How to make a festive holiday cocktail

Easy & Oskey's Erik Eastman shows us how to make a holiday cocktail he calls "The Humboldt."

Plus: A bonus non-alcoholic recipe, the Cranberry-Apple Shrub.

The Humboldt

2 oz Prairie Organic Gin
0.75 oz Cocchi Torino Sweet Vermouth
0.5 oz St. George Spirits Spiced Pear Liqueur
1/4 tsp Easy & Oskey Grapefruit Bitters
2 oz quality dry sparkling wine

Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a mixing glass with clean ice.

Stir 30 seconds to dilute, chill and combine.

Strain into a champagne flute, top with the sparkling wine and a couple more drops of bitters.

Cut a coin-sized piece of peel from a fresh organic lemon, squeeze the oils onto the drink, wipe the rim of the glass with the peel.

For large gatherings: Scale up the recipe to desired amounts and combine gin, vermouth and pear liqueur in a pitcher ahead of time.

Mix cocktails for your guests to order by pouring the mixture into a mixing glass with clean ice, adding bitters and proceeding as above.

There should be room in the mixing glass to stir up several cocktails at once.

https://soundcloud.com/mprnews/how-to-make-a-humboldt

Cranberry-Apple Shrub

3 apples
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar*
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (or substitute plain cane sugar)

Shred apples (no need to peel or core) in a food processor, and add to a large bowl.

Puree cranberries and vinegars in a blender, and add the mixture and the sugar to the shredded apples.

Store covered on the kitchen counter for two days.

After two days, strain mixture with a fine mesh strainer and/or cheesecloth. Squeeze solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Strain again if needed. Discard solids. Store in a clean glass container.

Shrub will keep for roughly a year in the refrigerator.

*Play around with different vinegars (such as sherry, champagne, white wine or red wine) and different fruits. Also consider adding an herb or a spice while steeping on the counter. The possibilities are virtually endless.

https://soundcloud.com/mprnews/how-to-make-a-cranberry-apple-shrub