Oven Dried Tomatoes

This is a quick (kind of) and simple (really is simple) cocktail from Chicago’s The Aviary cocktail bar book. More specifically it’s from their Holiday Cocktails book. With Autumn season here and Thanksgiving around the corner, a cocktail with cider, spices and cranberry is the perfect fit for this time. It’s also very delicious.

Impatient? Skip to the cocktail recipe.

It has 2 components that need to be prepared ahead of time. So, plan accordingly if you want this to be on offer for your next holiday party. The cranberry juice ice cubes is a combination of cranberry juice “cocktail”, sugar, rosemary and some tequila. Cranberry juice “cocktail” is how sweetened cranberry juice is sold in the US and really I thin k it is tough to find pure unsweetened cranberry juice. That would be too sour and not what this recipe is balanced for. The cranberry mixture gets frozen in ice cube trays and it’s ready to go.

The other component is the spiced cider. Again, in the US “cider” refers to (most of the time) to unfiltered unsweetened apple juice, usually from apples juices with their skin. This is in contrast to what is sold here as alcoholic cider. This is as far as I know in contrast to cider in many other countries, which means fizzy alcoholic cider…confusing a bit, I know. Anyways, you need a good tasting unfiltered apple juice for this. It gets simmered with spices, some sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Once cooled it lasts in the fridge for at least a good couple weeks.

To make the cocktail, shake together tequila, lemon, simple syrup and cider. Pour over a few cranberry ice cubes and sip slowly as the melting cranberry ice gradually changes the flavor and appearance of the drink. Wonderful drink to enjoy outdoors by a fire with hints of smoke and fall in the air.

Cider Margarita

Adapted from The Aviary: Holiday Cocktails

Servings: a lot of margaritas

Spiced Cider

• 2 Two inch cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 6 Whole star anise pods
• 500 gr Apple cider (non-alcoholic unfiltered apple juice)
• 1/2 Vanilla bean
• 1 tsp Nutmeg, freshly ground
• Lemon peel from one lemon, in strips

Cranberry Ice

• 675 gr Cranberry juice cocktail
• 68 gr Sugar
• 10 gr Rosemary leaves
• 112 gr Lemon juice
• 46 gr Tequila (Blanco or Reposado)

Margarita (per one cocktail)

• 1.5 oz Tequila (Blanco or Reposado)
• 1 oz Spiced cider
• 1 oz Lemon juice
• 0.5 oz Simple syrup (50/50 by weight sugar and water)
• 46 gr Tequila (Blanco or Reposado)
• tiny pinch of salt

Make the spiced cider

1. Toast the cinnamon and star anise for a minute or so until fragrant.
2. Add the spices to a small pot with the cider and bring to a simmer.
3. Remove from the heat and add the lemon peel and the vanilla (cut in half and scraped).
4. Let steep for 2- to 30 minutes, strain and reserve in the fridge. You can keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Make the cranberry ice

1. Whisk the cranberry juice and sugar in a sauce pan and heat till it comes to a boil and the sugars dissolves.
2. Remove from heat, add the rosemary leaves and let steep for 10 minutes.
3. Strain the mixture, add the lemon juice and tequila.
4. Fill ice cube trays (I used trays that made 2 by 1 inch cubes roughly).
5. Freeze the ice cubes solid and remove from the trays.

Cider Margarita

1. Place 3 ice cubes (if yours are larger start with only 2) in rocks glass.
2. Add the cocktail ingredients to a shaker and shake well.
3. Pour over the cranberry ice, garnish with lemon peel or vanilla bean if you like.
4. Sip and enjoy slowly letting the ice melt and change the flavor of the drink.