We are Thankful…Fall Favorites

As the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaches we have been reflecting on all that we are thankful for at The Blind Pig Blog.  We are thankful for our family (all three of the piglets) and of course our extended families in Texas, Missouri and abroad.  We are very thankful for our friends and health during this crazy year, and we are thankful to our faithful Blind Pig Blog Readers.

Writing a blog can be like calling into an abyss at times.  You are never really sure if anyone is reading your posts and reacting to what you have to say.  We appreciate those of you who have reached out to us through comments, likes and other means to let us know that you are “out there somewhere” reading and nodding your head.

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays, because the focus is not on presents and gift giving (not that Rhonda doesn’t like a good gift– wink, wink).  The focus is on family, spending time together and reflecting on all of our blessings this year.  Of course, the food and beverages are a fun part of the holiday, too.  Who doesn’t love the yummy food?

Like ours, your Thanksgiving may look a little different this year.  There may be fewer people around the Thanksgiving table and you may not be spending the day with relatives that you only see a few precious times each year.  However, you can still make this day special whether you have 2 or 10 at your feast.  We thought that we would share some of our favorite posts from this year and years past to help you plan your Thanksgiving celebration.

To host the perfect Thanksgiving meal large or small, you need to offer some great cocktails.  Here are a few that we hand selected for you.

Don’t have time to fix drinks for guests while you are checking on the turkey?  No problem.  Try one of our sangrias for a large batch cocktail that can be prepared before guests arrive.

Punt e Mes Sangria

Carpano Antica Sangria

Need something on the lighter side for a before or after dinner drink?  We’ve got you covered with an Orange You Glad or an Apple Mule.

For those who like something a little more alcohol forward a Spiced Fall Manhattan or a Reverse Manhattan works before or after a big meal.

Every big meal needs to have a grand finale. Need some dessert ideas to make for the big day? Any of these would be a perfect ending to a delicious turkey meal.

Bourbon Pumpkin Dump Cake

Not Your Mama’s Apple Crisp

Templeton Pecan Pie

Ginger Crumble Apple Pie

There are always those who would rather drink their dessert, so try a Pumpkin Spice Martini.  It will be a crowd pleaser.

It seems like this is a good year to keep some old traditions and mix in some new. Which Blind Pig Blog favorite is going to make it into your Thanksgiving spread this year?

 

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

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.

You Had Me at Pumpkin Spice

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Did we mention that Rhonda loves fall?  Along with the season of fall, Rhonda loves pumpkin spice.  She will try anything as long as it has pumpkin spice in the title… well almost anything.  She even has a shirt that she wears every fall to commemorate her love for pumpkin spice.  We don’t really know when this love of pumpkins began.  It may date back to her love of the fairy tale of Cinderella as a small child.

Imagine her delight when she found a drink with 5 simple ingredients that she can toast to her love of pumpkin spice. This drink meets the standards of easy and tasty. We hope that you, too, will be able to celebrate your appreciation for the flavor of fall with a toast to this drink as well. 

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Thanks to Craig’s colleagues who had dinner with us this week and taste tested some of our pumpkin recipes. It is always more fun to try out new recipes with friends and family!

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Golden Pumpkin Spice Martini

  • 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree
  • 1 oz. Seagram’s Extra Smooth Vodka
  • 2 oz. Kerrygold Irish Cream
  • 1 dash of pumpkin spice
  • 1 dash of vanilla
  • whipped cream and chocolate syrup for garnish

Add pumpkin puree, vodka, irish cream, dash of pumpkin pie spice and dash of vanilla to shaker.  Add 1 cup of ice.  Shake for 30 seconds. Strain.  Pour into serving glass drizzled with chocolate syrup for garnish.  Top off drink with a small dab of whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.  Cheers!

We dressed this drink up with some whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.  We drizzled the inside of the our martini glass with some chocolate syrup to accessorize the drink.  We first mentioned this garnishing technique back in the post  Who Needs Half-Price Shakes After 8?

Do you know how to correctly shake a drink? Rhonda used to shake drinks vertically until Craig pointed out that the correct way to shake a drink is to make sure that the shaker is horizontal to the ground.  Who knew?  It does make sense, though.  The ingredients mix better when the shaker is turned on its side.  So let us see you shake, shake, shake!

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The Golden Pumpkin Spice Martini is the perfect fall drink.  Can’t you see your Thanksgiving guests sipping on this prior to their Thanksgiving Meal?  It is not too heavy and it is not too sweet.  It is a great drink for sitting around a fire with cozy blankets on a cool fall evening.  Let us know if you try it out.  We’d love to hear from you.

If you are new to our blog, welcome.  If you are a regular, don’t forget to recommend and share our blog with friends and family.  We would love to build our Blind Pig Blog following!  Have our blog come to your in-box weekly by clicking on the “Follow” button in the lower right corner of your screen.  You will receive a message to verify that you want to follow the blog, and then you are in!

Happy Halloween!  Stay safe and have fun.

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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.

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