Chuck says that the holidays depress him. Not us! It starts with Thanksgiving – all the food and the fixings and the friends and family. I do hope y’all can find a turkey this year. There’s a serious shortage due to an avian flu epidemic. Good grief! Turkey or not, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will make every dinner host feel like Guy Fieri by comparison, so schedule this movie night ASAP. Did you know that Peppermint Patty and Marcie are both voiced by male actors!!? Another interesting fact… Lee Mendelson, a writer/producer on the film, always objected to the scene at the end where Snoopy serves Woodstock a slice turkey, because it made him seem like a cannibal. Charles Schultz overruled him.
This week we’ll use a good bit of 3 Herb Gracious Grapefruit Syrup. It was created specifically to pair with all of the fresh herbs found in most of your holiday dishes, and the charred grapefruit and lime cut through the rich foods to provide a light and festive backdrop.
Our first beverage recipe is a gimlet. The drink was created more than 100 years ago when the British navy began taking lime juice with their gin in order to prevent scurvy. The cocktail has a bit of a murky past, including multiple stories about its naming. One is that the naval doctor who treated the sailors was named Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette. The other story is that it was named after the hand tool – a gimlet, which was used to bore into barrels of spirits on Navy ships. Whatever the real story is, we’re just glad they developed it, and we are especially glad to serve it at our tables.
Where’s the Turkey, Chuck?
2 oz Barrel aged gin or gin of choice
.75 oz 3 Herb Gracious Grapefruit syrup
.5 oz Fresh grapefruit juice
.5 oz Fresh lime juice
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Fresh juices are essential to this cocktail. No plastic limes filled with citric acid, please.
Pumpkin Spice Milkshake
2 c Vanilla ice cream
½ c Pumpkin puree
¼ c Make & Muddle 7 Syrup
¼ c Milk or vanilla vodka
¼ c Softened cream cheese
Mix everything in a blender. Pour into cups and top with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
Gracious Grapefruit Candy
¼ c Light corn syrup
.5 c Sugar
.5 cup 3 Herb Gracious Grapefruit Syrup
2 Tbs Water
1.5 Tbs Lime juice
4 Tbs Butter
1 tsp Baking soda
.5 c Fresh herbs, finely chopped
Zest from one grapefruit
Kosher salt
On a piece of parchment paper or silpat, evenly spread out the finely chopped herbs and zest. Place corn syrup, sugar, 3HGG, water, and lime juice in a pan. Bring to a boil, and stir until sugar dissolves. Insert candy thermometer. Boil, brushing down sides with water, until it reaches 300 degrees. Add butter and incorporate. Add baking soda, stirring to incorporate. Remove from heat and pour over herbs and zest. When it cools completely, you may break the brittle up into pieces. This can also be done in sucker molds. You would sprinkle the herbs and zest inside the molds prior to pouring in the hot sugar mixture. Sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt.
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