Witches Brew
(Note: All of the photos in this blog were taken by the superbly talented Mrs. Kari Otero.)
It was the week before Halloween and plenty of creatures were stirring, even a few mice! The pumpkins were snug all in a row...
Well... until the carving implements came out, and then their shreiks were heard for many a Brooklyn block.
The party guests had downed quite a few potions before taking weapons in hand.
The bar was stocked with bourbon, gin, rye, applejack, maple liqueur, maraschino liqueur, several bitters, brandied cherries, vodka and gin (plus additions noted below).
The Headless Horseman rode through my cozy apartment... His flask was filled with Buffalo Trace bourbon, maple liqueur, a dash of chocolate bitters and a drop of horror.
The site of this specter was enough that more than one guest uttered their Last Word... those other worldly whispers made easier with equal parts gin, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse, and little less equal part of lime juice.
The Deadly Diamondback came through next, spewing rye, green chartreuse, Applejack and a bit of venom. It was boozy but just shy of delicious... something was missing.
What? What was not quite right with the cocktail? That is the scariest part of all!
Alas, never fear. Trader Vicki and LP were on the scene chasing the ghosties and goblins away.
Trader Vicki came prepared. She brewed a homemade pumpkin cordial following (somewhat) this recipe (attributable to Gina):
In a large jar with a tightly-fitting lid, combine 750 ml of decent vodka (we used Sobieski) with one can (14.5 oz.) pumpkin puree, 2 cinnamon stick, 12 cloves, 1 tablespoon of blade mace. Allow it to sit for a week, then strain into another large jar. Add 1 cup of 2:1 simple syrup, stir to combine. Decant into clean sterilized bottles. (And make it look fancy and nice!)
LP and Trader Vicki waved their wands with a flourish and created three new cocktails:
The Headless Horseman (revised... it fits better with pumpkin and all...)
1 oz pumpkin cordial
1 oz bourbon
1 oz applejack
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes chocolate bitters
The Ichabod Crane
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz maraschino
1/4 oz chartreuse
1 1/2 oz applejack
2 dashes bitters
garnish w/ lime & cranberries
(LP - what do we call this one?)
3/4 oz Buffalo Trace
3/4 oz rye
1/4 oz chartreuse
1/4 oz maple liqueur
1/4 Carpano Antica
chocolate bitters
cranberries, twist of lime
The cranberries were a contribution from HA, who along with Mrs. O concocted many a tasty and highly photogenic dessert item.
And, not one guest lost a finger during carving or went into sugar shock before the party's end. So, it was a fabulous time. I can hardly put into words how wonderful all the guest contributions were. All of the photos in this blog were taken by the superbly talented Mrs. Kari Otero.
And the lessons learned? Chartreuse is a lovely elixir! It goes with so many things. My favorite drinks of the evening were the Last Word, the improved Headless Horseman and LP's untitled drink. Stay tuned!
(Note: All of the photos in this blog were taken by the superbly talented Mrs. Kari Otero.)
It was the week before Halloween and plenty of creatures were stirring, even a few mice! The pumpkins were snug all in a row...
Well... until the carving implements came out, and then their shreiks were heard for many a Brooklyn block.
The party guests had downed quite a few potions before taking weapons in hand.
The bar was stocked with bourbon, gin, rye, applejack, maple liqueur, maraschino liqueur, several bitters, brandied cherries, vodka and gin (plus additions noted below).
The Headless Horseman rode through my cozy apartment... His flask was filled with Buffalo Trace bourbon, maple liqueur, a dash of chocolate bitters and a drop of horror.
The site of this specter was enough that more than one guest uttered their Last Word... those other worldly whispers made easier with equal parts gin, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse, and little less equal part of lime juice.
The Deadly Diamondback came through next, spewing rye, green chartreuse, Applejack and a bit of venom. It was boozy but just shy of delicious... something was missing.
What? What was not quite right with the cocktail? That is the scariest part of all!
Alas, never fear. Trader Vicki and LP were on the scene chasing the ghosties and goblins away.
Trader Vicki came prepared. She brewed a homemade pumpkin cordial following (somewhat) this recipe (attributable to Gina):
In a large jar with a tightly-fitting lid, combine 750 ml of decent vodka (we used Sobieski) with one can (14.5 oz.) pumpkin puree, 2 cinnamon stick, 12 cloves, 1 tablespoon of blade mace. Allow it to sit for a week, then strain into another large jar. Add 1 cup of 2:1 simple syrup, stir to combine. Decant into clean sterilized bottles. (And make it look fancy and nice!)
LP and Trader Vicki waved their wands with a flourish and created three new cocktails:
The Headless Horseman (revised... it fits better with pumpkin and all...)
1 oz pumpkin cordial
1 oz bourbon
1 oz applejack
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes chocolate bitters
The Ichabod Crane
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz maraschino
1/4 oz chartreuse
1 1/2 oz applejack
2 dashes bitters
garnish w/ lime & cranberries
(LP - what do we call this one?)
3/4 oz Buffalo Trace
3/4 oz rye
1/4 oz chartreuse
1/4 oz maple liqueur
1/4 Carpano Antica
chocolate bitters
cranberries, twist of lime
The cranberries were a contribution from HA, who along with Mrs. O concocted many a tasty and highly photogenic dessert item.
And, not one guest lost a finger during carving or went into sugar shock before the party's end. So, it was a fabulous time. I can hardly put into words how wonderful all the guest contributions were. All of the photos in this blog were taken by the superbly talented Mrs. Kari Otero.
And the lessons learned? Chartreuse is a lovely elixir! It goes with so many things. My favorite drinks of the evening were the Last Word, the improved Headless Horseman and LP's untitled drink. Stay tuned!
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