The Peanuts crew always means the holidays are officially here. This totally 21st century thing of watching programs on demand has robbed us of that delicious anticipation of waiting for the holiday classics to air. Not that I am complaining. I am the first to watch White Christmas or Christmas in Connecticut 156 times from November through January. But as a kid, knowing you needed to get into PJs early so you could watch Charlie Brown and the gang was alllllll the good feels.
Chuck’s Tannenbaum is our take on a Negroni. We love using Roots of Ruin gin from @CastleAndKey, but any good gin will work. The Spiced Cherry Vanilla Syrup gives this classic cocktail a Christmas time boost of spice. The Antica Vermouth is a must if you can find it. It is an exceptional sweet vermouth. Another sweet vermouth will work if you can’t find Antica.
Chuck’s Tannenbaum
2 oz Gin
1 oz Campari
¾ oz Spiced Cherry Vanilla Syrup
¼ oz Antica vermouth
Add ingredients to a mixing glass of ice. Stir to chill. Strain into an old fashioned glass of ice. Garnish with a cherry.
I Really Wanted Real Estate
.75 oz 7 Syrup
1.25 oz Kahlua
2 oz Vodka (or vanilla vodka)
2 oz Heavy Cream
Fill a double old fashioned glass with ice and add ingredients.
Bacon Wrapped Blue Cheese Dates with 2 Pepper Glaze
24 Large medjool dates, pitted
12 Slices of bacon, cut in half
4 oz Blue cheese, crumbled
4 oz Cream cheese, room temp
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
½ tsp Salt
1 c 2 Pepper Agave Syrup
Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a parchment lined baking sheet, place bacon slices and bake for 12 min or until halfway cooked. Set aside on a paper towel. In a medium bowl or a stand up mixer bowl, add both cheeses, garlic, and salt. Mix until combined. Fill pitted dates with blue cheese mixture. Wrap each filled date with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. You can do the above prep up to two days ahead. Just refrigerate in a sealed 9×13, and bring dates to room temp before baking.
In a small saucepan, bring 2 Pepper Agave Syrup to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Bake dates at 250 degrees for 15 min or until bacon is crispy and cheese is melted. Pour hot glaze over dates and serve.