Tag: December

Infused Vodka – A Special Gift to Give (and receive!)

It is officially mid-December!  Only 10 days left until Christmas!  Are you ready… or are you still looking for gifts for some hard to shop for folks? 

I’ve got a great gift idea for you – simple, thoughtful, and easily customizable!

Infused Vodka! 

All you need is a vodka (your brand of choice) and at least one flavor component – but get creative and make it personal! 

I’m going to share a few of my favorite flavor combos with you.  And it really is super easy.  You can infuse one large batch and then decant into individual bottles or jars to gift.  Or you can infuse in the same container that you’ll be using to gift – all you’ll need is a bow and a gift tag. 

Infused Vodka Suggestions-

  1. Apple, Cinnamon Stick, Candied Ginger
  2. Orange, Clove, Cardamom Pods, Star Anise
  3. Dried Cranberries, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel
  4. Rosemary and/or Lavender
  5. Green Tea and Honey

Now, let’s get a little wild.  You can infuse any liquor you like.  Some will be more successful than others, and I suggest starting with vodka because of its neutral flavor profile.  Silver Rum is another spirit that is incredibly versatile when it comes to infusions, but specifically lends itself to fruity flavors beautifully. 

Infused Rum Suggestions-

  1. Dried Mango and Coconut
  2. Lime Peel
  3. Pineapple and Ginger

A couple more tips… if you are using fresh ingredients, keep your infusion refrigerated!  I try to use dried ingredients more than fresh so that the infusions stay shelf stable.  Also, keep in mind that the longer the infusion sits the stronger it will become, and most of these need to infuse at least 4-5 days before they are ready to use.  I like to include a nice tag detailing what I used in each bottle and the date I bottled it, as well as any other information you want to pass along. 

Happy Infusing!  And don’t be afraid to reach out with any questions!

Make A Delicious, Sweet-Cinnamon Coffee Cocktail This Holiday Season!

The Holidays are here!  The days are speeding by and I still have so much to do!  Shopping, baking, gift wrapping, decorating… this is such a (wonderfully) busy time of the year!

I love coffee, period. But in December – with its short days and full calendar – I need an extra afternoon jolt to help get me through the day.  But it’s DECEMBER!  The HOLIDAY SEASON!  It can’t be just a regular coffee!  I want something special, with a holiday twist! 

The Cinnamon Dulce Café – is the perfect coffee (cocktail) for all of your December needs!  A Christmas or New Year Brunch – An afternoon of gift wrapping – Tree decorating – Card writing – Cookie making – and so much more! 

This cocktail is a favorite of mine and I’m sure you’ll love it too!  Remember that a recipe is just a guide – if you don’t like bourbon, use vodka!  If you’re not a coffee fan, you can use hot chocolate!  If you prefer real cream instead of oat milk creamer, do it!  So, without further ado, let’s get to the good part!

Cinnamon Dulce Café

  • 1.5oz Cincinnati Distilling Bourbon
  • .5oz Disaronna  (amaretto)
  • 2oz Coffee (cold brew, or strong brewed hot coffee cooled to room temp)
  • .75oz Cinnamon Syrup*
  • 1.5oz Oat Milk Coffee Cream
  • .5oz Maple Syrup
  1. In a cocktail shaker (mason jar, Tupperware with tight fitting lid) add your Bourbon, Disaronna, Coffee, and Cinnamon Syrup. 
  2. Add some ice and shake it up. 
  3. Strain it into a martini glass. 
  4. In a small pitcher add your Oat Milk Creamer and Maple Syrup, using a Milk Frother or Immersion blender, blend until it has doubled in volume (or use a clean shaker/mason jar/etc, and shake shake shake until doubled in volume). 
  5. Gently pour over the top of your cocktail. 
  6. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  And enjoy!

Option 2 –

Serve it over ice!

Follow step 1, but add a little more coffee.  Shake it up, strain into a glass filled with ice.  Follow steps 4-6 and enjoy!

Option 3 –

Some Like it Hot!

In your favorite coffee mug, add Bourbon, Cinnamon Syrup, and Disaronna.  Top with hot Coffee (or Hot Chocolate), and give it a stir.  Follow steps 4-6 and enjoy!

*Cinnamon Syrup – it’s super easy to make – 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cinnamon stick.  Bring to a boil stirring often to fully dissolve sugar.  Once a boil is reached, remove from heat and let cool.  Remove cinnamon stick, and store in a sealable container in the refrigerator. 

Or…. Go to the grocery store, Monin makes a very nice Cinnamon Syrup.  You can usually find it in the coffee section.

Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate

Who remembers playing outside in the snow as a kid?  Sledding?  Making Snowmen?  Snowball fights?  Just staying outside in the crisp, cold weather crunching through the snow until your cheeks were pink and your nose was froze?  When it was finally time to go inside the perfect way to warm up was a steaming mug of Hot Chocolate.  How did you top yours?  Marshmallows?  Whipped Cream?  Or were you a purist, and drank yours with no garnish at all? 

Growing up we had a really good homemade Hot Chocolate Mix.  My mom had the recipe in an old church cookbook.  It might have been my dad’s mom’s church cookbook, but I’m really not sure.  I just remember that it was delicious.  I made it a couple of years ago, and it was still good.  But not as good as I remember.  So I decided to create a new, easy, amazing Hot Chocolate. 

I don’t know about you, but as an adult Hot Chocolate is a pretty big treat.  My hot drinks tend to stay on the sensible side- coffee or tea.  And if I’m craving Hot Chocolate, sometimes the powdered packet is just fine… but let’s face it, even the best powdered mixes aren’t that good.  So, if you are going to have Hot Chocolate do yourself a favor, and make it a real treat.  A rich, creamy, decadent (SPIKED) treat. 

I love this recipe because it’s a little different.  It features White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder.  You get all of these delicious layers of chocolate and it’s not too sweet.  It’s amazing on its own, but even better if you spike it with a little smoethin’ somethin’ it’s even better.    

  • Hot White (Christmas) Chocolate
  • 1 bag (11oz) High Quality White Chocolate Chips
  • 1 ½ Tablespoon Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
  • 8 cups 1% Milk
  • 1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • A couple of drops of Vanilla Extract
  • Pinch of Kosher Salt

In a heavy bottomed pot combine the heavy cream, about half the milk, the cocoa powder, and whisk well to combine.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir often and keep an eye on the heat, you don’t want to scald the milk.  Once the chips are melted and everything is heated through, give it a taste test.  Add more cocoa powder, milk, or vanilla as needed. 

You can also make this in a crockpot.  Follow the same directions, but over low heat stirring every 30 minutes.  Once hot, switch to the warm setting.

Serve with marshmallows, whipped cream, or nothing at all in your favorite mug!

This is amazing and child friendly, as is.  Now let’s make it adult friendly.  Some of my favorite additions are – Candy Cane Infused Vodka (as made in a previous post), Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey (who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate?), Fireball (cinnamon and chocolate for a little extra spice), your favorite bourbon (bourbon and chocolate pair so well together), Rum Chata (for a more mild, extra creamy addition), Kahlua (for a mocha-type drink)….. the possibilities are really endless.  Let me know what your favorite is!

My favorite? LOTS of marshmallows and a healthy glug of Maker’s Mark.

Winter Warm-Ups

 So, this post is delayed by a few days.  I was going to make a nice post about some of my favorite winter warm-up drinks, like hot toddies and how they are not only delicious, but also medicinal… I made my drinks, I took my pictures, and then my throat started to hurt, I began to feel achy and chilled, and before I knew it, I was hit with a cold/flu/nastiness.  I have been sleeping as much as possible and drinking lots of hot water/lemon/honey/ginger and I’m already feeling much better. 

So, what is a hot toddy?  A mixed drink, served hot traditionally made with whiskey, lemon, and honey. 

I enjoy a traditional toddy when the weather starts getting chilly but by December, I’m ready to shake it up a little bit.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I love pairing blackberry and whiskey.  So, I made a Hot Blackberry Ginger Toddy… it just what I needed.  The blackberry and honey mix so well, and with the fresh lemon juice it doesn’t get too sweet.  Beam Black is my go-to for a drink like this- big enough flavors to stand up through the blackberry/ginger, but it still blends well into the cocktail.  The ginger is absolutely necessary for me, but feel free to leave it out if you don’t have any or don’t like it.  I need the bite of fresh ginger to balance the other flavors, but I understand fresh ginger is too much for many people. (ps – sorry for the not-great phots… this is all that I got before I accidentally drank it in my haze of oncoming sickness.)

  • Hot Blackberry-Ginger Toddy
  • 1oz Honey (locally sourced is best, thank you Don Popp’s Honey Farm)
  • .5oz Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 4 Blackberries
  • ¼ – ½ inch piece of fresh Ginger, peeled and rough chopped
  • 1.5oz Beam Black
  • 5oz near boiling water

In a heat proof measuring glass combine Honey, Lemon Juice, Blackberries, and Ginger.  Muddle the blackberries into the honey and lemon.  Add Beam Black. Top with water and carefully stir to combine.  Cover the top of the glass and let steep for 4 minutes.  Pour through fine mesh strainer into your favorite mug and enjoy.

Do you have a favorite take on the Hot Toddy?

Up next… my Favorite White Christmas Hot Chocolate….