Pour on the holiday spirit with liquor largesse
MICHELLE LOCKE
The Associated Press | Published: November 9, 2012 | Modified: November 9, 2012 at 2:42 pm
The Associated Press | Published: November 9, 2012 | Modified: November 9, 2012 at 2:42 pm
It's no secret that liquor is a simple solution to holiday gift-giving. You don't see a lot of people lining up Dec. 26 to return bottles of 12-year-old Scotch. And what better way to embrace the spirit of giving than by giving a spirit?
But let's face it, sticking a ribbon on a generic bottle of booze can come across as a bit uninspired. Here, then, are a few suggestions to avoid a case of the blahs by choosing spirits that are good in the glass, but also do double duty in the kitchen, adding zest to seasonal dishes.
— Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaica Rum
A blend of 20 different rums that's aged in oak barrels, Appleton Estate Reserve can be sipped on the rocks or in classic cocktails like the mai tai. Stove-side it's good stirred into chocolate fondue with the spiced vanilla, nuts and candied orange flavors of the rum melting into the rich chocolate. An Appleton recipe calls for heating 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons plain or vanilla yogurt and a half cup of heavy whipping cream until hot but not boiling, then stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons of rum and pouring the whole thing over 7 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate. Into a heated fondue pot it goes, and let the dipping commence.
— Wild Turkey 81 Bourbon
There are two ways to serve turkey — too dry or too raw. Wild Turkey bourbon, on the other hand, is ready at the twist of a cap, absolutely no basting required. Aged six-to-eight years, the drink can be served straight or as a mixer in cocktails like the newly fashionable Old Fashioned.
On the culinary side, try boosting the brown-sugar-plus-butter treatment for baked acorn squash halves by spooning a tablespoon of bourbon into the cavities, along with a dusting of cinnamon. It also is delicious stirred into buttered and mashed sweet potatoes. A little brown sugar in there is nice, too.
— Oro Azul Tequila Reposado
Double distilled and made from 100 percent blue agave, this tequila comes in a pyramid-shaped blue bottle. "Reposado" means "rested," and indicates the spirit has been aged in oak barrels for at least two months, but less than a year. (Oro Azul reposado is rested for six months.) A Christmas margarita might hit the spot. Or why not stir a few tablespoons into your special secret homemade queso dip? (Is that a Velveeta box and a can of Rotel tomatoes in the kitchen? We'll never tell.)
