Thanksgiving came and went so fast!  Actually planning was pretty darn easy now that Irene and Chris have it at their house in Tualatin.  I love of having adult children.  Irene is wonderful; she is a just great at putting a party together while handling being a Mom with ease.  Actually Irene and Chris are a great team and it is fun watching them work together.  All I had to bring was an opening act cocktail, along with an appetizer.  For the main course I made Cranberry Whiskey Mustard Sauce to go along with Irene’s turkey.  For desert I made Grandma Winkie’s Pumpkin Pies.  Grandma Winkie is Jan’s mother and got that name when the boys were very small and she read them a favorite children’s book whose main character just happened to be Grandma Winkie.   The name stuck.

I have a new favorite Whiskey “Snake River Stampede.”  It comes from the folks at Indio Spirits in Cottage Grove, Oregon.   http://www.indiospirits.com/ .  The taste is very smooth with notes of caramel.  I also have a favorite author of cocktail books and that is A.J. Rathbun.  A.J. has a new book out “Dark Spirits” and I decided to use a recipe from that book for a cocktail called WOW made from whiskey, orange juice and water.  It was perfect for our Thanksgiving, and I’m sure it’s going to be fantastic for Christmas.  Before I give you the recipe for WOW I want to highly recommend A.J.’s books, the cocktail recipes are terrific and the books are just plain fun to read.  A.J is a very entertaining fellow.  If you want to check out his blog it is http://www.ajrathbun.com/ .  You can order A.J.’s books from our website.

WOW

2 ounces Snake River Stampede Whiskey

1 ½ ounces freshly squeezed orange juice

1 ounce simple syrup (recipe follows)

2 ½ ounces hot water

Orange twist for garnish

Add the whiskey, orange juice and simple syrup to a large mug

Heat the water to almost boiling (this is where an instahot really comes in handy

Pour water into mug, and stir briefly.  Twist the orange twist over the top and drop it in.  As A.J. says, “WOW indeed.”

A variation for the young ones and non-imbibers in the group:  Take the whiskey out of the equation; up the orange juice by 1 ounce; the simple syrup by ½ ounce and the water by1/2 ounce; and add ¼ teaspoon ground cloves to the mug.

I am going to make a pitcher of the orange juice, whiskey, simple syrup mixture and have another insulated pitcher of hot water so that the guests can make their own drinks.

I am going to stop by my local grocery store deli for my appetizer.  Anyone who has read this blog knows that when in a rush the olive bar and cheese counter are my best friend.  I’ll pick up a nice crusty baguette, cut it into thin slices, arrange it on a platter with sliced hard salami and wedges of cheese, put out bowls of olives and marinated vegetables and I’m done.  Of course I will put out Saucy Mama Mustard to compliment everything.

I’ll make the cranberry sauce a couple of days before Thanksgiving and bring it to Portland with me.

Whiskey Mustard Cranberry Sauce

¾ cup Snake River Stampede Whiskey

¼ Harlequin Orange Liqueur (or whatever orange liqueur you happen to have laying around)

1 cup sugar

1 – 12 ounce package fresh cranberries

¼ cup Willamette Valley Sweet Hot Stone Ground Mustard

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Bring whiskey, orange liqueur, and sugar to a boil in a heavy medium sized saucepan stirring to dissolve sugar.  Add cranberries and mustard, return to a boil.  Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in orange peel. Allow to cool to room temperature.  If not using immediately refrigerate until ready to use.  Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!