Bourbon Sparkling Apple Cider Fall Cocktail Recipe

November 17, 2018 No Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

It’s Fall, y’all! And, in the Fall I crave bourbon. For a recent low-key Fall party, I crafted a super simple, but delicious cocktail featuring Broken Top Bourbon, sparkling wine, and apple cider. I put it together on the bar so guests could make their own. However, you could also pre-prep and create a delicious punch! This cocktail would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table and would also be a tasty addition to the winter holiday season!

This post is in partnership with Cascade Street Distillery. I was provided a complimentary product. All opinions are my own. Thank you for reading and learning more about the companies that support this blog.

When I say that this cocktail is simple… I mean it. I love a well-crafted cocktail with gorgeous ingredients and garnishes, but I also really value simple (but quality) solutions to hosting events. There are a lot of things happening when you host, might as well make it easy on yourself if you have a great and easy solution! One way to really make this cocktail hit a home run with your guests is by picking really good ingredients. I picked a local hand-pressed apple cider and Oregon-produced, small-batch bourbon that has been aged in charred oak barrels and has notes of caramel and vanilla. Taking extra steps of garnishing your drinks with things like a cinnamon sugar rim, apple slices, or cinnamon sticks will also make this drink extra special.

Bourbon Sparkling Apple Cider Cocktail

Single Glass:

Combine 1.5 oz of Broken Top Bourbon (or your favorite bourbon), 2 oz of chilled apple cider, and 3 oz of chilled sparkling wine in a glass. Garnish with apple slices, cinnamon sticks, or a cinnamon sugar rim.

Punch: Makes 8 glasses

Note: When making this pitcher cocktail I recommend adding ice cubes made of apple cider rather than water so that the drink doesn’t dilute in flavor as the ice melts. Due to the addition of ice, there is a bit more bourbon than what you’d have in a single glass portioning.

Combine 2 cups of bourbon, 3 cups of ice, 2.5 cups of apple cider, and 1 bottle of sparkling wine in a punch bowl or pitcher. If you are creating a punch bowl then add in apple slices and cinnamon sticks for garnish.

What type of spirit do you prefer in the Fall? Do you have a favorite Fall cocktail? Share in the comment section below!

A Well Crafted Pantry

Slow-Cooker Bean and Beef Chili Recipe

September 28, 2017 1 Comment A Well Crafted Pantry

I will make no claims to having the best chili recipe. As a matter of fact, some wouldn’t even consider this recipe a chili recipe because it contains beans (GASP!) but, whether or not it is a chili or a goulash, it is a DARN tasty recipe. When making chili I tend to make it pretty mild so that my family will eat it. I tend to bring a lot of the spice in my personal bowl of chili as I’m adding toppings. If you prefer a spicier chili from the get-go then I’d recommend doubling or tripling the amount of jalapeno in the recipe or adding in some of your favorite spicy peppers.

One of the things I love about chili recipes is that they are SO simple to create in a slow-cooker and to make in bulk to freeze some for later or easily serve a crowd. The recipe below can absolutely be made without the slow cooker, but I love the way the flavors come together while cooked low and slow.

Slow-Cooker Bean and Beef Chili:

(Mild to Medium spice level)

Ingredients:

3 lbs beef chuck processed in a food processor (or sub ground beef)
1 red bell pepper- diced
1 green bell pepper- diced
1 yellow bell pepper- diced
1 medium sized yellow onion – diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers- seeded and diced (1 for mild, 2 for medium)
4 cloves of garlic diced
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of red kidney beans (drained)
1 15 oz can of pinto beans (drained)
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
2 TBSP of cocoa powder
3 TBSP Chili powder
2 TBSP Sugar
2 TSP Cumin Powder
2 TSP Smoked Paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil

Directions:

Mix the chili powder, cumin, and paprika in with the ground beef and brown in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Strain the browned meat and put the meat into a slow-cooker along with tomato paste, sugar, cocoa, beef broth, kidney beans, and pinto beans.
In a saute pan heat 1 TBSP of olive oil on med-high heat and the saute the bell peppers, onions, garlic, and jalapenos until slightly soft. Add vegetables to the crockpot.
Mix ingredients. Cook on low in the slow-cooker for 6 hours.

Note: The meat has been cooked already so the chili can be eaten as soon as it has heated through. However, the flavors blend better over the course of the slow cook. Serve with you favorite chili toppings. Personally, I like a dollop of whipped cream, sharp cheddar cheese, and chives.

Think this looks good? You have to try my slow-cooker chicken chili as well!

Cocktails

Saturday Spirits: Fall Cocktail with Apple, Bourbon, and Amaro Montenegro

October 22, 2016 No Comments Cocktails

A lot of cocktails are simply too sweet for my tastes. Don’t get me wrong… I like a sweet drink on occasion, but the sweetness can often be overpowering and give me a headache the next day. When a drink is smooth and has a complicated, but tasty profile I really dig it and come back to those type of drinks over and over again. In the Summer I gravitate towards refreshing flavors of free herbs and (usually) Gin. In the Fall I want spices and (often) Bourbon. The drink I’m sharing today is absolutely a Fall cocktail. I received a complimentary bottle of Amaro Montenegro for purposes of review. All opinions are my own. Please enjoy the Fall cocktail recipe I created plus a few tasty fall cocktails from Amaro Montenegro! This post is intended for readers of legal drinking age.

Amaro is an Italian bitter herbal liquor that is often served as an after-dinner digestif. Amaro Montenegro has an alcohol content of 25%. Due to the bitter sweet flavor of the Amaro I decided that I would use it similarly as I would a bitters or vermouth in a cocktail. It gives the cocktail a complex layer of flavor that keeps it from being overwhelmingly sweet.

I knew from the moment I tasted Amaro that I wanted to use it to create a Fall cocktail that was complex in flavor. For a while I was really stumped on the type of cocktail I’d make. But, then I went to an Apple Cider tasting and found some beverages I felt would really pair well with the flavors of the bitter liquor. I chose to pair it with a dessert wine made from apples, a spiced apple cider, and bourbon. The flavors ended up going really well together. It is a pretty strong beverage however, so proceed with caution! This drink would be perfect for sipping next to a fire pit on a cool Fall evening.

Fall Cocktail with Apple, Bourbon, and Amaro Montenegro

Ingredients:

– 1 1/4 oz Bourbon of choice
– 1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
– 3/4 oz Apple Wine
– Top with about 2 oz of a spiced apple cider
– Mixture of Brown Sugar, Granulated Sugar, and Cinnamon to rim your glass (optional)
– Apple slices for garnish (optional)
– Ice (you can choose to shake over ice, strain and serve up or serve over ice)
– Glassware of choice (martini glass for serving up and rocks glass for serving over ice)

Directions:

For Serving Up: Wet the outside of your glass by rubbing an orange slice around the rim or dipping the rim into some of the apple wine. Dip the rim into the sugar and cinnamon mixture to give it a light coating. Then, combine the ingredients except for the spiced apple cider into a shaker filled with ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a large martini glass. Top with approximately 2 oz of spiced apple cider. Garnish with apple slice and enjoy!
For Serving on Rocks: Wet the outside of your glass by rubbing an orange slice around the rim or dipping the rim into some of the apple wine. Dip the rim into the sugar and cinnamon mixture to give it a light coating. Then, combine the ingredients except for the spiced apple cider into your glass on ice. Stir well to combine. Top with approximately 2 oz of spiced apple cider. Garnish with apple slice and enjoy!

Some other yummy cocktails to create with Amaro Montenegro:

Monte Jack-O-Lantern – Derek Brown, Underdog:
1.5oz Amaro Montenegro
1oz pumpkin puree
1.5oz rye whiskey
3/4oz cinnamon syrup
3oz heavy cream
Nutmeg
Cinnamon

Autumn in New York – Derek Brown, Underdog
1.5oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2oz Allspice Dram
Hard Cider
Orange wheel

Stir Amaro Montenegro and allspice dram in a glass with ice. Top with hard cider and garnish with an orange wheel.

Shake all ingredients except cream over ice and double strain into a coupe glass. Pour heavy cream into a shaker and shake until thickened. Float the cream on top and dust with freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon.

Have you ever tried Amaro? If so, what is your favorite way to drink it?