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Tag Archives: boozy

Thirsty Thursday | Thyme Gimlets

14 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Boozy, Entertaining, Thirsty Thursday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

boozy, cocktail, cocktails, Gimlet, gin, lime, Simple Syrup, thyme, vodka

Thyme Gimlets

There’s nothing quite like a good homemade cocktail – it’s a lot more economical than going out and I’m not above drinking something fancy while wearing sweatpants.

The thing about homemade cocktails is they have to have few ingredients and be relatively simple to make. When I see a cocktail recipe I’ll typically dismiss it if there are tons of special liqueurs and ingredients. I’ll leave the flaming coffees to the professionals…I want something easy to make that is a little more elevated than mixing booze with soda. Usually all you need is alcohol + simple syrup + a mixer, the more natural and less sweet the mixer, the better!

Thyme Gimlets

Continue reading →

The Fruitcake Phase

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Boozy, Cookies, Desserts, Entertaining, Holidays, LuLu's Classics, Throwback Thursday

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Tags

boozy, brandy, brown sugar, Cake, candied cherries, candied ginger, cookies, fruit, fruitcake, fruitcake mix, holiday baking, holiday cookies, nuts, pecans, sherry, walnuts

Fruitcake...with a cat

It happens at this time every year…you can’t avoid it…the fruitcake joke. I have to admit, I never really understood it, since I was never subjected to fruitcake growing up. I was never gifted it, never tried it, never really thought about it. All I knew is it must be really, really bad for it to somehow come up as this terrible thing every year.

Fruitcake Cookies

Enter Christmas 2014 – what I am deeming as the “fruitcake phase.” I found out from my mom and aunt that not only did they grow up with my grandpa making fruitcake every year, but he never really gave it away…since he loved it so much. To this day, it is the only thing he has ever baked in his entire life – that is how much he loves the stuff. So, we found the old recipe he used, from a 1950 copy of the Gourmet Cookbook. Still having this cookbook is a treasure in itself, and I think this is about as classic of a fruitcake as you can get.

fuitcake

So, we made a few loaves…and I started to understand the stigma around the dreaded dessert. It’s a dense cake full of weird candied fruit whose sole purpose is to put in the cakes, and then it literally “ripens” in booze for a few weeks. What? I’m all about things chillin in booze, but it was a little weird. However, this fruitcake is real, it’s not a store-bought 10 pound bowling ball that’s already wrapped and easy to regift. It’s real, old-school ingredients, that really don’t end up tasting that bad, if you are into that sort of thing. Which my family is. Jordan and I are still on the fence about classic fruitcake, but I totally get it now (finally). But I couldn’t stop there, I had to go on and make fruitcake cookies…

Fruitcake Cookies...and a Cat.

Don’t ask about the cat…He was apparently going through a fruitcake phase as well. Anyways though, I was a tad skeptical about these cookies. I hoped they would be lighter than actual fruitcake while I was letting the fruit soak in some booze. I hoped people would actually want to eat them…and they turned out great! They are not the prettiest cookie in the world…Sort of like the ugly duckling of cookies, not too cute, but once they hit your lips…so good! Continue reading →

Thirsty Thursday | The New England Express

12 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Boozy, Easy, Entertaining, Events, Holidays, Thirsty Thursday

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

apple cider, boozy, bourbon, club soda, cocktail, lime, punch, rum, thyme

New England Express

A classy punch recipe can be hard to find. I cringe just a little bit every time I see a punch recipe with a gallon of sherbet in it. Just…why would you do that? Luckily, the good people over at Bon Appétit know making a cocktail in bulk is awesome around the holidays, and this drink was a great addition to our Thanksgiving menu.

New England Express

Although the drink was great with dark rum, I just had to try it with bourbon since that’s the universally preferred dark liquor of choice in our family…and it was even better! (According to us).

The New England Express

One of the greatest things about this drink is you can make the simple syrup way in advance, and mix the drink in a pitcher or punch bowl before everyone arrives. The recipe can easily be doubled for a larger crowd. It’s also great served warm. Leave out the club soda if you aren’t into getting fizzy with it. Geez, can we get any more versatile with this drink?!?

The New England Express

Recipe
The New England Express
adapted from Bon Appétit 
serves 8

INGREDIENTS

THYME SYRUP

  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 8 sprigs thyme

ASSEMBLY

  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 1½ cups dark rum or bourbon
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon Angostura bitters
  • Club soda
  • 8 sprigs thyme
  • 8 lime slices

directions

THYME SYRUP

  • Bring sugar and ⅓ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, add thyme sprigs, and cover. Let stand 10 minutes, then strain into a small jar. Let cool.
  • DO AHEAD: Syrup can be made 1 month ahead. Cover and chill.

ASSEMBLY

  • Mix thyme syrup, cider, rum, lime juice, and bitters in a pitcher. Divide among rocks glasses filled with ice; top off with club soda. Garnish with thyme sprigs and lime slices.
  • DO AHEAD: Thyme syrup, cider, rum, lime juice, and bitters can be mixed 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

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