Let’s Party Like the Brits
I’m devoting the rest of this year to holiday food, but more so to holiday party food. When I was thinking a repertoire of recipes to feature for the final month of this year, it seems that every dish that appealed to me just happened to originate from the United Kingdom. We all tend to regress back to our roots during the holidays, and for me during Christmas time it’s good old traditional English food. Now we all know that the English, get many of their recipes from the Irish and Scotts, and some are even rooted in India. So, don’t be surprised to see an eclectic mix. I’ll be putting a spin on some traditional recipes and bringing to you holiday party food British style. Check in every week to see how the Brits might do a cocktail party spread this holiday season. That means small sumptuous individualized portions of classics from the United Kingdom in whole.
Holiday Cocktails
A holiday party wouldn’t be complete without cocktails, so I’ll be dropping a few cocktail recipes as well. This time of year some spice in our libations are in order. This year, I have been inspired by cinnamon. Isn’t it simply the warmest and most sensational spice with a scent that makes your entire home smell like Christmas?
To start off, let’s make some Fireball Cinnamon Infused Whiskey. It’s called Fireball because it has bit of a kick in it from red chili peppers that are steeped in the whiskey for days. That heat will warm you right up during the cold winter! It’s also very easy to make.
I’m using Scottish Whiskey rather than what you may see Fireball Whiskey more commonly made out of, which is Bourbon. That’s how I’m giving it my British spin. If you ordered whiskey at an English pub you would get Scotch, never Bourbon. This drink can make an awesome hostess gift as well during the season! In some upcoming posts, I’ll also show you what else you can do with this stuff.
Fireball Cinnamon Infused Whiskey
Ingredients
1 Bottle of whiskey (I used Scotch Whiskey, but you can use Bourbon as well)
8-10 Cinnamon sticks
1/3 Cup raw sugar
6 Whole dried red chili peppers
1 Large resealable container
Method
Pour the whole bottle of whisky into your large container.
Add the cinnamon sticks and sugar and seal. Shake the container and let stand for five days, shaking daily.
After five days, add the dried chili peppers to the container and shake. Let stand for three to four more days, tasting after the first day to test the flavor intensity. When the flavor reaches the desired intensity, strain and re-bottle.
Note: Generally, the mixture should steep for a total of 8 days.
Note: Some say you don’t need a quality bottle of whiskey because you will infuse if with plenty of flavor, but I think a decent bottle of whiskey is a good call. However, you don’t have to break the bank.
