Well, I bet you never thought I’d be featuring an alcoholic beverage this week!
The good thing is it is a new recipe, at least to me it is. There’s a bit of a story
behind this drink so here goes:
A year or so ago at our Uhrig family Christmas an intriguing bottle showed up at
the beverage table. It said something about adults only and it looked like a
wassail. Not wanting to miss any fun I filled my cup with this interesting drink. I
was told what the recipe was but of course I didn’t remember them. Then came
the fall barn party at Cousin Becky’s house. I sat down with Cousin David and the
bottle was back again filled with yummy elixers. I didn’t overindulge, but I must
say it was a nice closure to the evening.
This past week when I was discussing recipes I dropped Cousin David a note and
asked him for the directions for this nice winter ‘recipe’. After receiving the
instructions I continued to ‘study’ on the ingredients. When I realized that
Everclear is like straight old rot gut in the alcohol department I had to dig a bit
further. Some of you are asking yourselves how I didn’t know what Everclear was.
Let’s keep in mind that I was raised Southern Baptist and a good knowledge of
liquor labels was rather taboo to say the least!
What I found was that you can substitute 100 proof Smirnoff Vodka in place of
the Everclear. It has no taste and should work equally as well. At least I won’t
feel as bad putting good ‘moonshine’ over the lips.
It’s the time of year when we also indulge of wassails of all sorts. When I first
started writing I remember talking about the time I took wassail to work. At lunch
I realized that no one had sampled any. I found out that ‘lots’ of individuals do
not know what wassail is! Wassail can be any mixture of fruit juices that are
mulled with spices for drinking. It can have alcohol, or it can be non-alcoholic.
When I realized how much this recipe made I knew I had to cut it down for those
seeking only a small amount. Therefore I have included two different
measurements one for the ‘big’ batch and one for a much smaller version.
This year as our family enjoys Thanksgiving dinner I’m going to serve a
spiced/fruited tea that is non-alcoholic. There’s never a need for an appetizer
when you have so much food at Thanksgiving. It’s also a nice alternative to food
for those not wanting to overindulge during the holidays. As I always say nothing
beats a good conversation with a friend when it’s accompanied by coffee or tea.
This week has been a frantic one for me. I got sick at work the day before a ‘big’
dinner party and then today I went in and prepared the wrong dishes on the
wrong day! I will jump off the busy track Monday when I regroup and complete
my holiday décor and make a few goodies for the freezer. When company is
coming, (which they are for us) I always get things made ahead of time so we can
sit and visit and not cook the entire time.
Have an outstanding week. Hopefully I haven’t stepped on any toes featuring an
alcoholic beverage in the column! Simply yours, The Covered Dish. Apple Pie
Moonshine
1 gallon apple juice
1 gallon apple cider
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 liter *Everclear
Cinnamon sticks to garnish
Mix the apple juice, cider, sugar and cinnamon together and bring to a boil. Cool
down and then add the Everclear. Garnish glasses with cinnamon sticks.
A full batch will yield approximately 36 servings, 8 ounce servings.
To make only a fourth of the batch use the following amounts which will yield
approximately (9) 8 ounce servings.
32 ounces or 4 cups apple juice
32 ounces or 4 cups of apple cider
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Approximately 8 1/2 ounces Everclear
Everclear usually comes in 375 milliliters/12.7 ounces, 750 milliliters/25.4 ounces
or a liter/33.8 ounces. Everclear is an extremely high ‘spirit’ and not sold in some
states. Please research this product before preparing this beverage. Everclear
also comes in different levels of proofs.
*100 proof Smirnoff Vodka may be used as a substitute. Everclear is not a vodka.
