Mocktail and Cocktail Punch for the New Year Holiday!

I have to say I am always more ambitious than my time actually allows, but I must admit I was not expecting to be as busy as I have been this fall.  I should have had a clue when when people where Christmas shopping from in in July.

I have been teaching online and that takes more preparation and concentration that one might realize exhausting my ability to write a post.  I have never been one to pre-program most of my posts so those that are pre-programed were kinda the only ones that happened recently.

As a result the recipe theme ended in October.  Since November and December were not my most creative theme ideas anyway, I just dropped them from the schedule and will start a new set of recipe ideas come January for 2021.

Instead I thought I would share a few punch recipes with you.  If you are entertaining during the holidays, these are a fun way to share flavors.  If not, making a punch and keeping in the refrigerator is a great way to extend the holiday fun when, like us, the number celebrating is rather small.  You can also share these recipes with family and all share the same beverage while Facetiming or Zooming.

Merry Mocktail

4 cups cranberry juice

1 bottle sparkling apple cider

1 liter ginger ale

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Orange slices studded with cloves

Put some ice in a punch bowl or pitcher. Combine all the liquid ingredients together and give them a stir. Float a few orange slices in the punch and add a few fresh cranberries. Or stud the orange slices with cloves and keep on the side to use as garnish for people to add to their glasses. Add 12 ounces of vodka to the recipe for a cocktail.

Mocking Fall Apple Punch

4 parts Sparkling Apple Cider

1 part Mulled White Grape Juice

½ part Lime Juice

Apple slices studded with cloves and kept in lemon juice until used as a garnish and apple mint sprigs.

Put some ice in a punch bowl or pitcher. Put all the liquid ingredients together, and give them a stir. Float a few apple slices in the punch and add a few sprigs of apple mint. Or stud the apple slices and place in lemon juice on the side as garnish for people to add to their glasses. Substitute hard cider  and/or mulled white wine for a cocktail.

This Bourbon Punch is a variation on the HARRY ELLIS COMMEMORATIVE Knockout PUNCH, but I was never able to definitively determine which Harry Ellis the drink was designed to commemorate, so if you have details, please share.

Sneaky Bourbon Punch

Bourbon is a smooth alcohol, and anything made with it can sneak up on you, so enjoy this punch when you know you will not be driving.

• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 1 750ml bottle of bourbon
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 oz. ginger beer
• 4 oz. lemon juice
• 4 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice
• 6 oz. Madeira Wine
• 24 oz. sparkling or soda water
• Fresh nutmeg

GARNISHES

• Mint leaves
• fresh cranberries

PREPARATION

Let cinnamon sticks sit overnight in bourbon. Strain. Stir sugar into the juices and ginger beer until completely dissolved. Pour juice/sugar blend, Madeira, and cinnamon-infused bourbon into a punch bowl and stir. Top with sparkling water and stir again. Grate a healthy amount of nutmeg—about a quarter of the whole—on top.

To serve, pour a 3 oz. ladleful over ice in a punch cup. Garnish with a cranberry and a mint leaf. Don’t dilute the punch with ice, always have the ice in the glass!

 

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  

To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018, or Recipe2019 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2020 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Feb 2020 - Footbal Tailgate Favorites (AppFeb)

March 2020 - Kabobs (KabobMar)

April 2020 - Brunch (BrunchApr) more in 2021 also

May 2020 - Non-Traditional Pizza (PizzaMay)

June 2020 - Stir Fry Dishes (StirJun)

July 2020 - Salads with no lettuce (SaladJul)

August 2020 - Pickled things (PickleAug)

September 2020 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2020 - Squash Soups (SquashOct)

New Year; Wonderful Beginnings!

January was a great beginning to the year.  It was a time for me to reorganize, recover and rejuvenate for 2020.  I planned to write blog posts, but I chose not to when I got entrenched in reorganizing my paperwork, contacts, and personal spaces.

Gratuitous squirrel photo, because I love squirrels!

I have been decluttering, downsizing and organizing and it is very freeing.  My husband and I are collectors, not horders, but collectors. As a result we own many things, but we would like to simplify so we have been slowly decluttering, removing excess and choosing from the many items we collect, can we rescue them into practical items in our home rather than display pieces.  This took a lot of mental energy and I decided to focus on that to get the project through the first phase.  Now for the next 11 months, I can sort, toss and downsize while I keep up on other tasks.

I love the fact that everything in the herb room now has a place to be put away which will keep my table from becoming a catchall of things to be put away "when I have time."  I also found a whole box of files and notes I created for blog posts and new products.  I knew they were somewhere!!

I love winter so I take as many photos now as in the summer!

I am continuing the recipe theme this year as for the last two - this month will be Appetizers and party foods.  If you want to check out the theme recipes from 2019 and 2018 you can see these saved searches - Recipe Theme 2018 and Recipe Theme 2019.

One of the things that spurred my desire to simplify this year is that I want to spend more time traveling and experiencing things and I cannot do that if I am tied to cleaning or my tasks take twice as long.

I crafted a list of things to do in 2019 (it was supposed to be instead of new year resolutions,) but like a new year's resolution I did not make it through very many, so I decided to continue it in 2020 and make sure I had no "time excuses" to avoid doing them. Some of them are silly, some are fun, some are ideas to try to get my mind to stay active, and others are a bucket list.

Here is the list -- wanna try them with me?

• Learn to make a great Mocktail -- seriously I have a whole program on that now!
• Find a regular or one time event -- This we chose to be the Porter County Garden Expo (it was not held in 2019 so we went January 25, 2020)
• Get a scooter and have fun
• Take a famous hike
• Make ravioli from scratch
• Take an online learning course - just did that in January OLAB - a decluttering starter
• Shop somewhere you have never shopped before - we accomplished this at Christmas visiting a town called Lewisburg, WV
• Enjoy a cultural event for a culture not your own
• Cut something from  life that doesn't serve you
• Take a spontaneous trip (or train)
• Visit a public garden and take a selfie
• Create something with your own hands
• Attend a flea market
• Grow a plant you never have before
• Swap coffee for green tea for a week (or maybe mine should be swap black tea for green tea for a week)
• Keep a bullet journal or garden journal
• Cook a recipe you have pinned
• Research something, not using the internet
• Try a food you are afraid of
• See fireworks somewhere new
• Learn or teach a game 
• Attend a program at your local library
• Go stargazing / appreciate a solar event
• Join a club
• Go Geocaching
• Thank someone who helped you
• Buy a National or State Park Pass
• Support a local band or organization by going to as many shows as possible

Off and on throughout the year, I will share the details of this list of adventures as I work my way though them.  If you do any of these, please share with me here or in the furture!

An accidental park find in Illinois

My newsletter is also a priority this year, so if you want to join now for extra recipes, tips and DIY projects, now is the time.  You can choose to join here: Backyard Patch Newsletter. If you join this way, you will get a bonus of a new booklet I created called "Cooking with Herbs."

I am working on a book series which was actually requested by my lecture participants and others I speak to about herbs -- Herbs are Easy.  I am going to break herb use and growing into simple bits and explain techniques and share recipes and prove to everyone how easy it is to incorporate herbs into your life.  The books will be small, easy to carry, quick to read and easy to use. The first two should be out just in time to be used with my programs at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show (March 18 to 22, 2020.)  I am featured Saturday and Sunday at 3:30 pm.

So now you know my plans for 2020, share yours with me!

Mint and Lemon Grass Cooler - Weekend Recipe

Today’s cocktail uses a technique called Muddling.  Muddling is when you place the fresh herbs in a tall glass with some sugar and press with a muddler (a wood or ceramic rod) several times.  You are not pulverizing the herbs, just breaking the leaf enough to release the flavor into the sugar so that when the alcohol and other ingredients are added the flavors will meld and create a robust flavor.  This cocktail uses a shaker to marry all the flavors before you pour into a glass and add soda.

Mint and Lemon Grass Cooler
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass (from bottom of stalk)
2 slices lemon, quartered, plus 1 for garnish (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
Ice
1 ounce anise liquor (such as Ricard or Pernod)
Soda water
Top of lemongrass stalk, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Muddle together mint, lemongrass, lemon slices, and sugar. Add to a shaker with ice and liquor and shake well.  Strain as you pour into a tall glass filled with ice and top with soda water. Garnish with remaining lemon slice and lemongrass, if desired.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails (MockDec)

Christmas Herb Punch

The website Sugar and Soul gave me the idea for today's cocktail, perfect for Christmas celebrations.
They called it Christmas Punch, I modified it to include my favorite Christmas herbs and changed the name to Christmas Herb Punch.  The best part about this is you can get out the punch bowl, serve this to your guests and family and don't have to be a bartender all evening.

Christmas Herb Punch 

1 orange sliced

1 lemon sliced
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup Lemon Balm leaves

2 cup cranberry juice

2 cups orange juice
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 cups ginger ale
1 cup brewed lemon grass tea
1 cup white rum, optional (or you can use vodka or whiskey)
Ice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher or punch bowl over ice. If using a really large punch bowl, you can double the recipe.  If preparing ahead, leave out the ice and ginger ale until ready to serve to guests.

Additional Notes: if you have children in attendance, keep the alcohol on the side to allow adults to add their own as desired.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails (MockDec)

Apple Breakfast Tea Cocktail - weekend recipe

There are many books on making Herbal cocktails, like the Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart or Clean Cocktails by Beth Nydick and Tara Roscioli.  Each of these has great ideas for turning your garden jewels into a wonderful relaxing beverage.  After reading these I started to experiment with tastes and flavors and cocktails and mocktails and came up with quite a number of them.

One of the great ways to get the taste of herbs into a cocktail is to make a tea.  Tea Cocktails take the flavor of tea and use it to enhance a combination with alcohol.

Here are some tips for making tea cocktails

1.      Always make your tea stronger than you think necessary for cocktails. Don’t use more time to achieve this; instead, use more tea. Many people make the mistake of steeping the tea for too long to try and get more flavor. The results? Bitter, sour tea. Use more dry tea but stick with the suggested steeping times. You’ll love the power behind a tea concentrate.

2.      Be aware of balance. A stronger tea like rooibos, a tisane versus true tea, has nutty notes that beg to be enhanced by a robust spirit like bourbon or rum. On the other hand, a more delicate tea like white tea requires a spirit that won’t overwhelm it, making vodka or light rum ideal.

Apple Breakfast Tea Cocktail

English breakfast tea

Thyme
Apple juice
Whiskey
Apple, sliced thin

Brew a fresh batch of tea with added sprigs of thyme.  Chill and add equal parts clear apple juice and tea.  Pour into a balloon glass and spike each one with a shot of your favorite whiskey.  Garnish with apple wheels and sprigs of thyme.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails (MockDec)