Apple Butterscotch

Warm, buttery and sticky. You in?

Ingredients:

Apple juice

Butterscotch (hard candy)

Dark Rum

Green Apple

Place candy in plastic baggy then into freezer for 15 minutes. On a stable hard surface, hit candy, still in the baggy, with a hammer to crush (I used See’s butterscotch lollipops). In a small saucepot, over medium-high heat, stir ¼ cup crushed butterscotch candy with ½ cup apple juice until candy is melted (3-5 minutes). Add 3 tablespoons dark rum to tea cup along with warm butterscotch mixture. Garnish with green apple cut into sticks.

NEXT WEEK: I’ll be experimenting with seasonal vegetables in September. Cocktails infused with fennel and brightened with beets await!

Brink Pink

Tell yourself it’s a daily recommended serving of fruit packed with immune boosting antioxidants. If you need an excuse, that is.

Sparkling Apple Cider

Honey Brandy

Blueberries

Add ¼ cup each fresh blueberries and honey brandy to food processor or blender to liquefy approx. 1 minute. Pour mixture through fine sieve and set aside. Add 1/3 cup sparkling apple cider into wine glass along with 6 fresh blueberries for garnish. Finally add blueberry brandy mixture.

NEXT WEEK: Warm Apple Butterscotch

Sage Persuasion

Powerfully aromatic and clean - this cocktail will simultaneously clear your head and the numb the senses.

Ingredients:

Sage syrup

Gin

99 Apples liqueur

Sage

To make sage syrup:

Place ½ cup sugar, ¼ water, ¼ cup fresh chopped sage and 1/8 teaspoon of salt in small saucepot. Bring just to a boil, turn down burner to lowest temp and cover for 20 minutes. Turn off burner and let cool for 2 minutes then pour sage syrup through sieve into a clean glass container with 2 tablespoons hottest tap water. Stir well.

To assemble Sage Persuasion:

In mixing glass add 1 ½ tablespoons Gin, 2 tablespoons 99 Apples liqueur and 2 tablespoons sage syrup. Stir and pour into short serving glass filled with ice. Garnish with fresh whole sage leaves.

NEXT WEEK: Brink Pink

Gold Avalanche

Sweet ice with a luscious bite. Watch out for brain freeze.

Ingredients:

Ginger juice

Ginger Vodka

Apple juice

Candied ginger slice

You can use store bought apple juice but, I highly recommend using a home juicer and golden delicious apples. Measure 1 cup apple juice, 3 tablespoons ginger vodka and 2 teaspoons ginger juice. Bottled ginger juice can be used or you can press your own juice as I did (the instructions can be found in my recipe for Kick Ass Hot Chocolate in January). Place all ingredients in an ice cream machine and churn for 10 minutes OR place all ingredients in a 10oz plastic cup and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. The mixture from the machine can be scooped directly into serving glass. If you used a plastic cup, leave  at room temperature for 5 minutes then pick and stir with fork until slushy, then scoop into serving glass. Garnish with a candied ginger slice.

NEXT WEEK: Sage Persuasion

Sand Apple

Harvesting apples in the orchards for August - homemade apple pies, applesauce, and cocktails.

Sip this sweet aperitif after a bite of  buttery cracker topped with a thin slice of sharp provolone.

Ingredients:

Apple syrup

Liqueur de Piore

Pure Almond extract

To make apple syrup:

Measure 1 cup apple juice into small saucepot. Bring to boil and continue to boil approximately 20 minutes until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.

Assemble Sand Apple:

Add 2 tablespoons each of apple syrup and liqueur de piore, then 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract to mini liqueur glass.

NEXT WEEK: Gold Avalanche