Tag Archives: cloves

Bourbon + Spice makes everything nice. (Even the intense competition inherent in local award shows!)

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I entered 2eat2drink in the Rochester Advertising Federation Addy competition, our local advertising awards. This gave me a chance to review my 2011 annual report. I did 67 posts, with 251 pictures (WOW, no wonder I had no free time!), and had over 12,000 page views (thank you!) in just over ten months! It’s been an extremly fun way to reach out to clients, friends, and friends-to-be around the world, while sharing a little about our lives and highlighting my photography. If this is your first visit I encourage a full review. Those of you looking to get a brief overview, here are some of my favorite and most viewed posts:

The drink of choice for Sam Axe: The Minty Mojito.
Gin + Juice
I like it chunky: Guacamole!
Campfires and the double marshmallow, Special Dark chocolate s’more!
Bourbon Tasting at the Lake
The first post! Honey Roasted Tomato Bruschetta
You know you want one…the creamy root beer float!
Gooey, earthy, creamy, pungent French camembert.
The NOLA Margarita
Blimey! That’s a good ale!
Yes, I really did drink prehistoric plant matter deposits.
I want Mahón!

Now that you’ve worked up a thirst, on to the bourbon + spice! This is the cocktail I prepared for Chef Mark’s Thanksgiving feast. It’s a marvelous combination of rich, spicy and sweet. Infusing the flavors of ginger, cinnamon and cloves into dark brown sugar simple syrup is step one. Combine one cup each of water and dark brown sugar in a saucepan.  Bring the mixture just shy of a boil while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add 3-4 slices of ginger, 5-6 cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks, remove the pan from the heat and let steep for about an hour. Strain before use.

Over ice in a rocks glass add 2 oz. bourbon, 1 oz. cinnamon ginger clove simple syrup, 1 oz. Trader Vic’s Kona Coffee liqueur, and 3-4 dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged bitters. Stir, garnish and enjoy. (Bottle and store the remaining syrup in the refrigerator.)

Cheers to the Addy judges and all those who work hard to make the Addys a great event!

The Bourbon + Spice cocktail!

The rich, sweet and spicy ingredients!

Willett Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was my choice for Bourbon + Spice.

Fruity, spicy, and dangerously smooth: Red Wine Sangria!

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Thus starts my Cinco De Mayo prep! Sangria is a Spanish and Portugese treat, not Mexican. But… I associate it with Cinco De Mayo and Mexican flavors, so I’m running with it.  It’s typically made with cheap Spanish red wine, citrus fruit, spices, a sweetener, and sometimes a sparkling beverage. I’ll give you a rough guide as to what to include, but feel free to experiment. That’s how I prepare it; some of this, a little of that, and so on.

My wine suggestion is Protocolo, a Spanish tempranillo for less than $6! Although inexpensive, Heather classifies this wine as “super yummy!” It’s such a great value, we have it often enough to call it our “house red”. Using a wine you like as the sangria base is very important.

Pour your bottle of wine into a pitcher. Add 6 or 7 cloves, a sliced orange, half a sliced lemon, half a sliced lime, a shot of brandy, a shot of vodka, a shot of creme de cacao, and about an ounce of simple syrup. If you want to go heavier on the sour fruit, add a little more simple syrup to balance it out. Stir, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Just before serving, add 10 ounces of sparkling beverage (I used seltzer).

Remember that this is just a guideline – use whatever fruit, spices, liquor, and sweeteners you fancy. You can’t go wrong! Let me know what you come up with, and I’ll do another sangria post in the future.

Fruity, spicy sangria goodness.

Protocolo, our house red, makes a great sangria.