thePULSECreepy Cocktails, Devil’s Drinks, Lucifer’s Libations…and Some Very Angry (But Delicious) Apples
By E. Ville
If you’re tired of drinking glass after glass of plain old blood, here are some alternatives that you might want to try.
VAMPIRO
Ingredients
- Hibiscus syrup (2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 1/4 cup dried hibiscus flowers (see note below)
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, unpeeled and sliced
- 4 cups white tequila
- 2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice, strained
- 1 cup orange liqueur, such as Triple Sec
- Cubed ice, as needed
- Thinly sliced lime, for garnish
Preparation
For the syrup: Put the sugar, water, hibiscus flowers, and ginger in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside for 30 min. Strain and refrigerate until chilled.
To make the cocktail: Combine the tequila, 2 cups of the hibiscus syrup, lime juice, and orange liqueur in a large pitcher. (You can make the Vampiro up to this point a day ahead and refrigerate.)
To serve, fill a cocktail shaker half way with ice, add the some of the Vampiro and shake until chilled. Strain and serve straight-up in a glass garnished with lime slices. Alternatively, serve over ice in a rocks glass.
Note: Hibiscus flowers can be found in most Latin markets by its Jamaican name, Sorrel.
VOODOO PRIESTESS
Ingredients
- 1 part Absolut New Orleans vodka
- 1 part fresh mango puree
- 1/4 part DeKuyper Anisette Liqueur
- 1/2 part simple syrup
- 6-8 fresh mint leaves
Preparation
1. Muddle mango puree, mint and simple syrup in an old-fashioned glass for this concoction.
2. Fill glass with ice and add vodka and DeKuyper Anisette Liqueur.
3. Stir gently to blend.
4. Garnish with fresh mint sprig (to ward off evil spirits).
SKELETONS IN YOUR CLOSET
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 parts Hornitos Plata Tequila
- 1 part DeKuyper Island Blue Tropical Schnapps
- 1 part pineapple juice
- 1 part mango juice
Preparation
1. Rim a margarita glass with salt.
2. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
3. Shake well.
4. Strain over ice into the prepared margarita glass.
JACK-O-LANTERN
Ingredients
- 1 oz Hennessy VSOP Cognac
- 1 1/2 oz orange juice
- 1/2 oz ginger ale
- 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
- orange wheel and lime twist for garnish
Preparation
1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker.
2. Strain into a lowball glass over ice.
3. Float an orange wheel with a lime twist poked into the top.
And the piece de resistance of any holiday party, LIME CHILLERS WITH BLOOD DRIPPINGS
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of honey or corn syrup
- 12 drops of red food coloring
- 4 cups of your favorite pineapple juice – It needs to be chilled
- 6 ounces of frozen limeade concentrate
- 3 cups of chilled ginger ale
- 10 Wine Goblets
Preparation
1. Take your honey or corn syrup (whatever it is you are using) and combine it with your red food coloring in a shallow bowl. Mix until is well blended.
2. Grab your 10 wine goblets and you are going to dip the rims into the red mixture, one at a time, coating all rims.
3. Turn the wine goblets upright and let them stand to allow the red mixture to drip down the sides, resembling blood.
4. You may want to place paper towel around the wine goblet’s base to catch the red drips, for easy clean up.
5. Now, combine your favorite pineapple juice with your frozen limeade in a punch bowl. Stir until the limeade is dissolves.
6. Stir now your chilled ginger ale.
7. Fill each wine goblet with your Lime Chiller!
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Sure, pumpkins abound this time of year, but so do apples…and where there are apples, there’s cider…
The Angry Orchard Cider House Collection, to be specific, made with heirloom varietals that showcase complex flavors. After carefully experimenting with European apple blends, wood aging, and fermentation methods, this resulting collection is a balance of ingenuity and craftsmanship.
Angry Orchard ciders are comparable to wine because they contain a carefully selected a wine yeast that brings out the apples’ exceptional flavors. The terroir, (which loosely translates as “sense of place”) where the apples grow is unique to cider making the same way a vineyard is to winemaking. The Angry Orchard Cider House Collection blends Italian culinary apples from the foothills of the Northern Alps and French bittersweet apples from Normandy. This combination produces two rich, complex and wood- aged ciders that are finished in 750mL, corked bottles ~ perfect to share with a boyfriend or ghoulfriend over dinner.
Angry Orchard® Iceman, inspired by the traditional ice ciders of Quebec, combines crisp apples with notes of caramel and toffee for a cider that’s sweet but not syrupy or cloying. Aging the cider on oak adds a smooth, vanilla character. Iceman is medium-bodied, leaving a smooth finish with rich flavor and lingering sweetness on the palate.
Angry Orchard® Strawman’s ripe apple, vanilla and honeysuckle flavors impart an earthy character complimented by a distinct aroma of ripe apples, wood, dark fruits and sweet citrus. Strawman’s wine-like characteristics leave a smooth, fruity and effervescent finish with lingering notes of wood and apple that are crisp off the palate, refreshing and flavorful.
The Angry Orchard Cider House Collection is available year-round!
