Spooky Halloween Cocktails

Try these “to-die-for” Halloween and pumpkin-inspired sips:

Zombie Gut Punch Cocktail

Recipe from CookingChannelTV.com

10 ounces vodka

5 ounces triple sec

2 ounces bitters

1 cup fresh-squeezed blood orange juice

2 cups black cherry soda

Grenadine, for rim

In a large punch bowl filled with ice, pour vodka, triple sec, bitters, blood orange juice and black cherry soda. Rim each glass with grenadine before filling with punch mixture, then serve

 

Pumpkin Martini

Recipe from Real Simple

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3 tablespoons vodka

2 tablespoons half and half

1 tablespoon canned pure pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the sugar and ⅛ teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice on a small plate. Dip the rim of a chilled martini glass in water, then dip in the sugar to coat.

In a martini shaker filled with ice, combine the vodka, half and half, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and the remaining ⅛ teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice. Shake vigorously, then strain into the prepared glass.

 

Dark and Stormy Death Punch

Recipe from Food & Wine

One 20-ounce can lychees in heavy syrup (at Whole Foods)

1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger

16 brandied cherries

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

12 ounces dark rum

Three 12-ounce bottles ginger beer

Ice cubes

In a small saucepan, bring the lychee syrup and ginger to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stuff 16 lychees with brandied cherries. Set each lychee in the cup of a mini muffin pan or in an ice cube tray. Strain the lychee-ginger syrup and pour it over the lychees. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Meanwhile, in a pitcher, stir the sugar into the lime juice until dissolved. Add the rum and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Unmold the lychee ice cubes into a small punch bowl. Pour in the lime-rum mixture. Add the ginger beer, stir gently and serve in ice-filled glasses.

 

Corpse Reviver #2

1 oz. gin

1 oz. Cointreau

1 oz. Lillet Blanc

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

1 dash absinthe

Ice cubes

Tools: shaker, strainer

Glass: cocktail

Garnish: orange peel

Shake all ingredients in a shaker, strain into a chilled glass and garnish.

German Wine 101

Content adapted from Wines of Germany.

Many people have a hard time understanding German wines. Not only are the labels a bit confusing, the words are hard to pronounce with unfamiliar grapes and regions (there are 13 in Germany!). Here’s a primer to understanding German wines the easy way:

Dry to Sweet

German Wines are categorized by the degree of ripeness measured in natural grape sugar upon harvest. These ripeness categories are determined by the sugar content in the grapes, which is measured in degree Oechsle. The Oechsle requirements for the respective categories vary by growing region.

Riper grapes have more sugar but more importantly more extract and flavor in the grape, hence a more expressive wine. The higher the ripeness of the grapes used for the wine, the higher up in the pyramid the wine will be categorized. The categories DO NOT reflect sweetness levels in the finished wine.

In fact, they are independent of residual sugar (sweetness) in the wine, which is determined by the winemaker guiding the fermentation, which is the process of transforming the natural sugar of the grapes into alcohol in the wine and carbon dioxide.

Hence the dryness of a wine is independent of the ripeness level of the grapes upon harvest. If the fermentation is interrupted before all sugar is transformed, it will result in a sweeter style wine. If the fermentation continues until little or no sugar is left, it results in a dry wine. Grapes for dessert wines have so much natural sugar that they will not ferment completely and residual sugar (sweetness) will remain. Grapes classified as Qualitätswein up to Auslese, can become a dry (trocken), dry to medium dry (halbtrocken) or fruity wine.

In contrast to the common belief that German wines are sweet, close to 2/3 of the entire production in Germany is dry. Dry is the preferred vinification style consumed by the German wine drinker.

Reading the Label

Here’s a cheat sheet: