Christmas Carol Punch

This Christmas Carol Punch started a couple of years ago when a friend gifted me a bottle of Sorel. Sorel is one of those made-in-Brooklyn hipster sort of products that is based on old traditional Caribbean recipes. It’s a liquer that’s made with Brazilian clove, Indonesian cassia, Nigerian ginger, Indonesian nutmeg, Moroccan hibiscus, pure cane sugar, and grain alcohol. It took me awhile to figure out how best to work with it. Because of the clove, I’m really only open to it during the winter, but others may not have such a strong seasonal association and find it enjoyable all year. The clove, ginger and nutmeg make the drink just a hint spicy and the hibiscus gives it a lovely red color that enhances the cranberry juice. The Christmas Carol Punch is strong but balanced. It’s got lots of tart, plenty of spice, and just enough sweet to make this go down just a little too easy. Another fun part about this Christmas Carol Punch is that because the cranberry juice, the rum, and even the tequila can really change how the final product tastes, you can experiment until you make the perfect one for your own taste. In fact, … Continue reading

Cranberry Frozen Margaritas

Despite it being the middle of Winter, the high tomorrow is 61° F, so I feel comfortable getting back on the posting track with cold Cranberry Frozen Margaritas. The cranberries and limes make this Cranberry Frozen Margarita both seasonal and tart, but if you keep them in your freezer, you can have Cranberry Frozen Margaritas year ’round. And I have a great tip if you want to keep it simple, and skip all the juicing. Smoothie making has taught me several things in the last year. The most important: when you’re blending something, especially with a powerful blender, you don’t need to juice ANYTHING. Peel the lime and throw it straight in the blender. Add the cranberries, tequila, triple sec and ice. Blend until very smooth. These Cranberry Frozen Margaritas are definitely tart little drinks. Is super tart not your dish? Don’t worry, to make these less tart, use ½ a lime and one orange, and add an extra ¼ cup triple sec. But I like Cranberry Frozen Margaritas really tart. Cranberry Frozen Margaritas makes for an excellent Mocktail if you’re so inclined. Just use some orange juice and simple syrup to taste since you’re not using triple sec in the Cranberry Frozen … Continue reading