How you doin’? To many people fall is the most beautiful time of the year. The leaves on the trees begin to turn from green to all colors of the fall rainbow. There is the scent of fireplaces in the air. And then there are the aromas of the foods we eat and the drink. They are something altogether different from summer barbecues and cookouts. An early fall cocktail straddles the seasons and bridges over to the holidays that we love. Great happy hour cocktails must have a jigger of summer—something light, bright, and refreshing—and it must also offer a little warmth of autumn spices and flavors—making you feel all cozy on the inside. Looking back on the past year, you deserve a little something special. It has been one of the strangest times of my life. Let’s put it all behind us and enjoy a few weeks of cocktails. The drinks in my early fall collection may sound fancy, but they’re not—just a little something special to take you from now to the end of the year and hopefully to the end of the pandemic. X-Rated Spicy Cocoa & Mezcal Cocktail This is hot cocoa all “growed-up” and ready for prime time. It has flavor notes of the mezcal, ancho chile, cinnamon and semi-sweet dark chocolate blended to create a flavor reminiscent of your childhood. It’s like a hot cocoa that’s been cooked on an open fire—slightly sweet and a touch smoky heat. It’s made with both cocoa powder and melted chocolate, making it more thick and chocolaty than the ‘Quick” stuff—that’s for kids. Don’t let it fool you it packs a wallop with a shot of mezcal. Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes Yield: 4 cocktails Ingredients 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (salt enhance the chocolate flavor) 2 cups whole milk 6 cinnamon sticks, divided 1 whole dried ancho chile pod, split 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about 64%), chopped 5 ounces mezcal Garnish with whipped cream, chile powder and dark chocolate shavings Directions
ChefSecret: The mezcal is added late in the process. If one of your guests is abstaining, it’s easy to leave the alcohol out. The spicy hot cocoa makes a nice sippin’ dessert all by itself. Pear Pomegranate Mule It’s not a Russian conspiracy. A Moscow Mule just kicks you in the butt like, well, a mule. This year I’ve taken this classic cocktail and twisted it all up in fall colors with the addition of pear nectar and unsweetened pomegranate juice. The pomegranate zips up the pucker power, giving it some sweet, tangy depth while balancing out the ginger beer and sweet pear notes. Pear Pomegranate Mules is perfect fall cocktail for any happy hour. This cocktail is stirred, not shaken, so make a small pitcher of them. At our restaurants Mules were always served in a copper or pewter mug, which sets it apart from an ordinary cocktail. Plus, vodka is much less controversial than tequila or bourbon. Pretty much everyone loves a mule, and it’s very slyly boozy — all the business of the day will slide away in no time. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 3 ripe pears, any variety, peeled, cored and chopped 1-1/2 ounces unsweetened pomegranate juice 1/2 lime, juiced 2 ounces vodka 6 ounces ginger beer Ice cubes Garnish: pomegranate seeds and a pear slice (optional) Directions
Aperol-Cranberry-Spice Cocktail Here is the perfect cool weather cocktail to carry you through the fall and into the year-end holiday celebrations. Aperol is a semi-dry apéritif from northern Italy that tastes like a combination of bitter grapefruit and a sweet, melted Orange’sicle. We’ve muddled it with light, floral Lillet Blanc, tart cranberries, fresh orange slices and candied ginger. It’s a classic spritz, you’d normally top-off with Champagne, but in this recipe, I used a dry hard cider, which imparts subtle fall apple notes. It’s the perfect light, pre-meal cocktail that you can carry into the dining room for dinner. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1/4 orange wedge, peeled 13 fresh cranberries, divided 2 one-inch pieces crystallized ginger, minced, plus 1 slice for garnish 2 ounces Aperol 1 ounce Lillet Blanc 4 dashes Angostura bitters Ice 4 ounces dry hard cider, such as Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Directions
ChefSecret: Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant red-orange hue. Its name comes from the French slang word for aperitif, which is apero. Lillet is made from Bourdeaux grapes along with macerated fruit liqueurs, which gives it a pleasantly fruity, but not overly sweet, character. While Lillet Blanc (the white version) is delicious on ice, with a twist of orange or lemon and a splash of soda, it's also a brilliant cocktail ingredient. Bourbon Apple Fizz What do you do with all those leftover apple peels from making apple pie? The heart of the Bourbon Apple Fizz is a bright pink simple syrup made with thyme, lemon juice and Honeycrisp apple peels. It is as bright and sweet as a perfectly ripe apple. The thyme adds a welcome savory note well played. I start with apple-thyme syrup laced with bourbon, a little more thyme and lemon juice, and then top it off with ginger beer. The bourbon and apple-thyme syrup with the ginger beer gives this drink a light and fizzy taste. If you like an Old Fashioned, you’ll definitely love this cocktail. What do I do with leftover apple-thyme syrup? Depending on how many fizzes you make, you’ll have leftovers of the syrup. Use it to make other drinks, like Old Fashioneds or even iced tea. It’s also great drizzled over vanilla ice cream. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients Ice 2 ounces apple-thyme syrup (see recipe below) 1 ounce fresh lemon juice 2 ounces American bourbon 2 fresh sprigs thyme 1-1/2 ounces ginger beer Garnish with an apple slice and a sprig of thyme Directions
Apple-Thyme Syrup Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: about 10 minutes Yield: 2 cups Ingredients 4 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled (reserve the apples for another use) 1 cup granulated sugar 1-1/2 cups water 4 sprigs thyme, divided 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Directions
Negroni Cocktail As the story is told the Negroni Cocktail was invented by Count Camillo Negroni in 1919. Cocktail historians say that Count Negroni, a gambler and a bit of a rogue, liked to frequent the Caffé Casoni in Florence, Italy, and drink Americanos—apéritifs made with Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda. Perhaps the drink was too sweet, fizzy and light because the count asked the bartender to fortify the drink by swapping out the club soda for gin—the Negroni was born. The count was so fond of his invention that he would drink up to 40 Negronis a day. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1 ounce gin 1 ounce Campari 1 ounce sweet vermouth 1 colossal ice cube Garnish: orange twist Special equipment: large ice cube tray and funnels available on Amazon for under $10. Directions
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “There is new information about coronavirus almost every day. It’s so confusing! It’s kind of like the iPhone—as soon as I get COVID-19 they’ll just release COVID-20 and it will start all over again.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Cocktail #HappyHour #FallCocktails #Mezcal #Cocoa #MuleCocktail #Aperol #Lillet #Bourbon #Negroni #Campari #Vodka #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup © Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
For over 4 decades collaboration and vision have been the cornerstones of our approach to developing innovative solutions. We fuel innovation, uncover opportunities, discover trends and embrace sustainability, turning imaginative ideas into profitable realities. Categories
All
Archives
November 2024
|