COCKTAILS

Charm City Meadworks

categories: COCKTAILS, Liquor Reviews

Last month I attended the “Strangers with Style Meet and Mix” at Six Point Studios in Baltimore, MD.  The event featured a specialty cocktail mixed with mead from local meadery Charm City Meadworks.   In case you are not familiar with mead, it’s a fermented wine made from honey and water.

charmcitymeadworks
Photo from the Charm City Meadworks Facebook

Charm City Meadworks makes four mead flavors, Original, Rosemary, Cinnamon and Sweet Blossom.  Some people like to drink mead straight, but it is a sweet wine and it’s often paired with opposite flavors to balance the taste. Charm City Meadworks also makes an assortment of beers in flavors such as Wildflower, Elderberry and Basil Lemongrass.  They also have seasonal flavors “Pumpkin” for Fall and “Retire by the Fire” for Winter. I’m not much of a beer person and I tend to stick with sweet beers and ciders. I did sample the beer, I forget which flavor, but it was a satisfying alternative to my usual cider.

For this event the signature cocktail was “Granddads with Style” and the mead of choice was cinnamon. It’s funny because when I was a bartender the only time I served Old Granddad Whiskey was to older men or granddads and now I’m excited to see the younger generation embracing it… everything old is new again.

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The “Old Granddad” Cocktail

This cocktail was a perfect mix of sweet with a little cinnamon spice.  I could taste the cinnamon mead flavor notes and the apple cider gave it a seasonal crisp taste.   It’s very easy to make and is a good addition to your Fall/Winter cocktail list.

Ingredients: 

1 oz  Old Granddad Bourbon Whiskey

1 oz. Charm City Meadworks Cinnamon Mead

1/2 oz Apple Cider

Splash of Peach Schnapps or Peach Syrup

Instructions: 

Pour all ingredients  into a cocktail shaker.

Shake well

Pour mix serve over ice

Garnish with a cinnamon spice apple slice

Charm City Meadworks is available for purchase at local Maryland/Washington DC farmers markets, liquor stores and wine distributors.  The cost varies ranging from $10.00 – $13.00 depending on your purchase. Charm City Meadworks also hosts tap tastings on Friday Evenings and Saturday Afternoons at their local meadery in Baltimore.  For a list of purchase locations, events and additional information, please visit their website at http://charmcitymeadworks.com/

Wit & Wisdom: Winter Cocktails

categories: COCKTAILS

Last week I visited Wit & Wisdom Restaurant  in the Four Seasons Hotel (200 International Drive).   I’m always amazed at the lobby flower display because it’s always beautiful and different every time I visit.  They’ve already completed their Christmas decorations with not one, but three beautiful Christmas trees.

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Cocktails by the Fire at Wit & Wisdom

But my real love for Wit & Wisdom will always be their cocktails. The bar uses fresh ingredients in every cocktail. They take time to muddle, stir and strain each libation and add fresh garnish to the glass.  Last winter when I visited I ordered the Espresso Martini and my friend ordered the Hot Buttered Rum.

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Espresso Martini and Hot Buttered Rum

These cocktails are perfect for those cold winter nights (or days).  Even though Wit and Wisdom is already in the holiday spirit with their Christmas decorations, they did not have a special Winter Cocktail Menu or daily winter cocktails available yet.  Technically the official start of Winter is Dec 22., so I was a little early.  The Espresso Martini can be made anytime, but the Hot Buttered Rum is made seasonally.

Hot Buttered Rum Recipe 

  • 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 ounces dark rum
  • 3/4 cups boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

  1. Combine butter, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl and mix about 2 minutes.

  2. Combine the spiced butter mix with Rum and pour into glasses.  Pour 3/4 cup boiling water over each glass and stir. Top with whipped cream (optional)

Lemondrop
Wit and Wisdom “Lemon Drop Martini”

If you happen to visit Wit & Wisdom check out their specialty cocktail menu, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to see what winter cocktails they will include on this season’s menu.

 

Military Mule: A Veterans Day Cocktail

categories: COCKTAILS

Today is Veterans Day in the United States, a day for all Americans to salute and support our Veterans.   I am an celebrating this Veterans Day  with a refreshing Military Mule.   I came up with a  name for this cocktail a few months ago when I bartended an event for a United States Veteran.  I like to come up with names for my signature cocktails because it makes bartending fun and festive.

Military Mule

There are different variations of the “Mule” cocktail.  There is the Moscow Mule, Irish Mule, Kentucky Mule and the list goes on.  You can add any liquor you like but what makes it a “mule” is the Ginger Beer.  The Military Mule I created is a Kamikaze Cocktail  (Vodka, Triple Sec and  Lime Juice) topped with Ginger Beer.   The Kamikaze shot I chose for obvious military reference reasons and I added the ginger beer because ginger beer makes everything taste better .

Ingredients: 

2 oz  Vodka

1 oz. Triple Sec

Juice from a half lime

Ginger Beer

Instructions: 

Pour Vodka, Triple Sec and Lime Juice  into a cocktail shaker.

Shake well

Pour mix serve over ice

Add Ginger Beer

 

Pumpkin Cider Cocktail

categories: COCKTAILS

Contrary to popular belief the end of October is not the official end of Pumpkin season. Pumpkins can flourish through the months of November and December.  Coffee houses still sell their pumpkin spice lattes and your granny will still make her pumpkin pie.  So put all those pumpkin products to use this month!  Last month I noticed Pumpkin Cider while shopping in Aldi Supermarket.  I’m a fan of apple cider, but I have never sampled pumpkin cider.  Not one to shy away from a challenge, I purchased the Natures Nectar Sparkling Spiced Pumpkin Cider and created a fall pumpkin cocktail.  The pumpkin cider tastes like it sounds, it had the bitter taste and texture of an apple cider but with a pumpkin flavor.

Pumpkin Cider

Ingredients: 

2 oz Vanilla Vodka

2 oz Natures Nectar Sparkling Spiced Pumpkin Cider

Club Soda

Instructions: 

Pour vodka and cider  into a cocktail shaker.

Shake well

Pour mix serve over ice

Add splash of club soda

Have you ever tried Pumpkin Cider?  What did you mix it with?

Whiskey Sour

categories: COCKTAILS

I fondly remember whiskey being the first dark liquor I ever tasted and I fell in love from the very start.  I actually think I like the smell of whiskey more than the taste. It’s a flavorful spirit and goes very well with a sweet mix like honey, cherry and peach or a sour mix like lemon or lime. According to Wikipedia the oldest mention of a Whiskey Sour cocktail was 1870. My absolute  favorite holiday cocktail is Evan Williams Whiskey Egg Nog, it’s egg nog whiskey straight from the bottle and ready to drink.  National Whiskey Sour Day is August 25th so I decided to make the classic drink.

For my Whiskey Sour I used Evan Williams Tennessee Whiskey.  It’s fairly affordable as the average price is $14-$17.

Ingredients: 

2 oz Bourbon Whiskey

1 oz Sour Mix (2 Freshly Squeezed Lemons and 2 Freshly Squeezed Limes)

1 oz Simple Syrup

Lemon Wheel Garnish (Optional)

Instructions: 

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.

Shake well.

Pour mix serve over ice

Add Lemon Wheel Garnish

*Makes Three Cocktails

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Celebrate National Rum Month with Blue Chair Bay Rum

categories: COCKTAILS

August is National Rum Month and Arli’s Appetite has teamed up again with Blue Chair Bay to create the perfect drink.  Blue Chair Bay offers seven rum flavors and I decided to use the Coconut Spiced Rum again because I created lots of delicious cocktails with the last bottle and I wanted to stick with what I know.

The idea behind this drink was to create a tropical oasis that was easy to make at home and nothing says “tropical vacation” like a Pina Colada. I decided to go the non-traditional route and serve it neat over ice instead of frozen.

Ingredients: 

2 oz Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum

1 oz Pineapple Juice

1 oz Club Soda

Pineapple Garnish (Optional)

Instructions: 

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.

Shake well.

Pour mix over ice

Add pineapple garnish

This is just one of two entries into the Blue Chair Bay Blogtender Nation.

For more information and recipes with Blue Chair Bay Premium Rum visit http://bit.ly/T8evTg  and their Facebook http://on.fb.me/1opiAw2

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