How to make a festive holiday cocktail
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Easy & Oskey's Erik Eastman shows us how to make a holiday cocktail he calls "The Humboldt."
Plus: A bonus non-alcoholic recipe, the Cranberry-Apple Shrub.
The Humboldt
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2 oz Prairie Organic Gin
0.75 oz Cocchi Torino Sweet Vermouth
0.5 oz St. George Spirits Spiced Pear Liqueur
1/4 tsp Easy & Oskey Grapefruit Bitters
2 oz quality dry sparkling wine
Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a mixing glass with clean ice.
Stir 30 seconds to dilute, chill and combine.
Strain into a champagne flute, top with the sparkling wine and a couple more drops of bitters.
Cut a coin-sized piece of peel from a fresh organic lemon, squeeze the oils onto the drink, wipe the rim of the glass with the peel.
For large gatherings: Scale up the recipe to desired amounts and combine gin, vermouth and pear liqueur in a pitcher ahead of time.
Mix cocktails for your guests to order by pouring the mixture into a mixing glass with clean ice, adding bitters and proceeding as above.
There should be room in the mixing glass to stir up several cocktails at once.
https://soundcloud.com/mprnews/how-to-make-a-humboldt
Cranberry-Apple Shrub
3 apples
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar*
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (or substitute plain cane sugar)
Shred apples (no need to peel or core) in a food processor, and add to a large bowl.
Puree cranberries and vinegars in a blender, and add the mixture and the sugar to the shredded apples.
Store covered on the kitchen counter for two days.
After two days, strain mixture with a fine mesh strainer and/or cheesecloth. Squeeze solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Strain again if needed. Discard solids. Store in a clean glass container.
Shrub will keep for roughly a year in the refrigerator.
*Play around with different vinegars (such as sherry, champagne, white wine or red wine) and different fruits. Also consider adding an herb or a spice while steeping on the counter. The possibilities are virtually endless.
https://soundcloud.com/mprnews/how-to-make-a-cranberry-apple-shrub