Admiral’s Rum and Brandy Punch

We were thrilled to discover that Imbibe Magazine (www.imbibemagazine.com) has featured our Admiral’s Rum and Brandy Punch recipe from our book Hot Drinks on their website. Thanks, Imbibe!

Our sure-fire, delicious punch is perfect to serve an apres-ski crowd or when gathering around the fire on a snowy winter day. The warm, sunny color is pleasing and inviting- we named this drink Admiral’s Rum and Brandy Punch after a West Indies-inspired combination of grapefruit, pineapple and rum.

HOME | RECIPES | COCKTAIL RECIPES Photo by Marshall Gordon                                                                                                 Admiral’s Rum and Brandy PunchTangy flavors of apricot, pineapple and grapefruit mingle with the subtle spices of rum and brandy in this warming winter punch.1 cup apricot puree 2 cups pineapple juice 1/2 cup white grapefruit juice 1/2 cup light rum 1/4 cup brandy Tools: saucepan Glass: heatproof punch cups or glasses Garnish: lime wedgesCombine the apricot puree and juices in a saucepan                             over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Lower                                the heat and simmer gently for two minutes more,                                then add the rum and brandy.                                                                 Place a lime wedge in four heatproof glasses and                                divide the warm punch evenly. Serves four. Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss, Hot Drinks                                      (Ten Speed Press, 2007)

Holiday Hot Drinks:Atholl Brose

Happy Holidays to all our friends, family, customers and on-line readers. In the spirit of the holidays we are posting one of the specialty drinks from our book: Hot Drinks: Cider, Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Spiced Punch, Spirits ( Ten Speed Press,2007).  To have a look inside our book on Amazon.com, click here: http://tiny.cc/INpvZ

Atholl Brose

Legend has it that this concoction allowed the Earl of Atholl to defeat his enemies during a Highland Rebellion in 1475. The Earl had the rebels ‘well filled’ on this intoxicating beverage, after which they were easily overcome in battle. The oatmeal broth ( ‘brose’) provides a creamy and luxurious base for tempering the fire of the Drambuie and Scotch whisky. The addition of Scottish heather honey keeps the flavors of this hot drink authentic.

Serves 2
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1&1/2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon Scottish heather honey
1/4 cup ( 2 ounces ) Drambuie
2 tablespoons ( 1 ounce ) Scotch whiskey
1/4 cup heavy cream, lightly whipped with 1 teaspoon sugar ( optional garnish)

Stir the oatmeal and water together in a small bowl. Cover and let sit for 1 hour, stirring gently every 15 to 20 minutes.

Strain the oatmeal broth into a saucepan using a fine-mesh sieve. Press the oatmeal against the side of the sieve with a wooden spoon until it is almost dry to extact as much oatmeal broth as possible. Discard the solids, set the saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a low simmer. Lower the heat, stir in the honey, Drambuie and Scotch, and simmer until just heated through, about 5 minutes.

Serve in espresso-sized cups or festive hot toddy-style glasses. Garnish with whipped cream or not.

Cold Weather is the time for Hot Drinks

Are you out of ideas for that certain someone on your holiday list ?

Consider the following – a copy of our  Hot Drinks book ( 50 original recipes concocted by Bob and me that feature coffee, tea, cider, cocoa, liqueurs, etc. in  a mouth-watering and delicious array of intriguing flavors and aromas ) along with some key ingredients for stocking a hot-drinks pantry:

• soft Ceylon cinnamon sticks
• whole cardamom pods
• star anise
• peppermint twizzle sticks
• rich hot chocolate or hot cocoa mix
• spices for mulled-cider
• Chai tea
• Holiday Blend coffee

We are really proud of this little book and we love the recipes that we created. Our goal was to put a delicious new spin on some classic favorite drinks as well as to come up some wonderful combinations using comtemporary ingredients. We love it when customers tell us how much they love our book, and that are working their way through all of the recipes. Everyone seems to have a different favorite !

Here is a sneak-peek of one of our recipes that is  just perfect for the holiday season ( and you can see two others in my December 16, 2007 and January 1, 208 posts )  -

Hot Speculatius
In Germany and Holland, the Christmas holidays wouldn’t be complete without a selection of traditional spiced cookies. This hot drink was created in honor of lebkuchen, the popular German gingerbread cookie, and speculatius, Hollands thin, crisp windmill-shaped alomnd cookie. This wonderfully rich and creamy drink is  the perfect messenger of holiday cheer.

Serves 2

2 cups whole milk
3 & 1/2 ounces marzipan, chopped
1 tablespoon ( 1/2 ounce) amaretto
4 tablespoons ( 2 ounces) Bailey’s Irish Cream
2 tablespoons ( 1 ounce) ginger brandy
large pinch of ground cinnamon
large pinch of ground cloves
pinch of ground cardamom

Combine the milk, marzipan, amaretto, Bailey’s and ginger brandy in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to incorporate the marzipan. Lower the heat and simmer gently until just heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cimmanon, cloves, and cardamom, and simmer for another 2 minutes to release the aromatic oils from the spices.

Strain into two large mugs and enjoy – with or without a namesake cookie.

Happy New Year 2008

It’s a perfect deep, dark winter night here in New England – clear, cold and soundly blanketed in a half foot of newly fallen snow. The ball has dropped in Times Square ( and risen up the pole here in Northampton ) marking the beginning of the first day in our new year. As the New Year’s Eve celebrations winds down, we want to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

It’s Holiday Party Time !!

Bring out your crystal glasses and prettiest dishes – it’s Holiday Party Time! Every host and hostess dreams of setting their holiday table with a smashing array of tempting, mouth-watering foods and desserts that are as inviting and tasty as the gorgeous creations that grace the pages of holiday food magazines.

For your holiday soiree, let us offer you a sure-fire, delicious and easy to make punch-for-a-crowd recipe from our new book of fifty drink recipes that is appropriately titled: HOT DRINKS.

We named this drink Admiral’s Rum and Brandy Punch after the West Indies-inspired combination of grapefruit, pineapple and rum.  To serve a crowd, scale the recipe up in proportion for the quantity of punch that you need. Recipe reprint courtesy of our publisher, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.

Admiral’s Rum and Brandy Punch

serves 4

1 cup apricot puree ( not apricot juice cocktail )
2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup white grapefruit juice ( not from concentrate )
1/2 cup ( 4 ounces ) light rum
1/4 cup ( 2 ounces ) brandy
4 lime wedges for garnish

Combine the apricot puree and juices in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 2 minutes more then add the rum and brandy.

Serve in heatproof punch cups of glasses. Place a lime wedge in each cup, divide the punch evenly among the cups, and serve warm.