Autumn Harvest

Autumn Harvest can be made with Rum or Whiskey

The Thanksgiving holiday, for me, has always been a day of extreme and painful boredom. You are forced into having to be agreeable, and polite, even when that halfwit hippie cousin of yours starts blathering on about the injudicious predicament of the American Indian. Or while you explain for the thousandth time that you do not follow or enjoy American Football, (which of course is on the television in the background) and no, you are not a communist. Small talk fills the air which rarely if ever, turns into anything that invigorates the mind and passions. On the off chance that something of interest does come up, rest assured it will be subdued quickly by someone incanting the magic words; "it's Thanksgiving" or by the dreaded "arm pat" which your wife lays on as you try to speak.

Thus it is I find myself, year after year, silenced and bored, with absolutely nothing to distract my active mind. A mere cardboard cut-out in an imitation Norman Rockwell diorama, I stare listlessly out a window, counting the long minutes, praying for the day to end. It could be worse to be sure, so I am grateful, just not overly pleased.

There is not much a man can do in such circumstance but have a dram or two.

However, even that most enjoyable of pastimes is subject to the dreary, tiring, nature of the day in that you are expected to drink either wine at the dinner table or beer while sitting in the living room. For some strange reason lime green bottles of Heineken appear in the hands of the sweater clad, as they intently watch the light blue team line up in front of the red. It's like a nightmarishly bad beer commercial from the 1980's only without the eye candy of super models.

This year is going to be different though, for I have found a seasonal cocktail recipe that will be sure to please everyone at the gathering called; an Autumn Harvest.

Ingredients:

1.5 - 2.0 Oz. Bushmills Irish whiskey or Goslings Black seal rum
5.0 - 5.5 Oz. Apple Cider
Powdered cinnamon
Cinnamon sticks
Apple slices

Method:

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add rum or whiskey and the apple cider. Shake thoroughly (until you feel the shaker turn frosty in your hand) Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Next, dust the top of the drink with powdered cinnamon, add the apple slice garnish and your cinnamon stick then serve.

The combination of cinnamon with the cider really enhances the scent, and taste of both ingredients, yet fortunately does not overpower the spirit. The cocktail is sweet, but with a light tartness from the cider and cinnamon. Add to that the rolling up on the tongue of the spirit and you experience a complex blending of flavors that opens the eyes with pleasure. Not too heavy or syrupy as many "themed" drinks tend to be you can down a couple of these and still have room and desire for a slice of pie. I found that when using rum as the base spirit the cocktail was enhanced by pouring 2.0 ounces of rum and 5.0 ounces of cider instead of the 1.5 to 5.5 ratio in the whiskey version. This change seemed to bring out more of the molasses flavor in the rum which really complimented and heightened the overall experience.

Dust your cocktail with cinnamon

The Autumn Harvest also has a very pretty and festive look to it, with glass in hand it will make all the other cardboard cut-outs in the house think you have actually embraced the holiday. You will still be bored, silenced, and eyeing the clock in desperation, but at least with one or two of these fine cocktails, you'll be able to camouflage your true feelings and smile pleasantly at nothing. For that is what Thanksgiving is all about anyway, right?

Cheers
AL