Holiday Cocktails

A Winter’s Tale

Cool Mule - Photo by Michael Marquand

With the winter holiday season nipping at our heels, I went on an inspiration hunt for fresh and friendly creative cognac concoction ideas. Cognac is my favorite cold weather spirit, whether neat or mixed. It’s warm earthy notes and fragrant nose warm the cockles of my heart. Transforming traditional drinks into Winter Holiday Cognac Cocktails became a pre-winter week labor of love.

My first conquest was the classic 1940’s Moscow Mule made with vodka, ice cubes, freshly squeezed lime juice and spicy sparkly ginger beer. My twist on the old favorite replaces the vodka with cognac, adds seasonal Clementine or Mandarin juice and some gorgeous garnishes.

 The fragrantly sweet Clementine citrus compliments the cognac, while the ginger beer augments its spicy undertones. Candied ginger skewered with golden fruit (or kumquat) adds a tasteful touch to this modern Cool Mule.

Cool Cognac Mule

Makes One Drink

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Cognac

• 4 ounces Ginger Beer

• 1 ounce of freshly squeezed Clementine juice

• ½ an ounce of freshly squeezed Lime juice

Garnish

• Candied Ginger- Can be readily purchased or easily homemade

• Golden Fruit, kumquat or Clementine wedge

• Sugared Cranberries- Recipe included

• Simple bamboo skewer

Directions

1. Combine cognac, Clementine and lime juices.

2. Pour over ice, top with the ginger beer and stir.

3. Serve garnished with skewered candied ginger and Golden Fruit, or if not that is available, whole kumquat or Clementine wedge.

Candied Ginger Slices

To Make the Candied Ginger - ~ 2 hours to make or can be readily purchased

Ingredients

• 1 cup of granulated sugar

• 1 cup of water

• ½ cup of sliced freshly peeled ginger root

Directions

1. To make the candied ginger, bring the sugar and water to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the sliced and boil until the ginger is tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Remove the ginger syrup from heat. With a fork or tweezers, pull out the ginger slices and cool on a wire rack sitting on top of a parchment paper lined plate or tray to catch any drips.

3. Reserve the ginger syrup in a sealed jar for many other spectacular uses. It will crystallize and can be revived by a small amount of hot water.

4. Let the wet candied ginger slices dry until they are just tacky but do not stick to your fingers, about 30 minutes to an hour.

5. Toss them in superfine sugar and let them dry in a single layer on a clean piece of parchment paper for about hour or so.

Sugared Fresh Cranberries

To Make the Sugared Cranberries - ~ 2.5 hours

Ingredients

• 1 cups of sugar divided

• 1 cup of fresh cranberries

Directions

1. Dissolve ½ cup of Granulated Cane sugar into ½ cup of water by bringing it to a boil for about 3 minutes.

2. Stir in the cranberries.

3. With a slotted spoon, lift the coated cranberries out of the syrup and drain on a wire rack resting on a parchment paper lined ½ sheet pan.

4. Let cool and dry for about an hour.

5. Place the remaining 1½ cups of sugar in a small bowl.

6. Prepare a clean sheet of parchment paper on a pan to receive the candied cranberries.

7. Roll the cooled coated cranberries, a few at a time, into the sugar bowl.

8. Let the sugared cranberries set for another hour to be ready to handle as garnish

Brandied Apple Jack Rose - Photo by Michael Marquand

The Name of the Jack Rose

The cheery red color of the classic Jack Rose lends itself to this holiday rendition. Grenadine, AKA - pomegranate syrup, is the ingredient that gives the rose color to the cocktail’s surname. Seasonal pomegranates permeate winter produce markets making their seeds the perfect holiday garnish. Their jewel-like beauty shine radiantly delicious.

The first name of the vintage Jack Rose is derived from the once ubiquitous Apple Jack Brandy, which comprised the bulk of the original cocktail recipe. Apple Jack, having lost past popularity, has become harder to find. In my version I use my favorite cognac or brandy, and add fresh apple cider to achieve a delightful spiced apple flavor. Seasonal slices of lemon juice dipped red skinned apple grace my modern Brandied Apple Jack Rose.

Brandied Apple Jack Rose

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• 5 ounces of Cognac or Brandy

• 3 ounce of fresh Apple Cider

• 1 ounce of Lemon juice

• ½ ounce of Grenadine

Garnishes

• Thinly sliced red skinned apples dipped in lemon juice to preserve color

• Pomegranate seeds

Directions

1. In a cocktail shaker with ice, add the cocktail ingredients.

2. Strain into two glasses

3. Garnish with apple slices and pomegranate seeds-click link for seeding video

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/techniques/how-remove-pomegranate-seeds

Spiced Cranberry Cognac Sour Cocktail

While reading up on the history of the classic Whiskey Sour, one that evokes fond childhood memories of my parents’ cocktail parties, I came across a respected cocktail  author’s thoughts on the subject. “There has been a movement back to the basic blocks when it comes to cocktails. There is something special about the simple cocktails. They are enjoyable and well known from a customer standpoint, and easy to assemble from behind the bar.”* I whole hearted applaud this sentiment and think that holiday specials can be a welcome exception, given the same author’s next observation.

“There are some historians that believe the sour category is a scaled down version of the basic punch. It has the elements of ‘one sour, two sweet, three strong, four weak’ that a classic punch has, but in an individual serving size.”* With all of that said, I open for viewing the creative process of my rendition of a holiday Spiced Cranberry Cognac Cocktail - no special gadgets required.

 * https://www.alcoholprofessor.com/blog-posts/blog/2015/01/27/classic-cocktails-in-history-the-whiskey-sour

 As per the cognac cocktail theme of my holiday beverage mission, I swap in cognac for whiskey and my spiced cranberry-honey simple syrup for traditional cane sugar simple syrup. I check my recipe to see how it stacks up to the basic punch proportion, noting that mine is lacking in the ‘weak element’ quantity, making my recipe a bit stronger, just the way I like it. Exchanging the sweeter seasonal Mandarin for orange juice, employs it as both a weak and a sweet element, allowing for less of the syrupy sweetening agent in my concoction. You can use more if you like. With no further explanation needed, here is the recipe for my Spiced Cranberry Cognac Cocktail.

Spiced Cranberry Cognac Sour - Photo by Michael Marquand

Spiced Cranberry Cognac Sour

inspired by a classic Whiskey Sour, Blender made for frothiness

Serves 2

Spiced Cranberry Honey Syrup Ingredients

• 1 cup of fresh cranberries

• 1 cup of water

• 1 cup of honey

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 2 star anise

Spiced Cranberry Honey Syrup Directions

1. Make the spiced cranberry honey syrup by boiling the ingredients in the water until the berries burst open and color the water.

2. With a fine gauge seive, strain the syrup of all fruit seeds and spices.

3. Chill the remaining liquid to at least room temperature. Keeps well refrigerated

Cocktail Ingredients

• 6 ounces of cognac

• 4 ounces of freshly squeezed Tangerine, Clementine or Mandarin juice

• 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1 ounce of Spiced Cranberry Honey Syrup

• ¼teaspoon of egg white powder (meringue powder) dissolved in 1 ounce of warm water, or one teaspoon of a beaten fresh egg white - Optional to create foaminess

Rim

• ½  ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice for dipping the rim

• ¼ cup of crystal demerara sugar in a saucer to bedazzle the rim

Garnishes

• Cinnamon stick

• Star anise

• Plain or sugared clementine slice, wedge, twist or curl

• Sugared Cranberries

Cocktail Directions

1. Add all of  the Cranberry Cognac Sour ingredients to the blender. Blend until well mixed and frothy.

2. Pour into 4 cold, rim ready glasses.

3. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, star anise and a sugared clementine twist. You can also float a couple of sugared cranberries for extra dazzle.

4. Serve immediately.

Honeyed Cardamom Clove Cognac Eggnog - Photo by Michael Marquand

Honeyed Cardamom Clove Cognac Eggnog

Eggnog is one of my all-time favorite winter holiday treats. I admit that eggnog is great with or without any added spirits, but my preference is with a hefty dose of cognac and a fragrant dusting of freshly grated nutmeg. In my newest special spicy version I steep the milk with honey, cloves and cardamom for an exotic twist on a classic recipe. 

 The fun begins with carefully cooking the egg yolks into the mixture without turning them to scrambled eggs. It may seem daunting, but it merely takes a careful eye and a studied attention span for only about 3-5 minutes, stirring over low heat all the while. Once completely cooled, and only then, do you add in the oh-so-rich heavy cream and yummy caramelly cognac. Adding spirits to hot liquid will evaporate the alcohol, though it will not diminish the flavor.

Honeyed Cardamom Clove Cognac Eggnog

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Cognac

• 2 cups of Whole milk

• 2 cups of Heavy cream

• ¼ cup of Honey

• 8 organic free range Egg yolks

• 4 Whole Cardamom seed pods

• 6 Whole Cloves

Garnish

• Freshly grated Nutmeg

Directions

1. Combine the milk, honey, cloves, and cardamom in a saucepan. Heat on low for about 5 minutes to infuse the milk with spice flavor. Do not boil.

2. Strain the cloves and cardamom pods out of the mixture into a wide rimmed pitcher.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks well. Very slowly and gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg yolks.

4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens, about 3 - 5 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Pour the mixture back into the pitcher. Cover and it let cool completely.

5. Stir in the cognac and cream and cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight.

6. Serve chilled with a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg over each glass or cup.

Orange Cognac Cheesecake Cloud - Photo by Michael Marquand

Orange Cognac Cheesecake Cloud 

This über rich dessert cocktail is inspired by my love of everything cheesecake. After all, what is not to love about cheesecake, except maybe all of that sugar? I swap in a bit of healthful honey for just a touch of sweetness, replacing gobs of granular cane sugar in classic cheesecake fare. 

Having made cheesecake in many manifestations, including blueberry cheesecake ice cream popsicles, I have found that it is essential for me to include graham crackers for those taste-bud textural memories to swirl the dreaminess of my psyche. I incorporated graham cracker crumbs into the honey swirl inner glass garnish and rim, and a graham cracker cookie to dip into the orange cognac cloud and munch. Feel free to serve this cocktail concoction with as many graham cookies as you like! You can even layer crumbs in between the clouds as you fill the glass, if you are a big graham fan. Most importantly, enjoy your play in the clouds.

Orange Cognac Cheesecake Cloud

An Original Recipe

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Whole milk

• 1 cup of Heavy cream

• 1 cup of Cognac

• ½ cup of Triple Sec, Cointreau or any orange liqueur

• 4 ounce package of regular full fat Cream Cheese – room temperature

• 4 ounces of regular full fat Sour Cream

• ¾ cup of Honey – divided

• 1 teaspoon of quality pure Vanilla extract

• 3 Graham Crackers

Directions

Prepare the glasses

1. Crush one of the graham crackers into crumbs for rim garnish. Break the other 2 crackers into quarters for added garnish.

2. One glass at a time, with a fine tipped small squeeze bottle, swirl thin whirls of honey on the inside of a glass. Immediately toss a teaspoon of graham crumbs into the glass to stick to the honey streaks, shaking out the excess t use in the next glass.

3. Repeat until all of the glasses are prepped and in the freezer.

4. Put the honeyed glasses upside down on waxed paper in the freezer to harden the honey.

Build the Beverages

1. With an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sour cream in a medium size bowl until very creamy smooth and lump free to make the cheesecake base.

2. Beat ¼ cup of honey into the cheesecake base until it is homogenous.

3. Beat in the whole milk, cognac, orange liqueur and vanilla extract to make the base into a cocktail consistency.

4. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.

5. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese cocktail mixture and chill until ready to serve.

6. Optional: Dip the rim of each glass into remaining graham cracker crumbs for extra texture and flavor.  

7. Pour the chilled cognac cheesecake cloud cocktail into the prepared frozen glasses.

8. Garnish with graham cracker quarters and serve immediately.

A Jubilant July Picnic at Coastal Maine’s Mead Meadow

Part 1: Red, White & Blue Sangrias

Photos by Michael Marquand

Recipes by Marilinda Hodgdon

Welcome to our Southern Maine picnic, inspired by the glorious fresh bounty of July by the sea. We begin with sparkling fruity Prosecco and Lambrusco Sangrias to sip with fresh oysters on the half shell, adorned with a colorful mignonette sauce, stunning Crostini appetizers of fresh pea pureè topped with local lobster claws and lemony Amontillado Hollandaise sauce. The main course is scrumptious cheesy Portobello burgers crowned by pickled red onions, avocado mash and baby arugula. Garden fresh grilled vegetable sides of asparagus, fennel and leeks are accompanied by Moroccan spiced corn on the cob. The finale to the feast is homemade Maine blueberry cheesecake ice cream popsicles with a do-it-yourself dark chocolate magic shell coating.

In this post, I am introducing my Red, White and Blue Sparkling Sangrias with their descriptions, ingredients and preparation directions. Each subsequent blog post will feature the next course of the meal. Part 2 showcases the picnic’s appetizers, toasted by these sensational sangrias.

Red, White and Blue Sparkling Sangrias

Sparkling wines are so very festive and refreshing. I am particularly fond of Prosecco, a white Italian favorite from the Veneto region. It is not too sweet, not too dry, and not too expensive. Perfect for fruity summer sangria. I added Lambrusco, a light and bubbly red Northern Italian wine, to balance the party’s colors, flavors and personal pleasure.

I paired the Prosecco with strawberries and ripe nectarines. The Lambrusco is paired with ravishingly beautiful freshly picked raspberries and blackberries. The nectarines are cut to bite sized pieces and skewered with small strawberries to adorn the white wine glasses. The raspberries and blackberries are whimsically skewered to bejewel the red wine glasses. Remaining fruit medleys from each group bathe in their own separate saucers of cognac to macerate for an hour or two.

The skewers and macerations can be done ahead, covered and refrigerated, until ready to serve. I used one pint of each berry and 4 nectarines for one bottle each of the bubblies. For the maceration, use just enough cognac, or your favorite unsweetened spirit, to cover the bathing fruity beauties in their shallow bowls.

When serving, add a small ladle of the red or white maceration concoctions to the bottom of their designated glasses, and garnish with a skewer of the same fruits. Fill each glass, upon request, with the desired fizzy flavor.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Picnic at Coastal Maine’s Mead Meadow featuring freshly shucked Maine oysters on the half shell, adorned with colorful mignonette sauce, and stunning local Lobster Crostini appetizers of fresh pea pureè topped with lemony Amontillado Hollandaise sauce.

A special heartfelt thanks to Angela Olsen Matthews and her husband, Peter Matthews, at Mead Meadow for their thoughtful and gracious generosity and hard work in hosting our scrumptious and serene summer picnic. You can visit Angela’s Instagram page @MeadMeadow

About Mead Meadow

We were invited to historic Mead Meadow, in picturesque Kittery Maine, to shoot our delightful summer outdoor meal. This water front paradise is a restored 140 year old farmstead, originally a 20 acre estate, was called Mead Summer House. Included: the main house, a horse and buggy carriage house, which is now a guest cottage, a boat house and the original well. The lovingly restored buildings are now nestled on 4 acres of manicured grass surrounded by wild and cultivated flowers, raspberry bush stands, shrubbery and original trees. The garden shed was torn down and its beautifully weathered old New England stones have been transformed into a spacious patio surrounded by potted herbs and flourishing flowers, with a bucolic view of the rear grounds and cove.