CharlieMac Sunday Drink Special

Its the season of Autumn. This is time for family, for people to come together in harmony and friendship, for sharing food and beverages. Its a beautiful season, at least in the areas that actually have a fall season. That said, Halloween is over and now we prepare our kitchens and gullets for the upcoming Thanksgiving feast. How are you going to contribute to the meal? Have a food item in mind? Are you the one carving the turkey? Are you hosting? Well, if you're not any of those then you need something to bring to the table. How about a family friendly alcoholic beverage to share with the group? Here are a few ideas that may interest you.

Ginger Cranberry Cocktail (original source)
Ingredients:
1 c Frozen Cranberries
1 oz Lime Juice
1 Lime (crushed/squeezed)
2 c Vodka/Gin
2 c Cranberry Juice
1 c Ginger Syrup
Splash Club Soda
Garnish – Shaved Ginger
How To:
In a large pitcher crush the cranberries and add the lime juice. Then pour in the vodka, cranberry juice and ginger syrup. Stir it together gently then pour the mixture about 2/3 into a glass with ice and top off with the club soda. Garnish the drink with fresh ginger shavings.

Hoppin’ Hot Scotch (original source)

Ingredients:
2 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
8-10 oz Hot Chocolate
½ oz Amaretto
Garnish – Whipped Cream, Chocolate Shavings
How To:
In a mug add the schnapps, amaretto and then the hot chocolate. Now, add the garnish with whipped cream first and then the chocolate shavings. You could reverse that, but…why? Kinda defeats the purpose if its out of order.

Thanksgiving’s A Breeze Seabreeze (original source)

Ingredients:
1 c Orange Juice
1 c Cranberry Juice
1 c Vodka
Garnish – Mint Sprigs
How To:
Combine the ingredients, minus the garnish, in a pitcher with ice and stir gently. Then pour into a chilled glass and add the garnish.

Sunny’s Fruity Limoncello Spritzer (original source)
Ingredients:
4 oz Limoncello
2 oz Whiskey
2 oz Orange Juice
2 tbsp Maraschino Cherry Juice
12 oz Sparking Water/Club Soda
Garnish – Maraschino Cherries, Lemon Slices, Orange Slices,
How To:
Start off by filling a tall glass (preferably a highball glass) with ice and the garnishes. Then in a shaker with ice add the other ingredients, EXCEPT the sparkling water/club soda, and shake well. Take the mixture and pour into a pitcher and then add the sparkling water/club soda and stir gently to mix it up. Now you can pour the concoction into the glass you set up already.

American Pie Cocktail (original source)
Ingredients:
½ c Whiskey
½ c Apple Liqueur
1 c Cranberry Juice
Garnish – Apple Slices
How To:
In a shaker with ice add the whiskey, liqueur, and juice and shake well. Then strain into a glass with ice and add the garnish.

Orange-Spice Cocoa (original source)
Ingredients:
1 c Confectioners’ Sugar
¼ tsp Ground Cardamom
½ c Cocoa Powder
6 c Milk
Garnish – Orange Zest, Whipped Cream
How To:
Sift together the sugar, cardamom and cocoa powder into a bowl. Heat the milk to simmer over medium heat, then whisk in the bowl of dry mix. Separately, mix together some whipped cream and orange zest to be the garnish when you pour the heated mixture into a glass.

All, if not most, of these drink ingredients can be found at your local liquor store. Townsquare Media and KIXS 108 do not condone underage drinking and encourage you to drink responsibly. Have a safe and fun weekend!