Cider Rum Punch

It's Friday and I found a tasty way to help knock the chill out of the air.

Who doesn't love apple cider? Especially this time of year. With the warming spices and crisp apples, it's the perfect accompaniment to all the comfort foods of the season.

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Served hot or cold or even non-alcoholic, this is a crowd pleaser. And the fact that you can make it in batches, freeing you up to enjoy your gatherings, really makes it a worthy addition to your cocktail recipe arsenal.

Credit where credit is due. I found this particular recipe on this lovely blog.

Cheers!

Cider Rum Punch

Ingredients

8 ounces dark rum

3 ounces lemon juice

4 ounces thyme simple syrup

12 ounces apple cider

4 ounces water

4 ounces club soda

8 dashed of Angostura Bitters

sprigs of thyme, garnish

apple wheels, garnish

Prep

To make thyme simple syrup, combine 2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups of water and 6 thyme sprigs in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring up to a boil and reduce to simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place the syrup in the fridge to cool.

Place all the ingredients in a large picture or carafe with ice and stir.

Fill your glasses with crushed ice and fill. Place a sprig of thyme inside and put an apple wheel on the rim.

Serves 6.

Coco Cherry Mist

I don't know what it is about infusing spirits that I like so much. Especially considering you can buy practically any flavor ready made.

There's lemon, cranberry, cucumber, raspberry, grapefruit, vanilla, pepper just to name a few and that's just vodka. You can also buy flavored rum and gin.

Maybe it's the sight of jars chock-full of fruit lined up on my kitchen counter, or how I can control exactly what goes in those jars - like the freshest, local ingredients combined with the highest quality booze, or perhaps it's the creative license the do-it-yourself method provides.

If you want to try infusing, here are a few basic guidelines and recipes that I find helpful.

For today's cocktail, I chose Bing cherries simply because they looked irresistible in the market not because I had a specific recipe in mind. But that's the fun part for me - researching, mixing and tasting, and tasting some more.

And then there's the question of what to call this drink? Of course, Cherry Bomb comes to mind - and speaking of happy hour starter, 20+ years later and this song STILL makes me very happy. 

As it turns out, there are already several drink recipes called Cherry Bomb. But that's okay, it implies a much heavier impact than what I had in mind anyway.

I used part coconut rum and some sparkling wine. So I think I'll call it Coco Cherry Mist - you know, more of a slow jam than a full-on jubilee.

Coco Cherry Mist

1 1/2 oz cherry-infused rum

1/2 oz coconut rum

1/2 oz Cointreau

1 T fresh lemon juice 

1 T thyme-infused simple syrup* 

dash of sparkling wine

*combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 6-8 springs of fresh thyme in sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20  minutes. Cool completely before proceeding. 

Combine all ingredients, except sparkling wine, in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into champagne glass, top with dash of wine, garnish with lemon twist and enjoy!

Rear Admiral's Swizzle

Last Friday's happy hour starter, the Maple Sangaree, prompted a dialogue about enjoying that cocktail with breakfast - or at least with foods typically served for breakfast.

So that got me thinking - what key ingredient would be required for me to actually consider having a cocktail with breakfast? Just to clarify - Bloody Marys, Mimosas and Screwdrivers do not count. Everybody knows those aren't cocktails, but rather nutrient-packed juice beverages.

Back to that key ingredient. Coffee. Now that would make a crowd-pleasing breakfast drink. And if that coffee was Oakland's own Blue Bottle Coffee that would make it even better.

That line of thinking lead me to Firelit Spirits Coffee Liqueur - a wake-me-up blend of Blue Bottle Coffee, St. George Spirits brandy, cane sugar and Madagascar vanilla beans. While it's an excellent sipping digestif, I think it really perks up this cocktail created by Reza Esmaili at Smuggler's Cove.

Rear Admiral's Swizzle

1 oz Clement Creole Shrubb orange liqueur

1/2 oz Firelit coffee liqueur

1/2 Stroh 160 proof Rum

1/2 oz fresh orange juice

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

1/4 oz honey syrup (1:1 honey & water)

2 dashes Regan's No. 5 bitters

Orange twist & mint sprig for garnish

Instructions:

Fill a Collins glass 2/3 full of crushed ice. Add all the ingredients, except the garnish, and stir with swizzle stick. Top with more crushed ice and add garnish.

Yep, this one has that I-can-drink-this-all day flavor. I'm not recommending you do that - I'm just sayin.

Thai Coco Cocktail

Happy Hour - Wikipedia states that one possible origin of the term is from the United States Navy. In the 1920's, happy hour was slang for a scheduled entertainment period on board a ship.

Sounds good to me - let's set sail. Destination Thailand!

If it's possible - and the smell or taste of coconut makes it possible for me, to have a vacation in a glass - this just might be it. "It" being the Thai Coco Cocktail and here's how to whip one up.

Thai Coco Cocktail

Ingredients:

2 1/2 ounces coconut rum

1 1/2 ounces Fresh Lemongrass Syrup, recipe follows

1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 juicy lime)

Very thin slice lime or spear of a fresh lemongrass frond, for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker or small pitcher with ice. Add the rum, lemongrass syrup, and lime juice. Cover and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, by the time the shaker mists up the drink is ready.) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lime on the rim or the lemongrass spear in the drink. Serve.

Fresh Lemongrass Syrup:

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, coarsely chopped

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

Place the lemongrass, water, and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture and cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to a week.

Yield: 2 cups

I would serve this with, well, Thai food.

Sounds daunting, but here's a tasty recipe with a short ingredient list for this type of cuisine.

Spooning it onto endive or fried wontons makes it a quick and easy finger food - which means one hand is free to sip the Thai Coco.

And your mind is free to dream of white sandy beaches far, far away.