until the syrup is clear. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Place the orange juice and cherries in a blender; process for 1 minute or until pureed, stopping as necessary to scrape sides. Combine with the orange zest, simple syrup, and pour into an 11 x 7 baking dish. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or until firm. Remove mixture from freezer and scrape entire mixture with a fork until light and fluffy; serve.
Mimosa Granita
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 cups fresh orange juice
2 cups Champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling wine
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the simple syrup – combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat and simmer 2-3 minutes until the syrup is clear. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Combine the orange juice, Champagne, and lime juice with the simple syrup and pour into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or until firm. Remove mixture from freezer and scrape entire mixture with a fork until fluffy; serve.
Mint Julep Granita
INGREDIENTS
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
⅔ cup fresh mint sprigs
1 cup Kentucky bourbon
Garnish – Mint sprigs
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the simple syrup – combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat and simmer 2-3 minutes until the syrup is clear. Stir in chopped mint and remove from the heat; cool completely. Then pour the syrup through a strainer, pressing on the mint solids to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard the mint and set the syrup aside.
Stir the bourbon into the simple syrup and pour into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or until firm. Remove mixture from freezer; scrape entire mixture with a fork until fluffy. Serve in glasses with a mint sprig garnish.
by Kathy Douglas | Apr 21, 2017 | Cocktails
Who needs pie when you can have a pie cocktail? These tasty mini drinks start with the shot glass rimmed in ground pecans and sweetened chocolate. The shooters are a combination of bourbon, liquors, and cream making a delicious boozy chocolate pecan pie in a shot glass. We guarantee your guests will love this new twist on a Kentucky Derby classic dessert.
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup toasted pecan pieces
¼ cup sweet ground cocoa
2 tablespoons simple syrup*
1 ounce Makers Mark bourbon
1 ½ ounces Rivulet Artisanal Pecan Liquor, available at Liquor Barn
2 ounces Godiva Dark Chocolate Liquor
2 ounces Whipping Cream
INSTRUCTIONS
Grind the toasted pecans in a spice grinder until finely ground. In a small bowl, add an equal amount of sweet, ground cocoa to the ground pecans and combine thoroughly. In a shallow dish add a small amount of simple syrup. Dip the top of the shot glass in the simple syrup, then in the pecan chocolate mixture to rim the top of the shot glass
In a cocktail shaker, add some ice, then the bourbon, pecan liquor, Godiva, and whipping cream. Shake for 30 seconds and strain into a liquid measuring cup. Pour into the shot glasses. Our recipe makes six shooter size drinks.
* If you don’t have simple syrup on hand, you can quickly prepare it by combining equal parts white sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat on the stove, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Then cool the liquid to room temperature before using.
by Kathy Douglas | Feb 13, 2017 | Cocktails
This Valentine’s Day, shake-up a candy-sweet cocktail for your Valentine! The secret to our tasty drink is “Red Hots” cinnamon candies melted in water to create red-hots simple syrup. After cooling, the syrup is then shaken with ice, vodka, and grenadine. To finish, simply strain into a martini glass and add a candy heart to the rim.
INGREDIENTS
Red Hots simple syrup
4-ounces of cinnamon Red Hots candy
½ cup water
1 teaspoon white sugar
4 drops red food coloring
Cocktail
2 ounces Red Hots simple syrup
2 ounces Vodka
1 teaspoon grenadine
Gummy candy hearts
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the syrup
Add the Red Hots candy to a saucepan and cover with ½ cup water. Over medium-low heat, dissolve the candy into the water swirling occasionally. As the candy continues to melt, it starts to stick together and to the bottom of the pan. When this happens, use a wooden spoon to stir constantly until the Red Hots completely melt and dissolve into the water, about 5-6 minutes. Add the white sugar and cook another minute or until it completely dissolves. Add the red food coloring, stir in completely, and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool. Makes about 1 cup of syrup or 4 cocktails.
To make the cocktail
In a cocktail shaker, add a scoop of ice, the Red Hots simple syrup, vodka, and grenadine. Shake for 30 seconds and strain into a martini glass. Using kitchen scissors, snip a ¼” slit into the side of one gummy heart. Slide it onto the rim of the martini glass and serve. Makes one cocktail.
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