Scarlet Punch and Fiesta Punch

Refreshing Beverages of the Week
Looking for good — and easy — holiday drinks, I turned to some local experts: Chris Milligan, the Santa Fe Barman, of Secreto; and Natalie Bovis, The Liquid Muse, of Milagro. The consensus is punches. You don't want to be stuck mixing drinks all night when you could be mixing with your friends and family.

Scarlet Punch

From Chris's blog and the Winter Edible Santa Fe; see a video at SantaFe.com. One of the great things about this recipe is that the alcohol is added later, increasing its versatility.

Ingredients
1 bottle cranberry juice
1 bottle sparking apple cider
whole clove
whole allspice
1 orange
apple, cranberries or other decorative fruits (optional)
liquor of choice

Procedure
Start the day before! Make an ice mold: fill a large container (1/2 a milk jug, Tupperware, plastic jello mold) 3/4 full with water and set in the freezer. Toss a few cranberries and apple slices in there as well to make it decorative.

In a saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of whole allspice and 1 tablespoon of whole cloves (cinnamon sticks are good, too) until fragrant. Meanwhile, put container of cranberry juice in a pitcher. When spices are fragrant, toss them into the pitcher. Take one orange and slice into wheels, and toss in the pitcher as well. Put everything in the fridge til the next day.

When you are ready to serve, pour the contents of the pitcher into a punch bowl, gently add your ice mold, then top with 1/2 a bottle of sparking cider.

What should the liquor be? In this punch, Chris recommends 1 oz. bourbon, and 1/2 oz. Southern Comfort — or brandy, or spiced or gold rum.

Fiesta Punch

Natalie notes that this punch is served at Milagro, where she uses their house tea. You can experiment with different, maybe flavored, herbal teas.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flavored rum (pineapple, coconut — whatever tickles your fancy)
3/4 cup lime juice
3/4 cup simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar)
1 cups tea
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

Procedure
Combine ingredients and ladle over ice-filled punch cups. Serves 12.

Apple Cider Au Pear

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Time for the autumn flavors to start appearing, and what's better than local cider?
This crisp fall drink features the tastes of apple cider and pear brandy.

Ingredients
3/4 oz. brandy
1/2 oz. pear brandy
4 to 5 oz. apple cider
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
1 apple
ice

Procedure
Fill a shaker with ice. Add brandy, pear brandy and apple cider. Add two dashes ground cinnamon. Add one dash ground nutmeg. Shake. Pour with rocks into a rocks glass, or strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple slice.

Winter Port Sangria

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
How about a nice beverage for the cold winter days? Here's the Sandeman Ciderhouse Sangria recipe, using rye — my new favorite liquor. I usually think of Sangria a a summer drink, but...

Ingredients
1 bottle Sandeman Porto Founders Reserve
24 oz. Apple Cider
3 oz. Rye Whiskey
1 1/2 oz. Maple Syrup
2 Apples (Granny Smith)
2 Pears (Bosc)

Procedure
Mix all ingredients together in pitcher. Add in apple and pear slices. Let sit for at least 12 hours. The sangria, not you!

Cranberry Chai Punch

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
The other day I threw a few ingredients together and came up with a great holiday punch. Check it out! I got a request for a festive seasonal punch for adults not too sweet and this is what I made.

Ingredients
1 container Tazo Chai tea concentrate
1 quart cranberry juice cocktail ( 4 cups)
1 bottle large Martinelli’s sparkling cider
6 –8 orange slices, to garnish (optional)

Procedure
Dump all together and serve chilled with an orange slice or a cinnamon stick as a stirrer.

The Fireside Cocktail

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Apple cider, first of all, its great by itself. Sometimes I like it with a splash of champagne thrown it (local Gruet works great), but here is another option. Get some great local apple cider for this one.

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Makers Mark Bourbon
1/2 ounce Lemon Juice
1/2 ounce Honey Syrup (equal parts honey and water boiled and cooled)
2 ounces Apple Cider
2 dashes Angostura bitters
4 pieces Crystallized Ginger

Procedure
Muddle Ginger, lemon and honey in mixing glass. Add apple cider, Maker's Mark, bitters and ice. Shake and strain into iced double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick — tres chic!

Cider and Tequila Hot Toddy

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
So I’m thinking apples, New Mexico, Tequila, New Mexico, Cinnamon Sticks, New Mexico... I think we better make one now! This serves six.

Ingredients
4 cups apple cider
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1/2-cup tequila
1/4 cup triple sec or other orange-flavored liqueur
Lime slice, for garnish

Procedure
In a saucepan, heat cider and cranberry juice cocktail just until hot (do not let boil) and remove from heat. Stir in tequila and liqueur. Serve toddies in mugs, garnished with lime slices. Note: To spice up a little: add cinnamon sticks, a little cloves, allspice and nutmeg. You can also garnish with orange slices.

Apple Cider Punch

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Apple Cider Punch says autumn to me. New Mexico produces excellent apple cider in places like Velarde and north. This is a nice weekend beverage, it’s warm and soothing, the whole house smells great when you heat it, and personally I would definitely add some rum, it makes it that much more festive.

Ingredients
4 qt apple cider
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 oz frozen lemonade
6 oz frozen orange juice
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks

Procedure
Combine everything in a large, non-reactive pot. If you use the whole allspice, cinnamon sticks, and cloves, tie them in cheesecloth (to make them easier to remove at the end). Heat the mixture, do not boil. Stir occasionally. If you want an alcoholic drink, rum would be nice — add it at the end so you don’t loose all the medicinal effect of the alcohol.

Lamb in Maple Syrup and Hard Cider Sauce

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Lamb: I seem to love it more and more, especially since I discovered New Mexican Lamb, it’s the best I have ever tasted. And I really feel meat cooked on the bone has the best flavor. Don’t be afraid of bones, they are natural and provide a great built-in handle for dragging the meat around.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons lemon flavored olive oil
1 5-pound, bone-in leg of lamb
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 cups hard cider
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, trim off any excess fat and make small incisions all over the lamb. This will help the flavors soak in. Transfer the meat to a large roasting pan. In a bowl, combine the garlic, oregano, lemon juice, maple syrup salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the lamb, then pour the cider over. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once and basting with pan juices often. Now reduce oven temp to 300 and cook for 2 1/4 hours more, till tender and cooked through. Meat thermometer should read 145 degrees. Remove meat to your serving platter and let rest for at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, make gravy. Blend the cornstarch with cold water and stir into pan juices. Stir over low heat till mixture thickens. Garnish with fresh oregano and serve with oven roast rosemary potatoes. Call me!