Rum

Blood Orange Sour

February 11, 2019 by Natalie 2 Comments

I think I’ve said this before but I’m a sucker for Valentine’s Day. I know, it’s a silly made-up holiday, but I LOVE love and sweets and can we be honest here? Anything in pink and red is A-OK with me! I’ve teamed up with my friends at KINKY Beverages for this post to bring you a delicious Blood Orange Sour cocktail for Valentine’s Day.

It’s funny how some things never change. Whether I’ve been single or in a relationship for this holiday you can always catch me binge-watching Sleepless in Seattle or You’ve Got Mail. Anyone else a fan of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks romantic comedies? If you can remember back in the Myspace days (holy shit – Myspace?) there was a who I’d like to meet section in your profile. Sixteen year old me had a photo of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks when they meet in the garden at the end of You’ve Got Mail. To be perfectly honest with you, that’s still who I’d like to meet. Here I am still looking for my Tom Hanks almost 16 years later but that will not make me hate a holiday meant to celebrate love. What it will do though is make me drink about it. 😉

Blood Orange Sour, makes 1 serving

1 oz. Spirit of your choice

1 oz. KINKY Pink

1 oz. fresh blood orange juice

1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

1 egg white

In a cocktail shaker combine spirit, KINKY Pink, juices, syrup, and egg white. Dry shake without ice for about 10 seconds to emulsify the egg and then shake again with ice. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a slice of blood orange.

I’ve shared a recipe previously on the blog with KINKY Pink. It’s definitely my favorite KINKY expression because it’s bursting with fresh flavors of mango, blood orange, and passionfruit and it pairs with so many other ingredients and spirits. What is really fun about this recipe is that I’ve left the base spirit up to your preference. I personally love it with something traditional like gin but it’s also great with white rum. Additionally, tequila or even a whiskey like a bourbon would be amazing options as well. I want you and whoever you’re sharing a drink with to have fun and get creative. Maybe try a few to see which one you like more.

I couldn’t resist using fresh blood oranges one last time in a recipe before they disappear until next Winter. Using fresh blood orange juice in this Blood Orange Sour really makes the blood orange notes in the KINKY Pink stand out even more. This drink is fruity, juicy, bittersweet, and silky on the palette. I hope you’ll enjoy one with me this Valentine’s Day. Have you found your Tom Hanks or are you still looking like me? What’s your favorite romcom? I want to hear all about it in the comments below. Cheers everyone. x

Strawberry Ginger Pineapple Punch

September 10, 2018 by Natalie Leave a Comment

HEY GUYS! Sorry to have gone dark on you for the last few weeks but I needed a break. I’m back with this Strawberry Ginger Pineapple Punch because Summer is not over yet. Totally not ready for Fall cocktails or anything pumpkin related. Can we just wait till 9/23 for all of that? I want to soak up every last ray of sunshine, every warm day, and every opportunity to drink a fruity cocktail. Who’s with me?

Strawberry Ginger Pineapple Punch, serves 1

2 oz. dark or aged rum

1 oz. fresh pineapple juice

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

3/4 oz. ginger syrup

handful of sliced strawberries

soda water or sparkling wine

First, make your ginger syrup. There are a few ways you can do this. Here I go over how to make it in a blender and here I go over how to do it with a slow juicer. I love my Hurom Slow Juicer and highly recommend buying this type of juicer. I can pretty much juice anything and I love making fresh fruit and veggies juices. It really comes in handy to make syrups like this too. After extracting the ginger juice, measure it and add 2x the amount of sugar. Ginger syrup should be 2:1 sugar to ginger juice.

When your ginger syrup is made you can build your cocktail. Add strawberries to your cocktail shaker with pineapple juice, lime juice, and ginger syrup. Give it a quick muddle and then add rum. Shake with ice and strain into a highball over ice. Top with soda or for a boozier option top with sparkling wine.

This Strawberry Ginger Pineapple Punch is a great drink to end Summer with. It’s fruity, fizzy, and refreshing but also spicy from the fresh ginger. I love ginger in pretty much everything at this time of year! This is a one serving cocktail but can easily be converted into a pitcher drink or punch bowl for large gatherings and entertaining. Simply multiply each ingredient by the number of guests you want to accommodate and voila! You have a large format drink that will be sure to please everyone in attendance. Another great thing about it is that you can use virtually any spirit your heart desires. I’ve used rum in this recipe but vodka, gin, whiskey, or tequila would be fine choices as well.

Hope you had a great Summer and I hope you’ll give this Strawberry Ginger Pineapple Punch a try before it gets too chilly. Cheers everyone! xo

Blended Watermelon Mojitos + Weekday Weekend Giveaway

July 28, 2018 by Natalie 3 Comments

Happy weekend everyone! I’m sharing a recipe for Blended Watermelon Mojitos from A Beautiful Mess’s cookbook Weekday Weekend. If you haven’t picked up a copy of this book yet, I urge you to! As someone who has struggled with an on again off again vegetarian diet, this book has really helped me stay on track with healthy eating habits.

The whole idea behind this book and the Weekday Weekend concept is simple. For 5 days a week, you eat according to 5 rules.

eat a variety of foods
no refined or artificial sugars or sweeteners
no refined white flour or white rice
no dairy
no alcohol

Then on the weekend, there are no rules! At first, it was a little hard, especially the no alcohol part. But these rules, or diet if you want to call it that, is totally sustainable. You eat healthy all week and then there’s still time to indulge in all the sweets and cocktails your heart desires. In moderation of course! 😉

This weekend I’m indulging in these Blended Watermelon Mojitos plus I will be giving away copies of Weekday Weekend to 3 lucky readers over on Instagram. So head here and check out the rules for entering. I will be announcing winners on my IG stories on Monday. I’m so happy to be able to share this book with you because it has really helped me with my own healthy eating struggles and I hope it will help you too!

Blended Watermelon Mojitos, serves two

2 cups cubed seedless watermelon

4 oz. light rum (I used Plantation)

1/4 cup simple syrup (1:1)

juice and zest of 1 lime

12 fresh mint leaves plus more for garnish

2 cups ice cubes

First, make your simple syrup. Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Place on medium heat and stir to help dissolve the sugar. Do not boil. Let cool and store in a bottle in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To make your blended watermelon mojitos combine all the ingredients in a blender and process on high until smooth. Divide between 2 glasses or serve in a half of a small hollowed out watermelon. Garnish with mint sprigs, lime, and anything else fun that your heart desires.

I love eating healthy all week because I know that I’m doing something good for myself and my body. Eating healthy does not mean you have to sacrifice flavor. Weekday Weekend will show you how to become more aware of your eating habits and learn more easy options for improving them. There are so many delicious recipe ideas for breakfast, meals, snacks & sweets, and of course drinks. Sweets and cocktails are my favorite so I’m usually counting down the days until Saturday. These Blended Watermelon Mojitos are so easy to make and the perfect weekend treat.

I hope you will enter the giveaway over on Instagram and give Weekday Weekend a read and try!

Boozy Cold Brew Popsicles

July 6, 2018 by Natalie 3 Comments

I reach a point every Summer when it just gets too damn hot. That is when everything I eat or drink has to be frozen. Coffee is no exception! I teamed up with Chila ‘Orchata Cinnamon Cream Rum to bring you these delicious Boozy Cold Brew Popsicles. Staying cool, caffeinating, and getting a buzz are all pretty high up on my priority list. Boozy Cold Brew Popsicles are the perfect treat when an iced coffee just isn’t going to cut it!

Boozy Cold Brew Popsicles, makes 10 popsicles

2 cups cold brew

1/4 cup sweetened coconut condensed milk

1/4 cup Chila ‘Orchata Cinnamon Cream Rum

popsicle mold

popsicle sticks

First, add 1 cup of cold brew to a bowl with sweetened coconut condensed milk and Chila ‘Orchata. Stir well and taste. If you want this mixture sweeter you can add either more coconut condensed milk or rum cream. Pour the cold brew-milk mixture into the popsicle molds only filling each one halfway. Place in freezer for about an hour.

Next, insert popsicle sticks and top off each mold with the remaining cold brew. Freeze for 4-6 hours but I always recommend letting them freeze overnight.

The recipe for these Boozy Cold Brew Popsicles couldn’t be more simple. They are so easy to put together even with the layering. Chila ‘Orchata is smooth, creamy, with a little hint of spice. It is a unique blend of Puerto Rican rum, real dairy cream, Tahitian vanilla, and exotic cinnamon. All the flavors of Chila ‘Orchata are wonderful for use in coffee and made these Boozy Cold Brew Popsicles extra delicious.

I’m usually a black coffee/cold brew drinker but adding a creamy latte element to these popsicles made them sweet, flavorful and refreshing. My new favorite thing to use in recipes is coconut condensed milk and it added just the right amount of sweetness and complimented the additional vanilla and cinnamon notes from the Chila ‘Orchata.

These Boozy Cold Brew Popsicles would be an amazing addition to any Summer brunch party. For me, I’d enjoy one on any regular afternoon just to pretend I’m on vacation. Hopefully, the cold brew kicks in and makes me semi-productive though. Another great idea: use them as a giant ice cube in your coffee! Stay cool everyone and if you’re giving these a try at home don’t forget to chime in on the comments below. xo

Bar Convent Brooklyn with ANGOSTURA BITTERS

June 22, 2018 by Natalie 18 Comments

Last week I had the pleasure of spending the day with ANGOSTURA bitters at Bar Convent Brooklyn (BCB). The Bar Convent started as a small industry meeting in Berlin and quickly became one of the most important international bar & beverage trade shows. This year the show expanded to Brooklyn, NY and I was so happy I got to experience it alongside a brand that I truly love.

The House of Angostura, based in Trinidad and Tobago, has been blending bitters for more than 190 years. They also have been producing fine rums for 130 years, mastering the art of aging and blending. ANGOSTURA bitters are made with the same secret recipe that was developed in 1824 by Dr. Johann Sieger. They are an essential ingredient in so many classic cocktails, which is why they’re so crucial to the beverage industry. ANGOSTURA bitters are recognized as the world’s first and best-selling cocktail bitters.

At the door, I was greeted by the ANGOSTURA welcome cart and a delicious sample of the Trinidad Sour. This drink was created in 2009 by NYC bartender Guiseppe Gonzalez at the one and only Clover Club in Brooklyn, NY.

Alex Kirles, the House of Angostura US Brand Ambassador, was shaking this little concoction up. A mix of ANGOSTURA aromatic bitters, rye whiskey, orgeat, and lemon juice. This drink packs a punch because it contains over an ounce of the bitters! The Trinidad Sour is a great way to start or end a meal, or in my case, start the day!

At the ANGOSTURA booth they were mixing up one of my favorite drinks of all time; the Queen’s Park Swizzle. This is a drink I’m quite familiar with as I used to crank these out behind the bar when I worked at PKNY. I also still make a ton of these at Dutch Kills. The best way to describe this drink is a fancy mojito, but in my opinion, way better. The Queen’s Park Swizzle got its name from the Trinidadian hotel where it was first concocted in the 1920s. It includes ANGOSTURA 7-year-old Rum, demerara syrup, lime juice, mint, and the essential ANGOSTURA aromatic bitters.

I really enjoyed my time getting to know Martin Tummino, who is the House of Angostura Cocktail Ambassador, and self-proclaimed “Swizzologist.” “The Queens Park Swizzle is not just the National Cocktail of Trinidad & Tobago, it represents a technique, a tool, — and a cocktail structure that belongs to the Caribbean and all of Latin America.”

The last cocktail of the day was the Amaroni. This cocktail included Amaro di Angostura, gin, sweet vermouth, and ANGOSTURA orange bitters. I loved this one because it’s a variation on one of my favorite classics, the Negroni. Amaro di Angostura launched in 2014, to celebrate the company’s 190-year anniversary. I love the use of ANGOSTURA orange bitters in this cocktail because it adds zesty tropical orange notes and spices.

I really enjoyed my time at Bar Convent Brooklyn and I can’t wait to go again next year. It was nice to see so many premium brands and explore the newest trends and products. Not to mention network, share knowledge, and learn! I think my favorite Angostura fact that I learned was hearing about the legend of the oversized label. Which I have to say, I’ve always wondered about! Apparently, Angostura bitters’ too-big label came into being when the Siegert brothers divided tasks. One brother was responsible for labeling, and the other was responsible for bottle sourcing. The two miscommunicated, resulting in a mistakenly oversized label that to this day remains the brand’s signature.

It’s been so nice to share a behind-the-scenes look at my BCB experience with Angostura. What is your favorite cocktail with Angostura bitters? Would you think about going to Bar Convent Brooklyn next year? If you do, I will definitely be seeing you there because I would not miss this event for the world. Cheers everyone! If you haven’t tried Angostura bitters you can purchase at liquor retailers nationwide and learn more here.

Chill Out with these Iced Coffee Recipes for Summer

June 19, 2018 by Natalie 1 Comment

Happy Tuesday everyone! Who needs a coffee? Definitely me! Is anyone else addicted to iced coffee in the Summer? Luckily I’m working with Nespresso for this next post and sharing two delicious iced coffee recipes. This Summer Nespresso is releasing a new line of iced espressos for their Vertuo System. The limited edition espressos are more concentrated and have been specifically designed to be poured over ice to deliver a refreshing beverage.

Mint + Vanilla Cafè Shakerato, makes 1 serving

1 Inspirazione Shakerato capsule

4 Nespresso ice cubes

1 tsp. mint/vanilla syrup*

*First, make your mint/vanilla syrup. Add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, 1 big bunch of mint, and 1 vanilla bean (scrape the inside) to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for about 10 minutes and then remove from heat and let completely cool. Strain out the mint and vanilla bean and store in a jar or bottle.

Extract 1.35 oz. coffee into a 12 0z. glass over Nespresso ice cubes. Add 1 tsp. (or more if desired) of mint vanilla syrup and shake or stir the drink. Garnish with a mint sprig. Adding Irish whiskey to this iced coffee is perfect for a summery Irish Coffee variation.

I was inspired by a classic Irish Coffee for the Mint + Vanilla Cafè Shakerato. Incorporating mint into this iced coffee by making a mint syrup turned out delicious and super refreshing. The vanilla adds a hint of sweetness and flavor that compliments the coffee perfectly. Making coffee cubes is easy. Just brew some coffee, pour it into an ice cube mold, and send it to the freezer. Coffee ice cubes keep your iced coffee cold and add more coffee instead of watering it down!

Island Coffee, makes 1 serving

1 Inspirazione Salentina capsule

4 Nespresso ice cubes

1 oz. dark rum

1 oz. coffee liqueur

2 tbsp. condensed coconut milk

Add Nespresso ice cubes to a glass and pour in the dark rum and coffee liqueur. Extract 1.35 oz. coffee on top. Next, add your condensed coconut cream and stir until incorporated. Garnish with coconut flakes and freshly grated nutmeg. For a booze-free version omit the rum and coffee liqueur.

Have you ever had a Vietnamese Iced Coffee before? They are delicious and are kind of my guilty pleasure. Usually, I’m strictly a black coffee drinker but adding condensed milk to iced coffee is so tasty! Instead of using regular sweetened condensed milk I bought condensed coconut milk. Using condensed coconut milk is the perfect way to add sweetness and a tropical element that makes this iced coffee super Summery. Bonus that it is also dairy-free which makes this iced coffee vegan as well!

The Vertuo System makes mornings so much easier when you can brew a cup for a quick fix. Before the VertuoPlus, I was making pour-over coffee — which I love — but it requires a lot of effort and time. Sometimes in the morning, I need a fast cup of coffee that still taste good so I can start tackling my emails and get to work! I’m honestly so impressed with the quality and flavor of the coffee and how this system brews. The possibilities are endless and it keeps stress levels low (which I need).

I love iced coffee and I’m so happy to be able to make it at home now. The great thing about both of these recipes is you can serve them with or without booze. That makes them appropriate for morning and if you need a pick me up at happy hour or after dinner, then add some spirit! I hope you will give both of these recipes a try and don’t forget to check out the VertuoLine system and you can purchase all your espressos here. Happy brewing!

This post is sponsored by Nespresso. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of Nespresso. Thank you for reading the sponsored content that makes Arsenic-Lace possible!

Celebrate Easter Weekend with the Carrot Painkiller

March 30, 2018 by Natalie Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for the perfect Easter cocktail then look no further then the Carrot Painkiller. Did you really think I wasn’t going to give you something delicious to sip on this weekend? I’d never let you down and this Carrot Painkiller will surely not disappoint your taste buds.

If you’re not familiar with the classic Painkiller cocktail it is a riff on the Piña Colada. You know how much I love Piña Coladas and given a chance, I will basically turn anything into a Piña Colada. The original Painkiller was created in the 1970s by Daphne Henderson at the Soggy Dollar Bar on the Island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. It is a blend of rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and coconut. This cocktail is associated with tiki bars and tropical drinks, which as you all know, happen to be my favorite.

If you’re not aware I worked at a tiki bar in NYC called Painkiller (R.I.P). Pusser’s Rum has the Painkiller cocktail trademarked and we wound up having to change our name to PKNY to avoid a lawsuit. So while I love this cocktail, the Painkiller and I have a pretty tumultuous history. PKNY which was located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan shuttered in 2013 over the loss of our lease. A plague that struck a lot of bars in that neighborhood and in almost every neighborhood in NYC still to this day. Let’s just say, almost 5 years later, I still haven’t fully recovered from the closing of that bar.

Maybe that’s why I’m always developing variations on Piña Coladas. Homesick for a place that doesn’t exist anymore. Before I get sad let’s make drinks!

Carrot Painkiller, serves 1

2 oz. aged rum (preferably Pusser’s Rum)

1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

1 oz. fresh carrot juice

1/2 oz. orange juice

3/4 oz. coconut cream

First, make your juices. I juiced my pineapple and carrot juice with my Hurom Slow Juicer. I highly recommend owning a slow juicer if you don’t already have one. It has made my life so much easier and healthy. They do not sponsor me (yet, one can dream) so this is 100% my own opinion and recommendation. For the coconut cream I use a 2:1 ratio of coconut cream to coconut milk. After that, this drink is easy peasy to make. Assemble all your ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry shake. No dilution necessary because when you use crushed ice, dilution happens very quickly and immediately upon adding ice to the glass.

Dump your cocktail into your serving vessel. I used these cute clear tiki mugs from CB2 (now sold out). Then add crushed ice to your glass and garnish with a healthy dusting of nutmeg and a pineapple leaf or two.

Does anyone else adore making coconut themed things for Easter? I’m going to make this tart on Sunday for dessert. Coconut is one of my favorite ingredients to incorporate into this holiday. Also, I love carrots and so does the Easter bunny! I’m just so lucky that both of these ingredients are delicious together. If you’re looking for some other ideas, I also made this Carrot Orange Mimosa last year and shared some other Easter ideas. If you gave up drinking for lent, well then you’re crazy, but these will be such a treat to make and enjoy! Happy Easter everyone! xo

My Warm Take on a Summer Classic: The Hot & Stormy

January 8, 2018 by Natalie 1 Comment

We’ve been enduring freezing temperatures here for weeks now and frankly, I’m growing a little tired of it. When it’s cold and you have the holidays to look forward to you can persevere through it. After the new year, the bitter cold leaves me just that — bitter. I’ve been dreaming up drinks I can stay inside with and that remind me of warmer days. I’m pleased to introduce my warm take on a Summer classic, The Hot & Stormy.

Brilliant, yes? I thought so. The Dark & Stormy cocktail is simple, refreshing, and the perfect Summer highball. But its ingredients dissected make a pretty awesome warm drink appropriate for those really frigid winter nights too. My trick to the perfect Dark & Stormy cocktail is throwing away the premixed ginger beer and using freshly juiced ginger instead. It’s a little more work but the spicy flavor it yields is totally worth it. I add a 1/2 oz. lime to mine with 2 oz. Gosling’s Rum (of course), 3/4 oz. fresh ginger syrup, and then top with club soda for the fresh fizzy ginger beer effect.

I’m going to show you how I make ginger syrup so you can make my Hot & Stormy.

Hot & Stormy

1 1/2 oz. Gosling’s Rum

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. ginger syrup

hot water

lime wheel and ginger candy, for garnish

I finally bought myself a slow juicer. I decided on this one by Hurom. Yes, it’s pink which was a plus in my book but it also got amazing reviews (another plus). Their juicers come in lots of other colors and styles if pink isn’t your thing. This post is 100% not sponsored and I’m giving you my honest opinion: buy this juicer. Not only is the design amazing, it’s so easy to put together and disassemble, super easy to clean, and hums like the purr of a fat content cat. It’s SO quiet!

I peeled a larger piece of ginger, cut it down so it would fit through the top of the juicer, and pressed down. Like magic, the fresh ginger juice comes right out. I used a piece of ginger that was probably 5 inches long and it yielded exactly 4 oz. of ginger juice. The key to making ginger syrup is a 2:1 ratio. It’s 2 sugar to 1 ginger juice. Fresh ginger is really spicy so you need more sugar to balance it out. I added 8 oz. of sugar and stirred it until the sugar dissolved. You can heat this over low heat on the stove if you want it done faster. If you don’t have a slow juicer don’t fret. I detailed how to make ginger syrup using a blender for my Dark & Stormy Popsicles on A Beautiful Mess.

The hard part is over and now you can assemble your drink. Add all your ingredients to your serving vessel and top with hot water. You are ready to enjoy your Hot & Stormy.

Originally when I was brainstorming hot drinks to make on the blog I wanted to do a hot toddy variation. Ginger in hot drinks is so good, soothing, and bonus…healthy, but ginger in hot toddies had been done numerous times. I started thinking about my favorite drinks with ginger in them and that led me to this hot Dark & Stormy variation. I basically removed the club soda and replaced it with hot water. I’m so happy with how it came out and it was simple to put together. It’s crazy what a slight adjustment to a cold drink can do to make the perfect warm winter cocktail. I hope you enjoy my warm take on a Summer classic, The Hot & Stormy. It just might be my new favorite cold weather drink.

Pineapple Champagne Punch

December 29, 2017 by Natalie 3 Comments

Greetings everyone and happy almost New Year! I hope you have some fun plans to ring in the New Year, but if not don’t fret. New Year’s Eve is one of those holidays that’s always filled with unrealistic expectations. I have spent most working behind the bar but this year I’m staying home for a low key evening with a few friends. If you’re entertaining, I made this Pineapple Champagne Punch that’s simple to throw together. What better way to ring in the New Year than with all my favorite ingredients mixed together in one giant bowl! Don’t forget the disco balls!

Pineapple Champagne Punch, serves 8-10

4 oz. Jamaican Rum

4 oz. Cognac

3 oz. pineapple juice

3 oz. lime juice

4 oz. allspice simple syrup

1-2 bottles sparkling wine

The allspice syrup is super easy to make. Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon of ground allspice. Heat on the stove and stir until all sugar has dissolved. Let simmer for 10 minutes to cook in the allspice. Remove from heat and let steep for another 10 minutes. Use a fine strainer and a double layer of cheesecloth to strain out the allspice. You can store the syrup in a jar or bottle. This will keep for up to one month refrigerated. If you have allspice liqueur on hand you can add a 1/2 oz. of that to the syrup as well. It will add more flavor and keep it fresh longer.

To make your Pineapple Champagne Punch add all your ingredients to your punch bowl, pouring the sparkling wine last.Easy peasy. I made this batch with one bottle of sparkling wine. My suggestion for a boozier punch is to use two bottles. It will also help dry the punch out a tad because it’s on the sweeter side.

I made a large format ice cube by using a bundt cake mold. Freeze pineapple wheels, a little pineapple juice, and water in your mold. This keeps your punch cold longer and doesn’t over dilute it.

This Pineapple Champagne Punch was so delicious! I can’t wait to make it again for New Year’s Eve. Even though I made a special syrup for the punch it was still fairly simple to put together. You can make the syrup days ahead of time to make assembly even easier. The allspice added tons of flavor and complemented the rum, cognac, and pineapple perfectly. Allspice and pineapple are a common pairing in a lot of classic tiki drinks and that’s where I got the idea for this Pineapple Champagne Punch.

Stay tuned for more New Year’s Eve ideas this weekend. 2018 I’m so ready for you! xo

Spiked Eggnog Cupcakes

December 22, 2017 by Natalie Leave a Comment

It wouldn’t be Christmas without some eggnog, right? I’ve whipped up these delicious Spiked Eggnog Cupcakes just in time to enjoy the perfect holiday treat. Of course, enjoying a glass will do but I love finding other ways to use it, particularly in baked goods. Last year I made these eggnog snickerdoodle cookies for my favorite Christmas Eve tradition: Adult Milk and Cookies. I’d really love to reshoot that post just because my photography and styling has improved but there wasn’t enough time this year. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head for making these Spiked Eggnog Cupcakes and I’m so happy I made them. They’re like a two for one cocktail and dessert!

Spiked Eggnog Cupcakes, makes 12 cupcakes

for the cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 cup spiced rum

1 cup eggnog

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

for the frosting:

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

pinch of salt

pinch of nutmeg

2 1/2 tbsp. eggnog

1 tbsp. dark rum

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg and whisk to combine. In a bowl of an electric hand mixer, combine the rum, eggnog, vegetable oil, vinegar, and sugar. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Add in dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated. Divide the batter between the cupcake liners and bake 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of an electric hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Add in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, and mix on medium-high speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggnog and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the rum and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add icing to a pastry bag and pipe on cupcakes. Garnish with grated cinnamon or nutmeg and a cinnamon stick if desired.

I’m really happy with how these Spiked Eggnog Cupcakes came out. I had to bring them to work because if I were to be left alone with these at home I would have eaten every single one of them. That’s how good they are! The cake was so soft and moist from the eggnog but not overly sweet. I love when cupcakes aren’t too sweet because that’s what the icing is for.

Adding spiced rum was the perfect addition to these cupcakes because it complimented all of the other baking spice flavors. You could also use bourbon is you prefer that over rum. Either way, these were delicious and are the ultimate Christmas treat. Serve them with a side of boozy eggnog and dessert is served. I hope your holiday is merry and bright everyone. Cheers and Merry Christmas! xo

Rum