Holiday Cheers! Dinner Menu
No need to dread entertaining friends and family this holiday.
Keep it simple and fun. Use that extra time to bond with your loved ones. Instead of making a large elaborate meal; design a creative and memorable menu complete with dishes and cocktails that will excite taste buds and stimulate conversation.
We teamed up with Elise from @cookinwithbooze to design a creative and easy 3-course Holiday meal Infused with a little something extra -booze. Perfect for those who enjoy a certain kick in each dish and sip!
For Starters
This Amaro based cocktail was meant to set the tone for the evening. Intended as a mellow cocktail, ‘Bi-Coastal’ – uses Bacardi 8 to add spice aroma and rich color to the mixture. A bit of citrus is added for acidity and the apple juice to round out the flavors. I strongly believe apple juice is under used in cocktails.
Its mildly sweet light taste make it a perfect compliment to aged spirits like this Bacardi 8. Apple juice like apples come in a variety flavors based on the type of apple. Sample an assortment of apples to determine your favorite variety.
Bi-Coastal
1 oz of Montenegro
1 oz of Bacardi 8
2 oz of Apple Juice
¼ oz of Lemon Juice
Garnish – Amaro soaked Apple slice/Lavender leaf
Add ingredients to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice; shake passionately. Strain mixture into coupe glass. Place garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
Main Dish
Gin is such a great palette cleanser. The herbal notes seem to wash out all previous taste while you breath in fresh floral ‘smells’. Fortified by Ginger Liqueur and pineapple juice; this cocktails purpose is to let the main course shine.
Season’s Best
1 oz of Gin
¾ oz of Domaine di Canton
2 oz of Pineapple Juice
1 oz of Honey Syrup
½ oz of Lime Juice
Garnish – Lime Peel
Add ingredients to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice; shake passionately. Strain mixture into rocks glass full of ice. Place garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
Elise created a cheeky way to remix a classic holiday dish.
Dessert
Lastly, the dessert cocktail was curated to be substantial. A drink that would feel like the conclusion of some transformative; a celebration of some great triumph – as getting together with family sometimes is.
Our Courvoisier based Digestif, lovingly called, ‘Cherry Bomb’ combines the very old school with new aged sensibilities.
Cherry Bomb
1 oz of Courvoisier
1 oz of Bacardi 10
1 ½ oz of Orange Juice
½ Cheerwine Syrup
2-3 dashes of Chocolate Bitters
Garnish – Bourbon Cherry/ Lime Peel
Add ingredients to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice; shake passionately. Strain mixture into chilled coupe glass. Place garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
Make sure to visit www.cookinwithbooze.com for all the details on each dish. Elise explains who she infused a little booze in each course.
www.bacardi.com
www.courvoisier.com
www.docporters.com
www.goldbugcollection.com
www.amaromonte.com
www.cheerwine.com
www.cookinwithbooze.com
Holiday Cheers Cocktail Class
Making a great cocktail starts with great ingredients.
We began the evening by sipping on pomegranate martinis and sampling finger foods provided by Hotel Indigo as we learned how to choose high quality liquors. We sampled three different expressions of Goza Tequila: Blanco, Anejo, and extra Anejo
We began by tasting the Blanco. Blanco Tequila is used most often for mixing and is considered the simplest form of Tequila. The Anejo and Extra Anejo expressions of Tequila are aged much longer and as a result have deeper and more complex flavors. Both the Anejo and Extra Anejo are created to be enjoyed on their own and are great for sipping with ice.
You can learn more about Tequilas in our book, Holy Spirits!.
Next, we started mixing
In the spirit of the Holidays, we learned to mix up Spiced Apple Margaritas using Goza tequila. Get the recipe below and try it for yourself!
Spiced Apple Margaritas
1.5 or 2 oz Goza Reposado Tequila
1.5 or 2 oz Apple juice or Cider
1/4 oz of lime juice
Bar spoon of agave syrup
Topped with Tonic
Garnish
Cinnamon/salt/sugar
Lime wedges
Star Anise
To make this cocktail, add Goza Tequila, cider, lime juice and agave to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice, shake passionately. Strain mixture into rocks glass full of ice. Slowly add tonic soda until glass is full. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon over cocktail. Lovingly add lime and star anise garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
With the right tools, it’s easy to create great cocktails at home
Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. In class, we learned about the essential elements of building your own bar and even got some freebies to take home. Every home bar needs a mixing tin, jigger, strainer and bar spoon. Learn about these and more in our book, Holy Spirits!, an essential part of every home bar.
Building a home bar with Belle Isle and West Elm
We recently teamed up with Belle Isle and West Elm to help our guests build their perfect home bar and craft beautiful cocktails. Try making your own cocktails with the recipes below.
home bar must-haves provided by West Elm
Black Magic
1 oz Belle Isle Coffee Moonshine
1.5oz Black Cherry Juice
Splash (less than 1/4 oz) Lemon Juice
Topped with Cola
1 dash of Bitters
Add Belle Isle Moonshine and Black Cherry Juice to load mixing tin.
Shake vigorously for 10 seconds
Pour strained contents into iced glass. Top with cola. Add 1 dash of bitters.
Garnish with lemon wheel and Jack Rudy cherry.
Imbibe and enjoy!
home bar must-haves provided by West Elm
Smooth Talker
1 1/2 oz of Belle Isle Honey Habanero Moonshine
2 oz of Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz of Lime Juice
1 bar spoon of honey
Garnish with a slice of jalepeno
Add all ingredients to mixing tin. Shake passionately.
Double strain into coupe glass
Add garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
To get another perspective on this event, check out our featured blogger The Fashionable Traveler.
The Peninsula Tea
The Peninsula Tea
1 oz of Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
½ oz of Bittermilk Ginger Honey Syrup
½ oz Lemon Juice
1 oz of Blenheim Hot Ginger Ale
Palmetto Rose garnish
Lemon wedge garnish
Mint spig garnish
In tall Collins glass, add mint, lemon juice and Bittermilk Ginger Honey Syrup; muddle. Add ice. Gently pour in Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, then Blenheim’s Hot Ginger Ale. Garnish with hand-crafted Palmetto Rose, lemon wedge and mint spig. Served during our seminar during Atlanta Food & Wine Festival – South Carolina: Out of the Way, Out of this World. Thanks South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, The Lee Brothers and all the volunteers who helped us prepare for our festival debut! Cheers
