Drinks

Spiced Pear

• 1 ½ oz Pear Vodka, such as Grey Goose La Poire or Absolut Pear
• ¾ oz Amaretto Liq
• ½ oz *Spiced simple syrup
• 1/4 oz Lemon juice
• Pear slice for garnish
• Glass – Cocktail

* Spiced Simple Syrup - combine some allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, orange peel, 1 cup brown sugar in a medium saucepan with 1 cup of water. Boil, then simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Let cool, remove solids, bottle, and refrigerate.

Here are some seasonal Thanksgiving cocktails you can sip before, during, or after Thanksgiving dinner. You can even enjoy these elixirs on Black Friday or paired with that left-over turkey sandwich over the holiday weekend.

Forbidden Fruit

(Cover photo courtesy of Liquor.com)

An adult version of the 19^th century lemon drop candy, the Lemon Drop (Martini) consists of vodka, triple sec (orange liqueur), lemon juice, and simple syrup that is shaken and strained into a sugar-rimmed Martini/Cocktail glass and garnished with a lemon twist. In some circles, people have begun to mix it with Citrus Vodka, i.e. Absolut Citron, but the classic way is straight vodka.

Whether you're hosting a halloween party or want some cool and different cocktails to share with others, try some of these cocktails this week or over the halloween weekend. RYS will be serving most of these cocktails on Friday night. These are novelty drinks so proceed with caution. They are visually appealing, but not necessarily the best tasting. Have fun with it!

With the fall harvest and upcoming Thanksgiving feasts, it’s the perfect time of year for fall/winter cocktails incorporating seasonal shrubs (sweetened vinegar-based syrup). Made with respect from seed to glass, my friends over at Prairie Organic Spirits are using their fine spirits to create seasonal fall/winter cocktails made with homemade shrubs. 

Here is a selection of my 3 favorite winter sangrias you can mix it up for your holiday parties, office parties, or an excuse to get together with friends, family, and neighbors. Have Raise Your Spirits whip up one of these for your next event...Enjoy and drink responsibly!

Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

Serves 16. Use large bottle of wine and double ingredients to double amount.

In celebrating "National Vodka Day", I offer up some cocktails that are classic and will look very familiar to most while others are originals with my own personal twists. The suggested vodka brand used for each cocktail is intentional based on it's character and tasting notes in relation to other ingredients. Of course, as always, you are welcome to use your own favorite vodka, but it's important to have a well-balanced cocktail even with vodka's subtle taste qualities.

(Cover photo courtesy of my friends at Liquor.com)

National Whiskey Sour Day was August 25^th, but the reality is that the Whiskey Sour is a great drink that can be enjoyed all year long if made properly. With all the quality of bourbons, small-batch bourbons, and other whiskies on the market today, it is no wonder that it has stood the test of time and endures as one of the country’s most popular sour cocktail.

After a short time away, I am back to offer more delectable cocktails to enjoy on "National Rum Day" on the 16th. As usual, the brands listed for the ingredients can be easily substituted with other brands, but reflect what I recommend for those cocktails. Whether you like to sip or mix white rum, dark rum, spiced rum, black rum, or special reserve rum, there is something for all of you here.

(Minty Blue pictured above)

Summer Rye

The Summer Rye cocktail is adapted from a traditional rye-based drink popular in fall/winter with the addition of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur in place of Ginger Liqueur. Try both versions. The summer version has been a big hit this summer for weddings coordinated by RYS.