Holiday Drinks Round Up – Christmas & NYE Cocktails

December 23, 2014 4 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

This festive cocktail is sweet with a kick. It is easy to throw together and serve at a party. I didn’t own a punch bowl and picked up this great Libby bowl from a craft store for around $7. Pretty sure it is going to become a staple in my future parties!

Bourbon Apple Ginger Punch

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 Apple cored and sliced
2 Bottles of Ginger Brew or approximately 6 cups of Ginger soda (I used Trader Joe’s Ginger Brew – you want to use a very gingery ginger brew. If you can only use gingerale get as gingery as you can otherwise it will sweeten the punch significantly.)
2 Cups Bourbon (I used Eastside Distilling’s Burnside Bourbon)
4 Cups Apple Juice ( Use a nice organic, 100% Apple Juice… you won’t be sorry)
1 22 oz Bottle of Sweet Apple Cider ( I used Portland Cider Company’s Sorta Sweet)
1/2 Cup Sweet Vermouth
8 Dashes of Bitters

Directions:

Pour all contents into a large punch bowl. Put into fridge to chill. You may add ice to chill, but it will dilute the drink some so use sparingly.
Dish into glasses and enjoy!

Photo credits from top left clockwise: AWCP // Motormouth Studios for AWCP // I’m Bored, Let’s Go // Cooking with BS // The Spicy Bee // Merlot Mommy// Urban Bliss Life // Cooking with BS // The Goodhearted Woman

Holiday Cocktail Roundup

These drinks would be fun for your Christmas parties or New Year’s Eve events! Thank you to all the bloggers who participated! If marked (NA) the drink is non-alcoholic and does not contain any alcohol.

Punches or by the Pitcher

Orange Rosemary Punch from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Homemade Eggnog from Ann’s Entitled Life
Jingle Juice Punch from Sunshine & Sippycups
Apple Cider & Cranberry Punch from Fork & Vine

Cocktails

J&J Pear Sidecar from Merlot Mommy
Brown Sugar Mint Julep from Cooking with Brian Staffield (while mint traditionally makes me think of summer… the brown sugar in this cocktail makes it great for a holiday beverage.)
Whiskey Ginger Recipe from Goodhearted Woman
Eggnog Martini from I’m Bored, Let’s Go
Gingerbread Martini from Ann’s Entitled Life
Rosemary Bliss Cocktail from The Spicy Bee on A Well Crafted Party
Chocolate Peppermint Cocktail from A Well Crafted Party

Hot Drinks

Hot Buttered Rum from Cooking with Brian Staffield
(NA) Mulled Apple Cider from Confessions of an Over-Worked Mom
Hot Toddy from The Spicy Bee

Wines

NYE Wine Picks from Urban Bliss Life

A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Pear & Apple Cider Sangria

October 18, 2014 No Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

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!

Every year it begins to really feel like Fall to me when I get to attend the local Pear and Apple festival at the Portland Nursery. I load up on apples and pears and incorporate them in EVERYTHING until I run out. One year I bought 60 lbs of apples and pears and ended up making a ton of apple sauce, apple butter, apple pies, and many apple desserts. This year I knew that my kitchen time would be limited so I didn’t indulge quite as much as I’d have liked to… but, we did enjoy the Hard Apple Cider tasting and came home with a 20 lbs of apples and pears as well as a few delicious ciders and wines.

A few of those purchases are featured in this drink. I’m hoping that you are able to find these brands because they are fantastic, but if not then I’d suggest looking at the flavor profile and finding something similar near you. This drink is totally worth it.

Ingredients:

(Makes 1 Beverage– Though, you can multiple by 4 easily to make a pitcher!)

1 1/4 oz Bourbon (I used Buffalo Trace)
2 oz Pear Wine (I used Bull Run Pear Wine )
3 oz Hard Apple Cider ( I used Shilling Oak Aged Cider )
Squeeze of 1 large lemon slice
Sliced, ripe pears (I used Anjou pears and had about 4-5 slices per glass)
Glass with ice

Directions:

Fill a glass with ice, putting in slices of pear along the way
Fill glass with Bourbon, Pear Wine, and Hard Apple Cider
Give it a stir and enjoy!

Don’t forget to eat those tasty pears once your drink is gone!

About Shilling Oak Aged Cider: The hard cider is finished in 100% NW Oak. It has a smokey cinnamon flavor profile with clove and vanilla. It would be considered a semi-dry cider. There is a bit of the apple taste still there, but not nearly as sweet as some ciders.

About Bull Run Pear Wine: The Bull Run Pear wine is from Oregon! It is a sweet ice wine. I’d say this is a nice sweet, smooth dessert wine without the punch of a brandy. Loved it.

A Well Crafted Pantry

Spiked Arnold Palmer (Perfect Camping Beverage)

July 26, 2014 2 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

One of my hands down favorite things to do in the summer months is going camping. I love being outdoors, the way the stars look when away from the city, and anything and everything cooked over a campfire. This last weekend (and this weekend actually) we got away from it all and headed out to the wilderness to camp.

While I enjoy a good beer next to the campfire… Sometimes it’s nice to have something a little different. I wanted a refreshing cocktail that would be the perfect thing to drink after a long hike when settling in to enjoy the campfire for the evening.

This drink did the trick and it’s SUPER simple to make and take on your next camping trip, outdoor party, or picnic.

Bourbon Arnold Palmer

Ingredients:

1 1/4 oz Bourbon ( I used one of my favorites- Buffalo Trace)
3 oz lemonade
3 oz iced black tea
ice
lemon wedge for a squeeze and for garnish

Directions:
Pour all ingredients over ice, pouring bourbon last, squeeze 1 lemon slice in, drop over top, and enjoy!