Arsenic Lace

winter cocktails

Blood Orange Sangria

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Blood Orange Sangria

Happy hour time? After a few days with children at Walt Disney World, I’m in need of a drink. TGIF everyone! I found blood oranges at the market and I can’t even contain my excitement. I decided to make this easy Blood Orange Sangria so I can enjoy it over the weekend. If you can get your hands on blood oranges already this would be great to make for an upcoming holiday party or gathering. Large format drinks are perfect for the holiday and entertaining season.

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria, serves 4-6

1 bottle Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup blood orange juice
1/2 cup Lairds Apple Brandy
1/4 cup Campari
1 cup club soda
2 blood oranges sliced into wheels or chopped
12 oz. strawberries, sliced
1 pint of raspberries
1 apple, chopped

Blood Orange Sangria

First things first, juice your blood oranges. In a large pitcher combine the wine, apple brandy, campari, blood orange juice, club soda, apples, raspberries, strawberries, and blood oranges. Stir well to combine. Fill your glasses with ice then spoon some fruit from the sangria on top.Pour into each glass and serve.

Blood Orange Sangria

This sangria gets better as it sits, so you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It serves 4-6 people or just you all weekend. 😉

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

I added the Campari as a last minute idea but I’m so glad I did.  Campari is an Italian bitter aperitif and is a blend of fruit, herbs, and spices. Its prominent flavor is strong bitter orange so I thought it was a great ingredient to use in the addition of fresh blood oranges. I wanted to use a Brandy that added some seasonality and thought using Lairds Apple Brandy was the perfect option. Its fresh apple taste complements the other ingredients in this Blood Orange Sangria plus enhances the flavors of the freshly chopped apples. I used a Honeycrisp apple because those are my favorite. Their creamy white flesh is exceptionally crisp and aromatic and they have a pleasant sweet-tart flavor.

Blood Orange Sangria

I hope you enjoy your weekend. Are you doing anything fun? I’m excited to finish decorating for Christmas and to work on some new holiday posts. Oh, and I’ll be drinking this Blood Orange Sangria. Let me know if you will be too in the comments below. xo

Blood Orange Sangria

Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar

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I’m not a huge fan of the weather getting colder but there are a few perks. Enjoying warm drinks at this time of year is definitely one them! I put together this cute, colorful, and festive Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar for us to enjoy while Ethan and I decorated our Christmas tree. It did the trick for putting us in the holiday spirit.

This year I’m more excited than ever for the holidays. It’s the first time in my adult life that I have space for a regular sized Christmas tree and to do holiday decorating at all. I bought the pink Christmas tree of my dreams and I can’t wait to reveal it in all its glory! Perhaps I can even throw a little holiday party since I’m so proud of how everything came out. I don’t know about you but I love a “build your own anything station” at a holiday gathering. Today I’m sharing how to build a simple Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar for your own winter or holiday gathering.

You can make your own hot chocolate like the recipe I made here or put a Keurig out if you own one. I did both that way people could choose what they wanted. The Keurig route is definitely easier but I love making fresh hot chocolate from scratch. I put my fresh hot chocolate in an enamel serving pot and left out a jar of hot chocolate pods for the Keurig.

You can use little glass jars to house all your hot chocolate toppings. My favorite hot chocolate toppings include:

  • mini chocolate chips
  • mini marshmallows (I bought regular and peppermint)
  • sprinkles
  • crushed peppermint
  • flavored stirring spoons or straws
  • marshmallow snowflakes and snowmen

I don’t like to add booze to the hot chocolate mix. Since it’s hot it can burn the alcohol off. It’s nice to put out a few bottles that go best with hot chocolate. Guests can pick their favorite spirit and mix it to their own taste. It also allows the hot chocolate to be non-alcoholic. Hello children, non-drinkers, and pregnant ladies! They all need a holiday treat too! My favorite spirits to leave out on my Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar are:

This is an easy and delicious treat when you’re having holiday guests over. It takes the pressure off of you while you’re entertaining and guests get to make their own delicious wintery treat! I hope you consider putting a Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar together for your festivities. Don’t forget to include some fun holiday decor as well!

Be Merry Balloon Banner / Hot Cocoa Pot / Pink Marble Mugs / Bottle Brush Trees from Target and Homegoods / My Cinema Lightbox / Pink Tree

Boozy Hot Chocolate

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The history of hot chocolate dates back to Aztecs and Mayans, but it was the Spanish who first experimented with adding sugar and milk, in addition to a host of modifiers, including cinnamon, orange peel, and even ambergris, to spice it up. Spirited variations on the hot chocolate can take many forms. My favorite things to mix in Boozy Hot Chocolate is whiskey, rum, tequila, cream liqueur, vanilla liqueur, creme de cacao, coffee liqueur, or even sherry.

I created this Boozy Hot Chocolate variation with Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur to promote their Holiday Contest where those who enter the contest will be up for a chance to win a trip to NYC for St. Patrick’s Day complete with a cash prize and tickets to an exclusive, VIP event with Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur. Contestant’s cocktails will be judged, based on visual aspects, creativity, and overall execution. This contest will run from mid-November through the end of December, with the winner being announced in January. For more details on the contest and to enter, visit: www.kerrygoldirishcream.com/NYC. Rules and restrictions apply. US entrants only. Must be 21 years or older to enter.

Boozy Hot Chocolate, serves 1

1 oz. Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur

1 oz. Irish Whiskey

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup of milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together the cocoa, sugar, salt, and about 2 tablespoons milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until all ingredients have dissolved and then whisk in the remainder of the milk. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Add the vanilla extract and whisk until completely incorporated.

Once the hot chocolate is prepared you can build your drink. Add the Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur and whiskey to your desired serving vessel. Pour the hot chocolate on top, stir, and garnish with marshmallows or whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.

This recipe multiplies very easily in case you want to make a larger batch.  Add the hot chocolate and your spirits to an enamel pot or pitcher so that it stays warm for serving. This Boozy Hot Chocolate is a breeze to make and is sure to keep you nice and toasty on a cold day. I hope you try this one at home or come up with your own recipe. If you do don’t forget to enter the contest. I’d love to see you in NYC for St. Patrick’s Day. Happy sipping and good luck! xo

Pumpkin Butter Flip

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Halloween might be over but we have until Thanksgiving to capitalize on all things pumpkin flavor. Recently I did an apple cider + pumpkin butter cocktail for my farmers market cocktail column on Chicpeajc and I thought why not use pumpkin butter in another drink? I came up with this Pumpkin Butter Flip to bring you a seasonal and creamy dessert cocktail. It’s so good it might rival pumpkin pie for dessert at your Thanksgiving dinner table.

A flip is a category of mixed drink. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was first used in 1695 to describe a mixture of beer, rum, and sugar, heated with a red-hot iron. The iron caused the drink to froth, and this frothing (or “flipping”) engendered the name. Over time, eggs were added and the proportion of sugar increased, the beer was eliminated, and the drink ceased to be served hot.

The first bar guide to feature a flip (and to add eggs to the list of ingredients) was Jerry Thomas‘s 1862 How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon-Vivant’s Companion. In this work, Thomas declares that “The essential in flips of all sorts is to produce the smoothness by repeated pouring back and forward between two vessels and beating up the eggs well in the first instance the sweetening and spices according to taste.”

With time, the distinction between eggnog (a spirit, egg, cream, sugar, and spice) and a flip (a spirit, egg, sugar, spice, but no cream) was gradually classified in America’s bar guides. In recent decades, bar guides have begun to indicate the presence of cream in a flip as optional.

Personally, I love a flip with a little cream in it. It mixes with the egg so well while adding a smooth and silky texture to the drink. Also, it tastes delicious!

Pumpkin Butter Flip

1 1/2 oz. spiced rum

1/2 oz. Faretti biscotti liqueur or amaretto 

1/2 oz. fall spice syrup

1/2 oz. heavy cream

1 heaping barspoon pumpkin butter

1 whole egg

pumpkin baking spice mix for garnish

In the larger side of your cocktail shaker add the whole egg and cream. Add the rest of your ingredients to the smaller side of your tin, pour into the large side and seal. Dry shake, add ice and shake again long and hard. Pour into a coupe glass and garnish with a dusting of pumpkin baking spice. Sip and enjoy!

I used my fall syrup in this cocktail and linked to the recipe above. You can also sub it out for regular demerara or simple syrup. I had it on hand and the flavors went so well with the drink it was a no-brainer to use it. The spiced rum contributes to the baking spice flavors of this Pumpkin Butter Flip but you can also use aged rum or even bourbon.

If you’ve never had Faretti Biscotti liqueur you are in for a treat. I use this in replace of amaretto all the time in cocktails. It’s sweet and delicate with hints of nuts, citrus, and anise. The liqueur is made in Northern Italy, near Lake Como, where delicious biscotti cookies are baked in rustic brick ovens. It goes great in coffee or as a little aperitif after dinner as well.

I love that this Pumpkin Butter Flip is reminiscent of eggnog but appropriate for the Fall and Thanksgiving. What will you be making for Thanksgiving dinner or dessert? This cocktail is definitely worth a try and consideration for your holiday menu. Cheers everyone! xo

 

Cinnamon Apple Whiskey Sour

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I’m so excited to share a recipe from my friend Kristy Gardner’s brand spanking new book called Cooking with Cocktails. This cookbook gives the phrase “happy hour” a whole new meaning because every recipe is made with wine, beer, or spirits, and that is A OK with me! I couldn’t imagine that any of you would disagree. As I was looking over the book, the Cinnamon Apple Whiskey Sour caught my eye. It’s been rather cold and snowy here and there’s no better cure for the winter blues than some warm spices, sweet fresh apples, and a bottle of bourbon.

Her recipe doesn’t call for egg whites but rather includes a “Tipsy Tip” to add them if you’re feeling adventurous. We’re adventurous here, and I love a good traditional sour with that delightful froth on top! I played around with the recipe and adapted it to my own taste. Kristy encouranges you to break the rules and be inventive in the kitchen, as do I, so let’s “pop the cork and see what happens!”


Cinnamon Apple Whiskey Sour, serves one

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 apple, cored and thinly sliced

White of one egg

2 oz. bourbon (I used Wild Turkey)

3/4 oz. simple syrup

3/4 oz. lemon juice

Dash of angostura bitters

Dry apple cider to top

Rosemary

Prepare your simple syrup (1:1) and your cinnamon sugar and set aside. Crack your egg and seperate it, dumping it into the larger side of your shaker tin. When you’re making drinks with dairy or egg white, you want to keep them seperate from your citrus until the moment you are ready to shake.

In the smaller side of your shaker tin add the bourbon, simple syrup, lemon, and angostura bitters. Add the smaller tin to the larger tin and dry shake to incorporate the egg into the rest of the ingredients. Open your tin, add ice, and shake again. Strain into the glassware of your choice. Top with apple cider. Take your apple slices and dip them into the cinnamon sugar mixture and spear with rosemary as the garnish for your drink.

Hope you enjoy this delicious variation on the classic whiskey sour. Make sure you grab your own copy of Cooking with Cocktails to try more recipes just like this one. Kristy also blogs over at She Eats, so check her out over there as well for more ideas about making fresh, seasonal and locally sourced meals and drinks.

Earl Grey Lavender Hot Toddy

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Happy Friday everyone!

I had a hectic week and I’m so glad for it to almost be over. I’m working on some exciting projects this weekend and can’t wait to get to it. Am I the only one that gets excited about work? lol.

Anyways, it’s been a little cold and dreary here, and with all this stress I really needed to take a chill pill. That’s why I put together this Earl Grey Lavender Hot Toddy. I took the simple ingredients in a classic toddy and combined them with the soothing and calming effects of lavender and some much needed tea to maximize your buzz and relaxation. It is also just a super simple subsitute, because instead of adding hot water to top, we’re adding freshly brewed earl grey tea.

It’s fun to think about all the different ways you can infuse this drink with other flavors and teas to make so many variations. If you have a favorite tea besides earl grey, try that. Let me know how it turns out. I’d love to hear about how you like your hot toddy! Do you add something fun and different? Herbs? Special Honey? A different spirit?

Whip up one of these, kick your feet up, put a mask on, and some cucumbers over those eyes, it’s FRIYAY!


Earl Grey Lavender Hot Toddy

1 1/2 oz. Bourbon

1/2 oz. Lemon Juice

1/2 oz. Honey

2 dashes of Lavender Bitters

Fill with Earl Grey Tea

Add all ingredients to a mug, brew a pot of earl grey tea on the side, and fill the rest of your cup with tea. Garnish with a fresh lavender sprig.

Giveaway with American Juice Co.

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Hello Everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I’ve teamed up with American Juice Company to bring you a fun giveaway to celebrate me hitting 4K on Instagram. To enter is simple, all you need to do is:

A winner will be chosen at random, contacted, and wins a subrscription cocktail box, just like the one I photographed here.

American Juice Company makes amazing, all natural cocktail mixers that are used in bars & restaurants all over the world and are perfect for the at home drink maker as well. They have a lot of really unique flavors like spicy pumpkin seed, mango, blueberry, peach, apple, lychee and ginger (which is what I used to make these delicious cocktails).

Sometimes ginger cocktails can be too spicy and a little aggressive. Thats why they made a delightful blend of fresh ginger, oranges, lemons, lemon verbena infusion and cane sugar. Super refreshing, with a little bit of bite, but not overpowering. They recommend making a Moscow Mule but I did a little twist with cranberry and fresh rosemary that paired perfectly with their Ginger Gershwin juice/syrup blend.


Cranberry Spice Mule

2 oz. Titos Vodka

1 oz. AJC Ginger Gershwin

1.5 oz. Cranberry Juice

1/2 oz. Lime Juice

Top with Perrier Sparkling Mineral Water

Fresh Rosemary

Cranberries

Add vodka, ginger, cranberry, and lime to a mule cup, add ice and stir. Top with sparkling water and add ginger candy, rosemary and cranberries as garnish.

Please go enter the contest and if you’d like to try any of American Juice Companies amazing all natural juices and syrups enjoy 15% off when you use the code “arseniclace15”. Cheers everyone and good luck!

Sparkling Apple Cider Punch

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I hope everyone is off to a good New Year! This week has been a little bit more mellow and I’m not going to lie, I’m enjoying it. I love the holidays but theres also stress and pressure that goes along with them. I’m excited to get back to normal life and a brand new year. I know its cliche to set all of these goals once the calender flips to January 1st, I know its not a clean slate, but it is a good time to get youself motivated to accomplish the things that maybe you’ve been putting off or didn’t have enough time for in the previous year. I did set a lot of goals for myself in 2016 and I am very proud of how far I’ve come, but there’s still work to be done!

Is there anything special that you’re setting some extra time aside for this year? Work goals? Relationship goals? Health goals? I’m looking forward to continuing the blog, I started running this week (I can only make it a 1/2 mile before dying), and I have some major home goals. I’ve been looking around at buying, but real estate is insane here in the NY/NJ area. If I can’t accomplish buying a house or condo in the new year, I’m going to do a major overhaul in the little rent controlled railroad apartment that I’ve been living in for the past 8 years. I’m going to be 30 in 49 days and I moved in when I was 21. THAT’S CRAZY!! The apartment has always been a work in progress but I have changed a lot and so have my tastes. I have been trying to slowly incorporate new things in over the past year but I’m getting a little overwhelmed. Someone please help me.

The most recent photo of my bedroom, which I hope to repaint and do some simple decor updates to. I painted the wardrobe myself and changed the hardware. Inside the drawers are ombre from light blue to navy. Salvation Army purchase along with that mid-century sideboard. The most recent photo of my bedroom, which I hope to repaint and do some simple decor updates to. I painted the wardrobe myself and changed the hardware. Inside the drawers are ombre from light blue to navy. Salvation Army purchase along with that mid-century sideboard.

Anyways, since I got way off track, I’ve teamed up with The Hair Room here in Jersey City to bring you delicious drinks (my Sparkling Apple Cider Punch) for the Golden Globes tomorrow. If you’re local swing by for a cocktail, pajama attire is recommended! If not, I’m posting the recipe here for your at home enjoyment. This punch is yummy! Its resfreshing, super fragrant and fruity. Comment below to let me know what you think. Either about all of my random thoughts, the cocktail or your favorite red carpet looks. I’d love to hear from you. Cheers to all of you from snowy New Jersey!


Sparkling Apple Cider Punch

1 1/2 oz. Gin (I used Fifty Pound)

3/4 oz. Elderflower Liqueur (Giffard or St. Germain work)

1 oz. Apple Cider

1/4 oz. Lemon Juice

Top Champagne or a Sparkling Wine, Club Soda also works in a pinch for something lower ABV.

You can make a batch of this cocktail by simply multiplying each ingredient by how many people you will be making drinks for. You can put it in a pitcher, build in a punch bowl or make to order. If you’re making to order add all ingredients besides sparkling wine to a tin, shake, strain into your desired glassware like a coupe or flute, and top with champagne/sparkling. Garnish with an apple slice. Cheers and enjoy!

Apple and Pear Champagne Cocktail

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New Years is upon us. Time is flying and I’ve been so busy with work I can barely keep up. I woke up early today to shoot, just got done editing, and now I’m writing this blog post before heading in for my shift tonight. Oh and I picked up tomorrow night (NYE) which I am regretting already. I can’t say no to the money and I’m a workaholic. My resolution for 2017 is to definitely be better at time management and concentrate on consulting and the blog. I can’t keep having 4 jobs at a time anymore, I’m always burning the candle at both ends, and when I finally get a break I spend it recuperating and not enjoying the things that make life worthwhile. I’m not trying to be negative but I have been reflecting these past few days after Christmas and right before the beginning of the new year, which I’m sure a lot of you have been doing as well. What are you most looking forward to in the New Year? What kind of improvements will you be concentrating on in your life?

Lets get down to business which is DRINKS!

I wanted to make something topped with bubbly because it only seems appropriate. You have to drink Champagne on NYE! This is a little riff on a French 75 and is perfect for your New Years Eve gatherings. You can batch this, and just top with sparkling to serve, put it in a punch bowl, or make to order if there are just a few of you. The Calvados and Poire Williams combine magnificently to bring you something thats fruity yet winter appropriate with some citrus and a fizz!

I found these little tinsel coasters that slip onto the foot of your glass at a thrift store! Perfect find for holiday parties! I found these little tinsel coasters that slip onto the foot of your glass at a thrift store! Perfect find for holiday parties!


Apple & Pear Champagne Cocktail

1 oz. Calvados (or Apple Brandy like Applejack)

1 oz. Poire Williams

3/4 oz. Lemon Juice

3/4 oz. Simple Syrup (1:1)

Top Champagne

Combine all ingredients except Champagne into a tin, shake with ice, strain into a flute or coupe, and top with Champagne.

It’s been a really hard year for me with the passing of my father and that put a lot of things into perspective for me. Life is short and it’s flying by. I want everything I do to be more meaningful. I want to have the life I’ve always dreamed of because I work really hard and I deserve it.

On the other hand this year has also been very positive for me. I have accomplished a lot, and I’ve worked really hard and I am proud of myself. I started the blog and although I have a long way to go with growing it, it has only been 6 months and I’m really happy with where it has gone in such little time. I want to thank all of you who take time out of your day to read my posts, like my photos, and give me supportive feedback. Sometimes it’s really hard to want to put forth the effort to do this when people are being negative or when you’ve had a really long week at work and just want to stay in bed. It is another full time job (that I love), but it is a lot of work and I appreciate every kind word that is sent my way.

There is a lot to be excited about in the New Year and I can’t wait to get there! Have a wonderful NYE and I will see you in 2017!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Adult Milk and Cookies

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Happy Christmas Eve everyone! I’m sure you’re all excited for tonight and tomorrows festivites. I spent all day Friday baking, wrapping presents, finally finished decorating my cactus, and listened to all my favorite Christmas records. Woo hoo! Christmas Eve was always a big celebration with my family growing up. If you came from an Italian family (my father was Italian) you know The Feast of the Seven Fishes, and thats what we did. That was our day to spend together before the rest of the family came Christmas Day. For my whole life holidays were hosted at our house, up until my parents sold the house and flew south for retirement. So if you host, you know Christmas Day and any major holiday is filled with stress, prep, and lots of clean up (and also joy)….

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