allspice dram

Black Christmas Bottled Cocktails

November 29, 2019 by elana 7 Comments

Black Christmas Bottled Cocktail // stirandstrain.com Instead of hitting the Black Friday sales today (and let’s face it, it’s slim picking at this point since they all started on Monday anyways), let’s hit the home bar and think ahead towards the next several weeks. It’s going to be busy… you should have some cocktails ready.

Black Christmas Bottled Cocktail // stirandstrain.com Now, I named this spin on a Black Manhattan “Black Christmas” because it’s mostly a Black Manhattan with a touch of Allspice Liqueur, which is pretty much Christmas in a bottle. I did not name it to coincide with the remake of Black Christmas that is being released in a few weeks. If anything, IÂ may have had the original Black Christmas movie in my head when naming it, not a remake, let’s be clear on this.

And this drink really is the brooding, moody sister to your classic Manhattan, except in a holiday sweater. The baking spices from the allspice liqueur provide a warm finish to the drink, which is a bit spicy from the rye at the start. The bittersweet Averna lends a nice balance to that spiciness (If you can’t find Averna near you, choose an amaro that leans a little on the sweeter side and not too vegetal. Ramazzotti would also work here.) Those baking spices give this inky drink an unexpected extra layer as well, which I appreciate. If you remember to add a brandied cherry then you’re really in for a treat.

Black Christmas Bottled Cocktail // stirandstrain.com And the best part of all this? It’s bottled with a water dilution so it just needs to chill and it’s ready to serve. No ice needed! No stirring! No fuss! Just what you need around the holidays to give you a few extra minutes of peace.

One thing to note: if you can wait a few weeks, age it all in the fridge. Letting it sit for about 4 weeks really allows the flavors to intermingle and I found the mouthfeel to be extra velvety. However, if you can’t wait, it’s great the same day as well. Just make sure it’s chilled well first.

Black Christmas Bottled Cocktail

8 ounces Rye
4 ounces Averna
2 ounces Allspice Liqueur (can’t find it where you are? MAKE IT!)
4 dashes Angostura bitters, or another aromatic bitters
4 dashes orange bitters
2 ounces water

brandied cherry garnish, optional

Combine all the ingredients in a large, spouted mixing glass, like Pyrex, that can accommodate at least 16 ounces, stir to combine, and then funnel into a swing top bottle. Store refrigerated until ready to serve. For one cocktail, portion out ~3.25 ounces into a cocktail coupe. Optionally top with a brandied cherry.

Black Christmas Bottled Cocktail // stirandstrain.com

Spiced Honey Pear Sour

October 18, 2019 by elana 5 Comments

This post is made in partnership with Hangar 1. Recipes and ideas are my own.

This past week I reached out to Instagram to ask about egg whites in cocktails. I feel like years ago, when the cocktail movement really started to pick up steam, people sure were hesitant to drink a cocktail madeÂ with raw egg whites!! But now it seems everyone has chilled out about it and the general consensus, if you consume animal products, is that we’re all cool with egg whites now. Which is great, because today’s cocktail has one (but it’s optional in case you’re still a hard pass on them. It’s cool. You do you.).

Hangar 1 Spiced Pear Sours // stirandstrain.com One of my favorite styles of cocktails to add an egg white to are sours. Sours can be quite tart depending on how they’re made, and even when adding in a sweetener, the egg white somehow magically transforms the whole drink into a silky, well-balanced drink.

Now, we’re in the best part of the fall season, says me. And it’s in full swing here in California, where everything is in flux during this crazy transitional season. We still have tomatoes growing in gardens, but there are apple orchards just a little over an hour away bursting with fruit. And pears are at their juiciest when I visit my local farmers markets. It all makes me want to wrap myself up in countless flannels… except.. it’s still in the 80’s in SoCal. But, that also means we can still throw an early evening cocktail get together outside where the mild evenings are still pretty inviting, and, if it’s not a red flag day, you can turn on a fire pit.

Hangar 1 Spiced Pear Sours // stirandstrain.com This cocktail, made in partnership with Hangar 1 Honeycomb Vodka, which has now just become available for the first time ever outside of the Hangar 1 Distillery, located in Alameda, CA, is California fall in a glass. Juicy, ripe pears contrast with the woodsy sweetness of maple syrup and mingle with all those wonderful fall-time baking spices found in allspice liqueur, while a tart kiss of lemon juice accentuates the base of the whole drink with the complex honeycomb vodka. And that egg white gives the whole drink some body and a slightly frothy head that you can garnish with either a lemon wheel, or these really interesting honey discs I’ve been experimenting with. The honey discs are similar in structure to a hard candy, and not only do they really impress sitting in a cloud of froth on top of your drink, they also slowly melt into the drink to add even more honey flavor to the cocktail as you sip. These however are totally optional to the drink and the touch of sweetness they impart is minimal because they are so solid and melt very slowly. I just always have to go and make my drinks extra. But you don’t have to for this to work!

Hangar 1 Spiced Pear Sours // stirandstrain.com Pears can be so sweet when ripe, that the richness of honey is a fantastic contrast. They balance really well here and that’s because Hangar 1 isn’t just infusing the vodka with honey, they actually use honeycomb for a more intense flavor. What I love about Hangar 1, a California company, is that their honey isn’t sourced from some faraway place or imported, their honey is from their local farming community, Golden Harvest Bees, located in Redwood City, CA. When companies step up to being more mindful about sourcing ingredients and sustainability I pay attention.

You might be thinking, honeycomb vodka, that means it’s… sweet? For sweet drinks? But no! This vodka is really versatile and lends itself to both sweet and savory flavors.Â So, I hope the thought of ripe pears and rich honeycomb has you rushing to your home bar to mix up a couple and share with friends. To help with that, our recipe today is for two cocktails. Cheers!

Hangar 1 Spiced Pear Sours // stirandstrain.com

Spiced Honey Pear Sours

makes 2 cocktails

3 ounces Hangar 1 Honeycomb Vodka
1/2 juicy ripe pear, cubed
1-1/4 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 ounce allspice liqueur
3/4 ounce grade b maple syrup
1 egg white, optional
Optional Garnish: Lemon wheel or Honey Disc (recipe follows)

In a cocktail shaker, pour in Hangar 1 Honeycomb Vodka and pears. Muddle pears just enough to break up the chunks. Then add in the lemon juice, allspice liqueur, maple syrup, and egg white if using. Dry shake (with no ice) for 15 – 20 seconds. Add in ice and shake additional 20 seconds. Depending on the size of the holes in your shaker you may have to either strain through the shaker top, or open that up and strain through a small mesh strainer due to the pears, onto a fresh ice cube in a double rocks glass.

Honey Disc

6 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar and bring mixture to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower heat to medium-low and add in honey (I find a quick 15 second in the microwave makes it easier to pour). Cook without disturbing the mixture until it reaches the hard crack stage (295-310Â°F, and a candy thermometer comes in handy here). Then pour into disc molds, or free pour onto a silicone mat. Allow to harden at least 30 minutes, then remove from molds and store in an airtight container.

Learn more about Hangar 1 and their selection of craft vodka expressions here: https://hangarone.com/vodkas/

Chocolate Raspberry Bon Bon Cocktail

November 20, 2017 by elana 3 Comments

This post was made in partnership with Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur. Recipe and ideas are my own.

For a little over 3-1/2 years now I’ve been freelancing full time and while I love the multitude of perks that come with that (slippers! showers at 10am! Punch R&D before noon!) around holiday time I miss one of the best perks about working in an office: the vendor gift baskets.

They start sometime around Thanksgiving. You can always tell which vendor made a whoops that year by the size of the gift basket.Â Oh hey guys, let’s forget about trying to install that wrong range in the restaurant, instead, look at all this CANDY AND BOOZE we’ve sent you!!!!

Chocolate Raspberry Bon Bon Cocktail with Kerrygold Irish Cream // stirandstrain.com There was the ubiquitous popcorn balls (bleck), the really cheap wine (Ok, we can try that come 3pm on Friday) and my favorite, the bon bon boxes. You know the ones: giant, golf ball sized chocolates filled and flavored with all kinds of fruits and nuts. The chocolate raspberry? Oh yeah, that’s mine thanks.

This week we’ve teamed up with Kerrygold Irish CreamÂ Liqueur to recreate a drinkable version of that indulgent treat. Kerrygold Irish Cream is made in Ireland with milk from grass-fed cows so it is SO rich and SO creamy, and the chocolate is real, not just flavoring, which you definitely want if you’re making a cocktail like this. With a hint of oaky Irish Whiskey it’s rich treat on it’s own but also fantastic for mixing in a cocktail. This drink is super simple to whip up and I’m giving you guys the option to either make your own raspberry syrup, or buy it, because sometimes… you just can’t.

Chocolate Raspberry Bon Bon Cocktail with Kerrygold Irish Cream // stirandstrain.com Also, FOLKS!!! If I’ve inspired you to grab a bottle of Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur just a head’s up that they’re giving away a trip to NYC for TWO to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Stir up your own cocktail and submit it online for a chance to win this fab trip (21+ USA residents only please!). Full details here:Â https://www.kerrygoldirishcream.com/NYC Contest runs from November 13, 2017 to December 31, 2017.

So let’s treat ourselves and make a cocktail!

Chocolate Raspberry Bon Bon Cocktail

1-1/2 oz Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur
1 oz vodka
1/4 oz Allspice dram
3/4 oz Raspberry syrup (recipe below or use store bought, we recommend Monin)
3 raspberries and Cinnamon for garnish

In a mixing glass 2/3 filled with ice, combine Kerrygold Irish Cream, vodka, allspice dram, and raspberry syrup. Stir 20 seconds to chill and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with raspberries and a dusting of cinnamon for garnish.

Raspberry Syrup

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 pint raspberries

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar and water. Stir to dissolve and add raspberries. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, remove from heat and let sit 30 minutes. Strain into an airtight container. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Extras

The El-El After-Dinner Cocktail

November 23, 2013 by elana 2 Comments

Let’s jump into this post with a story.

A few weeks ago I received an email from a friend of mine asking if I was available to make some drinks for a Thanksgiving-Hanukkah related dinner party. Not just any dinner party, one hosted by the guys behind The Table Set Podcast. I would be responsible for providing a dessert cocktail to accompany dessert. Naturally I jumped at the chance. And in the end, they let me do TWO drinks. The first one you guys have seen before, the Averna Highball, which proved itself a lovely companion to some Turkey Broth with Thanksgiving “Stuffing” Matzo Ball soup.

Dessert was going to be a new to everyone cocktail. Besides working as an ‘after dinner’ type drink, it also had to pair with the actual dessert (which you can find out more about by listening to the podcast. It’s a doozy! Look for it later this week.). In my mind, after dinner drinks fall into 3 categories: coffee, port and, well, more cocktails. For this drink I decided to dump them all into one cup. One tasty, caffeinated cup.

Prior to this, I had been considering infusing coffee into a rum to try out for drinks, and low and behold, the opportunity presented itself here. This is a quick infusion folks, so don’t go fretting about having to wait. I mean, it’s not going to be ready in an hour, but at least you’re not waiting a whole week!

The garnish you’re looking at is a nod to the dessert it accompanies, and no, it’s not the dessert you think it is. Since this was at a Thanksgivukkah dinner, originally I had thought of including a gold coin garnish (admittedly I know very little about the holiday, being raised Catholic and all, even we got these coins in our stockings at Christmas), but decided that a gilded pecan would look prettier (it does). Paired with a Luxardo cherry it’s also mighty tasty too.

The dinner itself was great, and I’m still dreaming about the dishes. Also, I learned how to actually play the Dradle game for real; and I won. And if you’re curious, the El-El is not a phonetically Jewish spelling of some sort. I just combined the names of the rum and coffee because I was drawing a blank on what to call it… real imagination here.

1-1/2 oz. Intelligentsia El Diablo Dark Roast infused 15 year El Dorado Rum (see recipe below)
1/4 oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1/2 oz. Yalumba Antique Tawny Port
1/2 oz. Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth

Garnish:
Maple Glazed Pecan (see recipe below) dusted with edible gold glitter
Luxardo Cherry

Combine rum, allspice dram, port and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass 2/3 filled with ice. Stir about 20 seconds and strain into a chilled miniature snifter glass. Garnish with a cocktail pick speared with the pecan and cherry.

Rich and decadent are the two words that first popped out of my mouth. Full coffee wafts up on the nose and stays on the palate. A spicy, bittersweet finish pops with each layer of flavor. This is definitely an after-dinner sipper with a lot of complex allspice, ginger and chocolate notes to it. It pairs wonderfully with a vanilla ice cream. So, if you’re looking for something to pair with dessert this holiday season, here you go.

Make It: Intelligentsia El Diablo Dark Roast infused 15 year El Dorado Rum

14 oz. 15 Year El Dorado Rum
1/2 cupÂ Intelligentsia El Diablo Dark Roast

Combine ingredients in an airtight container (I reused my rum bottle). Swirl to cover the beans. Let sit for 2 days. Fine strain to catch any broken coffee beans. Bottle. Use within two years.

Golden Maple Glazed Pecans

Adapted from Food Network
1 cup pecans
3 tablespoons organic maple syrup
pinch of salt

Dry heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add pecans, maple syrup and salt. Stir to combine and keep stirring until pecans are covered and syrup has evaporated from the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes. Pour out pecans onto a silpat or parchment paper to cool. While still warm, dust edible gold glitter over the pecans. Shake off excess. (This is easier if you spear onto toothpick first.). Tastes best up to a week in an airtight container.

Action shot from dinner.

Big thanks again to Andy, Greg and Nathan from The Table Set for inviting me over to talk cocktails and for allowing me to serve strangers alcohol.

Also, in case you haven’t see all the tweets, Stir & Strain now has a Facebook page! You can find it over here.

Behold, the Spice

January 29, 2013 by elana Leave a Comment

Making cocktails does not solely get delegated to me at home. My husband enjoys them as much as myself, and sometimes even gets his hands dirty and tries to concoct one on his own. Sometimes they’re even good. This cocktail stems from a creation at least 60% his, with some of my own adjustments. Its creation from a new found love of Allspice Dram; a love so strong I found him drinking the stuff neat once. The syrupy flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove are a bit too powerful for my palate on their own but he couldn’t stop throwing it into drinks once he got his hands on it. I can’t knock him though, I’m doing the same thing with that Apricot Liqueur.

I was going to even have him name this cocktail until all this talk about spices led to absurd quotes from Dune. I know of Dune, but my only vivid memory of the film is in the form of View-Master slides I received for my preschool graduation that erupted a timid 4 year old into screams of horror and probably a fitful sleep that night. Popples and a Dune View-Master… Mom and Dad… what were you guys thinking? No, for this drink I wanted it to be ALL Tiki. Allspice Dram, also referred to as Pimento Liqueur or Pimento Dram, is dotted here and there within Tiki cocktail books. With the combination of the rum and citrus in this cocktail, clearly this drink was headed tropical, and not deserts inhabited with giant worms.

We were also having a string of 80Â° days in Los Angeles and this was a good thirst quencher.

2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
1-1/2 oz. Mount Gay Eclipse Rum (light rum)
1 oz. Kraken Black Spiced Rum
1 oz. Oronoco Rum (white rum)
1/2 oz. Fee Brother’s Maraschino Syrup
1/2 oz. Orgeat Syrup
1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice*
1/8 oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
2 dashes of Miracle Mile Orange Bitters*
*see notes below on varying degrees of sweetness in your orange juice

orange peel
brandied cherry

Combine all ingredients except orange peel and cherry with 6 oz. of crushed ice. Shake well and pour un-strained into a Tiki mug. Add more crushed ice to fill if necessary. Garnish with the orange peel looped over the cherry on a bamboo pick. Straw optional but recommended.

At first one might be shocked that with all the talk about the Allspice Dram there is only an 1/8 of an ounce here. Believe me… that is all you will need. It’s quite powerful stuff and a little goes a long way. If your orange juice is not very sweet, ours was, you can turn down the lime juice and orange bitters. Those two ingredients were added for more bite and tartness to counteract the overly sweet OJ. The Allspice Dram unites the drink in a satisfying way. Without it (and I know this because I forgot to add it on one try) the fruit flavors are segregated from the spice of the rum in a jarring way. Adding it is like a sweet bridge between those two worlds of flavor.

Mixology Monday: The Apple Stack

November 18, 2012 by elana 4 Comments

For this month’s Mixology Monday, â€œGarnish Grandiloquenceâ€ hosted by Joseph Tkach of Measure and Stir, I worked on a recipe I already had jotted down in my notebook for a seasonal cocktail. It read, “something about apple pie and cheddar cheese and maybe cider”. Baking a miniature pie and hovering it over a cocktail, while admirable, was not really an avenue I felt I would go down this time. Oh, also just to back this up a bit and explain. I’m originally from New England and there’s a tradition there of eating a piece of strong, sharp cheddar cheese (I prefer Vermont) with a piece of apple pie. Whether it’s on the side, or a sliver right on top of the crust is up to individual taste. This is a sentimental reminder of home for me this time of year and I thought I could do something with these flavors for a Fall cocktail.

I don’t know my way around a garnishing kit, and even sometimes a vegetable peeler scares me (and it would you too if you took off a piece of your nail once along with a potato peel). But I own a mandoline with a pretty heavy duty safety guard, so my mind went towards using some thin slices of apple, and a hunk of cheddar cheese. Now, one of the issues with taking photos of drinks is that it’s tough to want to start when there is a lot of light out, at say, 8am. So during the late Fall and Winter months, starting a drink requiring lots of photos late in the afternoon is just stupid. As most of your photos will need extra light, a tripod and will ultimately result in blurry photos if not done properly. Clearly this is a rant I am giving to myself. There are many steps to this garnish, requiring many photos. Most of which I am chucking because of light/sharpness issues so I’ll briefly explain here.

If you ever work with apple slices as a garnish do yourself a favor if you want them to stay pretty and white. Get a bowl, fill it with water, squeeze a lemon into it and dunk your apple slices in there. The lemon juice will slow down oxidation and instead of turning brown, your slices will stay fresher looking longer. For this garnish, I peeled one long ribbon of apple peel, and then cut an apple in half and from the center of the apple, sliced it on a mandoline at 1/4″. I cut those circles in half, trimmed the center so they were pretty much equal in size, and threw them in the lemon water to sit and wait.

For the cheese part, I chose a 1/2″ chunk of Carr Applewood Smoked Cheddar. Besides having the sharp flavor down, it has has a lovely smoky scent and taste that, if we’re feeling Fall here, adds to that ambiance. But mostly, it tastes pretty damn good. The peel was used as a ribbon garnish inside the glass, and the apple slices fanned out (pat them dry first), skewered and topped with the chunk of cheddar.

Initially I wanted to have two ribbons of apple peel wound around like a strand of DNA. I sketched it out even and it seemed possible, but real apple peel is not as pliable as one hopes so that idea was tossed. Another issue that was encountered was glass size to garnish ratio. When the first attempt at the garnish was completed, I realized that the drink size was just under 5 oz total, so a giant glass to hold the final garnish dwarfed the actual amount of liquid, so the garnish was cut down a bit to accommodate the actual drink.

And the drink here? That’s also important…

1-1/2 oz. High West Campfire Whiskey
1 oz. Laird’s Straight Bonded AppleJack Brandy
1/4 oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
2 oz. J.K’s Scrumpy Organic Hard Cider

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass 2/3 filled with ice. Stir and strain into a small chilled rock glass with apple ribbon. Garnish with apple and cheese fan.

This drink is wonderfully balanced, bordering on sweet and smoky. Usually the Campfire is the predominant flavor but here blends very well with the sharp kick of the Bonded AppleJack while the Allspice Dram adds that touch of ‘Fall’ with the clover and spice notes in the finish of the drink. The addition of the hard cider melds everything together and making the apple presence much more noticeable. The garnish provides one additional layer of smokiness in smell and flavor, while the apple slices provide visual appeal and lets you know what flavors you’re in for.

First go at the garnish before realizing it was too tall for the glass.

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Here’s the roundup post of this month’s MxMo!