Have A Figgy Old Fashioned Christmas!

'Tis the season for all things figgy. Figgy puddings, trifles, cookies and such just seem to fill the Christmas bill.

It's also the time for cocktails redolent with the spices and deep, rich flavors we associate with the season. In the spice vein, that might include cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and allspice, while in the classic holiday fruits category, raisins, figs, dates, oranges, cranberries and the like would qualify. Which brings me to this year's Dinner Plan-it holiday cocktail, the Figgy Old Fashioned.

Made with a Black Mission fig, warm spice simple syrup, bourbon (or rum perhaps for yet another, sweeter twist) and kissed with a touch of orange bitters, it's a cocktail that will have you remembering Christmases of old by a crackling fire with those you love. Cheers, friends...lots of Christmas cheer to all of you!

Figgy Old Fashioned

• 1/2 oz fig simple syrup* 
• 2 dashes Regan's orange bitters
• 2 oz good bourbon - I used Bulleit or a good spiced rum like Pittsburgh's own Maggie's Farm for a sweeter cocktail
• 2 Amarena Fabri or Luxardo cherries - reserve one for garnish
• 2 strips fresh orange peel - reserve one for garnish
• 1 or 2 whole cloves for garnish

In a cocktail mixing glass, muddle one cherry and the simple syrup together. Add spiced rum and stir well. Strain into Old Fashioned glass (what else would you use?!) over a large ice cube and stir well, add the bitters, twist the peel over the surface of the drink and lightly swipe the orange side of the peel around the rim of the glass. Garnish with another cherry and a clove studded orange peel.

Cheers!

* Fig Simple Syrup: 1 C sugar, 1 C water, 1/2 C dried Black Mission figs - cut in halves or quarters, 3 green cardamom pods - cracked lightly, 1 cinnamon stock - 4" long, 4 whole cloves. 

In a small pot, bring sugar and water to a boil and all the rest of the ingredients. Immediately reduce heat to bring the contents down to a simmer and continue simmering for 5 minutes. Let cool in pot, then strain the liquid into a small bottle. You're all ready to make cocktails now!

NOTE: Try using big, plump Medjool dates (be sure to remove the big pits in the center before adding to the pot) instead of figs if you wish...equally fabulous!

Roasted Pumpkin, Apple & Cranberry Sangria with Dark Spiced Rum (aka Kraken)

This is what we're serving before dinner today.  Sweet, tart, with a hint of warm spices, caramel and fruit.  Perfect for Thanksgiving...or any fall or winter occasion.


After dinner?  Patron XO Cafe and Resposado Tequila Margaritas will be our evening's enjoyment!  Recipe for this one to come!

Roasted Pumpkin, Apple & Cranberry Sangria with Dark Spiced Rum (aka Kraken)

• 1 pumpkin, 5-6" high fresh pie pumpkin
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

• 2 bottles white wine, pinot grigio
• 2 apples, quartered, cored and diced LEAVE PEEL ON!
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 cup dark rum, Kraken 's my fave for this
• 4 tablespoons crystallized ginger, sliced
• 10 whole cloves
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

A few days to a week before you want to serve the sangria, peel the pumpkin with a veggie peeler, cut off the top and scoop out all the seeds and stringy stuff. (Do what you want with the seeds.)

Cut the pumpkin flesh into pieces and scatter on a baking sheet.  Scatter the cranberries around the pumpkin and sprinkle 2 T. brown sugar over all.  

Roast at 325 covered for about 40 minutes.  Uncover and roast another 30 minutes.  Stir and roast until golden & soft, but not mush.  Cool.
 

Pour wine into one large or two smaller containers large enough to hold the wine and the rest of the ingredients.  I used 2 large plastic bottles with lids.  If using 2 containers, pour 1 bottle of wine into each container and scoop half the pumpkin and half the cranberries into each container.  Be sure to scrape half the liquid in the bottom of the pan into each bottle...don't waste the yumminess! (If you're using a large container, put everything into that.)
 

Add 1 cinnamon stick to each container.  Refrigerate for a few days until it's time to serve. 
 

The morning you're serving the sangria, strain the liquid into a large pitcher.  Separate out the roasted cranberries and add to liquid, too.  Discard the pumpkin.  

Add 2 diced apples, the rum, cloves, 2 T. dark brown sugar, 4 T. sliced crystallized ginger and the Kraken or other dark rum.  Let sit at room temp until ready to serve.  

Pour into glasses being sure to get some of the apple and cranberries in each glass.  Enjoy!

An Evening of Art at Paint Monkey....And Captain Apple Rum-aritas!

  

Thank you Living Social!  Talk about leaving your comfort zone!  Mark and I met up with mixology class friends, Gail and Dave, for an evening that sure was different from how we'd normally spend a Saturday night.  Well, as far as the painting goes anyway.  The Paint Monkey class (yes, that's the real name of the business) was BYOB...so that part wasn't all that far from the norm.

(The four of us pregamed the class at Industry Public House - awesome food and cocktails...more about Industry in another post, folks.)

Heading into class, we didn't know what to expect...none of us had any real experience with a brush and a canvas.  We set up our BYOB items (Gail brought horseradish cheddar, fontina & crackers along with vodka and cran, I brought Captain Apple Rum-aritas and Black Bottom Macaroon Cupcakes...we'd had an early nosh at Industry so I figured dessert would be appropriate.  

The magic about to begin....

Then over to the line of canvasses just waiting to be turned magically into our very own works of art.  Could we actually do this?  Joe Groom, Artist-in-Residence, believed we could...and coached us along the way.

Coach/Artist Joe offering helpful advice.

Armed with steely fortitude and a damned good cocktail (the proverbial "creative juice?", we set to work.  The canvas came imprinted with a light outline, we provided our own spin...some spins were a little wilder than others.

Marilyn Before - Notice the Cocktail!

As the evening progressed, so did our canvasses.  Magically, each one of our blank slates started to come to life.   

Mark feeling those creative juices

Although we each had identical paints and tools to begin with, each "artist" brought something unique to his or her own painting.  Oh...that Marilyn at the very top of today's post?  Mine. Yep, I'm proud.

After a lot of laughs and some very good-natured ribbing (and those cocktails), our creative evening slowly came to a close.  

Gail putting the finishing touches on her masterpiece!

Dave's Marilyn is perfection...but we'd expect nothing less from Dave.

Turned out there actually was a hidden Renoir, Andy Warhol or Monet in each one of us.  Who knew.  Well, what I do know is that we ended the night looking at sample canvasses on the wall, trying to decide which painting we'd do next.  Hmmmmm...Starry Night?  Georgia O'Keefe's Poppy?  That lovely Monet?  How about the Christmas Tree painting to grace the living room for the holidays?  Decisions, decisions.....

Gail overlooking the payload of "fine" art

Just in case you want to head over to Paint Monkey to create your own work of art, let me leave you with the "how to" on that Rum-arita.

Captain Apple Rum-arita

Serves 8

 

• 2 1/4 cups rum, Captain Morgan or other spiced rum
• 6 ounces Triple Sec
• 1 cup apple butter
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup simple Sugar Syrup, cinnamon stick simple syrup
• lime wedges

 

In a pitcher, mix apple cider and apple butter until smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except the lime wedges, of course) and stir well.  Serve over ice garnished with a lime wedge.  Or if you need a warming drink, heat the mixture gently on the stovetop and serve in mugs.

 Paint Monkey
100 43rd Street
Ste 212
Lawrenceville
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
412 770-4923