It’s Christmas Time! Time to get the whole fam-damnly together. I have to say being a Jew and committing to a lifetime of Christmas’ in Kentucky was a little scary at first. Whit openly admits that I was the first Jew she ever met and that was freshman year of high school. Needless to say, I am one of a kind in Campbellsville. However, I have to admit that I kind of love going to c-ville around this time every year. It gives me an excuse to wear my cowboy boots 24/7, drink my fill of bourbon, and play cards with 3+ generations of Whits family. Can’t say that is too bad.
The one thing that I find hilarious about our trips to Kentucky is the accents. Whits clicks on the moment we cross the border into the ‘Tuck. It doesn’t matter if we are driving, flying, or tunneling our way into the bluegrass state her twang knows and gets into high gear. Me on the other hand. I take a few days to get warmed up. I have never lived in the south and therefore have no justification for a southern accent but it never fails that at one point while we are there I will say something like “What y’all think you are doing play’in this game with me. There ain’t no way you’re gonna beat me at cards.” This is the point where I realize what I’ve just said and all I can do is laugh. Mostly because it does not phase my in-laws in the slightest.
As I mentioned before, the bourbon is typically flowing while we are in Kentucky. I mean it only makes sense. So this week I decided to try my hand at a holiday cocktail not involving the brown sauce. GASP!!!! I know. I was a little hesitant but I’ve got to say this one is a winner. Whit and I teamed up to create an excellent Cranberry Gin Smash. We did the typical whiskey/gin smash where you take the fruit (cranberry) and muddle it with some lemon and lime. We then added some agave and the gin. But the real kicker is that we cooked up a batch of sugared cranberries as a garnish. This cocktail may be a bit more complex than a bourbon and coke (which I will enjoy a number of next week) but it was totally worth it. The festive color doesn’t hurt either.
Cheers and Merry Christmas to you all!
Cranberry Gin Smash
Ingredients:
- CapRock Gin - 2 ounces
- Fresh Cranberries - 10
- lemon juice - 1/2 ounce
- lime juice - 1/2 ounce
- agave nectar solution - 3/4
- cranberries - 30, for sugared cranberries
- sugar - 1 cup
- water - 1/2 cup
Instructions:
Cheers,
Brian
