GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn — Tyler Allen, head bartender at Fig + Farro, has partnered with Prairie Organic Spirits to create some delicious sustainable holiday cocktails, including the Prairie Cranberry Smash and Maple and Spice Sipper.
Anyone can make these cocktails at home:
Prairie Cranberry Smash
Ingredients:
- 2.5 oz Prairie Organic Gin
- 1.25 oz Cranberry Sauce Shrub
- .25 tsp local Medium Amaro
- Organic rosemary sprig, for garnish
- Orange twist, for garnish
Cranberry Sauce Shrub Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups cranberry sauce (leftover from Thanksgiving dinner!)
- 1 cup organic red wine vinegar
- 7 sprigs fresh organic rosemary
- 1 cup water
Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:
- 12 oz organic cranberries
- 1 cup organic sugar
- Juice from 4 organic oranges
Cocktail: Combine all ingredients in stirring glass with ice and stir. Strain into coupe glass. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprig and orange twist.
Cranberry Sauce Shrub: For every 1.5 cups of leftover cranberry sauce, add 1 cup red wine vinegar and 30 inches of fresh rosemary. Combine in a pan over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, watching carefully so as not to boil. Strain and cool.
Cranberry Sauce (if no leftover sauce available): Combine cranberries, sugar and orange juice in a pot. Save the orange rinds for garnish. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries start to pop open, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Maple & Spice Sipper
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Prairie Organic Vodka
- .5 oz organic maple syrup
- .5 oz organic apple juice (buy at the store or make at home using the directions below)
- .25 oz local Fernet
- 1 bar spoon organic fair trade coconut cream
- 3 slices peeled organic fair trade fresh ginger, quartered
- 2 apple slices, for garnish
- Freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon, for garnish
Cocktail: Muddle the ginger with the maple syrup in a tin. Once ginger is fully smashed, combine the rest of the ingredients in tin with ice and shake. Double strain into rocks glass with ice. Garnish with two layered apple slices and nutmeg and cinnamon.
Apple Juice: Wash and quarter two pounds of apples. Save some slices for garnish. Place in a pot (core, seeds, skin, and all) with just enough water to cover (too much and juice will be diluted). Bring to a boil and cook until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes. Mash the apples completely and strain through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Save the leftover pulp for apple sauce, apple leather or pie filling.
Ginger/Nutmeg/Maple Syrup (optional): Use .75 oz of this syrup instead of muddling the ginger with plain maple and adding grated nutmeg garnish. Combine 1 cup of 1/8” thick fresh peeled ginger slices, 1 oz ground nutmeg, 3 cups maple syrup and 3 tablespoons water in a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain, cool, and store. Save ginger to candy. Use syrup in cocktails, or over pancakes and waffles.
Maple/Nutmeg Candied Ginger (optional): When straining ginger/nutmeg/maple syrup, leave just enough syrup to cover the ginger, return to pan, add 1 and 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Strain the syrup into the rest of the ginger/nutmeg/maple syrup. Spread the ginger on a cooling rack for about 2 hours, until it's sticky but not wet. Toss the ginger in maple sugar (or any sugar you prefer) and spread back on the cooling rack and leave overnight.