Whiskey Cider

The Halloween party that I attended last weekend was hosted by my friend, B., who is multi-talented.  Beyond being eminently kind and funny (I could go on!), he possesses a serious gift when it comes to creating delicious food and drink.  For the party, B. served a wonderful hot spiced (and spiked!) cider.  When I asked B. for his whiskey cider recipe, hoping to share it here, I had a hunch that he had just thrown the thing together, following his nose and trusting his palate.  I turned out to be right.  B.'s recipe follows.

Flattered that you want to blog about the cider! I'm afraid there was no recipe, it was sort of a last minute concoction before running to assemble my costume. I had two big pots and basically filled each with cider 1/2 - 2/3 of the way, in order to leave room for the booze. I used 2 gallons of cider total. My roommate had an old mulling spice packet - it was primarily cinnamon/sugar and a little nutmeg - which went into one of the pots, mostly just to use it up. I then did my own thing with both of them, which was approximately the following (very approx.):

- 2 tsp cinnamon (less in the pot that had gotten the mulling packet) 

- Some freshly ground nutmeg (we have a grinder, which is awesome), maybe 1/2 tsp

- a few shakes of ground clove

- freshly ground pepper, maybe 1/4 tsp in each, just to warm things up a bit

- orange oil/extract, 1/4 tsp maybe

- orange blossom water (the kind from the Middle Eastern bakery), a very small drizzle

That's all sitting in a big pot on lowish heat. At some point I dropped a couple ladlefuls into my blender with a couple decent sized knobs of fresh peeled ginger, blended completely, then poured it back into the pots. You could also just grate it in - or use powdered ginger I suppose ;-)

Once everything gets to be hot and start steaming, I threw in maybe a couple tablespoons of honey and stirred to make sure it didn't just sit at the bottom and burn.

Then, after the Cider is well spiced and I'd tried it out on its own, I added Old Overholt Rye Whiskey. Again, not exactly to each pot, but in sum the proportions were about 40% Rye, 60% Cider. You could use your favorite bourbon here, too - I might have, but Old Overholt is sort of a secret gem, by far the most drinkable by cost of any whiskey in my opinion. (I happily drink it neat and it's $16 for 750 mL in Col Hts, so I got 3 bottles for the price of one higher end bourbon.) A little Cointreau would certainly have been a good addition, but I didn't have any.

Then just cover it on really low heat or turn it off and wait for all your costumed guests (and party crashers) to arrive!

This stuff would be so lovely to try if you have a holiday gathering around the corner.  And, the recipe is adaptable, based on your preferences and available ingredients. 

Thanks for sharing, B.!

(Image via bon appétit. Check out their take on whiskey cider here.)

Happy Halloween!

For a few years, Frida Kahlo has been on my mind as Halloween costume inspiration.  I decided to take the plunge this year, when portraying Frida turned out to be the easiest of my choices!  The only things that I bought to complete the costume were red lipstick and false eye lashes. 

Click through for instructions and a more complete look at the costume. . . .

Dog Halloween

Leave it to our friends in New York to implement, with characteristic wit, one of the best Halloween ideas ever: the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade.  This was the parade's twenty-third year!  Inherent canine humiliation aside (And they must be having a little fun, don't you think?), what a bright, joyful, and totally hilarious event.  These little guys are such troopers, it kills me.



Click through for more pups in costume. . . .

Have a Spooky Weekend!

Switching gears a bit: Halloween, OMG.  I'm going to a party this weekend.  I figured out my costume, which took a 180 from the idea I was planning on when I updated you last week.  If I muster up the courage, I may share a snapshot or two next week.  :) 

What are your plans for the weekend?  Will you be dressing up and going out, or staying toasty at home?  In any case, I hope you have lots of reasons to smile this weekend.  Here are a few bits and pieces from the web that I thought you'd enjoy.  xo E.

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One hint as to my costume: it involves this lipstick, which is the perfect strong red (more orange/brown than blue in the undertone department) and very emollient.  I never really have been one for bright lip color, but am kind of excited about this.

If you have a pug to dress up for Halloween, here are a few hysterical ideas.

If you still need to figure out what to wear, these are some imaginative ideas.

Here are a bunch of DIY fall craft ideas that will keep your creative juices flowing post-crazy costume.  Start collecting those fallen leaves now!

I made a variation of this thyme-roasted sweet potato recipe last week, and yum.

Cleveland Park eatery Palena will transform its current café space into a coffee shop concept, serving coffee and fresh baked goods in the morning and moving into lunchtime fare at midday.  It's not clear whether the café will continue to offer dinner service, but let's hope it does.

Google Maps now show D.C. Metro lines.  Cool, huh?  The quirks mentioned in the link seem to have been fixed.

Here is a smooth, sexy tune from Spanish crooner Pablo Alborán.  If you like what you hear, try this one, too (The video gives a glimpse of my old stomping ground in downtown Madrid.).  And this one.  The sentimental lyrics brought a lump to my throat.

(Image from Apartment Therapy via House Beautiful; Palena tip via Eater; craft ideas via swissmiss.)

Have a Relaxing Weekend!

Busy, busy it's been around here.  For me, the weekend will involve friends and finalizing my Halloween costume.  Till now, it's been just an idea (a very simple one :), so it's time to assemble the pieces and determine details.  I'm looking forward to the fun, low-fuss project, which may evolve into something with more pizazz than originally planned.  We'll see....

What are you up to this weekend?  Whatever your plans, I hope you have fun and enjoy browsing a few bits from around the web.  xo

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A dating site sees a spike in D.C. activity, thanks to the federal shutdown.

Local chefs look forward to new players in the District's restaurant scene.

Graphite drawings that the artist says are the product of "daydreaming and keeping track of it."

I found these German chocolate-glazed gingerbread cookies in the grocery store, and they are SO delicious.  Maybe a little early for the holidays, officially, but the delicate warmth of the spice is so lovely for fall.

Quirky DIY kids' Halloween costumes that will make you giggle.

I may be coming around to the idea of the heeled bootie.*  A refined ankle makes all the difference.  These and these and these pass muster.

A slouchy silk sweater that looks like it would be nice to live in. 

Would you order a custom-blended lipstick? 

This gnocchi looks like a hearty, indulgent weekend meal.

For the Why Didn't I Think of That? file: apple cider sangría.


*Yes, I know that they have been a thing.

(Image via The Editorialite, gnocchi recipe via Epicurious on Pinterest.)