Seasonal Sips

 

I love it when the seasons change! Especially fall, but spring and summer are delightful as well. A different wardrobe, a new routine and a different menu are all part of the fun. But, besides all the amazing things that come along with a change of seasons, one thing to look forward to is a plethora of delightful new cocktails. Summer brings fruity, refreshing drinks. Spring is bubbly and flowery. Fall and winter are warming, hearty and earth-toned. And hopefully all are boozy and delicious!

I recently received a shipment of booze from the Booze Fairy, featuring two seasonal liqueurs to try: Hiram Walker Pumpkin and Gingerbread. I usually go for spirits that are delicious on their own and leave these kind of liqueurs to my memories of inappropriately named shots on regret-filled evenings in college. Red-headed slut or buttery nipple, anyone?

However, these homey flavors are the best part of fall. So I did my best to pair each liqueur with ingredients (like pear and persimmon) that would complement their flavors, while adding to the festive fall theme. The following drinks are yummy, but definitely sweet. The liqueurs themselves are tasty, but tend to overpower other, more delicate ingredients– you may want to use a little less in your first round to see how you like them. In fact, make sure you taste and tweak each of these to your heart's content! The foundation for a tasty drink has been laid, but there is always room for improvement. My next experiment with them will involve hot coffee, which I think will be the PERFECT way to enjoy these hearty flavors! 

Any other ideas what I could make with these liqueurs?

Autumn Zinger

This one is sweet, and reminiscent of pumpkin pie.

Serves 2

• 1 tbsp Ginger Syrup*
• 3 oz Bulleit Bourbon
• 1.5 oz Persimmon Puree**
• 1 oz Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
• Cinnamon/Sugar to rim glass
• Lemon twist

Combine ingredients in a shaker with large chunks of ice. Give ingredients a few vigorous shakes. Rub twist around rim of glass. Shake some sugar/cinnamon onto a plate and place glass (martini or otherwise) rim down to coat.

Strain into glass and garnish with twist.

Pear Snap

This cocktail is spicy and refreshing. Ginger-lovers may want to add an extra dash to rev up the flavor!

Serves 2

• 5 oz Pear Puree**
• .5 tbsp Hiram Walker Gingerbread Liqueur
• 1 oz Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
• 1.5 oz Stoli Apple Vodka

Combine ingredients in a shaker with large chunks of ice. Give ingredients a few vigorous shakes. Garnish with pear slice or candied ginger. 

*Ginger Syrup

Yields 1.5 cups syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 thinly sliced, peeled ginger

Peel and thinly slice ginger. Add to water/sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min. Strain and cool completely. For a quick garnish, coat ginger slices in sugar and let dry.

**Purees

I used the same method for both the pear and persimmon purees. First I peeled the fruits and cored them. Then I chopped them into large chunks and threw them in the blender, adding water to thin them out a bit. Then I added a little bit of agave syrup to sweeten and about a teaspoon of lemon juice to keep the fruit from turning dull brown. You don't want to add too much lemon, it is not really for flavoring.