Monday, November 24, 2014

Mangia Monday: Sparkling Spiced Apple Cider


To get you all in the Thanksgiving spirit, we found this delightfully festive cocktail for you to enjoy during your feast this Thursday.  This recipe from Bakingdom.com is perfect for Thanksgiving dinner and also suggests an alternative virgin option for the kids to try.  So after your done with that fantastic home cooked turkey, sit back and relax and be thankful that this drink exists.

Ingredients

**1 shot equals 1.5 ounces (35 ml)**
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) orange juice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4  shots (6 ounces, or 188 ml) chilled vodka (omit for kid-friendly version)
16 shots (24 ounces, or 700 ml) chilled sparkling cider
Combine the sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves in a small saucepan set over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is the consistency of syrup. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Allow to cool completely.
Use the syrup to rim 4 glasses, then dip the glasses into a sugar mixture (sanding sugar or cinnamon-sugar).
Add 1 shot of the syrup to each glass. Stir in 1 shot of vodka, then add 4 shots of sparkling cider per glass. Stir gently and serve.
For a stronger drink, increase the vodka to 2 shots per glass, and reduce the cider to 3 shots.
-JW