We are Thankful…Fall Favorites

November 21, 2020 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

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.

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Thanksgiving Toast – Orange Anejo Sour

November 22, 2019 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

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

Place orange slice on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and broil for about 5 minutes. Remove and cool.
Place mint leaves in a shaker and muddle. Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, Carpano Antica, and egg white.
Shake until frothy. Add 1 cup of ice and shake for 15 more seconds.
Pour into a coup glass. Top off with blood orange soda.
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.

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Oh Nuts! Part 2: Texas Pecan

October 13, 2019 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

Fall came to Texas this week! Wow. One day it was in the 90’s and our air conditioners were blaring and the next day Jack Frost visited our backyard. Although we love the warm summer weather, there is definitely something special about those first cool mornings with their bursts of fresh air. Everything fall is in full swing here in Dallas. The Texas State Fair is in session and this weekend was the big football game between UT and OU called the Red River Rivalry.

Last week we shared the super easy recipe for making Whiskey Spiced Pecans. In keeping with the nutty theme this week, we are going to share with you a fun, easy and tasty cocktail that you can make to pair with those tasty toasted nuts!

The Texas Pecan is the perfect cocktail recipe for entertaining around a toasty fire — it’s finally cool enough for us to actually want to light our outdoor fire :). To make the Texas Pecan you will need candied pecan simple syrup. (We made our own. See below.) You also need water rye whiskey, orange bitters, orange peel and candied pecans.

To make the simple syrup, we used our regular simple syrup recipe and placed a few of our Whiskey Spiced pecans in it for about 24 hours. You can purchased candied pecans from the store or make you own. After prepping the candied pecan simple syrup, we placed the pecan syrup, water, rye whiskey and orange bitters in a shaker and shook over ice for about 15 seconds. We poured our drink into a martini glass, and garnished with some more candied pecans and an orange peel.

The orange bitters and orange peel give a nice citrus flavor to the sweetness of the pecans and rye whiskey. The Texas Pecan would be an excellent drink to serve before or after your Thanksgiving Dinner. It has just the right sweetness without being too overbearing.

If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog for a printable recipe for the Texas Pecan.

We are off to enjoy this beautiful Fall weather. Let us know if you try the Texas Pecan. We love to hear from our readers.