Saturday Spirits: Whiskey Tasting Party

October 15, 2016 4 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Birthdays are celebrated in my group of friends. We love a good excuse to get together to enjoy each others’ company, good food, and great drinks. My friend’s Brandon’s birthday was no exception to this very fine rule we all live by. His wife had the idea to throw together a whiskey tasting party and build our own steak salad bar. The food was epic… as always. The drinks… well, lets just say, we enjoyed some mighty fine whiskeys!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. As with all my posts the opinions are my own. This post is intended for readers of legal drinking age.

How to Throw a Whiskey Tasting Party

There are a couple of different routes you could go to throw a whiskey tasting party:

Purchase all the whiskeys yourself and get a good variety of styles and brands. PRO: This way you know you will get to taste different things and you can even try different styles. CON: It can get expensive FAST.
Give each guest a style of whiskey and let them bring a bottle. PRO: You will get to taste different styles of whiskey. CON: Guests may worry about costs of the certain style of whiskey given or may not know a good brand to bring.
Ask guests to bring their favorite whiskey. PRO: You know you will get whiskeys your guests enjoy. CON: You may not get a good selection of styles of whiskey.

Our lovely host asked us each to bring our favorite kind of whiskey. (Note: She offered for us to just show up and enjoy the evening if whiskey wasn’t in the budget. She is cool like that.) Those who knew what they were going to bring shared the name of the whiskey in a Facebook Event so that we wouldn’t double up bottles. We ended up having all bourbon styles of whiskey except for one Irish Whiskey… but, all of them were tasty and everyone found at least one whiskey that they loved.

A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Spiked Coffee

September 17, 2016 No Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Coffee is basically life… amiright? Well, it is pretty important in MY life if it isn’t quite an equivalent. I have coffee EVERY day. When I don’t want caffeine I drink decaf coffee. Coffee is a must. It is only natural that I bring my love of coffee and my love of cocktails together at times in creating tasty spiked coffee cocktails for brunches or night caps to fabulous dinner parties. While I absolutely love to craft wonderful more complicated coffee cocktails (and will share some of my favorite recipes soon) today’s post is sharing some of my favorite liquors to spike a coffee with to make a simple and satisfying coffee drink.

Easy to Make Spiked Coffee

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To make spiked coffee you simply need to make a good cup of coffee— we typically use our french press* or pour-over*, but any good coffee maker will do— and introduce your favorite liquor. You can add cream and sugar (if needed) but, mainly, it is all about the coffee and liquor!

My favorite Coffee Add-Ins:

Amaretto — I’ve already professed my love for Amaretto in a past post. Amaretto is a sweet, almond-flavored liquor. This is good all by its lonesome with coffee or with just a touch of cream. (Side note: Amaretto makes an awesome ice cream topper too!)
Irish Cream — typically I use Bailey’s, but you can absolutely make your own Irish Cream! Irish Cream is just a mixture of cream, Irish Whiskey, and flavors of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla typically. If you use this in your coffee you can skip the cream and sugar entirely! Of course… you can always just spike your coffee with Irish Whiskey and add in the cream and sugar as needed. You won’t have some of the other flavors, but it will still be a delicious treat.
Coffee Liqueur— Some people think it is a tad silly to spike a coffee with a coffee flavored liqueur, but I think it is delicious. You can add in a touch of Kahlua or (one of my favorites) Crater Lake Spirit’s Hazelnut Espresso Vodka with a bit of cream and make a wonderfully decadent coffee.
Green Walnut Liqueur— What? I had never even heard of green walnut liqueur until a recent tasting introduced me to Stone Barn Brandyworks’ Nocino. We bought it on the spot. I’ve found that this is one of my favorite mixers in my coffee. A little Nocino, almond milk creamer, and coffee and you have a tasty night cap on your hands!
Whiskey— There is nothing more classic (or satisfying) than a bit of whiskey spiking a cup of coffee. This is a favorite treat especially while camping or sitting around a fire pit!

Okay, now I’m off to enjoy my Saturday. I’ve got my bullet journal (hello new organizing obsession), pens, and my favorite mug ready to go. Well, that and a splash of something tasty in my coffee. It is Saturday, after all!

What is your favorite way to spike your coffee?

A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Favorite Fall Cocktails

September 10, 2016 No Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

I know that I just shared my favorite summer batch cocktails last week… but, suddenly, it feels like Fall! There is just something about Fall that makes me happy at the very simple joys in life such as drinking a warm cup of creamy coffee with a crisp chill in the air. The inherent cheer of Fall for me is undoubtedly influenced, at least in part, by idea of the return of all my favorite fall cocktails. While I tend to lean towards gin or fruity, sweet concoctions during the Spring and Summer months, as the air gets cooler and the leaves begin to change I suddenly crave bourbon and more complex, rich flavors.

My Favorite Fall Cocktails

Below are some of the cocktails I’ve shared on my blog that just really hit the spot during the Fall months. Some of them may even run into winter, but I can drink them anytime the weather hits below 70!

Amaretto Sour

I’ve always believed drinking a good Amaretto Sour felt like enjoying a really great make-out-session. Don’t believe me? Make one and find out!

Salted Caramel Apple Hot Toddy

The colder it gets outside the more I love to cuddle up with a good blanket and a hot drink. Teas, coffees, ciders… I have no favorites. Hot Toddy’s tend to be on a regular rotation at my house when the temps get cooler. This rendition blends in some of my favorite fall flavors with a classic.

Classic Manhattan

Speaking of classics… a Classic Manhattan is one of my top five Fall night cap beverages. A classic cocktail is a great way to give a nod to the past as you celebrate the future. Perfect for Fall!

Pear Apple Sangria

I had a really difficult time figuring out the name for this drink. It is similar to a punch, but I made it in singles. Sort of a sangria, but I don’t know many sangrias with bourbon in them. So, name it whatever you want… but, it is a tasty fall beverage!

Greek Martini

I could possibly drink a greek martini every night if it weren’t a tad unhealthy to do nightly. I love the salty flavor of the greek olive juice paired with vodka. I’ll go more towards a classic martini or a martini with a twist in the hotter months. But, as soon as the cooler weather hits, hand me a dirty greek martini!

Old Irish Whiskey Cocktail

Before reading Savory Cocktails by Greg Henry (affiliate link) I probably never would have thought to include cloves in a cocktail. The smokey deliciousness of cloves pairs ever so nicely with the orange and whiskey flavors of this cocktail.

These are just a few of my favorite fall cocktails. I can’t wait to come up with more fun fall flavors to share!

Cocktails

How to Throw a Whiskey Tasting Party

Easy to Make Spiked Coffee

My favorite Coffee Add-Ins:

What is your favorite way to spike your coffee?

My Favorite Fall Cocktails

What is your favorite fall cocktail?