Winter is wearing long in New Hampshire. We have had lots of snow and cold, and spring is still weeks away. Earlier in the season, coffee drinks were a good way of making the cold go away. At this point, a glimpse of green grass or blossoms would be much better.
However, it is the Northeast, and winter could be here for a while. To remind myself of warm weather and fresh produce, I did a little mixing of this and that the other night. Usually, I don’t mix vodka and rum, but as I wanted something with lots of fruit flavors, and I had raspberry vodka and passion fruit rum, I decided to give this concoction a try.
Luckily for my tastebuds, the combination was a success. It would make an excellent adults only fruit punch that could be served on a summer afternoon. . . or when you want to create the feel of summer.
Fun with Fruit
ice
1 oz. raspberry vodka
1 oz. passion fruit rum
1 oz. triple sec
1 oz. cranberry juice
1 tsp. grenadine
berry seltzer
Place ice in a martini shaker, and add vodka, rum, triple sec, juice, and grenadine. Shake well. Pour into a martini glass, and top with seltzer.
Bottle/Tap: Bottleblackberry-wit
I know I know it is a bit early to be having dreams of fruit beers, but I could not pass this one. Hitting up one of my Manchester beer spots, I grabbed two bottles and made a mix four-pack of this intriguing brew.
This beer is made with Marion blackberries from Oregon. You could’ve told me the berries came from a local market, the beer was still great. Right off the bat the aroma is very sharp. You get a nose full of blackberry, a slightly tart aroma, yet oh, so sweet at the same time.
Thankfully the beer was not tart at all. It was a crisp drink, very smooth with a nice berry finish. If there were any vanilla ice cream within my reach, I was considering making a shake. That is something I’ll have to explore for the next time. Would you call it a shake if it were made with beer? It isn’t a float either. Ok, I’ll have to think of a name for it, too.
Compared to the Cherry Wheat that Sam Adams puts out, I really enjoyed the Blackberry Wit much more. Cherry Wheat has a sweet taste to it that I usually don’t enjoy in a beer. It also reminds me of a lambic style beer, and I really don’t care for those much. The Blackberry, however, tasted like Abita’s Purple Haze and was very refreshing.
It sounded like this beer was a on a limited schedule, so if you happen across it somewhere I suggest picking up a six. While you’re at it get some ice cream and mix it up a bit. If you come up with a good name, let me know. How about brappe? Frappe plus beer. . . I’ll work on that.
If you have watched the Dutch national soccer team, you may have wondered why they are wearing orange when the flag is red, blue, and white. The answer is that orange is the color of the Dutch royal family. I am a big fan of Dutch soccer, so I decided to concoct a drink in their honor.
Dutch Lemonade
1 shot of orange-infused vodka
splash of cranberry juice
splash of sour mix
splash of lemon-lime soda
ice
Combine the vodka and sour mix with ice in a martini shaker, and shake well. Pour over ice in a low ball glass. Add cranberry juice and lemon-lime soda, and garnish with cherries.
Long live the Prince of Orange!
My darling wife has been referred to as the “Princess of Organization”, and although I am the “King of Nothing”, I know that in our relationship the “Princess” trumps the “King”. With all of this royal talk going around in our house, I needed to concoct a drink that was worthy of the regal state.
Royal Peach
1 part Crown Royal
1/2 part peach schnapps
splash of seltzer
ice
Fill a martini shaker with ice, and add Crown Royal and schnapps. Shake well. Pour the items over ice in a low ball glass. Add the splash of seltzer, and garnish with cherries.
The next time you are with your princess, give this drink a try!
Bottle/Tap: Tap
It has been some time, but I recently braved the cold weather to hit Strangebrew and see what was new on tap. At first, it didn’t look like there was much new, since this is still winter and most spring beers won’t hit until late February, but I found one. I always have been happy with anything I’ve had by Harpoon, so I decided to give their Celtic Ale a taste.
Positioned at the bar I ordered one and sat back with some popcorn. When the pint reached me I quickly began the tasting process and consumed much of it before realizing what it tasted like. To be honest, I was thirsty and drank it a little too quickly. This was all right, I just ordered another one and gave it time to sit while I relaxed and enjoyed the USA vs. Mexico soccer match.
Letting this beer come to room temperature was key. When it was cold I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between it and a Killian’s Irish Red. As it warmed, I noticed some extra spice and bite added toward the end of each taste. There was a little bitter flavor, but it was nothing a handful of popcorn couldn’t fix. This beer tasted fine cold, and it only got better as it warmed a bit, thankfully. It was a nice amber color, not a dark red, and it wasn’t heavy at all.
I was happy with two pints and called it a night as the USA was leading Mexico by 1. This only made me think of spring and the other light color beers soon to be hitting store shelves. Thank goodness, too many more dark beers and I’ll just hibernate. Once again, Harpoon doesn’t disappoint.
