♪♫ Jingle Bell Rocks ♪♫

1.5 oz Vermont Gold Vodka (distilled from maple sap)
3 oz tonic water
...1 oz sparkling cider
4 - 5 muddled cranberries
1 sprig rosemary

In a shaker, muddle cranberries. Add ice and Vermont Gold Vodka and shake vigorously. Pour into a rocks glass and top with tonic water and sparkling cider. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

You can also make a "mocktail" version of this without the vodka - it is very nice as well.

 

[thehunt]

Lori i am not following you around the site, i am just very quiet at work today.
Now why does it not surprise me that you have added something alcoholic.
Just what are muddled cranberries, is it a cranberry that thinks it is a red currant??
Phil

 

[Luluna]

No worries Phil, I should be doing housekeeping chores at the moment but I am procrastinating and having a little fun first

Since we have a sugarbush with 2500 maple taps, and not everyone enjoys maple syrup (although I can't see why), a local company has started making vodka from the maple sap. I'm sure any vodka will do. I'm not sure if it's my Norwegian heritage or the long winters or both - but a little constitutional seems appropriate this time of year, no?

Muddling is a drink making technique that basically means you're going to mash up the berries at the bottom with the end of a wooden spoon or the like. I had to look it up before I made these for Thanksgiving - here's the official explanation http://www.barnonedrinks.com/tips/techniques/muddling.html (I know, more than you want/need to know).

I looked up some substitutes for fresh cranberries - white currants seem to be the favorite?

If you're having a nice dinner or party, it looks very festive and really nice tasting too!

 

[thehunt]

Hi Lori, Well that explains that then. I am interested as i work in the food industry and also once upon a time used to sell wine when i lived in Paris.
Anyway i suppose i had better look busy now.
All the best
Phil

 

[Luluna]

Phil, you lucky dog. Selling wine while living in Paris? Sounds a bit nicer than slogging through the snow to tap trees for sap!

 

[thehunt]

It was a good period, was only there for six years but loved it. One of the good things about living in Europe is that we have access to so many different cultures all within a 2hr flight. I was initially a cook then moved over to the wine shop so had best of both worlds.
As i've got older though, my wife and i would prefer to live in the countryside, so slogging through the snow in a beautiful part of the world does not seem so bad. We have not achieved it yet but we should move within the next five years.

 

[AdamBradley]

Brief word of warning, I've a feeling the US have a different definition of Cider to those of us familiar with Somerset's finest export.

 

[Luluna]

Unless you're from Vermont - then it's Woodchuck Cider http://www.woodchuck.com/

Thanks Adam for the clarification

 

[Rogerb]

I am hoping to go to Asturias, in N Spain, for Easter ....cider-making is very big there, so I shall have to sample it, athough not usually a great cider-drinker.
Now maple-syrup...that's something else! I nearly spent a small fortune on a tiny bottle to go with my Shrove Tuesday pancakes.....just for me and the dog!.... but saw it was mixed with something else So it had to be lemon and sugar.

 

[Luluna]

My in-laws have an condo in Gijon, Spain is beautiful.

Re: maple $yrup. We lease our maple sugar bush to a neighbor who does all the hard work of collecting the sap and boiling - then he delivers our percentage of the haul = 16 liters per season (my family knows what they are getting for Christmas each year). Maple whipped cream, maple syrup in your coffee, pancakes and Belgian waffles, cereal and oatmeal, heated over vanilla ice cream, maple/balsamic salad dressing, maple bbq sauce and catsup, maple cotton candy ... it goes on and on. Most people who own land with maple trees are in the maple syrup business - it pays the property taxes! Liquid gold. So sorry it's expensive near you!

I bet your dog loved those pancakes!

 

[Rogerb]

Stop it, you are making me drool!
The place I am hoping to go is quite close to Gijon.
Yes, Dolly did love the pancakes ....I made enough mixture for about 4 people, so we had 'em on Shrove Tuesday AND Ash Wednesday (not that I am religious, but it's an excuse for relaxing the diet )

"I am SO full ...I just need a siesta."

 

[George]

Another nice drink with cranberry juice is a "Scarlet O'Hara"

Things you'll need:

• Southern Comfort
• Lemon juice or Lime Juice
• Cranberry juice
• Cocktail mixer and strainer
• Cocktail glass
• Ice

o 1 Add ice to your cocktail mixer.
o 2 Add 2 ounces Southern Comfort.
o 3 Add 1 ounce cranberry juice.
o 4 Add 1/2 ounce lemon or lime juice.
o 5 Shake the shaker for a good 6-10 count, and then strain the drink into a cocktail glass (there should be NO ice in the cocktail glass).
o 6 Sip your drink, and enjoy.

 

[Luluna]

Stop it, you are making me drool!

"I am SO full ...I just need a siesta."

Dolly looks like a VERY happy pup!