LABOR DAY COCKTAILS & FALL BAR TIPS

Labor Day poses a bit of a dilemma for cocktail lovers.  It's the official end of summer but it's not quite fall.  It's a no-man's land between the sunny heat of summer and the crisp days of autumn where temperatures fling themselves around willy-nilly and you are starting to layer your clothing to accommodate the range. Thoughts of the beach are getting shoved away by visions of the holidays but you still have that last summer barbecue to plan. What to do, what to do.   As the light and heat of summer fade, your drinks need to get a little muscle in them. This is the time of year I start to restock my whiskies and brandies, buy a couple of new aged rums and sipping tequilas and add a couple of juniper/botanical heavy gins to my bar.  Using these heftier spirits in a late summer's iced cocktail is a great transition to fall; they are still cool and refreshing for the heat but can face up to an evening chill. Can you can still make a Sangria or a punch for Labor Day? Sure, but trade your light white wines, peaches, grapefruits and lemons in for hearty reds with late fall berries or apples, pears and oranges.   As for Labor Day flavors, I know pumpkin mania is nipping at your heels, but thanks to worldwide trade you might still have access to some summer produce like watermelon, cantaloupe, late summer berries, citrus, a few late harvest strawberries as well as the fall bounty that is showing up at the local markets. Let's let the pumpkin cool it's heels while we're still wearing short sleeved shirts during the day, we're only in September, not staring down the Pilgrims.   As you get your wardrobe ready for colder times, your kids packed off to the first days of school and you pull out the instant pot for soups and stews, why not get your taste buds primed for the season as well?   Here's a few cocktail ideas, using the above principles, for Labor Day:   APPLE SOUR BLACKBERRY FIZZ 

BLACKBERRY JAM BOURBON SOUR

BLUEBERRY MINT JULEP

  BOURBON (WHISKEY) CHERRY COBBLER
BOURBON CHERRY PIE SMASH CANTALOUPE MARTINI GOBBLED KNOB HATCHCHILETA MARGARITA POMEGRANATE MARGARITA  PURGATORY PUNCH
 PRICKLY PEAR OLD FASHIONED RATTLED SKULL RED WOMAN'S BERRY WINE PUNCH  SPICED APPLE OLD FASHIONED SPICED RUM POMEGRANATE FIZZ  STRAWBERRY JAM OLD FASHIONED  TIJUANA JACKASS  You can also try some of the tall, iced cooler style drinks from these seasonal flavors:
APPLE COCKTAILSBLACKBERRY COCKTAILSCRANBERRY COCKTAILSMELON COCKTAILSPEACH COCKTAILSPEAR COCKTAILSWATERMELON COCKTAILS
AFTER LABOR DAY PREPARING YOUR BAR FOR FALL Labor Day passes quickly so below are a few tips to get your fall happy hour on as summer fades and Old Man Winter is breathing down your neck. Of course, a good host or hostess should always be prepared to serve a guest that Pina Colada or Tom Collins if that is what they desire, but getting into a seasonal aspect at happy hour keeps you and those you're entertaining from cocktail boredom.

• Keep the ice bucket full, but tuck the light rums, vodkas and gins off to the side of the bar and bring out your whiskies, brandies, aged rums, botanical heavy gins and anejo tequilas
• Pull out the rocks glasses, coupes and stemware and let the tall guys take a vacation
• Keep the effervescence of those tall coolers by replacing their ounces with just a splash or two
• Bring the spice to the party. Spices warm and comfort and add depth of flavor
• Take the last of your summer produce and herbs and turn them into simple syrups or shrubs. Even jams and preserves can be used in fall and winter to replace fresh fruit and sugar in your cocktails.

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The RASPBERRY SGROPPINO, An Italian Inspired Cocktail

I recently bought a nice, new pint of Talenti Romance Raspberry Sorbet that was crying out to become a cocktail. Most of the time I just grab a spoon and pour some homemade Magic Shell* on this fabulous raspberry dense sorbet, but this time it was looking to get a little buzz on and I knew exactly how to go about that.

In Italy they often serve a cocktail known as a Sgroppino as a digestive or a dessert. It's a light, frothy combination of lemon sorbet and prosecco that was originally served in Venice as a palate cleanser between the fish and meat course. Prounounced "ss-guro-peno", the word is a derivative of sgroppare, which translates to "untie" or "undo", an apt name for drink originally devised as a palate cleanser.
Some recipes add vodka or limoncello or both, but the original palate cleansing recipe was served without either. I chose to add citrus vodka to carry the lemon and switch out the lemon sorbet for the lovely Talenti raspberry.

The RASPBERRY SGROPPINO Cocktail
INGREDIENTS 1/3 Cup Raspberry Sorbet 1 Oz. Citrus Vodka 3 Oz. Chilled Prosecco
Tools: Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl, Whisk, Ladle Glass: Chilled Champagne Flute
DIRECTIONS In a chilled stainless steel bowl, whisk together the sorbet and the raspberry vodka. While whisking, slowly pour in the prosecco until frothy.  Ladle into the chilled flute, garnish and serve.
* Magic Shell is a chocolate ice cream topping that hardens when it hits ice cream. I make my own by mixing 12 ounces of a high quality (70%+) chopped dark chocolate with 3 tablespoons of lightly heated coconut oil.

Updated 12-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The BOURBON PEANUT BUTTER CUP COCKTAIL

  I've done a few Peanut Butter Cup cocktails over the years as The Martini Diva. Generally I've used vodkas in them.  This time I decided I wanted to try bourbon because I had just discovered this fabulous recipe for Bacon Bourbon Caramel Popcorn from Genius Kitchen and I really wanted to pair it with a kindred cocktail.

Here I used Frangelico because it is readily available, but I have also done this recipe using Castries Peanut Rum Creme Liqueur in place of the Frangelico. It really brings home the peanut flavor but it is difficult to find these days. If you can find it give that version a try as well, it's creamier because of the Castries but equally delicious.

The

BOURBON

PEANUT BUTTER CUP

COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS

2 Oz. Frangelico

1 Oz. Bourbon

1 Oz. Dark Creme De Cacao

2 Dashes Black Walnut Bitters

Garnish: Peanut Butter and Shaved Chocolate Rim

Tools:  Small plates for chocolate shavings, Cocktail shaker

Glass: Cocktail or Coupe

DIRECTIONS

• Shave a bar of chocolate over a small plate.
• Spread peanut butter on the rim of your glass with a finger then dip rim in the chocolate shavings.
• Chill the glass in the freezer.
• Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice then shake until chilled.
• Strain into your chilled glass and serve with the killer Bacon Bourbon Caramel Popcorn mentioned above.

Yes, those are a couple of Peanut Butter Cup Pops on the plate and they're very easy to make. You simply grab a buttered melon baller (you can also butter the palms of your hands and get down and dirty), scoop out some peanut butter balls onto a piece of parchment paper, shove in some pop sticks then freeze those for a few hours until they're solid. Then you melt some chocolate and dip the frozen peanut butter balls sticks into that and chill them down in the fridge until the chocolate sets. Bingo, homemade peanut butter cups on a stick or Peanut Butter Cup Pops.

National Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Day isAugust 11th and I Love Reese's Day us May 18th.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP MARTINI Cocktail Recipe

Because I could.   The
CHOCOLATE CHIP
MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
2 Oz. Dark Creme de Cacao
1 Oz. Chocolate Vodka*
1 Oz. Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
Pinch of Smoked Salt

Garnish: Cocoa Powder and Sugar Rim, Chocolate Chips

Tools: Cocktail Shaker

Glass: Martini Cocktail

DIRECTIONS
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice then add the ingredients and shake until well chilled.
Strain into your chilled glass then place a few chocolate chips on the rim and serve.

How to make your own Chocolate Vodka.
National Chocolate Chip Day is August 4th.

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COLORADO BULLDOG COCKTAIL

On August 1st, 1876 Colorado was admitted into the Union as the 38th state. Known as the Centennial State, it was named after the Colorado River (Rio Colorado) and has the highest median elevation in the United States.
It also has its own cocktail, the Colorado Bulldog, which is a variation of a White Russian. How it got the Bulldog attached is up for debate, but I did notice there are a large number of sports teams in Colorado named Bulldogs.

The COLORADO BULLDOG COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS 2 Oz. Vodka 2 Oz. Kahlua 2 Oz. Cream 2 Oz. Cola
DIRECTIONS Combine the vodka, Kahlua, and cream in a shaker filled with ice, shake well, strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with ice cubes, top off with cola.
Fun Colorado Facts
Colorado Day is August 1st.
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