How is your fall treating you?  We’ve managed to get in our first high school football game… okay we were working the parking lot with the hockey parents, but technically we were AT the game.  🙂  Rhonda purchased her first pumpkins of the season and is making plans for Halloween decorations.  So I guess you could say that fall has begun at the Blind Pig household.

Did you try out our Caramel Apple Cider recipe from last week?  We have another easy-peasy fall drink for you this week: Punt e Mes and Soda.  There is nothing fancy about the name, but this drink is a spectacular drink for fall and winter.  We have been waiting to share this with  you until the calendar switched.  It’s spicy flavor is often associated with cooler weather. Taking a sip makes us smell fall leaves and pumpkin pie.

So what is this Punt e  Mes that we speak of?  Punt e Mes (pronounced poont-eh-mess) is a vermouth from the Carpano family that means point and a half.  As with many of the Fernet Branca/Carpano brands, there is a story behind this spicy vermouth and its name. The story goes that in April 1870 , an Italian stockbroker, caught up in a discussion with colleagues while in the Carpano wine shop about the increase in share prices on that day – one and a half points – ordered his usual Carpano vermouth but asked for the barman to add half a measure of bitter, using the regional expression “Punt e Mes”. The drink immediately became popular as an aperitif before lunch, as recalled by the barman of the time. So Punt e Mes became a popular vermouth that has an extra punch of spicy bitter. This vermouth can be enjoyed neat or mixed with some of your go-to mixers.

Where do you find Punt e Mes?  It can be found in most liquor stores on the vermouth aisle.  If your local store does not carry it, don’t be afraid to ask for it.  Many stores want to bring in products that they know their customers are looking for.  We will be featuring more fall Punt e Mes recipes soon.

As you may know, to make Punt e Mes and Soda all you need is — Punt e Mes and soda!  Rhonda enjoyed her Punt e Mes and soda garnished with an orange wedge with a side of a warm slice of Angry Orchard Bread.  It was a wonderful fall treat on a beautiful fall day.  If you are reading this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a complete recipe for Punt e Mes and Soda.

Try Punt e Mes and Soda today.  We promise you won’t be disappointed.  It is not too alcohol forward and pairs nicely with an afternoon snack or a light dinner. We will be sipping ours in the evening by a cozy chimenea fire with some s’mores. Enjoy the rest of your beautiful fall weekend.