Thanksgiving Toast – Orange Anejo Sour

The Blind Pig Family has had quite a week!  We are headed out to soccer trip, to be followed by a hockey trip, and some other exciting adventures!  We can’t wait to share the details with you next week. In the meantime, we wanted to let you know how grateful we are to all of our loyal readers and followers.  Our Thanksgiving will be different this year as Blind Piglet #1 is staying in NYC and will be watching the Macy’s Day Parade from inside her office building. (It makes us tear up just to put that in writing.)

If you are new to our blog, thanks for stopping by, please share our pins and posts with family and friends.  The more the merrier!

This week we are sharing a lovely cocktail for the perfect Thanksgiving toast — Orange Anejo Sour.  The flavors in this drink are complex and interesting, but don’t worry, mixing it up for family and friends will be a snap!

Before we share the ingredient list with you, we want you to bear with us and give this cocktail a chance.  Most of our cocktails we share have only 3-4 ingredients.  This one has a few more than that, and it you do not frequent the cocktail bar scene, may seem a little unusual to you.  To make the Orange Anejo Sour you will need sliced oranges, sugar, mint leaves, anejo tequila, fresh lime juice, orange liqueur,  Carpano Antica Sweet vermouth, egg whites and blood orange San Pellegrino soda.

A few notes about these ingredients:  first of all, yes, this drink has raw egg whites.  If you cannot be exposed to raw eggs for health reasons, obviously this is not the cocktail for you.  The same goes for any guests you may be serving.  You want to use anejo tequila for this cocktail. Anejo tequila has been aged for 1-3 years in oak barrels.  The flavors in anejo tequila are much richer with vanilla and floral undertones.  Anejo has enough flavor that it is typically served neat for sipping. You will not have the same experience with this cocktail if you use blanco or reposado tequila.  Carpano Antica sweet vermouth is a wine based product that we have shared with you in other posts, such as, Orange You Glad It’s Carpano? San Pellegrino is the only blood orange soda we could find at our local Kroger.  There may be others, but our Kroger didn’t have them.

To begin, we are going to slightly broil orange slices.  Place the thinly sliced orange slices on a cookie sheet with sugar sprinkled over the top.  Broil for only a few minutes watching closely until the oranges are slightly browned and the sugar has glazed over the top of the orange.

Next place mint leaves in your shaker and muddle.  Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, sweet vermouth, and an egg white from one egg.  Shake vigorously until the sound from the shaker changes from a sloshly sound to a thicker sound.  Open the shaker and add ice. Shake for about 15 more seconds.  Pour into a coup or martini glass.  There will be a froth on top.  Gently lay the broiled orange slice on the top of the froth.  Serve and amaze all with your bartending talents!

Orange Anejo Sour

  • 1 orange slice
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 5 mint leaves
  • 1.5 ounces of anejo tequila
  • 1 ounce fresh lime juice
  • 1 ounce of orange liqueur
  • 1 ounce of Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
  • 1 egg white
  • Blood orange soda
  1.  Place orange slice on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and broil for about 5 minutes.  Remove and cool.
  2. Place mint leaves in a shaker and muddle.  Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, Carpano Antica, and egg white.
  3. Shake until frothy.  Add 1 cup of ice and shake for 15 more seconds.
  4. Pour into a coup glass.  Top off with blood orange soda.
  5. Garnish with broiled orange slice.

The Orange Anejo Sour is a great cocktail for the holidays with its rich flavors and impressive appearance.  Make it next week for your Thanksgiving guests and let us know what they think!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

 

Disclaimer:  Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older.  We do not condone underage drinking.  Drink responsibly.

Orange You Glad It’s Carpano?

We are a little late posting this week.  As usual we had a busy weekend and then Rhonda was a little under the weather, don’t worry though, Rhonda’s feeling better and ready to post about this week’s delicious, easy and light Fall cocktail — Orange You Glad It’s Carpano? (We got a little help from Blind Piglet #2 with the name ;))

Rhonda made this refreshing cocktail for a soup luncheon with her friends a couple of weeks ago.  The Orange You Glad It’s Carpano pairs nicely with Italian food.  Since Carpano Antica Vermouth is an aromatized wine product, it is a refreshing and light alternative to a red wine.  It is perfect cocktail for a luncheon, because it doesn’t make you feel full or drowsy.

To make the Orange You Glad It’s Carpano, you only need three basic ingredients: Carpano Antica Vermouth, orange sparkling water, (we used Orange La Croix) and a fresh orange for garnish.  The ombre effect of the caramel colored Carpano with the La Croix and the slice of orange garnish makes for a cocktail that looks like Fall.

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a complete printable recipe for the Orange You Glad It’s Carpano!

Serve this cocktail up this weekend or as a pre-Thanksgiving cocktail. Your guests will be asking for more. Orange you glad?

 

 

Disclaimer:  The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older.  We do not condone underage drinking.  Please drink responsibly.

Spice Up Your Life with a Spiced Fall Manhattan

This week we sent our oldest piglet out into the big wide world to seek her fortune!  We couldn’t be more proud of her guts and enthusiasm for life.  To commemorate her move to NYC we are sharing with you a Spiced Manhattan, as a toast to piglets leaving their home pigsties everywhere!

To make the Spiced Manhattan you need to do a little pre-planning.  The Carpano Antica Vermouth that you add to make the Manhattan simply fabulous will need to be infused for a day or two before mixing your cocktail.  Take a cup of Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth and add 3-4 strips of orange zest, a slice of fresh ginger, 3 allspice berries, 3-4 whole cloves, a handful of fresh or frozen cranberries, and 3 ounces of spiced rum.  Place in a glass container and infuse in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

After you have infused your vermouth, make a Manhattan as usual.  You need your favorite whiskey, spiced vermouth, dash of angostura bitters, orange or lemon peel and Luxardo cherries for garnish. Shake or stir and enjoy!

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a complete recipe for Spiced Fall Manhattan.

This take on the classic Manhattan is perfect for serving at holiday gatherings. It has the traditional cocktail (that we all love), but is dressed up a bit with some holiday flare!  The spiced aroma of the infused vermouth smells so delicious and helps to accentuate a special occasion.

What special drinks or desserts do you like to serve to emphasize the holiday spirit?

If you are new around here, welcome to our little corner of the internet.  We are glad you stopped by. If you like what you’ve found, we would love to have you become a permanent subscriber.  Please tell your friends about us!

 

Disclaimer:   Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older.  We do not condone underage drinking.  Please drink responsibly.

 

Reverse Manhattan

This week we are toasting to dads everywhere with a twist on a classical cocktail.  We shared how to make a Manhattan in a past post.  Craig loves a good Manhattan, but lately he has been a little more interested in a Reverse Manhattan.

Why a Reverse?  A Reverse Manhattan flips the amount of whiskey and the amount of vermouth needed.  When Manhattans were originally created they were created to have 2 parts vermouth and 1 part whiskey.  However, as Manhattans became more popular oftentimes bars did not have a high quality vermouth.  To offset a low quality vermouth, bartenders started to put more whiskey in the cocktail than vermouth.  With our Reverse Manhattan, we encourage you to use a high quality vermouth, such as Carpano Antica Formula, so you can enjoy a Manhattan the way it was meant to be enjoyed.  Another benefit of a Reverse Manhattan is since there is more Carpano Antica in the cocktail, the drink has a lower alcohol content.  Cheers to that!

To make a Reverse Manhattan you need Carpano Antica Formula and your favorite whiskey or bourbon.  Add two ounces of Carpano Antica and an ounce of whiskey to a shaker of ice. Shake for about 20 seconds, and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with Luxardo cherries and enjoy.

If you are reading this post via email, join us at http://www.theblindpig.blog for a printable Reverse Manhattan recipe.

Serve up a Reverse Manhattan for the special dads in your life on Sunday.  Let us know if you do, we’d love to hear about it!

Happy Father’s Day to our favorite dads — John, Tom, Kirby, Alan, Ryan,Todd, Jeff, and Chris!  The world needs more dads like you!

 

Disclaimer:  The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older.  We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

 

Cinco de Mayo Recipes for Your Party

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and although many Americans think that it is Mexico’s version of our Fourth of July, it is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Cinco de Mayo is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage.  Americans don’t need much of an excuse to have a party.

When planning this post we were going to introduce you to another great margarita recipe, because everyone loves a good marg, right?  Then we started to scroll through our past posts and realized that we could put together a whole menu of easy, tasty and fresh ideas for your Cinco de Mayo party.

Appetizer– Tequila Ceviche.

We shared this post with you last summer, and it became a huge hit in TBP household.  This is often a go-to for us when friends and family are joining us for dinner.  Hosting tip– this is delicious if made ahead of time.  It gives the flavors time to meld together and you time to take care of other pressing matters.

Cocktails!  You can’t have a Cinco de Mayo party without a yummy margarita.  We have some marg suggestions for you.

Skinny Agave Margarita:  This one is a crowd pleaser.  Easy to make and easy to drink.

Jalapeno Popper Margarita:  Need to spice things up a bit?

Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita: Fresh and spicy.  What else is there to say?

Merry Margarita:  We know it’s not Christmas, but this drink will keep your guests merry all year long

Santorita:  This marg is made with mezquila.  You can also substitute your favorite tequila.  It’s an excellent recipe.

 

In keeping with other yummy Mexican beverages we have some margarita alternatives.

Rojo:  This drink is made for the more sophisticated palate.  With a name like Rojo, how can it be left off the list?

Carpano Antica Sangria:  Need a large batch recipe?  This is your friend.  For the busy host, this recipe also can be made ahead of time.

Paloma:  Palomas are more popular in Mexico than margaritas which are more of an American invention.  If you really want to be true to Viva La Mexico, go with the Paloma.

The Paloma is a refreshing alternative tequila cocktail to the typical margarita.

Main Course: We have 3 wonderful choices for you for the main course.

Hatch Tequila Chicken:  This recipe is a little more time consuming, but if you plan ahead you can prep much of this a day ahead in order to make the day of your celebration a breeze.  This chicken is so yummy.  It is well worth the extra effort.

Corralejo Honey Lime Chicken:  This is a great choice, especially if you are in the mood to grill.  This chicken is very versatile.  It can stand alone, be sliced up and served in tacos or fajitas.  This is a TBP family favorite.

Tequila Fish Tacos:  These tacos are very yummy and flavorful.  Fish tacos aren’t for everyone, but we highly recommend this recipe.

Dessert: Tequila Strawberry Lime Ice Cream Pie

This pie recipe will need to be prepped the day before your party.  With its yummy strawberry ice cream, pretzel crust and touch of tequila flavor, your guests will be blown away!

Choose one or choose them all, you can’t go wrong with this line up for your Cinco de Mayo.

 

Disclaimer:  Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older.  We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

Italian Negroni

italian negroniHey friends, June 4th kicks off National Negroni week.   We have been saving our Italian Negroni just for this special occasion.  “Never tried a negroni,” you say.  If you are into classic cocktails, this week will be a real treat for you.

Negronis are said to have come about in Florence when an  Italian count suggested that the club soda in his Americano be replaced with gin. The key words in the above sentence are Italian and gin.  The negroni is an Italian creation.  Typically when most bartenders think of gin, they do not grab for an Italian gin.  To properly bring the negroni back to its original roots, we are pairing it with an all Italian cast.

italian negroni1

In our Italian Negroni we use 3 Italian liquors: Malfy Originale Gin (We told you about Malfy Limone in the Cucumber Gin Spritz.), Carpano Antica Vermouth (which we told you about in our Carpano Sangria recipe last summer), and Campari.  The Italian Negroni is a true classic cocktail with an aggressive taste profile.

italian negroni2

This recipe is so easy to make.  Pour 1 ounce of Malfi Gin, 1 ounce of Carpano Antica Vermouth, and 1 ounce of Campari into a rocks glass.  Garnish with an orange peel and ice.  We chose to use one of our ice spheres in our cocktail.

This cocktail is a great beverage to serve dads on Father’s Day, or for a guys’ night out.  Let us know if you try it out!

italian negroni3

Disclaimer:  The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older.  We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

Classic Boulevardier

classic boulevardier

Hey friends.  For those of you who are new to our blog, welcome.  We are glad you stopped by.  To our loyal followers, we hope you have some Beer Brisket cooking in your crockpot for the big game on Sunday night.  This week we are going back to classic cocktails to give you two great ways to make a Boulevardier.

The word boulevardier, according to Webster’s Dictionary, refers to men who were worldly and socially active.  The first boulevardiers got their name from the thoroughfares they frequented: the boulevards of Paris.  Unlike many nicknames, “boulevardier” is generally a complimentary term. It is quite fitting that this term refers to men, because the boulevardier drink is usually a drink that appeals to men over women.  Craig loves Boulevardiers — Rhonda not so much.  They are very alcohol forward, but a great crowd pleaser for those who want a classic cocktail vibe.

Here’s how we make ours.  We made a large batch for a party that we hosted.  We started it two weeks prior to the party, so the flavors had plenty of time to blend and mature prior to serving.

boulevardier1

Templeton Rye, Carpano Antica Formula, and Campari are needed to make a Classic Boulevardier.

We used our infusion barrel.  Prior to using a barrel like this, make sure to fill it and soak it in water for a few hours.  You want the wood to expand and seal against itself.  Otherwise, you will have your drink leaking everywhere, and you don’t want that!

boulevadier2

We filled the barrel with 1 liter of Templeton Rye Whiskey.  Rye whiskey is a key ingredient in a Classic Boulevardier.  You don’t want any whiskey other than rye.  Next add 1 liter of Carpano Antica Formula.  We shared Carpano Antica with you back when we made our Sangria. Next add 750 milliliters of Campari, and finally add in about a teaspoon of Angostura bitters.

Most barrels do not have large openings, so make sure you have a funnel handy for pouring the liquor.  You can also use the funnel pour spouts like we have in the photos.  After two weeks, pour in a rocks glass and serve with a single large cube of ice. Sip slowly and enjoy.

boulevardier cube

Classic Boulevardier

Want to try the drink, but don’t want to make a large batch?  We have the single serve recipe here.

Print Classic Boulevardier

Classic Boulevardier

  • 1 ounce Carpano Antica Formula
  • 1 ounce Templeton Rye Whiskey
  • 3/4  ounce of Campari
  • dash of Angostura Bitters

Stir and pour into a rocks glass.  Serve.

Thanks for stopping by our blog.  If you want to have our recipes and ideas come straight to your inbox, use the subscribe menu below.  Look for us on Pinterest and Instagram.  We hope you visit us next week, when we share something sweet and expressive for Valentine’s Day!

 

DISCLAIMER: THE BEVERAGES ON THIS SITE ARE MEANT FOR ADULTS 21 YEARS AND OLDER.  WE DO NOT SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE UNDERAGE DRINKING.  ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY AND NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

Top Ten Posts for 2017

Happy New Year, friends.  Did you ring in the new year with family and friends or did you spend a cozy night in?  We had a get together at our casa and the Infused Pineapple Vodka did not disappoint.

As we look forward to the new year with optimism and enthusiasm, we also reflect on 2017.  We were surprised to see that we have already posted 33 times on our little blog.  Time flies when you are busy cooking and concocting.  We wanted to share with you our top ten posts that received the most buzz and views.

  1. Zaya Rum Mojito zayamojito5
  2. Tequila Fish Tacostequila fish tacos6
  3. Watermelon Warswatermelon wars 3
  4. Mary Ann or Gingermary ann or ginger
  5. Carpano Antica Sangriasangria 8
  6. Zaya Banana Breadzaya banana bread 1
  7. Zaya Rum Manhattanzaya manhattan 7
  8. Pumpkin Spice Martinipumpkin spice martini 4
  9. Kerrygold Ice Creamkerrygoldicecream
  10. Salted Whiskey Caramel Corncaramel corn 013

Next week we will bring you more recipes and ideas for entertaining and your delight, as well as some more low calorie alternatives for entertaining.

It is our resolution to double our followers in 2018.  Refer our blog to a friend and encourage him/her to select the “following” button in the lower right hand corner to receive our little blog to their inbox each week.  Look for us on Pinterest at theblindpigblog and repin our posts!

 

DISCLAIMER: THE BEVERAGES ON THIS SITE ARE MEANT FOR ADULTS 21 YEARS AND OLDER.  WE DO NOT SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE UNDERAGE DRINKING.  ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY AND NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

Zaya Rum Manhattan

zaya manhattan 7

And… we’re back!  We took a little break from The Blind Pig Blog last week to celebrate someone’s birthday.  We aren’t naming names or pointing out that someone is a year older, but…

birthday picTo commemorate this great occasion, I asked Craig what his personal signature cocktail would be.  He immediately chose The Zaya Manhattan.

zaya manhattan 5The Zaya Manhattan is a twist on the classic Manhattan cocktail that is typically made with whiskey.  The Zaya Manhattan substitutes Zaya Rum for the whiskey which creates an unexpected silky texture.

zaya manhattan 6We have introduced two of this drink’s major ingredients, Zaya Rum and Carpano Antica Formula to you in posts like, Zaya Bananas Foster and our Sangria recipe. If you typically like classic cocktails, you are in for a real treat with this unique flair.

zaya manhattan 2

The Zaya Manhattan

  • 2 oz. Zaya Rum
  • 2 oz. Carpano Antica Vermouth
  • 2 dashes of orange bitters
  • 1 slice of orange for garnish

Combine rum and vermouth in mixing glass with ice.  Add two dashes of bitters.  Stir and strain into fresh martini glass.  Garnish with slice of orange.  Enjoy.

If you had a signature cocktail, what would you choose?

Each week we add more and more new followers, and we are so glad to add you to our group of friends.  Make sure to tell your friends and family about our blog.  We love hearing your comments and suggestions for future posts, so keep them coming!  Have a great week.

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DISCLAIMER: THE BEVERAGES ON THIS SITE ARE MEANT FOR ADULTS 21 YEARS AND OLDER.  WE DO NOT SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE UNDERAGE DRINKING.  ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY AND NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

Carpano Antica Sangria!

Happy Friday everyone, and thanks for the feedback we received about the Templeton Rye Whiskey Barbecue Sauce.  We’ve had another very hot week in Texas.  The heat index reached a sweltering 106 degrees.  We told you last week that we had shared too many beverage recipes with you, but heat makes us thirsty!

sangria 8

The Carpano Antica Sangria combines a few of Rhonda’s favorite things:  a little bit of Italy, red wine, and fresh fruit.  This recipe is especially easy, tasty, and fresh.  It was the perfect beverage for Rhonda to slurp down after a hot Texas summer day. Either this recipe is incredible or Rhonda was super thirsty.  We think both are most likely true.

To make the sangria you will need 1 bottle of your choice of red wine.  We used a cabernet.  You will need a cup of grenadine, and 2 cups of cranberry juice cocktail.  We chose the lite cranberry cocktail because it said it had 61% fewer calories.  Add ½ cup of simple sugar.  You can refer to the recipes on our Watermelon Wars post or on our Mojito post.  Remember you can make the stevia simple syrup if you are cutting calories.

sangria1

You also will need 1 ¼ cups of Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth.  As we have mentioned before, the quality of your ingredients dictates the quality of your beverage. Beware of inexpensive vermouths.  They will adversely affect the taste of your sangria. Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth is an Italian aromatized wine warmed with notes of fig, dried cherries, faint hints of spiced gingerbread and bitter orange peel. (Basically it is a wine product from Italy.) There are other products made by Carpano, so make sure you buy the sweet vermouth. Usually Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth can be found on the wine aisle of your favorite grocery store and in the vermouth section of your liquor store.

carpano antica

Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth

 

Finally add in your favorite fruits of the season.  We added strawberries, plums and peaches, but apples and orange slices would work well for a Fall sangria.

sangria2

 

Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.  Like most sangrias it is better the longer you allow the ingredients to infuse and mingle together.  Serve over ice with a straw, because #everything tastes better with a straw!

sangria4

Carpano Antica Sangria

1 bottle of red wine

1 1/4 cups of Carpano Antica Vermouth

1 cup of grenadine

2 cups of cranberry juice cocktail

½ cup of simple syrup

Sliced fruit of the season, strawberries, peaches, plums, apples, oranges

Mix all ingredients.  Let sit in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.  Pour sangria into serving glass, fruit and all, add ice.

sangria5

#everything tastes better with a straw

Sangria is a great choice when entertaining, because you can make it ahead of time and have it chilling in the refrigerator before guests arrive. Do you enjoy a nice sangria from time to time?

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Disclaimer: The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years and older.  We do not support or encourage underage drinking.  Always drink responsibly and never drink and drive.